Blackmail & Lace

by Tracy A. Ward

  “It’s a long complicated story.”

  “I don’t doubt that. You’re holed up with the sister of the woman who died after talking your mother down from the side of a bridge. Seems a little too convenient to be a coincidence.”

  Grayson stepped around Ty and into my line of site. “What’s he talking about?”

  Knox came through the kitchen door at that exact time, then stopped. “Whoa. Talk about feeling the tension.”

  “Adam?” Grayson said.

  My mouth went dry. I’d had every intention of being honest with Grayson, telling her about my mother’s role in her sister’s death. Hell, I’d even tried to right before we were interrupted. What I didn’t want was to tell her like this—when her defenses were up and she was sure to react badly.

  Ty turned to Knox. “We should probably go.”

  “Will you be okay?” Knox asked me.

  I nodded.

  The second we heard the front door close, Grayson’s eyes locked on mine. “Did you know this whole time?”

  Unable to hold her wounded gaze, I looked down at my feet. “I didn’t know for sure until…”

  Her voice hardened. “Before or after we slept together?”

  I wouldn’t have lied to her even if it helped my cause. “I suspected before. A lot of circumstantial evidence, including your scar, made it probable. Ty just confirmed it.”

  The hardened glint that came into Grayson’s eyes matched her voice. She sat abruptly on the hearth, almost as if her knees had buckled. “Why were your cousins even here? How did they know you were with me?”

  “Ty is former Secret Service. I asked him to look into you.”

  She had the audacity to look affronted. “You had him look into me?”

  “Come on, Grayson. You blackmailed me to get me here. Did you really think there wasn’t a potential for repercussions? And as for how did he know where to find me, my guess is he had my phone tracked.”

  She paused like she was letting it all sink in. Then she said, “Well, you can call off your revenge plot. There is no tape. Or at least not anymore.”

  “Let me guess, the system records over itself.”

  “Yup. And I wouldn’t have had access to stop it even if I’d wanted to.”

  I sat beside her and looked up at the vaulted expanse of the cedar ceiling. “My mother didn’t accidentally overdose on anti-depressants, Grayson. She did it on purpose. Just like she intentionally tried to run her car through a guardrail and off that bridge.”

  Grayson angled her body to face me. “Because she wanted to die?”

  I nodded. “Corrine is getting better. She’s doing the work. She’s trying.” With my elbows on my knees, my head fell forward under the weight of all the thoughts and emotions swimming through my mind.

  Despite the almost surreal connection I felt to her, the odds were stacked against Grayson and me. Security for myself and for those I loved ranked high on my list of life goals. But so did being in control of my life and my own destiny. What if that destiny was Grayson Montgomery?

  I squeezed her hands. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t care about the circumstances. The blackmail or anything else. Last night was the most incredible night of my life. I don’t want it to end.”

  Her eyes welled. She pulled her hand away to wipe at tears. “You’re an amazing guy, Adam. But there’s no way I could ever see your mother, or hear you speak of her, and not in some part of my soul know that the wrong woman ended up dying because of that night.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Grayson

  With my Jeep running, I sat outside the neighborhood garage waiting for Adam to pick up his rental car he’d loaned me. After his unexpected departure from the cabin last week, I found the note he’d left behind.

  Grayson-

  I left with my cousins. Here are the keys to the rental so you can get back into town whenever you’re ready. Also it’ll give you something to drive while you get your Jeep looked at. Seems that Madi never got the short in the headlight fixed.

  My cell is on my business card when you’re ready.

  But what exactly did the last line of his note mean? To call when I was ready to return his rental? Or when I was ready to talk?

  I could’ve left the keys with the garage attendant. It would make my life so much less complicated if I had. But I wanted to see Adam again and tell him he’d been right. That I’d done nothing this week except think. I had traded living one person’s life for another, none of which were mine.

  And all that was about to change.

  The sound of a closing car door drew my attention to my right. Adam stood on the other side of a Land Rover. He walked in my direction when the car moved forward then pulled out onto the street. I took a final deep breath, zipped my coat, and opened the door of the Jeep.

  “Hi.” I adjusted my sunglasses as I looked up at Adam. He appeared rested, the square line of his jaw relaxed. Because he wore sunglass too, his eyes remained hidden, making it difficult to read his expression.

  Then the corners of his lips turned up in a half smile. “Grayson.”

  I wanted to reach out to him. To touch him, kiss him, tell him I was sorry for saying what I’d said back at the cabin. That I’d spoken out of anger when I told him the wrong person died because of the accident on the bridge. In time I would be able to forgive her, or at least I would try. But that time just wasn’t now.

  We might’ve only had one night, but the intensity of my connection with Adam had hit me like an avalanche, sweeping me up and turning my heart in somersaults until I didn’t know which direction I faced. The only thing I knew for sure was that any path that led away from him felt horribly wrong. I could only hope that when my journey was over we could meet again.

  I reached in my coat pocket, pulled out the rental car keys, and handed them to Adam. His warm fingers closed over mine, causing butterflies to flutter in my belly.

  “Thank you for—”

  I didn’t get the words out before Adam’s free hand curled around the back of my neck and he pulled me against him in an embrace that felt like it was only meant for goodbye.

  Adam was the first to pull away. “You don’t have to thank me. Knowing that pile of junk you’re driving is now just a little bit safer is enough.”

  Of course it was. Adam Holder’s life was all about calculated risks. Nothing that would compromise his security, or the security of anyone he cared about. And I did believe he cared about me.

  “What if we’re making a huge mistake, Adam?”

  He pushed the automatic start button on the key fob of his SUV. “Mistake about what?”

  “We’ve started something. Should we give up so easily?”

  “Can you look across the table during Christmas dinner, see my mother, and not think how Rebecca should be there instead?”

  “Yes, maybe one day.”

  I could tell by Adam’s sad smile he didn’t believe me. Probably because though we both wore sunglasses, the way I angled my head before I answered showed that I’d broken eye contact.

  He reached out, ran his fingers along my jaw and placed a lingering kiss on my cheek. “Good luck on the rest of your journey, Grayson, and good luck with your final year of residency.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Adam

  I stood in Rosie’s shed with a blow torch in one hand and a chain in the other, beating the hell out of a piece of new lumber in the hopes of making it look old.

  Ty entered, holding a mug of coffee. “A punching bag would be more effective…and less dangerous.” He sipped his drink. “Library looks amazing by the way. That the new door?”

  “Yup.” I flipped safety goggles on top of my head and inspected my handiwork so far.

  “One word sentences still?” Ty placed his coffee on a stack of lumber I had plans for but hadn’t gotten around to using. “Hope you manage to do better than that in your press conference tomorrow.”

  My eyes locked on Ty’s.

&nbs
p; “Yeah, it’s all over the news. Gold is expected to accept a plea bargain. Which you would know if you know if you pulled your head out of our ass for five seconds.”

  That explained why my phone had been blowing up all morning. And Ty was right, I would be expected to give a press conference, but since when did I do what anyone expected? A statement through the firm and LaKendrick’s PR reps would have to do. I pulled my goggles back down, turned on the blow torch, and resumed my project. That’s when Ty held a slip of paper in front of my face. The name Free Fall Skydiving jumped out at me, followed by an address.

  I shut off the blowtorch, dropped the chain, and lifted my safety goggles again.

  “Merry-fucking-Christmas, or maybe Happy Halloween. Whatever, this is my gift to you. You haven’t been the same since you came down that mountain three weeks ago.”

  “What is it?”

  “Your little blackmailing friend. Grayson Montgomery. She’ll be here at noon today.”

  “Skydiving?” Why would Grayson skydive?

  “I didn’t make the information up, I just tracked it down…or rather, Elise did. Her way of making peace, I guess, for not coming here during break. The kid might make a damn good cop if she weren’t so hell bent on being a journalist.” Ty lifted his mug. “Or she might be a hacker-genius. Who knows? Either way, I’m glad you didn’t declare World War III over her decision to apply to Northwestern. The kid has a mind of her own.”

  Yes she did. And thanks to Grayson, I was finally able to recognize that.

  I scrubbed tired hands over my face. If I’d had any doubts my fast and unexpected feelings for Grayson weren’t real, the last three weeks without her had proven me wrong. She was all I thought about, awake and in dreams. The smallest details of her playing an auto-loop inside my memory.

  Ty set the piece of paper down in front of me. “We brought you this far. Up to you to do the rest.”

  Though I didn’t know for sure what Grayson was up to, I did have a hunch. Skydiving was on her bucket list. Not Rebecca’s. So did this mean what I thought it meant? That she was finished living other people’s lives?

  If this were true, and Grayson was shedding her skin, did I have the courage to do the same? To live my life without knowing what was around the corner, or what the next step would be? To face up to the fact that calculated risks weren’t really risks at all.

  Was I ready to walk out on the limb without even bracing myself for the freefall?

  I might have lived my life doing things professionally that others wouldn’t dare, but not without thinking them carefully through first. But today, something in my gut told me not to think.

  As Ty left the shed, I picked up my phone and dialed Allan Stovall.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Grayson

  Skydiving was crazy. But skydiving during a Colorado winter with my dead sister’s ashes strapped to my arm broke the mold on insane.

  “You ready for this, Grayson?” my dive instructor called as I entered the plane. He was over in the corner, double checking equipment, while we waited for the pilot to arrive.

  I gave him a thumbs up and took a seat, hoping a few minutes of quiet time would help calm my nerves.

  God I hoped I was doing the right thing.

  Though skydiving wasn’t on Becca’s list, it had been on mine. And wasn’t that the lesson she’d been trying to teach me through this crazy inheritance? Live each day like it’s your last. Dance to your own beat. Find your own way. While it wasn’t my plan to release all her ashes into the Fort Collins sky, something about today felt good, like it was something she would have wanted

  The pilot entered the plane. “It’s going to be a few more minutes until takeoff. We have another student and instructor gearing up.”

  That was weird. I’d paid for a solo flight. But just as I stood, about to protest, Adam rounded the corner of the building. He held up his hand, waved and smiled. Seconds later he asked, “Did you really think I’d let you do this alone?”

  “Why? What are you doing here?”

  His grin widened. “Today is as good a day as any to die.”

  I burst out laughing, then added, “Not funny.”

  “I quit my job today, Grayson. I have some money saved that’ll hold me over for a while, but it won’t last forever. For the first time in my life, I don’t have a plan for what’s next. And I know between your family and mine, and everything that’s happened, it’s going to get complicated. But I want to face whatever is around the corner. I want to face it with you by my side. I want to give us a chance. There’s more to life than status and money.”

  Everything Adam said was a lot to take in. I sat in the jump seat and did my best to process it all. He wasn’t the only one who’d made big decisions. One week ago today I’d met with my parents in Denver and told them I wouldn’t be resuming residency in the fall like I’d originally planned—a decision that meant they weren’t currently speaking to me. I had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but what I did know was that I didn’t have to figure it out today.

  Adam kneeled in front of me when I reached for his hand.

  It took Herculean effort to hold back tears. “There’s also more to life than blame. Rebecca stopped that night because she was a good person, doing what she loved to do—help people. Her death was a tragic accident. And while I’ll never forget my sister, she would want me to live my life, my own way. I think that’s what she’s been trying to teach me.”

  My flight instructor approached. He placed a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Okay, guys, take-off is in five minutes.”

  Adam’s eyes bored into mine. “Does living your own way include me?”

  My arms slid around his neck and I kissed him like he was the very oxygen I needed for survival. “Yes,” I said when we finally broke apart. “Hell yes.”

  The pilot’s voice sounded over the intercom. “It’s a good day for skydiving. Look out the west windows. Ever seen a double rainbow with no storms?”

  Adam took my hand as we both stood and went to the window. “Amazing.”

  But it was more than amazing. Somehow I knew the double rainbow wasn’t just a freak of nature. It was an unmistakable sign from Rebecca. I was on the right track.

  Tracy would love for you to check out the other Hard Men of the Rockies Novellas. Here’s a sneak peek of Ty’s story:

  Red Lace

  A Hard Men of the Rockies Novella

  By Kym Roberts

  The buzzer rang and Faith nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked at the screen and smiled at the man waiting for her to let him in. Ty was wearing shorts and a t-shirt in ten-degree temperatures. He was trying to macho it out, act like the cold wasn’t touching him in the least.

  She pushed the buzzer to the intercom. “Did the temperature rise that much since this morning?”

  “Didn’t you hear? We’ve reached a balmy eleven degrees today.” He grinned for the camera, the slight rise of the corner of his mouth indicating he was teasing. It was the smile she hadn’t seen since Khaos broke it in half.

  God, that look did things to her. “Then you won’t mind going around to the back entrance. The front door seems to be stuck today.”

  She held back a giggle as he stepped away from the door and eyed the mound of snow that had been plowed to each end of the building. His shoulders lifted and fell in a devil-may-care shrug that showcased muscles earned with hard labor, not the casual nonchalance he wore so well. Then he started toward the east end.

  He was actually going to do it. Walk to the end of the building, and climb an eight-foot pile of snow.

  “I’m kidding!” She yelled into the intercom as she hit the buzzer to let him in.

  He did a quick 180, and his easy grin told her she’d buckled too soon. As he entered the lobby, Faith, still on her scooter, met him halfway. Ready to make her spiel about why he should stay.

  “Are you working out with me today?” Ty’s eyes, which had remained on her face since the very first day he e
ntered Achilles HeAl, traveled down to her red sports bra, snagged on her belly button, skimmed the workout shorts covering her hips and caressed her bare legs before meeting her gaze.

  Panic pooled in her gut. He needed Achilles HeAl, not just for his ribs and rehab, but because his guard was dropping. He was as comfortable with her as she was with him, and Faith suspected they’d both passed barriers built on years of pain and loneliness.

  Every nerve ending in her body told her if he left now, he’d slam the door of his vulnerability closed—for good. He needed her…

  And she needed him.

  So she did the unthinkable. Her actions were not the product of an analytical mind. To say she thought about it at all would be a bold-faced lie.

  She acted on pure instinct.

  Her hands fisted in his shirt and she pulled him close. Even injured, he could have resisted. But when her hand went to the back of his head and savored the feel of his hair gliding through her fingertips, he waited. Watched. His eyes turned into a storm of dark grey swirls.

  But he didn’t move.

  Until Faith pulled his head to hers and captured his lips in a tentative whisper of a kiss. Their breath mingling, lips caressing, Ty nibbled her bottom lip, tugged on it, tasted it. And something inside her melted.

  Bonus Material

  Fair Play

  By: Tracy A. Ward

  Chapter One

  Ashlyn

  Sitting on a ladder-backed barstool at the Double Shot, still sweaty from spending the day shut in my oven for an apartment— who didn’t have AC in Texas?—I took a slug of my gin and tonic and glanced at my watch for the eight billionth time. Seven p.m. Anxiety sat like gathered fieldstone in my stomach, all jagged and sharp-edged. Lucas Marshall was late—and given the terse voice message he’d left on my cell an hour before, telling me to meet him in ten minutes, I was naturally concerned.