Page 64 of Blake

Cold lumps of ice settled in Blake’s gut when he heard the woman he loved scream over the comms before the connection went dead.

* * *

Pax listened as Blake spoke to her mother, her heart in her mouth until she heard her mom’s voice say she was unhurt. The relief was immeasurable, the weight lifted from her as she let out an audible breath in the darkness of the car. Dropping her head she almost jumped out of her skin when a knock on the window had her looking up, a smile half-formed on her face, thinking it was one of the guys.

It fell from her lips when she saw Eddie standing there with a gun pointed at her father’s head. A scream fell from her lips before he shook his head and motioned for her to open the door. Cautiously, she took a deep breath and opened the door, hoping the team could hear what was going on through her comms unit. She hadn’t asked if it was two way and if they could hear her too. Another rookie error that might cost her dearly.

“Eddie, what’s going on?” she asked as she kept her voice calm and her hands up where he could see them.

The glance she cast at her father showed the pale waxiness of his skin which worried her greatly. He was recovering from major surgery and looked unwell to say the least.

“Move over there, Miss Grace.” The tone of his voice was the same as it had always been—kind and gentle. She needed to appeal to his better nature.

“Why are you doing this, Eddie? My father is sick. He should be in the hospital.”

Her father was gagged but at the sight of his daughter in front of a gun, began to squirm and fight. He was no match for Eddie who had been their security for years and was still a fit man. He hit her father on his head with the back of the gun, and she watched in horror as he fell to the ground.

With no care for herself or the gun trained on her, she fell to her father’s side and cradled his head in her hands as tears fell down her cheeks.

She looked up at the man who had pushed her on the swing and driven her to her first dance and cried. “Why?” she screamed at him anger replacing the fear.

He looked haggard and tired but remained resolute. “I’m getting old, Miss Grace and Clark Baker offered me enough money to start a new life away from here with untold luxury.”

“Money? You’re betraying my family for money?” she asked incredulously.

“Easy to dismiss when you have it, Grace, but not when you don’t.”

“Did you kill Sally and Marvin Nixon too?”

“They were going to spill their guts about Clark, and he wanted them taken care of. Stupid fucker decided to watch and left his prints behind. I should have gotten out then, but I always see things through. I have some honour left.”

“Honour? You helped him take my mom and you’re here with my father. I guess the plan is that we all die?”

Eddie nodded. “Clark has transferred ten million dollars to my account for offing you and your father. That’s a lot of money, girlie. Much as I like you, and I do, I really do, I can use that money for my own kids, and I love them more.”

“Please, don’t do this,” she begged, tears streaming now as she looked him in the eye.

“I’m sorry, Grace,” he said and lifted the gun to her head.

In that second all she wanted was to tell Blake she loved him and to tell her mom she forgave her. Closing her eyes she heard the explosion of a gunshot and waited for the pain.

It never arrived and she opened her eyes to see Eddie collapse to the ground from a shot to the head. She looked around and didn’t see anyone. She turned back to her father and dragged the cloth from his mouth. Pax stroked his face as she spoke to her unconscious father and begged him not to leave her.

A few minutes later she heard the sound of feet running before Blake rounded the vehicle and fell to his knees in front of her. He hauled her into his arms as she held on to him and her dad and cried.

“Jesus, Gracie, you scared the crap out of me.” He pulled away and ran his hands over her “Thought I’d lost you.” His voice sounded choked as he kissed her quickly and then tore her away as Waggs worked on her dad.

She shivered in Blake’s arms as he held her tight not once letting go. Not when the police turned up, not when the EMTs arrived and loaded her father who was still unconscious into an ambulance, and not even when her mother put her arms around her, and they cried together.

Blake was her rock and she never wanted to be away from him again. She would follow this man to the ends of the earth but as she watched her mother climb into the back of the ambulance beside her father, she couldn’t help but feel fear. They had been in love like she and Blake were and look how that turned out.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

They were met at the hospital by Albert and two detectives who wanted statements from them, not to mention a district attorney who wanted them charged with impeding an investigation. Blake couldn’t find it in him to care at that moment. All he wanted was Grace checked over and her parents to be given the all clear.

Lucky for him, Albert had not arrived alone. He had his lawyer with him who quickly interceded and bought them some time. He sat with Grace in the waiting room after she was checked and cleared at his insistence, her head on his shoulder. Henrietta was beside Albert who had rushed to his daughter and folded her into his arms, the fear and affection he had hidden thus far clearly evident. To be fair, the man had not left her side as they waited for word on Robert who had been rushed back into the ICU.

Waggs, Reid, and Decker had given their statements to the police and had been told to stick around until the detectives could verify who they were. The three men were sitting on the opposite side of the waiting room giving them space but offering silent support. With Grace nestled into his body, her heat warming his side and knowing she was safe, he allowed his brain to go over the events of the last few days.