So Sensitive (27 page)

His eyes narrowed. “And that’s it? You go to the store and then head home?” Wade prodded.

Gracie didn’t even have to think. Her schedule was so routine that she could probably go through the motions with her eyes closed. “No, I go to Charlie’s. That little market I told you about.”

“To get lunch meat and cheese. Only on Mondays.”

“Yeah, I—” Oh, God. Horror struck as Gracie fol owed Wade’s train of thought. “He works at Charlie’s Market.”

Wade covered her thigh with his hand and squeezed. “I don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves, sweetheart, but that’s what it looks like to me.” He tapped the screen. “For the first several correspondences he e-mails either on Monday night or Tuesday morning. After he’s seen you.

It’s only after that when he begins the everyday thing.”

Jonas sat back in his chair and drank the last of his coffee, before standing and bringing it to the sink. “Who do you talk to at that market, Gracie?” he asked, as he rinsed out the cup and placed it in the drainer. “And not just the people who stand out. This guy, I don’t think he’s going to be obvious.”

Wade nodded. The hand he had on her thigh began to caress and stroke, sending her thoughts scattering. “Jonas is right. I’m betting this asshole is someone you’ve barely even smiled at.”

Gracie stood, needing the distance to think straight, and tried to bring up the image of each employee at the little meat market. Stopping there after work on Mondays had always been the bright spot in her day. She hated to think of her stalker tainting that too. “It’s a smal store. A mom-and-pop type place. The owner, Charlie, who always cuts my meat for me, is a seventy-eight-year-old man who flirts way too much for his own good.” Gracie smiled when she thought of the ornery old man she’d come to think of as a friend. “His wife, June, usual y works in the office, but she’l pop her head out to say hi whenever I come in—and to chastise Charlie for his flirting. A few stock boys, high school kids, I think. I think their granddaughter is the cashier.” Gracie shook her head. “No, there’s no one there capable of doing this, Wade.”

Wade stood—his hard, powerful body drew her attention like a moth to a flame—and came toward her. “Don’t bet on it, Gracie. The world is ful of seemingly normal people who lead wicked lives when the sun goes down. Some of the shit Jonas and I have seen since hanging our shingle would have you losing faith in mankind real quick.”

Gracie stood stil as Wade’s gaze took her in from head to toe, stopping for a heart-pounding few seconds on her breasts. She’d slipped his T-shirt on and gone without a bra. Could he see her nipple rings? A part of her hoped he could. It would serve him right to feel as turned on as she was. A part of her, the more reasonable part, hoped he couldn’t. After al , if he could see them, so could Jonas.

“We need to go to that market,” Jonas said from behind them. He was in the same room, but he might as wel have been in another county for al the attention they paid him.

Wade raked his fingers through his hair, a muscle in his jaw jumping in agitation. “Feel like visiting Charlie and June today?”

Gracie wrapped her arms around her chest, hoping to chase out the chil those words evoked. Would she final y come face-to-face with the man who’d tormented her for two months? It seemed so impossible. That it could be so easy seemed almost anticlimactic.

Gracie turned and headed toward the stairs. “Just let me change. I’l only be a few minutes.”

“Gracie?” She turned at the worry she could hear in Wade’s voice. “It’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Smiling, though Gracie was sure it fel a little flat, she said, “I know. After al , you’d be a lousy bodyguard if you did.”

“This is it? This is the market?”

Gracie sat wedged between Wade and Jonas, staring at the old brick building through the windshield of Wade’s pickup truck. She’d been in there so many times. “God, it looks so normal, so harmless.” She closed her eyes tight, as if by doing so she could make it al just go away.

When she opened them again, nothing had changed, of course. “How could a man capable of running me off the road, breaking into my apartment, and tearing apart my things possibly work with people as kind as Charlie and June? It’s inconceivable.”

Wade wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pul ed her in close to his side. His lips pressed against the top of her head as he growled,

“Don’t try to make sense of it, baby. That’l just drive you crazy.”

“Besides,” Jonas added, “this could be a dead end. Right now, we’re just checking out a lead.”

Gracie looked up at Wade and saw that his face was tight with concern. She glanced over at Jonas and witnessed the same worry in the lines of his forehead and the set of his jaw. The knowledge that both men cared about her, wanted to make this easy on her, warmed Gracie’s heart. She wasn’t alone. She wouldn’t be going in there meeting her nightmare by herself. And for that she felt like the luckiest woman alive.

Gracie unbuckled her seat belt and cupped Wade’s cheeks in her palms, then brought his head down for a light kiss. “Thank you for being here with me,” she whispered. Looking over at Jonas, Gracie smiled. “Both of you.”

“Hey, how come he got a kiss and I didn’t?”

“Find your own woman, Phoenix.” Wade’s low rumble had the ability to curl her toes.

“I tried,” Jonas grumbled, “but you had to go and play the big brother card on me, remember?”

Wade slammed his palm down on the dash at the reminder that Jonas wanted Deanna. “Someone other than my sister, damn it!”

Jonas cursed under his breath.

Gracie snorted. Neither man was seeing the obvious. If Deanna chose to date Jonas, no one would stand in her way. As far as Gracie could see, bul headedness ran in the Harrison family.

She patted Wade’s thigh and tried to steer them back to the nasty task ahead of them. “Let’s get this over with. You two can argue later.”

“There’s no argument,” Wade groused, as he unbuckled his seat belt. “It’s settled. Jonas can save his depravities for someone who’s
not
my sister.”

Jonas chuckled and opened the truck door. “You just don’t like the idea that she might actual y like my depravities.” He stepped out and closed the door. When his words registered, Wade exploded.

“I swear if he goes anywhere near Deanna, I’l castrate him!”

“Wade?”

“What?” he answered, his gaze never leaving Jonas.

“Deanna is a big girl, and Jonas isn’t that bad from what I can see. Would it be so horrible if they hooked up?”

“Yes.” His gaze glittered with icy menace as he watched Jonas through the windshield.

And that, Gracie supposed, was that.

Wade slung his door open and left the truck, then turned and grabbed her around the waist and helped her down. “Come on. It’s time to see if our friendly neighborhood market is into hiring crazies to stock their canned goods.”

26

T
he bel s above the door tinkled merrily as Gracie entered the little market. Wade held the door, his body close behind her with Jonas in front.

They were both in military mode. She could see it in the way they had her boxed in. Both men were quiet and watchful. Gracie rol ed her eyes.

What did they think would happen? That suddenly her stalker would jump out of an aisle with an Uzi?

As Gracie started toward the counter at the back of the store, where she noticed Charlie wrapping up a steak for a customer, Wade put his hand on her shoulder, pul ing her to a stop.

“Keep your eyes peeled,” he whispered. “I want you to check out every employee.”

Gracie nodded and tried not to look too obvious when she let her gaze scour the smal store. There were only five aisles of goods, one cash register, and the deli situated along the back wal . One young female cashier stood at the front, talking on a cel phone, while a stock boy stacked cans of baby formula on a bottom shelf. She couldn’t tel much about him from her angle. She wil ed him to stand and turn around so she could see his face, but it wasn’t happening. Gracie scanned to see if there was anyone else working today, but al she saw was Charlie and the elderly woman he was chatting up. She shook her head and smiled. Charlie was such a huge flirt.

As if hearing her thoughts, Charlie’s head shot up. He grinned when he spotted her. He handed the wrapped steak to the elderly woman, then waved her off. Gracie waited for the woman to head toward the cash register before stepping up to the counter.

“Wel , if it isn’t our sweet Gracie. What brings you in on a Tuesday?” Before she could answer, Charlie’s sharp gaze landed on the cast covering her wrist. His head swung toward Wade, then Jonas. He frowned. “What happened?”

Gracie shrugged. “I was in a car accident. A fractured wrist, but I’m fine otherwise.”

Looking her over for more injuries, Charlie frowned and his eyes narrowed when he asked, “Is that where the bruise on your cheek came from?”

Crap. Gracie hadn’t realized it was stil so noticeable. She’d been so preoccupied with the thought of maybe final y finding out who her stalker was that she hadn’t bothered with makeup. “Yeah. I lost control and went off the road. Unfortunately, my car is totaled.”

“Damn, Gracie. I’m real sorry to hear that.”

“It could’ve been worse. The seat belt and air bags helped.”

“Hey, June!” Charlie shouted, in his usual subtle fashion. “Get out here, woman, we have a visitor!”

June popped her head out of a doorway along the right wal and grinned. “Hi, dear, what brings you in on a Tuesday?”

Gracie laughed. “I’m that predictable?”

“Every Monday like clockwork,” Charlie and June said in unison.

Slumping at the confirmation, Gracie muttered, “Wow. I am so boring.”

Wade snorted. “Hardly,” he growled, staring down at her with unmistakable arousal.

“Who are these two handsome devils?” June said, eyes glazing over as she took in Gracie’s two tal , powerful companions.

“Charlie, June, this is Wade Harrison and Jonas Phoenix. Friends of mine.”

Jonas and Wade both offered their hands. Gracie wanted to laugh when she noticed June sigh as she shook Jonas’s hand. “You have very good taste in friends, Gracie.”

Charlie groaned. “You’re old enough to be their mother, June.”

June planted a fist on one round hip. “Doesn’t stop you from flirting with young Gracie here, though, does it?”

Gracie saw where this conversation was headed and decided it was time to intervene. “Charlie, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I’d love to get a pound of that Swiss cheese of yours. I’ve had a serious craving for it lately.”

“No problem, dear. And how about some smoked turkey while I’m at it?” He winked and added, “My treat.”

She heard Jonas chuckle. “No way am I passing that up,” Gracie said. “Thanks, Charlie.”

Charlie beamed and went about cutting up the cheese and turkey. June took in Gracie’s appearance and clucked her tongue. “So, are the bruises real y from a car accident?”

“You heard that, huh?”

“I’ve found it’s wise to eavesdrop on al of Charlie’s conversations.”

“Ditto,” Charlie said from the meat slicer several feet away.

Gracie laughed at the older couple. They were so much in love, but they razzed each other constantly. How wonderful would it be to have that sort of relationship? And oh how easy it was for Gracie to picture Wade as the other half.

Mental y squashing that thought, Gracie answered, “Yeah, they’re real y from a car accident.”

June clucked her tongue. “You look awful y tired, young lady. Everything okay?”

It warmed her to know the woman cared enough to ask. “I’m fine, real y. Just have a lot going on lately.” Boy, wasn’t that an understatement!

June pointed a finger at her, her tone turning motherly. “Are you stil working two jobs? I thought we talked about that. You need to stop letting your dad lean on you so much.”

Gracie grimaced. June always did have a way of getting straight to the heart of the matter. “I know, June. I wil , I promise. It’s just . . . hard.”

June glared at Wade and Jonas. “You’re her friends. Can’t you see she’s working herself to the bone?”

Jonas shifted, as if uncomfortable under the woman’s scrutiny. Wade merely grinned and took Gracie’s hand in his own. “Gracie tends to do what she wants, ma’am.”

June’s head shot up, pride fil ing her gaze. “That she does, that she does.”

Turning her attention back to the reason they were there, Gracie asked, “So, June, I’m curious how many employees you have. I have a friend whose daughter was looking for a job.” Wel , it was just a little lie.

“We’re a smal operation, Gracie. The two stock boys and Traci are real y al we need. But tel her to come fil out an application, and we’l be sure to keep her in mind.”

“Thanks, I wil . Two stock boys?” Gracie pointed to the guy in the far aisle, who was stil stocking canned goods. “I only see the one.”

“That’s Matt. Good kid. He’s going to school. Some sort of art program. George is the other. He’s a whiz with computers.”

Gracie’s heart sped up, and Wade’s hand tightened a fraction. She wiggled her fingers, and he relaxed his hold. “George?”

June nodded. “Yeah, George Lusk. He doesn’t work on Tuesdays. This is just a part-time thing for him. He comes in on Mondays to help with the new shipments, then every Wednesday and Friday.”

“I see.” Charlie handed her the wrapped meat and cheese she’d requested. Gracie smiled. “Thanks for the freebie, Charlie.”

“Anything for you, dear.” He looked over at Wade, noticing the way his hand was wrapped around hers. “Take care of our girl. I’d hate to see any harm come to her.”

“Yes, sir, I wil .”

After paying for the cheese, Gracie fol owed Wade back out to the truck, Jonas trailing close behind. Wade lifted her in the air and placed her on the bucket seat, then waited quietly while she scooted to the middle, making room for him to slip in behind the wheel. Wedged between the two men once more, Gracie mul ed over June’s words. Wade put the truck in gear and drove out of the parking lot. She couldn’t help but notice the way his sexy thighs flexed beneath the tight jeans he’d pul ed on that morning as he worked the clutch and gas, his powerful hands wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. She peeked out of the corner of her eye and realized Jonas was every bit as pensive, every bit as on edge.