Page 154 of Things We Hide from the Light
“Rumors. Whispers.”
“I didn’t dip that guy in fryer oil. I don’t know what’s wrong with that town’s gossip phone tree, but things seriously get lost in translation,” I insisted.
His lips quirked again. “Not talkin’ about that. I’m talkin’ about Duncan Hugo still hangin’ around, plotting some pretty big moves.”
I blinked. “Hugo’s still here? But that would be…”
“Stupid?” Grim filled in. “Not necessarily. Not if everyone, including his father, thinks he skipped the country. Not if he’s so far underground no one’s seen him since he hightailed it out of that warehouse.”
“But why would he stay? Everyone from his father to the FBI are looking for him.”
“If you were him, why would you stick around?”
I chewed on my lip and ran through the scenarios. “Either I’m an idiot and I think this is all going to blow over or…”
“Or,” Grim repeated.
“Oh shit. Or I see this as my opportunity to take over the family business. If I can get rid of Daddy, I take his place on the throne.”
Grim nodded approvingly. “Smart girl. He doesn’t even have to go to war for it. He can just sit tight and wait for the feds to make their move. All he has to do is tie up a loose end here and there.”
I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. “What kind of loose ends?”
“Nash Morgan.”
Crappity crap.I looked down at my watch, then winced.
“Can I borrow your phone?”
THIRTY-TWO
A COURTESY WARNING
Nash
Iwanted to punch something. Anything.
I glanced to my right. Knox was still wearing the fading remains of the shiner I’d given him. Lucian was on my left, legs braced, arms crossed. In all our years of friendship, I’d never thrown a punch at him. I’d also never seen him get physical. I knew he was capable of it. I’d seen the aftermath of it. But I’d never witnessed him in action.
These days, he preferred to unleash that pent-up boyhood fury in other ways.
But for me, I knew there was only one way to get this out of my system.
“Here they come,” Knox said.
The half circle of grizzled bikers in front of us parted as a bike roared into the lot. I recognized Grim immediately, but it was his passenger that had me curling my hands into fists.
The bike came to a stop directly in front of me. Lina released her arms from the biker’s waist and swung one long leg over in a graceful dismount.
She had barely pulled off the helmet before I was yanking her into my side, then pushing her behind my back.
“Nash—”
“Don’t start,” I ordered.
Knox, Lucian, and Nolan closed ranks, and together we formed a wall between her and Grim.
The seconds ticked by as I stared him down.
