LATER THAT NIGHT, heavy knocking on the cabin door jerked Deke from his comfortable position on the couch. Engrossed in a fiction thriller, he hadn’t heard anyone approach. Worried it might be Grace, he strode to the door and yanked it open.
“Nathan.”
Under the single porch light, the younger man shifted from foot to foot, running a hand through his already messy hair. “Sorry to bother you but I didn’t know where else to go.”
Deke stepped back. “Come in.”
Nathan stormed inside, pacing the living room.
Closing the door, Deke braced himself. “What’s wrong?”
“Those guys I was telling you about? The ones in town last week?” If possible, his face went even paler. “They’re back. Looking for me.”
So it was worse than they’d thought.
“Where are they right now?”
“At the park, I think. I was closing up the office when I noticed a car idling on the street. I turned off the lights and watched from the dark. This big guy got out and I recognized him.” He stopped pacing to pull his phone from his jeans pocket. “Here. He sent me a text.”
Taking the device, Deke read the short, but succinct note.
Meet at park. Now. We know where your mother lives.
A chill ran down Deke’s spine. “Did you call your mother? Or the police?”
“I called Mama, but it went straight to her answering machine.” A look of terror came over Nathan’s face. “And I don’t want the local cops involved. I lit out of the office and came straight here.” He ran both hands through his hair. “You gotta help me.”
Deke walked to the coffee table to retrieve his cell phone. Hit the speed dial for his brother.
“Awfully late to be calling,” came Dylan’s groggy voice.
“I have a situation.” Deke quickly explained the issue at hand.
“I need names.”
Deke shifted the phone away from his mouth. “Nathan, do you remember those guys’ names?”
“One of them.” He rattled it off and Deke relayed the info to his brother.
“Can you check into this? These thugs are serious and I’m afraid things are going to get dicey around here.”
“I’m on it.”
Dylan hung up.
“Who’d you call?” Nathan stopped moving long enough to ask.
“My brother. He works for the DEA. Hopefully he can get some answers.”
“And until then?”
“We do what we can.” Deke went to his bedroom to remove his firearm from its hiding place. Checked the chamber and rejoined Nathan. The younger man’s eyes went wide at the sight of the weapon.
“You, ah, think you might need that?”
Deke sent him a really? look.
“Yeah. Those guys probably have guns, too.”
“Where is your sister?”
“At Mama’s. Faith came home sooner than expected. Grace was spending the night.”
Deke froze. Grace was in danger? He grabbed his phone again, calling her. “Straight to voice mail.”
“Grace and Mama were playing with John. Maybe they got involved in a game or something.”
A cold resolve filled Deke, momentarily eclipsing his alarm. He needed to keep a cool head, needed to get to Grace and the others. Now. “We have to be there before your friends.”
“My friends?” Nathan sputtered.
Deke yanked his arm. “Let’s go.”
They ran to the Jeep and jumped in, gravel spraying as Deke took off. All he could think about was Grace. She had no clue she was in danger. None of the Harper women did. And just like a few months ago, when his best friend had unknowingly walked out of work into the sights of a murderer, he couldn’t help feeling he was living out his worst nightmare.
“I’m sorry,” Nathan yelled over the engine. “I never thought.”
“Let’s just keep a level head,” Deke advised, even though he was less than calm. If Grace got hurt… He couldn’t go there. She was safe. She had to be.
Ten minutes later Deke screeched to a halt in front of Wanda Sue’s house. As soon as he cut the ignition, he jumped from the Jeep and ran to the door, Nathan on his heels. The door flew open before they reached the steps. Faith stood there, silhouetted in the bright light, the baby on her hip, tears on her cheeks.
“They took Grace,” Faith cried.
Deke’s heart seized. When he could breathe again, he asked, “Who?”
“I don’t know. Two guys I’ve never seen before.”
Deke made his way into the house. Wanda Sue sat in an armchair, tissue in hand as she wiped her face. “They wanted me,” she told Deke in a choppy voice, “but weren’t happy that I couldn’t walk fast enough because of my bruised ankle. Grace volunteered herself instead.”
Of course she did. If putting her own safety in jeopardy meant protecting her family, she would jump in, eyes wide open. And give Deke a heart attack in the process.
“I called the police,” Faith said, bouncing the whimpering baby.
Deke nodded. He didn’t think he could talk, his throat so clogged with fear. When his phone rang, he snatched it up immediately.
“Talk to me, Dylan.”
“Your guy has been on our radar for some time. I notified the New Orleans Division and they’re getting right on it. Atlanta’s closer, so they’re sending some agents. Afraid I can only give you an ETA.”
“That’s better than nothing.”
“Look, don’t go rushing into this. Let the agents handle it.”
“I can’t, Dylan. They have Grace.”
His brother uttered a few choice words. “Then be careful.”
“I will.”
Deke rammed his emotions down deep into that dark place where they couldn’t affect him or his ability to save Grace. He had to get to her. “Did they say where they were taking her?”
“Gold Dust Park.” Faith shot a nervous glance at Nathan. “They said they sent you a text and would meet you there.”
Nathan’s voice trembled. “What do we do?”
Deke went deadly serious. “We bring Grace home.”
* * *
IF GRACE’S HEART beat any harder, she could almost imagine it jumping through her chest. She’d never been this scared in her life.
When the two thugs had shown up on Mama’s doorstep, shock and fear had coursed through her veins. She’d known Nathan was in trouble, but had hoped they’d have time to come up with a plan before the situation got ugly. Turned out these guys had other ideas.
The taller of the two men shoved her toward a park shelter located far from the main road, draped in shadows. She lost her footing and nearly fell until she quickly righted herself.
“What do you want with Nathan?” she asked for what seemed like the twentieth time.
“I think it’s pretty clear. He owes us money and product. We’re here to collect.”
The taller man pushed Grace down on a picnic bench. She wrapped her arms around her middle, hugging herself tightly, her legs shaking. “Do you honestly think he’s going to show up?”
Taller bent down to get in her face. “You’d better hope he does.”
She swallowed hard. His eyes were soulless.
“What if I give you the money?” She’d already been thinking about ways to come up with the funds Nathan needed. At this point she just wanted to bail him out of trouble and deal with the consequences later.
The other man laughed. “I doubt you got that kind of money, lady.”
“How much?”
“Twenty grand.”
Her stomach sank. Okay, that tactic wasn’t going to work. What could she offer them to make them happy? She knew the answer was Nathan, but tried to come up with a different, less horrifying solution.
A piercing ringtone tore through the night. The heavier man answered. He nodded his bald head a few times before ending the call.
“Boss wants results.”
Taller cracked his knuckles and sent Grace a menacing smile.
Pressing her lids shut, she tried not to panic. Impossible. The only thing that kept her from falling apart was the knowledge that her mother and sister were safe. By now, Mama would have called the police. And hopefully Deke.
Hot tears pinched her eyes at the thought of Deke getting involved. Because he would. She had no doubt. As a police officer, he understood the gravity of the situation. Knew anything could go wrong, just like it had with his best friend. Was he reliving that nightmare right now?
Squeezing her hands into fists, she inhaled shaky breaths. Help would come, somehow, some way. She had to hold on to that assurance. Golden might be a small town, but people would rally in her defense. Wouldn’t they?
Time ticked slowly by. The waiting was almost as excruciating as imagining what the final outcome would be.
The two men kept to the shadows, moving restlessly, watching for her brother. Taking advantage of their distraction, she inched her way to the far end of the bench. Maybe she could make it into the woods. It was dark. If she could only—
“Hey. Where do you think you’re going?”
The taller man yanked her collar and jerked her back to the middle of the bench.
“Don’t even think about going anywhere.”
Okay, but she could shout as soon as she saw someone. Anyone who could get help. Except it was late and this was Golden, so the streets were deserted.
Time stretched. Grace blinked away tears, needing to stay alert. Once the rescue started—please let there be a rescue—she’d make her escape.
If anyone was coming.
Holding back a sob that desperately wanted to escape her throat, she noticed movement. From the direction of the parking lot, a figure strode their way. Squinting, she saw it was Nathan and she barely held back a cry.
Taller moved beside her, his frightening tone cold as ice when he said, “You’re a smart woman. Keep quiet.”
Nathan stopped ten feet away. His gaze met hers. “You okay?”
As she opened her mouth to answer, the man gave her a hard push. Her side jammed into the picnic table, the contact painful enough to send tears to her eyes. She got the message and clamped her lips shut.
The bald man stepped forward. “You got what we asked for?”
“Yeah. But not until you let my sister go.”
A sneer formed on his lips. “Nice try. Not gonna happen.”
The taller thug pressed a heavy hand on Grace’s shoulder, as if to keep her in place in case she tried to run.
“Then follow me to my car. The stuff is there.”
Grace could tell Nathan was trying to sound tough, but caught the slight tremor in his voice.
“Think I was born yesterday?” the bald man asked.
“No, really. It’s in my car trunk,” Nathan explained. Grace almost believed him. “You can get it and take off.”
Bald guy turned to his partner. “Keep her here. I’ll get the goods, then we’ll leave.” He sent her a look. “With you, honey.”
Grace almost passed out.
Nathan turned on his heel, leading the hulking man away.
“It’s just you and me now,” Taller said, his words sending a shiver over her skin. When he pulled a pistol from his pocket, she lost her breath.
Forcing herself not to panic, she decided to try to reason with him when a thud, then another, sounded from behind him. He whirled, gun drawn, to determine what had caused the noise. Grace thought she caught sight of a shadow in the nearby woods, but Taller turned back to her.
Suddenly Deke appeared out of nowhere. He barreled into the tall man with enough force to throw him off balance. As Taller went down, his gun raised, a flash of white flame fired from the weapon.
Grace reared back and cried out in pain.
* * *
“NO,” DEKE SHOUTED, launching himself toward the gun. He managed to pry it out of the struggling man’s hand before another shot fired. As they tussled, Deke tried to get a glimpse of Grace. Had she been hit? Was she hurt? Worse?
Taking care of the bad guy took Deke longer than he’d hoped but after a well-aimed punch, he had the creep on his stomach, arms behind his back. Local law enforcement streamed from the tree line, guns drawn. Once Deke made sure the perp was in the hands of the locals, he raced to Grace, who lay slumped against the picnic table, her beautiful face pale in the moonlight. She squeezed her upper left arm with her right hand. Deke could see a dark trickle between her fingers.
“Grace. Talk to me,” he said as he sank to his knees before her.
“I’m fine,” came her answer, spoken around chattering teeth.
“I don’t think so,” he countered. “You were hit.”
“I…can’t tell if the bullet…”
“We need paramedics,” he shouted to the police officers nearby. Someone immediately radioed for assistance.
As Deke hunkered before her, Grace’s entire body began to shake.
It took everything in him not to hug her close, but he couldn’t risk it until he knew the extent of her injury. “Help is on the way.” He cupped her face. “Can I look at the wound?”
Eyes wide, pupils dilated, she managed to get out, “Nathan?”
“I don’t know, but there were officers positioned by the car.”
She sent him a jerky nod. He reached up to take her pulse, concerned by the rapid pace.
“Cold.”
Shock. He gently pried her hand away to inspect the damage the bullet had caused. Grace winced but allowed him to look. The skin was puckered, red and steadily bleeding, but Deke didn’t want to jostle her to find out if the bullet had penetrated. Prayed it hadn’t. But he could tell it hadn’t hit an artery.
Tearing the bottom of his T-shirt, he formed a makeshift bandage to at least stanch the blood flow until help arrived. Once he had the torn fabric in place, he hauled her into his arms. Held on to her with all his strength. “I’ve got you.”
She tried to hug him and gasped.
“Stay still. I won’t let go of you.”
Grace pulled back. Blinked at him. “You came.”
“Of course I came.”
What if Nathan hadn’t gone to the cabin? Handled these guys on his own? Grace could have suffered far worse and he wouldn’t have been able to do a single thing about it. As it was, he was appalled that she’d been shot while he was so close.
He shuddered as he recalled the shot—ringing in the night. The muzzle flash. Grace’s cry of pain.
“Not—not your fault,” she stuttered.
No, but he might not have made it to her in time. And then where would they be? “I should have insisted Nathan go to the authorities right away.”
A half-hearted laugh escaped her lips. “You can’t make Nathan do anything.”
“And you shouldn’t have put yourself in danger.”
“It was either Mama or me.”
He gazed at this amazing woman as if she were the most precious gift in his life. Which she was. He admired her loyalty—even if he didn’t agree with it 100 percent—the way she took care of others with no thought to herself. He loved her spunk. But most of all, he loved the way she’d filled a gaping void in his heart. Filled it with love and laughter.
And he’d almost lost her.
In the distance, sirens blared, red and blue flashing in the dark, starless sky. Grace shifted beside him and moaned.
“You’re going to be fine, Grace.”
“Easy for you to say.”
Soon, there were paramedics asking him to move away from Grace so they could evaluate her. It was all he could do to let her go, but he stayed out of their way. All that mattered was Grace. Once her vitals were taken and her arm stabilized, they helped her onto a stretcher and rolled her to the ambulance.
As they moved, she reached her hand out. Deke ran over, squeezed her moist fingers. “I’ll see you at the hospital.”
Nodding, she closed her eyes and her arm went limp.
* * *
GRACE WOKE TO the sound of beeping and an antiseptic smell that made her nose wrinkle. She opened her eyes, scoping out her surroundings. Hospital, for sure. But what had… Oh, yeah. She’d been shot. Before she could stop them, the events of the night crashed over her.
Moving, she felt a searing pain shoot down her left arm. She tilted her head. Thick white gauze bandaged her upper arm. When she tried to sit up, a heavy hand against her shoulder stopped her. Turning her neck, she met Deke’s gaze.
“You were shot, Grace. You’re at the hospital.”
“I already figured that out.” She squiggled around as Deke adjusted the pillow so she could sit up. When the motion winded her, she paused to catch her breath.
“The bullet caught the outer part of your arm, a little deeper than a graze but no major damage. Doc says you’ll need to take it easy.”
“And Nathan?”
“He’s okay. With the authorities.”
“You let them take him?”
“I didn’t have any choice. Besides, they need his help.”
She closed her eyes. Swallowed. “To testify against those men who took me tonight?”
“Yes. And their boss.”
Tears trickled from her closed lids. “I’d hoped to avoid that.”
“He wants to, Grace.”
Her eyes flew open. “Even knowing the danger?”
“Because of his actions, you could have been killed tonight. It rattled him, Grace.”
“He can’t handle this alone.” She went to flip off the covers and escape from the bed but Deke—and the side rails—stopped her. The IV needle pinched her hand when she inadvertently tugged it too far.
His voice sounded oddly strangled when he asked, “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Nathan needs a lawyer.”
“And he’ll get one. But not you.”
“Yes, me. I have to talk to him. Make sure he doesn’t do or say anything the authorities can use against him.”
“Grace, relax. You can’t fix this.”
She huffed and then slumped back onto the mattress. “I can try.”
A thin smile curved his lips. “Stubborn to the end.”
The room grew silent, except for the monitoring machine noises Grace found annoying. Deke stayed by her bedside, his woodsy scent overpowering the antiseptic hospital smells.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I did what I could.”
She blew out a breath. “By inserting yourself in our problems. I never asked you to.”
“But I would do it all again.”
She couldn’t meet his gaze. “I don’t know how to repay you.”
“How about giving us a chance?”
Oh, how she wanted to. But there were too many Harper issues she had to deal with first. “Deke, I can’t. Not right now.”
His voice went flat. “Ever?”
“Let me take care of family matters. Then when I get back to Atlanta, we’ll see.”
“Until there’s another excuse?” He took her hand in his. “I almost lost you tonight. Do you know how scared I was?”
She shook her head.
“Family problems will always exist, Grace. But you don’t have to solve every single one of them. Our time is now, if we’re brave enough to take it.”
She bit her bottom lip, unsure what to do. She’d always taken care of her family. How could she do anything else? But Deke was offering her a life full of love. Did she dare take it?
“I want there to be an us, but…”
“You’ll always put your family first.”
She nodded.
A flicker of emotion flashed across his face, then it was gone. “That’s not good enough for me.”
She reached out her hand but he stepped back. Before she could say anything else, her mother and sister rushed into the room, full of concern and questions. The moment was lost.
As her family fussed over her, she looked over their heads. Watched Deke, his shoulders rigid, walk out of the room, and she realized she’d just made the worst mistake of her life.