Page 42 of Lesson In Forgiveness

Just a couple of rooms down, Tabitha was sprawled facedown on the bed, covered to the waist with a blanket, with her right wrist cuffed to the headboard. Being pushed to her limits twice in a short period of time had sucked her dry, leaving her so exhausted she’d actually fallen asleep, naked, on his lap.

Trust was given and treasured.

The door swung open and Grit’s head tilted back to meet the curious brown gaze of Evander. The guy was six-foot-seven and fit all the criteria for a surfer audition—tanned skin, dark blond hair, and a physique that put a lot of men to shame.

Grit included himself in that category, seeing as Evander had a few years on him and could probably deadlift Grit’s weight with ease.

“Grit.” Curiosity switched to open welcome, before unease filtered through. “Oh, shit. What’s happened now?”

“Nothing. Everything’s fine,” he assured Evander quickly, holding his hands up. “As far as I know, the previous issue we had before is still dormant. The team is working on it.”

“Thank fuck. Jesus, way to give me a heart attack.”

“Sorry, it didn’t cross my mind you’d think there was a problem.”

“It’s been a rough few weeks, doesn’t take a lot to make me paranoid at the moment.” Evander shrugged, then jerked his head. “Would you like to come in?”

Glancing down the hallway to where he’d left his room door open so he could catch Tabitha if she woke up and made a break for it, Grit refused politely. “Actually, I just need to ask you and Elias for a favor…”

“Oh?”

“I was wondering if Callie might be available for a playdate this afternoon.”

Thick arms folded over a barrel chest as Evander leveled him with a dark stare. “We don’t share our wife outside of the three of us, Grit. Three’s perfect, four’s a crowd.”

“What?” Confused, he frowned before it dawned on him. “Oh, shit, no, not that kind of playdate! I meant for Tabitha to come spend some time with Callie in a completely non-sexual manner.”

Those brown eyes regarded him balefully. “Tabitha as in the deadly femme fatale you’ve spent weeks protecting Elias from? That Tabitha?”

Oh, that sounded bad when he said it like that. Sucking air between his teeth, Grit lifted his shoulder. “I seem to have acquired a woman who goes by that description, yes.”

Evander laughed. “I’m not sure I approve of your acquisition spending time with my Little, Grit, I have to be honest. Given her psychopathy and talent for playing with sharp, shiny objects…”

Reading Evander’s body language more than listening to the words, Grit’s shoulders slumped. He’d expected this on some level; of course he had. Tabitha was a killer and proud of it, particularly of her pro bono work, so it wasn’t a surprise that his idea was meeting strong resistance.

However, it was opening his eyes to the trials she must face—not only as an adult, but throughout her entire life. Prohibited from socializing as a child, ostracized once she escaped Dominic’s reach, vilified as a grown woman.

No wonder she was socially inept and possessed a serious lack of friends. She didn’t know how to be herself around the general public, and her conversational skills were basically limited to snaring her next target.

“Why don’t you come in?” Evander invited, opening the door wider.

Shaking his head, Grit took a step away. “Thanks, but I need to get back to her. She doesn’t handle restraints well and she’s handcuffed to the bed. Don’t want her waking alone, screaming the hotel down.”

“Grit—”

“It’s fine, Evander. I understand, don’t worry about it.” With a nod, he began walking back to his room, playing through alternative options to keep her occupied through his head.

Taking her outside the hotel was a definite no. Although no one had officially picked up her contract on the dark web, it didn’t mean there weren’t people out there willing to kill her before claiming the reward.

Denver was a big city with a lot of unfamiliar faces, too many tall buildings with easy accessibility for sniper nests, and no goddamn backup crew in place.

Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing his idea wasn’t going to happen. Tabitha was pretty unpredictable, especially when faced with stimuli she couldn’t handle. While she tolerated Alicia when she visited Phoenix, and put up with Anarchy’s mischievous bratty side, Callie was a stranger.

An occasionally hyperactive Little still exploring her boundaries.

He approached the open door, jolting as Evander fell into step beside him. “Fuck, for a big guy, you’re light on your feet.”

“Years of practice,” Evander said easily. “Why is she here, Grit?”

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