Ruthless Knights (The Dark Elite 2)

“Upstairs,” he explains, gesturing for me to resume walking. “Where it’s safe.”

“No. Hale never said I had to be upstairs.” I shake my head. “I’ll be fine here.”

Twisting away from Lucas, I turn to look back at Hale, wanting his permission but not needing it. Regardless of what he says, I am going to be here with all of them; this is just as much my business now as it is any of theirs. I was engaged to the man who owned the phone Leland was calling, and if there is any way possible that I can help these four men, even if it’s with information that may not seem important to me, I want to do it.

Even if it’s dangerous.

Even if they don’t like it.

“Lucas is right.” Hale grimaces, looking suddenly exhausted. He slides his hands into h

is pockets. “You don’t want to get caught up in this mess, Grace. I hate that you’re this deep in it already.”

“No.” My brows pull together as I step toward him, directly disobeying his order. Hale raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything, so I barrel on. “I already am caught up in this, and not because of my father or Brian. I’m caught up in it because I care about you. I want to be with you. By your side, helping you. All of you. I’m part of this. And you can’t change that now.”

There’s a bit of a challenge in my voice as I say the last words, and something almost like a smile tugs at Hale’s lips.

“No, I don’t think I can change it, can I?” Something warm and possessive passes through his expression, and he slides his hands from his pockets as he moves forward, closing the distance between us. “And maybe it makes me an asshole, but I don’t want to. I’ve fought against this as long as I can, Grace. I hope you don’t hate me for it one day, but I want you. I need you. If you’ll stand by our side, that’s exactly where I want you.”

He palms the back of my head and presses his lips to mine, and his kiss feels like a dark promise.

My heart flutters in my chest as I grab two fistfuls of his shirt, dragging him a little closer as I inhale his spicy scent.

When we finally break apart, he drags his hand around to slide down my jaw, his thumb brushing my lips. “Thank you,” he murmurs.

He steps back, and when he and Ciro fall into a quiet discussion of how to handle Leland’s arrival, Zaid and Lucas come to stand beside me. Zaid’s hand brushes mine, and when I turn to look at him, he surprises the fuck out of me by dipping his head and kissing me too.

I jolt in surprise, then recover quickly and kiss him back, loving the way his taste combines with Hale’s on my tongue.

“You’re good for him, kitten,” he says quietly as we break apart, and Lucas murmurs an agreement. “You’re good for all of us. I’m glad you’re here.”

My heart thumps in my chest at his words.

I am too. I hate the circumstances that brought us together, I hate that I’ve lost my father and don’t even know who he was anymore.

But despite the danger and chaos of the world I’ve found myself living in, I’m glad I have these four men in my life.

Since we don’t have long before Leland’s arrival, the men move quickly to secure the house, making sure there’s nowhere for him to go if he decides to run and stashing weapons they can use if things get hairy. Damian’s old captain shouldn’t have any idea we suspect him—the fact that it took us so long to track him down might work in our favor now. He’s had plenty of time to get cocky and complacent.

The minutes that tick by before Leland’s arrival feel like the longest of my life, and I’m practically crawling out of my skin by the time we hear a knock on the door.

Hale nods sharply to Ciro, Zaid, and Lucas, and they all arrange themselves in position in the living room. I stand to one side—the men might’ve agreed to let me be here for this, but there’s no fucking way they’d let me be involved in actually trying to take Leland down or restrain him should that become necessary.

I hold my breath as we listen to Hale cross the large foyer and open the door.

“Leland,” he says smoothly. “Good of you to come.”

26

Grace

As the footsteps grow closer and closer, my heart roars inside of my ears.

I take a few calming breaths and plant my feet, ready to face whatever is coming. None of what I told Hale earlier was a lie. I’ve been part of the search for the mole since the beginning, and I’m going to be here until the end.

Leland doesn’t respond to Hale’s welcome, breaking away from Ciro and Zaid with little more than a gruff grunt from the back of his throat. Unlike the rest of the men, his suit is unkempt, like he just threw it on or didn’t even change before rolling around in bed for a few hours.

“Where are Stanley and Frank?” he asks, glancing around.