Grady beeped his horn behind her, and she jumped.
Right. He’d tailed her.
She pressed her fingers on the reader to open the gate and pull into the garage, winding up to the top floor where the partners parked, Grady and Drake right behind her.
On the one hand, he was being pushy. Typical Grady. On the other hand, he was being considerate in making sure she got to Sierra’s condo safely. And yet, he was also trying to control her. She didn’t think he was intentionally doing it. He’d served on Delta Force for many years and had a fierce protector personality. He just wanted her to be safe. She’d seen him do the same thing for others in her time working here. Men and women. If he thought his help was needed, he jumped in, and only then did he look.
She found his compassion and desire to do the right thing appealing and irritating at the same time. Appealing usually won out. Not tonight though. Maybe it was because of all the testosterone that had been flowing through her house with the deputies there. Maybe she was lumping Grady in with them.
She parked near the door and got out to open the trunk of her Honda Civic. By the time she’d removed the first bag, Grady was by her side, taking the handle from her hand. She thought to argue, but what would have been the point? He was a gentleman—opening doors and helping people at work. Even fixing her door. Besides, he wouldn’t give the bag back no matter what she said, and she was too tired to argue.
She picked up her camera cases and started for the door. She glanced back at Drake, who’d turned off his ignition to spend the night in his vehicle.
Grady rushed ahead to the door and pressed his fingers on the print reader then pulled open the steel door. “Have you ever been to the condo tower?”
She shook her head.
“The first three floors are empty.” He held the door open for her. “Nick and I are on four. Kelsey and Devon got married last month so they’re on five with Sierra. Emory and Blake, and Maya on six. We’ll cross over on the skybridge here.”
He stepped down a hallway, and she followed.
As it opened to the glass-enclosed bridge, she took in the view of the city, the lights twinkling in the distance and the puffy clouds sliding by in the moonlight overhead. “I always wanted to see the view from up here.”
He stopped mid-bridge and glanced back at her. “You should have said something to one of us. We’d have been glad to show you.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to that, but he seemed to be waiting for a response.
“I…um…I don’t know.” She shifted her camera bags. “All the partners are really nice and everything, but you are still my bosses.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Sierra is your boss. The rest of us don’t get involved in who she hires in her department.”
“Fair enough, but…I mean…if I did something really off the wall, you could have me fired.”
His eyebrows hitched higher. “I could recommend it, but Sierra holds all the power in hiring decisions for her department. Trust me, she would feel free to ignore anything I said. She runs her department, and it’s ultimately her decision. Same is true of all the partners.”
Ainslie hadn’t known that and wasn’t sure she was glad to know it now. That information removed an obstacle that she’d lodged firmly in place as a reason not to fall for this guy.
He tipped his head at the wall of windows. “So, what do you think of the view?”
She looked out over the city and itched to get out her camera, but the glass reflection would ruin any pictures. “I wish I could capture it.”
“I saw the landscape photos at your place and assumed you took them.”
She nodded. “Landscapes help me put the horrors I see on the job into the perspective of God’s universe.”
He tilted his head and moved close enough that she could catch the damp scent of his leather jacket. “I don’t know how you and Sierra handle working murder scenes.”
She looked up at him, wishing he weren’t near enough that her awareness of him felt like a physical pull. “You work crime scenes too.”
“Only occasionally when Sierra calls me out for a ballistics consult. And honestly, they’re usually less gruesome than what I saw in the service.”
She couldn’t even imagine what he’d witnessed or how he’d dealt with it. “That must have been tough.”
“Tough?” He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess, but God doesn’t give us more than we can handle with His help.”
She wasn’t so sure about that. He’d been piling things on her shoulders since her mother died, and Ainslie was cracking under the weight. Not something she wanted to talk about when she was already tired and dragging from the adrenaline draining from her body.
“We should go.” She skirted around him and rushed across the bridge to the stairwell, jogging down the steps before he caught up to her.
Yeah, she was running from him, and she didn’t care if he knew it. She wasn’t sharing personal things and getting involved with this guy. She shot into the hallway on the fifth floor.
“Last door on the left,” he said, closer behind than she’d thought.
Ainslie pounded on the door, catching her breath from her mad dash. Maybe from the rush of emotions Grady’s nearness raised. She’d dated in the past. Had her share of long-term relationships even. But this thing with Grady was different. Way different, and she didn’t understand it. Sure, he was good looking. Handsome. Buff. But it wasn’t just a physical attraction. That she knew for sure.
The door opened, and Sierra marched out. Even in bare feet, she was four inches taller than Ainslie’s five-six and towered over her. She wore gray yoga pants and a turquoise T-shirt that formed to her fit body. She ran her gaze over Ainslie and frowned.
“You poor thing. What a perfectly horrible thing to have happen.” She gathered Ainslie into a hug.
Shocked at the personal response from her boss, Ainslie didn’t know how to respond. She let Ainslie hug her. Surprisingly, tears pressed at the back of her eyes, but she wasn’t a crier. Before the tears started to fall, she backed away and took a long breath. “Thank you for letting me stay with you.”
“Of course. Think nothing of it.” Sierra pushed the door open. “Now come in and have a cup of tea, and we’ll get you settled.”
Ainslie glanced back at Grady and swallowed hard. She wasn’t used to accepting help. In fact, before tonight when she’d let Grady barricade her door, she never did it. Never. It always felt too much like the charity of her childhood that had been forced on her and her family by people with questionable motives. But in her weakness tonight, she’d not only agreed to stay with Sierra but had let Grady board up her house, too.
One offer of help would lead to another and another, and then other people would soon control her life again. She’d worked hard to learn to stand on her own two feet—and to make the money she needed to do so. And tomorrow, when she was rested and this aberration of growing dependence on the partners left her, she would take time to rethink the night. Maybe she’d go back home. But right now, she needed to send Grady packing before she let her attraction to him sway her into letting him help even more.
She faced him and took a firm stance. “Thank you for securing the house tonight and following me over here.”
He gave a single nod as if it was a given that he would put himself out to help her. “We’ll meet with the partners in the morning to see what we can do to help you free your brother.”
She shook her head and held his gaze. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got this and will be handling things on my own from here.”
He looked confused, and, if she was reading him right, hurt by her response. “Why, when we have the resources you need?”
She curled her fingers tight to stay strong and not admit to her lack of finances. Another touchy subject for her. “Ethan and I live paycheck to paycheck, and we don’t have the funds to pay you.”
“No need,” Grady stated firmly. “We’ll cover the cost. Right, Sierra?”
“Right,” she said. “We provide services pro bono all the time.”
Pro bono. Just a fancy term for charity. Ainslie’s childhood of poverty, of others offering charity, raised the same ugly feelings she’d suppressed for years, leaving her feeling queasy. And conflicted. She wanted to help Ethan. She would help Ethan, but not as a charity case. The Veritas partners might have the best of the best when it came to resources, but she would have to find another way. “I can’t accept such a generous offer.”
“You will!” Grady eyed her, then shook his head and ran a hand over his face. “Look. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that, but refusing our help makes no sense at all. We do this all the time for complete strangers. It’s a no brainer to do it for one of our own.”
“He’s right.” Sierra’s gentle smile eased away some of Ainslie’s anxiety. “Please let us help your brother.”
Ainslie didn’t want to give in, but something in the way Sierra offered her assistance didn’t feel like charity. It was more like a friend being there when you needed her. Not that Ainslie had much experience in that, but she knew the offer wasn’t said in the same vein as the charity of Ainslie’s youth.
Sierra wrapped a protective arm around Ainslie’s shoulders. “You’re family, and this is what we do for family. Please don’t say no.”
Grady looked at Sierra with a quizzical expression. Maybe he didn’t agree with the family statement, but maybe, just maybe, if he thought of her as family, this interest between them wouldn’t become a problem.
“You’ve done so much to make my job easier these past few months,” Sierra continued. “And I really want to do this for you. Please let me.”
“Okay.” Ainslie caved under her boss’s sincerity but immediately made a mental note to find a way to track the partners’ work hours so she could pay it all back. “Thank you. I know Ethan will really appreciate having you on his side.”
Sierra released Ainslie and leaned against the open door. “If I could, I’d put you on paid leave, too. Give you more time to investigate the swat and this Wade guy’s shooting. But we have too much on our plate at work right now. Still, feel free to use any downtime during the day for the investigation.”
Tears formed in Ainslie’s eyes at the sincere kindness that didn't carry the pity she’d seen so often growing up, and she looked up at the ceiling to keep them from spilling down her cheeks. “I’m so blessed by your generosity. I knew God was smiling on me the day I got the job here.”
“Smiling on us, too,” Sierra said. “You’re a godsend for sure.”
Grady widened his stance, looking tough and in charge. “Ethan’s innocent, and we’ll make sure he’s freed.”
His absolute belief in her brother brought doubt chewing at her stomach. “There’s something you should both know about Ethan that might change your mind about helping him.”
Grady’s eyebrows rose. “What’s that?”
She didn’t want to say this aloud. Doing that would make it more real, but they had a right to know. “Wade—the guy who Ethan supposedly shot—claims that Ethan’s the one who shot him.”
She expected an uncertain look from the pair of them, but Sierra’s expression didn’t change at all.
Grady simply tipped his head. “Why would Wade say that when Ethan didn’t shoot him?”
Not the response she expected. Especially since Grady had seemed skeptical about Ethan at her house. “You still believe Ethan after this?”
He gave a sharp nod. “If you believe him, then I believe him.”
“Ditto for me,” Sierra said.
Ainslie had never experienced such unquestioning support, and she didn’t know how to respond.
“Did you talk to this Wade guy?” Grady asked.
She nodded. “I went to see him in the hospital, but he would hardly look at me. I’m sorry he was hurt so badly, but he kept insisting Ethan shot him. Made me mad. So before I left, I told him I knew he was lying and that I wouldn’t stop digging until I proved it.”
“Good for you.” Sierra stuck out her chin. “What did he say to that?”
“Nothing. Just glared at me.” Ainslie shook her head. “I asked Ethan about it, of course. He says he doesn’t know what Wade is up to and refuses to say anything more.”
“Have they been friends long?” Grady asked.
Memories of her youth came rushing back. She had plenty of memories of Wade, but none of them could be described as fond. “Since middle school. I always thought it was an odd friendship, but they’ve kept in touch over the years. Wade turning on him like this is weird. I’m not letting Ethan get away without explaining. I ask every time I see him and will keep asking.”
“Sometimes, telling family what’s going on in a difficult situation is the hardest of all.” Grady shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet. Seemed like he personally knew about keeping secrets from his family. Piqued her interest, but she wouldn’t question him and take them into the personal realm. All business, all the time. That was what she needed to be if she was going to be seeing more of him while they worked to free Ethan.
“Speaking of family,” Grady said. “Did you know Drake is sitting in his car watching the place?”
Sierra’s mouth formed an O of surprise, and she shifted to look at Ainslie. “Grady said he wasn’t a brute at your house. Please tell me that’s true.”
“Brute, no. He followed procedure to the letter and kept me at gunpoint far longer than I would have liked.” Despite the residual anxiety from the home invasion, Ainslie forced out a smile. “I totally get it, though.”
Sierra squeezed Ainslie’s arm. “Thank you for being so understanding. I know Drake can be kind of intimidating.” She paused, and her soft expression vanished. “Would you mind if I asked him to come up and spend the night on the couch?”
“Of course not.”
She gave a firm nod. “Then let’s head inside, and I’ll give him a call.”
Sierra stood back. “After you.”
Ainslie went into the condo and headed toward a large open area where the kitchen with white cabinets abutted the living room. Grady followed and set her suitcase on the light wood floor by the island.
Sierra stepped past him into the modern kitchen. “Would you like to stay for a cup of tea with us, Grady?”
He mocked gagging. “You know how I feel about tea.”
“You like it as much as you like soccer.” Sierra chuckled.
“Exactly. That game is so not football.”
Ainslie hadn’t known there was a sport Grady didn’t like, but maybe she’d overestimated how much he watched sports.
“And,” he said, glancing back at Ainslie, “as much as I like your company, I think Ainslie should get some rest.”
“Agreed,” she quickly said so he would leave. “Thanks again.”
He met her gaze and held it for a long moment, transmitting a true desire to stay. Surprising. But she couldn’t let him do that. For any reason. She had to get away from his influence on her so she could think about who might be behind the swat.
He snapped free and asked her to call him if she needed anything before he strode out of the condo.
Ainslie turned her attention to the space and took in the large sectional covered in a gray print that took up most of a large living room nicely decorated in muted colors. A glass coffee table was littered with scientific journals and wedding magazines. “You have a nice place.”
Sierra groaned. “Ignore the mess. Wedding planning has taken up all my free time, so I’ve done very little cleaning.”
Ainslie had seen firsthand how the stress of planning was consuming her boss, yet Sierra didn’t let it interfere with her work. “Are you ready for the big day?”
“I don’t think any bride ever has everything prepared.” She plugged in an electric tea kettle. “But if you’re asking if I’m ready to marry Reed, then absolutely.” She smiled, and her whole face radiated with utter and complete
joy.
Like most women, Ainslie wanted a husband and family. She wanted to have the same kind of love that Sierra had clearly found. But that kind of commitment just wasn’t meant to be right now. Not while Ethan was suffering behind bars.
Keep that in mind. She could end up working closely with Grady and could easily see forgetting that he was off limits. She wasn’t going to set herself up for disappointment and heartbreak. Those were the last things she needed in her life.
4
Grady headed down to his lab. No way he could sleep now, not with everything that had transpired tonight. He’d need to spend time engrossed in his work to clear his head of Ainslie before he’d be able to get any shuteye. He had plenty of items on his to-do list to keep busy, that was for sure.
He went straight to the evidence lockers and pulled out slugs and a weapon from a brutal homicide where a husband caught his wife cheating on him and allegedly killed her and the man. All the forensics pointed to his guilt, but proving the gun that held only the husband’s fingerprints fired these slugs would give the prosecutors exactly what they needed to put this man behind bars. Assuming, of course, that the slugs matched the ones he was about to fire.
He took the gun to the bullet recovery containment system—a big stainless steel tub filled with water on the back wall of his lab. The process of machining guns made each barrel unique, and as a bullet was squeezed through the barrel, the metal left distinct marks on the bullets and could be matched to a particular weapon.
Grady loaded the gun with the same make of bullets recovered on the scene and pumped off three shots into the water tank. The recoil felt good in his hands, releasing a bit of his tension. He’d love to go out back to their small firing range and take out his aggression at the swatter on his targets, but gunshots at this time of night might bother his team. Or Ainslie. She sure the heck wouldn’t want to hear gunfire after having weapons pointed at her.
Dead Center Page 3
