Page 69 of Guarding Grace
“No. I got the clothes and things?—”
“You shouldn’t have. Now they’ve made you.” That was a stupid move.
“No shit, Sherlock.”
“Terry, where are the plates?” Grace asked.
“Cupboard on the far left,” I responded.
“Playing house now?” Zane asked.
“Eating in is the safe alternative.”Fuck you.
He knew I was right and didn’t argue. “I took the whole load back to the office instead of bringing it to you. They already know Hawk is involved, so no harm, no foul. I’ll bring the stuff over after they get tired of watching our building.”
“Okay, see ya then.”
When I hung up, Grace was at the stove sautéing the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. “When’s he coming over?”
“Not for a while. They were watching your place, and they followed him, so it’s not safe for him to bring your things here yet.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Just great.”
CHAPTER 16
Grace
Men.Why did they always clam up when you wanted to talk?
I stood in front of the stove, stirring while I replayed the few words Terry had said in my head—“anything and everything to keep you safe.” He’d said that and then refused to talk about anything.
Terry walked up behind me. “We’ll get you your clothes when it’s safe.”
“And until then?” The mushrooms were cooking down. I felt like whacking the wooden spoon on the counter in frustration, but caught myself before I broke down like the helpless woman he thought I was.
“I’ve got a T-shirt for you to wear tonight.”
“Yeah, I’ll go into work wearing a man’s T-shirt. It’s a great look for a professional.”
He slowly turned me around, taking the spoon from my hand and setting it on the counter. “I saidto wear tonight.”
It felt so hopeless. “Not with my luck. So far I’ve been attacked, beaten up, almost kidnapped more than once, my employees almost killed, forced away from my apartment, and now shot at, and I don’t even have any fucking clothes to wear tomorrow.” I sniffled. “And I don’t have my cats.”
With one gentle finger, he lifted my chin and held my eyes with his. “You need to trust me. We’re going to find your cousin and get thisworked out. When you took down Tony’s niece with your darts, we gained leverage.”
I laughed, remembering how silly Maria had looked with my darts in her ass.
“When Tall Tony gets the message that you’re protected by Hawk Security, he’ll back down. He’s not suicidal.”
What I saw in Terry’s eyes was a promise, a promise that things would be all right, and I couldn’t resist the urge any longer. I stepped forward, wrapped my arms around him, and melted. I tried to hold back the tears that formed, tears of relief that this man was looking out for me—that he cared.
He tried to push me away, but I held on stronger. He relented and stroked my back. “I’m not going to promise anything about your cats, but one way or another, youwillbe able to go to work tomorrow, looking marvelous as always.”
For what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a minute, I hung on to him. After this morning, why did he want to push me away?
“You’d better stir that pan so things don’t burn,” he said eventually. “There are more steps to this recipe.”
I stepped away, wiping under my eyes, and turned back to the stove. “Yes, chef.”
