Saving Grace (Grace Chandler Mystery Book 1)

by T. R. Lester

  It was turning out to be a major fucking mess. The plan started out to be somewhat simple. She was told that she would not be connected to any illegal activity. She would only be an advisor on the project. What a laugh that’s turning out to be. The idea was to create a blood bank. They could make millions selling fresh blood to vampire covens instead of them killing people to get it. The farm was to be built in Hidden Hills forest. The area had been cleaned off and prepared, the building had been started and the collection of donors had begun. Not willing donors of course. No, they would be kept in a comatose state, to allow blood to be taken slowly over time until their bodies either shut down or they were killed.

  Francine didn’t care. She just wanted to be rich. So, what if people died? It was no matter to her.

  Everything was going as planned until the twit decided he wanted a child and he killed that girl. He knew it wasn’t possible to have a child with a human, but he tried anyway.

  “The idiot. What was he thinking?” Francine says to herself.

  “If he implicates me in any of this, I’ll kill him.” She whispers.

  After about thirty minutes, Francine’s phone vibrates. Looking down at the screen, she sees she has a message. Picking up the phone, she goes to her text messages and reads one from the twit.

  “I have him.”

  “You better hope you do.” She says to the phone screen.

  Chapter 10

  The last three days had been uneventful.

  Draven had waited patiently on Gideon to call him to tell him the file was ready. He had tried to stay away from Grace. She was eventually going to see him and he didn’t want to blow his cover right now.

  He walked into the kitchen to get a bag of blood from the refrigerator. His blood came from donors who knew about his kind and had spent decades hiding them from humans in exchange for protection. There were very few humans who knew what type of creatures existed in the world and he wanted to keep it that way. Most humans would not be able to deal with the fact that they had werewolves for neighbors, or vampires as co-workers.

  Draven brought the bag to his lips, extended his canines and punctured the bag. As he drank, his mind wandered back to Grace. For the life of him, he could not reconcile the fact that he could not stay away from her. No female had ever made an impact on him as Grace had.

  “Ah hell. I need to stop.”

  Draven finished the blood and threw the bag in the trash. As he was about to go upstairs, his phone rang.

  “Yeah?”

  “I have your file.” Gideon says in a deep rumbling voice.

  “That was fast.”

  “Well, I don’t play around vampire.”

  “When can I pick it up?”

  “You can come now. I’ll be busy later on. So, come on.”

  “On my way.” Draven said.

  Draven grabbed his car keys, deciding to drive this time, and walked out, locking the door behind him.

  He got into his 2015 sapphire blue BMW 650 Gran Coupe. He rarely drove it. He tried to keep a low profile and driving this car would not allow that. He backed out of his drive and headed to the wolf pack’s forest.

  The drive was about twenty miles from Draven’s house, so it took about twenty-five minutes to get there, considering every red light in town caught him. When he pulled up to the gate, the wolf standing guard snarled at him. Draven could see a fifth of Southern Comfort in the wolf’s left hand.

  “I’m here to see Gideon.”

  Wolf boy snarled again. He was about six feet tall, muscular like most wolves, blonde hair, brown eyes and intoxicated.

  Just what I need, a drunk wolf. Draven thought to himself.

  The wolf, armed with a bottle of cheap liquor and a bad disposition, growled at Draven.

  “You don’t belong here vampire.”

  “Just tell him I’m here.”

  “Kiss my ass.” Wolf boy said.

  Draven opened his car door and had one foot on the ground when he heard Gideon’s voice over the walkie talkie wolf boy held.

  “Let him in Xander.”

  “Yeah, let him in Xander.” Draven said with a growl.

  Xander stood for a moment giving Draven the look of death, then finally opened the gate. As Draven drove through, he hung his arm out the window and flipped Xander the middle finger.

  “You have to drive back through here dick wad.” Xander yelled as Draven drove into the camp.

  He pulled up in front of Gideon’s place and got out. The wolf came out to meet him at the car.

  The two shook hands and walked into the house.

  “Nice dog you have at the gate.” Draven said.

  “He’s young and stupid. He’ll learn soon enough.” Gideon said.

  “And he’s drunk.” Draven snorted a laugh.

  “Son of a bitch. He seems to be the only one in the pack that is affected by alcohol consumption.” Gideon says.

  “Then maybe he shouldn’t drink?” Draven asks.

  Gideon shrugs.

  “So, I’ve got all credentials you’ll need to get a job as an agent or detective. I took the liberty of adding past cases that were specific to supernatural shit. You being a vampire and all.”

  “Thanks. I plan on going to P.A.D to get a job so I can work on this recent case and track the fucker down.”

  “You know who it is?”

  “Yeah. I believe it to be Neal Aleron. He’s been leaving a trail of bodies behind him for ten years or so.”

  “Need some help?” Gideon asks.

  “Maybe.” Draven replies.

  “He’s a vampire. He’s also an idiot.” Draven tells him.

  “So, he’s like you then?”

  “Hell no. He’s a strigoi. If I were strigoi, do you really think I would care if people die? Or would I be out in day light hours?”

  “I meant an idiot like you.” Gideon snorts.

  “Fuck you wolf man.” Draven says.

  “I don’t know what he’s up to, but I know more are involved than just him. He would have to have help to stay out of sight.”

  “True. Look man, I know what you are and I know you don’t condone the human sacrifice and violent shit. If you need any help, let me know. I know the agent who is working on this case and she has a special place in my heart. If anything happens to her, I’ll kill everyone who had a hand in her death.”

  “You mean Grace Chandler?” Draven asks Gideon.

  Gideon narrows his eyes at Draven.

  “And how do you know her?”

  “It’s what I do. I watch and protect.” Draven says.

  “Yeah.” Gideon says suspiciously.

  “What special place does she have in your heart?”

  “We dated for a couple of months, if it’s any of your business.”

  “You don’t say?”

  “Yeah, I do. And if she gets hurt because of something you do, I’ll kill you.”

  Draven held his hands up in surrender.

  “I want to protect her wolf, not harm her.”

  “You better.”

  “I need to get going. I still have time to check on a position at P.A.D.”

  “Let me know if you need any help.”

  Draven nods.

  He turns back to Gideon before he walks out the door.

  “You know, it’s a shame that most vampires and wolves don’t get along. We should all learn to work together.”

  “Most vampires aren’t like you Draven. Most want to kill. That’s why we don’t get along with them.”

  Draven closes the door behind him, gets in his car, and leaves. When he pulls back up to the gate, Xander is waiting on him.

  “Get out vamp.”

  Draven opens the door and steps out.

  “You want to try to flip me another finger?”

  Draven raises his middle finger again and Xander takes a swing. Draven dodges and spins to face Xander. Looking Xander in the eye, he tells him, “Stand there and don’t move until I leave.”

>   Xander freezes.

  Draven gets back in his car. He turns back to see Xander’s eyes following him as he leaves.

  “Stupid wolf.”

  As he leaves the drive, he hears Gideon over the walkie talkie.

  “Xander, get your ass to my house now.”

  “Looks like wolf boy is about to get his ass chewed.”

  As he drives back to town, he makes a right turn and drives by Grace’s house. Her car is there, which is unusual this time of day.

  He drives on by and heads to the department.

  Pulling into the lot, he parks his car and sits for a moment, looking around. Only a few cars here, which means there aren’t that many humans here.

  He exits the car and walks up the ramp into the building. At the front desk, he sees a blonde girl sitting in an office chair looking at him.

  “May I help you?” The girl asks.

  Draven looks at her name tag.

  “Yes Annette. I’m looking to drop off my file. I’ve just moved here and am in need of a job. Who can I see?”

  “That would be Francine Bates. She’s the acting director while Director Tanner is out.”

  “Out?”

  Annette nods.

  “I’ll call her office.”

  Draven waits.

  “Director Bates. There is a man here to see you about a job.”

  Draven’s supernatural hearing could hear every word Bates said.

  “What’s your name sir?”

  “Draven Bratu.”

  “His name is Draven Bratu.”

  Draven heard Bates say send him back.

  Annette ended the call and walked around the desk.

  “I’ll take you to her office.”

  She started walking down the hallway as Draven followed behind her. They passed a few doors then got to one that had Grace’s name on it. Annette lead him to the end of the hall and knocked on a door. He heard a voice say come in.

  Annette opened the door, introduced him, and left, closing the door behind her.

  “Mr. Bratu. Annette tells me you are in search of a job.”

  “I am. I’ve just moved here. I have my file. I think you’ll find everything you need in the folder.” He says.

  “What do you know about the work we do here?”

  “I know what you deal with. I have been doing this my whole life. I’m aware of the many creatures that roam the world Director Bates.”

  Francie looks at him, letting her eyes travel from his shoes, and on up to his eyes. He was an Adonis. She’d have to give him that.

  Draven looked at her. He captured her gaze. He pushed his will on her, his thoughts. He planted the suggestion that he should be an agent and should be partnered with Grace. He kept pushing those thoughts until Francine seemed to snap out of her trance.

  “Well, I think I can use another agent. I know just the one you can work with. She’s a bit… temperamental… but you will work well with her.”

  “She?” Draven asks.

  “Yes. She. Her name is Grace Chandler, and she is working on a case right now that I don’t believe she will be able to solve.”

  “What makes you think she won’t?”

  “She just doesn’t have it in her dear. She’s too soft, too concerned about other’s feelings. Stuff like that.”

  “Isn’t she supposed to have concern for others?”

  “Not in this line of work.”

  “I see.”

  Draven can see that this is one heartless bitch sitting across from him.

  “When can you begin work?”

  “Anytime. Now?”

  “Good. I’ll call Chandler and tell her she has a new partner. This should be fun.”

  Draven turned his head and rolled his eyes.

  Chapter 11

  When Grace drove into her drive way and shut the car off, she leaned her head against the steering wheel. Still shaken up by her encounter with Lucas, she tried to gather her thoughts.

  Though she had never liked him, she hadn’t wished this upon him.

  “What in the hell is going on?”

  Lifting her head from the steering wheel, she opens her door and gets out. Hurrying to the house, she gets the door unlocked and enters.

  Tossing her pack on the floor, she heads upstairs for a hot bath.

  “I’m not going back to work. Francine can look into Lucas herself today.”

  As she passes the mirror, she stops to look at her eye. Black, blue and swollen, all the way down to her chin. She winces as she runs her fingers over it.

  She runs the tub full of hot water and steps in, sinking down to cover her whole body.

  A few minutes later, she hears her cell phone ring, and ignores it.

  “They can call back.” She says to herself.

  Taking the hot wash cloth, she spreads it over her face, trying to ease the pain.

  Her cell phone rings again. Cursing, Grace steps out of the tub, grabs a towel to wrap around herself, and goes downstairs.

  “Damn it.”

  When Grace looks at her phone, she sees the viper calling.

  “Hello Director Bates.”

  “Hello Grace. I have a surprise for you. Isn’t that nice?”

  About as nice as having your skin peeled from your body, Grace thinks.

  “What do you need Francine?”

  “I have a new partner for you Grace. He’s going to be waiting for you in the morning here at the department.”

  “I don’t want a partner. I’ve told you that. I’d rather work alone.”

  “You need a partner Grace. And besides, not wanting a partner is none of my concern. You’re getting one anyway. His name is Draven Bratu and he will be waiting for you in the morning.”

  The line goes dead and Grace sighs.

  “That conniving bitch. She didn’t even ask how I was doing. One day, I’m going to knock her ass out.”

  Grace throws her phone down in the chair and goes back upstairs to get dressed. Since her bath was interrupted, she doesn’t feel like finishing it.

  Getting dressed and going back downstairs, Grace sits down at her computer to try to find any information on this new partner.

  Accessing the department’s personal database that logs each agent and also contains information on anyone who is currently in law enforcement, such as FBI, secret service, highway patrol and private detectives, plus it has listings of evidence techs, firearm examiners, crime lab techs, handwriting techs, and investigative assistants.

  Browsing through the listings, she comes across Draven Bratu’s data. Reading over it, she can see his previous position was for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

  “He does have experience at least. So, he should know what he’s doing.” Grace says to herself.

  She isn’t happy about having a partner. In the past, she hasn’t had a good experience with them. The ones she’s had always seemed to want to work without here and do their own investigating due to her being a female. The sexism she faced over the years almost made her quit the agency, but she stuck it out. This was a job she could do and was good at, and she didn’t care what anyone said about her. They could kiss her ass for all she cared. Grace always thought the big thorn in their sides was the fact that she was a female and a better agent than most of the males. She was meticulous and paid attention to detail, she went the extra mile when investigating and never quit, whereas some of the other agents didn’t care either way if a case was solved or not.

  With her eyes getting heavy, Grace shoves herself away from the computer and walks into the kitchen to get a bottle of water before going to bed.

  “This was one strange day.” She thinks.

  Shasta is waiting in the kitchen and follows Grace upstairs to her bedroom.

  “I guess we’ll see how good you are tomorrow Mr. Bratu. I just hope you’re not an ass since Francine is the one sticking me with you.”

  Grace crawls into bed, pulls the cover up to her chin and closes her eyes. In minutes, s
he’s asleep, worn out form the day’s events.

  Chapter 12

  “You fool.” The male shouts at Lucas.

  “You should have hidden from her, not attacked her. Now she knows what you are.”

  Neal Aleron drew back his hand and hit Lucas in the right jaw so hard it dislodged a tooth. Lucas stumbled and fell to his knees.

  “I apologize. I could not control myself.”

  “I have been trying to get this blood bank started for years. If you have in any way hindered that process, I’ll rip your head from your shoulders.”

  Neal stalked out of the room and walked down the hall to a holding room. He was temporarily set up in a dilapidated vacant building that was once used for manufacturing cardboard boxes.

  As he walked down the hall, he could hear the sobbing of those he had recently captured. They were to be held in the holding rooms prior to preparations began to start collecting their blood. His current location was in such terrible disrepair that he had been forced to set his operations up in a small section of the building. He had taken his time in choosing the area and collecting remnants of left over cardboard to attach to the walls to muffle some of the sounds in the building. It worked, to an extent. It wasn’t sound proof, but the 200 palettes of old boxes he found had been a start.

  Francine Bates had assisted him in hiring people. He had three guards, two nurse practitioners, a doctor and had purchased equipment and supplies at various online retailers to get his project started. She was a pain in his ass but she was one who didn’t care about others and would do whatever it took to make a dollar. He had bumped into her one night, eight years earlier, when he was hunting for his next blood meal. She had been in a bar and came stumbling out as he passed the entrance. When she stepped onto the sidewalk right in his path, he knew he had found his meal. She was inebriated to the point of not being able to walk straight. He grabbed her around her waist, clamped a hand over her mouth and took her to the run-down shack he was inhabiting. She had passed out by the time he arrived at his destination. His plans were to drain her then toss her body into Ballard Park lake. However, when she awoke, he was surprised to see she wasn’t afraid or worried about where she was. She started asking his questions about why she was there and what he was going to do and an idea came to him. He could use her as a contact to help him gather the humans he needed. He gave her a few details of his plan and watched as a gleam danced in her eyes. When she agreed to join him, he told her what he was. She still showed no fear, instead, she offered to be his blood source. He knew at that instance that she was a cold-hearted bitch who would do anything to get ahead.