Grace Anne (13 page)

Guinevere did and she ran for the
bushes behind her and threw up. And when there was nothing else she heaved some
more. By the time she’d gotten back to her post and settled, she noticed that
the gates were coming to a quiet close.

“Well fuck.” She looked up and
down the street and didn’t see anything moving. She didn’t know if someone had
come onto the grounds or off of them. She was in so much trouble that she was
nearly sick again. Thinking hard, she tried to decide what she should do. If
she didn’t report it then no one would be the wiser. If there was someone else
on the property, which she reasoned had to be what had happened, then she was
clear. She’d been told to tell if someone left, not entered. She sat back down
on the grassy area and tried to calm herself. If she was stressed or too upset
then one of the others would come back.

She must have dosed, or one of the
others came by to check on her, because the next thing she knew she was back at
the house they rented. The smell nearly made her sick again. Guinevere sat up
on the couch and noticed that her entire front was covered in blood. Her nose
had bled again. It was happening more and more and that frightened her a great
deal. She went to the bathroom to clean up and found that someone had made a
bloody mess in there.

Thankfully there was no body this
time, just a lot of blood. It took her twenty minutes to clean it up. Then she
stepped into the shower and cleaned herself and her clothes. They didn’t have a
washer and she couldn’t take these bloody things to the laundromat.

When she stepped out of the shower
and glanced into the mirror Guinevere froze. She’d not seen her for a very long
time. Guinnie was staring at her for a long time and, when she spoke, Guinevere
had a premonition that scared her more than Verrie ever did.

“We’re all going to die very soon
by Gracie’s hand. And when we do, I will be at peace for the first time in all
my life.”

Chapter 13

Michael watched Grace. She would
sit for a few minutes then get up to pace. He was glad they’d taken his plane
instead of flying commercial; she would never have been able to stand the
flight otherwise. He glanced over at Trace and his dog playing on the floor. And
Trace would have had to leave the dog behind, which he was sure wouldn’t have
been easy for either of them.

“I don’t know why you have to come
along. I can very well go to a family dinner by myself. Believe it or not, I’ve
been taking care of myself long before you came along.” She paced some more
before she continued. “And as for where you’re sleeping, it will not be in my
bed. Cain will have a fit and I, for once, agree with him.”

He had learned last night that
there was no reasoning with her when she was on a roll. If he just let her run
down then he could convince her his way was the best and she’d go along. Well,
that had worked in theory. He smiled when he thought about the trip to the
airport and her thinking all the way there they were simply dropping her off
and not going with her.

“Grace, don’t you want us to come
and meet your family?” Trace said from his position on the floor. “I can’t wait
to meet them all. Especially Sin. She sounds like she is so cool. Do you think
she’ll let me shoot her gun?”

When both Grace and Michael
answered “no” at the same time Trace rolled on the floor laughing. He’d gotten
them both and Michael laughed when Grace got down on the floor and started
tickling him. He thought his son was the smartest person he knew. Still
laughing, he pulled out his cell phone when it rang.

“I have a car waiting to pick you
up at the airport. Someone will meet you in the terminal,” Payton told him as
soon as he answered. “Did you have any problems convincing her that you should
come with her?”

“I didn’t tell her until we got
there. It seemed the best way to go under the circumstances. She’s a little
ticked off at me right now.” Payton laughed as Michael continued. “She’s going
on about where I’m sleeping. I think I might stay in a hotel just to piss her
off.” He heard her snort and knew that she was listening to him. “Then again, I
might want to find myself someone else to have a good time with, one that isn’t
such a prude.”

“You’re playing with fire, my man.
Sin, my wife, and you will have a lot in common. You both can scare the shit
out of a grown man from fifty paces. Don’t fuck with one or you fuck with them
all. Learned that the hard way,” Payton said with a laugh. “And Alyssa. Damn,
that girl can peel the hide off a man with just her voice. She’s fucking scary.”

“I knew her father. Now there was
a scary man. He could have you convinced that whatever he wanted had been your
idea all along and you’d not know he’d taken you until you were sitting in your
car. I loved doing business with the man.” Michael laughed at the memory. “I’m
hoping the daughter is much like the man. If she is, then she’ll be a worthy
adversary.”

“You’ve no idea. That woman can
turn a dime into a million with just her smile. And a fundraiser? She’s brutal.
Last month during a board meeting she challenged each one of her department
heads to a basketball game. The winner, if you want to call it that, got a
month off with pay. The fine print got the guy. His month off was him working
in the shelter and, at the end of his month, she gave him a fat bonus for being
such a good sport about it.” Payton snorted as he continued. “Damned if the man
didn’t think that the whole challenge had been his idea.”

Michael was looking forward to
meeting them all. Especially Cain. Cain had kept his family together for his
entire life and still did when necessary. Plus, he wanted to make sure there
were no hard feelings about him being in Grace’s bedroom the last time he’d
called. Not that he was going to deny why he was there, but he did want the man
to know that his intentions were honorable. Michael heard the pilot say they
were about twenty minutes from the airport. He told Payton.

“A man by the name of Winston will
be picking you up. I just sent a picture to your phone so you’ll know what he
looks like. We’ll talk more when you get here. Oh, there’s a dinner thing
tonight. A sort of meet and greet for you and the kid.” Michael heard Payton
talking to someone else. “Sin said to tell you that she’s booked you time at
the gun range for Sunday. I think she wants to see if you’re all that.”

Michael grinned. If the truth be
known, this sister scared him the least of all. She was military like him and
she’d be someone who would either have your back or have a knife at your
throat. He grinned at the description that Grace had given about her.

“She’s a twin and the exact polar
opposite of Lilly Pad. Where one is a school teacher who wouldn’t say shit if
her life depended on it, the other would make a sailor blush and probably has. Sin
is a bit...abrasive, but she’s loyal. If I had to go into a bar, she’d be the
one on the tables dancing and singing at the top of her lungs, but the first
one to throw the punch if she felt a brawl was going to be fun. I love them all
and wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

“And you miss them,” he said to
her. She burst into tears and nodded. He’d held her until she fell asleep then
crawled into the bed with her.

Michael laughed at the thought of
being tested by someone. “Tell her I am. I’ll see you soon.”

~~~

The ride to the house was quiet. Trace
was nervous; Grace could tell. She was too. What if they wanted to know
everything? She glanced over at Michael as he talked on his cell phone. What if
they wanted to know what he was doing here? She didn’t even know herself.

Of course, she knew they were
aware of them coming. She’d called Jazzie when the plane had taken off to let
her know to find a place for Trace and Michael to stay. She’d told her that
Payton had already made arrangements for them to stay at their house. She wasn’t
sure who the “they” were and was afraid to ask. She put her hand on her belly
again to try and settle it.

“There’s probably some ginger ale
in the cooler if you want it.”

She looked over at Michael when he
spoke.

“For your belly. Ginger ale
usually does the trick with Trace when he’s got a nervous belly.”

“I’m not nervous,” she snapped. “I’m
wondering what Cain will think about you barging in on his household. He’s not
a very nice man when he’s pissed.” She looked at him when he threw back his
head and laughed. Her entire body felt it. She wanted to snuggle up into his
chest and stay there. Grace looked away when she felt the tears threaten. He
was going to get hurt, maybe even killed, and there was nothing she could do
about it.

“Come here, love. I want to hold
you.”

She thought about telling him no,
but he pulled her to him anyway.

“I want to tell you something. Something
that you should know before your family asks.”

When he didn’t say anything more
she sat up and looked at him. “What? I’m supposing you’ve been talking to them
all along without my knowledge, right?”

He nodded.

“Well, what could you possibly
tell me now that they don’t already know?”

He reached into his jacket pocket
and handed her a small box. She looked at it for several seconds before she
looked back up at him. The little blue box was something she’d never expected.

“Open it, Grace,” he told her
softly.

She shook her head.

“Open the box and tell me yes so
that I can slip it onto your lovely finger.”

She started to reach out and touch
it. Her fingers were trembling and her heart was pounding hard. She closed her
hand before she could touch it and looked up at him. “What if…what if you
decide that you don’t want me after you meet my family? Shouldn’t you wait until
after?” After what, she wasn’t sure, but he was already opening the box and
taking out the ring. “Oh, Michael, it’s beautiful.”

It was a beautiful square cut
yellow diamond surrounded by small, oval-shaped sapphires and rubies. The
setting was on a wide band that had vines that looked to be spun gold that
encircled the band and held the stones in place. She fell in love with it the
moment she saw it. She was shaking when he slipped it just over her first
knuckle.

“I don’t need to know the ‘what
ifs,’ love. You’ve had my heart since the moment you pulled me to your mouth
with my tie. I’ve never wanted a woman like I did you at that moment, and had
there not been a room full of people, I would have taken you right there.” He
slipped it past the second knuckle. “Then I got to know you, the real Grace
Anne Waite, and there was nothing I wanted more than to spend the rest of my
life with you. Please say yes so that I can kiss you properly.”

She leaned down to him to do just
that when she suddenly pulled back. His moan nearly had her smile. “What about
Trace? He has to have a say in this—”

“Will you just kiss him already?” Trace
said from behind her. “I can’t keep holding my hand over my eyes forever. I
want you as my mom, okay? Sheesh, you people can’t do anything without a
million questions.”

She started crying the moment her
mouth touched Michael’s. “I love you,” she said. “I love you both so very much.”

Everyone was waiting on the front
porch of Cain’s house when they pulled up. She didn’t wait for the car to come
to a complete stop before she was out and rushing to her family. She was crying
so hard that it took her several runs through them all before she realized that
her mother wasn’t there. When she started to ask, Alyssa shook her head and
pulled them all inside. She introduced Michael and Trace to her family.

“Holy shit, look at that rock,”
Alyssa said as soon as she noticed the ring. “Oh my, I didn’t know you two had
gotten that far just yet.”

“He just asked her,” Trace said to
the group. “It took her forever to answer him, then he had to kiss her.” He
made a noise much like a choking victim. “And all they do is kiss anyway. I can’t
wait until it wears off or something.”

Cain kneeled down to Trace. “It
never wears off, I’m happy to say. And who would this little fellow be?” Cain
didn’t touch the puppy until Trace offered it to him. And, once he did, Cain
took the little guy into his hands gently. Grace knew her brother liked animals,
and especially dogs.

“Grace helped me name him. They were
going to throw him out into the street but she helped me take him to the vet.
We had to give him a name that he’d have to live up to. So we called him Walter
Stuffinpuppy the Fourth.” Trace looked at Grace then back at Cain. “She said
you have a little boy who would like to pet him. But she said I had to be real
careful of them both on account of them both being babies.”

Cain looked up at her. “That’s
right. His name is Connor. He’s almost three. But he doesn’t like to be called
a baby anymore. He has a temper like your Grace does. So why don’t you come
with me and I’ll introduce you.” Cain took Trace with him and he didn’t look
back once.

“Come on in. We have a great deal
to talk about and even more to share,” Alyssa said as she hugged her again. “I’m
so glad you could make it. I’ve wanted to have you here for so long.”

“I wasn’t really given a choice. I
was taken to the airport and then rushed into his plane before I had a chance
to decide.” She smiled at her sister-in-law. “And I was just home for Lilly Pad’s
wedding three months ago.”

“Yes, but now you’re going to be
here for a little while longer.” She stopped at Alyssa’s words. “You did know
you were staying until this is over, right? They told you that you’re being
stalked and couldn’t go back to your building?”

“No, they did not. And I’m sure
they have a wonderful reason for not telling me, too.” Grace went to the office
with Alyssa. “I can’t stay very long. I’ve a business to run until…well, until.
I have employees to take…son of a bitch.”