Grace Under Fire
Page 16
“Good girl. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to break your finger.”
Grace glared at him.
He grinned. “Now, is that a way to look at your long-dead husband, Gracie? You’d think you’d be happy I was here to take you away from that—” He pointed to Cord. “—dumb bastard.” He grabbed her by the hair and brought her face to his.
Pain-induced tears clouded Grace’s eyes as he smashed his lips to hers. He pulled back and his eyes were filled with passion. “I’m going to enjoy having sex with you this time, Grace. I have a feeling you won’t just lie still.”
“You keep your filthy hands off her, Vince!” Cord bellowed from across the room. “I swear I’ll kill you, Goddamn it!”
“How you going to do that, Cord?” Vince laughed. “You seemed to be all tied up at the moment.”
Grace kicked Vince in the gut and scrambled away. He grabbed her leg and dragged her back, smacking her hard across the face. She saw stars.
Grace felt numb inside when Vince ripped at the neckline of her shirt and tore it apart, exposing the skin beneath.
From somewhere in the room, she heard a crash and wood splintering.
What was happening? Had Cord gotten loose? If so, what was he going to do?
One minute, she was fighting to get Vince off her; the next, a pair of handcuffed hands came up around Vince’s throat and lifted him from her.
Cord!
She glanced over to see the chair he’d been sitting in turned over, one of its rungs split in two. Cord stood, the chain of the cuffs cutting into Vince’s throat, her husband’s tanned face turning red. “I should break your neck, Diaglo. It’s what you deserve.”
“You can’t kill him, Cord,” Grace pleaded. She might not love Vince any longer, but she didn’t want Cord to kill him.
“Call nine-one-one,” Cord snapped, his eyes turning liquid silver.
Was he angry with her for not letting him kill Vincent?
She raced to the phone. She had no time to contemplate that now. The police had to be called.
Grace Under Fire
Chapter Twenty-Five
Cord stood in the Bay Court parking lot as two uniformed policemen loaded the now-handcuffed Vince into a patrol car. A large crowd had gathered since they’d arrived. He never had understood what the fascination was about someone being arrested.
He glanced to his right. Grace sat in the back of an ambulance, being examined by paramedics.
Cord had no idea where he stood with her. Even after her husband had tried to rape her, she’d still protected him. He’d wanted to strangle the life out of Vince after the abuse he’d inflicted on her, but the look of terror in Grace’s eyes had stopped him.
Why should she care what happened to her unfaithful, murderous husband? Did she still love him, even after he’d killed her parents? Would she stand by him at trial?
He cleared the emotion clogging his throat. It was hard to look at her, not knowing what she was going to do.
Cord had so many questions, and Grace was the only person who could give him answers. His heart ached at the idea of living without her. He’d already lived too many years lonely and unsure of himself, and he couldn’t live that way any longer. He wanted Grace. She’d filled his heart with so much love and hope for a normal life.
He’d pictured them as husband and wife, with a comfortable home and a couple of blond kids. He never would have fathomed they’d be part of a dream of his, but with Grace, he wanted a family.
He’d watched Emily’s husband beam with love for their son. It would be that way for him, too.
His mother might have jaded him with her coldness, but his feelings for his children would never be anything but warm and loving. He knew that, now. Grace had made him see that he was worthy as a man and would also be as a father. But would she share his dream?
He closed his eyes. Grace held the key to his happiness in her delicate hands, and that scared him more than anything else. He had no control over what she felt.
“Cord,” Grace whispered from behind him.
He opened his eyes and turned to face her. She stood clutching a blanket around her.
“You okay?” He wanted to grab her and hold on tight, but he wasn’t sure she’d let him.
She nodded, her eyes clouding up. “I can’t believe this is real. I feel like I’m in a nightmare I can’t wake from.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty hard to believe that Vince is alive.”
“My husband comes back from the dead to tell me he killed my parents. Do you think they’ll be able to find them, Cord?”
“That depends on Vince. If he’ll confess to their murders and lead authorities to their bodies, then there’s a possibility.”
“If he doesn’t?”
“Even if we can’t recover the bodies, we can put him away. He did tell us he killed them. If we testify to that, hopefully he’ll see the inside of a prison cell for the rest of his life. Would you be willing to do that? Do you want Vince to pay for your parents’ deaths?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Of course. Why would you even ask that?”
Cord threaded his fingers through his hair, unsure of what to say. Should he confront her about his uncertainties of where her loyalties lie? Hell, hadn’t there been enough secrets between them? It was time to be completely honest with Grace and see where they stood. If she was going to stand behind Vince, then it was best for him to know now so that he could move on with his life.
Grace was dumbfounded by Cord’s question. Why would he even ask if she wanted her husband to go to jail? He could rot away in prison for all she cared. She’d never admit it, but she’d wanted Cord to strangle the life out of him. The only thing keeping her from telling him to do it was that Cord could’ve risked going to jail himself. She couldn’t take that chance. How she wished Vincent had died in that car. Her mom and dad would still be alive if he had. They would be enjoying their first grandson right now. But that would never happen, because of a man she’d brought into their lives. A man who claimed to have loved her. A murderer. Could Vincent get the death penalty for what he’d done? She hoped so.
“Grace, I need to know what you’re going to do,” Cord said, drawing her back to him.
“Do? What do you mean?”
“About Vince? Will you stand by him?”
Grace’s jaw dropped. How could he think she’d forgive her husband for what he’d done? She’d never be that big a fool. “I can’t believe you’d even ask. I’ll do whatever it takes to put Vincent away. He deserves to die for what he did to my parents, not to mention the mechanic he killed to stage his death.”
Cord’s expression changed, the deep frown leaving his face. He’d actually been worried she’d stick by her husband. He clearly had no idea how much she loved him.
“We need to talk, Cord.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably. He was as nervous as she about what their future held.
“Maybe we should talk in my car.” He gestured to the crowd gathering behind them.
Grace nodded, and he led her to the passenger side and opened the door. She sat thinking about what to say as he came around to get in.
Once he was seated next to her, she lost all bravado. She wasn’t sure what to say. What if he didn’t love her as much she loved him?
“Grace, these last few days have been the happiest of my life. I wanted you to know that.”
Grace’s heart tightened at Cord’s confession. Was he telling her that he loved her? She needed to hear him say the words.
“I feel the same way, Cord. You’ve made me realize I need more than my work to be happy. I want what my sister has. A home. A loving husband. Children.”
A deep-set frown appeared on his face again, and it worried Grace. Was he having second thoughts about them? Did he wish he could take back what he’d said? “Tell me what you’re thinking, Cord.”
He reached for her hand. “Do you want all those things...with me?”
Grace was shock
ed he’d even ask. Had his insecurities been holding him back from telling her what was in his heart?
Somehow she had to reassure him that he was the man she wanted to be with, the man she chose to have as the father of her children. “I love you, Cord. You’re the man I want—even if there’s a chance I might lose you.”
Tears filled her eyes when she saw the emotion in his.
He did love her. He didn’t have to say one word. It was written in his eyes—eyes that, up until that moment, had held such sadness in their blue depths.
Something new radiated there now, and she’d do whatever it took to keep it shining.
“I love you so much, Grace.” His voice broke with emotion. “You’re my redemption—my saving grace. He smiled. “Will you marry me and keep me on the straight and narrow?”
She nodded. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I don’t know how straight and narrow our path will be, but I promise to walk with you, side by side, for long as we both live.”
Cord pulled her to him and kissed her—a kiss that proved to Grace that he loved her and no matter what happened from that day forward, they’d deal with it together.
Epilogue
Grace slipped into the ivory lace gown, nervous and excited about what lay ahead for her.
Soon, she’d walk down the aisle of the small church and become Mrs. Cord Rawlings. She’d thought this day would never come. Not with all that had happened. Vincent would be going on trial in another few weeks, along with Jack Neil, Mike Tidwell, and Anthony Prince. All were involved in police corruption, though Tidwell and Prince knew nothing about the murder of Martin Andrews. That was strictly Vincent and Jack Neil’s doing. Prince and Tidwell hadn’t even known Vincent was still alive.
The mess was finally behind her. Grace’s petition for a divorce had been granted. Vincent had been pressured into signing the papers. She was free to marry the man she loved—finally able to move on with her life and be happy. The house had been given to Grace outright and, in turn, she’d deeded it to Martin Andrews’ wife. Grace had wanted nothing to do with Vince’s dirty money, and it had just felt right to give it to the woman who had suffered at the hands of her ex-husband.
A light rap and Emily’s voice brought Grace back to her task of getting dressed.
“Need some help?” Emily closed the door and came to stand by her.
“You could button me up.” Grace turned her back to her sister.
“I’d be honored. I have to tell you, I saw Cord. I’ve never seen a man so happy.”
Grace smiled. “He really loves me, doesn’t he?”
Emily returned her smile. “Absolutely. You two are going to be so happy together. When are you going to tell Cord about the baby?”
Grace’s smiled widened. “Tonight. When I think he’s ready for the news.”
She slipped into her shoes. “What do you think?” She whirled, the train of the dress flowing around her.
“I think you’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”
“I don’t know about beautiful, but I’m happy. The only thing that would have made today better is if Mom and Dad could have been here to witness our union.”
Emily hugged Grace tight. “I miss them, too, but they’re here in spirit. They’d be so happy for you, like I am. I know you and Cord will be as happy as Charlie and I are.”
Grace’s eyes clouded with tears. In a perfect world she couldn’t have asked for a better sister.
“Don’t cry. You’ll ruin your makeup,” Emily scolded. “You don’t want to look as if you aren’t happy to be making the trip down the aisle.”
Grace took a calming breath and, from the next room, “Wedding March” started.
“Are you ready?” Emily asked.
“I’ve never been more ready in my life.”
A word about the author...
Jerri Drennen is a published author of romance suspense and contemporary romance.
She was born in Omaha, NE, then raised on a farm in a tiny town in Minnesota where she acquired her love of storytelling. After meeting her husband, she relocated to his hometown in Missouri where they now live with two of their four children, an ivory lab named Max and their newest addition, Shadow a spitfire tabby cat. Jerri loves to hear from readers.
Visit her at http://jerridrennen.com/
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Table of Contents
Grace Under Fire
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five