Page 120 of Lesson In Forgiveness

“Bad man,” she told him in a dark voice. “Bad, bad man.”

A quick flick of her hand finished him off, the knife biting deep enough to open his jugular. The resulting spray of red ignited the full force of her bloodlust, switching her brain into hunter mode.

Stepping over the big brute’s body when it crumpled to the ground, she felt her humanity drift away, leaving behind the calm, cold monster in its place. Identifying the guy near the dump truck as her next biggest threat, she left the dead man’s blood on her face and went to take on the second with a spring in her step.

Chapter Fourteen

Grit

He wasn’t going to get there in time.

It was his biggest fear.

Everything went wrong simultaneously. One thing after another in short, painful succession. It started when Tabitha hung up on him with that dire warning—“Don’t come looking for me. I won’t be here.”—and continued when she evaded the two private investigators he’d hired in lieu of Att’s team.

It hadn’t surprised him when she headed out of town, and he’d followed her progress nearly all the way to Serenity by tracking her cell phone. He was battling through traffic, intent on pinning her down and getting her to safety, when his phone pinged with an alert for the panic room at the Ledston-Mitchell home.

Eli managed to fire off a text to Grit before he hit the alarm, engaging the cell jammers and rendering all phones within half a mile useless. A simple, four word text: Under attack. Locked down.

Dodging and weaving through evening traffic as best he could, Grit watched time tick past and could only imagine what was happening. He’d immediately called Jasper and redirected the A-team straight to Serenity, but their ETA was similar to his own.

Evander, Elias, and Callie were safe as long as they stayed in the panic room. They would, he knew, because Callie’s men wouldn’t risk losing her by doing something stupid. They had access to the camera feeds and they knew the approved signal that Grit, Jasper, and the team agreed on during the meeting.

Grit’s main concern now was Tabitha.

She was armed, extremely dangerous, and her insanity sure as hell worked as a defense, but how much of that mattered if she walked into the situation unaware… Donaghue was a psychopath with a grudge. His issue with Elias was business, pure and simple, but Tabitha’s defiance and disobedience had cost him pride, money, and convenience.

The Irishman wouldn’t show her any mercy and, knowing her, she’d goad the fucker into an apoplectic rage.

Finally breaking free from the city, Grit tore down the highway at twice the speed limit. Expecting the cops to be on his ass at any moment, he kept an eye out for cruisers. They could give him as many tickets as they fucking wanted, but if they pulled him over, time would slip through his fingers like sand.

His cell rang as he took the turning to Serenity at speed, much faster than was wise. The SUV shuddered precariously, struggling to keep up with his demands, then shot forward again when he hit the gas.

He jabbed a finger on the call button on the dashboard controls. “Jasper.”

“A-team landed five minutes ago at a private airfield. They’re ten miles down the road, they should be with you in twenty.”

Grit growled. “Evander and his spouses are locked down, safe. Tabitha’s already here.”

“I know,” Jasper said softly. “We went through this earlier, Grit. Keep a cool head. This is a situation we’ve been in before, nothing’s changed. The civilians are protected, backup is on the way. Hold down the fort until A-team has your back.”

Everything changed the moment Tabitha wandered into the path of a murderer who wanted the world and wouldn’t stop before he got it, Grit thought in disgust. “Tabitha—”

“My sister has my full faith. She’s been trained in hand-to-hand combat to a level you can’t imagine. The day she lets some mafia goons bring her to her knees isn’t today.” Confidence rang in Jasper’s voice. “If she’s in the middle of it now, there’s no getting her out until she’s done.”

How much blood was going to be on her hands when she was through? How much more weight did she have to carry before she was broken beyond repair?

He slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt when he spotted what had to be Tabitha’s vehicle. There was no sign of her; he didn’t expect her to be loitering around, waiting for assistance, but if she’d parked here, then something must have given her cause to do so.

Thank God.

“There’s an SUV dumped just off the road to the club. No occupants. My guess is Tabitha decided to approach on foot. No signs of a struggle or any other vehicles.” Setting off again, Grit watched the road carefully. He doubted she’d walked this way, not if her instincts warned her of danger. “We’re about a mile out. I’m heading in.”

“Update me as best you can. Good luck.”

Grit grunted, concentrating hard. When the house came into view, he reached over and plucked his weapon from the glove box, checking the safety before laying it on his thigh. Driving slower now, he let the SUV crawl down the driveway to the house, bracing for bullets to pelt the exterior.

The pile of bodies outside the garage explained why he’d gone unchallenged.

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