Grounding Gracus (First Wave Book 6) (7 page)

Everyone looked at Amun when he sighed heavily. “He’s going through a phase of paranoia as the drug is leaving his system. It’s one of the side effects and happens in a handful of people when they use the drug. It seems like Gracus is going through every damn one of the possible side effects,” Amun said as he pulled out his comm and began tapping at the screen.

Scaden ran a hand through his hair and huffed. “You’re telling me he’s paranoid about us?” he asked in disbelief.

Amun looked up from his comm and nodded his head. “He’s paranoid about everything right now. It’ll pass when the drug leaves his system.”

Traze laughed heartily until David slapped him in the back of the head and said, “Knock it off, we need to find him.”

Traze glared at David for a second before grinning and turning back to the keypad. After several long minutes, Traze looked at Grai and said, “We have a problem.”

Chapter Six

By the time Gracus pulled into town, he realized he was starving and had no idea where Rebecca would go to get groceries. Remembering the greasy spoon he had eaten at the day before, he turned into the parking lot and pointed the vehicle towards one of the parking spaces.

Convinced that he had lined it up perfectly between the designated yellow lines, Gracus pulled slowly forward and tried to gage when to stop before he hit the yellow barrier in the parking space. He slammed on the brakes just as the front wheels rolled over it.

Grateful that he didn’t hit the building, Gracus said “screw it”, put it in park and pulled out the keys. He checked his pocket for his wallet and left the SUV and headed into the diner.

He recognized the older woman who had served him before, but not the other three men that were staring at him with wide eyes. Gracus immediately felt wary and was getting ready to leave when Blanche came up to him, grabbed his arm and led him past the other patrons to a table in the back.

He sat in the chair she had guided him to and looked up at her curiously as she said, “Ignore them. I tried the stuff too when it first became legal and I didn’t react real well either,” Blanche said with a grin as she leaned down and whispered, “I can’t tell you how glad I was that I was at home with only my Frank around.”

Blanche cleared her throat and stood back up and winked at him. Gracus couldn’t help but smile at the woman’s fun energy and her admission. He knew he’d reacted badly to the drug and was embarrassed enough over it without it being thrown in his face.

“Thank you,” Gracus said with an embarrassed grin. “I didn’t even know it was in the candy I bought and feel like a fool.”

Blanche clucked her tongue and patted his arm. “Honey, don’t feel bad, we’ve had it happen a couple of times to the tourists. It’s certainly not as bad as the damn lying media make it out to be though. Now what can I get you to eat, honey?” Blanche asked, feeling bad for the poor man.

Gracus hadn’t even looked at the menu, but since Blanche had been right about breakfast the day before, he figured he couldn’t go wrong letting her pick for him again.

“What do you recommend?” he asked, grinning at the smile that came over the older woman’s face.

She patted his arm again, like a kind mother and said, “Don’t you worry none, we’ll get you taken care of, honey.”

Gracus shook his head as she turned quickly and strode to the kitchen calling out, “Frank, get me a Classic Confluence with all the extras!”

He watched Blanche getting a few glasses and a thought occurred to him. He waited impatiently for her to return to his table and when she set a glass of water and a glass of soda in front of him, he cleared his throat.

“I was hoping to thank the river guide who found me. I probably wouldn’t be alive if not for them,” Gracus said, hoping that the woman would give him some information about Rebecca.

He was surprised when she sucked in a breath, put a hand to her chest and sat down across from him with a strange gleam in her eye.

“You want to know about our Becca?” Blanche said on an almost breathless whisper as she looked him up and down.

Gracus squirmed a little under the woman’s scrutiny. “I… uh… is that her name? Becca?” He asked wondering if she preferred the shortened version of her name better. He liked the way her full name, Rebecca, sounded to his ears.

Blanche nodded as she studied him intently. “Yes, that’s who found you. But you won’t be able to see her for a while yet. She’s out there on that river checking her route and won’t be back for another nine or ten days,” Blanche said before she stood, turning towards the kitchen where Frank had called her name.

“I’ll be right back,” she said as she headed to the kitchen, leaving Gracus upset and angry.

There was no way in hell that he was going to be able to avoid Scaden and Amun that long and he had to find Rebecca before they found him. Gracus shook his head in frustration. It was a big damn forest. Trying to find her would be like trying to find a Sutak bug in the Busarianna Sea, back on Valendra. Which meant impossible.

Putting his arms on the table and his head in his hands, Gracus struggled to think of what to do when the first of several plates were put in front of him. He sat back and stared at the mountains of food, almost drooling at the smells coming from the steaming plates.

Blanche patted his arm with a sympathetic smile and said, “You eat up and get your energy. You’re going to need it if you’re going out in the forest to find our girl.”

Gracus stared at Blanche in open mouthed surprise as she chuckled. “I have a few friends that can get you pretty close to her. But, only if you eat!” Blanche said, shaking her finger at him as if in warning.

Gracus gave her a bright smile and nodded his head as he grabbed his fork. “Yes, ma’am.”

Blanche waited until he took his first bite of her hash brown casserole before she turned and headed back to the counter. She picked up the corded phone and called her cousin John, asking him for a big favor. But, one she knew was worth owing. Their Rebecca was worth it. The small town had helped raise that girl just as much as her grandfather had and Blanche would love to see Rebecca find love and happiness.

Glancing at the large man in the corner, whose eyes had shone with love when he’d said Becca’s name, she filled another glass with soda and took it to his table to replace the empty one.

“Do you have any gear for the forest?” Blanche asked, hoping he had something ready so he could get out there quicker.

Gracus nodded his head as he chewed the piece of fried chicken that had been soaked in maple syrup along with the waffle, on the same plate. He was more than glad that he had remembered to throw his gear in the vehicle before he had left the cabin. Everything he needed to survive months in the wild, was in them.

Blanche sighed and had to make sure. She didn’t want to send Becca’s potential, future husband out to die. “Do you have gear for a few days? It may take that long to catch up to her.”

Gracus nodded his head. “I was prepared to do so… before the candy thing…,” he said with a blush.

Blanche tsked and patted his hand again. “Good, you finish up. My cousin John will be here in a few. He’s got a helicopter and can drop you near where she should be so it won’t be too hard to find her. You just gotta have your own gear if you’re gonna travel with our girl,” Blanche said with a wink, glad the man would be able to handle himself out there.

She was still gonna pat him down for candy though and make sure he didn’t have any more. She wasn’t going to risk Becca’s safety like that.
He’d already been lucky once with the bears, there was no point pushing the fates too far
, she thought as she headed to the kitchen in answer to Frank’s bell.

Thirty minutes later, Gracus had been introduced to John and he’d grabbed his gear, leaving the SUV in Blanche’s parking lot, with her permission. As a pilot, Gracus was excited about flying in the unusual craft and was looking forward to it. And finally seeing his mate again.

*****

Grai shook his head and mentally applauded Gracus’s efforts to conceal himself. He’d done an excellent job. Traze was still trying to track him through his comm and if it wasn’t for the alert sent out previously, they would still be in the dark as to where he was.

Luckily, the transport pilot had recognized him as his passenger and they were now headed to the cabin. Grai just hoped that he was still there and hadn’t gone off into the forest as he had previously planned to do.

Several hours later, Grai, Scaden, Amun, Niklosi and Decano were hovering over the ground in front of the cabin. Grai’s heart sank when he saw the garage door open and the SUV gone.

Since it was obvious that Gracus was no longer here and unable to track the mysteriously absent EAT system in the SUV, Grai ordered the pilot to an alternate location, where he again, would have to ask for help from his friend.

They dropped into a clearing about a quarter of a mile from the town and Grai ordered the transport into orbit above their location in case they needed a quick ride out of there.

“Town is that way, we can be there in a few minutes,” Grai said as he pointed in the right direction and took the lead.

Decano looked around and nodded his head in appreciation. “It’s really beautiful here,” he said as the others nodded.

Grai knew the town very well and led the team through the forest on the edge of the town, bringing them out behind the sheriff’s department. He sighed in relief when he saw that Joe’s vehicle was in the parking lot.

Grai led the way into the station and up to the desk where Deputy Josh Freeman greeted them. “Hey Grai! Good to see you, it’s been a while,” the young man said with a grin.

Grai held out his hand and shook the young deputy’s hand. “Good to see you Josh, is Joe here?” Grai asked as the older man came out of his office, having heard Grai’s distinct, deep voice in the outer room.

He looked in surprise at the men with him and immediately said, “Josh, hold all my calls. Grai, come on in.”

Grai and the others followed Joe into his office and barely closed the door behind them. The small office wasn’t made to fit so many large men inside of it, but they made do, shifting around until they were a little less cramped.

Grai stood in front of Joe, the small desk between them. “I hate to do this to you Joe, but my guy came back here without our knowledge and we think he’s still under some effects of the drug. Have you seen him?” Grai asked, feeling grateful that he knew he could trust this human with his life. And had before.

Joe shook his head. “No, but if he’s here in town, he should be easy to find. Is he in a vehicle?”

Grai nodded. “Yeah, the cabin SUV,” he said with a sigh.

Joe picked up the phone. “Josh, ask the guys to check around town for the SUV Grai keeps at the cabin. You’ve already seen it? OK, thanks,” he said, looking at Grai as he spoke.

Joe hung up the phone and grinned at Grai. “Looks like you’re in luck, it’s over at Blanche’s Diner. You may want to prepare yourself though, the deputies noticed it because it looks like it’s been out playing bumper cars.”

Grai sighed and shook Joe’s hand. “Thanks Joe, I’ll try to get this cleared up quickly,” Grai said, hoping that he would.

Joe grinned. “No problem, you let me know if you need anything, I’ll do all I can for you,” Joe said, meaning every word.

“I will,” Grai said with a smile, hoping that he wouldn’t need to bother his friend again.

He led the guys out of the office and down the sidewalk to Blanche’s. It didn’t take long for them to see the SUV in the parking lot, looking like it was beat all to hell. Decano whistled and laughed while Scaden turned to Grai.

“I’m so sorry,” Scaden said, shaking his head at the scratches, dents and broken lights on the back and front of the vehicle.

Grai walked around it, taking in the multiple impacts sites and hoping like hell that the Valendran didn’t harm anyone while wrecking the vehicle. Multiple times. Grai sighed as he rubbed a hand down his face. That SUV had been here at the cabin for years and never had a scratch.
It took one Valendran to do all of this
, he thought with a shake of his head.
A pilot no less!

While Niklosi laughed and took pictures with his comm, Grai headed into Blanche’s hoping to find one particular Valendran who had become a lot more to handle than he had ever expected.

He’d barely taken a few steps into the diner when Blanche came running up to him and hugged him around the waist in happiness. Grai returned her hug and scanned the empty diner for Gracus.

Blanche pulled away when she saw the others coming in behind him and smiled at the newcomers. “I’m Blanche, my husband Frank is in the kitchen. Any friends of Grai’s are friends of ours. Come on in and sit down, boys,” Blanche said as she led the group to a table big enough to hold them and waited until they sat down.

“Now, how about a round of the special today, Classic Confluence?” Blanche asked with a grin at the large men and their normally hearty appetites.

Grai looked around the table and noting the few stomach grumbles and knowing they all had missed lunch, Grai nodded his head while Blanche broke out into a smile and headed towards the kitchen calling out, “Five Classic Confluence with all the extras Frank! Grai’s here with a couple of friends!”

Niklosi quirked an eyebrow at Grai while Amun looked at him quizzically. Grai just shook his head. “Trust me, if this is going where I think it is, you’ll be grateful for the food,” Grai said cryptically as he contacted Traze through the Shengari’ to get things ready for them.

Scaden was getting ready to ask Grai to explain when Blanche returned to the table with a tray full of sodas and water. As she handed them out to the men, Grai asked, “Have you seen one of my men lately? His name is Gracus.” Grai showed her a pic of Gracus on his comm.

Blanche finished setting down the last glass and turned to look at the picture on his comm and gave Grai with a brilliant smile. “Oh my yes! He’s the one that our Becca saved at the river. I could hear in her voice when she called it in that she was captivated by him, so when he came in looking for her and knowing he was one of your guys… I just had to help him,” Blanche said proudly, her smile not faltering when several of the men cursed.