Page 16 of Guarding Grace (Hawk Security #2)

Grace

When I crumpled to the floor, I made sure to not hit my head this time.

Peyton screamed again.

Zane bounded up, rushed to me, and kneeled, cradling my head. “Grace?”

Through hooded eyes, just in case, I whispered, “Driver is armed, Tango.”

Pete had drilled into me that military communications had to be short and simple.

It worked. Zane drew his weapon lightning fast, whirled, and trained it on Lorenzo. “Hands up, asshole.”

Maria’s eyes went wide as she froze in place.

I gritted my teeth and sat up. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

The woman snarled and bolted for the door.

“Fight with whatever you have. Even a pencil can be a weapon,” Terry had said.

I pulled the pack of darts I always carried from my purse. “Stop right there, bitch.”

Visualizing the bullseye I normally aimed at, I let one fly.

With an agonizing scream, she stumbled.

I’d gotten her square in the ass. Take that, bitch .

She got to her feet.

I stood and let a second dart fly. “I said stop.”

After another scream, she went down on her face, the second dart sticking out of her other ass cheek.

I ran to her and gave her a kick. “Take that, bitch. Nobody threatens my people.” She deserved another dozen darts, maybe more.

She twisted on the floor and spat at me. “You’ll pay for this.”

I brandished my third and final dart. “Move and I’ll jam this one into your ear. My brother tells me your death will be quick.”

She cursed, but didn’t try to get away.

Terry’s advice to not go quietly had been spot on, and dammit, Pete would have been proud of me.

Peyton rushed toward me, while my other dozen employees kept their distance.

While I brandished my dart at Maria, Zane zip-tied Lorenzo and dragged him over to join us. “Damn, girl, that was a badass move. I like your aim with those things.”

“Terry told me to not go quietly.”

“I’ll make you hurt,” Maria snarled.

I waved my dart and kicked her again. “Shut up, you worthless piece of shit.”

Zane grabbed my leg before I could kick her again. “That’s enough, Xena.”

I backed up. Xena, Warrior Princess—I kinda liked that.

He pulled one dart out of Maria’s ass, and then the second. The woman squealed each time. He handed them back. “Are these the poison-tipped ones?” he asked with a straight face.

Maria went pale.

I could see we made a good team. “Nope.” I waved my third dart. “But this one is.”

Zane smirked and shook a finger at Maria. “Better not move.”

The beet-red anger in her face drained away.

Peyton drew back. “I’ll call the?—”

“No,” Zane barked. “Nobody…” He looked around the room. “Nobody calls anybody. Absolutely no calls until my team arrives.” He pulled his phone out.

If Terry was Rambo, what was Zane? He’d labeled me Xena, like the TV show? Yes. I took in a deep breath. They could call me Xena, the Dart Princess.

While Zane was on the phone, his eyes tracked Peyton .

I leaned over Maria. “If you come near me or my people again, you’ll get a lot more than two darts in the ass.”

As Zane spoke on the phone, he wandered closer to Peyton. Interesting.

Terry

As I sat at the stoplight on the way back to Grace’s firm, I contemplated what we’d learned. It wasn’t a lot.

Elliot had already told Grace this had to do with a delivery. If it fit in a briefcase, it couldn’t be drugs, not at a value of ten-million dollars. So what the hell was Russo selling, and who was on the other end of the transaction that he and his family would be so afraid of?

Gold would be too heavy, and that much cash wouldn’t fit in a briefcase, which probably left precious gems. I couldn’t think of anything else that made sense.

According to Grace, Elliot said the delivery had gone bad. He hadn’t said he’d been robbed or mugged, so how else would it go bad? The Russos weren’t stupid enough to have Elliot exchange a case for five-million dollars, so it hadn’t been a rip-off at the delivery point.

As the light turned green, I accelerated with a laugh. One thing was for sure, Elliot hadn’t known what was in the case, or its value. Otherwise, he’d be long gone by now.

It still wasn’t making sense to me when my phone rang through the car speakers. The display said Jordy.

I accepted the call just as a jerk cut in front of me. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” Jordy asked.

“Nothing, just an idiot driver. What’s up?”

“There’s been an incident with Grace.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention as I mashed down the throttle and swept around the asshole who’d just cut me off. “What happened? Is she okay? Where the hell was Zane?”

“Get a hold of yourself,” Jordy insisted. “She’s fine. Lucas is also on the line.”

I pressed the gas harder to make the next light. “I’m on the way.”

“No, you’re going to get yourself killed driving like that,” Jordy said. “I won’t fill you in unless you slow down.”

He tracked all our company cars, a fact I’d forgotten for a moment, and I knew Lucas would back him up. I let off the gas. I wasn’t fucking waiting to find out what had happened. “Tell me.”

“A man and a woman came into the office pretending to be clients with a large business deal.” It was Lucas’s voice.

“Fuck.” It had to have been that pair who’d been there when I left. “Tell me they didn’t hurt Grace.”

“They scared her, but she’s fine,” Lucas said. “She and Zane got the drop on them.”

“How?”

“We don’t have the details,” Jordy said. “Zane is a little busy securing them. All he said was that Grace helped with something you taught her.”

“You need to hustle,” Lucas said, changing the subject. “And bring those two in for a stay in our hospitality suites before one of the employees calls the cops.”

I sped up again. “Understood. Zane can transport. I should be guarding Grace.”

“Zane was there for the takedown. He needs to stay in case one of the employees mentions a gun. Constance is on the way. She knows the evaluation script and will brief Zane. You transport the pair.”

“Copy that.” I didn’t care for it, but his decision was logical.

“This time,” Lucas said “we’re not letting them go so quickly.”

I made the next traffic light cleanly and was only three blocks away now. “Good thing. I’m going to have words with them.”

“Words only,” Lucas cautioned me. “But first, we need to get Grace somewhere safe.”

I knew where I thought she was safest. “Copy that.” I hung up and sprinted inside once I reached the building. I might not get to lock lips with her again, but I would damned well protect her with every ounce of my strength.