Once the shops opened for the morning, Grace and Zain bought a couple of bags full of toys and a bag fill with chocolate and candy.

"Are you sure whoever runs the place will be okay with giving the kids all this sugar?" Grace asked as they walked through the city to the orphanage. Grace had all of the bags in one hand while her other hand was taken by Zain, his fingers laced through hers.

"They're used to it by now. They're just glad to be properly funded than anything, so they tolerate the kids on their sugar rush."

"And how about going there with our hands like this? The kids will definitely have questions and think we're involved or something."

"Aren't we, though? You still have a while to choose, but I am a marriage candidate who is interested in a real relationship with you."

"But that doesn't mean we're together."

"Only because you're stubborn and don't want to admit your feelings."

Grace went tight-lipped and looked away.

"My point exactly." Zain laughed and came to a stop at an enormous building with a fence around it. Off to the side, in the fenced area, there was a playground with kids laughing and playing.

Grace's eyes widened. "Holy crap... this place is huge! And it's actually got security cameras and everything." Grace stared up at the camera at the corner of the gate. It feels oddly familiar.

"Of course, since we have to worry about kidnappers and whatnot. It's hard to run an orphanage. You have to worry about the kids' safety; you don't want them wandering these streets, and you don't want any strangers wandering in either. Lots of creepers out there."

"Sadly, I know. I've worked on more than one abduction case, and those can get pretty ugly." Grace stepped back and looked at the name of the orphanage. "Saint Bert Orphanage... Seriously?"

"I'm not the one who named it."

"Wait... I think I worked on a case for this place before. I wasn't the lead for it or anything, but I was the one who found the kid, Raphael. I was still a rookie back then. I remember being surprised by the size of this place, but I don't remember all this security."

"Why do you think we had to up the security? That incident... We learned the hard way that orphanages need to have top security. And the boss may have gone on a rager once he found out who did it."

"Wait, that perp ended up dead a few weeks after we arrested him. But didn't he kill himself in prison? People who go after children aren't treated well once others find out, so we thought it was suicide, but you're telling me my grandpa had something to do with it?"

"Don't hold it against him."

"I won't; just wondering how he managed it."

"As we've told you before, we have men in all sorts of places. It's not as hard as you'd think to—"

"Zain!"

"Big brother!"

A couple of kids came running up to the gate.

"I'll go get Lucy to open the gate." One of the older boys, who was keeping an eye on the kids, headed inside.

"Thanks, Elex," Zain called out to him and got a little wave. "I should've called beforehand; I normally do."

"Zain, what happened to your arm?" A young girl hugging a teddy bear looked up at him with a pout.

"I hurt it a bit while fighting a bad guy, Sarah. I'll be okay, though, so don't worry." Zain knelt down so he could be eye level with her.

She reached through the gate and used her teddy to give him a hug. "Hugs make you heal faster."

"Thank you, Sarah, and teddy." He patted the teddy bear's head.

Grace couldn't help but swoon as she watched him. Wow... I know he said about visiting here regularly, but I didn't expect him to be this sweet to kids. I thought he just bought them stuff.

Zain noticed her gaze and smirked. "Falling deeper for me?"

"What?" Grace turned away and spotted Sarah staring at her.

"Are you his girlfriend?" Sarah frowned.

"No."

"Good, because that's my spot in the future!"

"Is it now?"

"What? Kids like me." Zain pointed at the toy bags Grace was carrying. "We can give her the little scarf; I got it for her bear."

Even planned that much?

"Grace?"

"Y-yeah." She set the bags down to rifle through them. "Here it is." She pulled out a small red scarf. Grace held it out to Sarah, but she just turned away.

"I don't want anything from my rival," Sarah huffed.

They start liking people like this so early these days.

Zain took the scarf from Grace. "But it is from me. I only have one hand, so she's helping me out. By the way, she's Grace, Raymond's granddaughter."

The little girl's eyes widened. "He has a granddaughter?"

"Yes, and this is her, but she helped me pick up all this stuff, so if you're going to be mean to her, I'm not sure we should—"

"I'll take it." Sarah snatched it from him. She whispered to her bear as she tied it around his neck. "What do you think? I think he looks so cool!"

"I agree," Zain chuckled. "It suits him."

"Always the sweetheart, aren't you?" an older woman said as she approached the gate with Elex. She pulled off her gardening gloves and shoved them in her back pocket. "Been a little while this time, but they all love when you show up. And you brought a friend this time?" Her eyes went to Grace.

"Uh, hi." Grace gave her a little wave. Why do I feel nervous in front of her? She's got an air of authority around her like grandpa does.

"Wait... Grace?"

"Uh, yes." Why does she know me as that?

"The Bertolottis heiress is finally around." She opened the gate. "Come on in, you two."

"Thanks."

"I'm Lucy, by the way."

"Nice to meet you."

"I've heard about you from Ray, but I never expected to meet you in person. I'm glad he finally got you to come visit him." Lucy led them inside.

What in the world has he been telling people? "More like I live with him now."

"Aw, he must be so happy."

"I'm not sure."

"He's the happiest I've ever seen him," Zain said. "Although you seem to bring trouble with you everywhere."

"I bring trouble? No, no, no; trouble started when you lot brought me there."

"Exactly, when you ended up joining us."

Joining? As if it was an option.

Lucy laughed. "It's nice to see you so lively and not a grump. Normally, it's only when he's playing with the kids that he comes to life." Lucy led them to their family room where a bunch of kids were hanging out. Some were watching TV, and others were playing with toys. One was even napping on the couch.

"Zain!" One of them cheered and ran over. The others gasped and followed suit, even the one who was napping on the couch.

They surrounded him, asking questions about his arm and if he was okay.

Zain chuckled and assured them he was okay repeatedly. He greeted each of the children by name and then turned to Grace. "This here is Grace Bertolottis, Raymond's granddaughter, and she helped me pick out gifts and candy for the lot of you."

Before Grace could greet them, they surrounded her, and a couple of them snatched the bags. "Oh!"

"You're pretty; got a boyfriend?" One of the older boys asked her as his eyes trailed down her. "Ow!" he yelped when Zain tugged on his ear.

"She's mine, Adrian, so back off," Zain growled at him, and he shivered. "Besides, you're five years too young to even try for her."

"So you're saying I have a chance in five years?" Adrian asked.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"No! Now back off and stop looking at her like that, or you'll have trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Tch, when did you turn into a brat that talks back?"

"Who do you think I learned it from?"

"You're blaming me?"

"Calm down, kids." Lucy took control of the rest of them. "There's plenty to go around, as always, so make sure everyone gets something."

The kids kept cheering and chatting about the gifts. Some of them stuffed their faces with chocolate and ran away with some of the other candy.

They don't seem to care about me being here. I can use that, though. Grace glanced at her watch.

"Excuse me, is there a bathroom I can use?" Grace asked Lucy.

"Down the hall to the right," Lucy replied and went back to dealing with the kids.

"Thank you." Grace headed down the hall to find the bathroom while Zain was preoccupied.

She found the bathroom, locked the door behind her, and pulled out her phone. She dialled the number of her friend, hoping they'd be on lunch break like always.

"Grace? Is that really you?" they answered the phone.

"Pez... Gosh, it's been too long." Grace sighed.

"You're telling me! Where have you been? What happened to you? Is Roger alive?" Pez rambled out more questions than Grace could keep track of.

"Um... Pez, please calm down. Roger is alive and well." But might be in a rival mafia or something.

"So you didn't quit and move away or something? Please, tell me what's going on!"

"The truth?"

"Of course, the truth; who would want to be lied to?"

"But what if the truth is dangerous? What if it's so unreal that even living it feels like a movie or something?"

"Then I want to know even more!" Pez crunched his lollipop out of anger. "Damn, that one was supposed to last," he grumbled.

Grace took a deep breath. "Considering you're one of my closest friends, I want to tell you everything, but—"

"Don't 'but' me, missy; you owe me more than one favour, so I'm going to call one of them in now. What's going on?"

Grace sat down on the floor by the sink. "Brace yourself for a real story, but afterwards, I need your help."

"Sure thing."

Grace tried to give him the quick version of the events that led to where she was, including who her grandfather was, and how she was willingly staying there now. She didn't tell him about what she overheard Roger say, though.

"That..." Pez trailed off.

"It's a lot, I know."

"That was a freaking awesome story! We could totally turn it into a novel and movie—"

"Pez, it's not just a story; it all happened."

"I know, and this is one of those cases where the 'truth is stranger than fiction' comes into play. And damn, I was left out of all of it. You know, I've always wanted to have an adventure like that."

"It wasn't by choice, and I just got my phone back, so it's not like I could've contacted you before."

"And I was the first one?"

"Yes."

"Yes!" Pez cheered. "Okay, you're forgiven. Now, what was the favour you wanted from me?"

"Can you look into someone named Herald that's a part of the Bertolottis family?"

"Last name?"

"Uh..."

"A photo? Anything? That's not much to go on, but I'll still do what I can."

"And..." Grace swallowed hard, afraid to even ask.

"What is it, Grace? Lunchtime is almost over, and I have to get back to work. The new people are more annoyingly strict and complain about me if I'm even a minute late."

"Can you check on Roger?"

"I thought you said he was okay."

"That's not what I meant. Can you check into his background?"

"You... want me to check into Roger's background? That's odd. I thought you knew him better than anyone."

Grace's shoulders slouched. "Let's just say I might not know him at all." All the time they spent together. All the cases they'd closed. Roger might've been a bad guy all this time.

"Can I ask why you want me to look into him?"

Knock, knock.

"Uh... I'll be out in a moment," Grace covered her phone to say it. "I'm sorry, Pez," she whispered. "But I can't explain right now. I just overheard him talking and want to know the truth. You're the best person for the job."

"Okay, Grace. Stay safe, and contact me again soon. It's lonely here without you."

"I miss you, too, Pez. Bye."

"Bye."

Grace hung up and opened the door. "Sorry about that; I hope you didn't wait long..." She froze when she saw who it was.

Zain stared down at her with furrowed brows. "You were gone for a while, so I came to check on you. Who were you talking to, Grace?"

"Doesn't matter, and it's none of your business."

"Really?" Zain sighed, shaking his head. "I'm pretty sure it is, and why are you asking someone to look into Roger?"

"Shouldn't we get back to the kids?" Grace went to walk past him, and he blocked her path, his hand resting on the doorframe.

"How about you just be honest with me about what's going on?" He stepped towards her to block the entire doorway. He knew she wouldn't want to be forceful with him since he was injured. He stepped towards her again, backing her into the bathroom, and closed the door behind him.

Dammit... I thought the kids would've kept him busy for longer, or at least distracted him enough so he wouldn't notice me missing.

"Considering I don't really know what's going on, I'd rather refrain from saying anything in case I spread misinformation." Grace squared her shoulders, standing tall.

Zain got closer, pressing her back until she ran into the counter. "I'm not a child, nor someone who runs my mouth, so you'd be better off telling me what's going on." He loomed over her.

She pressed on his chest to push him back a bit. "What do you think you're doing? You know I'm not afraid of you, right?"

"I don't need you to be afraid of me. And I can tell you're at least a bit intimidated, but that's probably because of my size, and this mug probably makes me look like a mobster in the first place."

"I don't know about that. I'd say you are handsome, but it's the scowl that adds some roughness."

"Ahem," Zain cleared his throat. He hadn't expected that response from her. He grabbed the hand she tried to push him away with. "You know, with you, it's more about making you nervous. I know you're not exactly afraid of me, but you know I'm dangerous. You know I won't hurt you, but that doesn't mean I won't do something else. There's more than one way to make someone talk."

"Just back off, Zain; there's nothing to tell you yet."

"And yet my gut tells me otherwise, and it's always right, so spill before I do something."

"Ha, like what?" Grace rolled her eyes.

He smirked, yanked her into him, and shoved her hand in between his braced arm and his chest. He quickly wrapped his arm around her, trapping her there.

"What the hell did you just do?!" If I push too much, I'll hurt his injured shoulder. He's using my kindness against me! She stayed froze in place as his head dipped closer, and he stared into her eyes.

Damn... Her mind went blank and heart raced as he stared at her.

"And you thought I couldn't do anything in this condition." He chuckled.

Grace swallowed hard as she struggled to respond. "Now what? I admit you've trapped me, but what good does this do for you? I'm still not going to tell you anything yet."

"Yet? Doesn't that mean you want to tell me? I mean, you don't have many people to talk to, and I'm the closest to you other than Roger, so it would make sense to want to talk to me."

Her eye twitched when he mentioned Roger.

"Also means not right now! So let me go! The kids are probably wondering where you went."

"They're busy playing and eating right now; I've got time. So, what did Roger do?"

"Nothing."

"For a cop, you're not a good liar. Maybe I should punish you for lying."

"Ha, you wouldn't do anything to me; you wouldn't do anything to upset my grandpa."

"Is that what you think? I've upset him many times growing up. And if I do things for a good reason, like protecting you, then he'll forgive my transgressions."

"Aren't you just as stuck as I am in this position?" Grace wiggled around in his grasp and he pushed his knee between hers, solidifying his hold on her. Okay, too close for comfort!

"Are you sure about that? Come on, Grace, tell me what's going on. I need to know," he whispered and rested his forehead on her shoulder.

He's giving off a lot of heat. "Do you have a fever?" Grace asked.

"Don't change the subject. Fine." He huffed. "I know how to get you to talk." He nibbled on her ear.

"Oh!" she gasped and tried to jerk away from him. His grip on her tightened as he continued kissing her neck. She bit her lip to try to hold back. "Ha..."

He pulled away when she shuddered. "See, plenty I can do."

"That... That's cheating!"

"Cheating how?"

"We're not together, and this is sexual assault!"

"Is it, really? I'm not so sure this is unwanted, and it's not like anything would stick if you tried."

She glared at him.

"And it's likely you'll beat me up after I'm healed, but it's worth it. Besides, I've been wanting to hold you..." He kissed her neck again. "Be close to you." And Again. "And do things to you." And again.

"Ha..." He what?! Why is that even surprising? I mean, who says that kind of thing?

"You don't have much experience with men, do you?"

"Of course, I do." Maybe not a lot, and it's been a while.

"I don't mean working with them."

"I-I know."

"Considering how your heart is racing, I can say you're quite conscious of me."

"Who wouldn't be in this position? Do you trap all your prey like this?"

"Prey? Never thought of women like that. But I like the idea of being like a tiger circling the bunny rabbit," he said with a dark glint in his eyes.

I think I made it worse.

"I wonder how long you can last like this, completely entangled with me as I play with you." He blew into her ear, and she twitched again.

"Zain," she growled. "Someone is bound to come—"

"And I'm sure you wouldn't want the kids to hear you moan."

Her eyes widened, and he knew he got her. "You wouldn't! You care about these kids too much."

"Sure, I care about them, but I care about you more."

"Damn it all to hell. You're impossible to deal with!" Grace growled.

"Heh, right back at you."

"Tch..."

"Fess up, Grace, and I might be able to help you."

There is no helping here.

"Ask again after you've looked into Herald," Grace said, still trying to resist.

"I have someone keeping an eye on him; we'll know if he does anything suspicious."

I guess he gets on things fast.

He kissed her neck again, and she jolted. "Fine! I give up! Now, let go... please." Grace tried to wriggle free again.

"How naive do you think I am? I'm not you. Answer and then I'll let go."

"Ha..." Grace huffed and closed her eyes. It didn't help any, though, since it made her more aware of his complete hold on her. He nudged her knee lightly with his, urging her on. "I don't know if you'll believe me."

Zain rolled his eyes. "Of course I will, especially with how you've been acting. If you were going to try to lie to me – which wouldn't work – then you would've already tried to before all of this happened."

"I..." Grace looked away from him and stared at the floor. "I overheard Roger and Herald talking." She bit her lip.

"And? We're not exactly treating him like an enemy down there, just a captive. What were they talking about?"

"I don't remember the exact words."

"Tell me what you do remember."

"I don't know where to start. Um... For one thing, Herald called Roger 'boss'. And Roger was mad about the Samuel incident because they were working together, and Roger wants to take over the Bertolottiss as revenge for the Kuros..."

Zain froze as he was listening intently. "Could you say that again?" he asked after taking a moment to process. "Did you say revenge for Kuros? As in my family?"

"Yes; they even said they contacted you years ago, but you had no interest in the family that gave you away."

"Trust me when I say that's not the only reason I wouldn't want anything to do with them. My family wasn't made of good people. It wasn't like how it is here with the Bertolottiss. Ray has been more of a proper father to me than mine ever was. Ray may try to knock some sense into me, but he'd never whip me, especially not when I was a child."

Grace's jaw hung open. "I'm s—"

"Don't you dare apologize; it has nothing to do with you. But are you saying Roger is linked to the Kuros?"

Grace nodded.

"And from what it sounds like, not only is he linked to it, but he's running it?"

She nodded again.

Zain finally released her, stepping back, and rubbed his eyes. "What the hell? Like seriously? I was traded to make up for them killing his son, so what the hell revenge are they trying to get?"

"From what I can tell, revenge for the fall of the family. Do you know what happened after you left?"

"No, not really. I wasn't allowed to contact the family after he took me in, not that I wanted to..." Zain sighed, leaning against the door. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the family members he met as a kid. Based on Roger's age, he would've had to have been a cousin of sorts, but he didn't remember anyone having that name. "It's been too long to remember him; I don't remember meeting anyone that looks like Roger."

"Considering you both would've been kids, that's not surprising."

"I guess I know why you didn't want to tell me anything."

"I'm glad you understand—"

"Don't get me wrong," Zain cut her off. "I understand, but I still don't agree with keeping something like that from me. You should've told me right away."

"But you had just been shot—"

"I don't care. If something happens, then tell me right away. I've spent enough time with you to know the type of person you are, and that you suck at lying, anyway."

"Hey! I'll have you know, I've done an excellent job undercover a number of times, so I can't be that bad."

"Then either you completely change when you go undercover, or you just suck at lying to me." His head tilted to the side as he thought about it. "That could be a good thing for me."