The Way of Grace (Miller's Creek Novels)

by Bryant, Cathy

  The other woman searched her face as though not quite sure how to believe her.

  Gracie rose to her feet to remove her coat, but stayed close. “I read in the paper that you’re under investigation. Is that why you’re so upset?”

  Elena nodded and stared off into space, her eyes unblinking.

  Should she ask if there were another reason for the tears? Gracie took in Elena’s fragile emotional state and decided against bringing up Jason directly. Maybe a backdoor approach was best. “Did you take a bribe to affect the outcome of the Simmons case?”

  Again she nodded.

  Gracie tossed her coat to a nearby chair. “Why?”

  “He would’ve killed me. He also threatened to have our daughter institutionalized if I didn’t cooperate.”

  The words chilled Gracie to the bone. Was he capable of such behavior? The answer flashed to her brain in neon red. “Jason?”

  “Yes. He’s more powerful than anyone realizes. His grandfather is the head of the drug cartel in Columbia, and is responsible for buying off political positions in the state government to get drugs smuggled into the country.”

  “Columbia? How did he get the British accent?”

  “His father was a British diplomat. His mother is Columbian.”

  Gracie searched the woman’s face, but found no evidence to suggest she was lying. The story Jason had told her at his house by the lake had only been partially true, while Elena’s story explained so many things, like how she and Jason could afford to live so luxuriously. But there were still unanswered questions. “I asked your mother for information about Jason, but she told me she didn’t know him.”

  “His real name is Alessandro Delgado.”

  Her brain revved to high speed. If what Elena said was true—and she had no reason to disbelieve it—then Jason was more dangerous than she could’ve ever imagined. And he was somewhere nearby. Of that she was certain. She knelt beside Elena, intentionally keeping her voice low. “Where’s Jessie?”

  “Asleep in her room. Why?”

  “And how quickly can we get her and your mother and get out of here?”

  Elena paled. “He’s here, isn’t he?” Her whispered words blasted the scent of alcohol.

  Gracie nodded. “His car was hidden behind the big oak tree next to your house when I got here.” If Matt hadn’t shown up, she wouldn’t have even seen it. How she wished she hadn’t been so quick to send him away.

  A closet door opened and shut behind them, snapping them both to a standing position. Jason, his face an impenetrable mask, approached slowly, and something glinted from his gloved hands.

  A gun.

  24

  Matt steered onto the side of the road and killed the engine, his heart in turmoil. He groaned and leaned his head against the steering wheel. Something just didn’t add up. He’d seen with his own two eyes how glad Gracie had been to see him, had glimpsed the loving concern in her eyes when she’d brought her fingertips to the bandage on the side of his head. Then, in less than a heartbeat, she’d told him she and Jason were in a serious relationship and it would be best for him to leave.

  Frozen rain spattered against the windshield and stuck there. He forced the torturous thoughts and pictures of his last encounter with Gracie through his brain. There had to be a way to unravel all of this. One minute he’d actually hoped he was getting through to her about Jason, and then . . .

  He sat up in the seat, his back ramrod straight. His car. She’d seen Jason’s car and immediately sent him packing. Matt’s mind travelled to the night he’d found her screaming on the doorstep. One minute she’d been practically catatonic, but after he’d checked outside, he returned to a totally different Gracie. She’d sent him packing that night, too.

  Matt pounded a palm against the steering wheel, partly in excitement that she knew the truth about Jason, but mostly in fear she was in danger. She’d intentionally lied both times, all for the purpose of protecting him.

  Gracie loved him.

  His chest tightened and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end in spite of the new revelation. She was in danger, and now it was time for him to protect her. He reached for his cell phone. Ernie needed to know about the situation brewing at Elena’s house. He clicked the button to turn on his phone, but the phone diddly-dinked and the screen went dark. No time to waste. He’d drive to the police station and tell Ernie what was going on, then hurry back out to Elena’s house. But what if he got there too late?

  Matt tossed the phone to the passenger seat and cranked the ignition, his mind on one thing and one thing only—to get back to Gracie as soon as possible. The starter whirred for a moment, but died down to a click. No. This couldn’t be happening. He tried the key again. This time just a click.

  He yanked a flashlight from the glove box and opened the car door just as a gust of wind sent bits of ice biting into his face. His body shivered in response, so he zipped his coat and pulled the collar up over his ears. In a few seconds time, he had the hood raised and located the problem. The posts on the battery were corroded. He wiggled the cables back and forth to dislodge the powdery-white deposits then tried the car again.

  This time the Pinto started right up. He quickly lowered the hood and climbed back in, trying to decide what to do. Lord, keep her safe, and give me wisdom.

  Matt turned the defroster to high and flipped on the windshield wipers. Though the lights of Miller’s Creek beckoned ahead, he’d already used up too much time. He put the car in gear, pulled the steering wheel hard to the left, and turned around. Hopefully he’d be able to use Elena’s phone to call the police—if he needed to.

  In horror, Gracie watched Jason moved to the large double doors, flick the locking mechanism into place, and gaze around the room with unnerving calm. “Beautiful space, Elena. You always did have an eye for beauty.”

  He focused his attention on Gracie. “You’re too good for her, Graciela. While I applaud your good heart, don’t waste your time trying to help her.” Without blinking or any change in his demeanor, he took a step closer to where the two women stood.

  Beside her, Elena shivered violently. Lord, help me. Though her heart pounded furiously in her chest, Gracie quietly drew a breath, pulling from a power deep within. No matter what, she had to protect Elena. The woman’s eternal destiny depended on it. “Jason, you don’t want to do this.” How could her voice sound so calm, when her heart threatened to leap from her chest? She moved slowly in his direction until she stood a few feet away and gazed up into his always-hooded eyes, the same eyes that had drawn her in like a moth to a flame on more than one occasion.

  Sobs once more erupted from Elena. “Alex, please.” Her trembling voice pleaded in the midst of her tears.

  “Alex? Your name is Alex?” Maybe questions would provide a diversion while she figured out a way to get the gun from him.

  He brought his steady gaze back to her. “Alessandro, but don’t let it worry you, love. I’ll explain everything. After I do what I have to do, we’ll go away where we’ll be safe. You don’t have to be afraid. You belong to me, and I have the means to keep you safe.”

  A shudder coursed through her body like an electrical shock. She tried her best to not appear afraid, but if he hadn’t already seen her shiver, surely he sensed the fear in her heart.

  Gracie faced Elena. “Why didn’t you tell me the two of you were once married?” She intentionally raised her voice and infused her tone with anger on the off chance Consuela would hear.

  “Once?” Elena shot a poisoned glance at Jason, and a laugh loaded with contempt sounded from her throat. She raised the shot glass to her lips and downed the remaining liquid. “We’re still married. I wanted a divorce but he wouldn’t give it to me without dragging my name and reputation through the mud and putting our daughter away in a home.”

  The words rang true. “Is that the truth?” She directed her question at Jason this time, and tried to sound hurt. “All this time, you were married to her?”
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  He glanced quickly between the two women. “I told you I can explain. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

  “Don’t believe him, Grace. He talks a good game, but if you go with him, you’ll never escape.”

  Jason smiled coolly. “Oh, but you escaped, Elena. Remember?” He waved his left hand around the room. “And you sure weren’t living as well as this when I found you.”

  Gracie’s brain vacillated between the opposing stories that unfolded in their conversation, and tried to think of a way out of the situation. Time. She had to buy time. “I’m sorry. I don’t follow.”

  “Elena and I had a great life as part of a law firm in San Antonio until she decided to run away.” He laughed in derision. “She should’ve known my people have eyes everywhere. I found her in a hovel in southern New Mexico, reduced to digging in dumpsters to feed herself and our daughter.”

  “I would’ve eaten worse than that to stay away from you!” Elena’s eyes flashed vitriol, and she moved toward the fireplace.

  Gracie stepped between the two again, careful to keep her body in the line of fire. “And how did you both end up in Miller’s Creek?”

  “Just another part of his grandfather’s evil plan.” Her tears apparently spent, Elena now seemed bent on revealing everything. Why? To warn her? To protect her? “The Simmons case brought us here. The cartel protects their own, and as advisor to the Attorney General of Texas, David’s father plays an important part in the scheme. As long as he plays their game, he’ll always be protected. I was brought in to throw the trial.”

  “Watch it, Elena.” Jason’s tone and features held portent. “Your attempt to warn Graciela away might just backfire. Say too much, and I’ll be forced to kill you both.” Jason raised the pistol.

  Elena began to weep and tremble once more. “What about our daughter? Don’t you care what happens to her? Or are you as heartless as I think you are?” She returned to the desk and slumped in the chair.

  Fear built in Gracie’s chest with each careless word Elena uttered. Was she intentionally trying to bait him? And why? With bravado she didn’t feel and couldn’t explain, Gracie hurried to Jason’s side and wrapped her arms around him. The best thing to do was play along until Consuela had a chance to call the police. Maybe she could at least delay the worst-case scenario. “Jason, please let’s leave. We can go away right now. You don’t need to do this.”

  He stared at her calmly as if he had all the time in the world, his gaze penetrating through her.

  Could he sense her underlying motivation?

  “I have to do this, Grace. If I don’t, they’ll come after me. Besides, she deserves it after what she’s done to both of us. When I think of how she made you the scapegoat . . . ” His voice broke off, and he slowly and methodically lowered his gaze and the gun directly at Elena, who sobbed louder now and covered her face with trembling hands.

  Gracie moved in front of the gun. He wouldn’t shoot her, at least not at this point. “Jason, I care too much about you to let you do this. Please let me have the gun.”

  “Move out of the way.”

  A commotion sounded in the hallway, and the doorknob jiggled. Someone pounded on the door. “Open up!”

  Matt! Raw terror ripped through her veins. If Jason could kill his wife in cold blood without blinking an eye, he wouldn’t stop there. “Jason, please. We can leave through the window. There’s still time.”

  Matt pounded on the door again and then grunted as the weight of his body slammed against the door. “Gracie! Get out of there!” His voice held sheer panic.

  In an unexpected move, Jason hurled her to one side. She landed against a chair, and her forehead clipped the chair’s wooden arm. Gracie sat up quickly, the room spinning from the force of the blow. The metallic taste of blood landed on her tongue. She pulled herself to a standing position, still clutching the chair for support.

  Jason once more raised the gun slowly at Elena, a look of pure satisfaction curling his lips. “Good-bye, Elena.”

  “No!” Gracie flung herself toward the gun just as it went off. Pain seared through her lower abdomen, followed by the softest, most beautiful light she’d ever felt or seen.

  25

  The door gave way against Matt’s shoulder just as a gunshot pierced the air and Gracie slumped to the floor in a heap. His heart stopped. Lord, please keep her alive. A sudden rush of adrenaline coursed through his veins and a smoky smell developed in his nostrils. Matt tackled Jason at the knees, toppling him to the floor as the gun dropped. He kicked at the gun and sent it spiraling across the room and wrestled the tall attorney into position beneath him. Dent outsized him by at least several inches, a fact which made Matt immediately grateful for the training he’d had on the college wrestling team.

  Before he realized it, Jason wiggled free from his grasp and slammed a fist into the side of his head. Matt reeled from the blow, but forced himself to ignore it and focus on his goal of stopping Jason before he did any more damage.

  The man stood and made a move toward the gun, but Matt grabbed his ankle and pulled him to the floor. He yanked the guy’s arms behind his back and placed a knee along his spine right between his shoulder blades. That should hold him.

  Matt barely had time to glance Gracie’s way before Ernie and others came thundering into the room. “Come get this guy so I can help Gracie.”

  The policemen moved quickly to cuff the man, while Matt crawled to Gracie, cradled her head in one hand, and gently stroked the hair around her face.

  Her coal-dark eyes opened slowly and a sweet smile curved her lips. “You came back. I sent you away. I didn’t want you to get hurt.” Her eyes were glazed over and drowsy-like, as if it were all she could do to keep them open.

  Unstoppable tears poured down Matt’s cheeks. “Yeah, I finally figured that out, sweetheart. Wasn’t the first time you pulled this stunt, huh?” Like the night he’d found her screaming on the back porch. Were there others?

  She moved her head from side to side. “Is—is Elena okay?” Her words came out in a faint whisper.

  Overwhelming emotion rendered him temporarily speechless. Here she lay, gushing lifeblood, and all she cared about was that Elena—the woman who had cost her everything—was okay. He glanced to where the woman slumped in a chair behind the desk, her face pallid and drawn, her eyes wide and empty. He swallowed against the sudden tightness in his chest. Why Gracie, God? Why? “Yeah, she’s fine. How about you? You handling the pain okay?”

  She shook her head slightly, her speech slurred. “No pain.” Her heavy eyes began to close.

  Good. At least she wasn’t in pain. Matt patted her cheek to keep her focused. “Stay with me, sweetie. No sleeping yet, okay?”

  Voices sounded from the hallway, and then two paramedics raced into the room, lugging a stretcher. They placed it close to Gracie and checked her over. “Gunshot to the abdomen, no exit wound,” said one as he moved the earpieces of a stethoscope to his ears and listened to her heartbeat. The other one inserted the IV. “We don’t have much time. Wish we could call for a helicopter, but not in this ice storm.” He glanced up at Matt, his expression sober. “Keep her awake. Talk to her. Whatever. Her life could depend on it.”

  Matt’s pulse roared in his ears, and tears formed in his eyes at the thought of losing her. He quickly blinked them away. “Gracie?”

  “Hmm?” Her eyelids parted slowly.

  “Remember all our talks about grace?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “Well, I think you pulled it off.”

  The tiniest of frowns wrinkled the area between her brows. “What?”

  “You lived up to your name.”

  She didn’t answer, but blinked slowly, her gaze still trained on him, question marks in her big brown eyes.

  “Don’t you see? What you just did for Elena. That’s what Jesus did. He took what we deserved, took our punishment, took the bullet intended for us.”

  Gracie winced and closed her eyes, but the
n opened them again. “One big difference.”

  He cupped her precious face with one palm. “What’s that, sweetheart?”

  Now her gaze didn’t waver as she stared past him toward the ceiling. “I deserve death just as much as everyone else in this room. Jesus didn’t.” Her eyes closed again.

  A siren sounded outside. One of the paramedics spoke to Gracie in a loud voice. “Okay, Miss, we’re going to move you to a stretcher and let you go for a ride.”

  She didn’t respond.

  In swift and seamless motion, the first responders tied Gracie to the stretcher in a matter of moments, covered her with a blanket, and then carted her stilled form outside into the wintry night air, still thick with ice.

  Matt followed, his heart in his throat. “Which hospital?” He yelled the words to make himself heard over the sound of the chopper.

  “Morganville to start out with, but once she’s stabilized they’ll probably send her on to Dallas.” An unspoken ‘if’ suspended in the air between them, and the solemn expression in the paramedic’s eyes shook Matt to the core. This was worse than anyone was saying.

  The ambulance pulled away, siren blaring, lights flashing. Matt raced to his car, slipping and sliding in the ice, fear stomping through his thoughts, and the cold air incinerating his lungs. His little green Pinto roared to life. He slung the car in reverse and tore down the road toward the highway that led to Morganville, one tormenting question ricocheting like a Ping-Pong ball off the walls of his mind.

  What if he didn’t make it in time to tell her how very much he loved her?

  Gracie cracked open her eyes to a steady beep somewhere near her right ear. The room was almost completely dark except for a small light above where she lay. She tried to shift positions to get a more comprehensive view of her surroundings, but couldn’t. The place looked and smelled like a hospital.