Whirlwind (SAI Book 2) (26 page)

The sound of the spoon clattering against the counter pierced the quiet in the room. Tears fell from Sara’s eyes and splashed on the counter as Grady turned her around and held her against his chest. “I need some time, Grady.”

“I’m not going to take the chance of not telling you how I feel. You take whatever time you need. We have the rest of our lives to figure it out.”

Pushing her face into the soft material of his T-shirt and feeling the beat of his heart soothed something deep in her soul. The events of the last twenty-fours receded as she breathed Grady in. If she could stay like this, then fear and doubt would never find a way in. His hand slipped under her T-shirt, and he rubbed small circles across her back. Slowly she felt the tension slip from her muscles.

There was no doubt about it. Grady got her. He instinctively knew what to do when she was in the whirlwind of doubt and fear. All he had to do was wrap his arms around her, and she could see her way through.

He kissed her head gently and released her. “Let’s have our ice cream and then watch the final of
The Bachelorette
. We didn’t get to watch it last night, and we need some reality TV.”

A shot of laughter escaped as she picked up their bowls. “It’s one of the things that pissed me off most about being taken by Ang.”

“The threat of being at the mercy of someone who was ill didn’t make you mad, but missing
After the Final Rose
did?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to miss it.”

Grady plopped on the couch, held his arms open and caught her as she fell against him. “As long as you have your priorities in order.”

She handed him his bowl of ice cream and took hers. “I’m glad you understand. After this is over, we can start watching the old seasons.”

When he didn’t say anything, she turned around and saw him smile. “Why are you smiling?”

“Because there is no way you are getting rid of me after training me so well. No way at all.”

Shrugging, she turned around and flipped the TV on. He might have had a point. She had invested some time and effort into him, and it would have been silly to throw that all away.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Wednesday

Grady rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling. His first and only priority for the foreseeable future was getting rid of the threat against Sara. There had to be a way to get the Outfit to lose interest in her. He just hadn’t figured it out yet. He moved his hand slowly over Sara’s back as he let his thoughts roam free. The key to problem solving was thinking outside of the box. Let every possibility enter your mind and then sift through them until one seemed workable.

Somehow Solly D and Fat Mike were convinced that she had information they needed. The only thing that Sara had been given during the short meal with her father was a locket. Maybe it was time to send the locket to Lucky in the Chicago office. Maybe there was information embedded in a photograph or something. As soon as Sara woke up and had her coffee, he was going to ask her about it. That was the only possibility he could think of, unless there was something that he had missed. Glancing over, he smiled at Sara’s crazy hair. It happened every night, no matter what they did or didn’t do. Knowing that intimate fact about her made him smile. Sara was his the moment she kissed him on the mat in Combative Alliance. And every moment since then convinced him he was right. Now all he had to do was make sure that she felt the same way.

There was something she wasn’t telling him, and he wondered what Angelina had said during those many hours they were together. Whatever it was, he was going to have to be patient. Because if he pushed, then she would retreat even more.

Relax. That was going to be his motto. And if that didn’t work, then he would try something else. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Always worked when he was on the Teams, and it was sure as shit going to work now.

Sara started to move around, and he took the opportunity to roll her into him. He looped his arm around her waist and buried his nose in her hair. When he laid her hand against his heart, he felt himself relax. That’s all it took to make his world right. Sara’s small hand covering his heart. All he had to do now was never give her a reason to stop.

***

Grady opened the door and studied Sam. He looked like shit. Which probably was a result of the last twenty-four hours. Every time he had seen the guy, he was perfectly dressed and groomed. The man who brushed past him and growled was not that man. “Coffee?”

“I’ve had so much coffee over the last twenty-four hours that I should stop. But I can’t because the minute I do, my system will revolt, and I’m not willing to see what that looks like.”

Sara chose that moment to shuffle into the room, and Sam grimaced. “No matter how many times I see it, I can’t get used to it. What in the hell do you do to look like that?”

Sara punched him in the stomach as she passed and laughed when he gulped in a breath. “It’s a good thing that I’m not a sensitive person. Because if I was, then I might be offended by your barrage of nasty comments about my hair.” Patting it down, she smiled at both men. “I hope to God you brought donuts.”

Sam sank into a kitchen chair and cradled his cup. “No donuts.”

“Wow, you really do like living on the edge. You show up and insult me and don’t even bother to buy fried dough dusted in sugar to soften the blow. I may have to see about getting a new handler. One that understands the importance of bakery treats.”

“You just keep talking to yourself, because you’re the only one listening.”

Sara filled her mug, dumped some cream into it and walked over to Sam. “Poor you. It must be bad, because you have a couple of hairs out of place. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.” Taking a careful sip, she then studied him. “We are a perfect juxtaposition to one another.”

His eyes raked over her and he nodded. “We’re the before and after, the do and don’t, the who wore it best.”

Sara lifted her hand and pressed it against his mouth. “It’s rude to give more than one example.”

Grady stood behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. “I think you look pretty in the morning with your crazy hair.” Kissing her head, he winked at Sam.

“God, you must be in love. That’s the only explanation for that comment.”

“Must be,” Grady said quietly. He didn’t want to discuss his feelings in front of Sam, and he certainly wasn’t going to make a declaration without giving Sara some warning. He was afraid that if he did, then she was going to panic and then rabbit. He was going to play it cool for as long as he could.

“If we’re done discussing this, then maybe you can give me an update about the mobsters who were sent to take care of me.”

“Spending time with Albie the Falcon and Mikey the Fireplug wasn’t as interesting as you might imagine. They’re your basic run-of-the-mill hit men. They’re not even related to anyone important in the organization. This tells me that Solly D didn’t have any serious intention of finding you. Those two would be lucky to find a cortado in the middle of Little Havana.”

“Why did they send such low-level guys if they wanted to take me back to Chicago and find the password?”

“Exactly. But they couldn’t ignore the call they received from Angelina. That would be showing weakness. Something that would never happen.”

“So, what does this say about my value to the family?”

“It says that they don’t consider you a high-value target anymore. But they can’t just let it go.”

Sara glanced over at Grady and shrugged. “What do you think about all of this?”

“I think you should go to the media. Make yourself as difficult a target as you can. Once we get you on the news, then we go to Chicago and ask for a meeting. I don’t wait for shit to knock on my front door. I hunt it down and take care of it. Face-to-face tells us what their agenda is. If they make a move, then we have reasonable cause to react. The Outfit understands a show of force. So let’s show them.”

Sara sat up and grinned. “I like it.”

Sammy sat up as well as shook his head. “It’s not that easy.”

“It’s not that hard either. I’m not living in fear anymore. I’ve had enough nonsense from these people,” Sara wailed.

Sam sat back and rubbed his head. “All right. Give me a week to put this together. I’ll work some contacts for a couple of interviews, and let’s see if we can get you on the news by the end of the week. I’ll set the meeting for a couple of days after that. This is crazy enough to work.”

“I’ve seen a lot of crazy lately, and I have to say, it seems to be working,” Sara responded.

“Just do something with your hair before you go on camera.”

Sara patted his hand and grinned. “I’m going to be so perfectly poised and groomed that you’re not going to recognize me.” Looking at Grady, she laughed. “I need to get my car back, because I have to get started right away if I’m going to be ready in time.”

Grady squeezed her hand. “I have someone cleaning it out, and we should have it back by this afternoon.”

“Perfect.”

“Why does this scare the shit out me?” Sam asked.

“Because you’re a smart man,” Grady responded. “The lady is in charge of her destiny, and we’re just along for the ride.”

“Amen,” Sam added quietly.

***

Sara sat in Grady’s truck and fumed. “I could’ve driven myself. You should be at work and not chauffeuring me around.”

“You were kidnapped the day before yesterday. You will not be out of my sight for a very long time…if ever.”

“When you wake up from that particular fantasy, let me know.” Turning her head, she stared out the window and started humming.

“Remember when I told you that we go together like milk and cookies?”

Slowly she turned to gaze at him. “Yes…”

“I’m amending that statement. We are stuck together like Velcro. I’m not going to let something happen to you again. Your kidnapping is all on me, and I can’t let anything else happen to you.”

“Velcro? That doesn’t seem like a good thing. How about marshmallow fluff and peanut butter? That sounds like something that I can live with.”

“Fine, fluff and peanut butter.” He reached his hand over the armrest and took hers. “I died a thousand deaths when I realized you had been taken. I will never forgive myself for allowing it to happen.”

“You’re not responsible for the actions of a crazy person. And I say that with the utmost respect for people who are suffering from psychotic disorders. Angelina is sick, and I just happened to get in her way. It wasn’t up to you to predict where her crazy was going to take her.”

“But I should’ve considered it as a possibility.”

“That’s an impossible task. There is no way to foretell all the possible dangerous scenarios.”

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. “I spent too many years in combat to miss something like that.”

“You are not a wizard with a magic glass that lets you look into the future. So quit wasting time blaming yourself. It happened, you saved me, and I am unharmed. What more could we want?”

“For it never to have happened.” He pulled into the parking lot at Combative Alliance and parked. He let the air conditioning run while he released his seat belt. “If I could put you in a protective bubble, I would.”

“Good thing nothing like that exists.” Glancing at the door, she sighed. “I’m not looking forward to seeing Richard. I did nothing to ward off Angelina’s attack, and I feel like I failed. Richard has put so much work into me, and I didn’t use any of it.”

“Honey, there’s not much you can do if someone has a gun to your back.”

“It wouldn’t have been a problem for you. You could have had ten men attack you and you would’ve been fine.”

“I went through the most difficult and challenging military training in the world. Then I spent fourteen years practicing and perfecting those skills. Don’t compare us.”

“I’m not. I just wish that I did a little better. When I saw that it was Angelina, I froze. All I could see was her taking a hatchet to your front door, spray painting the front of your house, and trying to light it on fire. When she spoke to me, I knew she had lost the battle and was no longer a friend with reality.”

“Sometimes the best defense is staying alive. And you did that.”

“I’m still going to work with Richard. At the very least, working the bags will help me get out my frustration.”

“Do you want to spar with me? I’ll let you throw me.”

Her eyes narrowed and she smirked. “Maybe I really will throw you. Who knows what kind of things I’m willing to do to win?”

“Which is why I’m here.” He stepped out of the truck and went around to open the door. “If you’re going to kiss someone, then I have to make sure it’s me. No need to let you on the loose.”

Sara unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed her bag. “Fine, spoil my fun.”

He took her by the waist and lifted her out of the truck. When she stood before him, he lifted her chin and pressed their mouths together. She stiffened for a moment and then relaxed into his embrace. Bending down, he caught her bottom lip in his teeth and sucked gently. Sara’s quiet moan told him what he wanted to know. “Only kiss me.” He slid his tongue inside her welcoming mouth and devoured her. As things started to heat up, he heard a round of applause. “Idiots,” he breathed, as he reluctantly released her lips. Lifting his head, he glanced over Sara’s shoulder at Richard, Dom, and Nick. He flipped them off and held Sara firmly against his heart. “Don’t you guys have anything better to do?”