“I was afraid that Maclean would push you off.”
“So you and Mitzi came to save me.” He wanted to laugh but knew by the way she chewed on her lower lip that she wasn’t in the mood for humor. “I appreciate what you did, more than you’ll ever know.”
The elevator doors opened to the sound of male voices.
“Let me do the talking. This is a bit complicated.”
He kissed her quickly. Her lips were still cold. He wanted to warm his valiant rescuer, who had risked herself to save him. The voices came closer. With her pale color and the violet smudges under her eyes, she didn’t look like the warrior woman who had climbed out on the halo to save him. Post-battle fatigue had struck.
* * *
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen. It might be too late to call,” Davis said. He didn’t mention that he might be in police custody or possibly jail. He held Grayce close to his side while they waited for the valet to bring her car.
Grayce put her hand on his arm. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep. I don’t care what time it is. You’ll come over?”
Her long blond hair hung down, framing her face, making her look younger. He wanted to take away the air of vulnerability that clung to her now. He pulled her close. “I don’t think I’m ever going to forget you crawling across the halo.”
“I wasn’t sure if you would understand my need to come here, to protect you.”
He rubbed his lips against her cold lips. “I didn’t think you came for the view, since it’s pretty hard to see much from your knees.” He could feel her smile against his lips. He wanted to make her laugh, to forget what had happened and what he faced next. Maclean thought he was dirty. Talk about irony.
“Excuse me, your car is here,” the valet said.
He whispered into her ear, inhaling her sweet scent, the scent of innocence and goodness. “Honey, your car is here.”
“My car?”
He couldn’t resist her bewildered look. He kissed her again. “The young man brought your car.”
Her face turned bright red. He reluctantly let her go. She began to dig in her gigantic purse.
He opened the back door. “Mitzi, come on girl. Get in the car.” Mitzi barked and climbed over the seat into the passenger’s side.
“Do you let her ride in the front seat?”
“I know it’s not the safest place in the car, but she won’t stay in the back. She wants to be near me.”
“Smart dog. I feel the same way.”
She ran her hand up and down his arms, touching, soothing him. “I’m sure the chief won’t believe for a second that you’re a criminal.”
“Thanks, honey, for your faith. I’ll call you when I’m done and you can decide whether it’s too late for me to come over. You’ve been through a lot and once the adrenaline is gone, you’ll see how tired you are.”
“I’ll be waiting for you, Davis.” And with that, she got into her car. He watched her drive down the circular drive. He turned and walked back to his car. He didn’t have Grayce’s faith that the chief would believe him. The chief would want evidence. Evidence he didn’t have.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Grayce held the hot teacup to her cheek and inhaled the fragrant jasmine vapors. Wrapped in a down comforter, she still couldn’t get warm. Mitzi lay at her feet. Napoleon was curled in a tight ball, tucked into one of the soft folds in the comforter. Both animals were subdued, mirroring Grayce’s mood.
She had been wrong. Maclean wasn’t a criminal. Her cheeks heated with the memory of lying to Whit about being Davis’ fiancée. Although mortified, she would do it again to protect Davis.
Her gifts weren’t linear or a hundred percent accurate, but that didn’t mean she should discount her instincts. Deep knowing resonated—Davis remained in danger. Someone in the department had accused him of working for the Russians.
She had been wrong because of Maclean’s hostility toward Davis.
Dr. Z had reassured her that she was learning to tame her powers and should continue to bring them under control. She slowed her breathing, focusing on someone hostile to Davis, someone with a scar and a motive. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes to meditate.
Mitzi nudged Grayce’s hand with her head.
“I know…he’s still out there.”
With her eyes closed, her eyelids flickered, deepening into relaxation. She slowly stroked Mitzi’s head.
Instead of visualizing her white light, she visualized the scar. The same ominous dread surrounded her, the image of the puckered scar slithering up the man’s arm.
Mitzi started a low growl.
Grayce closed her eyes tighter, willing herself into a deeper meditation, trying to see the details of the scar.
Mitzi jumped on the couch next to Grayce and howled in distress.
“I don’t know, Mitzi. All I can see is a big arm.”
The man’s arm was huge. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of her newest clue, a man in the fire department with a huge arm. She had narrowed the suspects down to at least half of the department.
Grayce went to her bedroom and opened her childhood pink jewelry box with the dancing ballerina. She fingered her sister’s pendant, a golden heart with a ruby in the center.
Cassie would be laughing right now, entertained by Grayce’s escapade on the Space Needle. No matter how embarrassing, Cassie would’ve remained firm in her acceptance of Grayce’s gifts. Her hand tightened around the necklace. Cassie, I need your help. Davis is in danger.
She didn’t have any sudden insight except that Davis needed her help. She reverently placed Cassie’s necklace around her neck, then dialed Davis’ cell. He didn’t pick up.
Waiting for him to call her back, Grayce, with Mitzi following, paced back and forth in the small living room
She sent a text. “Be careful. You’re still in danger.”
Mitzi gave another hair-raising howl.
“You feel it too. Something’s about to happen.”
Mitzi ran to the back door and jumped up, yipping loudly.
“I’m getting dressed.”
Mitzi jumped at the door in response.
It was time to rescue Davis. Again.
* * *
Grayce and Mitzi scurried across the slippery cobblestones of Pioneer Square, determined to speak to Davis. The mist created an eerie twilight on the historic buildings. She could smell the salt water of Puget Sound in the thick air.
When she entered the silent department headquarters, apprehension grabbed at her, causing her breath to quicken and her pulse to race. The vast space was usually filled with bustling humanity. She walked toward the front desk in the strangely quiet building. Niles, the chaplain, came down the hallway with a broad smile. Maybe this trip wasn’t a mistake.
“What a surprise, Dr. Walters. I thought you would need to recover after this morning.”
“You’ve already heard about the Space Needle?” If her cheeks got any hotter, she would catch fire.
“Davis told me about this morning’s mishap before his meeting with the chief. I was worried and thought I should check on you.”
Niles’ concern for her caused a ripple of suspicion to wind its way through her.
The huge man bent down to pet Mitzi’s head. The dog pulled back, retreating behind Grayce. Her anxiety was contagious.
“I had hoped to talk to Davis.”
Niles’ eyes examined her face. His close scrutiny felt intrusive, disturbing. “Are you okay?”
Instead of feeling reassured by the man of the cloth, she felt agitated, her senses overwhelmed. She had experienced this paradox before when the outer-world clashed with her inner-world and people weren’t what they seemed to be, like friendly people who abused their pets.
“I got worried when Davis didn’t answer his phone. I thought his meeting would be over by now. Is there any way I could see him?”
“Why don’t you come into my office, and I’ll go check whether
the chief’s door is still closed. Come this way.”
Niles pointed at the empty hallway. Grayce looked down the long white distance to Niles’ office. Mitzi pushed against Grayce’s leg. Her heart thudded loudly in the silent space.
“My office will be a calm place to wait.”
His soothing voice grated on her frayed nervous system. She shook her head avoiding eye contact. “I’m more exhausted than I thought. I think I’ll go home.”
“My office is a refuge, a great place for Davis to meet you after his difficult meeting.”
She scanned Niles’ face. His skin was gray, and there were dark circles below each eye. He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t been sleeping. His eyes flickered with an emotion she couldn’t decipher.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll just wait at home. Come on Mitzi.” Her nerves were jittery as if she had overdosed on caffeine.
Grayce started to turn when Mitzi lunged for Niles’ arm. The poodle locked her teeth on Niles’ shirt sleeve.
“Mitzi!”
“What in the hell?” Niles shook his arm, trying to dislodge the 100-pound poodle. Mitzi held tight to Niles’ shirt and continued a menacing, low-pitched growl.
“Call her off, damn it.”
Niles jerked his arm violently. The force ripped his shirt and sent Mitzi flying.
The poodle had bits of white fabric clenched between her teeth when she hit the wood floor.
A long jagged scar ran the entire length of Niles’ forearm. All of Grayce’s senses exploded—the sound of Niles’ harsh breathing, the light bulb flickering above them, the threatening silence in the hallway and the revelation that Niles was the one, the connection to the mob.
Her heart ran marathons, racing against her chest. Mitzi stood and shook herself.
Niles inspected his arm for damage. “What is wrong with that dog?”
“Did she break the skin?” Grayce asked, trying to disguise the quiver in her voice, in her body.
“No. I’m okay,” Niles grumbled.
“I don’t know why she would act this way.” Grayce bent and petted Mitzi, avoiding looking at Niles.
Mitzi acted on instinct. Grayce would do well to pay more attention to her own instincts. Grayce kept her back to Niles, afraid she would reveal her panic. “I know Davis will pay for the damage.”
Grayce flashed through her options in escaping. She could scream for Davis but how would she convince anyone that Niles’ scar proved him as the conspirator. The man was the chaplain.
Niles weighed close to 300 pounds. To use aikido, she would need to provoke him, using his weight and momentum against him. She wasn’t confident she could take him down.
Deciding to run from Niles was her best option with the possibility of using her aikido, Grayce gathered Mitzi’s leash. “I’m taking Mitzi home. She’s still upset about going up on the Space Needle.”
Niles’ voice darkened, “I’m sorry, Dr. Walters. I can’t let that happen.”
“Can’t let Mitzi go home?”
“You know…don’t you?” Niles edged closer. “I need one more day and this will be over. Trust me.”
Mitzi growled.
Niles squinted, watching her closely, as if he knew her plan to run. He was right. She was going to make a dash.
“I never wanted to involve Davis. You’re the one who got him to scrutinize the department.”
Her stomach did flutters and flips, shooting straight to her knees making them rubbery, making it hard to stand.
“You know you should’ve stayed home. This wouldn’t have been necessary if you had stayed out of it.”
Grayce stepped back. Mitzi jerked on her leash, trying to get closer to Niles, to wedge herself between Grayce and the villain.
“If you hadn’t put Davis on to the Russians.” The desperation in Niles’ voice made Grayce want to race right out the door.
“If Davis isn’t taken into police custody, you’re staying until my son gets on his plane.”
“Davis didn’t do anything.” Grayce pulled Mitzi closer to her.
Backed against the wall, Grayce couldn’t move away from Niles’ menacing posture. Mitzi strained toward Niles.
“My son and his family leave Russia tomorrow morning. If they don’t take Davis into custody, then you’ll be my bargaining chip to convince Davis not to go to the feds until Nicholas escapes.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The Russian’s expect Davis to be taken into custody. If the Russians find out that Davis is free to bring in the Feds, they’ll never allow Nicholas to leave.”
“I won’t tell anyone until your son is free.”
“The Russians miss nothing. They’ll know. They have spies all over. I’m sure you were followed here.”
Niles stepped toward her, his hand outstretched. “Don’t make this hard on yourself.”
She inched away from his hand.
“We’ll wait for the outcome of the meeting in the annex. Davis has been with the chief for hours and should be finished soon.”
“The annex?” She needed to get outside and run.
“It’s where the firefighters used to sleep while the station was being remodeled.” Niles guided her, placing his hand on her back.
Grayce recoiled from his touch on her back. Walking next to her out to the street, Mitzi kept up her insistent rumble.
“Right there is the annex.” He pointed to a squat cinder-block structure, tucked between the red brick buildings of Seattle’s oldest neighborhood. The annex was dark and looked like a WWII bunker.
At the sight of the bleak building, her nervous system heightened to a fine pitch. She hoped the high-octane tremors going through her body would subside once she started to run.
“What’s the building used for now?”
“Administration and support staff.”
Hyper-vigilant, she became aware of the rain dripping down her neck, the sound of the trolley scraping the tracks, the horn blast of the Bainbridge Island Ferry. Her muscles clenched, ready for the run.
“Please. Don’t try to run. You won’t get far.”
As if Mitzi understood Niles’ threat, the poodle jumped and attacked Niles.
Dropping Mitzi’s leash, Grayce ran. She ran toward the trolley stop, but no one was there waiting. She changed direction, moving toward Occidental Square. Her flats couldn’t get traction on the uneven bricks. She slipped sideways. She cried out when the pain shot from her twisted ankle.
Grayce didn’t look back. With her leash dragging, Mitzi caught up to Grayce.
Niles was gasping for air behind her. She entered the square, usually crowded at this hour. The incessant rain had cleared the area. A homeless man, cocooned in a plastic tarp, slept on a park bench. No one else was out in the rain.
Niles was shouting, “Grayce…wait.” His voice was strained from his effort.
She had put a fair distance between them. Mitzi remained next to Grayce.
Grayce had to double back to get out of the isolated industrial waterfront. In her panic, she had over run. She had to get back to Jackson Street, where coffee shops abound. He couldn’t abduct her out of a Starbucks.
She turned to make for the alley that ran behind the department to Jackson Street. Niles was slow enough that he wouldn’t be able to cut her off at the far end of the alley. Revitalized, she sprinted toward the alley.
Suddenly, her foot caught between two bricks. She crashed to her hands and knees on the pavement.
Ignoring the flash of agony, she pulled herself up, wiped her hands on her coat and grabbed Mitzi’s leash. Niles was shouting something about Davis. Mitzi barked ferociously. She turned the corner into the alley. A lone dumpster sat in the long dark passage.
The smell of rotting garbage hit her in the face. Grayce hugged the wall, trying to put some space between herself and the putrid-smelling dumpster. The sounds of her footsteps and Mitzi’s clicking toenails reflected off the brick buildings.
Two Norway rats climbed amon
g the bags of garbage. An involuntary shudder shook her body with the nearness of the giant rodents.
The alley was black with no street light. Niles’ footsteps echoed in the alley. His bulk didn’t slow him down. Davis had told her that Niles had been an amazing athlete, but his prospects as a football star had ended with an injury.
At the sound of Niles’ footsteps, she tried to increase her speed. Her lungs burned and the pain in her side throbbed relentlessly.
She could burst into the station and scream that Niles was chasing her. Would anyone believe her after her blunder on the Space Needle? She put her hand over Cassie’s necklace. A deep sense of awareness of her sister gave her an energy burst. She sprinted.
She crossed Washington Street. A black SUV careened down the street. Two men in the massive vehicle headed the wrong way down the one-way street. The driver accelerated when Grayce dashed toward the next alley. Niles shouted something.
A short block and she would be free.
Niles followed close behind, gaining. No rat-infested dumpsters in this alley. Mitzi ran next to Grayce.
Niles’ footsteps got louder. A woman with a red umbrella passed in front of the alley. Safety was close. The coffee shop filled with people was in her sight.
She heard an engine revving when she and Mitzi crossed Jackson Street. The black SUV accelerated, ran the red light, aimed to hit them.
Grayce and Mitzi sprinted the last fifty yards to the coffee shop.
Niles bolted across the street, maneuvering to avoid being hit by a taxi. The driver of the SUV gunned the engine, bearing down on Niles. Niles didn’t stand a chance against the 5,000-pound force. Niles flew into the air like a small bird in flight.
The chatter in the coffee shop stopped with the sickening sounds of Niles being struck, and the shattering of the windshield when he bounced on the hood. Motionless, Niles rolled off and crashed to the sidewalk.
An unnatural silence followed.
The SUV sped away.
Grayce ran out of the coffee shop to Niles. He lay face up with his eyes open. Blood poured from a deep laceration in his forehead. A pedestrian had bent over Niles, taking his pulse. He was barely conscious, his eyes were unfocused, his respirations shallow. The sirens started to howl. The fire station was next door to headquarters. Blood dribbled out of Niles’ mouth.
The Grayce Walters Romantic Suspense Series Page 27
