Whirlwind (SAI Book 2) (25 page)

“You got it. I called Lance and asked him to get ahold of her father.”

“Thanks.”

Joel and Sam walked around the other side of the van and waited for the MPD to arrive. Sam crossed his arms and stared straight ahead. “I had the local office call the MPD when you all came out of the building. They told them that this was part on an ongoing investigation. Let me give them my spiel and hope that will be enough. I don’t want them crawling up our asses over this.”

“SAI has an excellent relationship with all of the local departments, and I plan on keeping it that way. We have a few friends around, so I don’t expect them to dig too deeply.”

“That’s good news. I want to get through this as quickly as I can, because I have a couple of hit men that I need to deal with.” He lifted his arm and checked his watch. “They are due to land in an hour, so they should be in our local office within two. I’m hoping this gives me a chance to end the threat against Sara once and for all.”

“How are you going to manage that?” Joel asked.

“I don’t know yet. But I plan on coming up with something in the next couple of hours.”

“Let me know if we can do anything. I know Grady is not going to let Sara out of his sight until this is solved. Hell, he may never let her out of his sight regardless of what happens.”

Sam’s phone buzzed, and he walked away as he answered the call. Two ambulances and two squad cars flew through the gates with a dark sedan following. Joel knew that the next several hours were going to be long and tedious. He slipped his phone out and texted Vivi. He didn’t want her to worry and knew she would. Smiling to himself, he thought about how she was going to make sure that he was unharmed. As a doctor, she believed in a thorough physical examination, which he enjoyed the hell out of. There were so many reasons that he loved his wife,
and her attention to detail was on the top of the list. 

CHAPTER TWENTY

Tuesday

Twelve PM

Sara stepped into her house and almost collapsed. Exhaustion and grief slid over her bones as she moved slowly toward the bedroom. All she wanted to do was get in the shower and wash away the last twenty-four hours. Grady wasn’t pressing her to talk, and she could tell that he was blaming himself for what had occurred. Every time he looked at her, regret and remorse filled his gaze. As she stepped into the bathroom, she realized that she didn’t have the energy to make it better for him. Maybe after she slept for a couple of hours, she could start to deal with what had happened. Right now it was still too raw.

Leaning in, she turned on the water and then heard a knock on the door. Grady opened the door and handed her a glass of orange juice. “Thanks.”

“Drink it up before you get in the shower. I don’t want you to faint in there.”

Nodding her agreement, she picked it up and took a healthy sip. He seemed satisfied and stepped out. Once the door was closed, she stripped off her clothes and dumped them into a pile. She stared at them for a moment and then grabbed a garbage bag from underneath the sink. As the room filled with steam, she shoved the clothes into the bag and then tied it. She never wanted to see them again. Yesterday had been horrific for many reasons, not the least of which was being threatened at gunpoint. But the truly awful part had been listening to Ang talk endlessly about her relationship with Grady. When Angelina had woken her up at midnight to talk, she never would have guessed that she was in for hours and hours of her disclosing every last detail about her relationship. There was no way to stop the endless sharing. It was like she wanted to relive every moment of their time together in vivid detail. As Sara stepped into the shower, she felt a wave of nausea rise up. As far as she was concerned, that had been a lot worse than having a gun pointed at her head.

Leaning her head under the water, she visualized everything about the last twenty-four hours washing away. Especially all of the details of Ang and Grady’s sex life. God, that shit was lodged in her brain and playing on an endless loop. She heard the door open and Grady walk in. What was he up to?

“Honey, I’m coming in.”

Before she could respond, the door slid open and he stepped inside. The shower wasn’t big enough for her to step away, and it didn’t seem like he was going to let her. His enormous arms encircled her, and she was pulled into his embrace. As much as she wanted some distance from him, she couldn’t deny how comforting it felt to have him wrapped around her. Her head was at war with itself. There was the truth of who she and Grady were together and the truth of him and Ang.

“I need to hold on to you before I fall apart,” he said quietly against her head.

“I’m okay, Grady.”

“I brought this to your door, and I don’t know how I’ll make it up to you. But I promise you that I will, even if it takes the rest of my life.”

“Grady, you are not responsible for Angelina’s mental illness. I just happened to be caught up in her disintegration.” His arms tightened as he lifted her head. They stared into one another’s eyes, and she could see that he wasn’t going to forgive himself for a long time. Somehow he was shouldering the responsibility of Angelina’s implosion. “She was on this path long before I arrived.”

“But…”

“But, nothing. She told me that she had a friend put cameras up on the streetlights in front of your house when you started to pull-away. Apparently she’s kept a close eye on you for a long time.”

“What the hell? How could I have missed that? I’m a trained operator, and I didn’t see any of the signs.”

“I doubt being a SOF operator teaches you about the many varieties of psychotic disorders.”

“I guess you’re right, but it doesn’t make it any easier. I’ve told you that I’m going to protect you and I failed, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop trying. Nobody is ever going to put you in danger again.”

“That’s an almost impossible promise, Grady. I would never ask you to do that.” Leaning her head against his chest, she felt the last of her energy fall away. “I need to get out.”

“Sorry, honey. Let me wash you up, and then I’ll put you in bed and you can sleep.”

“I can do it.”

He lifted her head again and kissed her gently. “Please let me take care of you.”

“Okay.” She stood still while he efficiently ran soap all over her body. It was a relief when he didn’t make his touch sexual, because she didn’t think she could handle it. Everything that Ang had told her was acting like poison in her brain. The last thing she wanted was to be intimate with him after what she’d heard. How was she going to find her way back to him?

***

Sara snuggled under the covers and kept her eyes closed. Maybe if she didn’t move, then she could fall back asleep and hide from reality for a bit longer. As far as she was concerned, reality sucked, and she was damn tired of it.

The door cracked open, and light from the hall seeped in. She kept her eyes closed and decided to play possum. No need to leave this room until tomorrow. That would be soon enough.

The sound of his footsteps approaching made her realize that he was going to try to get her up. No way.

“Sara, time to get up, honey. You have to eat something.”

Sure, try and lure her with food. Not going to work.

“I ordered your favorite pizza, and there’s ice cream for dessert.”

Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she wondered if that was possible if a person was asleep. She kept her eyes closed and felt the bed dip as he sat down next to her. Maybe she could stay in bed and he could bring the pizza in here.

“I see your eyes moving, so I know you’re thinking about that pizza.”

“You can’t see my eyes moving. That is such a lie.” Slowly she opened her eyes and stared at him.

“Yes, I could, and you were scrunching up your face, and you were not moving. You move around a lot when you sleep, so you gave yourself away.”

Sitting up slowly, she shoved her hair off her face. “I’m going to work on that, so the next time I play possum, it’ll work.”

“It’s important to have a goal.” He gently swept the hair away from her face and gave her a tender smile. “You haven’t eaten in over twenty-four hours.” He picked her up. “Come on. Let’s get you fed.”

He stood, and she grabbed his neck to steady herself. “Let me use the bathroom, and then I’ll come out.”

He set her down gently and made sure she was steady. “Okay. If you’re not out in five minutes, then I’m coming to get you.”

“Yes, sir.” Spinning on her heel, she strolled into the bathroom. Bossy people were starting to annoy her. She’d just about had her fill. The next person who told her what to do was going to get a piece of her mind.

***

Grady sat at the kitchen table with his laptop open as she entered the kitchen. He wore his glasses and was typing furiously. Whatever he was working on was taking all of his concentration. “I’m here as requested.” He flashed her a big smile as she approached. “My stomach is rumbling, so I guess I should eat.”

“Sit down and let me pull it out of the oven.”

When he brought everything over and sat down, she grabbed his hand. “Thank you for finding me and saving my life. I don’t think I told you that, and I should’ve.”

“Honey, you don’t have to thank me.”

“I do. If you hadn’t saved me, then I’d probably be in the hands of the mafia. Did you know Ang has cousins that are part of the family?”

“Yeah, I found out last night.” He opened the box and slid a large piece onto her plate. “Please start eating.”

She did as he asked and took her first bite of pizza. It was delicious, and it made her realize how hungry she was. “Whatever happened to the men who were sent down here? Are they running around Miami looking for me?”

“Sam’s men intercepted them at the airport, and they are spending some quality time with the local Feds.”

“What can he hold them on?”

“They took Angelina’s phone, and they are holding them based on the conversation Ang had with them. I spoke to him about an hour ago, and he said he’s making progress. I don’t know what that means, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon.”

“I would love to meet with Solly D or Pudgy Matassa and have an old fashioned sit-down. I’m tired of running from them. In fact, I’ve decided that I’m not going to anymore.”

“What do you plan on doing?”

“I should advertise who is after me. That way, when and if they do get to me, there won’t be any doubt who is responsible. My story has to be interesting enough for the local news. Maybe I should see if it appeals to anyone. I could make a great headline. Just think of it: ‘Innocent Children’s Book Illustrator Hunted by the Mafia after Discovering who her Biological Father Was.’ They could have pictures from my book next to pictures from crime scenes. That alone would get some ratings.”

Laughing, Grady held her hand. “Who would play you in the movie of the week?”

“Funny you should ask. I was thinking about it last night, and I think this whole thing could be a Lifetime movie. We would include you in the story line as the SEAL who saves the woman from all that threatens her. I think Lyndsy Fonseca should play me. I haven’t cast your role yet, but once I have time to think about, I’m sure I can come up with someone.”

“As long as the movie ends with us having a happy-ever-after, I don’t care who plays me.”

Sara wondered if they did have that in their future. There was still a lot to get through before she would know if they had a chance. Ang’s words played over and over in her head, and she hated it. Sighing, she took another piece of pizza and began eating.

Grady tipped his head and stared her in the eye. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to get us through this, and we are going to get a happy ending. No matter what I have to do to get us there.”

“Time for ice cream.” Sara popped out of her chair and walked over to the freezer. She wasn’t ready to discuss the possibility of them having a long-term future. Her head was spinning from the events of the last twenty-four hours. What had seemed inevitable only a couple of days ago now felt almost impossible. Something had shifted in her heart after she listened to Ang. All her words had created a river of unease that was running through her mind and heart.

Maybe she just needed time and space to figure out what was real and true. After all, she and Grady hadn’t spent much time together, and it wasn’t under normal circumstances. Who knew—maybe the intense feelings they had for one another were a result of the extreme circumstances they’d been in. Maybe they had nothing in common, and once her life became more normal, they wouldn’t have anything left. It was sort of like being on a reality show. Everything was heightened.

Grady brought the dishes in and set everything down. He leaned against the counter and studied her as she scooped out ice cream. “I know that you have just gone through hell and back, and it’s not over yet. But I want you to know that I’m here and not going anywhere. I will do whatever it takes for us to come out on the other side of this. All I need is for you to hold my hand and tell me we have a shot at making a happy ending.”

He straightened up, stepped over to her, and lifted her hair away from her neck. He lowered his head and gently kissed her neck. “Everything can change in a day, and I want all my days to be with you.”