Page 52 of The Tower

Finally! I’ve been waiting for you.

What’s going on? I type in response.

Where are you?

A hotel.

But where?

I hesitate, suddenly afraid this isn’t really Ruby. Maybe my father or one of his goons managed to hack through all the security I built into the software.

I consider my options, then type out my response. I don’t know. He — he kept me blindfolded until we reached the room. I tried to look out the windows, but I’m too stressed to get close.

It’s ok. It doesn’t matter. I just … You just need to be careful, okay? Is he with you right now?

No. Went out for food. My stomach twists with worry. What’s going on?

I talked to Leo.

Holy shit.

I’d been slouching, but shock pulls me up straight. When her avatar winces at the revelation, I realize that she’s wearing the enhancement gear that I’m not.

Are you okay?? Did he corner you somewhere? Please tell me he didn’t hurt you.

No, no. I’m fine. I—I contacted him.

My fingers are frozen on the keyboard. I don’t have a clue what to say.

Finally, I manage to form a sentence. Are you okay? Why on earth would you do that?

As far as I’m concerned, Leo Grimm is a bigger prick than any of his brothers, and what he did back when he and Ruby were dating is absolutely unforgivable.

As far as I know, she thinks so, too. So I don’t understand why she would call him.

Because of you, she says when I ask her that very thing.

Me?

He’s close to Liam. We both know he’s the only one of the brothers who’s close to Liam.

That’s true. Their father, Elias Grimm, barely looks at Liam because his mother, Rebecca, was Elias’s mistress and had cheated on Elias with my father.

The irony, of course, is that Elias had previously cheated on his wife, Marge, with Rebecca.

Marge and Elias have four sons—Gabriel, the oldest, who died three years ago in a fire, Alexander, who is the current heir-apparent to the Grimm legacy, Elliott, a recluse I don’t know much about, and Leo, the youngest and wildest of all the brothers.

Liam, of course, is the son of Elias and Rebecca and is mostly shunned by his father. From the gossip I’ve heard, Leo is the only brother he gets along with, and his stepmother, Marge, absolutely despises him.

All things considered, I suppose it’s a miracle that Liam is as sane and put-together as he is. He’s a hell of a lot more centered than I am, and I don’t have an evil stepmother or siblings who hate me.

Hang on, I type. This is getting ridiculous.

I open another browser, head over to the virtual phone app, and call her the same way I had back in Grimm’s apartment.

The second she picks up, I lay into her. “You shouldn’t have called him. That’s a door you need to never, ever, ever open again.”

“I know, I know.” I can practically picture her throwing her hands up, her auburn curls bouncing as she nods in agreement. “But I thought it was important, and I was right.”