Page 38 of Lure

“Yes,” I said because I definitely had been earlier. “But dead serious at the moment. There is wildlife up here. If Goblin goes on guard, it means he’s scented or heard something.Trusthis instincts.”

The fact she looked directly at Goblin who was currently rolling on his back in some thick grass and wiggling as he played made me laugh. Her scowl was adorable.

“I’ve never seen a moose,” she muttered, and turned her attention back to the valley. The breeze had picked up and while it was cool, it wasn’t cold. The clouds thickened, but it still didn’t feel or smell like rain. Just a weather system passing by.

It could keep right on passing.

“I don’t advise trying to pet one. Or a bison for that matter.”

“Are there bison up here?” Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at me.

“Not up here specifically, but we’re not far from the parks and there are bison there. Tourists like to get their picture with them and don’t realize that bison are not docile creatures and they really don’t like it when people invade their space.”

“Well, then they get what they get.” She shook her head. “We’re in Montana, right? You can tell me that?”

I sighed. “Yes, we’re in Montana.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, the two words were so soft I almost didn’t hear them. “You guys brought me here, to your place and I know I’ve been pissed at you?—”

“You have a right to be.” For all that we had good intentions, the choice to bring her here had been Bones’ and he’d never explained exactly why. I could guess and if I was right, then I actually agreed with the choice. “Bringing you here isn’t about keeping you prisoner, Firecracker.”

“No?” She practically dared me, but her gaze remained fixed on the distance.

“No. Whoever is after you is extremely determined. We think there are at least two groups, but based on the timeline and what you can recall, I have to wonder if there is more involved than just these groups coming after you.”

“More?” She pivoted to stare at me almost pleadingly. “More than killing my agent and manager? More than taking my sister? More than taking me? Whatmorecould there be?”

“Taking you permanently. Making you a part of a collection. Keeping you.”

Disgust curled her lip and she shook her head. “They don’t get to have me.”

“No, they don’t. But theywantyou, Grace.” It was my turn to sigh. “At the end of the day, we can keep you safe if we keep you out of sight and away from anywhere you would normally be.”

Maybe we should have hadthisconversation before.

“You are visible in your life?—”

“I’m not as visible as you might think.”

“Perhaps you’re not a household name, but people know you. They know how to book your time.” I frowned. “Why didn’t they just hire you for a shoot and take you that way?”

That pulled her around. “I have no idea. Eleanor takes care of my contracts and negotiations. I’m not her only model. But she’s really good at what she does and she vets every request carefully…” Her gaze went to the distance again.

Based on that description though, if the people trying to lay hands on Grace went through her manager, it might explain why they killed her. Not that we had concrete evidence on thatyet. It didn’t feel like a coincidence in any form of the word.

“I was offered a million dollars to attend a party,” Grace said. “They offered less than that but I don’t do those anymore. I don’t like them.”

“Like—what kind of party would pay you a million dollars to show up?” Even if I was already guessing yachting, I wanted her take on it.

“A yacht party. They are very popular. Wealthy men want to buy everything. Sometimes, they like to buy the attention and company of women.”

She folded her arms and I checked the color in her cheeks. I didn’t want her to be cold. Goblin was still lolling in the grass.He was comfortable and she had some color again. Both positive signs.

“When I was just starting out, I would take the invitations because they were networking opportunities. A group of us would go together. Some girls liked to do a little more and if they wanted to, fine, but I wasn’t for sale. Not like that.” Another long sigh escaped her. “I hate this. I just want to see Amorette, to talk to her, to hug her and know she is okay. Then I want to go back to my life… Maybe it’s not the life for everyone, but I liked it.”

If I could stand her sister in front of her right now, I would. “We’re not so bad, are we?”

“No.” It came out almost grudging. The frustration reflected in expression. “I don’t know what to do.”

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