Under the Full Moon (Crimson Romance) by Bobbi Romans Page B

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see the guilt that weighed heavy on Trick’s mind.
    “Look, kid, this isn’t your fault. No way could you have suspected what was really going down. What I need to figure out is why I didn’t awaken through the melee right beside my head. How I slept through that much chaos.” Damien raked a hand through his hair.”
    “Slept through what, and why are you guys all huddled in the bathroom whispering? Hey, where is Grace? She head down to breakfast already?”
    All three men, no matter how mighty, jumped like firecrackers went off in their asses.
    Damien hadn’t formulated yet how to explain to Grace’s niece her aunt’s sudden disappearance. It would have been wasted energy anyhow, as Trick blurted out an apology, which sent Beth into a full on tizzy.
    “Where the fuck were you at? She slept right next to you. How could you not notice her getting kidnapped?” Damien ignored the sharp jabbing finger in his chest. She only asked the very thing he couldn’t figure out himself. He didn’t blame her for the accusations contained in her questions.
    “Wait. You said breakfast. Did someone knock and announce it was meal time or what?” Moss asked, finally catching onto what she’d said upon arriving.
    “Yeah. Coyt came up to tell us. He didn’t linger, just knocked, announced grub was ready, and asked if I would let you guys know. Told him yeah and he left. Why?” Hope brightened her pale worried face.
    “Is there any way Grace just headed down before us?” Moss quizzed.
    “Not unless she went half naked,” Damien reminded them.
    “Well I’m heading down and asking anyway.” Beth started out the door, but Moss grabbed her and stopped her.
    “How can we be sure they’re not involved?”
    “We can’t. But they have cameras, right? I’m willing to bet they aren’t behind her disappearance and those cameras can show what the hell went down last night. There isn’t time to pussy foot around all this.”
    Moss nodded in agreement and Damien knew that again, the group had been forced into no choice but to trust the B.E.A.R. organization. While he wasn’t one to trust easily, he also wasn’t a moron. Right now whether he liked it or not, the B.E.A.R. group was their best chance at discovering what happened to Grace.
    They headed to catch up with Beth, who’d stormed out before they’d all agreed. Moss had his hands full with his woman. Headstrong didn’t quite cover Beth adequately, but it happened to be the only polite term to come to mind.
    Her heavy steps down the stairs echoed her level of agitation. Worry prompted each one.
    “So we need access to your security tapes, like right now,” she blurted entering the dining room.
    The clanging spoons and forks in dishes that steam rose from in the dining hall abruptly stopped.
    “Well good morning to you as well,” Coyt stated, rising to walk to them.
    “Actually it’s not. Grace disappeared and we’ve reason to believe she was abducted from your so-called ‘secure environment.’ I mean that was one of the reasons you urged us all to stay last night, wasn’t it? That your compound stood more secure than Grace’s cabin? Well, so much for that theory. Now, the tapes please.”
    A pin drop would have caused more noise than the sudden breathless state overtaking the room by the time Beth finished blasting their faulty secure systems.
    “Of course. Follow me.” Coyt, too, had grown silent and serious. The entire room eyeballed one another before jumping into action with exclamations to checkout every security feature and alarm system the place housed.
    Coyt ushered the group towards an elevator, slid a key card through a special security mechanism, then when a small box slid out of the wall, placed his thumb securely in its center. Within a moment, a small beep occurred and the small box maneuvered back into its hidden spot as the elevator doors slid open with a whoosh.
    “If anything has happened to her after