The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone (249 page)

I tapped lightly on the door but when she didn’t answer for the third time I pushed it open and halted in my tracks. She was on the balcony with her back to me, arguing with someone on her phone and I crept into the room so not to disturb her.

“No, it’s not a threat. I don’t do threats, you should know that. I only promise and I promise I will hunt you down and make it very fucking painful if you hurt him.”

I frowned and my stomach knotted as I watched the whole of Grace’s body tremble with either anguish or anger, maybe both. Her back was heaving as her rage took control of her breathing and frantically tried to calm her down.

“You can have it; you can have it all but not that. It was Dad’s last wish to me, and I would never betray him.”

She scoffed and shook her head, “Surely there’s enough with the house and all the assets, why do you need it? It won’t bring you anything.”

She ran her hand through her hair in agitation but then she stiffened abruptly and I watched in near horror as the wrath I had witnessed before came back tenfold. It was choking as her chin lifted slowly; her shoulders relaxed and her body took stance. “I swear to God, if it is the last thing I do, I will take you down. You—do—not—touch—him or I will make you regret every single breath you have taken in the last forty four years.”

She grabbed hold of the railing and I took a step towards her, knowing instinctively that something was very wrong. “Don’t do this, please don’t do this.” She was practically begging and I tried to rush ahead but my legs wouldn’t carry me quick enough.

I died right there with her when I heard a sharp explosion through the phone. The tortured scream that she released filled the air and plagued everything in its wake, its grief fracturing all that that it touched as it persecuted and brutalised my soul. I had never heard a more stricken cry in my entire life, and I knew I would never hear one like it again.

I watched as the phone crumbled in her fist, parts and pieces of it falling around her feet as her body took on a new posture—a tight, hard and malevolent posture.

She turned and I gasped at the carnage in her eyes. They were lifeless and dull but so full of vice that I grabbed hold of the dresser to support myself under the threat of death.

She walked past me as though she hadn’t seen me and I gawped in horror as she pulled out a bag from under the bed and took several items out. Her head tilted to the side as she checked her gun over then slid it into the back of her jeans.

“Grace . . .”

She pulled out two knives, one long and fierce which she placed into a sheath and attached it to her belt loops and a small, malicious looking one with a curve at the tip which she tucked into her boot. She took several other items out and filled the pockets, both inside and outside of her jacket before she rolled her head around her neck and took a long sedate breath, closing her eyes slowly as though letting the tranquillity of promised bloodshed take her to the corrupt place she needed to be.

“Grace, don’t do this” I urged as I came to stand before her.

Her expression never faltered as she stared straight through me. She wasn’t there, she was some place sinister and I placed my hand gently on the arm. “Please, let Liam or Baxter handle it.”

“Move.” Her voice was level, cold and hard; the vehemence in it caused me to shudder and still she didn’t look at me. “Move, now,” she repeated slowly but I brushed off her words.

“Listen to me, Grace.”

She lifted her hand slowly and I frowned as she cupped the side of my neck. Her eyes cleared for a moment and she saw me, “I have to do this.”

It was all I heard before she pressed a finger against a section of skin just below my ear and everything went black.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Grace

THREE. I COUNTED three as I let my eyes veer across the expanse of the front lawn. A large fountain was lit up, the water dancing merrily around as if in celebration of Marcus’s death.

He would pay. He would pay deeply and it was all I could think of as I sneaked further towards the house from behind the stretch of hedgerow lining the outer garden.

I caught glimpses of movement behind the front windows so I worked my way further back towards the high iron gates that led to the rear of the house.

A shift in the shadows by the side wall grabbed my attention and halted me. I scoped out the length of the wall and smirked to myself when a tall guy kitted out in black stood flat against the brickwork, his fingers rapidly flicking on his phone as he typed a text. I shook my head as I made a mental note to remind Will to choose more observant guards next time.

He was down the second my knife speared the side of his throat, the faint gurgle of his blood was only heard by me as I retrieved my weapon of choice from his corpse; always so quiet and quick, a friend as well as an ally in this dark world.

I scaled the gates, dropping silently on the other side as I pressed against the wall and hid from cameras and eyes. I was quite stunned by the lack of security Will had but then again he had always been an arrogant fuck. His arrogance let him down this time though and I scuttled under the window and moved around to the back patio.

The house was in darkness on this side and I tutted loudly as I tried the sliding door and it opened with a slight squeak. “You fool,” I whispered as I stepped into the house.

Loud laughter was coming from somewhere in the house and I tipped my head as I looked around the room and frowned. It was lit only by the moonlight that streaked through the window and my heart seemed to bleed as I caught sight of the family photo on the mantle, my Mother smiling at Will as her hand rested on her large round belly. I was sat on my Father’s knee, his fingers tickling me to make me laugh for the photo.

I smiled and sighed as I picked it up and ran my fingers across their faces, “Where did it all go wrong?”

“When he lied to me” A voice said blandly behind me and I spun around. Will was sat in a chair, his head tipped as he regarded me with a small scowl.

He shook his head when I reached for my gun. He nodded to the side of the room and I hissed when I saw the glint of two pieces trained on me. “I knew you’d come.” He shrugged to explain the welcome party as he gestured with his hand for me to take the chair opposite him.

“I told you I would.”

He pursed his lips and smiled, “No, you told me you would hunt me down and make me pay for Marcus’s death.”

His nonchalance angered me and I bit into my lower lip to control my rage, “Why? There was no reason for you to kill him.”

He smirked cruelly and I clenched my fists before I got myself killed and went for him. “Grace, Grace, you know when something happens to you, the assets go straight to him. I couldn’t risk that. He was a waste of space anyway . . .”

I shot out of my chair and flew for him. “Ah, ah Grace, that’s not a good idea” he mocked as I felt a gun press into the side of my temple. “Sit down.”

I stared at him for a moment before back-stepping and resettling myself in the chair. “But I told you, you could have it all Will. Why?”

“I know it’s in the house Grace, I know it. But just handing everything over to me isn’t enough. You both need to pay for what you did.”

I scoffed angrily, “What we did? Jesus Christ, Will. You slaughtered our parents in front of Marcus for God’s sake.”

He laughed loudly now, tears spilling from the corner of his eyes in his amusement, “
Our
parents? Oh, come on Grace, even you know that isn’t true.”

He stood and strolled across the room to me, bending into me and bringing his face a mere inches from mine. I could read the hatred in his eyes as well as the ache but I had no sympathy for him, only pity.

“They were good parents Will, you know that.”

“She was . . . but him . . . he was far from the perfect Father, Grace. You never saw it, never saw the way he treat her, the way he blasphemed their marriage.”

“No, Will. You chose to see that when you discovered all the lies. He loved you, you know he did.”

He chuckled and shrugged before turning back around and walking over to a table containing drinks in the corner, “Whisky?”

I shook my head. I needed to stay alert and I slid my eyes stealthily around the room as he poured. One on each side of me and one behind, not easy but far from impossible.

“You worked it out then?” He asked as he sat back down and leaned towards me, resting his elbows on his knees as he sipped his drink.

“No, Grant told me.”

He nodded and flicked his eyebrows upwards, “But you knew it was me that murdered them.”

“Yes. I’ve known for six years.”

He frowned and exhaled heavily, “Six years? Yet you did nothing to avenge their death. Not quite the loyal daughter they had you for then, eh?”

I smiled and shook my head sadly, “But they knew precisely, Will. My Father even asked me not to hate you.”

He barked out a bitter laugh and downed the contents of his glass, “Then he was a fool. You should hate me Grace because I’m finishing his betrayal.”

“You’re finishing
his
betrayal?” I scoffed with incredulity, “Do you even realise how wrong you have all this?”

“But it was all lies Grace, all of it.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “Yes it was but it wasn’t a cruel lie, Will. Your mother was a skank!”

He flew for me and smashed his fist into my cheekbone, his spit splattered across my face with his vehemence and his hand wrapped around my throat until he had me pushed back against the chair harshly. “Don’t you
ever
speak of her.”

I peered into his eyes and gasped as it all clicked into place, “Oh my God. She’s back isn’t she?”

He smiled and the vice in his grin caused my blood to freeze as something quite sinister took over his expression. “She never actually left me though did she?”

“Is that what she told you?” I laughed in amazement at his stupidity, “You are far more dense than I gave you credit for if you believe her fucked up story.”

My toes curled at the pain that cracked through my jaw when his fist connected with it and I watched his face spray with blood as my lip spilt severely. “Feel better?” I hissed as my face screamed in agony.

“Much!” He said after a deep calming breath.

I closed my eyes and sighed, “Look Will, whatever has happened between you and your Mother, or our Father come to that, we’re family. You’re my brother at the end of the day; surely we can work this out.”

He nodded, “Of course we can. Give me the chip.”

I rolled my eyes and clenched my jaw tightly. “But why do you want it?”

His eyes widened and he looked at me like I was incredibly stupid, “Christ Grace. That thing is worth a fortune.”

“But you can have the family assets if it’s money you are after” I offered but he laughed, the sound of it starting to coil my stomach with its sadistic tone.

“Well let’s see,” he cocked his head as if contemplating things whilst he strummed his fingers against his chin in thought. “A few million from the family funds or a few billion from the government, errrr. . . .”

“Then why the fuck did you kill Marcus if it isn’t the family money you’re after? It was senseless and unwarranted.” The words choked in my throat and Will pulled a fake sympathetic face, his bottom lip pouting excessively.

“Aww, Gracey, you missing our fucked up brother already?”

My temper flared and I belted out of my chair and pinned him to his, “He wasn’t your brother you fucking cunt . . .”

“Get off me” he warned as a gun came to rest threateningly on the side of my face, the muzzle squashing my cheek harshly but I was too angry to relent. “You don’t see it do you Grace, he was worthless to me. I didn’t need him, he was irresponsible and reckless.”

He pushed against me but I stayed pressing into him, my fury giving me the strength I needed to outweigh him.

“If you don’t move, they . . .” He pointed to each of the men whose guns were trained on me, “ . . . will make sure you do.”

I stared at him and saw nothing in him that I could grab onto from our childhood. The way he used to look at me, the twinkle of brotherly love in his eyes, the broad shoulders that I thought would have protected me my entire life and the happy laughter we used to share; it was all gone and I shook my head sadly at him. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

He stalled at the sadness in my voice but as he rolled his lips and exhaled heavily he pulled a small pistol from his pocket and secured my gaze, “I have no choice, Grace.”

“You always have a choice, Will. You just need to make the right one.”

“And the right choices are twisted and corrupted by lies, Grace.”

I nodded, I agreed but as he lifted his hand and pointed the gun at me he tilted his head and frowned with slight confusion, “What did you mean?”

Finally! I assumed he hadn’t heard me and I had let it ride out with my anger but now, as he stood awaiting my words I knew it was time. My mouth dried as I dug deep for the courage as a solitary tear rolled down my cheek and dripped off my chin, its loneliness matching my soul as I looked at my older brother and told him what my parents should have twenty six years ago.

“Marcus was your son, Will. He was yours.”

His brow creased then his eyes widened as he shook his head sharply and his bottom lip trembled, “No.”

“Yes.” I whispered back as I watched the realisation hit him full force.

His throat constricted as a tight whimper left his lips. He stumbled backwards and grabbed hold of the chair arm for support as his legs gave way and he fell against the chair. He scrambled around it, staring at me like I had cursed him, his head still rapidly shaking from side to side as a faint wail started to carry from him. “No, you’re lying.”

“No, Will. You know I’m not.”

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!” He screamed as he raised his gun once more and I closed my eyes, ready and prepared for the finality as I welcomed death, relished it even.

But then all hell broke loose and I watched in shocked silence as each of the men in the room dropped to the ground after a series of gunfire.

Will lifted his eyes to mine and locked me down. “Grace . . .” he whispered with so much pain it splintered every single inch of my soul as the devastation at what he had done hit him.