“Oh, honey. I’m so glad you had your grandma to defend you. It’s the job of adults to protect the young. And I’m betting your grandma didn’t regret for a second what she did. Did she?”
She hadn’t thought that her grandma was doing what normal parents would do. Her grandma had gone to the lawyer the next day to get formal custody. She swore to Hollie she’d never let her father touch her.
“No, she didn’t.” Hollie didn’t mention that she ran away from her grandma’s house when the custody battle went on. Her only way of protecting her grandma since she knew the violence her father was capable of.
“Thank God you had her. Is she still alive?”
“No she died of a stroke a while back.” Hollie always believed it was the stress of her daughter and son-in-law’s meth addiction that caused her grandma to die.
“I’m sorry I never get to meet her and thank her for protecting you.”
Hollie glanced up at Nick. He was smiling at her. He was the strangest and sweetest man she had ever encountered.
“My grandma would’ve liked you.”
The tenderness in Nick’s eyes made her want to cry. “I’m glad. Your grandma never blamed you for not protecting her. If you were anything like her, she’d be mad as a hornet to want her granddaughter spared from protecting her. Am I right?”
Hollie had never considered Nick’s take on the ghastly memory. Her grandmother was one tough woman.
“If you had come out, how would your grandmother have stopped your dad?”
The shards of shame embedded in her soul didn’t feel as agonizing when shared with Nick. From her teenage viewpoint, she always believed it was all her fault. But Nick helped her believe she wasn’t a terrible person because her parents didn’t love and protect her.
“My parents weren’t always as bad, until they started doing meth. Then my world fell apart.”
“But you put it back together, and you didn’t become like them. And today because of you, hundreds of people didn’t die—innocent people and children visiting the waterfront, going on the Victoria Clipper, riding the Ferris wheel, are home safe. Families weren’t decimated by the act of a coward.”
Nick thought she had saved people. “What a crock of…” Hollie glimpsed up at Nick. His blue eyes snagged her in his loving gaze. She shook her head. “I didn’t save those people. You and Talley did. You were the brave one who chased a woman with a bomb.”
He kept his eyes locked on hers, not releasing her from his warm look. “Talley and I played a part in today’s rescue, but if you hadn’t pursued the research, the reverse Google search, searched Earthbro’s account, we wouldn’t have been at Pier 69. Talley and I were there because of you.”
Tears burned in the back of her eyes. She wasn’t going to turn into one of those blubbering women who cried over everything.
Nick tipped her chin with the back of his knuckles. “Honey, like you weren’t to blame for your father’s depraved behavior, you’re aren’t to blame for Dr. Walters’ abduction.”
“But I can’t let anything happen to the boss. She’s my family.” The tears started, dripping down her face. “She found me in Teen Feed and offered me a job. She pays me so well that I’ve got my own place. I have benefits, a cell phone. She pretends that I need the phone in case she needs to contact me. I’ve become part of Davis’ family. I babysit for his sisters. And his Aunt Aideen hired me for a new project. And James. Oh my God. I’ve got to call James. He has to know that the boss has been abducted. And what about the boss’ family and Aunt Aideen?”
She couldn’t breathe. What would she tell James and Aunt Aideen?
Nick wrapped his arms around her. “Take a breath.”
She took a slow breath, but a sob caught in her throat. And she couldn’t stop the other deep sobs hidden in her soul. Secure in Nick’s arms, she cried; she cried for the sweet innocent girl she had been, she cried for her grandmother who would’ve been happy to know she met a man like Nick. She felt a bit of her anger and shame get unhinged, shaken loose.
Nick didn’t speak, but held her tight, his arms wrapped around her, securing and making her safe, vanishing all her demons.
Slowly the sobs and tears stopped. She sniffed.
Nick whispered in her ear, his hot breath against her neck. “You need a Kleenex?”
He released her to dig into his pocket. Talley had lain down while she cried.
She gave a teary clogged giggle. “Talley must be confused that we seem to have our weirdest moments in the middle of sidewalks.”
“Talley is happy to be wherever you and I are. She has no problem adapting. Come on, girl.” He pulled on her lead. “We need to get some lunch.”
Talley’s ears went up with the word “lunch.”
And Hollie wanted to kiss Nick for not making a big deal out of her meltdown.
“I need to call James right away.”
“You can call James in the truck. Or I can call him if you want. And he can call Dr. Walters’ family.”
Nick grasped her elbow and pulled her to his side.
Having him close eased her runaway heart and the pressure in her chest. “Okay.”
“That’s my girl. And then we’re stopping to get some lunch.”
“I couldn’t eat at a time like this.”
“We’ll get carry out. I’m starving and you will eat.”
“Bossy again?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nick opened the truck door and placed his hand on Hollie’s arm to steady her climb up the fender. Instead of maintaining the usual restraint he always showed around Hollie, he turned her and wrapped her in his arms, bringing her hard against his body. What she had survived as a child rivaled the stress of his tours in Afghanistan—easier for him as an adult making choices, than for a child victimized by immoral bastards.
He touched his mouth to hers—warm, barely touching. Gathering her closer until her breasts pressed against the solid muscles of his body, he moved his mouth over hers, parting her lips and angling his head to match hers. He poured his deep, turbulent emotions into this one kiss. Tenderly running his tongue along the seam of her lips, he nipped at her lower lip with an underlying promise that he will cherish her with gentleness and restraint.
He felt Hollie’s thundering heart against his chest. She leaned into him and placed her hands on each side of his face, holding him in place. Emboldened, she nipped his lower lip in return and thrusted her tongue in a rhythm that made heat burn through him like a blazing furnace. When she sucked on his tongue, he lifted her against his erection, grinding her against the truck. “Oh, my God,” he groaned. “What are we doing?”
He felt her smile against his lips and he smiled back. He was in the middle of the street after defusing a bomb threat, Dr. Walters had been abducted, and he was smiling. He had wanted her badly for so long and now she finally wanted him. He truly believed that they’d get through all of the hurdles they have to face because they had each other.
He loosened his hold and trailed kisses on the side of her face, her forehead, and her pert, little nose. He rubbed his thumb along her swollen lips. “Honey, that was some kiss.”
Her face was filled with a lightness he’d never seen. Her dark eyes were brighter. “I’d say the same about yours.”
He lifted her against his chest and placed her in the front seat. “Making out with you makes me hungry. Let’s grab lunch and head back to the office.”
Talley, who had been leaning out the window during their PDA, yelped when she heard the enthusiasm in Nick’s voice.
Hollie turned and patted Talley, who now had wedged her head between the front seats. “You hungry, girl?”
He hadn’t planned on the passionate interlude, but it seemed to have helped Hollie get past her guilt and helplessness. He didn’t believe for a minute that she had put her worries about the doctor behind her, but she wasn’t cowering any longer.
He reached over and grabbed her hand. “You want me to call James, or
are you up for it?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ve got to make the call.”
He felt her tension ratchet up as she dialed James. He kept his focus ahead, but felt every shift in her seat and every catch in her breath as she debriefed the doctor’s friend. He heard the hesitation in her voice and knew she was trying hard not to cry.
“Okay, James, okay.” Now she sounded exasperated.
He was surprised when she handed him the phone. “James wants to talk with you. He wants us to come to the boss’ house.”
“This is Nick,” he said as he held the phone to his ear.
“Nick, you’re on a fool’s errand.” James definitely didn’t do diplomacy. “There are no criminals among Grayce’s patients. She and Hollie both would know if there were. Hollie shouldn’t be alone in the office at this time.”
“She won’t be alone.” Nick bristled with the idea that James didn’t consider him company.
“She needs family right now. And we’re her family. I’m hanging up to call Grayce’s parents. This is going to be rough, but I know they’ll be comforted to have Hollie and Aunt Aideen with them.”
“I’ll discuss it with her, but it’s her call,” Nick said.
“Man-up, Nick. Don’t let her convince you otherwise.”
And the guy hung up.
Nick handed the phone back to her. “He hung up on me.”
“Yeah, he was pretty upset, but he immediately went into orchestrating everyone. He told me that the boss’ parents would be comforted having me close by.” She gave a little sob. “He told me I needed to be with my family.”
Tears dripped down her cheeks. He took her hand. “I think he’s right. But do you think there would be anything to help us in the records?”
She shook her head. “After the boss’ brakes were messed with, Davis asked me to do the same thing as Maddy. There’s nothing. She’s an animal acupuncturist, not a spy.”
“If you already knew, why did you agree with Maddy?”
“She didn’t want to exclude me. I got it, but I’m not a trained Marine or anything, so I went with the flow to allow her to do her job.”
He squeezed her hand. “You know you’re pretty amazing, right?”
Color moved up her chest into her neck. She crossed her legs then shook her head. “No, the amazing ones are you, Angie, Maddy, and Talley—serving to protect our country. I’m sorry I brought you into this, Nick.”
The woman couldn’t accept compliments. He was going to make his life focus that this incredible woman would know how special she was.
He rubbed her thumb along the inside of her palm. “I’m not sorry to be involved. But I am hungry. We’re going to get food.”
“I’m still not hungry.”
“But I am. And we’ll do the drive through at Dick’s and eat in the car on our way to Dr. Walters’ house. Okay?”
He had learned over the years that in crisis, basic needs had to be kept up. Food and water were needed despite people’s protest. Hollie didn’t know she was hungry, but, once she had food in front of her, she’d eat. She had already been through an incredibly stressful day. She needed her strength to face what was coming next with the abduction.
* * *
Nick watched Hollie sip the chocolate shake. She had devoured her Dick’s special burger with mayo and pickle relish and now was working her way through the French fries and shake.
He and Talley always ordered the deluxe—two patties with cheese and mayo. Talley, poor dog, only got the patties missing the mayo and special pickle relish. Asleep in the back seat, Talley didn’t seem bothered by her lack of condiments, French Fries, or milk shake.
Nick had discovered Dick’s, a 60-year-old icon, when he was a starving college student at UW. Dick’s built their success on serving a limited all-American menu. Good quality for a cheap price made them a success and a staple of every male in the urban area.
Hollie held a French fry in her hand about to bite down. He leaned over and took a mouthful of the fry. She pulled her hand back. “Hey, that was mine.”
“I’m still hungry,” he growled as he angled his head to kiss her lips. He licked the salt from the fries off her lips and then thrust his tongue into her mouth. “Mmm. You taste like a chocolate shake.”
Hollie gave a small smile. “You were right. I needed to eat and a little time before facing the boss’ parents after the whole bomb thing, but we should get going.”
“We’ll probably get to Dr. Walters’ house before her parents do. It’s only been 15 minutes max since we talked with James.”
She stopped eating from the greasy fry container on her lap. She stared out the window. “I’m not sure what I’m going to say to them. Their oldest daughter was killed in a car accident. And if anything has happened, I don’t think…”
He backed his truck out of the parking spot and headed down Wallingford Avenue. “You don’t have to say anything. Being there is the important part.”
Hollie faced the window. She had withdrawn. The brief interlude was finished and harsh reality had crept back. He couldn’t mouth platitudes. She’d hate that.
He placed his hand on her thigh. “We’ll face whatever’s coming together. I’m here and I’m not going any place.”
She nodded, but kept her gaze outside. In a hushed voice she said, “Thanks, Nick.”
They drove in silence, a breeze hardly blowing through the open windows. The smell of fast food wrappers intensifying in the heated truck.
They both startled when her phone rang. Hollie grabbed the phone out of the cup holder and stared at the screen. “It’s Davis.”
She hesitated to answer. He understood her vacillation. Facing the unknown was sometimes easier than facing reality.
The phone’s ring heightened the tension as she watched the screen. She pulled her shoulders back and stuck out her chin, steeling herself to face the news. She pressed the button to speaker. “Davis, any news?”
“She’s safe. We nailed the bastard. He’s in FBI custody.”
Hollie’s hands started to shake and her chest heaved as she tried not to cry. “Thank God” was all she could get out.
Nick watched Hollie struggle to swallow. Her lips quivered. “Is she okay?”
Nick rubbed her thigh, trying to soothe her.
“Yes. She’s doing better than I am.” Davis’ self-deprecating laugh echoed in the truck’s cab. Honestly, she’s going to be the death of me. I never want to go through this again. Hollie, she wants you to call her parents and James right away; she’s being questioned by the FBI. We’ll be awhile.”
“Will do, Davis.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hollie searched for the boss’ car when she and Nick pulled in front of the turn-of-the-century, craftsman’s bungalow. Neither the boss’ beat-up Subaru or Davis’ black Beamer was visible. The FBI must still be questioning the boss.
Sunflowers blossomed around the front porch. The boss was partial to sunflowers and homegrown vegetables. Hollie spotted the small garden with the lopsided scarecrow they’d made together from rejected clothes retrieved from Teen Feed’s donation bin. Hollie rubbed at her eyes, fighting back tears. The boss was safe. This was a moment for celebration.
Nick came around the truck, opened the door, and lifted her out of the truck. “This has been one of hell of a day!”
“Yeah. Pretty crazy, right?”
Nick held onto her as he opened the back door. “You ready?” Talley jumped out and loped through the yard before heading to James who had walked out of the house upon their arrival.
From the front porch, James twittered in a dramatic voice, waving a glass in his hand. “All Hail! Our hero and heroines have arrived after saving the city of Seattle.”
Hollie shook her head. How did James know about the bomb? She hadn’t told him. When she had spoken to him, she was too upset to explain.
Nick said under his breath. “Oh, shit.”
Hollie giggled. She never giggled before Nic
k. She was doing a lot of things she had never done. Tonight she hoped to be doing things with Nick she’d never done with anyone and had never desired until Nick.
“How the hell did he find out?” Nick asked.
When Maddy, Angie, and Hunter Hines joined James on the expansive front porch, Hollie immediately knew the source.
Nick muttered under his breath again. “Double shit. I really don’t want to rehash this afternoon, do you?”
Hollie laced her fingers through his large, warm hand. “No, I want to see the boss and then go home with you.”
Nick stopped in his tracks, and then pulled on her hand, bringing her next to him. “What are you saying, Hollie?”
She stepped the inches between them, rubbing her chest against his. “You know exactly what I’m saying Nick Welby. I want you to follow through with all those promising looks and touches.”
Hollie loved the way Nick’s breath caught and his lips parted. “Honey, you’re killing me. I’ve gotta walk into a house full of strangers.”
“Man up! You’re a hero.” She patted his chest and then she started forward. “Don’t worry. We won’t stay long.”
Nick pulled her back and growled next to her ear sending sensations surging down her body. “You’ve got that right. And every time I look at you in there, I’m going to be thinking of what I’m going to do to you, naked in my bed.”
She gasped. Her heart beat harder, faster. She shouldn’t have started the game. She had only wanted to tell him that tonight was the night, not seduce him. And instead, she was the one seduced. He had turned her into a boneless heap by his husky voice and his erotic words. She wouldn’t be able look at him.
James had come down the steps and swooped her into a big hug. “Oh my God. Grayce is trying to kill me. The stress I’ve been through in the last hours, worrying about her.”
She giggled. It was classic James to make himself center stage. But she understood it was all an act to protect his sensitive feelings. She had heard the fear in his voice when she told him about the abduction.
The Grayce Walters Romantic Suspense Series Page 62