That thought was clarified when he got a call from Jim Warner informing him that information was leaked about Grace’s whereabouts. He agreed to keep Grace in the dark but he wouldn’t be able to stop her from watching the TV. She would want to go home, and of course he would refuse to take her. Sandman smiled to himself as something she said made both of his brothers laugh.
“What kind of stories are you telling them?” Sandman asked.
“She is one funny little lady. I’ll tell you,” Big Jay said then wiped the tears of laughter away from his eyes.
Grace was smiling as she helped Duke with the tray of sandwiches.
“What did Jim want this morning?” she asked as she sat down next to Big Jay at the wooden table on the porch.
“He just wanted to update me on the investigation back home. Nothing’s new,” Sandman replied as he avoided eye contact with her. Lying to Grace was more difficult than he thought it would be.
Grace took notice and so did his brothers.
“Sandman?” She touched his hand, stopping him from lifting his sandwich.
She looked into his eyes and he knew he was in for it.
“I know you’re not telling me something. What’s going on? What happened at home?”
“Nothing happened at home, Grace. I told you that,” he said to her but she wouldn’t budge.
“You’re afraid I’ll make you take me home, aren’t you?” she asked him as Duke and Big Jay watched and listened.
“You can’t make me do any such thing. Now leave it alone, Grace. If there’s something you need to know, I’ll be the one to tell you,” he replied firmly.
Grace stared at him a moment and realized he was serious and she dropped the subject.
“I think we should focus on Grace’s profile of the killer,” Big Jay said.
“My profile?” she asked.
Sandman explained her theory as well as the similar patterns in each crime scene.
“I asked Jim to look into the other suspects from the other cases. Maybe something will come up from that,” Sandman said, still recalling that conversation and also how Grace’s location could have been compromised.
“What about the letters? Anything ring a bell there for Grace?” Duke asked.
Sandman never told Grace about the letters. He knew the latest one would upset her.
“What letters?” she asked, and Duke looked at Sandman, knowing he fucked up.
“Oh I must be thinking about something else. I’m sorry,” Duke said as he rose from his chair to clear his plate.
“Nice try, Duke. What letters, Sandman?” Grace asked. She held his gaze and he wished he could lie to her.
There was no use in lying now, so Sandman told her about the poems left at the last few crime scenes.
She was hesitant a moment and he hoped for a second that she would decline seeing them. No such luck.
“Can I see them?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Grace cut him off. “I think it’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll see some kind of connection there. Why didn’t you show them to me earlier, Sandman?” She was angry with him for withholding the information.
He stared at her a moment. Part of him didn’t want her to experience the sick, demented obsession the killer had with her. Another part of him did, so that maybe she would drop the idea of getting further involved and just let him and his brothers protect her.
“Because the latest one mentions you. I didn’t want to upset you more, Grace.” Her eyes widened.
“What do you mean mentioned me? What did it say? I want to see it.”
Sandman rose from the table. He knew she would be even more determined to get her hands on them. “Maybe later, Grace. I think you need a little break from this. Enough for today.” He cleared his plate.
He heard her slam her hand down on the table.
* * * *
“Don’t tell me what I need. I want to help as much as I can. I want to see the damn poems.” She raised her voice now as she stood in front of him with her hands on her hips.
Sandman walked away toward his office as Duke spoke to Grace.
“I’m getting a headache just watching you two bash heads like that. You have got to be the most stubborn people I’ve ever laid eyes on. Damn,” Big Jay stated.
“I’m getting turned on by it actually,” Duke added as he leaned back in his chair and gave Grace a wink.
She shook her head.
“He makes me crazy. I looked at the files from my sister’s murder. How much worse could these letters be than that? Why is Sandman acting like this?”
“It doesn’t take a genius to see the sparks flying between all of us. Sandman’s the one who brought us together. You get to Sandman more than I’ve ever seen anyone, man or woman, get to him. I’m sure the same thing goes for you. Those letters are pretty intense, sweetheart. When you’re not used to seeing such things, it could be very upsetting. I think Sandman just wants to protect you as much as he can,” Big Jay told her just as Sandman turned the corner.
He walked up to the counter and dropped the papers onto it.
“You want to read them so badly? Here you go,” Sandman said as he went to the refrigerator and poured himself another glass of ice tea.
Grace took the letters and walked up to her room leaving the men to talk.
* * * *
“Damn she is so stubborn.” Sandman banged his fist on the table.
“Just like you. Although I didn’t think you’d give in that easy,” Big Jay teased his brother, trying to make light of the situation.
“Easy? You think I gave up easy? She wanted to see the damn things. Let her. I don’t think she realizes how crazy this guy is, Jay. Jim called and the news reports are claiming to know Grace’s whereabouts. Of course Grace doesn’t know that either.” Sandman put his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans.
“Don’t you think she has the right to know? Why shouldn’t she? It’s her life being tossed around and turned upside down. She’s not going to leave. It’s not an option,” Duke sated, suddenly not so quiet anymore.
Sandman stared at both of his brothers. “Well I’ll tell her later. Right now I want to look over these files some more.”
Sandman walked out of the room, but his mind was really on Grace and what her reaction would be to the letters.
* * * *
Grace sat in the bedroom. She was getting sicker and sicker to her stomach with each line she read. The killer was after her, wanting her. He spoke of making love to her and thinking about her as he killed.
She thought about Maggie and the way she died. This killer wanted to send a message and he knew Grace’s family and her loved ones, and he could easily get to any of them.
Suddenly Grace was in a panic as she paced the room, her mind spinning out of control with every thought. She was dizzy and nauseous all at once, her body was sweating, perspiring, her blood felt like it was boiling as she grabbed the wooden bedpost. Her head fell forward and she collapsed to the floor, passing out.
* * * *
Sandman was walking up the stairs to check on Grace. He shouldn’t have given in so easily. He should have refused to let her see the poems. He thought about how angry she got him with her persistent attitude. He was used to being in charge and having people take orders from him. What did she know about investigative work, about murder and death? The majority of his life as a soldier and as a special investigator forced him to become almost desensitized to it. Grace didn’t need to be exposed to such things.
Just as he got to her bedroom door, he immediately saw her lying on the floor next to the bed. He was in a panic as he called down to his brothers.
She looked pale and her clothes were damp. He knew instantly she had passed out as he glanced at the poems that lay strewn across the floor.
“Goddamn you, Grace. Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?” he stated with his teeth clenched.
He picked her up and placed her on the bed
then went to get a cold washcloth.
“What the hell happened?” Duke asked as he and Big Jay entered the bedroom.
“She fucking passed out. I knew I should have followed my gut. Fuck.” Sandman walked over toward the bed with a cold washcloth.
He sat next to her gently pushing the loose, wet strands of hair away from her face. He placed the washcloth on her forehead and spoke softly to her, trying to wake her up.
“Come on, Grace. Wake up, baby.” He ran his index finger gently along her cheek and jaw. He watched her chest rise and fall with even breath. She would be okay. She just passed out. He looked at his beautiful woman. The emotions, the fear that something could happen to her struck him hard to the chest.
“Sandman?” Big Jay said his name.
“Yeah.”
“She’ll be okay. She probably had information overload and panicked. Her coloring is already getting better.” Sandman felt both his brother’s hands on each shoulder. He eased his breath, and took comfort in their support.
He thought he would never need anyone. He was wrong.
* * * *
As her body cooled down Grace slowly began to open her eyes, unaware of what happened to her.
“You must have passed out, baby. I found you by the bed on the floor.” He told her as he held the washcloth to her forehead.
“I knew this was going to happen. It’s been so long.” She spoke slowly, still a little groggy.
“What do you mean? This has happened before?” Big Jay asked her and she didn’t answer him. She didn’t want them to worry more. She had passed out a few times in her hotel rooms in Europe as she thought about her sister Clara, her family and all that had happened to her. She did it mostly when it was close to the anniversary of her sister’s death.
Then it hit her that tomorrow was the day. Three years since her sister was killed. Grace began to shake and tears filled her eyes as she tried to turn away from Sandman and lie on her side.
Duke stopped her, holding her arms as he looked at her face. She was scared and sad and she said she had passed out before. What was Grace not telling them? He wondered as he spoke to her.
“Grace, what is it?” Duke asked her. “You’re shaking.”
She tried to open her eyes. They were red and filled with tears that now escaped down her cheeks, past her neck, and onto the comforter. “I can’t breathe, Duke. The pain in my chest, in my heart, I can’t breathe. I just can’t take it,” she struggled to say as she began to weep.
Duke’s heart ached, and one look toward Sandman and Big Jay and he knew they felt it, too. They surrounded her on the bed now and tried to calm her. Each of them began to caress her thigh or her cheek and make her focus on them and nothing else.
As Duke watched her cry, he saw and felt her sadness, her pain, and her loss. He lay down next to her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against him as she continued to cry.
“It’s okay, baby. Everything’s going to be okay,” Big Jay said as he lay down on the bottom of the bed and caressed her ankles.
Sandman moved in behind her on the other side, pushing strands of damp hair away from her cheek.
Duke held her tight, rubbing her back softly, spreading tiny, gentle kisses across her forehead.
* * * *
Grace cried for a while as she thought about her sister Clara, Maggie, and the other victims. Why was this happening to her? What did the killer want? Who could he be? So many questions scattered through her mind, her head was pounding, and her stomach was in knots.
“Sandman,” she began to say but he interrupted her.
“Don’t talk, sweetie. Just rest. We’re right here with you.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Duke added then kissed her cheek.
Grace closed her eyes.
* * * *
Duke awoke a while later still holding Grace in his arms who now lay sleeping. She said something about it happening before. Then she wouldn’t tell them everything. She still didn’t trust them completely.
He looked over her toward Sandman who was in a dead stare at Grace as her eyes fluttered open. He knew that both his brothers were feeling her pain.
* * * *
Grace awoke and felt the dread of having to face Sandman, Big Jay, and Duke. They’d seen her at her worse. They saw her break down and lose it, and now they would keep her out of the investigation. She started to get up when strong hands pressed her shoulders down. Opening her eyes, she stared up at Duke.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better,” she whispered in a shaky voice. Her body was completely aware of these men and their bodies. Duke pressed his thigh over her legs and between them. He adjusted himself so his weight was mostly off of her but she was still pinned to the bed.
She swallowed hard as he gently traced her jaw with his fingertip.
“You gave us a scare, darling. I take it this type of thing has happened to you before.”
She heard his intense tone and knew that lying to him would be stupid and ridiculous. These men were professional interrogators anyway. She nodded her head.
“It’s been a while though, hasn’t it?” Sandman asked and she turned to look at him. He scooted closer and was now pressed against her other side.
“Not so often as before.”
“You scared me,” Duke repeated then lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her softly. She immediately reached up to hold on to his shoulders as he deepened the kiss.
She couldn’t help her reaction. She didn’t want to talk about it now. She wanted to make love with them. She wanted them deep inside of her taking all her fears and worries away.
Duke slowly released her lips, and they were both breathing heavy.
“I need you,” she whispered and he nibbled his bottom lip as he stared into her eyes with the most serious expression.
“We’re going to make love to you. Slowly, deeply, darling. You’re going to allow us in. Enough of not trusting us fully, Grace. You’re ours and we’re yours.”
She felt the sincerity and power of his words as a tear escaped her eyes.
Duke lifted up to remove his clothing as Sandman caressed the tear from her cheek.
“You’re more important to us than anything. Let us show you.”
She nodded her head and allowed them to divest her of her clothing. In no time at all the four of them were naked.
Duke pressed between her legs as Sandman lay on her right side and Big Jay lay on her left side.
She was sandwiched between three large, robust military men, filled with muscles and enough of an arsenal of abilities she knew nothing about. It gave her peace of mind, security, and hope that one day there would be only happiness in her life, in their lives.
Duke caressed his palms over her shoulders, down her arms to her hands as he scooted his cock closer to her pussy.
She gasped at the chills that ran up her inner groin and in response, spread her thighs wider.
Duke pressed his cock between her wet folds as he held her gaze and brought her hands up and above her head to the pillow. Their fingers locked and slowly, deeply, he made love to her.
As Duke glided his cock in and out of her pussy, she absorbed every sensation including the way his wide hips moved and dipped downward then into her. She felt both Sandman and Big Jay’s hands on her thighs, spreading her wider as they trailed fingers along her curves and to her breasts.
She gripped Duke’s fingers tighter and thrust her hips upward meeting his thrusts. It was too much. Their lovemaking was overwhelming as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Look at me, baby,” Duke commanded and instantly she opened her eyes, vision blurred from her happy tears and she smiled at him.
“That’s better. You feel it, baby? You feel how into you I am?”
“Yes. You have to move faster,” she begged of him.
“I want to make love to you, baby. I want to brand you my woman for eternity.” He thrust deeper, faster into he
r.
“Do it then. Do it harder, faster please, Duke.”
He leaned down and kissed her passionately. When he released her hands and grabbed her hips, she reached for his hands and he pounded into her. Duke looked so intense and wild with the veins in his neck bulging out and his head tilted back. She knew she was deeply in love with him as she exploded, screaming his name, and he followed suit.
“Grace. I love you, Grace!” he yelled then thrust three fast, hard times into her before he fell to the bed and held her tight.
He was crushing her but she didn’t care. “I love you, too,” she whispered then kissed his shoulder while she held him, her big SWAT team commander in her arms, and for once she felt like she could give Duke what he wanted and needed in life.
* * * *
Sandman got up off the bed. Big Jay saw the tears in his brother’s eyes as Sandman shook his head, pulled on his boxers, and walked out of the room. His brother was so used to being alone despite the fact that Big Jay and Duke were in his life. He didn’t have any romantic relationships. None of them did until now. Big Jay stared at Grace holding Duke in her arms. It touched him, too. He felt the power of their love, of all of their love, the four of them together. It was un-fucking-believable and it was all because of Grace. She was amazing.
He crawled up next to her and Duke. Duke must have sensed him as he lifted up, kissed Grace a few more times, then smiled at her.
“I’m going to go take a shower. I’ll see you in little bit, okay?”
She smiled as she nodded her head.
Big Jay watched her eyes glaze over as Duke pulled slowly from her body. Duke got up and walked toward the other room, grabbing his clothes.
“Hey, beautiful,” Big Jay whispered, and Grace turned toward him smiling. She lay on her side, knees slightly bent and she covered her breasts with her forearms. He chuckled, then took her wrists in one hand and placed them above her head. She gasped as she rolled to her back.
“Don’t you know that you shouldn’t be shy around us anymore, baby? This is all ours.” He leaned down and licked across her breasts. The tiny pink flesh hardened under his tongue, and he drew in a deeper suck.
The American Soldier Collection 3: Amazing Grace (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 17
