As if he knew exactly what she battled, he reached over and gently picked up her tightly coiled fist. He rubbed his thumb over the white knuckles and gazed into her eyes.
“Would it make you feel better to hit me? You can, you know. Go ahead, Grace. Give it your best shot.”
She stared at him like he was nuts. He wasn’t angry. In fact, he was extremely calm. She couldn’t wrap her mind around what on earth he was doing. Was he mocking her?
“Hit me,” he said again. “Take back control, Grace. Assert yourself. Did you feel weak and powerless when they had you? Did you wish you had more power? That you could fight back? Or maybe you were too scared to. Did you cower in a corner waiting for someone to save you?”
Rage was red-hot, blinding. She swung, connecting with his chin. His head popped back and pain flashed through her knuckles. For a moment she was too stunned to comprehend what she’d done.
He lowered his head, holding his chin. He grinned crookedly as he rubbed at his jaw. “Nice shot. We’ll work more on getting more power into your jab but not bad at all.”
Her mouth popped open. “Are you insane?”
Rio cocked his head to the side. “I’ve been accused of that a time or two. Depends on your definition of sanity.”
“I just hit you. Aren’t you angry?”
“Did it make you feel better?”
She frowned. She wanted to hit him again. He was so damn calm. Did anything ruffle him? She flexed herSheit fingers then glanced at his jaw, where a slight red spot marked his dark skin.
“Yeah, it did.”
And she did feel marginally better. Some of her intense rage and anger had slid away as soon as she’d exploded into action.
He smiled then. “Mission accomplished.”
She shook her head. “You’re nuts.”
He put her hand down and leaned back. “We can work on a few self-defense moves. You’ve got a lot of power considering how low your reserves are.”
“I just want to talk to my sister,” she burst out.
“As long as you agree to my conditions, I’ll do my best to make it happen.”
“What conditions?” she asked in exasperation. “I can’t agree to anything until you tell me what they are.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “On the contrary, until I have your absolute agreement, you don’t talk to Shea.”
Hurt crowded in. For a moment she couldn’t even muster a response. How could he use her sister as a bargaining tool?
“You’re a bastard.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been called worse. And I’m the bastard who’s going to keep you safe.”
He was immovable as a mountain. Somehow she didn’t think tears or feminine distress would make a dent in his resolve. Not that she’d reduce herself to that level of manipulation. She had pride. She’d been stripped of everything, her dignity, her will to live. At times she was convinced that her very soul had been forfeit. But she refused to let go of her pride.
“All right, I agree,” she said in defeat. “To whatever it is.” She braced herself for what those conditions would be and hoped she hadn’t just agreed to a deal with the devil.
Rio nodded but he didn’t appear smug over his victory. His expression became serious. “I know she’s your sister and that your inclination is to share everything with her. However, I do not want our current location compromised.”
Grace’s brow furrowed. “But wouldn’t they know where you lived? I mean, this is your house, right?” Then remembering the clothes she hadn’t mentioned, she said, “For that matter, Shea has been here. These are her clothes. How did you get them?”
He held up his hands. “One thing at a time. Yes, they’re Shea’s clothes. No, she hasn’t been here. I saw her last when she and Nathan returned from your parents’ house just after you contacted her last. We had video surveillance of you in the house. Shea asked KGI for our help in finding you. I volunteered to go.”
She glanced up in surprise. “Why?”
He cocked his eyebrow. “Why what?”
“Why would you volunteer? What could you possibly care about a woman you didn’t know?”
The corner of Rio’s mouth curled upward. “I get that a lot of your life has been spent dealing with people without honor. But not everyone is an ass**le. I wanted to help Shea. I wanted to help you. It’s as simple as that.”
Ashamed, Grace glanced down, only to have Rio nudge her chin upward again.
“As for your other questions, yes, KGI knows of this location. They only recently acquired knowledge of it. But knowing I own it doesn’t mean they know where we are. I’d rather keep it that way.”
“Don’t you trust them? You work for them, right?”
“I do">&rned from n’t trust anyone,” he said bluntly. “Not when it comes to something as important as your safety. Which is why if you speak to your sister, the extent of your conversation has to be that you’re okay and whatever pleasantries you exchange. She’s going to want you to come home. She’s going to want you right there with her.”
“Why can’t I be?” Grace asked quietly. “Didn’t you say when you first came to me that you were there to bring me home?”
Rio nodded. “Eventually. When it’s safe. When we know for certain it’s safe. Until then the very last thing you and Shea need is to be together. Makes the enemy’s job that much easier.”