The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
Chapter 93

Grayson

POV

"Are you insane? I'm not staying behind" I yelled at lan frustratedly as the chopper sat there, the men prepared to leave.

"It's dangerous and if you get killed, Flair will never forgive me" lan argued, while Mr Grant and Timothy stood back. "Father, tell me I'm right" he appealed.

I climbed into the chopper before anything else could be said. Knox shrugged at his brother "Dude you know that was useless, he was coming whether you wanted to or not."

Knox had made an informed guess as to the likelihood of the location and the helicopter was going to land nearby, the men prepared with armor and guns. This was their private security personnel and they looked deadly and efficient. Nobody was speaking as the helicopter flew. lan handed me a gun, a small handgun and I raised a brow.

"You're going to need it" was all he said, glancing out the chopper.

"Make sure you shoot at the enemy and not at our men" Knox added, raising a brow and surveying me carefully "Please tell me you know how to shoot a gun."

"I know how to shoot" I growled, "just haven't had any reason to until now."

Knox and lan shot each other a sidelong glance "Then you're lucky" was all lan would offer.

This told me more about their life than I wanted to know. Why hadn't lan told me about this when we were friends back in our old life? Heck we were still friends but this was a side of lan I had never seen before. Ian checked his gun was loaded and calmly waited. "We go out last," he said, glancing at me "and allow the men to go in first, dispatch the men guarding the warehouse before we enter."

"How do you know that they won't actually shoot Flair?"

"Our men are pros," Knox said coolly, looking more mature at that moment "and know how to navigate a deadly situation. They know what's at stake and what the outcome is meant to be. Worry about yourself before you worry about them" he advised as I scowled at him.

"I'm surprised your father let both of you go, considering that you're his heirs" I mumbled.

"What would refusing us have done? We would have gone regardless" lan said nonchalantly "he stayed behind because he can't control himself when one of his children has been hurt. It's safer for everyone if he remains behind."

"Remember that time I got taken in South Africa" Knox began and lan nodded seriously "It took days to clean up all the bloodshed he left behind" he added shaking his head and looking grim "Man, I've never seen our father so angry before."

It was like they were the mafia. I stared at them. Knox smirked at me. "You act as though the Deluca's haven't done their own fair share of blood-spilling," he said casually "or is it that you're just oblivious to some of it?"

"I've never" I began and his eyes gleamed at me.

"Oh I know that you haven't" he interrupted "but your family as a whole isn't exactly innocent" he added drily.

I fell silent. I did not want to contemplate what my grandfather had been up to in his youth or what my father might have been capable of. I didn't blame Knox for comparing our families. "Knox, leave it" warned lan.

"Fine, but only because Flair loves this asshole for some inexplicable reason" sighed Knox "And I'm a softie when it comes to her, I don't dislike him either" he added chuckling.

Was I supposed to take that as a compliment? The chopper began to hover in the same spot and then slowly descend, cutting off any more words as the men began to get ready. The chopper landed.

One by one, the men filed out, forming a strategic group. They began to motion to each other with hand signals, silently communicating as they began to head in the direction of the large warehouse that was about a mile away, keeping themselves low and prepared to return enemy fire at any moment. lan, Knox, and I were the last to descend. "What now?" I asked as the men began to make haste.

"We follow behind. We stay out of the way" lan said gravely, looking pointedly at Knox who flushed for some reason "and we let them do their jobs."

"He could be hurting Flair right now" I hissed as lan turned glacial eyes on me "And you want us to go slow?"

"If we rush this and he realizes that we've discovered his location before we lay eyes on him, he could kill her," lan said simply, even as Knox gritted his teeth and the blood drained out of my face "Would you prefer that?" he said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. "I know you care for her," Knox said, glancing sharply at his brother, all of us edging forward slowly, while the men continued to dart forward, hiding behind some abandoned cars "But this is not something new to us. lan and I have faced these sorts of situations before" he added grimly "and we know what to do."

"But Flair hasn't," I said quietly, feeling stricken and sensing both men looking at each other.

"No, Flair hasn't. Because she's always kept her real identity hidden. I guess none of us anticipated an angry client or whatever would take her and hurt her because of you" lan murmured "but the possibility should have occurred to us. We were lax in her security." "It won't happen again" Knox shot back angrily "After this, nobody will be able to land a hand on her without us knowing about it."

"I will keep her safe" I snapped and both men eyed me.

"You call this keeping her safe," Knox said in disbelief, standing up and then abruptly ducking down again as shots began to fire and shouts began to occur between the men "Your workplace should have been locked down," he said furiously "and she should never have been able to be kidnapped from your bloody car park" he griped. "Knox" lan growled, "now is not the time to blame."

"Isn't it" Knox snapped, looking as though he was about to turn on me and then relenting "Fine. Let's go replace her. I'm assuming she'll be inside the building, judging by how heavily they have guarded the perimeter" he exhaled.

It made sense to me as well. This man had thought of everything, but power and wealth could get you anything you wanted, at least the majority of the time. Some of Knox's men began to motion us forward. The outside was secure. Knox and lan grabbed me by the collar and began to hasten our steps while we headed towards the entry of the building. I tried not to look at the dead bodies littering the ground, feeling bile rise up in my throat. There were so many of them and yet lan and Knox looked perfectly comfortable striding through them with their men as though it was just another day. It was almost as though they had lived through this dozens of times and part of me suspected they might have.

A scream had me stiffening. I knew that voice. It was Flairs. Knox and lan's eyes widened in realization as well. We glanced towards the staircase where it had come from and saw a man come dashing through a door. He made the mistake of running halfway down the stairs before he thought to look up. His eyes met lan's cold ones as lan brought up his gun and shot the man directly in the forehead. The man's eyes widened as the shot got him and then his body fell, toppling down the stairs and hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

Another scream. s**t. It was Flairs. I was running before I knew what I was doing. I had to get to her. I had to save her. I jumped over the man's body by the stairs and lunged towards the door. Ian and Knox were right behind me, and some of the men as well. I saw one or two snipers setting up. Flair was my only concern. My anger was rising. I didn't pause as I reached the door, I burst into it with my shoulder, causing the aging door to slam wide open.

It took me a moment to digest the scene in front of me. Ronaldo was standing by the desk. As I burst in, he dropped his phone. The bastard had been recording. Flair was standing by a wall and the man holding her arms above her head promptly moved to use her as a human shield, his arm around her throat as she glanced at me with wide eyes. I clenched my hands into fists. Flair was only dressed in her bra and panties, her skirt was gone as were her shoes. Her top was barely holding on by a thread. She was bruised and bloodied. She looked terrified. I wanted to kill whoever was in the room with her. I walked in a little more and then halted as Ronaldo calmly pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. "One more step," he said with a twisted grin, lan and Knox pausing just inside "And I shoot you and then her" he warned.

"Flair," Knox said, while Ronaldo frowned and eyed him.

"I don't understand," he said mystified, glancing between the two brothers while Flair's eyes shimmered with tears and she stayed perfectly still in the bastard's arms while I struggled to keep my composure, not wanting to get anybody including myself killed. "Why would somebody like the Grant family show such interest in saving a lowly woman such as this?" Ronaldo asked, glancing at Flair with narrowed eyes.

lan and Knox glared at him. lan moved forward a step while Ronaldo's arm began to tremble. He knew the wealth and the prowess of the Grant family. It was inconceivable to him that they would come here for a woman such as Flair. He was wise enough to know that something was wrong. That something was not as it seemed but what was it? He was trying to place the puzzle together as I debated what to do. Then Knox spoke.