Claiming Grace (Ace Security Book 1)

by Susan Stoker

  Grace gave in. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know already what horrible people her parents were. “One of her favorites, and most effective, was that she said she knew an officer in the Army who could deny your enlistment.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Nathan swore in a low voice, but Grace ignored him and kept her eyes on Logan.

  “You defied her and kept tutoring me,” Logan said. It wasn’t a question, but Grace nodded anyway. He went on. “But any time it seemed like we were getting too close, you pulled back. Put some distance between us. One day I’d think you liked me as more than a friend, then the next you’d be back to canceling our sessions and treating me like a buddy again. You were protecting me . . . and yourself.”

  “I was,” Grace said a little belligerently. “Because it was one thing for her to make me feel like shit. I was used to it. But I didn’t like her trying to make you look like a bad person when I knew you weren’t. So I tried to do whatever I could so you would be willing to spend time with me, but not get too close, so she’d back off me a bit.”

  “You’ve been protecting your friends from your parents for a long time, haven’t you, Grace?” Logan asked gently.

  For the first time in her life, Grace admitted what she’d held close to her heart for as long as she could remember. “I tried. I’d heard rumors around town about what they were capable of and never wanted to take the chance they’d actually follow through with any of their threats.”

  Without a word, Logan pulled her into his arms.

  Grace felt like the load she’d carried for so long suddenly didn’t seem so heavy anymore. She knew just because she wasn’t under her parents’ control anymore didn’t mean that she’d escaped their threats, but for just a minute, she wanted to pretend she was safe. That the people she cared about were safe. That she didn’t have to bow to Margaret and Walter Mason’s will to try so desperately to earn their love.

  How long they sat on Logan’s couch, Grace had no idea. No one said a word for the longest time. Finally, Grace sighed a huge sigh and sat up straight. “What now?”

  “The first thing we gotta do is get a restraining order against your parents.” At her look of horror, he ran his hand over the side of her hair, soothing her. “I know it’s hard, but we need to do this by the book. They will not hurt you again, Grace. If they try, we need to have the cops involved.”

  “You’ll help me?” Grace asked. “I’ve never done that before . . . I don’t know what to do.”

  “Of course I will. Ace Security does this all the time. It’s not like I was gonna drop you off at the police station and say, ‘See ya later.’ ”

  Grace smiled at his teasing. “Then what?”

  “Then we wait,” Logan said easily.

  “Wait? For what?”

  “For them to make their move. They’re gonna hate that you aren’t under their thumb anymore. I have no doubt they’ll try to get to you, but you have to be strong. Do you hear me, Grace? Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t be one of those too-stupid-to-live heroines in books and movies. They think you’re weak and that you still want their affection, so they’re gonna try to manipulate you just like they’ve done your entire life. When that doesn’t work, they’re gonna threaten you, but don’t listen to them. You come to me, or my brothers, or even Cole or Felicity, and tell us what they said. We’ll bring it all to the cops so there’s an official record of it. We’re not stupid, we need the police. But even as civilians, we won’t stand by and do nothing.”

  “But if they-”

  “Grace,” Logan interrupted sternly, putting his hands on either side of her face. “I’m not a teenager anymore. I spent a lot of time in the Army learning how to protect myself and those around me. Blake is good at what he does. When we’re done here, he’s going to reach out to the Grants and find some dirt on Margaret and Walter, and if we have to, we’ll use it to keep them at bay. And Nathan? Look at him. Look how pissed he is on your behalf. You’ve got a champion for life in him. And not only them, but Felicity and Cole too. Your friends have your back and you can go to them whenever you need something.”

  “Damn straight,” Felicity murmured.

  “He’s right,” Cole said at the same time.

  Logan continued, “And I can and will protect you. You’ve been doing it for others for so long, let me help you now. Let us all help you.”

  “You guys don’t know them like I do.”

  “You’re right,” Logan agreed, “we don’t. But I think we’ve all known people like them. People who will use anyone in any way to get what they want. I know they’ve got money and connections, but it doesn’t matter. They aren’t going to win.”

  “I don’t want to marry Brad.” The words spilled out without thought. She knew they came out of the blue, but she desperately wanted to make sure Logan knew that she didn’t like Brad in that way.

  He huffed out a short laugh. “I know you don’t, Smarty.”

  “He’s nice. Really nice. I like him. I have a feeling he’s probably gay, which doesn’t really have anything to do with anything. I think his parents know and don’t care, which makes me like them too. But he doesn’t deserve to be caught up in my parents’ insane plan to get me pregnant with a boy they can steal and raise in their perverted world.”

  She looked around at her friends. “But if any of you get hurt because of something I did or didn’t do, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

  “First of all, anything that happens is on your parents. Not you,” Logan said firmly, putting one finger under her chin and turning her head toward him. “They’re responsible for their own actions. You’re done taking that shit on yourself. Second of all, you’re the most unselfish person I’ve ever known. Ever. And while I love that about you, it also worries me. I’m going to work on seeing if I can’t get you to make demands of me.”

  “What?” Grace asked, horrified, partly because she couldn’t ever imagine making any demands of Logan and partly because of what he might be implying in front of his brothers, Cole, and Felicity.

  Logan grinned. “Yeah, and that right there is why I’m falling in love with you.” He looked around at the others. “You guys good?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Cool. We’ll touch base tomorrow then.” Logan’s words were clearly a dismissal, which no one seemed to take offense to.

  Felicity was the first to come over to Grace. She tugged her up and off the couch and gave her a long hug. “You need anything, you know my number. All you have to do is text or call and I’m here. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Grace told her best friend through watery eyes.

  After another long hug, Felicity stood back and let Cole hug Grace. “Give me a yell if you have any questions or need anything,” he said gruffly, stepping back. Grace nodded.

  Next up was Nathan. He also put his arms around her, then merely stood back with his hands on her shoulders. After looking in her eyes for a moment, he nodded.

  Then she was passed to Blake and engulfed in his embrace.

  “I haven’t been hugged so much in my entire life,” Grace grouched good-naturedly, patting Blake on the back as she squeezed him.

  “Get used to it. We like hugs,” Blake told her with a grin.

  “Find your own woman to hug,” Logan complained from where he was standing next to Grace, tugging on her hand to bring her back to his side.

  Everyone laughed, and they all made their way to the door. After more assurances that yes, Grace would call if she needed anything, the door finally shut behind them.

  “Jeez, I didn’t think they’d ever leave,” Logan teased. Not letting go of her hand, he started back to the TV room. “Come on, this place is a pigsty. If I’m gonna have a roomie, I need to get my shit sorted. Help me?”

  “Of course,” Grace answered. “Although I have to say, it’s much more comfortable sitting in your arms than cleaning.”

  Logan leaned down to her and she felt the hot air from his breath on her ear as he whispere
d. “I want nothing else than to sit on the couch all night with you in my arms, but that would be selfish of me.”

  “As if I care,” Grace said with a wicked look in her eyes. It felt good to be able to say whatever she wanted without having to worry about what the other person might think or do. Logan was not Margaret or Walter Mason, and it felt good to just be herself.

  Logan had a huge smile on his face and held out his hand. Grace smiled back shyly and put her hand in his. She followed as they headed to his cluttered table. She took a deep breath. She could certainly help him get organized . . . she did have a degree in office management, even if it wasn’t what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

  She had no job.

  Didn’t really want to go back to her apartment in case her parents tried to get at her there.

  But apparently, she had a friend named Logan.

  And his brothers. And Felicity and Cole.

  It was all she needed . . . for now.

  Chapter Twenty

  The weeks following Grace’s dramatic rescue from her parents’ house were actually pretty anticlimactic. Walter and Margaret Mason didn’t jump out of any bushes demanding that Grace continue to work for them or insist she come over to their house and help with chores. She wasn’t snatched off the street by thugs in black clothing. None of her friends went crashing over a mountainside because of their brake lines being cut. It was almost enough to have her lowering her guard . . . almost.

  Grace finally truly understood what Logan had told her a few weeks ago . . . he was not the same person he was back in high school. He could more than take care of himself. His time in the Army had hardened him to some extent, but it had also given him the confidence to stand up to any bully . . . big or small. It was a comfort, and most definitely a turn-on.

  Grace had spent a lot of time with his brothers, and saw that same confidence in them as well even though it manifested itself in different ways. Blake had a lot of the same mannerisms as Logan, which Grace figured was because he had also been in the Army, but his badassery was more below the surface. She had no doubt he could wipe the floor with anyone who crossed him, but he was more content to use his head before simply pounding someone who might look at him sideways.

  But Nathan was the most intriguing of the three brothers. He was quiet and thoughtful, and seemed like a gentle soul, but Grace saw the same protective light in his eyes that she saw in Logan’s. She figured all it would take were the right circumstances, or person, to bring his own brand of badassery to the forefront.

  Her apartment was sitting empty, but she continued to pay the rent with the money she had saved up in the secret bank account in Denver, hoping at some point she’d be able to go back. In the meantime, however, she was enjoying living with Logan, even if it was only temporary.

  She’d spent a lot of time with Felicity, who often came over to Logan’s place. He understood that having some girl time would be good for her and frequently left them alone while he went to work or ran errands.

  During one such visit, Grace decided to ask her friend something that had been bothering her. “Do you think Logan and his brothers will regret helping me?”

  “What? Why would you say that? No. Hell no,” Felicity responded, obviously shocked.

  “It’s just that . . . I know that I need their help. I need your help, but it’s hard for me to let others fight my fight. It seems wrong,” Grace admitted, biting her lip and fiddling with the remote control rather than looking at her friend.

  “Grace,” Felicity said firmly. “Here’s a secret about guys . . . they like to help. They like to feel needed. You letting them do this for you is a good thing. First, they know what they’re doing; and second, it makes them feel good to help a friend.”

  “I get depressed sometimes. Knowing my parents didn’t really love me, were using me for whatever reason. Every other day I think that it’d just be easier on everyone if I left here for good. Moved away and started anew someplace where no one knows me or my parents.”

  Felicity scooted closer to Grace and put her arm around her shoulders. “Grace, you’re my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I can’t really blame you for being sad about everything that’s happened, but the bottom line is that your parents don’t deserve to have you in their lives. And how you turned out as amazing as you did, I’ll never know.” Seeing that Grace still wouldn’t look at her, Felicity hugged her closer and asked, “What else are you thinking?”

  When Grace didn’t say anything, Felicity pushed, “It’s me. Felicity. Your best friend. The chick who convinced you to get a tattoo. You can tell me anything.”

  Grace nodded, as if shoring up her defenses, and turned to look at her friend. “Sometimes I feel like it’d just be easier if I just gave in and did what they wanted. Marry Bradford.”

  Felicity made a clucking sound in the back of her throat, and Grace hurried to finish. “But then I think about what they’d do to any child I might have, and how they’d surely be just as emotionally abusive to their grandchildren, and I realize that I can’t do it. No matter how depressed I become or how hard it gets.”

  “I’m proud of you, Grace,” Felicity said, resting her head on Grace’s shoulder. “None of this is easy, but you’re hanging in there and being really brave about it all.”

  “I don’t feel brave most of the time,” Grace countered.

  “But you’re not giving in, and you’re moving forward. That’s bravery.”

  The conversation had gone a long way toward making Grace feel better about everything. She wasn’t using her friends to do her dirty work, and living with Logan was good. It was also proving to be harder than either of them had thought. Not because they discovered that they didn’t like each other after all, but because they enjoyed each other’s company more and more with each passing day.

  Grace was still sleeping in the guest room, but every day that went by, she felt less and less like she needed or wanted to sleep separately from him. He’d done just as he said he’d do . . . left it up to her to determine how far and fast she wanted to take things. They spent almost all their time together when he was home. He didn’t go into the Ace Security office much, only when Felicity visited. He said it was because Ace Security was just too close to Mason Architecture for his comfort, and because he wanted to be by her side as much as he could.

  One day, after he’d come back from running some errands, Grace approached Logan. “I’m bored,” she said bluntly. “I’m used to doing stuff all day. Working. Sitting around your house watching TV just isn’t working for me. Can I please do something to help you? Maybe some of the paperwork for Ace Security or something?”

  Logan looked surprised, but then he smiled. “That’s a great idea. I don’t think Nathan will let you touch any of the accounting stuff, it’s kinda his baby, but I know Blake and I would love some help with emails and the website. We can’t keep up with it. And besides, we just plain suck at it.”

  “I’d love to,” Grace said gleefully, clapping her hands excitedly. “So, just let you know if there are any urgent messages from anyone needing security or something like that?”

  “Exactly. The website itself is pretty static at the moment, we don’t have many updates, but if you have any ideas to jazz it up or make it more user friendly, feel free to jot them down and I can discuss them with Nathan and Blake. If they agree, we could see about having you update it . . . if that’s something you’d be up for.”

  “Oh, I’m up for it,” Grace told him, eyes shining. “Thank you!”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Logan said. “You might find out it’s more work than you bargained for. We’re not exactly at the top of our game when it comes to organization and paperwork.”

  Grace hugged him. “I think you’re selling yourself short, but thank you for letting me help. It’ll help keep my mind off of everything else.”

  Evenings were Grace’s favorite time of all. She used to hate them, but then again, she’d
been dealing with trying to please both her parents. Now she and Logan hung out on his couch, watched TV, and talked. She learned a lot about Logan from spending time with him. It’s as if they were speed dating, except it felt comfortable rather than like their relationship was on fast-forward.

  One night during dinner, Grace noted, “You know you eat really fast, don’t you?”

  “Yeah.” Logan shrugged, not at all concerned. “It’s a habit I learned growing up, and the Army certainly didn’t help it any.”

  Grace looked at him with her brows furrowed. “You learned it growing up?”

  “We were forced to eat at the dinner table every night, even though we all dreaded it. If I ate fast, my mom couldn’t find an excuse to smack me, and I could leave and get out of her reach that much faster.”

  Grace stared at him, her fork halfway to her mouth.

  “Grace? Is it gonna be a problem? I can try to slow down, but I’ve been shoveling my food into my mouth my entire life. I don’t think it’ll be easy to change.”

  “No!” Grace told him, appalled that he’d even think she cared about such things. “I was just thinking that I was forced by my parents to eat slowly and ladylike, no matter how hungry I was. Just like you were trained to eat fast.” She shrugged a little self-consciously. “We have that in common.”

  “So we do. And, I think the way you eat is cute.”

  “Cute?” Grace wrinkled her nose. “It’s not cute. It’s polite. And annoying. I have to say, I’m a bit jealous of how you don’t care about what others think of you when you’re eating. Just once I’d love to be able to scarf down pizza or spaghetti and not have to worry about what I look like while I’m doing it.”

  “Tell you what,” Logan told her with a grin, “if you teach me some of your fancy manners, and what the hell all the silverware is for, I’ll make sure you have plenty of opportunities to stuff finger food in your mouth without having to worry about an audience judging you. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  They’d also spent a lot of time acting on their mutual attraction. The first few nights were awkward for both of them, but as the newness of living in the same apartment wore off, so did the barriers they’d both erected to protect themselves.