She shrugged and stared at her coffee cup.
“Lopez,” I said. “Arturo met with a Loretta Lopez in Nashville. Surely, they’re not related. Loretta was or is a potential client for Arturo.”
“Oh!” Grace was on her feet, wagging her finger in the air at nothing. “I remember.” She came to stand by me to face her brothers.
All eyes were on the love of my life.
“I met this dude at Yvonne’s… um… the night before I went to Fran’s banquet. The bartender, Paul, called me over and introduced me to a guy named Drew. He was gushing to Paul about what my name meant. ‘Goddess of charm’ or something like that.” She was talking animatedly with her hands. “Anyway, Drew was weird. He was a contrast between a preppy asshole and a grungy car mechanic.” She tapped her chest. “He wore an orange golf shirt and khakis, and his blond hair was slicked back. I got the feeling he knew me.”
Duke grunted.
“What else?” Dillon asked her as he opened his phone.
“Ice-blue eyes and in his forties.” She tugged on her ear. “He had this gold-and-diamond G-shaped earring. Claimed his mother’s name was Grace.”
“Miguel described the guy to me. I took notes.” Dillon looked at his screen. “Blond hair, blue eyes, likes to fuck with people’s minds. Mid-thirties. But that was how he looked ten years ago.”
“He has to be the one following you,” Duke bit out.
“You mean I’m not going crazy.”
I hugged her against me. “You’re not. But what did you mean by ‘car mechanic’?”
“He had dirty nails. Men who wear Rolexes and dress like they have money are clean down to the bone—in my experience, anyway. Everything about him made the hackles on my neck stand at attention.”
Duke was on his feet, pacing like a madman. “That’s him. He’s been watching you, right under your nose.”
Dillon held up a hand. “But we don’t know if this Drew at the bar is the Drew Lopez that Miguel told me about.”
Duke’s expression was as dark as fuck. “It’s him.”
From the details Grace had just given us about the man, coupled with Miguel’s description of him, I had to agree with Duke.
“You think he’s scoping me out for John’s son, Zane?” She fisted her hands at her sides.
“You can’t go anywhere alone,” Duke growled, his footsteps wearing a path in my floor. “You need two bodyguards on you at all times.”
She ran over to Duke, stopped him in his tracks, and grasped his hands. “It doesn’t matter if I have ten bodyguards surrounding me. If this Drew guy is, in fact, working for Zane, he will find a way to do whatever it is they have planned. Now, youcan hire as many guards as you want—I’m not about to argue—but you can’t take on the guilt anymore.”
I abandoned my spot and joined Grace at her side. “She’s right, man. Grace is now my partner, and I’ll take the lead.”
Dillon gave me a thumbs-up. “Duke, all of us will ensure Grace’s safety.”
Duke hugged Grace tightly. “I can’t lose you again.”
“You’re not going to,” she said softly. “I’ve been training for years. That has to help.”
He released her. “But you lost your permit to carry a gun.”
I slipped my arm around her. “So what? We have guns. Fuck the law. If Grace needs to protect herself, then I’ll give her mine and take full responsibility if she’s caught.”
She was right about the assholes finding ways to kidnap her no matter how much protection she had. That notion had fear coiling in my gut.
“You will?” Duke looked at me as if I were a stranger and not his best friend.
I kissed Grace on the head. “I’ll do anything for family. And both of you should know I’m in love with your sister.”
“I love Brian.” She nuzzled into me.
