until you listen.” His grip tightens as he makes his stand. He won’t let up until I listen to whatever bullshit he has to say.
I stare into his eyes, where I see fear for the first time in my life, and I make my move. It’s one word. One word to end everything.
He knows I’m going to say it before the word slips out of my mouth. Brody releases me like he’s been shot. He takes a shuddering step backward and shakes his head.
“Don’t. Don’t do it, Grace.”
But I do. My mind’s made up, and I can’t believe I fell for a man who used me once and only wants to steal from me now.
“Red.”
“Grace—you don’t mean that.” All the color drains from his face as I shake my head.
“Either give me the keys to your car, or take me home.”
His gaze drops to my midsection. With a shake of his head, he spins around and walks into the living room. “Get dressed. I’ll take you home, but don’t think for a second this is over.”
“I said Red.”
“I know exactly what you said, and I’ll respect it. When you’re ready, we’re going to talk about what you think you saw.”
Our gazes lock, but I meet the ferocity of his stare with incredible strength. No tears. No cracking. He blinks first, and I win.
In less than five minutes, I’m dressed and headed down to the garage with a very silent Brody beside me.
Forty
Brody
The drumming of my fingers annoys Grace, but I don’t stop. For over two hours, we slog through heavier than usual traffic headed out of the city. It’s the weekend rush and we’re caught in the middle of it.
Grace gives another sniff, follows it with a huff, but doesn’t say one damn word.
That’s okay. She’ll crack.
I’d fill the silence with words, words which explain what she thinks she saw, but she cut off any communication for the foreseeable future. Red means nothing outside of sex, but it’s important enough that I honor it. Trust is an issue with Grace, and I won’t do anything to weaken it further. Instead, I tap on the steering wheel because it bugs the shit out of her.
“Will you stop that?” She gives another huff and glares at the steering wheel.
“Will you speak to me?”
Grace shifts her attention back out the window while I control my frustration. This no speaking thing frustrates me, and I’m moving from frustration to full-on anger.
We pull off I-80 and head towards Napa. If anything, traffic gets worse. Now we’re nearly at a standstill, crawling past vineyards and cow farms. My fingers curl around the steering wheel and tighten. Seconds from blowing my cool, I make a decision.
“We’re talking about what you saw.”
Her back stiffens; talk about being prickly.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“That’s totally fine with me, you just need to listen.”
She makes a show of rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “I said Red. That means we’re done.”
“We’re far from over, and if you could pull your head out of your ass and listen for a second, you’ll understand why.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I get it, but I have something to say. Then we’ll talk about what’s happening now and why.”
“What’s happening now is we’re breaking up. Why is because you’re no different than you were in high school. This is just another way to fuck me over.”
“We’re not breaking up. I said you’re mine, and you’re mine.”
“That means shit.”
“As for why, I’ve changed, but I can see how difficult that can be for you to believe. Trust isn’t our strong suit as a couple, but you can trust me. I’ve changed.”
“Bullshit.”
“The only bullshit going on is the shit deal your Uncle Mark is trying to make.” Her mouth opens, but no words come out. I finally got her attention. “Cage found that folder the day your mother died. It was in your uncle’s office. He knows what that land is worth. I believe he’s been sabotaging your business for years, letting it slowly fail. Once it does, he’s hoping you’ll be desperate to sell and walk away. One of two things will happen then. Either Atwood Estates will make a miraculous comeback, or he’ll walk away with a cool ten million. I have a feeling I know which is more likely to happen.”
“That’s not true.”
“He’s been systematically undermining your business, skimming off the top, and diverting your crop to force a sustained loss. He wants you to sell to him for pennies