Page 12 of Guarding Grace (Hawk Security #2)

“How can I have confidence that you’ll be on time with my project if you’re late to a simple meeting? We’ll be in Europe for only a short time, so I have a very tight window to have the work completed.”

“She was mugged last night,” Terry interjected. “Then Tasered and almost kidnapped this morning. ”

I put a hand up at Terry. “That’s not important.” I didn’t need him defending me at my business meeting.

Mrs. Eclestone dropped her precious glasses.

Terry didn’t stop. “She should’ve gone to the hospital, but she prioritized this meeting with you over herself, so I think you should cut her a little slack.”

“Enough,” I growled.

Mrs. Eclestone’s jaw went slack as her gaze zeroed in on my face. “Oh, my dear, I had no idea,” she exclaimed. “That must’ve been horrible.”

“It’s over now,” I lied. If we didn’t focus on her design, I could lose this sale and the potential of others to all her upscale friends. “I think we should get started on your project.”

She ignored me. “And who might you be?” she asked Terry.

I shifted my weight to my thighs, hoping for a more comfortable position. “Mr. Goodwin is my bodyguard.” I wished I could use another, more personal term.

Mrs. Eclestone’s brows creased. “Perhaps you should trade him for a better one.”

I held back my gasp at her insult.

Terry tensed.

“Without him, I wouldn’t be here right now.” I sucked in a short breath. “He saved me both times, fighting off multiple men with guns and knives.” I paused. “Now, about your project?—”

“That can wait.” She turned. “Mr. Goodwin, is it? May I get your card? If you’re that good, I know some people who might wish to use your services.”

Terry spoke up before I could complain. “Have them call Lucas at Hawk Security.”

The old lady’s brows rose. “My goodness. Would that be the Lucas Hawk who saved Amy Wienhausen a few years ago?”

Terry nodded. “The same.”

With eyes as big as saucers, she turned to me. “You should keep this one.”

I nodded and turned my smile on Terry. “I intend to, Mrs. Eclestone.” And as more than just my bodyguard.

“Please call me Gina, dear.” Turning back to Terry, she asked, “Is it true that you?—”

“I don’t discuss client engagements, not ever,” Terry said, cutting her off. He stood and slid a card across the table. “Perhaps you should go over your project with Grace before she gets called into another meeting?”

“Why, of course,” Gina spluttered. “You’re right. ”

After Terry stepped back, we shifted gears, and she explained her desires. Then, I brought out the VR headsets.

“If you put this on, Gina, we’ll be able to take a look at options for your closet.” I rose and helped her fit the headset in place before putting mine on.

“My goodness, this is amazing,” she exclaimed.

Staying on my feet, I changed out wood finishes and adjusted item placements.

She only got more excited as I helped her envision different options. This virtual reality tool for evaluating placement and various finishes was a selling point that put us above all the other alternatives.

“Could we put an island in the middle?” she asked.

“You might think it a bit crowded, but here’s what it would look like.” I selected the narrowest island option and made it a warm cherry with a marble top and drawers only on one side. “This doesn’t give you very much room to maneuver.”

“I see what you mean.”

I deleted the island. “There’s another option that would be narrower and leave you more space.” I selected a short padded bench and placed it in the center at the far end of the closet. “This would give you a place to sit as you pulled up stockings or put on shoes.”

“Much better.”

With the headset on, I didn’t see him, but I felt Terry’s touch on my shoulder.

“I have to take a call,” he whispered. “I’ll be right outside.”

Nodding, I quickly grabbed his hand, turned my head, and kissed it, a gesture that didn’t show up in the VR headsets.

The room felt oddly colder after the door opened and closed.

Terry

Outside the demo room, I answered the call. “Hi, Deb. We missed you last night.” Her flight back from London yesterday had been canceled.

“Just got in,” she said. “A day late, but I made it. That is one long-ass flight, but better than changing planes in Chicago. How was the party?”

“Boring.” That was true about the event itself, and I left it at that. My sister didn’t understand my job and would go off the deep end if I tried to explain what had happened after .

“How can that be? You got a medal from the damned EPA.”

I valued my Purple Heart from the Marines way more than the medal I’d gotten last night. “They probably hand them out like candy.”

“Bullshit.” That was Deb’s favorite word. “Hey, let’s get together. I’m super proud of you, and I’m itching to see it.”

“I can’t tell my work schedule right now, but I’ll try.”

“Did you meet any nice EPA girls at the party?”

Now we were getting to the real reason for her call.

“None that stood out.” I couldn’t have the only one at the party who’d attracted me.

“Serena mentioned a Janice somebody was hot and going to be there and available.”

I wished there was a way I could shut down the matchmaker pipeline between Serena and my sister. “Really?”

“I worry about you, big brother. You need to socialize a little. A girlfriend would be good for you.”

I knew one way to get her off the phone. “I don’t need a girlfriend to get a nice hot fuck when I feel like it.”

“Now you’re just being crass.” Deb yawned. “I’m going to nap for a while so I can stay up until tonight. Love you.”

“Back at ya, sis.”

An incoming text dinged and showed up on the screen.

LUCAS: We traced the car.

“Hey, Deb, I gotta go. It’s work.”

“See you soon.”

Ending that call, I dialed Lucas. The partial plate had obviously been enough for Jordy to do his thing with traffic cameras.

“Where are you?” Lucas asked when he answered.

“At her work. She’s secure.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Remarkably well. A little shaken, and she won’t be sitting comfortably for a day or two. She got Tasered in the ass.”

“Ouch. I texted because Jordy tracked that plate to a company owned by the Russo family.”

I nodded. “That makes sense. Her cousin, Elliot, said he was working for Tall Tony and messed up some delivery or other. That looks like what started all this.”

“Delivery of what?”

“No idea. He didn’t tell Grace, and maybe he didn’t even know. They lock the cases and don’t give the couriers the combination.” We knew this from surveillance on a previous case.

Lucas blew out a breath. “The idiot’s lucky he didn’t get blown up.”

“It’s true then?” The rumor was that ever since getting ripped off two years ago, Tony’s shipments were wired with explosives so only the guy at the destination with the correct combination could open the cases without getting blown to bits.

“It sure is. One of his couriers found out the hard way.”

I silently agreed that Elliot was an idiot for taking on a job like that.

“I’d like to warn Russo off, but it would help to know where the cousin is first.”

“Grace gave him a key to some warehouse space her company has.”

“Why’d she do that? It only gets her in deeper. Never mind. It doesn’t matter at this point.” Clearly Lucas had the same thoughts as I did about Elliot.

I read off the address for him.

“That’s close,” he said. “Hold fast while I have Winston check it out.”

I liked that idea. Winston Evers was ex-FBI and a solid guy who could easily corral a slippery dude like Elliot if he was there.

“How will she take it if we move her to the Fontana safe house tonight?” Lucas asked.

I’d already considered that and made up my mind that there was only one option for keeping Grace safe. “She’ll hate it. I’ll have her stay at my place until this is over.” Pete deserved to have my full attention on keeping his little sister safe. This was the best and only way.

“Is she on board with that?” Lucas asked after a second of silence. He’d seen some of our previous frosty interactions.

“She will be.”

“Are you alone?”

“One sec.” I moved to the small conference room and shut the door. “I am now.”

“I wanted you to know that Omega is pretty sure they’ve pinpointed Pete’s location.”

My heart thundered in my chest. “That’s great.” A rescue might only be days away.

“I heard this two days ago, and the certainty has increased since then. This is still your ears only.”

“Yes, sir. Understood, sir.” I appreciated his confidence in me. He could count on me to keep this to myself.

“Later, sailor.” He disconnected.