Falling with Grace - Page 183

Tears formed in her eyes as she grappled with my wrist. I knocked her purse from her hands, tossing it to Javier, who opened it and rummaged through it.

“Who?”

“Give me your knife, Javier.” I bounced her head against the wall, enough to jar her. “Tell me about Sofia Torres.”

“I don’t know a—”

Javier placed the handle in my open palm, her eyes widening like saucers as I pressed the tip to her plump lips, her body shaking against me.

“One thing I admire about Grace is her honesty despite the consequences.” I pushed the knife into her mouth, the tip scraping against her front teeth. “Maybe you could stand to learn a thing or two about that.”

“Elias.” Javier flooded my periphery. “Not out here.” I glanced around us. The staff gawked at the end of the hall.

I snarled and pulled the knife from her mouth.

She gasped, a bead of crimson forming on her lip.

Tears shimmered on her cheeks as I steered her back into the office, my grip firm against the nape of her neck, her fingers smearing at the blood staining her skin.

I propelled her into the nearest chair with a brutal shove, and she slumped into it like a broken doll.

Javier slammed the door behind us, the sound booming through the room like prison gates.

“How do you fit into all of this?” I put the knife on the desk and leaned against the wooden edge, my arms crossed over my chest.

“Elias, please.” Her hand moved to her throat, rubbing the reddened skin.

“This is your last warning.” I pulled my pistol from my holster and cradled it in front of me.

Her shaking hands lifted in front of her face as she looked at Javier. “Are you going to let him do this?”

“I don’tlethim do anything.” Javier grinned. “The sooner you talk, the better things will be for you.”

Nadia swallowed hard, her throat bobbing as a thin sheen of sweat formed on her hairline.

“You have to understand. I didn’t have a choice.” She pressed her manicured nails to her bleeding lip, my pulse building pressure in my head. “When I was sixteen, my mamá sold me to Andrés. He taught me to be his good little soldier, to do whatever he wanted, and if I didn’t…” She squeezed her eyes closed.

The dots clicked together.

“Jesus Christ,” Javier murmured.

“So he asked you to weasel your way in and report back to him?” I set my jaw, my gut twisting with molten rage.

“Yes.”

“And Grace got in your way?”

She shook her head, lifting her gaze to mine. “No. Miguel told him she’d drowned in the river.” Her eyes flicked to Javier. “Then I saw her tattoo, and I knew…”

“Why don’t you have one?” Javier said, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees.

“He didn’t use me like that. I was an asset.” She rubbed her hands together, tucking them between her knees.

I snarled. “His spy…”

“Yes.” She lowered her chin as she nodded.

“So he knew we had her before I took her into the city?”