“You could have been killed. I caused this. I didn’t listen to you. He knew about us and I felt like it was now or never.”
“I heard everything. You were right to just get out and while I’d have preferred you never see him again, you got him to admit everything on the audio. You did good.”
“He’s dead.” Her voice cracks. “I didn’t do good. He’s dead.”
“You did what he forced you to do and you tried to get out of his path.” Sirens grow louder, now in the garage, closing in on us. “He was armed, Mia. Had we not called him to the garage what happened in the stairwell might have happened in his office and we might not have gotten to you in time.”
The ambulance pulls up just behind us, followed by at least one police car, and Mia grabs my shirt in reaction. “Oh God. The world knows now. The news will be blasting everywhere. My father is going to find out. Call him, please. I can’t talk to him. I’ll cry and he’ll freak out.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and kneel beside her, punching in her father’s autodial that I never deleted. “Mac,” I say. “It’s Grayson.”
“Grayson? How the hell are you?”
“Listen, sir. Mia is with me and safe, but there’s been an incident at her office. She’s shaken but unharmed.”
“What incident? I need to talk to her. Tell her I need to talk to her.”
“Sir—”
“Grayson, damn it.”
I cover the phone and look at Mia. “Baby. He needs to hear your voice.”
She nods and takes the phone. “Hey, dad. Yes. No. My boss. He’s crazy or he was. He’s dead. No. I’m fine. Just—meet us at the apartment.” She looks at me. “Grayson’s apartment that’s my apartment again. I hadn’t had time to tell you.”
“He’s still on the security list,” I say. “I’ll have the building let him in.”
She repeats my words and then hangs up right as Blake reappears. “The police are going to want to talk to you both. Just tell the truth.” He looks at Mia. “You okay?”
“No, I’m not, but thank you. Grayson would have shot him, and I know what you did in that stairwell not only saved him trouble but you saved my life, Blake.”
“I’m just glad I pulled the trigger before Grayson, who clearly knows how to handle a gun a little too well for my sanity today.”
“My father insisted that a man with money had to know how to protect himself,” I say. “And so, I do but thank you. I know you saved me a lot of grief. I would have killed him.”
“It was justified,” Blake says. “He was going to shoot, but it’s less complicated this way.”
“Then he really is dead?” Mia asks.
“He didn’t have much of a chance,” Blake replies. “I was taught to shoot to kill and I do. I wasn’t giving him a chance to lift his gun and shoot because he would have.” He eyes me. “I called Eric. He has an attorney on the way to represent you, though I see no reason this becomes a problem for you. In fact, thanks to Mia, tonight ends this for you both.”
A police officer appears next to Blake, followed by a plainclothes detective, as does a tall man, in a blue suit, with a salt and pepper beard; Ridell Murphy, a ten-year veteran with the firm, and one of our best criminal defense attorneys. “Eric sent me,” he says, which doesn’t surprise me, as Eric respects the hell out of Ridell.
“Glad to have you with us, Ridell,” I say.
“Yes,” Mia agrees. “Good to see you right about now.”
“I’d rather see you under different circumstances, Mia,” Ridell says, and he’s too much of a pro to ask how she is doing. He knows the answer: not well. Instead he and Blake take control of the questioning that comes at us hard and fast, and stretches for hours in one shape or another.
Blake repeats the same words over and over. “In my professional opinion Mia would be dead if I wouldn’t have pulled that trigger when I did. We have cameras and audio for you to make your own assessments.” He handles just about everything thrown our way before we can and owns it as his.
Once the police finish with us, Mia is shaking so hard that the EMS tech still on scene insists he check her out, quickly directing us to the bed inside the vehicle. I help Mia inside and when I would stay outside, and give the tech room to evaluate Mia, she isn’t having it.
She pats the bed next to her and whispers, “Please.”
I glance at the EMS tech, a fit, fifty-something man with gray hair, and he nods his approval.
I join Mia and sit next to her. “Joe” introduces himself and kneels next to Mia to check her vitals. “Shock,” he declares after a short exam. “You really need something to calm your nerves.”
“What I need is to go home,” she says, looking at me. “Can we go home now?”
I reach up and brush her cheek. “Yeah, baby. We can go home.” I glance at Joe. “Is she safe to go home?”
“She is, but if she doesn’t stop shaking, you need to get her something to calm her nerves.”
“I will,” I assure him. “I have a doctor we can call if necessary.”
Joe approves, and I exit the vehicle and help Mia down. Kara and Blake are waiting on us outside and an SUV pulls up next to them. Blake pats it. “Your ride. My man, Smith is behind the wheel. He’ll take you home.”
Kara hands Mia a sweater. “This will warm you up and cover up any mess.”
“You mean blood,” Mia says. “Thank you. My father is waiting on us at the apartment. I don’t want to freak him out any more than he’s probably freaked out already.”
She hands Mia some sort of towelettes. “Clean your face in the car.”
Mia touches her face. “I wiped it off earlier. There’s more blood?”
“Yeah, honey, just a little bit,” Kara says and looks at me. “You, too. You have a few lingering smudges.”
I nod and then Blake and I shake hands while Mia and Kara hug. “I’m here if you need me,” Kara promises Mia, pulling back to look at her. “That includes to talk. That was a rough scene back there and you’re going to question yourself but don’t. I guided you through what to do. You asked me. You didn’t act alone. Furthermore, you were trying to just get out of there. That was a good thing.”
“Agreed,” Blake says, and then backing up what I already expressed he adds, “He had a gun. He knew about you and Grayson. I don’t want to think about you waiting for him in his office, and us not getting to you in time.”
“Where do we stand on backlash from Ri’s cronies?”
“That file Mia grabbed assures you have none,” he says. “It proved Ri was not only trying to frame you but Rosemond also.”
“Who’s Rosemond?” Mia asks.
“The mob affiliate Ri was involved with,” Blake explains. “Ri was his gravy train and we didn’t want Rosemond lashing out at you two for hurting his bottom line. That’s how those types work. Thanks to you, Mia, he won’t. We scanned the data from that file which involved him and sent it to him before I handed it over to the police. He now knows that Ri was trying to take him down. You’re both free and clear. Go home. Rest. I’ll be around if you have questions tomorrow.”
We say our goodbyes and Mia and I climb in the backseat of the SUV and I pull her close. The minute we’re moving, I cup her face and lean in, kissing her with a long stroke of my tongue, emotions I’ve suppressed for hours, all but bleeding from me into her. “I almost lost you tonight,” I whisper, pressing my cheek to hers, my lip at her ear, “I would not have survived losing you.” I pull back to look at her. “I can’t lose you.” I press my head to hers. “I would not have let him hurt you. No one will ever come that close again. You have my word.”
She pulls back, too. “You told me to get in and get out. You’re not mad at me?”
“You were trying. He wouldn’t let you and you were protecting me.” I stroke her hair from her face. “Most importantly, you’re alive, so no, I’m not mad at you.” I lean in and press my lips to her ear again. “B
ut I might need to keep you in the bed, naked, and in my arms for a few days, just to convince myself you’re really okay.” I stroke her hair from her face. “And to make sure you know I have you. I’m not letting go. Ever, Mia.”
“Promise?”
“Promise, baby,” I say, pulling her into my arms and holding onto her. She lays against my chest, and she’s still trembling, quaking inside and I just want to take away the fear and trauma. The only way I know to do that is just to hold her and keep holding her for the rest of our lives. And I will, but I’ll do so just a little tighter right now until she’s ready for me to loosen that hold. Until she heals.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Grayson
On the ride to our apartment, we meet Smith, our driver and one of Blake’s men, while Mia and I clean up as much of the blood we’re wearing as possible. The clean-up is successful with the exception of my white shirt splattered with blood and there’s no hiding it. “My father is going to freak out when he sees the blood,” Mia worries. “What was I thinking having him come here?”
I stroke her hair. “You were thinking that he’s going to hear all of this on the news if he doesn’t hear it from you first. You did the right thing.”
“Right,” she says. “I’m glad one of us remembers what I was thinking.”
“We’re here,” Smith announces, pulling us to the front of our building and I toss all the wipes we used in a trash bag at the back of his seat. “We’ll have men here at your building indefinitely,” he adds glancing back at us. “Just in case you have trouble with the press. I can also drive your father home Ms. Cavanaugh.”
“Thank you,” Mia says. “And call me Mia. I doubt he’ll leave once he finds out what happened.”
“I’ll text you my number in case,” Smith says. “I’ll be here all night.” He glances at me. “Would you like an escort to your door, sir?”
“A bodyguard will only freak out Mia’s father,” I say, “so unless you think we need one, we’ll pass.”
“Not until the press finds you,” he says. “And right now, they’re focused on the crime scene. You should be fine tonight.”
I open the door. “Thank you, Smith.”
“Yes, thank you,” Mia says, and I’m encouraged by how much stronger she sounds, right up until the moment I help her out of the SUV and her knees give out.
She collapses against me and I hold onto her, the way I plan to hold onto her forever. “I got you, baby.”
“I know you do,” she says. “I know you do, and I can’t believe I forgot that. You charged at him.” Her voice cracks. “You tried to get him to point the gun at you. You knew he might shoot you.”
“We protect each other, remember?”
“Don’t ever risk your life like that again,” she scolds, her voice suddenly strong, a crackle of anger beneath the surface. “Every time I think of you running at him, of what might have happened, I start to shake all over again.”
I don’t promise her I won’t risk my life for her, because I would, I will, and I’d do it all over again to protect her. Instead, I maneuver her around me and shut the SUV door before setting us in motion toward the entrance to our building. The doorman, an older gentleman with white hair, is a new guy I don’t know well. His eyes rocket to my shirt like it’s a damn magnet, but he’ll most likely assume I was in a fight, which isn’t inaccurate. I stop and talk to him. “The press will be all over us in the morning. Be prepared.”
“The press, sir?”
“Yes. The press. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I urge Mia into the rotating doors, my hands on her hips, and I move with her, keeping her close.
We exit on the other side and I pull her back under my arm, guiding us to the front desk where Devon, a familiar young guard who knows us both works tonight. “Did Mia’s father sign-in?” I ask.
“He did,” Devon confirms, ignoring my shirt. I liked Devon before. I like him more now. He eyes Mia. “Nice to have you back, Mia.”
“Thank you, Devon,” she says, and I turn her away from the desk, eager to get both of us out of the public eye.
Once we’re in the elevator, Mia inspects the blood all over me. “Your shirt looks horrible.” She presses her hands to her face.
I pull them away. “Your father just needs to know that you’re okay. Put him up in the spare bedroom and we’ll all rest better.”
“You never minded when he stayed.”
“I only cared when you left.”
“Grayson,” she breathes out.
He cups my face. “I’m right here, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”
The elevator halts and I kiss her, maneuvering us into the hallway as I do, and I keep us moving toward our apartment. We’re almost at our door and I’m about to stop and ask her a few questions about her father when she steps in front of me, her hands on my chest, and damn, I missed her is all I can think of in this moment. “He can’t know that I went to work for Ri for that bonus that saved him from his debt,” she says. “He’ll blame himself for tonight and it’s not his fault. I should never have left you and no matter what, I should have to come to you. I just—I really didn’t want you to think I was just coming for your money.”
“We need to talk about leaving all of this behind us, but I need to know what your father knows before we walk into the apartment.”
“I never told him you cheated,” I say. “I just—I didn’t want him to think badly of you. I never gave him real details at all.”
Because on some level I know she knew I’d never cheat on her. “Then everything is between us and we’ll keep it that way. Ri hated me. He went at you because of me. That will be in the news. We can’t hide that from him. We shouldn’t try.”
“What about us being back together?”
“What about it, Mia?” I don’t give her time to reply. “We’re back together.”
“That’s right,” she says, grabbing my tie. “So, don’t go trying to get killed and leave me, Grayson.” She turns away and I pull her to me.
“I could say the same to you. I was terrified when Ri entered that stairwell.”
“I wasn’t going to go back. I knew we couldn’t take it. I just wanted to get what I could and get back to you.”
“And you are. We’ll talk later, baby. We have a lot to say. I know I do.”
The door behind us opens. “Mia!”
She rotates and runs to her father, throwing her arms around him. The two of them hug and I give them a moment before I join them. Mac catches a glimpse of me over Mia’s shoulder and his eyes go wide. “What the hell?” he murmurs setting her aside to look at me. “What happened to you?”
“Let’s go inside and talk,” I suggest, motioning them both forward.
“Yes,” he says. “Let’s.”
I follow them into the foyer and Mac turns, waiting on me. Mia quickly joins me, standing by my side. “Dad—”
“What the hell happened to you, Grayson?” He’s a fit man, his hair streaked with gray, his green eyes intense. His worry for his daughter obvious.
“Let’s sit,” I suggest.
“No,” Mac says. “I don’t want to sit. I want answers. Both of you, talk.”
“My boss hated Grayson. He—” Mia inhales. “He—”
“Tried to hurt Mia to hurt me,” I supply. “I hired professional help to deal with him. One of those men shot and killed Ri tonight.”
“Holy fuck. Shot and killed?” He looks at Mia. “Where were you when it happened? Because obviously, Grayson was close.”
“He was—I—” She looks down. “Grayson was holding a gun to his head,” she looks at her father, “because he was holding a gun to my head.”
Mac blanches. “What? He was—what?” He looks at me. “Why did this happen?”
“He knew how much I loved Mia and he was jealous of my success and my relationship with her.”
“You were broken up,” he snaps. “Why are you even back t
ogether?”
That statement hits me wrong, almost as if he’s blaming me for Ri’s insanity or that he was secretly glad to get rid of me. I bite my tongue but Mia snaps, pushing away from me. “This isn’t his fault. He didn’t make Ri a lunatic. Ri plotted our break-up. He tried to force himself on me. He is probably behind all the trouble you had last year because he knew if he offered me a bonus to save you I’d take a job with him. And why are we even back together? Really, dad? Really? I love Grayson. I’ve been miserable without him and I know you know that. I don’t need to hear you blame him tonight.”
She rushes past him and he catches her arm, turning her to face him. “You took the job to pay off my debt?”
“Yes. I did. It was all one big set-up. Ri didn’t go after me because I got back with Grayson. He went after me and Grayson last year when this all started.”
Mac’s hands go to Mia’s shoulders. “I wasn’t blaming Grayson. And right now, I’m thanking God he’s back because I know he loves you.”
“You said ‘why are you even back together’ or whatever you said,” she snaps back. “I didn’t like it. I’m certain Grayson didn’t either.”
“I know he’s covered in blood because he was right there with you, willing to risk his life to save you.”
“He did risk his life to save me. He dared that man in every way to shoot him, not me, and Ri hated Grayson. I’m lucky he’s alive. I’m really damn lucky he’s alive. If I’d have lost him tonight, I’d be ready to go, too. Don’t you see that?”
“I had a moment of freak out, Mia,” Mac says. “It came out wrong. I love Grayson. I have always respected him and welcomed him to our family.”
I step behind Mia, and settle my hands on her shoulders, silently offering her support.
"And as for my debt,” Mac continues, “I hate that you went to that man for me. That means, this is my fault.”
“No,” Mia says. “It’s not and I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you’d say that. I let Ri turn me into a weapon against Grayson that is much deeper than you can imagine.”
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