"I know it's been an unsettling day for us all, but I doubt that she's forgotten the way, this being her home and all. Still I suppose you both need some time together." Grace blushed a little, but didn't say anything, just took his hand in hers and moved towards the stairs.
"Don't even think about closing the door." Ms Riley shouted as they reached the stairs, and he couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped. After the last hour it was a relief to find some levity was still possible, and hopefully the chance to share a little sweetness with Grace.
With the shadows drawing ever closer Nate knew he had to take every moment of light available to him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Grace was absolutely mortified. She had always prided herself on being calm under pressure, of not jumping to conclusions, and yet when it really mattered, when the people she cared about the most needed her to think before acting she had completely failed.
She had shouted at Jack, she had doubted his integrity, had thought him guilty, and that was only the half of it. He would never forgive her, and nor should he.
Now she was in her bedroom, feeling like a child who had been put in a time out, which considering her behavior was somewhat appropriate. It wasn't that she and Jack hadn't had any disagreements in the past, especially when they were making the transition from him being a favorite uncle to her legal guardian.
She had pushed him, had challenged some of his decisions, testing the boundaries he had been trying to set. Through it all Jack had been both understanding and determined, knowing that what she needed most was some kind of structure and security while she grieved for the loss of her parents.
She remembered the fear and worry that he would give up on her, that he would decide that she wasn't worth the hassle. After all it was one thing to agree in theory to care for someone's child in the event of early death, but really who ever thought they would have to actually raise the child. When the worst of the pain and numbness had cleared, and she felt as if she could breathe again, Jack had still been there.
He had been consistent in saying that all was forgiven, that they would move forward with a clean slate and then he had thanked Grace for her patience with him. It was then that he had suggested they return to his home town of Silver Glade, wondering if being somewhere new, might help her.
There were too many memories in her old home, she was still in the stage of occasionally forgetting that her parents wouldn't be walking through the front door. She'd had a blissfully happy childhood, each room in the house a constant reminder of the people who should be there with her.
It wasn't just the photographs that lined the walls, it was the clothes that still held the scent of her mom's perfume, the way the golf clubs her dad had bought on a whim, but never used, still fell out of the hall closet.
The relocation to Silver Glade had not been hurried or rushed, and Mimi had made a few visits to help Grace sort through what she wanted to keep, what she wanted to put in storage, and then saw to the donation of the rest to Goodwill.
She was such an idiot. How could she have ever have thought that someone who was as caring, patient, loyal and kind as Jack was, could keep such a secret from her. Would allow her anywhere near Silver Glade if there was even the smallest connection to the evil of Charles Sinclair. If she were Jack she wouldn't forgive herself.
"Oh my Belle," Nate's voice was gentle. They were sitting side by side on the window seat in her room, the door open a sliver; thus meeting Mimi's requirement by the bare minimum. Here was another person who she had hurt with her stupidity and hysteria, and yet he remained by her, his thumb running across her hand.
"Jack knows you didn't mean it." Obviously she had been thinking out loud, but for once she knew that Nate was mistaken.
"He shouldn't forgive me. Because I meant it. When I accused him of keeping secrets, of knowing who my father truly was, I really believed that he had betrayed you."
"Betrayed me?" She could hear the confusion in his voice.
"Yes you, Nate. After all you are the person who has suffered the most due to Sinclair and his henchmen, and at that moment I thought that his minions included my dad."
"Even though he never once shouted at me, not even when I acted out as a kid. Never raised his voice to me or my Mom, and yet when I saw that picture, even though it's just a hand, a wrist wearing a watch, it was enough for me to truly believe that he was capable of the kind of cruelty that Sinclair expects."
"I judged him, and Jack, finding them both guilty of such horrible crimes and based on the flimsiest of evidence. Who does that Nate? Who?"
By the time she finished speaking, she knew that she was crying, but all she felt was disgust. At her weakness and at her disloyalty to those who had only ever loved her.
"How could I do that? Why did I do that? What is wrong with me?" She could hear the shakiness of her own voice, the way it cracked, but it was as if she was having an out of body experience, watching from afar as she had some kind of breakdown.
She felt her hands curl up, then pain from the way her nails dug into the skin there. She welcomed the burn, thinking it was a just punishment for her behavior, so much so she deliberately clenched her hands, allowing her nails to dig in even more to her palms.
"Belle," she was gathered up in Nate's arms, and though she wanted to soak up as much of his strength and comfort, she still struggled, not wanting to pollute him with her sins.
"Enough my Belle, I won't let you talk about yourself like that." He sounded angry and she knew that she deserved it.
"That is not true my Belle. You bring light to my days, and I won't let you get caught up in the darkness." She was confused, how did Nate know what she was thinking?
"It might have something to do with the fact that you're talking out loud again?" This time there was the slightest hint of laughter in his voice, and she felt the heat in her cheeks as she blushed at how stupid she was being.
"There's been a lot going on my Belle, you've heard things that you should never have had to, seen my scars, and therefore it's not surprising that you had such a reaction to that image." He paused, as if considering his next words.
"Grace, my own mother, has, on many occasion seen the results of her husband's idea of discipline, of what he does for fun, of what he allows others to do to what he considers his property."
"It happened before he got her hooked on her drugs of choice, before they were even married, when he was testing her. She failed Grace, I will never understand why that happened, how he got to her, but she never once questioned him."
"You my Belle, you keep looking for answers, even when you know they might bring pain, when it might expose the people you love, because you will do whatever it takes to do the right thing. You will never know how much that means to me. That you would do something like that for a person you haven't known that terribly long, it's truly humbling."
"You make me sound like some kind of avenging angel, which we both know is not true. I went straight to panic mode." She needed to make him understand that while he was determined to see the good in her, really she was acting completely irrationally.
"You know you were probably right about me the first day we met." At his questioning look she continued, "okay well not the stalker paparazzi part, but that I was someone you didn't want in your life. That I'm not someone who can help you, I'm only a liability who will just bring more drama to your life, and is that really what you want or need?"
"We're teenagers Grace, we're meant to act irrationally. Sometimes, with all that has been happening, with everything we have been through, not just the past few weeks, but the few last years, we've both forgotten that. I mean we've both had to grow up quicker than other people our age. That doesn't mean we're not allowed to make mistakes."
He sounded so sure, as if he really believed what he had just said. She wanted to reply, but her words seemed stuck in her throat. She didn't want his understanding, she wanted him to be disappo
inted in her, to punish her for the wrongs she had done, to make her suffer.
What the hell was wrong with her, this was not how she usually thought. Not even in the darkest days of her grief, when she wanted to join her parents, because the idea of growing up without them was almost unbearable.
Now though she felt as if she was being crushed by some phantom pain, as if all the color was seeping out of her world and she had no idea why she was feeling that way. Nor could she share how she was truly feeling with Nate, he had enough to deal with.
Yet the way he was looking at her right now, as if she was precious and fragile and all that was right in his life, there was no way to ignore it, even if she couldn't quite believe it.
Before she could speak, she felt his lips brush across her hands, which he then turned over and with a touch so gentle he loosened the tight hold she had on her hands. There were marks that her nails had made, although she had not broken the skin, but Nate made no comment, just raised her hands to his lips.
There was not an area of her palms that his lips did not caress, and the look in his eyes was indescribable and she dropped her gaze. When he had finished his ministrations, he gently closed her hands again as if to trap his touch within.
Feeling brave she chanced raising her eyes, and found herself unable to look away. There was a new message in his eyes, one she did not fully understand and then nothing could stop her from moving closer, from sealing her lips over his.
She allowed herself to get lost in him, in his touch, in these moments together, when the world could be pushed back and it was just them and anything was possible.
There was color creeping back in, vivid purples and reds, but they couldn't take hold, shimmering then fading.
"Why are you crying my Belle? Did I hurt you?" There was such tenderness in his voice, and a hint of something else that she refused to believe was there. She kept her eyes closed, wanting to hold on to the colors for just a little longer.
It was then she felt his thumbs sweep over her cheeks, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall, and she knew she had to tell him something, anything.
"That still doesn't explain or excuse how I behaved. I'm usually so sensible Nate, but I didn't just jump to the worst possible conclusions, I ignored what I knew about my dad, and Jack, and well you know what happened next."
He remained silent, and she knew that he wasn't fully taken in with what she was saying. The guilt was threatening to once more overwhelm her.
"And it's not the only time I've acted out of character lately. I left school, walked home in a thunderstorm and that's just not me Nate."
"We'll figure this all out Grace. You, me. Jack and Ms Riley." One of his arms moved, not to let go of her, but so that he could turn her so that she was resting her head on his shoulder.
When his free hand began running through her hair, she couldn't stop the small moan that escaped, and his hand stopped moving instantly.
"You didn't hurt me. My head is just a bit achy. Probably from all the tears, not to mention my crazy earlier." She tried to inject some flippancy into her words, but failed.
"We'll get you some of your pain medication, and then you should try to get some sleep. I think with everything else that's happened we've been neglecting the fact that you are still recovering from your concussion."
Nate was practically whispering but there was no doubting that he was expecting his instructions to be followed. Sh said nothing, hoping that if she didn't argue or disagree with him, then he would continue with his ministrations to her hair, which felt so good. Time must have passed, because the next thing she knew, she was being placed gently on her bed.
"Stay with me?" She asked, her voice quiet, pleading, afraid to be left alone just then.
"Take this first please." Nate handed her some tablets and then a cold glass of water, it never occurred to her to ask where the medication had come from. Doing as she was asked, Grace was soon curled up in his arms, the silence this time comforting, as the ugly voices in her head had fallen quiet.
She didn't hear the murmured conversation, or the words of concern when the marks on her hands were examined then cleaned. She didn't see the pain in the eyes of the three people who loved her most in the world, or feel the bed depress as Nate climbed in beside her, holding her in his arms.
So lost was she to what was happening around her; that when a stranger carried her away from the safety of her home, she was none the wiser.
CHAPTER THIRTY
"Is she asleep?" Mimi's concerned voice asked as soon as Nate walked into the kitchen. She'd instructed him earlier that it was high time he stopped calling her Ms Riley, he was part of the family so he could drop the honorific. From his vantage point he could see that her son was outside, on the back deck, talking to someone on the phone while he paced. From his body language, whoever was on the other end of the line was not telling Jack something he wanted to hear.
"I think so, at least she didn't move or try to hold on to me this time when I went to leave." He confirmed, remembering the way that Grace had grabbed hold of his shirt the first time he had tried to leave her bed.
"She was always a snuggler, even when she was a baby," Mimi told him, her voice soft, and he wished he could have known her then, when they were both so innocent, and had no cares.
"Victoria hasn't been able to get much information from the watch, and is worried if she tries a more in-depth search it might set off some kind hidden alarm."
At Nate's questioning look she continued, "apparently there is a lot of red tape around the adoption and Victoria has already had some calls asking about her interest."
"And if the wrong person finds out then who knows what the consequences will be," Nate finished off, already seeing the predicament they were in. Victoria had to protect the reputation of the firm and also the Henderson Foundation, and there was no way Nate wanted her to suffer personally either.
"So why is Jack so angry? He has to know that if she says it's too dangerous she is not exaggerating?"
"Apparently she thinks someone with your skills, not to mention contacts, should be able to get the details without tripping any alarms. Neither Jack or I believe that you should be doing that. You are already risking enough."
"If it helped us take down Charles then it would be worth the risk." He was committed to doing whatever was needed, and if someone had to suffer from the fallout then it should be him.
After all this was his fight, and compared to what he had already been through what was the worst that could happen now?
"Stop your plotting for just a second okay?" Mimi sounded tired but determined. "No one expects you to stand by, we just have to be clever, and all of us good guys need to be on the same page, that way we can limit the potential consequences."
Before he could think of a reply, he heard the patio door close and Jack end his call with the briefest of farewells. He watched as his mentor took a few moments to control his emotions, impressed with how quickly the tension moved from his body, and whatever anger he felt left his eyes.
"How soon can you be ready to confront Sinclair with what you currently have?" It seemed as if Jack was on the same page as Nate, ready to bring the battle to his stepfather.
"I'll need to get some documents from the cabin, and get the latest updates from two of my contacts. It won't be everything that we know or suspect that he has done, but it is enough to get an official investigation started, and not just at a local level."
"And what about his friends and helpers?" Jack inquired.
"There is evidence for the majority of them, enough to have certain people removed from their jobs, unable to influence the main investigation."
"You mean the likes of Joey Camden, and that corrupt prosecutor?" Mimi was looking for clarification.
"Exactly. We have some paper trails for most of the higher levels of minions, and a certain amount of leverage that should make others more cooperative. Then there are
a few things that Victoria was looking into, so we could gather everything this afternoon, then head to the office this evening and go from there."
"Would that be enough for you, for now, knowing that once the first move is made it will inevitably lead to Sinclair's whole house of cards falling down around him."
Nate felt his respect and admiration for Jack and Mimi grow, knowing that they were leaving the decision to him, that they would support him no matter what.
They knew how important it was to his recovery that his stepfather, and those who had helped him were punished for their crimes.
"We could spend the next year trying to untangle this mess, hell I've been working on this ever since I escaped, but I get the feeling that there is so much more to this than we ever thought. So I think it's time to make the calls."
As he spoke he felt as if this invisible weight on his shoulders, while not fully gone, was not as heavy.
"Here is what we will do," Mimi spoke, her voice full of authority. "Nate you will go, get what you need and then I want you to close up the cabin. I never liked the idea of you out there by yourself, not with the crazies, and especially not if we are declaring full scale war on Sinclair."
Nate just nodded his head in agreement. He wanted to say that it would be safer for Jack, Grace and Mimi if he was away from them, but he never got the chance.
"Child your cabin might be, how do you youngsters say 'bad ass', but it's also in the middle of nowhere, so you get what you need then you get yourself back here." Again he was aware of the fact that this was an order, not a request.
"Jack and I will coordinate with Victoria and some other folks, they are extremely trustworthy and exactly who you want on your side." She stopped speaking, and then she placed her hand gently on Nate's cheek, so that when she spoke next she was looking directly into his eyes.
"We'll meet at my house, because while my son knows some people who can help, I know people. We let you down in the past but that will never happen again. We will keep you safe." He didn't know how to reply to this declaration, one that seemed to have surprised Jack as well.
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