Page 80 of Gray Area

“By who?”

The fool shakes his head, and I have had enough. I grab a crowbar from the table behind me and slam it into each knee, and then take the pointed end and jab it into his crotch, pinning his balls to the chair, making the twit howl.

“By who?” I ask again through my teeth.

“Lex,” he cries out.

“Would that be Palmer Lexington?” I ask him and he nods like crazy. “He told you to come into my home and look for what kind of paperwork?”

“A signed document, a hefty one, notarized, with his signature on it,” he tells me.

That motherfucker. “And my girlfriend, what were you supposed to do to her?”

“Nothing. He said no one would be here.” I am relieved that Vivian is not part of their scheme. Looks like Lexington haspulled some other fool into his problems. “Said the guy was in the hospital and the kids were busy with their stuff.”

I exchange a look with Axel. Does this guy not know about Roman? Or is this guy lying to save his skin?

“Then why did you attack her?” I demand.

“I panicked. He told me he would kill my family,” the man says, and Axel and I freeze.

“Why?” I ask.

“He took my life savings, said he was investing and he didn’t. I called the feds on him, but it was intercepted by him. He told me he would kill my family if I didn’t do this. If I succeeded he would let it go.”

Axel turns Jeff’s wallet to me, and I see a picture of two school-age kids.

“When are you supposed to see him?” I ask.

“Next week,” he groans, his head falling forward.

I nod. “You’re staying here tonight, Jeff,” I tell him, and then tell Axel my plan.

Chapter 46

VIVIAN

After I take Slade upstairs on the guise of checking on Roman, Slade checks the rest of the rooms up there. When he turns on the hallway light, I squint, the bright light hurting my eyes and making my head throb.

“You okay, Vivian?” Slade asks me softly.

“My head,” I explain, reaching up and finding a lump where I had been hit by the intruder.

Slade comes forward and looks at my head. “Fucker hit you hard,” he murmurs. “You probably have a slight concussion. Let’s get you some ice,” he says and turns to head down the stairs.

“Slade,” I call to him, stopping him and asking quietly, “what is Declan going to do to that man?”

“He’s just going to talk to him and try to figure out why he was in the house, and why he attacked you.”

“How?” I ask. I know, I truly already know what he is going to do. Hell, he had told me.I’ll do whatever I have to in order to protect the ones I love. But I don’t think I really got what he was capable of until I saw him take that guy down tonight. The way he hit him, the anger in him.

“Vivian, Declan is a great guy. He seems like he is closed off, but really, he is the most caring person you will ever find. And he takes care of those he cares about. Dec does what he needs to do to keep those he loves safe.” When Slade finishes his speech, he goes downstairs, and I hear him getting ice. I sit in the chair in the hallway, just wanting to stay closer to Roman. And as far away from the basement as possible.

A few minutes later, Declan appears in the hallway instead of Slade, holding a bag of ice. His shirt is gone.

“What happened to your shirt?” I ask him, wondering if I am hallucinating from the possible concussion I have. Maybe my subconscious is showing me the things that make me so very happy.

“It got dirty. Show me where it hurts,” he says, and when I do, he places the baggy of ice on it.

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