Give Me Grace

by Kate McCarthy

  Casey’s jaw ticked. “Yeah. I fucking hate it. We got her a great doctor here in Sydney. Made the appointment and went and saw him a couple of days after all the shit that went down. I sat in that office of his and listened to him talking about injecting her with poison. I had to sit on my hands because I wanted to grab him by the throat, drag him across his desk, and toss him out the window.”

  “I’m sorry, Casey,” I told him, because I was. They were dealing with all that and me being a jackass on top of it.

  I’m not sure he heard me, his eyes were on Grace, his fingers tangled in her hair as he brushed it from her face.

  “I cried,” he choked out as he sat back on the tiles, Grace in his arms. “I fucking cried myself sick the first time they put that needle in her and I watched it drip slowly into her veins.”

  “But she’s gonna be okay, right?” I stood, re-wetting the washcloth. “That’s what she told me.”

  Casey nodded, his nostrils flaring as he drew a deep breath in. “Yeah. She is. She should start getting better from here on out. The original surgeon cut out the cancer before she arrived in Sydney. The chemo was done as a precautionary measure to kill off any cancer cells that might’ve been left behind.”

  “Told you I’m fine,” Grace mumbled, her eyes fluttering open.

  “Hey!” Casey protested when she tried pushing her way up off of the floor. She fell back against him. “Let me carry you.”

  “No,” she replied stubbornly. “I’m fine. There’s nothing like a good puke to make you feel better, right, Kelly?” She winked up at me. The effort was puny at best, but it felt nice to be included.

  “Right on, babe,” I replied smoothly, winking back.

  Casey narrowed his eyes on me. I shrugged and grinned.

  Grace sighed.

  “What?” he asked her.

  “You and Kelly. You both have the same pretty dimples.”

  “Pretty?” we both said at the same time with disgust.

  “Yeah.” She giggled, starting to sound drunk. The exhaustion must have well and truly set in. Tilting her head back, she looked up at Casey, taking his face in her hands. She smiled sweetly. “I love you so much, Batman.”

  It felt like I was intruding on a private moment, but really? “Batman?”

  “Don’t you know?” Grace looked at me, tired and pale, but happiness shone in her eyes. “Casey’s my hero.”

  I knew right then, in that one single fuckin’ second, that I wanted what my brother had. It must have felt real damn nice to be someone’s hero, for them to look at you the way she looked at my brother. We might’ve had a shit start to life, Casey and I, but he had Grace now, and that meant he had everything.

  At Grace’s stubborn insistence, Casey carried her out to the kitchen while I followed behind. He planted her ass on the counter top. Then he stood between her legs with his back to her. She latched her arms around his shoulders while they chatted with their friends. I stood on the fringes next to Fox, beer after beer shoved in my hand until I felt unsteady.

  Fox left soon after, catching a cab because Mac refused to give us the keys to our bikes.

  “They better still be there in the fuckin’ mornin’,” I bitched at her.

  Her gaze narrowed gloriously and I was drunk enough to start eyeing off her zippers with real interest. “Or else what?”

  I paused, my mind too drunk for a good comeback. “Or else I’ll be pissed off.”

  “Good one, Kelly,” Mac replied with an eye roll. Then she crooked a finger. “Come with me.”

  Holy fuck did I want to come with her. I abandoned my beer to the counter and followed her to the living area, barely noticing the party had wound down and the place was emptying fast. She pointed to the couch. It was covered in blankets and pillows. “Lie down.”

  I dragged my shirt over my head, tossed it on the floor, and stalked towards her.

  She backed up a step, but I noticed with satisfaction that her eyes were on my chest and she may as well have licked her lips the way she was staring at it.

  Then she shook her head, as though coming to her senses. “Are you crazy?”

  I paused. Was I? Or was I just drunk? What was she talking about?

  “I have three brothers. Older brothers. They all own guns. They’ll shoot you if you touch me.”

  I shrugged and kept coming for her. “Won’t be the first time.”

  “Wait, what? You’ve been shot before?”

  “Yep.”

  I grabbed her hips and yanked her towards me. Ducking my head, I pressed my lips on hers, waiting for her to respond. She did for a second and I groaned, one hand reaching up to fist her hair.

  “What in the goddamn fuck?”

  Mac leaped in the air, letting out a little shriek. “Jake!”

  I turned, recognising the drummer from Jamieson that I was introduced to at some stage during the night. My brows rose at the guy, silently telling him to fuck off because I was busy. I had zippers to get to.

  Jake shook his head, growled, “Fuck this shit,” and left, slamming the loft door behind him. Then Mac burst into tears and this new, vulnerable side to her surprised me. It also left me floundering. I didn’t do tears.

  Before I could pat her awkwardly on the back, she took off in the other direction.

  I sighed, figuring there was no getting any pussy tonight. Flopping on the couch, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

  When I woke later, the loft was quiet and dark. I groaned, rubbing the side of my face and then scratching at the stubble on my jaw. I rolled off the couch, ready to go search for the keys to my baby and take her home when the unmistakable sound of retching came from the bathroom door.

  “Hell,” I muttered. Had Grace even slept at all?

  I opened the bathroom door quietly and did a double take, because it wasn’t Grace heaving over the toilet bowl this time. It was Mac.

  “Jesus, babe. You okay? How much did you have to drink?”

  I sat on the edge of the tub and for the second time that night, I held back a chick’s hair and rubbed her back in warm circles while she threw up in the toilet. Classy bitches sure puked a lot.

  “Nothing,” she moaned.

  The door opened and Grace slipped inside, shutting it behind her. Her eyes found Mac first and they flashed with concern. Then they found mine and I saw the banked amusement. “Kelly. Come here often?”

  Then her eyes fell on the vanity and they widened like fuckin’ dinner plates.

  I followed her gaze.

  “Shit,” I muttered. On the vanity sat a pregnancy test. Highlighted in pink neon so bright they stood out like a cock at a lesbian orgy, were two distinct lines.

  “You’re pregnant,” Grace breathed.

  Oh shit. And I’d tried fuckin’ her. What a douche.

  “Who’s the father?” I asked because I could be nosy when the occasion warranted it. I wanted to know who’d knock this hot bitch up and then leave her so I could go tell him what a giant cock he was.

  Mac swallowed and wiped away the smeared trails of mascara that ran down her cheeks. She looked at me, then she looked at Grace.

  “Jake,” she rasped, her voice hoarse from puking. “It’s Jake.”

  Fighting Redemption

  The Give Me Series

  Give Me Love (Book 1)

  Give Me Strength (Book 2)

  Give Me Grace (Book 3)

  FIGHTING REDEMPTION

  Ryan Kendall is broken. He understands pain. He knows the hand of violence and the ache of loss. He knows what it means to fail those who need you. Being broken doesn’t stop him wanting the one thing he can’t have; Finlay Tanner. Her smile is sweet and her future bright. She’s the girl he grew up with, the girl he loves, the girl he protects from the world, and from himself.

  At nineteen, Ryan leaves to join the Australian Army. After years of training he becomes an elite SAS soldier and deploys to the Afghanistan war. His patrol undertakes the most dangerous missions a soldier can face. But
no matter how far he runs, or how hard he fights, his need for Finlay won’t let go.

  Returning home after six years, one look is all it takes to know he can’t live without her. But sometimes love isn’t enough to heal what hurts. Sometimes people like him can’t be fixed, and sometimes people like Finlay deserve more than what’s left.

  This is a story about war and the cost of sacrifice. Where bonds are formed, and friendships found. Where those who are strong, fall hard. Where love is let go, heartache is born, and heroes are made. Where one man learns that the hardest fight of all, is the fight to save himself.

  GIVE ME LOVE

  Evie Jamieson, a former wild child, is not only a headstrong, smart-mouthed trouble magnet, she is also a lead singer with a plan. That plan involves relocating her band, including her two best friends guitarist Henry and band manager Mac, to Sydney to kick off their dreams of hitting the big time.

  Jared Valentine is the older brother of Evie’s best friend Mac and also the man determined to make Evie his. They strike up a long distance friendship which suits Evie because she’s determined to avoid the distraction of love, not only because it doesn’t fit in with her plan but because twice in the past it has left her for dead. Moving to Sydney however, has put her directly in Jared’s path and he has decided it’s the perfect opportunity to make his play.

  Unfortunately Jared, co-owner in a business that ‘consults’ in dangerous hostage and kidnapping situations, makes an enemy who’s determined to enact revenge. When this enemy puts Evie in his sights, Jared not only has a fight on his hands to make her his own, but also to keep her alive.

  Is accepting the love he’s so desperate to give worth the risk to both her heart...and her life?

  GIVE ME STRENGTH

  Quinn Salisbury doesn’t think she’s cut out for this whole living thing. Even as a young girl she struggled. Just when she thinks she’s found a way to leave her violent past behind her, the only thing that’s kept her going is ripped away, leaving her damaged and heartbroken.

  Four years later, she is slowly rebuilding her life and lands a job as an assistant band manager to Jamieson, the hot new Australian act climbing their way to the top of the charts. There she meets Travis Valentine, the charismatic older brother of her boss, Mac.

  From his commanding charm to his confidence and passion, Travis is everything Quinn believes is too good for her, and despite her apprehension, she finds their attraction undeniable and intense.

  When her past resurfaces, it complicates their relationship. Instead of reaching out for help, Quinn pushes Travis away, until a staggering secret is revealed that leaves her fighting for her very life.

  Torn between running and opening her heart to the man determined to have her, can Quinn find the strength within herself to fight for her future?

  GIVE ME GRACE

  Casey Daniels has a past forged in Hell. Despite the friends, the endless supply of women, and the muscle car he spent years restoring, it still eats away at him.

  Grace Paterson is in Sydney as a temporary bassist for Jamieson, the band Casey handles security for. She’s also infuriating, off-limits, and complete irresistible.

  A deal is struck, and despite their intense and powerful connection, both think it will be easy to walk away. But life can be more ruthless than either of them imagined. Not only does Grace have a secret she’s desperate to keep, Casey has questions from his past that he’s willing to do anything to get answers for.

  It’s not until someone wants one of them dead that Casey realises his love for Grace is the one thing he could never walk away from.

  In a story of revenge, betrayal, secrets, and love, Casey will need to reconcile his past with his present, before the future he never knew he wanted is snatched away.

  Tammy I’m not sure how this book would’ve happened without you. I choked at the start, putting enormous pressure on myself. Casey deserved his story told well and you weren’t letting me do anything less than just that. Thank you so much. Your help with the research, and the plot, along with being the best beta anyone could ever ask for, made this book what it is.

  To my editor, Max, and my proofreader, Claire, you both, as always, make my words look so much better than they were originally. Thank you.

  My beta team was there through every chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read as I wrote. Kim, Kylie, Barb, Shelley, Trisha, Jo, and Natalie.

  Thank you to Ellie at Love N Books and Scott Hoover for helping me find the perfect ‘Casey’ for my cover.

  Colby Lefebvre you are an amazing cover model. Thank you.

  To Julie and Terrena. My best friends. You’ve always been there for me and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the both of you.

  To my sexy fantastic ladies. As always.

  To Author 101 and BJ Harvey for being an amazing resource and support.

  To all the bloggers and readers who’ve supported me through this writing journey. Thank you so very much.

  Kate McCarthy lives in Queensland, Australia.

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