Page 72 of Saving Grace

He brushed past me while answering, forcing me to turn and watch him walk away.

“Nothing, I don’t need your money. I’ll expect you to return this favor when I ask.” He threw over his shoulder.

“Fine, a favor for a favor.”

His car pulled up. A blond the size of a tree jumped out. Hand on the gun at his waist as two other cars pulled up behind him.

Just before his car door closed I remembered the bullet in my arm.

“You shot me by the way.”

“You said make it look real. When I shoot someone for real, I don’t miss. I just didn’t aim for your heart.” He didn’t even bother sparing me a glance.

How in the fuck was I supposed to respond to that? Besides, he didn’t give me a chance. He closed his car door, ending the conversation.

I watched him drive away hoping I never made an enemy out of him before my thoughts shifted back to this matter at hand. My freedom.

----

I stepped over one dead body after another. DeMarco and his people had left a bloody, grizzly scene behind. The part of me that was tired of all of it— the death and the destruction mourned the loss of life.

Some of these men had come to be considered my friends, some were like family. But then there was a dark part of me— a part of me that would forever remain no matter how hard I fought against —that wished I’d been there to watch life snatched from each and every one of them just because they were associated with my grandfather.

I made my way slowly and with heavy steps up the stairs. Knowing that it would all be over soon caused a feeling I couldn’t describe to weigh heavily on my chest. I didn’t try to figure it out. Later when I was alone I would take the time to unpack it all and analyze it.

When I got to the door of the safe house’s office the first person I saw was Tank.

He occupied the chair in front of the desk my grandfather was sitting at, in his hand he had a suppressed M9 trained at my grandfather's head.

Next my eyes landed on my grandfather. He didn’t notice me right away, he was busy glaring daggers at one of his most trusted men, Chino.

I had always known my grandfather was manipulating me and I allowed him because I felt like I owed him. He wanted an heir so his notoriety lived on after he was gone. I became that. I let him choose who I married, where I lived. Who I killed and did business with. What he hadn’t predicted was that I would become more notorious than he ever was.

He hated that when people who once feared him deferred to me. He hated that he was no longer the most feared amongst us. He never thought he would build me to be a bigger, badder monster than he ever was.

To save face he ran his mouth far too often. He complained about me to his inner circle. Bragged about how he manipulated and controlled me.

Stuff like that always got back.

I’d known for years that he’d grown to despise me. I knew I would have to kill him —even before Grace came back into the picture. But I needed a way to kill him without anyone knowing I was involved.

I needed Chino.

Tank had advised me on how to get him to turn on my grandfather after twenty years of loyal service.

“It's simple,” he had said. “Corrupt a man's heart with a gift. Your Grandfather treats his men like trash, it won’t be hard.” The night after Sophia's anniversary planning dinner, I offered Chino ten million and a part of our family’ empire. He readily accepted my offer.

Too bad he wouldn’t live to see any of it.

With his allegiance came knowledge. He told me of unknown offenses my grandfather had committed against me and mine. He told me my grandfather had knew about Grace since the very first day we reunited. He told me my grandfather also told Sophia about Grace and where she was and helped Sophia and her brothers orchestrate Grace’s accident.

Only AJ was supposed to live. They knew I was on my way out. They thought they could use him to keep me in.

Chino told me everything leaving out the one incident that he knew would get him killed. At least he didn’t tell me the story. He told others about how my Grandfather had sexually assaulted Grace. They told Rosen, my PI and he relayed it to me.

He was a dead man walking for what he had helped my grandfather do to Grace all those years ago.

So, there I was standing at the threshold of the beginning of my new life. I watched my grandfather, searching for any signs that he was the devil, but all I noticed were the deep lines of age creasing his face, and how old and haggard he looked. He was a relic of the past. It was time to lay him to rest.