by Taylor Anne
“Oh yes. We will continue to monitor him until the trial. And he will mess up again.”
“I’m not near ready to head back home.” Her hands shook when she ran them over her arms.
Graeme stepped next to her, pulling her into his arms. “Stay here a little longer. Like Laci said, let things cool off a bit. You said yourself that your boss is okay with you working from here. Enjoy the summer a bit.”
She was not completely out of danger. Knowing what he did, he would have to say she’s probably in more danger now than before. Not only did he want her to stay close so he could keep an eye on her, he wanted to pursue the fire between them a little more.
“Okay, well I have to get going.” Laci hugged him and Abby, then turned to leave. Before she walked away, Cooper tugged her close against his body. She jerked away and glared at him. “Cooper.”
“I hope to see you again, Laci.” Cooper winked at her before turning and walking inside the bar.
Laci shook her head as she walked away from the bar and headed toward her car. Graeme and Abby laughed.
Chapter Thirteen
Abby hung up from talking to Lauren. She was excited about the cruise Brandon’s family was planning for them. They were not going until the following spring, but listening to Lauren, you would swear it was next week. Abby was so happy for her daughter.
Cooper stepped outside as Abby was walking back into the bar. “Have you seen Graeme?”
She held the door open. “He ran to the lumber store. Said he would be back before noon.”
“Hmm. Okay.” His brow knotted.
“What’s up, Coop?”
“Nothing. Laci called for him. Said she couldn’t reach him on his cell.”
Laci? Abby checked her phone thinking her friend was trying to get in touch with her and called Graeme when she didn’t answer. Nope. No missed calls from her. So why would she be calling Graeme? News on the case, possibly.
“He left without his phone. It’s in his office. I’ll call Laci and tell her.” And see what was up. After Cooper went back inside, Abby grabbed a seat on one of the new chairs they bought for the outside patio. Laci answered right away.
“Hey Abby. What’s up?” She sounded awful chipper this morning.
“I don’t know. You tell me. Cooper said you are trying to reach Graeme. He’s not here right now.” Her words were clipped. It was unfair of her to take that out on her best friend, but she was tired of the private conversations between Laci and Graeme.
Laci sighed. “Damn Graeme. Apparently he hasn’t told you.”
“Told me what?” Now her curiosity was piqued.
“First, I don’t want you to panic or get upset. Second, know that everything is all right.”
“Laci you are scaring me. What the hell is going on?”
Laci said not to panic or get upset. Well, Abby was doing both. Fifteen minutes later, she waited outside until Graeme’s truck pulled up. The second he stepped out of the truck he rushed over to her.
“What’s wrong, Abby?” He reached for her, but she stepped back, avoiding his arms.
“I spoke to Laci. Why didn’t you tell me Lauren was in danger? How could you keep that from me?” Her hands shook.
Graeme dropped the bag of nails he was holding and extended his hand to her. She did not take it.
“Abby, listen to me. Lauren is fine. Marcus has a couple guys watching your family. Just in case something—’’
“Just in case. You told me in the beginning that my family would not be affected by this. They would be safe.”
“And they are safe.” His tone rose.
“Then why was Lauren almost kidnapped?”
Graeme shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. “She wasn’t.”
Abby turned from him. She couldn’t believe he withheld that information from her. The entire time he had her family tailed, and he never bothered to fill her in on those details. “I don’t want to hear it.”
His hands clasped over her upper arms. She jerked to free herself, but he was much stronger than she. He pulled her back against his chest.
“Listen to me. The second our guys thought Lauren was in danger, they stepped in. They pulled the guy in and are holding and questioning him. Lauren doesn’t even know anything happened. She is going about her life as normal. She is not in danger.”
That was the same thing Laci told her. One part of her brain understood that her family was safe. And she was grateful for that. The other part of her brain said that the two people closest to her betrayed her trust by not telling her what was going on. Just like Laci, Graeme said it was for her own good. But it was her family, not theirs.
“How long have you had your ‘team’ spying on my family?”
Graeme shifted from one foot to the other. Agitation was evident in his touch.
“They are not spying. They are watching them for any signs of danger from others. And it’s not my team, it’s Marcus’.”
He rubbed her arms, trying to soothe her nerves. Her emotions were still too raw.
“It’s not fair, Graeme.” She pulled away from him and turned to face him. His face was covered with anguish. Hers, hot with anger. “Dammit, it’s not fair. None of this is.”
“Abby, don’t.”
She shook her head. The tears that she had fought off began to slowly trickle down her face. “I’ve been trying to do the right thing after witnessing a murder. A murder, for crying out loud. And instead of putting criminals behind bars, I have to worry about them hunting me down and harming me.”
Graeme took a step toward her. “Stop.”
“And worse than that, I have to worry about my family. Who is after them? Will they ever be safe? Maybe we should all go into hiding. Just run away from this unfair justice system and those crazy bastards.” She swiped at the wetness on her cheeks.
“No. You are doing the right thing. Those guys need to learn a lesson.”
Abby laughed. Hysterically. “Doing the right thing. Sure. By doing the right thing I have to keep my guard up for myself as well as my parents and my daughter. I have to wonder if my best friend is telling me the full truth. I have to wonder what secrets you are keeping from me.” She choked out the last words and turned away.
Graeme’s arms circled her, pulling her into his embrace. “Shh.” He placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up. “Look at me. I promise you and your family are safe. I know your family means everything to you. That’s why I had Marcus put someone on them. Trust me when I tell you our guys are not invading their personal space at all. That’s not what we do. They keep their distance while making sure no one else is intruding on their private lives. Your family knows nothing of this and there is no reason for them to know. Let them live their life as normal.”
“Normal. I wish I could do that.” She didn’t know whether to continue being mad or believe this man’s words. Funny, her heart and her head both screamed at her to listen to him. He was trying to do the right thing while keeping life as normal as possible.
“You can.” He stared deep into her eyes. His dark gaze hypnotized her. He lowered his lips to hers. Gently, he kissed her, peeling away her fears and hurt. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I lo…” His brow wrinkled and he took a step back. “Trust me, Abby.”
****
Graeme, Abby, Cooper, and a group of volunteers worked from morning until dark for a solid week before the bar was ready for business once again. Not only did they repair everything damaged by fire and smoke, they gave the entire place, inside and out, a fresh coat of paint. They even managed to do some minor remodeling inside to allow easier access to the outside patio from the bar. That was Cooper’s idea.
Graeme couldn’t express his gratitude enough to all of the people that pitched in and made that happen much quicker than he imagined. In an attempt to begin to pay them back, for the night of the reopening, he offered to pay for drinks for those who helped since they refused to accept money from him. Th
at should take care of the men and women who volunteered.
He wanted to do something special for Abby. She had been under so much strain the last month. Ever since she found out there were people watching her family, she became guarded. Every day she called either Lauren or her parents. She told Graeme it made her feel better hearing their voices. He couldn’t say he blamed her for that. She was still pissed that he withheld information from her. But it was for her own good. If she knew they were having her family watched, she would’ve been a nervous wreck all the time. Always wondering what was going on. Like then.
Maybe he should’ve told her right away about the altercation with the man whose intent was to kidnap Lauren. That’s where that fine line of taking personal cases came in. There were things that not everyone needed to know about. Especially when family members were involved. It took a lot of trust and confidence to let someone else blindly handle all of the details. Abby’s trust and confidence in him were the main reasons she sought his help to begin with. It killed him to think that he might have ruined the trust she placed in him.
But she never stopped working at getting his bar back up and operational. She was the one who railroaded everything and kept things running smoothly. She made sure there was plenty of food and drinks while everyone worked. She tracked the progress of the different projects and made sure things stayed on schedule. Other than working together during the day, they didn’t get to spend much alone time with each other. Several times Graeme tried to convince her to stay at his place, but she insisted on going back to the beach house at night, alone. She went home exhausted every night. He insisted she stay home and get some rest the night of Tucker’s reopening. She had done enough work and needed to take it easy.
****
Abby, Brooke, and Kyle walked into the bar around nine-thirty. The place was packed full of people. A couple stood and waved at Cooper, who was behind the bar. Kyle walked over and spoke to the man. He motioned for the women to join him. They sat at the table the couple vacated. A young woman took their drink orders. After a few minutes, Graeme brought their beers, setting them on the table. He pulled a chair up next to Abby.
“I thought you were staying in tonight.”
She smiled at him. “It’s opening night. I couldn’t stay away.” The bar was already busy. “Do you need some help?”
Graeme took a sip of her beer. “No. I’ve got extra help tonight, so you can just sit here and relax.”
Kyle slapped Graeme on the back. “Man, this place looks great. You did a good job. Too bad it took a fire to get you to finish painting and remodeling.”
Graeme took another drink, then set the bottle in front of Abby. “I owe it all to Abby. She took charge and handled everything. I couldn’t have done it without her.”
She shook her head. “It’s not a big deal. I’m just glad I was able to help. And staying busy kept my mind off the mistrial and all.” As much as she didn’t like testifying against LJ, it bothered her that he got off due to technicalities. The man was guilty. Hell, he and Alonzo were both guilty. She witnessed that with her own eyes. The third person in the van was guilty as well. Whoever the hell he was. But because of technicalities, criminals were allowed to run free. The justice system was so messed up.
Staying busy and focused this past week also left little time for her to think about her feelings for Graeme. Making love with him at her apartment before the trial was just as fulfilling as their one night together seven years earlier. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. There’s still a connection between them that went much deeper than physical. It was mental. He was in her head as much now as he was before. Only this time, Abby didn’t think she would ever get him out of her system.
The drawback to the relationship was that since the fire he had been holding something back from her. They had not spent another night together, and Abby was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to open up to her again. Or if all she had was that one night in Orange Beach seven years earlier and the one night in New Orleans. He was kind and compassionate toward her, but he’d built a wall between them. It was most obvious anytime she mentioned the fire, LJ, or the trial.
It could also have something to do with the fact that she came down hard on him for not telling her about the tails on her family. She now understood why he didn’t tell her. If she had known there was even the slightest possibility her family was in danger, she would’ve gone out of her mind. Graeme knew that and he tried protecting her from further anguish. Still, it had put a strain on their relationship. She did trust him, but she believed he doubted her trust. She was not sure what she could do to prove to him that she still trusted him with her life. Hell, with her family’s lives.
Abby poured her heart into helping him get the bar opened again. That place meant a lot to him. He had a good rapport with his employees as well as the customers that came into the bar. Abby only wanted to see him happy and help him forget the damage done by the fire.
Graeme left their table to help his staff take care of customers. About an hour later, he pulled out the chair next to Abby and straddled it.
“You’re tired.” She put a hand on his arm.
“A little. It’s been a busy night.”
“Man, you’ve got a goldmine in this place. Keep up the good work.” Kyle tipped his beer toward Graeme.
As the music switched from Hip Hop to Country, Kenny Chesney’s voice boomed through the speakers. Graeme stood and held out a hand to her, nodding his head toward the dance floor. She took his hand, and Brooke and Kyle followed them to the floor.
In the center of the floor, surrounded by other dancers, Abby and Graeme disappeared into their own world for a few minutes. He wrapped one arm around her waist and placed the other at the back of her neck, toying with her hair. Her hands rested around his solid middle. He pulled her close. She was lost at the sound of Graeme’s sandpapery voice singing the lyrics into her ear. Every time Kenny sang about what he sees in a bar, Graeme pulled her closer against his chest.
When that song ended, they remained on the dance floor and swayed to the sounds of Jason Mraz’s I Won’t Give Up. As the song winded down, Abby watched Cooper carrying a tray of drinks while at the same time taking drink orders from a young couple. Abby touched Graeme’s cheek, “Baby, I hate to interrupt this moment, but you might want to give Cooper a hand. He looks a little overwhelmed.”
Graeme’s chest vibrated with laughter. “Yeah, guess I better save him. Catch you for another dance later. Hopefully.” He walked her back to her seat, dropped a kiss on top of her head.
Captain Mike sat at the table. He and Kyle were deep in conversation. They looked up as Abby and Graeme approached. Mike stood, extending his hand. They shook hands with the fire captain.
“Word around town is that this is the place to be. So I had to come see for myself what you’ve done. I would never have believed the shape this place was in several weeks ago if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Good job, man.”
Graeme beamed with pride. Abby smiled and tucked her hand in the crook of his arm.
“Thanks. I can’t take the credit though. Everyone pitched in and worked their asses off around here. I’m thankful for all of the help and support.”
“Understandable,” Mike said. “I’ve got to run. Just wanted to stop by and say congrats on the re-opening.”
Kyle stood and shook his hand. “Man, give me a call. We need to get together soon.”
“Will do. Later.” Captain Mike left the bar.
“You two know each other?”
“Yeah. His older brother was on the football team with us.”
Graeme shook his head. “I don’t remember him.”
“Yeah, remember the lineman that bulldozed the opponents? Broke through the line and sacked the quarterback almost every time?”
A smile crossed Graeme’s face. “Yeah, okay. I remember him. Massive son-of-a-gun.”
“Well, that’s Mike’s brother. Mike was several years younger t
han us.” He turned to Brooke. “He was in your grade, wasn’t he?”
Brooke shook her head. “One year older than me.”
“Guys, I gotta go before Cooper walks out on me. We can reminisce later.”
Abby, Brooke, and Kyle sat for a couple more hours listening to music, talking, dancing, and drinking. Graeme never did make it back for another dance. Finally, the crowd in the bar started to thin out considerably. At about twelve thirty Brooke and Kyle were ready to leave.
“You want us to drop you off?” Brooke slid her hand around Kyle’s waist.
Abby contemplated that. Another hour and it would be closing time, so she decided to stay and help Graeme and Cooper close up and clean up. “Nah. I think I’ll hang around a little longer.”
Abby stood and walked behind the bar. Grabbing a rag, she began wiping down some of the empty tables. She cleaned three tables before Graeme caught up with her.
“What are you doing?” He took the rag out of her hand. “You don’t need to do this.”
“Honestly, Graeme, I don’t mind. Let your girls go home and I’ll stay and help you and Cooper.”
He pulled her in for a quick kiss before he handed the rag back. “Woman, do you ever stop? I can’t believe I’m doing what you’re asking. But the girls will appreciate it. Don’t run off. I’ll take you home when we lock up.”
Abby smiled at him. She stopped long enough to watch him walk back to the bar. Damn, the man was hot. He told the two girls something. They turned exhausted eyes toward Abby and waved. Their smiles were all the thanks she needed. Standing behind the bar, Graeme stopped for a minute and rubbed at his thigh before he carried another round of beers to one of only two tables left with customers. By the time the last patrons left the bar, all that was left to do was clean their table and lock up. The place was spotless.
Abby and Graeme stood next to each other behind the bar. Cooper wiped the last table then walked to stand next to them. “Why don’t you two head out. I’ll lock up.”
Graeme didn’t hesitate. “Sounds good to me. Come on Abby. Let’s go up to my place and I’ll drive you home. I don’t think my leg will make it if we walked.”