Page 94 of Holding Grace

Grace’s eyes slammed shut as her breath hitched. I reached for her hand, and she grabbed hold, gripping my hand like a lifeline.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on him and were very interested to see that he and Mr. Stokes met up for a drink a few nights ago. We don’t know what they discussed, but what we do know is that Mr. Stokes paid a visit to Grace’s brother yesterday and shared something with him that upset him, we’ll just say. To the extent that he nearly ripped the phone in his visitor’s center cubicle off the wall and swung at the guards as they were trying to subdue him.”

“He found out we got married,” Grace said quietly, the strain evident in her voice.

“That’s what we’re assuming. He didn’t say anything specific during his rant, so we don’t know for sure.”

“What did he say?” Grace asked. “I know...I know how he can be. What did he say?”

There was a pause before Detective Chase responded. “I’d rather not get into specifics. You said you know how he can be. I’m sure you can imagine.”

“I’m sure I can.”

“What happens now?” I hated the resignation in Grace’s expression.

“For now, he’s still being kept in general population, but he’s lost all privileges. Among other things, that means he won’t be having visitors or calls for a while. We’ll keep watching him, but while he’s somewhat limited in what he can do, we’ll see if we can have a conversation with Mr. Peters, and also follow up on any connection between him and your ex.”

“Can you back up a second?” Grace asked. “You’re going to talk to Junior Peters? Can you do that?”

“Sure,” Detective Chase responded to Grace’s question. “We can ask, we just can’t require it. He’s also on probation. One condition of that is usually having no contact with people or activities related to whatever led to you being on probation. If it had to do with illegal racing, and he’s having contact with your brother, he may be in violation. If so, that gives us certain leverage.”

“Thanks for explaining all that.” Grace squeezed my hand, then let go and sat back in her seat. “And thanks for all you’re doing on this case. I do appreciate it.”

“We’ll get this resolved for you, I promise. All the pieces are there, we just need to put them together.”

A minute or two later, the call ended. Grace stood and carried her still half-full plate into the kitchen without a word.

I followed her in and found her standing at the counter staring at nothing. I did what I’d wanted to so many times since she’d moved in with me. I stood behind her, wrapped my arms around her, and held on.

She leaned back against me with a sigh. “I’m so tired of all this.”

I kissed her temple and rested my head against hers. “I know, baby. If I could fix it for you, I would.”

She squeezed my arms around her in a hug. “I know you would. I might even let you. If I had any clue how to do it, I’d fix it myself. But I don’t.”

She turned to face me, and I let her go, resting my hands on the counter on either side of her.

“For what it’s worth, my vote on the pumpkin pancakes is a definite yes.”

“A yes?” I looked at her unfinished plate then back at her. “You only ate half.”

“I got distracted.” She stepped into me, sliding her hands over my chest and around my neck to tangle her fingers in my hair as I felt my body stir. “In fact, I’m feeling a little distracted right now, too.”

“So am I.” I lifted her up and sat her on the counter, careful to avoid the dishes. Her legs came around my waist and I dipped my head, kissing her neck and nipping lightly at her shoulder. “What do you think we should do?”

“Find something to focus on.” She tilted her head, giving me better access. “Like each other. I think we should forget everything else and focus on each other.”

I boosted her up into my arms and headed toward my bedroom. “I couldn’t agree more.”

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