Fallen from Grace (14 page)

He walked to the bathroom and switched on the light, unaware of the day or time. Thousands of shards of glass were scattered across the counter and floor. One look at the blood and he was turning away; he didn’t want to think about any of it anymore.

The quietness of his bedroom bothered him. He looked for the remote to the TV hanging on the wall and finally found it buried between his covers. A story about education was on, and he decided it was a safe choice to watch, but the program switched on the hour, and a woman holding a network microphone and smiling with bright red lips, came on the screen.

“The date for the marriage between Congressman Ellis Randall and renowned psychologist Dr. Grace Winters is still to be announced,” Judas instantly stilled, “but tonight they’re celebrating with an exclusive list of nearly two hundred of their closest family and friends here at the Plaza, and a security team sure to keep even the President safe.”

People walked a carpet behind her as cameras flashed. “The couple is already inside, but I have the bride-to-be’s mother and father, Federal Judge Catherine Winters, and retired psychiatrist Edward Winters, here with me.” The reporter held her microphone in front of them and smiled.

“Good evening, and thank you for speaking with us, Judge Winters, Dr. Winters.”

“You’re welcome, Stephanie,” Judge Winters replied.

Grace’s mother is a judge?
Something about the revelation rang alarm bells in his mind.

“We’re very proud of this engagement,” Judge Winters continued with a proud smile, “Congressman Randall has always had our support in office, and we happily approve of his marriage to our daughter.”

Stephanie looked back at the camera. “The majority of New York and the country agree with you, Judge Winters.”

Judas had heard everything he’d needed to hear. He jogged to the bathroom, rinsed his mouth and took a quick shower but skipped the shave he desperately needed. He was in a hurry. Inside his walk-in closet, he changed into a black and white suit. Skipping the bow tie, he grabbed the keys to his Maserati and took the elevator to the parking garage. He slid onto the cool, black leather seats and started the car, pressing his foot against the gas pedal and revved the engine to life. Shifting into reverse, he headed to the Plaza.

Grace may not want to listen now, but she had wanted to know the truth, and if that was what was keeping her away, the idea he was some criminal...he eased off the gas pedal. He
was
a criminal, but Judas would tell her everything, so she could make a decision with
all the facts
.

He would do everything he could to get Grace back.

Grace smiled as she accepted congratulations on her engagement and on Ellis’s announcement to run for President. Photographers snapped her photo and asked her dozens of questions about her political views and where she went to school.

Ellis’s PR agent had coached her, along with his political adviser and attorney. She’d been lectured for the past forty-eight hours about how she should respond to these questions and others. Her engagement was all over the news because of Ellis’s recent campaign announcement: Nominee Senator Ellis T. Randall, President 2016.

All the right people were behind him, and Grace was happy for him, happy for
them, so
she smiled. She smiled for the camera, for her family, for her friends, and for the endless number of strangers that kept coming up to her and shaking her hand, but it was all too much. Taking a deep breath, she slowly exhaled.

“Excuse me,” she said to the small group of ladies she was talking to.

A few of them exchanged glances, then looked at her, but Grace couldn’t stay. She needed to get out of there—
now!
The breath she choked down made her head spin. Next to the bathroom was an exit, and her arms frantically shoved the door open. The cold wind hit her face, and she took a deep, struggled breath. She held her stomach as she fought the urge to cry, then glanced beside her and screamed.

Judas.

He was standing several feet away in the middle of the alleyway.
Am I imagining this?
H
ave I completely lost it
?

The anger she thought she would feel didn’t come flooding out of her, and she didn’t make any attempt to assault him. He looked as lost as a street cat, and just as disheveled.

Something took over her body and made her walk toward him until she was standing less than a foot away. His face was unshaven, and a darkness laid beneath his eyes. The suit he was wearing was barely pulled together. The collar was unbuttoned and absent of a bow tie. He was a mess, yet somehow he looked incredibly sexy.

But Judas’s irresistible charm was what had gotten her in trouble in the first place.

Grace exploded. “I know your secret, and I hate you, Judas! You were right to think I would run away.”

There, she’d said it. Judas Woods had broken her heart, and be damned if he got away with it. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

He took a step back, and his face twisted in pain. “I’m sorry, Grace,” he murmured, his deep sexy voice full of agony.

Though it did nothing for her, she wanted to put the same joy back in his voice that she’d heard as they laughed and rolled around playfully on the fur rug next to the fireplace. Poking through her wall of anger was confusion. This wasn’t someone who didn’t care; he
looked
as distraught and broken as she felt inside.

“It doesn’t matter what you say, Judas. You
lied
to me. You
used
me.” Her voice broke, and she hugged her arms against her chest as the tears burned for release.

He looked…
confused?
He took a small step toward her, then reached for her, but she shook her head, so he stepped back. “Grace, you can’t marry, Ellis. If you would just look closer, you wouldn’t have to scratch too hard to see what he’s hiding. He’s-”

“Ellis is a good man. Better than you will
ever
be. I know what you do, and I know what you were going to do to
me
.” She spun around and hurried to the door.

She was causing him pain, and it was killing her. She had to get away before she broke down and closed the distance between them—kissing it all away. He didn’t care about her; he was a monster.

“Grace, wait. Please, what’s going on? What happened?”

She wiggled the door handle—locked.
No, no no!
She felt him come up behind her, but she refused to turn around.

“Leave, Judas. I’ve told you how I feel. Just go.”

“Why are you so scared to look at me?” he asked.

Instantly finding her courage, she spun on her heel, ready to slap the shit out of him, but as soon as her eyes locked with his, Judas said, “I love you, Grace.”

Her mouth fell open.

“I don’t know what you’ve found out, but please, let me explain. I came here to tell you the truth. I know I’ve done some unforgivable things, but let me explain myself, and then I’ll never contact you again.”

Her hands flew to her hips. “I can’t believe you’re doing this here, at my engagement party, but I shouldn’t be surprised. This is your job, right? To manipulate people.”

Judas flinched as her words struck him. “What?”

Grace wanted to reach out and touch him; feel the stubble of his jaw against her palms. Instead, she turned around and tried the door again as if it were going to magically unlock itself. She had to get away from him before she caved.

She felt his hands touch her shoulders, and his breath graze the nape of her neck as he spoke. “I’m sorry, Grace. I should have told you the truth, and now I’ll have to live with that mistake for the rest of my life. Honest to God, I had no idea who your mother was until tonight, and I
never
meant to hurt you. I want you to know that I’ll remember our night together forever, and I wish you all the best. Goodbye.”

Grace squeezed her eyes closed as his hands disappeared, and she felt the hot tears stream down her face. When she turned around, Judas was gone.

Her heart sank, and she started to walk around the corner and look for him, but someone opened the door.

Burke.

“I found her. She’s outside the north exit,” he said into a small black walkie talkie.

He looked up and down the alley as Grace swiped her fingertips beneath her eyes, hoping her mascara wasn’t smeared, and plastered a fake smile on her face. Burke’s speculative gaze darted to her as she started for the door.

Ellis walked out and stopped when he saw her, but didn’t say a word. The dramatic arch of his brow quickly brought an explanation from her lips.

“I just needed to get some air, but the door was locked when I tried to get back inside.”

His gaze swept passed her, down the alley, then to his bodyguard.

“She was alone when I came outside,” Burke responded.

“Of course I was alone,” Grace said as she walked up to Ellis and looped her arm through his. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. Shall we join our guests?”

There was a look in Ellis’s eyes that scared her. What would he have done if he’d found her outside talking with Judas? She smiled up at him, and his face adopted the same ritualistic charm as the lopsided grin touched his lips, but he wasn’t completely convinced.

They walked down the corridor and into the richly decorated ballroom. Seeing all the people again made the same impending breathlessness return, but she had to keep it together.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

“I want you to have someone with you from now on. Somebody to be there when I can’t.”

“A bodyguard?”

Ellis nodded.

“I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“Of course you do.” His determined expression met her hesitant gaze. “I’m running for President of the United States, Grace. This campaign won’t come without difficulties and sacrifices. Every mentally unstable person is going to come out of the woodwork, and I won’t be able to focus on my work without knowing you’re safe. You’re my responsibility now. We’ll talk about this later.” His tone and sudden sharp glare made her bite her tongue.

Grace wanted to believe Ellis truly was just looking out for her wellbeing. But a part of her wanted Ellis to be the lie, and for Judas to be the one protecting her.

W
ALKING
AWAY
FROM
G
RACE
WAS
the hardest thing Judas had ever done, but he’d had no choice. He was scared she might take off down the alley and onto the street where reporters were camped out less than a block away. He hadn’t come here to humiliate her, and he’d pushed her far enough.

He knew she wasn’t going to listen to him. Judas 100% deserved her disbelief, her hate speech and the cold shoulder she’d given him. She was going to marry Ellis Randall—possibly the next President of the United States.

Could it get any worse?

There was only one thing he desired.

To get out from under Jack Woods and leave this corrupt city.

His mother had always hated the city; she’d grown up in a small town in Ohio, and had told Judas stories about a meadow near her home where she would catch fireflies with her brothers and sister. Jack had never liked her family, and over time she’d lost contact with them.

When he was five, his mother had taken him there to visit. The only reason Judas remembered the trip was because a man who insisted he call him Grandpa George had bought him a dog.

“Every man needs a dog,” Grandpa George had said, patting him on the back and smiling at the puppy chewing on a rubber ball.

Together they’d named him Curtis. It was a chocolate lab, and had the softest fur he’d ever felt. For some reason, he had thought about him a lot lately, and even dreamed about him once. He hadn’t been allowed to take him back to New York because his mother had said Jack would never allow it. She’d made him promise he wouldn’t talk about their trip, and pretend they had been in the Hamptons for the week.

Judas didn’t know if her parents were alive today, but when she died he remembered Grandpa George calling and damning Jack to hell for burying his daughter without their consent. He’d wanted her body brought home and buried in their family cemetery. Jack had told them where she had been buried and hung up. Judas never heard from them again.