Page 164 of Guarding Grace

“I got him,” Constance yelled as she sprinted to follow the guy.

“No,” Lucas yelled. “Not alone.”

Constance stopped, looking unhappy with Lucas’s order.

Marku made a gurgling sound and then went silent.

Zane stood back from the table. “He’s gone. Why the hell did that dude shoot him?”

I guided Grace to Marci and told her she could open her eyes. The two women hugged.

“I was sure we restrained all of his soldiers on the way in,” Duke said.

“That was Kim,” Marci said, without turning to face the group gathered around Marku. “The buyer.”

“Police!” The yell came down the hallway that led in from outside.

We all raised our hands and stood still. You never knew when a nervous rookie cop would be the first on scene.

With a dead body, I resigned myself to a long interrogation. But my woman was safe, and nothing else mattered.

CHAPTER 39

Grace

I squintedone groggy eyelid open against the light as something tickled my nose.

Bonnie’s tail swished across my face as two angry eyes watched me.

“What do you want?” I knew the answer without asking. Bonnie only ever wanted one thing—food.

Swish, swish.

When I levered up on my elbow, Bonnie finally moved.

“Meow.” Clyde was also here, at my feet.

But as I remembered last night with Terry, and then falling asleep cradled in his arms, the bed still felt empty.

Turning, I slid my hand under the sheets next to me. The bed was cold. “Terry?”

Silence.

Swish.

I reached out to stroke Bonnie and was rewarded with a loud purr. In the right mood, she had the loudest motor. “I’ve been ignoring you, and I’m sorry.”

Not to be left out, Clyde bounded up and forced his head under my hand for his share of love.

“Yeah, I missed you too,” I told them as they competed for my attention.

A rap of knuckles sounded at the open door. “Grace?”

I looked up. “Constance?”

It came back to me. Terry had asked Constance and Winston to come home with us last night. “Have you been here all night?”

From the doorway, she nodded, smiling as if keeping watch over me was a normal part of life. “Good morning. I hope you slept well.”