by KaLyn Cooper
When the gunman started to crawl out from under Griffin, Grace never hesitated to take the next three shots. Body. Head. Body. She crouched and quartered the area, weapon at the ready. She couldn’t believe he didn’t have backup.
“Put your weapon on the ground and hands in the air,” a voice called from behind her. There was no fucking way she was going to release her weapon until she was sure that no one else was going to fire at them.
Instead, she reeled around and leveled the weapon at the hospital rent a cop. “You don’t want to die today,” she warned him. “My badge supersedes your badge. Homeland Security, and the dead man is a terrorist. Now get your ass in there and send out every doctor you can find to save my agent.”
The man didn’t move. She stepped toward him, and he scurried into the building.
Grace immediately went to Griffin, trying to find the gunshot wound. His face was covered in blood, long thin lines on his biceps and forearms flowed steadily , but nothing gushed. All the blood was red, not dark, nearly black like an arterial bleed. She quartered her surroundings before she laid two fingers on his throat to check for a pulse.
People in scrubs poured from the building. When they saw she still held a gun, they froze several feet away.
Grace stood and walked ten feet away from Griffin, and laid her weapon down on the sidewalk at her feet. In a loud voice so everyone could hear her, she announced, “I am a field agent with Homeland Security. The dead man is a terrorist. The bleeding man is my partner. Please, save him.” Her voice broke several times on the last two sentences.
She wondered how much had been recorded on someone’s cell phone and how quickly her photograph and location would be public knowledge. She was going to need a new bodyguard, but she wasn’t going to leave Iowa without Griffin.
Grace stood to the side, alone, not even able to see Griffin who was surrounded by bodies in green and blue scrubs hunched over him. She needed to call the incident into USSOCOM, but she wasn’t sure she could hold her emotions together long enough to give the general an accurate report.
Two men wheeled out a gurney and the crowd parted then collapsed back in on itself. Within a minute, she watched half the crowd disappear into the hospital, surrounding the man she loved. She sent up a prayer begging God to save his life. She followed that with a thank you for giving her the strength to do what had to be done.
The hospital security she’d held at gunpoint cautiously approached her. “Ma’am, are you all right?”
His question seemed totally ludicrous. She giggled. Then she began to laugh, boldly. Fully aware that it was an adrenalin overload reaction, she just rolled with it. Through her laughter and tears, she confessed, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be all right again.”
“Ma’am, is there anything I can do for you?” He was kind of a cute little guy, in a chubby, munchkin sense.
Dragging in one breath of air and slowly releasing it, Grace pulled herself together. “Would you mind grabbing my purse, please? I dropped it over next to the car.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He disappeared around the crowd, and fast stepped back to her holding her purse out as though it were a bomb.
Grace pulled out her phone, pressed the secure line button, and phoned General Lyon. She gave her report as concisely as possible. She was proud of herself because she didn’t break down even once, although talking about Griffin’s physical condition, she was sure her voice was unsteady.
“Grace, now listen to me carefully. Do not surrender your weapon to anyone. Do not let anyone take you in for questioning. Do not leave the front of that hospital where you are currently standing, and I’m watching you on satellite right this moment.”
She looked up into the sky and waved. Hospital security looked at her as though she was crazy.
“My boss is watching us on live satellite,” she explained. “Wave to my boss.” The man’s hand inched up, although his gaze never left hers.
“Grace, you can quit waving now,” he ordered. “I think you’re experiencing shock. Tell the man beside you that you need oxygen, pure oxygen.”
She relayed the message and the munchkin disappeared.
“Grace, repeat back to me your instructions.” He could be so patient at times, she marveled.
“I am not to surrender my weapon to anyone. I am not to go with anyone for questioning. I am not to leave this spot in front of this hospital, and you’ll know because you’re watching.” Grace was so proud of herself. She was pretty sure she got all the right answers. “Sir, at what point may I leave this post?”
“We’re working on that right now. Your boss at Homeland Security wants to send someone from their local office. Would you be okay with that?”
“Yes, sir. But at the moment I don’t want to leave the hospital until I know Griffin’s condition. Which reminds me, did you contact Alex or Katlin?” She probably should’ve called both of them, but seemed like she’d been on the phone with the general for a long time.
The munchkin trotted up towing a wheeled green bottle, and he brought a friend with him.
“Ma’am, I’m from respiratory therapy, and I was instructed to provide you with pure oxygen. I have to tell you, we rarely use the oxygen.”
Grace grabbed the mask from her and slid it over her nose and mouth. The woman turned it on and Grace breathed in slowly, completely filling her lungs. Then she repeated the process two more times. She could literally feel her senses coming back to her, and suddenly realized how disrespectful she had been to the general.
In a firm voice, she spoke into the phone. “General Lyon, please accept my sincere apologies for my less than professional attitude.”
“Welcome back, Grace.” She could hear the smile in the general’s voice.
“Permission to stay with Griffin Mitchell and be the liaison for his condition with USSOCOM.”
“So granted. SOCOM out.” The line went dead.
Grace picked up her weapon and put it back in her purse in the special holster created for it.
Three policemen came running toward her, “Ma’am, we need you to turn that weapon over to us. It’s now part of this murder investigation.”
“I’m sorry, gentlemen, but my badge is bigger than your badges.” Moving slowly, and showing the nervous Des Moines police her every movement, Grace reached inside the outer pocket and removed the thick black leather holder. She opened it to show them her very shiny, never before used, Homeland Security gold badge. “The dead man has terrorist ties.”
A large black SUV pulled into the lot next to Grace’s car. Four men in off-the-rack suits jumped out and immediately surrounded Grace. “Agent Hall, are you all right?” the oldest one asked.
“Badges, please.” She still held hers and flipped it open once again.
“I’ve never seen anyone with a number that low,” one guy said quietly to the other. “What department do you work for?”
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
Chapter 20
“The house is clear,” the senior agent from Homeland Security declared as he held the door open for Grace and Griffin. “My men are stationed around the property.” He gave Grace an understanding smile. “I’m sorry Agent Hall, but you’ll have to keep it short. We’re on a very tight schedule and your plane is already in the air headed here.”
With a grateful smile, Grace touched his arm. “I know. Thank you for allowing me to see them.”
Griffin followed her into her parents’ home because she had asked him to go with her as she said good-bye. He looked like a freak and felt like he’d been hit by a semi-truck rather than a home-grown terrorist, but he was not going to let her out of his reach. He refused to take any pain medication until they were on the Black Swan and headed to Costa Rica. He had to stay sharp. Someone was still out there trying to kill Grace and thanks to the incident in front of the hospital, too many people knew where to find her.
Grace kissed him gently. “I’m going to go say good-bye to Dad. Why don’t
you hang here in the living room for a minute? I’ll be right back.”
“Sir, I’ll be right outside this door,” the man in his late forties said as he stepped onto the porch.
Griffin would be forever thankful to the local Homeland Security agents for watching over Grace while he recovered in the hospital. She had stubbornly refused to leave his side, practically living in his hospital room. He remembered very little of those three days because they had kept him in a medication induced coma while the swelling around his brain subsided, but every time he awoke she was there. The first time, he was so thrilled she had not been kidnapped. Every time after that reassured him that she truly cared.
Damn good thing because he knew he loved her.
Griffin walked around the living room, noticing every picture of Grace. She’d been cute in high school. Every single photograph of her had Kevin standing right next to her. They seemed to be the perfect couple.
Grace emerged from the hallway, a huge smile on her face. “My dad wants to meet you.” She held her hand out to him.
“I look like shit,” he protested. He had over twenty-six stitches in his face alone. Both arms required stitches in several places, but some cuts were only held together with butterfly bandages.
His left arm was in a sling because the guy had popped his shoulder out of the socket. That was a new move Griffin had never been taught, but he was going to learn it. The apparatus also covered the deepest stab. The knife had missed any vital organs, thank God, but the wound had been so deep the plastic surgeon had decided to give him additional internal sutures.
Griffin’s head was wrapped multiple times in white gauze it almost looked like a turban. The bullet had dug through almost every layer of skin on top of his head in a perfectly straight line. When healed, it would look as though he shaved his part. Not a style Griffin liked so he would be growing his hair long once again.
Meeting her father for the first time looking like a bad Halloween costume was not the impression he wanted to make on the man.
“Please,” she begged.
He couldn’t say no to her. Holding his hand, she led him to the master bedroom at the end of the hallway. “Dad, I want you to meet Griffin Mitchell, my Superman.”
Surprised by the superhero reference, he whipped his head to look at her. It screamed in agony. The pain was so bad he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as dizziness threatened to put him on the floor. He leaned forward and grabbed the footboard before he fell over. Holding his body perfectly still, he hoped his brain would quit moving. The doctor said it would do that for several weeks.
Once he regained his composure, Griffin held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Mr. Hall’s grip was much stronger than he’d imagined. “Young man, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for rescuing my daughter. The two of you were the talk of the hospital, and probably will be for years to come. I’m sorry all that happened to you,” he vaguely pointed to the bandages. “I want you to know that I’ve added you to my prayers every day.”
No one had ever touched Griffin’s heart the way this man just did.
“Thank you, Mr. Mitchell.” Mr. Hall’s final handshake was strong and heartfelt. “I don’t know what’s going on between you and my Gracie, but she deserves the love of a good man. She already had the love of her life, and he was taken home to be with God. It’s my most sincere wish that she finds love once again.”
Griffin didn’t know what to say. He was still stinging from the slap that Grace had already had the love of her life.
“I hope you get better soon,” he managed through ingrained etiquette.
As they walked through the living room, he felt like Kevin was staring at him, taunting him from every picture. He was so glad to leave that house. Nobody thought he was worthy of Grace. And maybe he wasn’t. But he couldn’t give her up.
The Homeland Security agents hustled them from the house and into the middle seat of the extra-large SUV. Feeling safe in the bulletproof vehicle, Griffin let out a slow breath.
“How are you feeling?” Grace took his hand. “Do you need your meds?”
“No, physically I ache everywhere and my head is killing me, but I don’t want any drugs right now.” He hated the way the prescription medicine made him feel and even though they were surrounded by armed agents, he still needed to be prepared to defend Grace and himself.
“Maybe sunshine, warm Caribbean water, a cool breeze and great company is what you need.”
He brought their joined hands up to his mouth and kissed the back of hers. “All I need is you.”
Griffin blinked to open his eyes. Grace’s voice must have awakened him from his morning nap. Or was it afternoon? He didn’t know and didn’t really care. After five days in the paradise of the Callahan compound in Costa Rica, Griffin was more rested than he’d ever been in his life.
“Did you see that turtle?” Grace asked Nita as the two women walked toward the array of beach chairs in the shade of the jungle. They carried flippers in one hand and snorkeling masks in the other as they made their way from the turquoise Caribbean Sea across the beige colored sand.
“Yeah, did you see that big fuckin’ fish?” Nita enthused. “He didn’t pay any attention to me at all. It was as though I was a fish, too.”
“I wonder if you can plant turtle grass? I’m sure more would come if there was a greater abundance of food available,” Grace suggested. “I need to look that up. Ocean aquaculture. Now there’s an idea.”
As they approached his chair, Grace smiled. “You’re awake.” She settled onto the chaise next to him.
“Let me take a look at those stitches.” Nita parked her butt on the chaise on the other side of him. She started with the knife wound, carefully lifting each bandage and gently testing the skin around the stitches. “You’re healing very quickly. I’ll be able to pull the stitches in just a few days.”
Griffin took Grace’s hand. “It’s all the TLC I’m getting here.”
Nita got close to his face and stared into his eyes. She then covered them with her hand and quickly removed it. “How’s the head?”
“Still attached,” he teased. “Actually, feeling better every day.”
The team’s doc glanced between him and Grace. “Increased heart rate often puts additional pressure on the brain,” she warned. Then Nita smiled. “As long as your brain doesn’t feel like a basketball bouncing inside your skull, I think you can return to light cardio. Nothing too strenuous, though.” She stared at him. “Only you can decide how much is too much. This isn’t Hell Week SEAL training. There is absolutely no reason to push yourself. On the other hand, there’s no reason you can’t have a little fun.”
Nita grabbed her towel and flip-flops and headed for the beautiful house that was originally built as a small hotel, what most Americans would think of as a bed and breakfast. There were ten bedrooms inside, each with their own luxurious bathroom. There were also two huge suites, one located on each end of the house. Katlin and Alex currently occupied one, and the other belonged to her brother, Daniel, who is expected to arrive any day.
Griffin absolutely loved the bedroom that, upon arrival, Grace had informed him was theirs. What he loved the most was the fact that she was in his bed every night, her soft body snuggled against his. Sex would’ve been great, but Grace had insisted they follow doctor’s orders. To be completely honest, for the first forty-eight hours he wasn’t sure he could even perform.
The pain had gotten so bad that once they were on board Black Swan, he had succumbed to Grace’s wishes and taken the pain medication. At Nita’s request, he had continued the meds, decreasing the dose each day.
This morning he’d awakened with a hard on snuggled against Grace’s gorgeous ass. He’d felt so much better than he had in days, that he’d let his hands wander over her luscious curves until they found the heat between her legs. When he parted her folds, she rolled onto her back and spread her legs, arching as she drew
in a deep breath and came fully awake. With kisses and fingers he gave her what she needed, bringing her to the peak and holding her as she shook and fell apart in his arms.
The fact that was enough for him, watching her take the pleasure she needed, being fulfilled by satisfying her, yet taking nothing for himself, proved to him once again that he loved her.
“I believe Nita just gave us the green light for sex.” Grace grabbed his hand and pulled him to a sitting position. “I need to shower off the saltwater before it completely dries out my skin. Want to give me another reason to take a shower?”
Griffin pulled her onto his lap. “What I really want is to take you right here, in the sunshine, next to the lapping ocean.” He inhaled a deep breath and sighed. He glanced back at the house currently filled with her teammates and the staff. “But it would be my luck that just as I got you naked, Tori, Lei Lu, followed by Katlin and Alex would come bouncing down to the beach.”
“I have something I want to show you. Let’s take a walk down the beach.” She stood, grabbing her beach bag and towel. “We’re going to need your towel, too.”
Throwing his towel over his bad shoulder, Griffin stood and took Grace’s hand. He’d spent the last several days looking at the private curve of beach in front of the Callahan compound. They headed in the opposite direction of the resort hotel.
They had to duck under a nicked up palm tree that grew out practically parallel with the short beach. “Looks like this tree has been attacked,” Griffin noted.
Grace giggled. “We actually use it for target practice. Tori and I will line up fruit from across the top and shoot at it from the deck or patio. Once we had a competition from the roof.”
Griffin looked over his shoulder. “That’s over five hundred yards.”
“Yep. I can’t remember the exact number, we were using a rangefinder.” His Grace was an amazing woman. She talked about sniping as though it were an everyday thing. He chuckled internally. In her world, it was.
They rounded a copse of trees and dense bushes onto a beach that rivaled the one in front of the big hotel. “This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been on a hell of a lot of beaches in my life. Who owns this place?” He drew her in close and wrapped his good arm around her. “What are the chances someone will come wandering by?” He started where her jaw met her ear and trailed kisses down her neck.
