Kept Secrets

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  “Part of my charm.” He gave her another quick kiss and picked up his menu. “Have you decided what you want?”

  Grace didn’t have to look at the menu to know her stomach wouldn’t handle much more than toast and orange juice. “Yeah. How about you?”

  He nodded and lifted a hand to signal the waitress. After the woman took their order, Devin and Grace fell into a comfortable conversation, catching up on the past few years.

  Grace skirted the topic of her family situation, partially because she didn’t want to broach the depressing topic and partially because it never seemed to be a good time to change the subject.

  After paying the bill, Devin glanced at his watch. “We still have a few hours before we’ll have to meet everyone for lunch. That’s plenty of time to go apply for our marriage license.”

  “We aren’t getting married.”

  “Ever?” He didn’t give her the chance to answer before he shook his head and added, “That’s not an answer I can live with.”

  “I don’t remember you being so dramatic in high school.”

  Devin stood and took her hand. “If you don’t want to deal with paperwork right now, we can check out the casinos first.”

  Grace didn’t know whether to be flattered or frustrated that he kept bringing up marriage. “I’m not much of a gambler.”

  “What do you want to do, then?” They left the restaurant and reached the main lobby. “We could go shopping. I still need to get some Christmas presents for my folks.”

  “That sounds good.” Grace’s stomach tightened, and she decided to take the opening before it closed. “How are your parents doing?”

  “The same. Dad spends most of his time away on business trips, and Mom spends his money redecorating.”

  Grace heard the touch of bitterness in his voice. “I always thought your family was close.”

  “Not really. In fact, I’m only going to see my parents for a few hours before they leave for Paris for the holidays.”

  She pushed aside her disappointment that he would be going back to school so quickly while she would once again be left behind with the what ifs. So much for him loving her. “Aren’t you going with them?”

  “Hanging out in Paris by myself while my mom shops and my dad squeezes in meetings while he pretends to be on vacation isn’t my idea of Christmas. I’d much rather hit the ski slopes.” He headed for one of the hotel boutiques. “What about you? What are your plans for Christmas?”

  “I was planning to fly to Colorado to spend the holiday with my grandfather.”

  “Are your parents meeting you there?”

  “No.” She took a painful breath but couldn’t force the words out.

  Devin stopped walking and looked at her. “Grace?”

  Dozens of words filtered through her mind, but she couldn’t find a way to string them together. How did one announce the loss of lives so precious? Or explain how life would never be the same again because her parents were gone? Would he be able to fathom the depth of hurt and loneliness that had followed the accident?

  The unspoken questions in Devin’s eyes were replaced with concern. “Is there a reason you aren’t going to be with your parents this Christmas?”

  Grace blinked hard against the tears that threatened. She took a breath and forced herself to look up at him. “My parents were killed in a car accident right after I graduated from high school.”

  Shock, sympathy, and concern all crossed his face, and she could feel her own grief threatening to swallow her again.

  He put his hands on either side of her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead before looking her in the eye. “I am so sorry. I had no idea.”

  “Most people don’t know.” She forced herself to keep her eyes on his. “My dad lost his job at the end of my junior year, and we moved in with my grandfather. It was too hard to tell everyone in Sedona what had happened, so I just let everyone assume everything was fine.”

  He pulled her into a hug and held on, his chin resting on the top of her head. She blinked against the tears welling up in her eyes. She knew she should be used to the way emotions could rise up and swamp over her like this, but she still wished she could somehow find a way to keep them in check.

  Devin led her into an alcove near the boutique entrance, where they were afforded some privacy. He ran his hands down her arms. “We don’t have to go shopping. This time of year must be really hard on you.”

  “It’s okay. Really. I still have my grandpa to shop for.” She wasn’t going to mention that she purchased his gift three weeks ago and had already shipped it to him.

  He wrapped her in another embrace and held on as a minute stretched into two. When he finally pulled back, he said, “I don’t know how you do it.”

  “Do what?”

  “How you always roll with whatever life throws at you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Remember when you moved to Sedona, and they kept changing your schedule? And then you lost your spot on the sprint relay when you sprained your wrist.” He kept his hands loosely around her waist. “You never complained.”

  “How do you remember that stuff? I hardly knew you back then.”

  “Maybe not at first, but I certainly knew you when we toilet papered Coach Fransen’s house. I couldn’t believe you figured out how to disable those security lights.”

  “Some skills shouldn’t be shared.” She smiled at the memory. “I hope you’ve outgrown the need to decorate people’s yards that way.”

  He didn’t answer, his eyes darkening as he leaned closer to brush his lips against hers. Her heart knocked hard in her chest, and she leaned into the kiss.

  The water in the lobby fountain trickled in the background, the scent of fresh flowers wafting on the air. A shiver ran through her when Devin’s fingers tangled in her hair, one of her own hands reaching up to rest on the strength of his shoulder. Comfort, strength, acceptance. The emotions powered through her, overwhelming her with both their simplicity and the knowledge that she hadn’t felt any of them this strongly since the loss of her parents.

  When he pulled back and stared down at her, the love that swelled within her nearly tumbled out in words.

  “Let’s walk for a bit. I want to hear the real story of what’s been happening since you left Sedona.”

  “I thought you wanted to go shopping.”

  “Shopping can wait.” He pressed his lips to her forehead again. “I want to know who you’ve become since we were together last.”

  “I’m the same person you knew before.”

  “No, you’ve changed,” Devin insisted. “We both have.”

  “Then maybe it’s me who needs to get to know the new you.”

  “That works too.”

  Chapter 4

  Fai knew he couldn’t put it off any longer. Qing wasn’t a patient man, and it was only a matter of time before he demanded a report on Kyle Rode’s status. The fact that Rode had shown up for work the past three days was reason enough for Qing to be displeased.

  Fai had already arranged for Rode to meet him. That part of his task had been ridiculously easy. After all, the man was looking for secrets, and Fai had alluded to the possibility that he had some to share.

  Now Fai waited near the bus stop by the restaurant where they were to meet. Traffic rushed by, both the automotive and pedestrian variety. At precisely three minutes before the time they had agreed upon, Rode stepped off a local bus. 8:27 p.m. After nightfall.

  It was a shame, really, Fai thought to himself. The man was only thirty-one years old, and his advanced degree from Oxford was proof enough of his intelligence. His aptitude in finance showed promise; it was a pity he had such a penchant for looking into things that weren’t any of his business.

  Spies knew the risks, Fai reminded himself. This particular British spy had come here of his own free will, and now he would pay for that choice.

  Fai adopted a worried expression and moved down the sidewalk to cut Rode off bef
ore he could enter the restaurant. “This way,” Fai said in a low voice, angling toward a nearby alley. “I don’t want anyone to see me with you.”

  Without another word, both men slipped away from the crowded sidewalk and into the shadows. When they reached the back of the building, Rode turned to face him only to find the barrel of the silencer attached to Fai’s gun pointed right at him.

  The whisper of two shots puffed into the breeze, and Kyle Rode crumpled to the ground. Fai checked the man for a pulse and found none. Satisfied that his task was complete, he continued down the alley to where he could reemerge onto the street without drawing attention to himself.

  Pushing aside the image of the man in his current state, Fai headed for a restaurant down the block. Time to get something to eat and put such unpleasantness behind him.

  * * *

  Devin didn’t think it was possible to fall in love in less than twenty-four hours, but he had done exactly that. Grace was all he could think about. Or maybe he really had been in love with her since high school and had been in denial all these years. Before yesterday, he hadn’t thought about what his future would look like beyond his professional life. Now the personal side of things was all he could think about.

  Did Grace already have a job lined up once school was behind her? Would she be willing to consider a move to Washington, DC, after graduation so they could see where this relationship could take them? He considered for a brief moment that he was getting ahead of himself, but memories of holding her earlier reaffirmed what he already knew—he was in love with her, and he wanted her in his future.

  His internship with the Central Intelligence Agency had helped pay for his undergraduate tuition and provided him independence from his parents. The agency had granted him an extension on his commitment to them and allowed him to continue on and get his MBA. Evidently a degree from Stanford could benefit them in some way. He didn’t know how yet, but he imagined once he started full-time it wouldn’t take long to learn of their plans for him.

  He couldn’t tell Grace about the internship, of course, except to share the cover story the CIA had created for him. The agency varied the locations where he worked each summer: Washington, New York, London, Hong Kong. The overseas assignments had been his favorites so far.

  Clearly Grace had spent the past several years preparing for her own career. Would she be open to joining him in moving around the world as he pursued his career, or would her plans alter his to a new path that would keep him in one place?

  Maybe it was the constant reminders that his best friend was getting married in four days that made him wonder what it would be like if Grace had agreed to marry him. The offer had been spontaneous, with only a hint of underlying seriousness, but now the possibilities had become firmly planted in his brain.

  A knock on his hotel-room door startled him back to the present. He answered it, the face of his questions smiling back at him from the other side of the threshold. “Are you ready for dinner?”

  “Yeah.” He stepped into the hall just as the door across from his opened and Cody and Sean walked out.

  “Hey, we were just about to come find you,” Cody said.

  “Why were you looking for me? We’re all meeting for dinner in five minutes.”

  “Yeah, but we wanted to talk to you while Caleb isn’t around. We’re trying to decide if we should have his bachelor party here at this hotel or if we should book a room at one of the other places here on the strip.”

  “Bachelor party?” Grace repeated. “I thought Caleb and Molly decided to skip that.”

  “Every guy needs a bachelor party before he gets married,” Cody insisted. He focused back on Devin. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’d better be sure Caleb is on board with this before you make any plans.”

  “If we let him have any say, it won’t happen,” Sean said. “We figure you can help kidnap him for the evening. If Grace will distract Molly for a while, it should be easy to get the party started.”

  Devin sensed the surge of emotions welling up in the woman beside him. It was all coming back to him. The way Grace’s shyness had made her seem reserved to those who didn’t know her well and the satisfaction he always felt when he saw how animated she got when she was passionate about something. He suspected she was about to become very animated now.

  Grace fisted her hands and planted them on her hips. “Cody, whose wedding is this?”

  Cody looked at her suspiciously. “Is this a trick question?”

  “Not at all. When you get married, your buddies can throw however many bachelor parties you want, but Caleb specifically said he didn’t want one.”

  “Oh, come on, Grace. It’s not like we’re going to let things get out of hand. We’re only talking about getting the guys together one last time before Caleb is a married man. No big deal.”

  “Again, Caleb and Molly said they didn’t want parties. What part of that don’t you understand?”

  “They said they didn’t want them the night before their wedding,” Cody corrected. “This is four nights before.”

  Devin motioned toward the elevator. In an effort to play peacemaker, he said, “I think we should table this discussion for now. We’re supposed to be at the restaurant in a couple minutes.”

  “Fine.” Cody huffed out a breath and started forward. He looked over at Grace. “Will you help us if Caleb agrees to the bachelor party?”

  “I’d be happy to as long as Molly is on board too,” Grace said. “I just don’t want us to lose sight of what this week is all about.”

  “Not a chance,” Cody said.

  Devin put his hand on Grace’s back to guide her forward. “Do you really think Caleb will go for this party idea?”

  “If we tell him we’re keeping it low-key, I think so.” Cody pressed the down button. “Remember, it was Caleb and Molly’s idea for us to spend a few days together before their wedding. They want us to have a good time.”

  “True,” Devin conceded. “And I’m sure it will be a great time for everyone once we talk over our plans with the bride and groom.”

  Grace gave him a nod of approval. “I completely agree.”

  * * *

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Grace asked Molly, with Ellie and Elyse walking beside them. “The guys won’t go through with it if you object.”

  “It’s fine,” Molly assured her. “I don’t know that I trust Sean farther than I can throw him, but with Cody and Devin there, I doubt there will be any problems.”

  “Besides, this gives us a chance to check out the town without my brothers acting like they’re my babysitters,” Ellie added.

  “And we can scout out cute guys,” Elyse added. “Or at least Ellie and I can. You two can help.”

  “Grace is single too,” Ellie said.

  “Hardly. It’s obvious Devin is head over heels for her,” Elyse countered. “I feel like an idiot for flirting with him last night. No one told me you two were a couple.”

  “We aren’t exactly,” Grace said, not sure how to define her relationship with Devin. “We used to date in high school.”

  Molly stopped walking and turned to face Grace. “Wait. He’s that Devin? The one you were completely in love with?”

  Leave it to Molly to air all of her private feelings in front of everyone. Grace deliberately kept her voice light. “Yes, he’s that Devin.”

  “Well, it certainly looks like the old flame has rekindled into a bonfire,” Elyse said.

  “Yes, it does,” Molly agreed. She grabbed Grace and Elyse by their arms. “Let’s go have some fun.”

  “Where are we off to?”

  “Circus Circus. It’s a family-friendly place. I figure we can’t get into too much trouble there.”

  “One would hope,” Grace said.

  Molly handed each of them fifty dollars. “Here is my little gift to all of you for coming to my wedding. Try not to lose it all in one place.”

  As soon as they arrived,
the group split into two. Molly and Elyse decided to try their luck in the traditional casino while Ellie and Grace opted for the arcade portion. Three hours later, Molly and Elyse arrived upstairs with only five dollars left between them. Ellie and Grace, on the other hand, suffered from luck of a different kind. Beside the shooting range, a pile of stuffed animals flowed from the space beside where Grace was shooting water into the mouth of a clown.

  “How are you guys doing?” Molly’s eyes landed on the mountain of stuffed animals, and her jaw dropped.

  “You can see for yourself.” Ellie pointed to the pile.

  “You won all of those?”

  “We kind of have a system down,” Ellie said.

  Grace ignored the conversation, her focus on the spray of water and the little balloon rising up until she was once again declared the winner. The game attendant came over and handed her a purple monkey.

  “Thanks.” Grace stepped back and relinquished her spot to a boy around ten who had been waiting behind her.

  “What are we going to do with all of these stuffed animals?” Molly asked.

  “It was worse a while ago. We traded in a bunch of them for the bigger versions,” Grace said. Now that she looked down at the pile, she felt a little guilty that she hadn’t stopped playing earlier.

  Molly put her hand on a five-foot-tall teddy bear the color of sand. “Is this yours too?”

  “Yeah.” Grace considered for a moment. “I don’t suppose you would like that for a wedding present?”

  “No.” Her answer was firm.

  Ellie flagged down a resort employee. “Excuse me, but do you have some garbage bags we can have to carry all of these in?”

  The lady looked at the pile and laughed. “Sure. I’ll be right back.”

  Fifteen minutes later, they all stuffed themselves into a cab, the huge teddy bear lying across their laps because it wouldn’t fit in the overfull trunk.

  “Seriously, what are we going to do with all of these?”

  “I have an idea.” Grace grinned at them. “After all, we don’t want the guys to think they had all the fun.”

  Molly pushed down on the teddy’s stomach. “I’m listening.”