Ring of Lies (34 page)

A motion sensor clicked on, then off.
The brief blaze of light
enabled him to track Grace’s progress through the garden.
Uneasiness crawled over
his
skin
. H
e took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm.
He tightened his grip on
his
gun
and stepped onto the wooden deck, silently praying that none of the
boards were
loose or weak.
A second sensor lit up
, the
sudden blinding light
almost destroying his night vision.
He squinted, trying to cut out some of the glare, all the while assessing the danger.
He wanted to call out to
her
, tell her to stop, bu
t training over-ruled instinct.

Somewhere in the trees to his right an owl hooted
, its call strangely high-pitched and unnatural
.
Sweat popped on his spine, adding to the chill carried on the breeze.
He took a chance and broke into a run.
T
he pool lights came
on,
the water shimmer
ing
with an eerie turquoise radiance
.

A low wooden fence covered by a flowering shrub separated the
end of the garden
from the beach
.
T
horny
branch
es
claw
ed at his jacket
, tearing the fabric
.
Knowing better, he
yanked it free
, shredding a large hole in the process
.
He crept along the path, his gun arm constantly sweeping
from side to side
.
A large
Banyan
tree stood
by
the
open
wooden
gate
,
its thick woody trunk
cast sinister shadows in the moonlight.
H
e
hesitated, then
stepped through
,
and followed the path through the
Sea Oats
and
Sea Grape
, past the tall
hexagonal
structure of the rear range light,
to the beach
.

Grace
stood
in
the
ocean
oblivious to the
water
lapping around her.
H
er
sodden
dress clung to her slender legs and thighs.
Her head tilted towards the moon, a strange high-pitched moan escap
ed
her lips.
Her fists pounded against her thighs, and
her body convulsed
as she continued keening
like some wounded animal that had
gone
to the
sea
to die.

Jack groaned
, holstered his weapon
and
waded
in after her
.
The waves rippled around his calves, the cold water sending an involuntary sh
udder
through his body.
He placed a restraining hand on her shoulder
, and
then
did the one thing he knew he shouldn’t.
He reached for her
and
cradled her in
his arms.

‘
Talk to me
, Grace.
Tell me what’s wrong.
’

Her arms beat against his chest as she pushed him away.

‘
Leave me be
, Jack.
I don’t need your help.
I don’t need anyone’s help.
My life is ruined, that’s all.
’

‘
I’m not leaving you out here on your own, not
like this
.
What were you thinking running out of the house like that?
’

The moonlight glinted off the t
ears
that streamed down her face
.
‘
You
…
have no
…
idea what
…
I’m thinking
,
’
she gasped.

He pulled her roughly, almost violently against his chest.
‘
I think I can guess.
’

‘
Daniel’s clothes…
her clothes.
H
er clothes
.
’

‘
Shush
.
’
He rubbed her back with the same rhythmic strokes he used to sooth Emilia when she was crying.
Only Grace wasn’t a baby and his response to her was anything but platonic.
He wanted to lean into her, hold her until there was nothing left in his mind but her.

Grace lifted her
tear-stained
face to his.

‘
I should have stayed at home instead of doing what
i
s morally right.
I
can’t stay
in this house
knowing…
knowing
Daniel
and his
mistress
slept here.
’

The haunted look in her eyes made him wish he could bear some of her pain.
But he couldn’t.
So he settled for offering her what little comfort he could.
He
wiped away her tears with the ball of his thumb
and watched the play of emotions on her face
.

‘
I know this is hard on you,
Grace
, but you
don’t
have any
choice
, not if you want to
know
the truth
.
’

With a
final wail
her body sagged against his
.
He
hesitated, then
swept
her
into
his arms
and
carried her out
of the
ocean
onto
the beach.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, her head r
ested on his shoulder.
His pulse kicked as her breasts brushed against his chest.
Her scent filled his nostrils,
mixed with the
tang of salt
and flowers from the garden,
adding
feelings of lust and tenderness
to his
adrenaline filled
veins
.

He
told
himself that he was just protecting an informant,
that he’d do the same for any woman in
a similar
predicament.
But he was lying.
H
is feelings for Grace went way beyond du
ty.

Grace wept aloud.
Jack rocked her back and forth until her sobs subsided.
He tipped her face to his
and brushed his lips against her forehead.
When he was sure she could stand without falling, he set her on her feet.
He
took
off his jacket
,
wr
apped it around her
s
houlders, and clasped her body tightly to his
.

‘
I’m here for you,
’
he said, not knowing what else to say that wouldn’t sound maddeningly inappropriate to her pain.

Her
response
was raw.
‘
I know.
You’re a good friend, Jack.
I know that.
I
just can’
t
make myself
accept that Daniel
was cheating on me, even after the
b
anker and that guy
in the restaurant
said they’d met me before
.
Even
now
,
now that I’ve seen
her
clothes
,
smelt her
perfume
I still can’t believe it.
I want to die, Jack.
I want to die and make it all
go away
!
’

‘
Stop it, Grace.
That’s crazy talk.
I know it’s hard to turn off your feelings, but
Daniel’
s not worth your tears.
’

‘
I’m not crying for him, Jack.
I’m angry
.
Angry
because
I didn’t see what was happening
, what sort of person Daniel had become
.
Maybe the person he always was.
’
She
wriggled free of
hi
s
embrace
and
stepped back
.
The cool night air fanned her cheeks and calmed her mind.
She turned to face
him
.