So Sensitive

by Anne Rainey

  Gracie sighed. She’d get nowhere with him, not until he sobered. That was the only time he was even remotely reasonable. Unfortunately those moments were pretty few. “Look, it’s been a real y trying few days. How about I cal you a cab? Tomorrow I can fil you in on everything that’s been going on. Okay?”

  “Fine.” His gaze darted to Wade, then back to her. “There is one other thing.”

  Here it comes. “What is it?”

  “They’ve threatened to shut off the electricity again,” he grumbled. “I don’t seem to have enough in the bank to cover the bil .”

  Gracie wasn’t sure she had the money to cover it, but to get him out of there, she said, “I’l take care of it.”

  “Gracie,” Wade said, his voice a warning in itself.

  She knew what he was about to say. He didn’t like it that her father used her. Truth be told, she wasn’t al that crazy about it either. But there was stil a thread there, that family connection. Quinn Baron was the only family she had, and she simply couldn’t ignore him. Even if it were the best thing for the both of them.

  “It’s okay, Wade. Just let it go for now. The police wil be here, and I just don’t have it in me to worry about electric bil s at the moment.”

  Wade stayed silent, though she could tel he wanted to protest. Instead he flipped open his cel phone again and cal ed for a cab for her father. In that moment Gracie knew the truth. She was fal ing for Wade Harrison, PI and al -around good guy. It was both scary and exhilarating.

  When she heard sirens off in the distance, she put thoughts of her dad, of love, and of family obligations out of her mind. She looked toward the kitchen. “How bad is it?”

  Her father shook his head. “It’s not like in here. The bedroom is the worst. Just a few things broken in the kitchen. There’s something you’l want to see, though.”

  She fol owed him, noticing for the first time the way her father slumped. As if in pain? She sighed. The drinking was kil ing him. How could he not see that? Probably the same reason he couldn’t see that it had al but kil ed her love for him. He would have to actual y give a damn first.

  With Wade close behind, a hand on her shoulder for support, Gracie walked into the kitchen. Right in the center of her round oak table sat a single black rose in a black vase. She shivered at the sight. There was a card attached, but she couldn’t bring herself to move closer to the ominous thing. Wrapping her arms around herself, she stared at it as if it would reach out and take hold of her. When would it end? How far was he wil ing to go?

  Gracie didn’t think she wanted to know the answer.

  Wade tugged Gracie around until she faced him. Damn, she was as white as a sheet. “Come here, baby,” he murmured, coaxing her closer.

  When her arms snaked around his waist, he could feel her trembling. “He’s just a man. We’l catch him, angel. I promise you.”

  Gracie looked up at him, then turned and stared at the table where the flower stil sat like a bad omen.

  “Come on. You need to sit down.”

  She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

  Bul shit. “No, you aren’t.” Wade heard someone honk, and he realized it was the cab. He took out his wal et and pul ed out a few bil s, then shoved them at Gracie’s father.

  “Uh, I guess I’d better go,” her father said, his voice a little steadier as he took the cash. “Cal me tomorrow, Gracie.”

  She nodded, but didn’t speak. Wade suspected it was al starting to real y sink in. The shock was wearing off. Damn, what he wouldn’t do to get his hands on the bastard tormenting her. He wanted to tear him apart, slowly. He wanted it to hurt for a good long time before death final y came.

  He took her to one of the kitchen chairs and helped her sit, and then he crouched down. “I’m sorry, baby. I should have insisted on that security system. At the very least I should have been keeping an eye on this place.”

  “No, it’s not your fault, Wade. None of it. Besides, you were protecting me. You can’t be in two places at once.”

  He wouldn’t let her make excuses for him. Wade cupped her cheek in his palm. “I could’ve had Jonas here, Gracie. I was a little too intent on getting you into bed. Everything else sort of fel to the wayside.”

  She smiled, and as usual the bril iance of it lit him up like a freaking Christmas tree. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but I was pretty intent on that, too.”

  They both fel silent. Wade stood and strode across the room, then started opening drawers. “Do you have a pair of tongs or something that I can use to pick up the card?”

  “Um, the third drawer down, I think.”

  Wade pul ed it open and found a pair of red-handled tongs among a bunch of other kitchen utensils. Grabbing them, he went back to the table and used them to pluck the card out of the vase. He had the insane urge to throw the entire thing into the damn trash, but it was evidence, and he couldn’t destroy evidence. There could be a fingerprint. He highly doubted it, but there was stil a chance, and he clung to it. It took a few tries to get the card out of its envelope. Once the card was free, Wade read it to himself first.

  “What does it say?” She straightened her spine, as if bracing herself for yet another impact.

  Instead of repeating the words aloud, Wade handed her the tongs. The whole situation was putting him into a dangerous rage. “I’m usual y a pretty patient man, but this asshole is real y pissing me off.”

  You’ve betrayed me, Gracie Lynn. I can’t let your slutty behavior continue. I’ll see you soon, my love.

  Forever, Your Admirer

  Wade watched the look of disgust come over Gracie’s face. Nothing in his life had ever been more difficult than standing around, helpless, while his woman was being tormented. When she started to shake uncontrol ably, Wade took one long stride, then reached out and snagged the tongs holding the card out of her hand and placed both gently on the table, before pul ing Gracie into the safe cocoon of his arms. They held each other tight. “I wil find him,” he vowed, “and he’l pay for al of it.” The bastard’s days were numbered.

  “I thought I was braced for the worst, but the words on the card . . . Wade, he’s crazy.” She had her face buried in his T-shirt, causing her words to sound garbled.

  “Crazy, but he’l make a mistake, and we’l get him.” The implications of the words on the card said it al . He’d seen him and Gracie together.

  And it’d pushed him to act out. Wade knew that would be the way to find him.

  “God, he was in here. Al over my apartment.” Suddenly, Gracie jerked out of Wade’s embrace and ran to the trash. She threw up so hard Wade’s gut clenched. He went to her. Placing his palm on her back, Wade soothed her as best he could as he held her hair back with his other hand. He murmured soft words to her and final y her spasms eased. She raised her head to look at him. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t. You have nothing to be sorry for, baby.” Gracie seemed to pul herself together then. Walking over to the sink, she reached up and grabbed a paper towel from its holder, and yanked. As she went about cleaning herself up, Wade heard the sirens again, close. “The police are here.”

  Gracie went back to the table and leaned down to look at the card. “The way he says Gracie Lynn . . . It’s starting to seem familiar. Like I’ve heard it before. But . . .” She broke off then as if contemplating something.

  “But what, honey?” Wade urged.

  She looked up at him, a frown marring her pretty face. “I told you before I’ve never used my middle name. But I could swear someone cal ed me Gracie Lynn recently. I wish I could remember.”

  “You wil . Give it time.”

  She sighed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I’m so tired of his having the upper hand.”

  “Me too. But he’s losing his composure. This sort of destruction was done in one hel of a rage.”

  “And you think we can get him to make a mistake if he sees us together again?”

  “Yeah, I do. Now, about your staying with me.” A loud k
nock interrupted them. Instinct had Wade moving between her and the doorway.

  “It’s the police.”

  He nodded, hearing the exhaustion in her voice. “Stay here. I’l let them in.”

  She plopped down onto the chair. “It’s going to be a real y long night.”

  Unable to help himself, Wade closed the distance between them. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “A few hours, and then you’l be back in my bed, snuggled under the covers and driving me to distraction.”

  She smiled. “Thank you for being here. For making me feel safe and for . . . everything.”

  He winked. “There’s more of that everything to come, sweetheart.”

  16

  Gracie heard voices coming from the other room. She took a deep breath and left the kitchen. God, the sight of al her things destroyed tore a hole in her heart al over again. She looked toward the front door where two uniformed police officers stood talking to Wade. It had taken them long enough to arrive. The police station wasn’t that far away. Clearly, the local law enforcement wasn’t al it was cracked up to be. When one of the officers noticed her, they al turned and stared. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried on a smile. It fel flat. In a few strides, Wade was across the room. He pul ed her into his strong arms, comforting her. Once again she found herself wishing the world would just go away. It would be so nice to live the rest of her days in Wade’s protective embrace. Pushing against Wade’s broad chest, Gracie forced herself to deal with reality. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could begin the arduous task of sifting through her ruined belongings.

  She walked over to the two officers and gave one of them her hand in greeting. She spoke to the two in a calm voice, or she hoped it sounded calm. “Gracie Baron, thanks for coming.”

  “Ms. Baron. I’m Officer Andrews, and this is my partner Officer Delaney. We’d like to ask you a few questions about the break-in.”

  As Officer Andrews spoke, Gracie heard a hint of a Southern accent. He was older than his partner; his salt-and-pepper hair matched a mustache that needed to be trimmed in a bad way. His tal muscular build seemed in total contrast with his smooth, gentle voice.

  “Of course. We should go into the kitchen. The furniture in here is pretty much ruined.” She showed them to the back of the apartment and waited as they both took a seat. “Would anyone like something to drink? I could make a pot of coffee.”

  “No, thank you, Ms. Baron,” Officer Delaney said. He gestured to the chair across from him. “Please, have a seat, and we’l get started.”

  There was something in the tone of his voice and the way he looked at her. He wasn’t nearly as friendly as his partner. In fact, she’d say he was even a little hostile. And where was Detective Henderson?

  Wade waited for her to sit, before taking the chair next to her.

  “Didn’t you say you cal ed Detective Henderson?”

  He reached over and took her hand. “Yeah, but I got voice mail. I’m sure he’l cal us soon.”

  Wade’s attention turned to Officer Delaney. “Gracie’s been dealing with a stalker for the past two months. At first it was just e-mails. It escalated to phone cal s shortly after. Hang ups, never a voice. The other night Gracie was run off the road. You can see the bruises and the broken wrist. Tonight this.”

  “How do you know al these incidences are related? The break-in could be completely random.”

  Wade’s expression hardened. “Did the living room look like the work of a random B and E? Her things are destroyed. That’s rage, not someone looking for quick cash. Never mind the fact that he or she left the television and stereo.” Wade pointed to the flower and the card.

  “Then there’s that.”

  Officer Andrews pul ed out a pen and used it to drag the card across the table. He frowned, then his gaze landed on Gracie. “This has been going on for two months? Did you report it to the police?”

  “I’ve filed reports, twice. Detective Henderson has been looking into the hit-and-run.” A knock on the door interrupted whatever Officer Andrews was about to say. Gracie started to stand, but Wade was quicker. “Stay put.” She nodded and glanced across the table to the two officers. They both stood with Wade, and the three of them went out to the living room. A few minutes later Detective Henderson appeared, Wade and the officers behind him.

  “Detective.”

  “Ms. Baron. I would say it’s nice to see you again, but . . .”

  She smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. “Thank you for coming.”

  Wade crossed his arms over his chest, his feet braced apart as he looked at the detective. “I’m sure you’re aware of just how terrifying this has been for Ms. Baron. It’s not bad enough this guy put her in the hospital, but now he’s been in her home.”

  “And from the looks of things he was in quite a state when he was here. You weren’t home, I take it?”

  Her cheeks heated when she admitted, “No, I was with Wade.”

  He nodded. “Damn good thing you were, if you ask me. Under the circumstances, you’ve sure handled this wel . A lot of women wouldn’t be so calm.”

  Gracie folded her hands in her lap. “You should have seen me a few minutes ago. I wasn’t so calm then.”

  Wade placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “You had every right to get upset, sweetheart.”

  Gracie looked at Wade. A little thril ran down her spine as she noticed the admiration in his dark gaze. “Thank you.” She hadn’t expected him to come to her defense so quickly. However, this was one time she was glad she had a man to speak up for her. Wow, she real y wasn’t feeling herself.

  Detective Henderson took out a notepad and a pen. “Let’s start at the beginning. You were gone, and when you came home your apartment looked like this?”

  “My dad cal ed. He’d stopped by and found the door unlocked and the place in shambles.”

  “And it doesn’t appear the perpetrator took anything?” This time Officer Delaney spoke.

  Before Gracie could answer, Wade effectively stopped her with a look. He turned to address the young officer himself. “We haven’t gotten a chance to go through everything, but nothing seems to have been taken. I think the asshole picked her lock. No windows were broken.”

  “Does your lease al ow for pets? It might give you some peace of mind to have a dog around,” Detective Henderson said.

  She shook her head. “I thought of that, but I’m afraid no pets al owed.”

  He frowned. “Do you have somewhere you can stay for a while?”

  “She’l be staying with me until this guy is caught,” Wade stated, as if it’d already been decided.

  Al three men stared at Wade while they digested that little tidbit of information. Gracie wanted to kick him for his high-handedness. She would’ve too, if not for the relief swamping her at the idea that she wouldn’t have to stay in the apartment. She couldn’t imagine ever staying there again. The very idea made her queasy. She felt violated. And she hadn’t even gotten a look at her bedroom.

  The detective took a pair of plastic gloves from his inside breast pocket. After putting them on, he picked up the note. One eyebrow arched upward. “I’ve been going through the copies of those e-mails you showed me, and I’ve noticed he cal s you Gracie Lynn.” He tucked the note in a plastic bag and sealed it. “In the note too. You have no idea who this guy could be? A coworker maybe or an ex-boyfriend?”

  Gracie had asked herself that same question a hundred times; she stil had no answers. “I can’t think of a single person who would do this.

  And no one cal s me by my middle name.”

  “He’s obviously becoming more and more violent toward you, Ms. Baron. Breaking into your home tel s me he’s damned confident he won’t get caught.”

  “Or he just doesn’t give a damn if he is,” Wade growled.

  Detective Henderson tucked the note into his pocket. “Either way, you aren’t safe alone. We can have an officer keep an eye
on your apartment.”

  Gracie pushed a hand through her hair. “I’m not sure it’s necessary. Not anymore. He’s already ruined everything anyway. And I won’t be staying here. So what’s the point?”

  The detective cringed. “Yeah, the damage is done. But his next step could be to harm you personal y.”

  “He’l have to go through me first,” Wade said, his voice as hard as steel.

  The detective nodded approvingly. “We’l need you to come down to the station and give us a statement.” He pointed to the vase and said, “In the meantime maybe we can get some fingerprints. Something to indicate who this guy is.”

  Gracie wasn’t holding her breath on that one. So far her lunatic admirer had proven damned resourceful when it came to hiding his identity; she doubted he would make a mistake now. But she kept her thoughts to herself. “I just need to cal my neighbor. She’l worry if she sees police in my apartment.”

  The doorbel rang, and Gracie frowned as she glanced at the clock. It was two in the morning. “Who could that be?”

  “I’l check,” Wade said.

  Curious, Gracie fol owed him out of the kitchen, but when he looked out the front window and cursed, her curiosity increased. “Who is it, Wade?”

  “Jean,” he said, with a definite grimace.

  Gracie smiled. Knowing Jean had come over to check on her took some of the chil away. Gracie closed the distance and nudged Wade aside and opened the door. Jean stood on her doorstep, her hair up in rol ers. The rainbow-colored robe she wore should have looked garish on her, but somehow Jean pul ed it off.

  “What on earth is going on? I saw the police car and—” She stopped talking, and her eyes grew as round as quarters. “Oh, my Lord! What happened here?”

  “My stalker decided to pay me a little visit.”

  “Oh, no!” Jean looked her over from head to toe. “Are you okay, dear? Did he hurt you?”

  “I’m fine. I wasn’t even here.”

  She peeked around her shoulders, her gaze glomming onto Wade. “You were with the big hunk, I take it?”