Page 100 of Saving Grace
I bent down to retrieve said car keys when I heard a whistling whoosh above my head. That was followed by an awful gurgling sound, then blood sprayed all over me.
Ric lunged at me, snatching me up, and spinning me around so my wrists were crossed in front of me. In this position, I was forced to face the grisly scene unfolding before me.
“Ah,cara mia, look what you made me do,” Ric said silkily with a hint of euphoria.
“Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” I stared at Elliot in horror.
My boss had fallen to his knees, his eyes registering shock. Ric’s switchblade was impaled in his throat and blood gushed down in an endless stream, pooling around him.
I felt lightheaded and, if it hadn’t been for Ric holding me up, I might have fallen.
“You’re a monster.” I squeezed my eyes shut. A multitude of emotions ripped through me—anger, sorrow, desolation, terror, and more anger.
So much death. How many more people have to die because of him?
“Ah, Grace, but I’m your monster.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Matt
It had been sixteen hours since Grace had been taken.
Matt watched the digital face of his watch turn three o’clock. They’d gone door-to-door, fanning out from Kyra’s house and questioned her neighbors, showing them Kyra’s picture. It didn’t help that being a Monday, most people were at work. He rubbed the band of his watch, wanting to rip it off, and hurl it against a tree. He wished he could turn back time so he could do things differently, and Grace would never have left his side.
He watched Cassie and Kate thank an old woman across the street. His twin gave a slight negative shake of her head and his heart sunk.
Christ, gypsy. Where are you?
He walked toward the next house, his shoes trudging along like lead. He wasn’t going to survive losing Grace. This would destroy him. And if he lost her, he’d lose the life growing in her as well. His family.
Unable to contain the anguish rising inside him, he threw back his head and roared.
Kate’s voice echoed vaguely in his ears calling his name, but he’d already punched a tree with his fist. He welcomed the sting; the pain was a balm. He needed something to hurt more than the hole in his heart.
“Matt, you need to pull yourself together,” Kate ordered. “We can’t have you falling apart like this. You’re going to be useless to Grace.”
That set him off and he pounced on Kate, dragging her to his face by her sweater. “Fuck you, Kate,” he snarled. “You’re one to talk about falling apart when all you do is run away from your problems.”
“That’s enough!” Cassie shouted. He let go of his twin who returned his glare.
But Matt was only getting started. “What did you do when Piper died, huh? You ran away. Stuck your head in the sand, disappeared, and left me to handle the aftermath.”
He should shut up or he’d be driving her away again, but he was losing his mind not knowing where Grace was. “So, are you going to stay now? Or at the first sign of trouble, you’re gonna leave us high and dry again.”
“You’re an asshole,” Kate’s face was ashen. It didn’t take a genius to tell that Matt had struck deep.
“Nothing I haven’t heard before,” Matt sighed, his anger losing steam. “Just … just don’t ever question my dedication in finding Grace again, okay?”
His sister exhaled in irritation. “Okay, I apologize about that. Can we keep moving?”
“Yeah,” Matt smiled briefly. That was how he and Kate rolled. They fought frequently, but they were quick to forgive. His outburst actually released some of the tension coiled so fucking tight inside him. “Sorry for yelling at you. Don’t leave again, okay?”
Kate smiled feebly. “I won’t.”
Just then, they saw Axe and Millie hurrying down the street. There was something in their faces that gave Matt hope.
“We have a lead … a house down this block. The neighbor said he has seen Kyra around that property. There’d also been a blue Toyota sedan and a black Lexus SUV parked there.”