Free Betrayal of Cupids by Sophia Kenzie Page A

It was Grace.  She was okay.  My Grace was still alive.  I could feel the strength returning to my worried muscles.  Because she was safe, there was still a reason for me to fight.
    But what about Sean?  I was sure it was his voice on the phone that had chilled my bones only a few hours earlier.  Was Danny right?  Had I only heard what I wanted to hear?  It seemed impossible. 
    I watched her shake her head.  I watched him nod.  She nodded and he shook.  They both spoke.  Damn, why couldn’t I read their lips?  Grace looked upset, angry even.  Or maybe she was scared.  What was he saying to her?
    It seemed like an eternity before he reached out his hand and touched her face, signaling his goodbye.  I felt a fire burn inside me at the sight of his hand on her, but I forced myself to breath.  I needed to trust him.  I kept reminding myself that he was on my side.  He had done nothing to convince me otherwise.  Danny had done exactly what I had asked of him.
    The light disappeared as Grace closed the door.  Danny motioned for me to meet him behind the barn.
    “Is she okay?  What did she say?”  I was frantic, begging for answers.
    “She’s fine.”
    “Thank God.”
    “Did she mention where or when we could meet?”
    “Yeah, about that…”
    His face changed, and I could see him piece his thoughts together before he uttered his next phrase.  “She doesn’t want to see you, man.”
    I stopped suddenly, unable to comprehend what he was trying to tell me.  “What do you mean?”
    “She doesn’t want to see you.  I’m sorry, but she told me to tell you she made a mistake coming out to you today and her life is here, among her club.  She still loves you, but she wants you to leave and not come back.”
    That couldn’t have been Grace talking.  She promised she would come back to me, no matter what she said.  Her number was etched into my palm.  There was no way things could have changed so quickly.  It must have been a signal.
    “Something had to have been wrong.”
    “Nothing was wrong.  She was alone.  I don’t know, Ryan, but it sounds like you should forget about her.  You’re better off anyway.  Now you can get back to the club and you don’t have to waste your time worrying about if you can trust her or not. Obviously you can’t.”
    My hand instinctively went to his throat, but I stopped it short.  I dropped my arm to my side.  “It’s not about trust with Grace.  I know I can trust her.  There’s something she wasn’t telling you.”
    “She made her intentions pretty clear.”
    My attention was drawn to the farmhouse as I saw a second floor light flicker.  Grace came to the window, looked out into the darkness for a brief second, and then drew the curtains closed.  Could she really have turned on me so quickly?  No.  It was impossible.  My Grace wouldn’t do that.  Something had to have been happening that Danny didn’t see.
    “I need to see her myself.”
    “Not a good idea, man.”
    “I don’t need you to tell me what to do,” I snapped at him.
    “You obviously do.” He grabbed my shoulder, turning me toward him.  “That sweet butt has completely messed you up.”
    My hand was at his throat, but I didn’t stop it this time.  “You don’t dare call her that.”
    “Do you not see the crazed lunatic you’re becoming?”  He tried to pull himself from my grip, but my anger held my fingers in place.
    I didn’t care if he was right.  This was my battle. 
    “I need to know for myself.”  I growled.  I released my hold on him and stole away, toward the waiting house.  Danny didn’t know Grace.  He wouldn’t know if something was wrong.
    Although Danny swore she was alone, the situation seemed sketchy to me.  I decided the front door would be off limits.  I looked up at the window where the light had been turned on and the shades drawn only moments before.  Grace had told me she had snuck away from her escort earlier that day by