Tommy Gabrini 3: Grace Under Fire (The Gabrini Men Series) (18 page)

Tommy
exhaled.
 
“She wants some time away,” he
said.
 
“She wants to go back to her
apartment and stay there until . . .”

“Until
when?” Reno asked.

“Until,”
Tommy said.
 
He had no other answer for
it.
 
“Until I don’t know.
 
I don’t think she knows.”

“So
what are you going to do about it?”

“I
think I’m going to let her go,” Tommy said.

“Whoa
now, Tommy,” Reno said.
 
“That’s a
hellava thing.
 
Be sure about that.
 
You let her go, she might not come back.
 
You realize that?”

“I
realize it.
 
But what am I supposed to
do?
 
Is it better for me if she leaves
me?
 
No. Hell no!
 
I love that woman.
 
My life would be just like going through the
motions without her in it.
 
But would it
be better for her if she left me?”

“Hell
yes,” Reno answered for him.

Tommy
nodded.
 
“Right.”
 
Then he ran his hand across his unshaven
face. “So what am I supposed to do?
 
Be
selfish and keep her by my side?
 
Or let
her go, for her sake?”

“This
early in your marriage?
 
Before she’s too
damaged to leave?
 
Yes.
 
If you love her, you’ll let her go.”

Tommy
nodded his painful agreement.

“Excuse
me, sir,” Henry’s voice could be heard.
 

Tommy
and Reno both turned to the sound.
 
“Yes?” Tommy asked.

“They’ve
found her, sir,” Henry announced.

Alex
Dawse looked up when Tommy walked into the safe house.
 
But he didn’t walk in alone.
 
Reno was with him, and Sal, both of whom she
knew, and some young black guy, who she didn’t know.
 
She knew Tommy wouldn’t hurt her, he loved
her too much, and Reno always looked at her as if he wanted some of her too, so
she knew he wouldn’t hurt her either.
 
But Sal made her nervous.
 
He
never did like her, and wouldn’t hesitate to inflict pain if it was left up to
him.

But
it wasn’t up to him.
 
It was up to Tommy.
 
And Tommy, she knew, would never hurt
her.

He
stood in front of her, his hands in his pants pockets.
  
She looked up at him and smiled.

“I
love you, Tommy,” she said. “You know I do.”

“You
love me?”

“You
know I do!
 
You’re the only man I’ve ever
loved.
 
But these men brought me here as
if I was some criminal.
 
I haven’t done
anything wrong.”

“You
tried to kill my wife.
 
What do you call
that?”

“Justice!”
Alex said proudly.
 
Reno and Jimmy both
couldn’t believe she said that.
 
She
apparently didn’t know Tommy as well as she thought she did.

Tommy
continued to study her.
 
“Justice,” he
said.
 
“You call attempting to murder my
wife justice.”

“I
asked you to come be with me.
 
But you
would not come.
 
What else was there to
do?”

“What
else was there to,” Sal started saying, but was too angry to continue.
 
“I know that bitch didn’t just ask what else
was she supposed to do.”

“She
doesn’t deserve you,” Alex went on.
 
“How
does she get to be at the head of the line?
 
It was justice I tell you!
 
What I
did to her was justice.
 
I call it
justice.”

“You
know what I call it?” Tommy asked.

“What?”
Alex asked.

“This,”
Tommy said, pulled out his gun, and shot her between the eyes.
 
She stared at Tommy as if she was in a state
of disbelief, before she slumped over.

Sal
was nodding his head.
 
“Damn straight,”
he said.
 
“Damn straight.”

FIFTEEN

When
they returned, Tommy’s Chef served dinner for the guests while Tommy headed
upstairs.
 
Grace was up, in the sitting area
of their bedroom, and was reclined on the window seat.
 
She was looking out across the estate at the
beautiful gardens and waterfall.
 
Tommy
walked in slowly, and sat down beside her.

She
looked at him, at his yellow Cardigan sweater first, and then into his
face.
 
“How did it go?” she asked him.

Tommy
had that look in his eyes, and then he looked away from her.
 

Grace
exhaled.
 
“I’m sorry she tried that.”

“Me
too,” Tommy said.

“Maybe
if I hadn’t angered her in Paris---”

But
Tommy shook his head.
 
“She would have
still pulled the stunt she pulled,” he said.
 
“But she won’t be pulling any more stunts.”

Graced
closed her eyes.

“I
know it’s awful,” Tommy said, feeling her pain, “and I hate that it came to
that myself, but her entire intent was to kill you.”

Grace
opened her eyes and nodded her head.
 
“I
know.”

“That
cannot stand.
 
I can’t let it stand.
 
If I wouldn’t have handled it, somebody else
would try to harm you too.
 
It’ll be open
season on you.
 
I couldn’t let that
stand.”

Tears
were in Grace’s eyes.
 
“I understand
everything you’re saying,” she said, “but it’s hard, Tommy.
 
It’s so hard.”

He
swept her into his arms.
 
The pain he had
seen in her eyes devastated him.
 
And for
him, there was no other answer for it.

He
pulled back, and looked at her.
 
“But the
thing is,” he said, a distressed look now on his face, “I think your idea is a
good one.”

Grace
stared at him.

“I’ll
give you time to think this through.
 
I
want you to . . . You’ve been through a very traumatic situation.
 
You need some time apart.
 
I can move---”

“No,”
Grace said, shaking her head.
 
She placed
her hand on his.
 
“I’ll stay at the
apartment for now.
 
Until we . . .”
 
Then she exhaled.
 
“Tommy, are you sure about this?”

“No,”
he admitted, staring into her eyes.
 
“But
I have to be.
 
And you have to be
too.
 
No matter how long it takes, you
have to be sure, Grace.
 
Because if you
come back, there will be no turning back.”

And
he pulled her into his arms once again.

That
same evening, she moved back into her apartment.
 
Trina and Gemma drove her to the
apartment.
 
Tamara was there, which
helped, but it was a solemn occasion.
 
And when Trina and Gemma left, and Grace was alone in her bedroom, she
sat on the edge of the bed and cried.
 
She felt so weak, and she felt like such a failure.
 
But she still remembered that look in Alex’s
eyes.
 
She now realized just how
determined and heartless these women really were.
 
And it spooked her.
 
She couldn’t lie.
 
She was spooked.
 

She
had been so close to dying in that car.
 
If Tommy would not have risked his life, she would have died.
 
And she was eternally grateful to him.
 
That alone should have kept her right by his
side.
 
But right now, she needed time to
think.
 
When she married Tommy, after Sal
had to do what he did to their own father, she thought she fully understood
what being a Gabrini truly meant.
 
But
she had no idea.
 
None.
 
And she was only now just realizing it.

She
went into her kitchen, poured herself a glass of water, and sat at her center
island.
 
Tamara called herself cooking them
some dinner, but as soon as her new boyfriend called, she was gone.
 
Which was fine by Grace.
 
She didn’t want company anyway.
 
Not even Tommy’s company.
 

Earlier
she was certain Tommy would change his mind and order her to return to the
estate.
  
But he didn’t do it.
  
He phoned her later that night and asked if
she was all right.
 
She said she
was.
 
He again said that he would respect
her decision, which Grace was relieved to hear.
 
He was willing to give her some space.
 
She loved him all the more for that.

But
that didn’t mean it felt good.
 
It
didn’t.
 
Not for her, and not for Tommy
either.
 
Even he slept in fits and starts
the night Grace left him.
 
Alex had been
dealt with and Reno and family had gone back to Vegas.
 
Sal had tried to hang around, but Tommy had
insisted that he was okay.
 
But he
wasn’t.
 
And he knew, without Grace, he
wasn’t going to be.

But
he honored her wishes.
 
He threw himself
into his work, spending more time out of the country than he spent Stateside,
as he was determined to give Grace the space she needed to make up her
mind.
 
He knew it would be a long
process.
 
Weeks, if not longer.
 
Because it wasn’t going to be as easy as yes
and no.
 
He had to give her the space to
make a decision, change her mind, and then make her final call.
 
It was devastating him, but he loved her
enough to allow her the space he knew she needed.
 
It was quickly shaping up to be the hardest,
most difficult thing he’d ever had to do.

The only
time they were together, was four days into their separation, when he took her
to the Mercedes Benz dealership and purchased her a new car.
 
But even then they kept it formal.
 
Time was needed, he knew, and he was
determined to give her time.

The
days came and went, and he continued to allow her the space she said she
needed.
 
Then the days turned into
weeks.
 
And by the third week of her
decampment, it was time for Reno’s son’s wedding.
 
And to everybody’s surprise, Grace showed up
in Vegas for the nuptials.
 
Even Tommy
hadn’t expected to see her there.
 
But
when he realized she was in attendance, he couldn’t take his eyes off of
her.
 
He was in the wedding party, and
had his duties as a groomsman.
 
But as
soon as they had moved to the ballroom at Reno’s PaLargio Hotel and Casino, for
the very festive reception, he grabbed a couple of glasses of wine, and headed
her way.

“Thanks,”
she said as he handed one of the drinks to her.

“I
didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, looking down at the form-fitting dress
she wore.
 

Grace
smiled.
 
She had seen him so little in
the last few weeks that she suddenly felt lovesick seeing him again. “I
wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said.
 
“Jimmy’s such a sweet young man, and Valerie’s sweet too.”

Tommy
stared into her eyes.
 
Her sparkle wasn’t
back yet, but she was getting there.
 
She
was on the mend.
 
“So how have you been
doing?” he asked her.

She
nodded.
 
She wasn’t going to pretend
everything was wonderful.
 
It
wasn’t.
  
“I’m working,” she said.
 
“I’m keeping myself busy.”

Tommy
could relate to that.
 

“What
about you?” she asked him.

“I’m
due in Chicago after I leave here, so I’m keeping myself busy too.”

“Chicago
again?
 
Merger or acquisition?”

“Acquisition.
 
Should be a quick turnaround though, if all
goes well.”

“Let’s
hope all goes well,” Grace said.

“Thanks,”
Tommy said.
 
“So how’s your sister?
 
Behaving?”

“Barely,
but yes.”

“No
problems?”

“Not
so far.
 
But then again, she got herself
a new boyfriend and spends most of her time with him.
 
So I’m mostly home alone.
 
But I’m used to that too.”

Tommy’s
heart squeezed with anguish.
 
She should
be happy and carefree.
 
Not sitting
around a lonely apartment trying to decide if her husband was worth it or not.
 
When, deep down, he knew he wasn’t.

“You
know you can always call me if you want somebody to talk to,” he said.
 
“No matter where I am.”

“Oh,
I know, Tommy.
 
I know that.
 
But I’m good, don’t worry.”

“You
look beautiful.”

Grace
smiled.
 
“Thank-you.
 
So do you.”

Tommy’s
smile was far weaker, and he was quickly serious again.
 
This was his wife.
 
It felt as if he was talking to a
stranger.
 
And he didn’t like it.
 
But he had promised to give her time.
 
“How did you get here?”

“I
flew.”

“Commercial?”
  
This upset Tommy.
 
“Why would you do that, Grace?
 
You could have phoned me, or rode with Sal,
or Reno could have sent his plane.”

“It’s
fine, Tommy.
 
Before I met you,
commercial was the only way I flew.
 
I’m
used to it.
 
It was no issue at all.”

“Maybe
not to you, but it’s an issue to me.
 
We
may be separated right now, but you’re still my wife, and my wife don’t fly
commercial.
 
You’ll fly back with me,
whether you like it or not.”

“But
I thought you were going to Chicago from here?”

“I
am.
 
But I’m taking you home first.”

Grace
smiled.
 
She would have expected nothing
less from him.
 
“Thanks,” she said.
 
Then she saw Trina out of the corner of her
eye.
 
“I’d better go check on Tree.
 
She has a lot on her plate and I promised to
help her out.”

“Sure
thing,” Tommy said, and watched as she walked away.
 
And just like that, watching her leave him
again, he made up his mind.
 
He knew he
had promised her.
 
He knew she
undoubtedly needed more time.
 
But he
wanted her back.
 
There were no ands, ifs
or buts about it.
 
And before that plane
landed back in Seattle, he decided he was going to have her back.

He
kept his hand on the small of her back as he walked her across the tarmac and
up the ramp of the plane.
 
Even the crew
was happy to see her again, they hadn’t seen her since Paris, and all of them
greeted her with smiles and even hugs.
 

 
“Glad to see you again, Mrs. Gabrini.”

“Enjoy
the flight, Mrs. Gabrini.”

“Welcome
back, Mrs. Gabrini.”

Grace
was happy to be back too.
 
Sometimes,
when she was alone in her room, or in her office at work, she wondered if she
was the smartest woman in the world to reevaluate her relationship with a
much-sort after man like Tommy, or the dumbest.
 
And as she sat down on his plane, and he sat down, not across from her
as she had expected him to, but beside her, and she felt overwhelmed by his
presence alone, dumbest was winning out by a mile.

He
crossed his legs and held her hand as the plane lifted off.
 
By the time they were airborne, and able to
remove their seatbelts, he was squeezing her hand.
 
Grace looked at Tommy.
 
She knew this was a tough time for him too.

Tommy
looked at her.
 
The idea of her getting
off of this plane and going her own way again, was a nonstarter for him.
 
“I want you to do me a favor,” he said to
her.