Claiming Grace (Ace Security Book 1)

by Susan Stoker

  “Do you want to be there when your parents are arrested? I don’t mean right there, but from a safe distance. Do you want to see it go down?”

  Grace bit her lip in indecision. One part of her never wanted to see either of her parents again. They’d caused her enough heartache to last a lifetime. But on the other hand, seeing them arrested might bring her some closure. “Where would I be, and how is it going to happen?” she asked quietly.

  “The police and FBI will be going to their house this morning. If it goes as planned, it’ll be fast and easy. I don’t really see your parents as the type to engage in a shoot-out, but there’s always a possibility they’ll resist arrest, especially considering how many years they’re looking at behind bars.

  “As for where you would be . . . with me. Blake’s gotten to know one of the lead detectives on the case, and he said we could sit in his car while it went down. We’d be far enough away to be safe, but close enough that you could still see what was happening.”

  “You’d be with me?” Grace asked, eyes wide, seeking confirmation.

  “Of course,” Logan told her with conviction. “I wouldn’t leave your side.”

  “Then yes. I want to see the moment they realize that what they’ve done has consequences. They’ve lived their entire lives doing whatever they want without anyone saying or doing anything about it. And if someone did manage to try to stop them, they just threatened them in some way. So yeah, I’m ready to move on to the next phase of our life together.”

  “If at any point you get uncomfortable and want to leave, all you have to do is say the word. Got it?”

  Grace nodded. “Got it.” She paused, then grinned, “Can we stop and talk to a real estate agent afterward?”

  Logan put his head back and roared with laughter before hugging Grace to him once more. “I love that you can go from talking about watching your parents get arrested for making your life a living hell to wanting to get the rest of your life started without even blinking.”

  “How much time do we have before it goes down?” Grace asked, her head still tucked into Logan’s neck, running her hands down his back and into the sweats he was wearing.

  He groaned and pulled back. “Time enough for a quick shower.”

  “We should conserve water,” Grace said playfully, moving one hand around to the front of his pants. He immediately grew hard under her intimate caress.

  “Oh yeah, we need to do our part for the environment,” Logan choked out.

  Grace gave him one last caress and stood, taking off her T-shirt as she did. “Last one in is a rotten egg.” She threw her shirt at him and speed-walked toward the bathroom, laughing.

  Two and a half hours later, Grace watched as her parents were led out of their house in handcuffs to the waiting squad cars and reflected on the last few months. How she’d gone from feeling totally alone and depressed to feeling completely free. And loved.

  Logan sat next to her, his arm around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder as they watched the spectacle in front of them. Grace could feel his warmth all along her back and side, and even though she could see the hate and bitterness in both Margaret’s and Walter’s eyes, it didn’t affect her at all.

  She felt nothing toward the people who’d raised her.

  All her feelings were wrapped up in the man behind her and the windfalls he’d brought into her life.

  Turning away from the view of an officer putting his hand on top of her mother’s head as she went to sit in the backseat of a squad car like the criminal she was, Grace looked up at Logan. “I think we need a house with at least four bedrooms.”

  “Four bedrooms, huh?” Logan asked with a small smile. “Any particular reason?”

  “I hope you want kids,” Grace whispered, kissing the skin under his ear.

  “I want kids,” Logan confirmed, then shifted until his mouth was over hers.

  They sat in the backseat of a Castle Rock Police detective’s car and didn’t even notice when Margaret and Walter Mason were driven away to spend what would probably end up being the rest of their lives behind bars.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The Denver Post

  The sensational three-month trial of Margaret Mason, CEO of Mason Architectural Firm, and a leading member of the Castle Rock community, came to a conclusion late last night with the jury finding her guilty of all charges, including extortion, blackmail, and kidnapping. Her husband, Walter Mason, had been found guilty last month of the same crimes.

  Many experts agree that the testimony that sealed her fate came from her daughter, Grace, who detailed years of emotional and mental abuse at the hands of her parents.

  The sentencing will take place next week, where the judge is expected to give Margaret Mason the harshest penalty possible . . . up to twenty years to life with no possibility of parole.

  Turn to page four for an exclusive interview with Brian and Betty Grant.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Logan asked Grace for what seemed like the millionth time as they neared the county jail in Denver where her mother was being held before the sentencing hearing.

  “I’m sure. I need to. I want her to know that as hard as she tried to keep us apart, everything she did since I was sixteen was for naught.” She held up her hand and the diamond resting on her ring finger glittered in the sunlight. “This is going to upset her so badly, I can’t wait.”

  “I never knew you had this evil side,” Logan told her, grabbing her hand and kissing his ring on her finger.

  “And I have one more surprise for her as well.”

  One of Logan’s eyebrows lifted in question.

  “You’ll see. Trust me.”

  “Of course. Come on, let’s get this over with. I have the rest of the afternoon off, and I can think of much better things to do to pass the time.”

  “I thought you had to go to Pueblo for a thing.”

  Logan shrugged, and a smirk cracked over his face. “Blake and Alexis are taking care of it for me.”

  “What’s with them anyway?” Grace asked.

  “No clue. I thought Blake was gonna choke her there for a while, but as it turns out, she’s actually pretty helpful. He took her on as a sort-of intern, and so far, it’s working out.”

  “Are they . . . together?”

  “Blake and Alexis?” Logan asked as if horrified. “No. She’s so not his type.”

  “I wasn’t your type either.”

  “Wrong. You were always perfect for me,” he retorted and kissed her quickly. “The bottom line is that we have the afternoon free. So let’s go rub your mother’s nose in how happy we are, then get on with living that happy life. Yeah?”

  They walked hand in hand into the jail, signed in, went through the metal detectors. Then they were led to a room that looked like a stereotypical visiting room in a prison. Plexiglas separated the visitor from the prisoner and there was a phone hanging on either side of the partition.

  Grace was a bit nervous about the meeting, but having Logan at her side gave her the strength she needed to not take anything her mother said to heart. Logan agreed to let Grace take the lead. He said as long as her mother didn’t try to emotionally manipulate her, he’d let her have her say. But the second she said something hurtful to her daughter, he’d take over and they’d be done.

  That was fine with Grace.

  Margaret Mason was led into the small room by a large, muscular guard. She looked awful, at least twenty years older. Without her fancy clothes and makeup, her true age and her ugly soul were easy to see. The guard removed her shackles and pointed to the cubicle where she was to sit. As if she was at a grand party, her mother strutted over to the chair and sat with all the decorum of sitting at a fancy dining table. She reached for the phone and Grace did the same.

  “Grace, how nice of you to come and see your poor mother after all this time. Still slumming it, I see.”

  The barb didn’t even faze Grace; she’d known it was coming. “Mother. I
hope you’re enjoying your stay.”

  Margaret glared at her daughter through the Plexiglas. “Was there something you wanted?”

  “Yes. I wanted to tell you that you failed. You tried so hard to keep me and Logan apart, but it didn’t work. We were meant to be together, and you can’t mess with something like that. It doesn’t matter that you hid his letters from me. It doesn’t matter that you tried to make me emotionally crippled. You didn’t. And I win.”

  Her mother scowled, then leaned forward and hissed, “I knew from the moment I found out I was pregnant that you’d end up ruining my life. I should’ve killed you before you ever took your first breath. You were never good enough to have the Mason name. Never.”

  Grace held up her left hand, making sure her mother saw the huge diamond that rested on her ring finger. “All I ever wanted was for you to be proud of me, Mother. I lived for the times when you would smile or say something nice. And you knew it. You manipulated me and kept me tied to you and Father with your emotional games. No decent and sane person does that to their child. I don’t understand it and I never will. But I don’t care anymore. I have Logan, his brothers, Felicity, and Cole to stand by my side, and I’m happy. For the first time in my life, I’m truly happy. Next week when the judge sentences you, we’ll be getting married. All your scheming and threats were for nothing. I’m going to be Mrs. Grace Anderson, and there’s absolutely nothing you and Father can do about it.”

  Mrs. Mason turned bright red as she listened to her daughter.

  “Oh, and one more thing you should know.” Grace turned to Logan and put her hand on his cheek. She spoke to him, knowing her mother could still hear her. “I’m pregnant.”

  Logan’s eyes lit up. Grace leaned up and kissed him. A long, slow, carnal kiss that would’ve embarrassed her if she cared one whit what her mother thought of her anymore.

  She pulled back, kept her hand on Logan’s face, and turned to her mother again. “It’s a boy. Actually two. We’re having twins.”

  The look of absolute fury that came over Margaret Mason’s face was priceless. She slammed down the phone and stood up abruptly, knocking over the chair behind her. Grace caught a glimpse of the guard hurrying to her side to grab her arm before Grace felt Logan’s hand firmly under her chin, pulling her face back to his.

  “You’re serious? You aren’t just saying that to piss off your mother?”

  “I’m serious. I’m sorry you heard about it this way, but I just found out yesterday. I didn’t mean to keep it from you, but I wanted to be sure. Since multiples run in your family, I can’t say I’m too surprised by the results of the ultrasound. In about six and a half months, you’re going to be a father.”

  “Fuck, I love you.” Logan kissed, then pulled her into his chest, squeezing her hard.

  Grace laughed and wiggled in his grip. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I believe you said you had the afternoon off?”

  Margaret Mason already forgotten, Logan didn’t answer and merely pulled her up from the chair, hung up the phone that Grace had dropped when he’d hugged her, and headed for the door.

  Grace couldn’t stop smiling as Logan walked impatiently toward his truck, her hand tucked firmly in his. When they left the jail and headed west instead of south to Castle Rock, she asked, “Where are we going?”

  “The Four Seasons. There’s no way I’ll last the thirty minutes it’ll take to get home to Castle Rock with you sitting next to me and my babies inside you. I have to have you or I’ll lose my mind.”

  “Really?” Grace squeaked in a high-pitched, excited tone. “I’ve never been there before!”

  Logan chuckled. “You sound more excited about seeing the fancy hotel than getting naked with me.”

  At his words, her nipples peaked. Even after all this time and everything they’d done together, he could still arouse her with mere words. And the thought of what Logan could, and would, do to her, made her squirm in her seat and her nipples ache.

  She figured it was the pregnancy, but her breasts had become extremely sensitive. Another side effect was that she was horny as hell and needed Logan more than ever. So checking into a hotel for a few hours of hot, kinky sex was more than all right with her.

  “Oh, I’m excited about staying at the Four Seasons, but if it was a contest, you’d win hands down every time.” She picked up Logan’s hand and kissed the two large pink birds on his forearm. He’d had them inked just like he’d said he would. But he’d done more than just inked the two birds. He’d had the artist add an entire tree around the birds in the special ink. And in the trunk of the tree, right below the two pink birds, was a heart with their initials inside. It was beautiful, and all theirs.

  “I love you, Logan Anderson. If given the chance to live my life over again, I wouldn’t change one thing. I’d go through it all again, every bit of it, if it meant I ended up right here, with you.”

  Logan looked over at her, and she saw the love shining in his eyes. For her. He put his hand over her slightly swollen belly and said in a reverent voice, “I dreamed I’d someday find a woman who loved me for who I am and maybe have a family, but I never, ever thought I’d have a second chance with you. You’ve made me the happiest man alive, Smarty.”

  “Shut up and drive, Logan. You need to take care of your horny wife.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He kept his hand on her stomach, smiling as Grace put her own hand on top of his and intertwined their fingers. “I fucking love you so much, Grace. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for giving me a second chance.”

  Four hours later, as Grace was soaking in the large Jacuzzi tub, Logan picked up his phone and dialed his brother.

  “Blake here.”

  “Hey, it’s Logan.”

  “What’s up? How’d the visit go?”

  “Grace told me she’s pregnant with my twin sons.”

  “Holy shit,” Blake breathed. “Seriously?”

  “Yes.”

  “Congratulations. Fuck, that’s awesome. Where are you?” Blake asked.

  “Not home. We’ll be staying the night up here in Denver tonight. Tomorrow we have an appointment with her doctor so I can see the ultrasound and hear my sons’ heartbeats for the first time.”

  “Got it. Have fun with your fiancée,” Blake told his brother happily.

  “I always do.” They both chuckled, then Logan said, “I’ll be in the office tomorrow, but not until later.”

  “Grace too?”

  “Yeah. She’s already learned so much from her marketing classes and wants to redo our website completely and put up a Facebook page. She muttered something about pixels and web traffic and targeted ads. It all went over my head, but if it makes her happy and helps the business, I’m all for it.”

  “You’re a lucky son of a bitch, bro. I’m extremely happy for you.”

  “Thanks. Your time is coming.”

  “Oh no. No matchmaking. Just because you found your high school crush, and it all worked out, doesn’t mean we all want to be tied down.”

  “Whatever.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

  “Fine. Later.”

  Logan hung up the phone and smiled thinking about the mother-to-be waiting for him to join her in the tub. Grace had mentioned something about trying wall sex before she got too big for him to pick up.

  He strode toward the bathroom, shedding the towel around his waist as he went. Standing in the doorway, looking down at the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, Logan thanked God for the goodness in his life. Lord knew he didn’t really deserve it, but he wasn’t looking a gift horse in the mouth. His life couldn’t be better, and he would hold on to their happiness with everything he had.

  “Was that Logan?” Alexis asked from the desk across from Blake.

  “Yeah. He and Grace are spending the night up in Denver tonight. They’ll be in tomorrow.”

  “Cool. Hey, I wa
s looking over the notes from her parents’ case and something’s bothering me.”

  Blake looked over at Alexis. He hadn’t really thought he’d like her much. She was a couple of years younger than him, for one thing, and he usually went for older, more experienced chicks, but Alexis had grown on him. She was smart, she’d picked up the basics of being an investigator really quickly, and she certainly wasn’t hard on the eyes.

  It was difficult to admit, considering his initial reluctance about her involvement with the Mason case, but he enjoyed spending time with her.

  Realizing she was looking at him expectantly, he said, “What’s that?”

  “The gang member that the Masons hired to take those awful pictures with Grace and my brother . . .” her voice trailed off uncertainly.

  “What about him?” Blake asked.

  “The gang he’s with, the Inca Boyz . . . I’m thinking this gang is bad news. I know that’s not exactly a revelation. They’ve been on the Denver PD’s radar for years. But with their leader, Donovan, behind bars for what he did to Brad and Grace, at least for a few months, maybe we can look more into these guys and see what else they’ve been up to.”

  “You don’t think we have enough on our plates with the security escorts and investigations? It’s been both a blessing and a curse that Ace Security has gotten so much media attention after Grace’s ordeal. I’m not sure we have the time to look into a gang up in Denver just for the fun of it,” Blake told Alexis, “especially when the Denver Gang Task Force hasn’t found what they need to bring it down.”

  When she opened her mouth to argue with him, he held up his hand to stop her. “With that being said . . . I agree. It doesn’t sit well with me either that Margaret was able to so easily get in contact with them and hire them to do her dirty work. Who knows how many other Margarets are out there hiring them.”

  “So . . . I can look into them?” Alexis asked. Then added, “Discreetly, of course.”

  Blake nodded. “Yeah. Discreetly, Alexis. The last thing we need is them getting wind that you’re looking into their shit and deciding to come after you.”