Grace Under Fire

by Beverly Barton

  All the while they were being held up doing their duty as responsible citizens, Jed kept getting that uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  He leaned over and said quietly to Dom, "I can finish things up here. I want you to check around the block. Just look for anything suspicious. I'm getting some odd vibes."

  "Danger signals?" Dom asked.

  "Call me crazy, but I can't shake the notion that something is fixing to happen."

  "You think Fortier is going to strike out at Grace today? Is that it?"

  "Maybe. I don't know. All I know is that my gut instincts are telling me something's wrong. Bad wrong."

  "I'll check the block, then keep watch outside. I can grab a late lunch later." Dom shot across the street and disappeared around the corner beside Rudy's. Jed completed his report to Officer LeBeck, then went straight to Grace's Rolls. He pecked on the window to gain Nolan's attention. The old man opened the door and started to get out, but Jed motioned for him to stay put.

  "Have you stayed with the car every minute since leaving Belle Foret earlier today?" Jed asked.

  Nolan gave Jed a puzzled look. "Yes, sir. Miss Grace told me to wait and not return home since she had made plans for lunch in town." He pointed to the CD and tape player. "I listen to books on tape while I wait."

  "So there's no way anyone could have tampered with the Rolls today?"

  "No, sir, not unless he was invisible."

  Jed released a relieved sigh. He could rule out a car bomb. But his relief was short-lived. He just couldn't shake this nagging sense of unease.

  "Is there something wrong, sir?" Nolan asked.

  "No. You go back to your book on tape," Jed told him. "I'm just being cautious."

  Nolan closed the car door. Jed turned around just as Dom came around the building.

  "Anything?" Jed asked.

  "Nothing obvious," Dom said.

  "Damn!"

  "Go on in and have lunch with Ms. Beaumont and the others," Dom suggested. "I'll keep watch out here."

  Before Jed could reply, the front doors to Rudy's swung open and Grace came rushing outside, Kate at her side. Holy hell. His mind screamed, "Go back inside!"

  "She wouldn't stay put," Kate said. "She was concerned because y'all were taking so long."

  "Jed, is everything all right?" Grace asked.

  Suddenly, from out of nowhere a shot rang out. Kate knocked Grace to the sidewalk, covered Grace with her body and pulled her 9 mm, all in record time. Simultaneously Dom pulled his weapon and took cover, while Jed rushed toward Grace. Another shot rang out.

  "Second story window across the street," Dom hollered. "Man with a rifle."

  "Go after him," Jed ordered as he went down on his knees beside Grace and Kate. He lifted Kate up and when he did, he saw that both she and Grace were covered in blood. Bright red, fresh blood. Grace lay flat on her back on the sidewalk, her face chalk-white, her beige blouse and brown silk jacket soaked in blood.

  "Grace? God damn it, Blondie, why didn't you stay inside and wait for me?"

  * * *

  Chapter 19

  « ^ »

  The waiting room of St. Camille Hospital's surgery unit held an assortment of concerned men and women. Dom Shea paced the floor in a circle, then went into the hall and tromped restlessly up and down the long corridor. J.J. Blair stood gazing out the row of windows overlooking the rear parking lot. Hudson Prentice sat alone in the corner, practically comatose, not saying a word nor responding to anything said to him. Elsa Leone perched precariously on the edge of the vinyl sofa right beside Grace, while Jed kept guard on the other side. When Jed had first realized that it was Kate who'd been hit and not Grace, he'd been thankful, relieved that Grace wasn't hurt, then felt guilty because of Kate. She'd taken a bullet in the shoulder, which had gone clean through and cut out a chunk of flesh as it exited. All the blood on Kate and Grace had belonged to Kate, who'd risked her life to save the client, as she'd been trained to do. Dom blamed himself. Jed blamed himself. Hell, even Grace said it was all her fault. In a case like this, there was always enough blame to go around.

  Even now, four hours after arriving at the hospital, Grace's face was still pale and her hands, which she held tightly in her lap, still trembled. And despite Elsa's best efforts to wash off the blood from Grace's clothes when she'd taken her employer into the ladies' room shortly after they'd arrived, her jacket, skirt and blouse still held the copper-red stains, slightly faded and smudged, but plainly evident. Kate's blood had splattered Grace's face and hair, which Elsa had managed to clean quite well.

  "What time is it?" Grace asked.

  "Six-twenty-five," Elsa replied, her gaze focused on the electric wall clock above the door.

  "Kate's been in surgery over four hours," Grace said. "Why is it taking so long? Why hasn't someone come out and told us how she's doing?" Although Grace's eyes remained dry, her voice quivered with emotion.

  Jed put his arm around Grace's shoulders and pulled her to him, then he reached down and covered her tightly clasped, shaky hands with one of his hands, then squeezed. "Let me take you home. You're exhausted and filthy and—"

  "After Kate comes out of surgery. Not until then." She looked at him, a strained expression on her face, and he realized she was doing her level best not to cry.

  "Sure thing. We'll stay right here."

  "I wish Dom had been able to find the rifleman before he got away," Grace said. "If he was a hired killer, the police won't be able to find him, will they?"

  "The guy who pulled the trigger isn't all that important," Jed told her. "It's the man who hired him that we want. And even if the police were to apprehend the shooter, he won't give up the name of his employer."

  "Booth Fortier."

  Jed nodded.

  "It could have been me. It was supposed to be me. If Kate hadn't—" Grace's voice cracked.

  Rafe Devlin showed up in the doorway, a wild look in his eyes. "How's Kate? I just got word that she'd taken a bullet for Ms. Beaumont."

  Before Jed could respond, Elsa stared at Rafe and asked, "Who is that man?"

  "Another Dundee agent," Grace replied.

  "Oh … yes, of course," Elsa said. "I should have known."

  Jed wasn't sure why Elsa fixed her gaze on Rafe, but he got the feeling that she knew him … or thought she knew him.

  J.J. came away from the window and met Rafe at the door. "Kate's in surgery. We're just waiting to hear something."

  "How bad was it?" Rafe asked.

  "Bad enough," J.J. said. "But probably not lethal."

  "Thank God."

  A cell phone rang. Everyone glanced around trying to figure out whose phone was ringing.

  "Mr. Prentice, I believe that's your phone," Elsa said.

  Hudson Prentice nodded, then reached into his jacket and pulled out the phone, hit the On button and placed the phone to his ear. "Yes?"

  All eyes were on Sheffield Media, Inc.'s senior vice-president.

  "It's a business call," Prentice said, speaking for the first time since arriving at the hospital. "I'll take it in the men's room."

  A couple of minutes after Hudson disappeared into the rest room, Dr. Williamson came to the waiting area and asked for Kate Malone's family. All four Dundee agents went straight to him.

  "Ms. Malone came through surgery without any complications," the doctor said. "She's young and strong and the bullet didn't hit any vital organs or sever a major artery. Barring any unexpected problems, I anticipate a full recovery. Of course, as with all cases of this type, the first twenty-four hours are crucial."

  "When can we see her?" J.J. asked.

  "She'll be in Surgical Intensive Care for several days. Check with the SIC nurses about a visiting time."

  Dom followed up with half a dozen more questions, which the doctor answered, then when Dr. Williamson left, Dom said, "I'll stay here tonight. I can bunk out on the sofa." He looked at Jed. "Is that okay with you?"

  "Yes, it's fine." Jed glanced
from Rafe to J.J. "You two will stay with us at Belle Foret, then the three of you can take shifts here at the hospital until we know Kate's out of the woods. And you will also be able to provide backup protection for Grace."

  "Sounds like a plan to me," J.J. said. "Should we ask for a replacement agent for Kate?"

  Jed grimaced. "I don't think that will be necessary." He glanced at Rafe and then at Dom. "Do we all agree we can handle things with the team that's in place?"

  "Yeah," Rafe replied.

  Dom nodded.

  "I'm taking Grace home now," Jed told them.

  "Do you need me to go home with you?" Elsa asked Grace.

  "Thank you, but no. You should go home. Troy's coming by this evening, isn't he?"

  "Oh, God, in all the hullabaloo I'd forgotten."

  "You go see your brother. I'll be all right," Grace said. "Jed will take good care of me."

  "You can count on that." Jed helped Grace to her feet, then led her from the waiting room. As he passed J.J. and Rafe, he said, "J.J., you come with us now. Go to the parking area and ask Nolan to bring the Rolls around." J.J. nodded, then hurried down the hall. Jed looked at Rafe. "Check on Prentice." Jed caught the look of understanding in Rafe's eyes. "When you find him, tell him to go home."

  "Will do."

  A few minutes later when Jed, Grace and J.J. emerged from the elevator on the first floor, Grace stopped abruptly. "Oh, mercy. I didn't think to call Laverna and tell her not to follow through with our special plans for dinner."

  "Don't worry about it," Jed assured her. "Nolan's been in touch with her. I'm sure she realized whatever dinner plans you'd made needed to be canceled."

  "Yes, I'm sure she did."

  While J.J. left to instruct Nolan, Jed remained alert to every sound, every movement, taking nothing for granted, least of all Grace's safety. A couple of minutes later, J.J. motioned to him and he hurried Grace through the hospital lobby and straight to the Rolls parked at the curb. J.J. waited by the door, her violet-blue eyes scanning the area all around the car. When the three of them were encased in the back seat, Jed gave Nolan the go-ahead and the chauffeur eased the car from the circular drive onto the street. Jed put his arm around Grace. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed heavily. And it was in that one moment he realized exactly how much Grace meant to him. Everything. Absolutely everything.

  * * *

  "I told you that I wouldn't stand for Grace being hurt," Hudson Prentice said into the phone. "Somebody tried to kill her today and shot one of her bodyguards instead. You tell Fortier that I'll go to the police and tell them what I know. I swear I will."

  "Go to the police," Oliver Neville told him. "You have no evidence. I've been the go-between for you and Booth and if you tell the police some wild tale, I'll simply deny it."

  "You egotistical son-of-a-bitch, do you think they'd take your word over mine? They know you're as crooked and underhanded as Fortier is."

  "What they know and what they can prove are two different things."

  "Damn you. Damn Fortier."

  "Calm down, shut up and listen. Grace Beaumont is a liability. She has to be eliminated. I know you have a thing for her, but she hasn't reciprocated your feelings in four years, so it's a good guess that she never will."

  "You don't know that!"

  "Look, you hang in there, play ball with us and you'll be running Sheffield Media, Inc. in a few weeks. After all, with Ms. Beaumont out of the picture, who else but you would the board choose to become the next CEO?"

  Hudson became silent as he weighed his options. He loved Grace. She was the woman he longed to possess. But Ollie was right—Grace didn't return his feelings. She would never be his. But Sheffield Media, Inc. could be his to control.

  "What do you want me to do?" Hudson asked.

  "Now, that's more like it. Booth likes cooperation. He rewards team players."

  Hudson shuddered. He didn't want to be on Booth Fortier's team. He never had. He should have thought about that sooner—like four years ago, when Ollie first contacted him and dangled the carrot in front of his nose, promising him Grace and Sheffield Media, Inc. in exchange for cooperation and information. He had made a deal with the devil and lived to regret it. But once a man made a blood pact with Fortier, he could never again he free. He was doomed for life.

  "Like I said, what do you want me to do?"

  "What do you know about a kid named Troy Leone?" Ollie asked.

  "Leone? He's Elsa's kid brother, but I don't know anything about him except he's given Elsa a lot of trouble."

  "How close are Elsa and Grace Beaumont?"

  "How close? Elsa is Grace's assistant." Hudson wondered where this game of Twenty Questions was leading.

  "What about their personal relationship, Grace and Elsa's?"

  "They're friends."

  "Good friends?"

  "Yes, very good friends."

  "How far would Grace go to save her good friend Elsa's little brother?"

  "Damn, is that what this is all about? You plan to use the kid to get to Grace."

  "Maybe."

  Hudson felt awful, felt like the lowest pond scum. How had he sunk so low? He loved Grace, didn't he? How could he betray her this way? How could he offer her head on a silver platter to Booth Fortier? "Is that it? Is that why you called me?"

  "That was one thing … but there's something else."

  "What?" Hudson dreaded to even consider Ollie's response.

  "Is Grace Beaumont still at the hospital?"

  "She was a few minutes ago."

  "If she's still there, then give her this information now. If she's gone home, pay her a visit this evening and inform her that the man she trusts so implicitly, her big, tough bodyguard, Jed Tyree, is none other than Booth Fortier's nephew."

  "The hell you say! Tyree is Fortier's nephew?"

  "That's right. Booth told me so himself."

  "I don't understand any of this. You said you thought Tyree's name sounded familiar, but you didn't know who he was. Now you tell me—"

  "Tyree left the organization seventeen years ago. I didn't go to work for Booth until several years later and he never mentioned his nephew."

  "Why tell Grace? If Tyree is working for—"

  "He's not Fortier's ally. Jed Tyree is his uncle's enemy and he poses a problem for Booth, being Ms. Beaumont's protector. Once she learns who he is, she'll dismiss him, maybe even dismiss the whole Dundee force. But at the very least, she'll distrust him completely."

  "And you want me to be the one to deliver the bad news? Well, tell me this—how is it that I'm supposed to have come by this revealing information? I'm sure you don't want me to tell Grace that it came straight from Booth Fortier, do you?"

  Ollie chuckled. "Tell her you got an anonymous phone call. That will explain this call and give her an explanation as to how you found out about Tyree."

  "Once she fires Tyree, what if I can persuade her to forget about the investigation? Would Fortier allow her to live?"

  "You really are hung up on the bitch, aren't you?" Ollie sighed dramatically. "Hasn't anybody ever told you that they're all alike in the dark? Start looking for another woman. Grace Beaumont is history."

  * * *

  As the massive wrought-iron gates to Belle Foret opened for them and the Rolls entered the long driveway, Jed's cell phone rang. Grace glanced up at him, but didn't lift her head from his shoulder.

  He grabbed the phone, hit the On button and said, "Tyree here."

  "Listen very carefully," Dante Moran told him. "We need you to get a message to Jim Kelly and since you have a good excuse to go see your uncle tonight, we figure this is the right time."

  "What excuse would that be?" Jed felt J.J. and Grace watching him.

  "An attempt was made on Grace Beaumont's life. A Dundee agent was seriously wounded. You should be outraged," Moran said. "You should want to tell your uncle that it's war between the two of you, that you'll kill him if he comes near Ms. Beaumont again."
>
  "That excuse would work if I was a hotheaded idiot." Jed paused, considering the possibilities. "Oh, I see. The hotheaded idiot is the part you want me to play."

  "You got it. And while you're visiting your uncle, find a way to let Jim know he should be ready in seventy-two hours. It's all coming together and he needs to be prepared. We don't want Booth Fortier slipping through our fingers at the last minute."

  "I understand."

  "Contact me if anything goes wrong. Otherwise I'll know the stage is set on that end."

  Jed hit the Off button, then looked from Grace to J.J. "I'm going to pay Booth Fortier another visit. Tonight."

  Grace gasped. "No. Why would you—"

  "J.J. will stay with you," he said. J.J. nodded. "And Rafe should be on in a little while."

  "I'm not worried about me." Grace lifted her head from his shoulder, her gaze focusing tenderly on his face. "I'm concerned what may happen to you if you go see that despicable man again."

  Jed cupped her face in the cradle between his thumb and forefinger. "This is all going to be over soon. And you'll be safe. I promise."

  "Will you be safe?"

  "Don't worry about me, Blondie. I always land on my feet."

  * * *

  Instead of the romantic dinner that Grace had planned, she shared sandwiches in the kitchen with J.J. Blair. She liked the other female Dundee agent, whose effervescent personality was a contrast to Kate Malone's gentle, demure manner. J.J. moved quickly, talked fast, exuded an aura of frantic energy. Petite and vivacious, she looked nothing like a person's idea of a bodyguard. But in their dinner conversation, Grace had learned that this little ball of fire was not only a weapons expert, but she had mastered several martial arts. How deceptive that pretty face, that Elizabeth Taylor black hair and violet eyes were, Grace thought.

  To pass the time, they decided to settle into the den and watch a documentary about ancient Egypt on the Discovery Channel. Rafe had phoned to tell J.J. he'd be arriving in about an hour, that he'd gone out and gotten supper for Dom and him. Both Grace and J.J. were concerned about Kate, although Rafe had said that the nurses had allowed them to go into the SIC unit to see Kate at seven and she was resting peacefully. And they were both worried about Jed. J.J. as his friend and Dundee comrade. Grace as his lover.