Page 17 of Guarding Grace (Hawk Security #2)

Grace

Zane moved Maria and Lorenzo into the conference room at gunpoint.

I followed, brandishing a dart like a micro-sword.

Then Zane bound their ankles with more zip ties and finished it off by securing them to the table legs. “They won’t be bothering anybody.”

Lorenzo grunted, his evil eyes trained on Zane.

“Don’t worry, asshole. You’ll get plenty of time to talk later,” Zane assured him.

The woman shot daggers from her eyes at me. She was pissed, and I felt some pride in that. She deserved everything she’d gotten for threatening my people. If I hadn’t needed to project class to my employees, I would have spit on her.

Leaving the conference room, Zane’s eyes again traveled to Peyton, who was on the phone at her desk.

“She’s single,” I said under my breath, answering the question he hadn’t verbally asked.

“I didn’t ask.”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t say you did.”

My employees were clearly shaken and mumbling between themselves .

Zane positioned himself at the door. “It’s okay now,” he told them. “The cavalry’s on the way. Just hang out for a little while.”

They didn’t look convinced.

“Never a dull day,” I joked. “But he’s right. The excitement’s over.” Still jittery from the adrenaline, I leaned against the wall like I had no cares and waited. I had to be strong for my people.

It wasn’t long before Terry burst through the door with a yell. “Grace?”

I’d never been so happy to see anyone. I wasted no time running over and planting a kiss on him.

He broke the kiss far too soon for my taste. “We can’t do this,” he lamented. “I shouldn’t have left.”

I’d forgotten and broken my own no-PDA rule. “It’s okay. I’m safe. We all are.”

“That’s not the point. You’re my responsibility. I’m the one who needs to be taking care of you.”

“You did. You sent Zane, and he took care of business.”

Zane watched us, a curious look on his face, then shifted his attention to Peyton again.

Peyton smiled at us, but she smiled a lot.

Looking up into the eyes of the man who’d saved me twice already, I smoothed a hand over his chest. “I’m fine, and Zane took down the asshole.”

Terry released me. “Where are they?”

I pointed. “In the conference room. Zane trussed them up like two hogs.”

Terry raised a hand to Zane. “Thanks, man. Keep the employees calm, and no calls.”

It was only a split second, but I caught Zane trying to hide how he’d looked at Peyton. Then the SEAL’s face turned stoic, and he nodded back at Terry. “Will do. That one’s a wildcat.” He inclined his head toward me.

“I know. My girl has claws.” Terry led me toward the conference room.

That was the first time he’d ever called me his girl , and it warmed me inside.

“What’s her story?” He pointed to Maria as we entered.

“She wanted me to go with her to see a guy named Victor Russo.”

“Victor, huh? He’s the mafia dirtbag we just met with, the son of the guy who runs the Italian version of the mob here, a real piece of work.”

“She introduced herself as Maria Torelli. I don’t know if that’s her real name or not.”

“We’ll check it out.”

“She said the guy was her driver, called him Lorenzo. Anyway, once we were in the demo room, she threatened to have him start killing my people if I didn’t tell her where Elliot was.

I finally convinced her I didn’t know, because I don’t.

Then she waited for a phone call, and when it came, she threatened to have him—” I nodded toward Lorenzo.

“—kill one of my people if I didn’t go with her quietly to meet this Victor guy. ” My hand tremor had started again.

“Dammit,” he swore. “We were just leaving to see Victor when he made that call. The bastard must have told them to snatch you while we were with him.” Anger at the situation, or maybe at himself, came off him in waves. “I?—”

“It’s not your fault.”

Terry’s anger ramped up. “I’m going to?—”

“Stop it,” I snapped. “Come with me.” I led him to my office and closed the door. “Pete warned me a long time ago not to start something in anger. ‘ Plan with a cool head ,’ he said. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m okay.”

Shaking his head, Terry disagreed. “The call was odd. I should have figured it out and called Zane to warn him. And as for going off half-cocked, I promise to make a careful plan before I go beat the shit out of him.”

I laughed. “Still not your fault.” I took his arm. Realizing this strong man had put all his energy, all his focus, into protecting me was a giddy feeling.

He blew out a breath, not arguing, but also not agreeing. “Go on. What happened next?”

“I thought it was too dangerous for my employees not to go along with her, but then I remembered what you said.”

“Don’t go quietly?” he prodded.

“Exactly, so I fainted right next to Zane. Of course he rushed to me.”

He grabbed my shoulders. “You fainted? That was your plan?”

“No, silly. I faked fainting. I mean, I have so much practice I can pull it off pretty convincingly. And when Zane got to me, I whispered driver armed tango .”

Terry chuckled. “You know the lingo.”

“What do you expect? My brother was spec ops. After that, Zane drew on the guy—caught him totally by surprise—and the woman made a run for the door, but I nailed her with two darts right in the ass.”

Terry burst out laughing and hugged me. “You are truly something else, Kitten.”

I hugged him back, still trembling a little from the adrenaline rush of it all, but warm and at ease in his arms. “You said to fight with whatever I had, and I’m a good shot with my darts.

It’ll be a week before she can sit. Or maybe she’ll get an infection.

I’ve never thought about sanitizing them. ”

“God, I lo—I like the way you think.”

I pressed myself into him. He was all warm, hard muscle. Looking up, I only wished he would kiss me again.

His phone rang, and he untangled himself from me. “I have to get this. It’s the boss.”

Reluctantly, I nodded. All I wanted was to cling to this man and climb all over him.

“Yes?” he answered, turning his back on me.

I couldn’t do anything about my face or hair, but I smoothed my blouse and skirt just in case.

“She’s here… Okay.”

“Lucas wants to talk to both of us.” He set the phone down and pressed the speaker button. “You’re on speaker.”

“How are you, Grace?” Lucas Hawk asked.

“It was harrowing for a while, but I’m recovered now, thanks to Zane.”

“He said your quick thinking was key.”

I bloomed with pride. “It was Terry’s advice that made the difference.”

“I’m calling to tell you we’re going to put our full effort into protecting you and locating your cousin, Elliot, free of charge.”

Everything had happened so quickly since last night—I hadn’t even thought about the cost in manpower and time they’d invested in me and my stupid cousin already. But I didn’t do charity. “No, that’s?—”

“Stop right there, Grace Brennan. You listen to me.” Even over the phone, Lucas Hawk could be intimidating in the extreme. “Several of us worked with your brother, and Terry is the administrator of your trust. That makes you family in my book.”

“I pay my own way,” I insisted.

“You’re family, young lady. We take care of family.”

“While I appreciate the sentiment, don’t you dare young lady me. I’m a grown woman. I do not accept charity from anybody, and that includes you, Lucas Hawk.”

“Grace.” I heard the exasperation in his voice. “That is not acceptable.”

Pete and Terry had told me that nobody argued with Lucas Hawk, and now I understood what they meant.

“Lucas, the answer is still no.”

“Very well. We’ll do it your way. I’ll submit a bill at the end of our engagement.”

“Thank you.” I’d gotten my way, but I don’t know what I was thinking. I had just agreed to take on a financial responsibility I was certain I couldn’t handle. Damned pride.

“You get the friends and family discount, of course.”

That was Lucas’s move to checkmate and also a relief. I got to claim independence, and he got to lower the bill to nothing.

“Do you understand me?”

I was done arguing with him. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. You can have either Terry or Zane as your primary bodyguard, your choice. Which would you like?”

Terry actually looked concerned that I might not choose him.

“Grace?” Lucas asked impatiently.

Zane would be the emotionally safe choice, but I had to go with the devil I knew, the one who’d kissed me senseless today, and the one I knew would create impossible arguments.

Pete had trusted Terry, even if the man drove me crazy.

“I would like it to be Terry.” I detected a hint of a smile from Terry, although he tried to hide it.

“Very well. Remember, he’s the security expert, so you need to do what he says. That’s what’s required to keep you safe, and I owe that to your brother.”

His mention of Pete set me off balance for a second. “Sure, within reason,” I quipped.

Lucas ignored my joke. “Terry, you and I should discuss the plan.”

Terry took the phone off speaker and listened intently for a minute. “Yes, sir,” he said, hanging up.

“Your apartment is not secure, so Lucas wants to put you in our Fontana safe house until we can get this sorted out.”

“No,” was my one-word answer, one it seemed I needed with every one of these testosterone-fueled security guys.

Terry’s tone darkened. “I don’t think you understand.”

“I understand completely. The answer is no. Fontana is too far away. I will take security advice from you guys because that is your area of expertise, not mine. I will allow a bodyguard nearby. But I will not abandon my life and the business I’ve built.

If I abandon the business, they’ve won. I have people who depend on me.

Their families depend on me. I cannot and will not let them down. ”

“Maybe you didn’t hear me. Your apartment is not safe and can’t be made safe. You could easily be attacked there. We need to go to a safe place until we find Elliot and sort this out.”

“With the traffic, Fontana might as well be Mars. You’ve got to come up with a better alternative than that. ”