Last Chance Hero. Melinda Di Lorenzo

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СКАЧАТЬ time at the Grady house as a youth. But she didn’t think she’d ever heard the name, nor seen the man before. What exactly had gone on ten years earlier? Would she find out, or would she simply die wondering? Unwanted tears formed in her eyes, and in spite of the way she fought to keep them in, they quickly made their way down her cheeks.

      Dono’s attention flicked her way for a moment, following the path of tears down her face, and his lips fixed into an angry line before he drew in a breath and spoke again. “Your boss clearly holds me in some pretty high esteem if he sent you.”

      “You fooled him into believing you were dead, and somehow eluded him for a whole decade,” replied Ivan. “Guess that warrants some special attention.”

      “Guess it does.” Dono smiled a smile that didn’t touch his eyes, then shrugged. “Well, that, or he’s pissed that you couldn’t do the job right the first time.”

      Behind Jordynn, the man let out a small snarl. “If I’d wanted to kill you all those years ago, you would’ve been dead. That was simply a suggestion of how things should go, depending how you want to look at it.”

      Dono glanced at Jordynn, a flicker of worry crossing his face before he spoke evenly to Ivan. “Tell you what. Let her go, I’ll come with you, and I won’t even fight you on it. I’ve actually always wanted to meet the man.”

      The other man smiled, too, but even more coldly. “Not to sound cliché, but the first time you meet him will also be the last. And, Mr. Grady, if you didn’t want Ms. Flannigan to have to face the consequences, you should never have come back and you should never have brought her into it. I’m afraid I can’t let her walk away. My boss has plans for her, too.”

      The statement gave Jordynn a chill, but Dono stayed outwardly cool and collected.

      “I didn’t bring her into this,” he corrected. “One of your ‘coworkers’ was already here when I arrived.”

      “That’s almost true. But not quite.” The gray-haired man tossed a look at Jordynn. “I’m guessing she doesn’t know.”

      “Know what?” The question slipped out before Jordynn could stop it.

      “It doesn’t matter,” Dono said.

      But Ivan’s smile had grown. And darkened.

      “It’s a technicality, I guess,” he said. “But this isn’t your boyfriend’s first return to Ellisberg.”

      Again, Jordynn couldn’t help but reply. “What do you mean?”

      “That’s how we found out he was alive.” Ivan’s voice was smug. “Showed up for a funeral.”

      Jordynn’s eyes sought Dono. “When?”

      “Jordynn...” He trailed off, but Ivan answered for him anyway.

      “Two years ago,” the other man stated.

      Her mother’s funeral.

      Jordynn’s head spun. He’d been there. Close enough to see. Maybe to touch. She swallowed. How could he have come back like that, and not spoken to her?

      “Accidentally got caught on camera,” Ivan added. “Weird thing. A local crew was doing a news story that day.”

      “I remember,” Jordynn whispered. “A special on the history of the cemetery. They had to stop filming before we could start the service.”

      “But not before someone managed to catch Mr. Grady in action. Dark coat, hood pulled up. But the angle was just right, and my boss was sure it was you.”

      A sob built up in Jordynn’s throat, and Dono reached for her. But Ivan waved the gun menacingly, blocking him from getting any closer. And she was actually glad. She wasn’t sure what would happen if he touched her right that second.

      She wanted to sit down. To process it. She wobbled. And neither man seemed to notice.

      “Like Mr. Grady said, though. It doesn’t matter anyway. Not now.” The man shrugged. “And my boss wants a word with both of you.”

      “A word?” Dono repeated doubtfully. “You and I both know he’s not interested in a chat.”

      “To be honest, what we know doesn’t matter, either,” the gunman said. “Only matters that we do what we’re told. And just in case you were thinking about jumping and running, I’ll give you another fair warning. There are two guys out there in a car on the street. Armed and dangerous, as they say. Not the subtle type, either.”

      “Two thugs outside. Two upstairs. Our friend tied to the chair in the living room. And you. Six men to bring us in,” Dono said. “Either that’s overkill, or we really are special.”

      “A decade-long headache can make a man do crazy things. Step back inside. Slowly.”

      “You sure about that? ’Cause I’ll be even more of a headache once you actually get ahold of me.”

      “Quit trying to delay the inevitable.”

      “I’m just making sure this is the way you want to go.”

      “Be awful to have to shoot you in front of your girl.”

      “You won’t shoot me here.”

      Ivan sighed and moved the gun to Dono’s chest. “You a hundred percent certain of that?”

      Jordynn’s heart constricted. She tried to take a breath, and couldn’t. She couldn’t handle the thought of seeing what would happen if Dono didn’t obey the other man’s order. She hadn’t even wrapped her head around the fact that he was there. Or that he’d been there before.

      Focus on the present, she told herself. In spite of it all, you don’t want to lose him all over again so quickly, do you?

      “Listen to him,” she burst out. “Please.”

      He met her eyes, and she saw more than a hint of worry there. And she knew he had just been stalling. Trying to come up with some way of getting them out of the situation. And she could read him well enough to know he hadn’t succeeded.

      “Inside,” the man behind her barked, clearly running out of patience.

      Without taking his gaze off her, Dono put both hands on the bottom of the window frame, ready to pull himself back in. Jordynn’s eyes couldn’t help but stray to his fingers. She recalled just how they’d felt clasped with hers a few minutes ago. Rough. Strong. A bit dangerous. She’d thought it was a good combination, considering their situation. Lord knew Jordynn was none of those things on her own. Now, though, their reassuring solidity seemed like a bad thing. Because they’d only help in pulling him back into danger.

      But a moment later, their strength became irrelevant. It was no match for gravity.

      As Dono pushed himself up, a snap echoed from beneath his feet. A flash of surprise crossed his face. Then his body tipped sideways, and he lost his grip on the window. His cheek hit the frame with a sickening crack, and he slid out of view.

      For several seconds, СКАЧАТЬ