by April Hunt
Grace shook her head. “We almost literally stumbled into Bethany and Thomas twenty-four hours ago, and here we are.”
“She does have a way of doing that, but she has an amazing track record, so if the two of you are here, you must be special.”
Cade dropped a kiss on her temple. “I don’t know about myself, but Grace is definitely one of a kind.”
“Aw, that is so sweet.” Bethany waved to someone across the room. “Now that I know everyone is in good hands, Thomas and I better keep mingling. A host’s job is never done.”
They all said quick see-you-laters, and Grace turned back to the other couple. “What about the two of you? How long have you known Bethany and Thomas?”
“For me it’s close to eight months.” Stephanie glanced at her male counterpart. “But James has been around longer. What’s it been? A year?”
“And a half. I like to pop in whenever I’m town.”
Cade shifted at Grace’s side. “Does that mean you guys aren’t from around here?”
“I’m local,” Stephanie declared. “Actually, I work in the district attorney’s office and James is—”
“From everywhere. Former Navy, so I got around.”
Cade chuckled. “I called it before you even opened your mouth. Former Army.”
“Let me guess. 75th Regiment?”
“That obvious, huh?”
James lifted a beer to his lips. “We worked with you guys a time or two. You fellas know your shit.”
“Which means you weren’t just Navy, you were on the SEAL teams.”
“Guilty. Have any problems finding your niche when you got out? You always hear horror stories about brothers not being able to get their land legs back. Sad as hell.”
Cade paused, earning him a look from Grace, but he recovered quickly. “That’s the only reason I stayed in as long as I did. Re-upped at the last minute for another four-year tour because I damn near had a panic attack at the idea of being stuck on my ass.”
Grace studied Cade carefully.
That hadn’t been part of their practice, but he’d said it so casually that she couldn’t help but wonder if it was true. Had he been afraid of that? It was possible. She knew each of her cousins had had an adjustment period after returning home.
“I hear you, man.” James nodded. “I took a few security side jobs here and there…enough to feel useful. You?”
“Went through the police academy and worked my way up from beat cop to detective. I headed the Beltway Killer case.”
Stephanie swallowed her sip of wine. “I thought you looked familiar. Those were some intense six months. I was one Clarion box away from becoming a brunette. Your sister was almost victim fourteen, wasn’t she?”
Cade frowned, and he answered gruffly. “Yeah. Thanks to a lot of red tape and regulations made by people who sit behind a desk all damn day. The way everything went down’s why I’m no longer with the DCPD. I’m a hell of a lot happier running a distillery with a few buddies of mine than I ever was carrying around those damn handcuffs.”
“And what about you, Grace? What do you do?” Stephanie asked.
Grace feigned discomfort by shifting awkwardly on her heels. “I’m currently between jobs.”
She gave Cade a faux nervous look, and he hugged her close. “Babe, I told you before and I’ll tell you again, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I know. It’s just…” She sighed and looked back to the curious couple. “I used to be with the FBI, but I quickly found out that their spouting about equal employment opportunities for all meant for everyone who’d been born with a dick between their legs. Pardon my language. I’m still a little sore about it.”
Stephanie chuckled. “I went to Harvard Law School. I’m a blond woman with a genetic predisposition for big boobs. There wasn’t a course that I took that I didn’t hear at least a half dozen Legally Blonde references. On the daily. Trust me, I get it.”
Grace returned her laugh. “Bethany wasn’t lying when she said everyone here was from all walks of life, was she?”
“All very different but with very similar hopes and dreams. It’s almost like an insta-family…except we choose to relate ourselves to each other.” Stephanie studied her carefully. “Do you have any family, Grace? Other than your gorgeous fiancé here?”
Warning bells rang in Grace’s head, confirming what she thought. Stephanie and James are already part of the Order. Cade’s hand casually moved up and down her back, telling her that he realized the same thing.
“I do. I have an aunt I adore, and a few obnoxious cousins.”
“That’s it?”
“And a mother, but I haven’t seen her in a long time.” Grace swallowed audibly, playing up her nerves as Stephanie and James watched her like two hawks searching for prey. “I guess you could say that we had a falling out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Me too. I was thirteen and hormonal. We had a fight—I don’t even remember what about,” Grace lied. “The next thing I know, I’m alongside the interstate, alone, with twenty bucks to my name.”
“That must have been so frightening. Alone at thirteen?”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
James’s face remained impassive, obviously not as sympathetic as Stephanie. His dark eyes lasered into her. “Why didn’t you go back? After your head cleared? You don’t think she would’ve shrugged it off as kids being kids?”
“I wanted to go back within the first few hours, but I didn’t know how. Literally.” Grace mimicked nervousness by increasing her blinking. “We lived in a…well, I guess the more mainstream term for it would’ve been commune. I’d been there since I was five, and there was never any reason to leave, so…”
“So you didn’t know how to get back,” Stephanie said.
“Exactly. The only thing that’s come close to making me feel as safe as I did at New Dawn is Cade.” Grace slid her eyes to him. “He got everything I was feeling because he did too. It was freeing.”
“That’s the saddest and yet the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Grace laughed. “I didn’t mean to go on and on about myself. I guess I’ve been feeling a little homesick lately.”
“That’s perfectly understandable.” Stephanie looped her arm through Grace’s and smiled. “Come on and let’s introduce you two around to more of the group. I have a feeling that before the night is done, you’re not going to feel the least bit homesick.”
Stephanie was right.
As the night wore on, Grace’s feigned homesickness turned to nausea. Each step, each couple she and Cade introduced themselves to felt like another inch of quicksand. By the end of the night, the only thing sticking above the flood line was her head.
And barely.
Chapter
Nine
Grace jumped off the treadmill and barely refrained from breaking her nose, her legs having more in common with Jell-O than bone and muscle. Zoey couldn’t even be blamed for her trip to the G Street community center. She’d gone all on her own, erroneously thinking she could sweat the last twenty-four hours out of her system.
If anything, her mind was even clearer—freakin’ exercise hormones.
Zoey had been right. Sex would never be just sex with Cade, and thinking she could compartmentalize it hurt them both. It didn’t mean she didn’t want it to happen, but that she knew she’d regret it the second it did.
Maybe.
And then there was the off-the-cuff explanation Cade had given James the other night.
Grace didn’t know if there was any truth to his fear of returning to civilian life, but if there was, it made her a Grade A jerk for cutting him off the way she had.
All servicemen and women went through an adjustment period after leaving the military. Some took to civilian life easily while others struggled to find their spot. She’d been so focused on her excitement for their future that she hadn’t thought about Cade seeing it from the latter vantage poi
nt.
She wanted to ask him about it but didn’t feel right bringing it up out of the blue.
As she shut off the power on her torture device, Grace immediately noticed Pepé Le Pew do the same from his treadmill in the corner. Her perfume kiosk admirer wasn’t exactly stealthy, although he probably thought he was.
She’d ignored him as he’d trailed her around town—except for yesterday afternoon, when her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Thanks to a mischievous trip into Sonia’s Sexy Sex Shop, she now knew Pepé had a thing for balls on a string.
Flinging her towel around her sweaty neck, Grace proceeded to guzzle a liter of water. Her cell rang in her gym bag, and she searched beneath her clothes, growling when it stopped and started again a few seconds later. Eventually finding it, she glanced at the unknown caller ID.
Finally.
“Hello?” she answered, keeping her voice cool.
“Grace? Hey, it’s Bethany. From New Beginnings?” Bethany’s voice came from the other end. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“Not at all. Actually, your timing’s perfect because you caught me before I went home and died.”
“Are you okay? Do you need me to call anyone?”
Grace laughed. “Okay as I’ll ever be after running five miles. Did I mention that I don’t do prolonged bouts of exercise? I’m really going to regret this tomorrow.”
“I don’t suppose you want to postpone your death and meet me for coffee or something?”
Two days since the New Dawn social. Not bad. “Change it to a hot chocolate and you’ve got a deal. Where do you want to meet?”
“The Daily Grind? Do you know it?”
“Sure do.” Especially considering it was only two blocks away. Coincidence? Probably not. “I can be there in twenty. Give me enough time to change into something that won’t knock you out of your chair if you end up downwind.”
“See you in a few.”
Grace showered and changed in record time, throwing her hair into a messy bun. Twenty-five minutes later, she stepped into the neighborhood coffee shop, spotting Bethany in the far back corner. The brunette stood and waved.
“Sorry I’m late. It turns out I’m not the only one who tried Death By Treadmill today, so I had to wait for a shower.”
“It’s not a problem. I’ve always envied people who go out in the real world and exercise. I’m all about the home videos and the fewer the witnesses, the better.”
Grace chuckled, momentarily forgetting this woman, although not directly responsible for Grace’s life in New Dawn, lived for every word spoken out of the great Father Teague’s mouth. Being a Seeker meant she’d paid her dues to the Order. It meant she’d proved herself a valuable member of the community. It meant that sweet, smiley Bethany Williams was nearly as dangerous as Rossbach himself.
They gave their orders to a waitress and waited for her to head back to the counter.
“I’m glad you called.” Grace played up the uncertainty by fiddling with her napkin. “Cade told me not to hurry looking for a new job, but I’m going stir-crazy. The fact I resorted to exercise today to get out of the house proves it.”
Bethany laughed. “I’m glad I could provide a distraction. And don’t worry about the job thing. I’m sure something will come your way that’s perfect for you.”
“I wish I could be as optimistic as you. Right now I’d settle for something that would pay for my hot chocolate problem.”
“Can chocolate ever be considered a problem?”
“Point taken.”
The waitress arrived with their drinks, and Grace took a greedy sip.
Bethany leaned in to the table, looking very much like a woman with something to say. “So I have a confession to make.”
“Isn’t it a little early in our friendship for a tell-all?”
“It’s not that kind of confession.” Bethany chuckled. “Not that I didn’t enjoy hanging out with you and Cade the other night, but I had an ulterior motive in today’s meet-up.”
Grace feigned curiosity. “Ooh. Intrigue. What’s this motive?”
“You and Cade made quite the impression at the mixer the other night.”
“There were a few people who left impressions on us too. James was a little intense. But Stephanie was an absolute joy…although I’m afraid I may have scared her off.”
“Steph doesn’t scare easily, and James was literally trained to be intimidating. But then again, you should be used to that with Cade. You said he was an Army Ranger, right? That’s like the definition of intimidation.”
“Yeah, but I’m pretty much immune to Cade’s pound-against-the-chest tactics. Guess it comes with knowing him before he needed his first razor.”
“Stephanie’s actually one of the people who mentioned you.”
Grace grimaced. “To ask you never to invite me to another function again?”
“Don’t be silly.” Bethany squeezed her arm and shook her head. “Actually, I hope you don’t mind, but she told me a little bit about your history. I’m sorry to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“No. No. It’s not like it’s a secret or anything I’m ashamed of. It’s just I don’t usually go telling people about it right after exchanging names. It’s not something that’s widely understood, if you know what I mean.”
“You mean about the commune?” Bethany asked.
She was digging for more information.
By throwing out an open-ended question, Bethany invited Grace to tell her more about her past life. It was the exact tactic they used in clinical psychiatric settings. She wasn’t sure if it was something Bethany had been trained to do or if she’d stumbled on it by accident, but it didn’t matter. Grace was about to give her the extra gossip she wanted.
“I described it as a commune because it’s so hard to put into words that someone from the outside can understand. It’s more than a plot of land, or even the people living on it. New Dawn was a way of life. A shared belief system.” Grace cupped her mug and smiled wanly over the rim as she took a sip. “I’m still not explaining it well, so maybe I should shut up while I’m ahead.”
“Please don’t. Stephanie mentioned that you’ve been struggling being apart from them? From your mom?”
“Yeah, but Cade’s helped fill some of that emptiness, and I adore my father’s family. There’s always going to be a hole, though. They don’t quite get me like the people who lived in Sanctuary, and I didn’t realize how important it was to surround yourself with like-minded people until I was suddenly on my own. Seventeen years and I’ve felt like an outsider every single day.”
Bethany glanced around the coffee shop before dropping her voice to a low murmur. “What if I told you that you didn’t have to be on your own anymore?”
“That’s sweet, Bethany, and I’m sure you and Thomas have a great thing going at your place, but it wouldn’t be the same.”
“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. What if I told you that I was with the Order? Both Thomas and myself. And that we’re active Seekers sent out by—”
“Father Teague.” Grace thunked her mug to the table. It took a few beats and a discreet pinch on her thigh, but soon moisture welled and flowed over, wetting her cheeks. With faux flusters, she wiped them away. “Don’t play with me. You have no idea how long I’ve hoped—just don’t mess with me. Please.”
“I’m not. May the New Dawn—”
“Shine upon you.” Grace covered a gasp of shock with her hand. “I can’t believe it. How…?”
“When I saw you in that park, you looked so familiar, and then when you told me your name, I knew. I was a child of the New Dawn too, Grace. As a matter of fact, my mother’s one of Father Teague’s newest Council members.”
“Oh, wow.” Grace feigned envy. Being a council member meant Bethany’s mother would be in Teague Rossbach’s inner circle. “From what I remember, Father Teague doesn’t promote members to the council very often. You must be so proud.”
Grace tried not to vomit on the so very clueless Seeker. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear those words. I can’t even begin to describe how I feel right now.”
Actually, she could—nauseated, ill, like ants crawled under her skin and made a home.
“And Cade? I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about you contacting the council…or the Order itself.”
“Oh, he’ll be ecstatic. He knows all about New Dawn. And before you say it, I know divulging details about the Order is frowned on, but I knew what Father Teague instilled in me during my time with the Order would help Cade too. When he was discharged from the Army, he was nearly as lost as me.”
Bethany studied her a moment before smiling. “That’s what I was hoping to hear.”
“Could you really get us into contact with the Order? When can we go? Tomorrow?”
Bethany chuckled before her face turned serious. “Soon. I promise. But for obvious reasons, we have to be careful. We can’t risk accidently leading any non-believers into Sanctuary.”
“No. I understand. Of course not.”
Bethany looked contemplative for a few seconds. “While Thomas and I organize another pilgrimage, there is one small thing that the Order was hoping you could make happen. Not for them, of course, but for one of our flock.”
Here it was.
The test of loyalty.
Grace had known it would happen. Nothing came free, and she’d been living on the Outside too long to be trusted right off the bat. Summoning every acting skill she ever acquired from summer drama camp, Grace nodded emphatically. “Yes. Anything.”
“You didn’t even hear what it is.”
“Bethany, I’ve waited years to return home, and now that it can happen, I’m not letting anything stop me. You want me to fly to the moon, I will. You want me to break into the Pentagon? Consider it done. Whatever you need.”
