Davis got into his car and drove away from Grayce and the pain. He couldn’t shake the image of Grayce, dazed and pale.
Didn’t she understand? She could’ve been killed. When he looked at her, really looked, and saw the bruises and swelling, he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her and never let her suffer. But she had rejected his support. When she had been at her lowest, she didn’t allow herself to call him, need him.
His anger and worry were all jumbled together. He couldn’t stand the confusing torment. He had to take a break, get away from the claustrophobic feeling.
He exited I-5 at James Street. He’d stop by the station to let the chief know he was back and then get an update from Chris on the details of the investigation into Grayce’s brake failure. He didn’t believe that there had been foul play. This was an old Subaru, and Grayce never paid attention to maintenance.
He parked in front of the Pioneer Square Station.
“Shit.” Maclean, the assistant chief from hell, was walking right toward him. He didn’t have time to hide from the antagonistic jerk. One of the upsides of the DC position was that he wouldn’t see his acerbic supervisor. Former supervisor… now that had a nice ring to it.
“Missing us already?” Maclean’s grin was broad and showed his white teeth. And Davis didn’t believe the AC’s fake bullshit for a second.
“Maclean.” Davis wasn’t going to get let the jackass get under his skin today.
“Must be the very charming Dr. Walters you were missing.” Maclean poked and prodded until he hit his victim’s vulnerable spot. “When’s the wedding?”
“Don’t you ever get tired of being an asshole?” Davis walked away.
He heard Maclean’s laughter and mocking voice. “Trouble in paradise, Davis?”
Davis took the steps to the second floor and walked into the chief’s office. Sarah, the assistant, was on the phone. She shook her head when Davis pointed to the chief’s office.
He walked out of the administrative offices to the station next door. Chris, Steve, and Mike were washing the rig.
“Hey, man, what are you doing here?” Chris held a sponge in the air.
Davis nodded to the guys, but his suppressed angst must have been evident since neither approached him.
He turned his back to the guys and spoke to Chris. “I came to see the chief and hear what you’ve gotten from the police.”
“But you just left for DC.”
“Yeah, well, I’m back.”
“You want to talk about it?”
“You been watching Dr. Phil? Hell, no, I don’t want to talk about it.”
Chris shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, man.”
Chris dropped his sponge into the bucket. “Hey, guys, can you take over?”
That the guys didn’t rib Chris for abandoning them was definitely not a good sign. Over their shoulders, they kept giving Davis furtive looks, watching to see if he might go postal. He took a deep breath. He thought he was in control, but maybe not.
“Listen, man. I’m not sure what’s going through your stubborn, mulish, Scottish head, but Grayce is an amazing woman and you shouldn’t let her go.”
“I’m not letting her go. I’m back to take care of her.” His voice cracked in feeling.
Chris put his arm around Davis’ shoulder. “I just got off the phone with your best friend in the police department, very special detective, Blake Calfell.”
“My best friend? Very funny. Did the bastard give you any information? He pulled the confidentiality shit with me.”
“He’s enjoying making you squirm, since you made him look bad by solving his case.”
“We’re supposed to be ‘colleagues working in a collaborative relationship’ with the police department in solving crimes.” Davis quoted the department’s bureaucratic jargon. It made no difference to the ongoing territorial pissing games between the detectives and fire investigators.
“Did he tell you anything?” Davis asked.
“The brakes were definitely tampered with. Someone cut the brake line.”
Davis exploded in shock and outrage. “Not an accident?” He could barely get the words out. “What else did that bastard say? I can’t believe he wouldn’t tell me. That bastard.”
“Calfell didn’t know when he talked to you. He just found out. He’s about to call Grayce to interview her. He knew she had been in observation at Harborview.”
“I don’t want that bastard near Grayce.”
“He's really interested in the two men following her.”
“Two men? Why am I just hearing this?”
“You’re hearing it now. And this isn’t your case.”
“Hell, if it isn’t.”
“Calfell called the chief and said you were interfering with police business. The chief told me that this case is off-limits to you. No contact with Calfell.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. That son-of-a-bitch reported me because I called him?”
“I’m telling you he’s gunning for you after you got all the attention for solving his case.”
“Who were the two men following Grayce?”
“I don’t know. The medic wouldn’t let me continue questioning her.”
In his worry, he hadn’t considered the possibility that the brake failure hadn’t been an accident. He had to get back to Grayce. He had to protect her.
“Davis, you’ve got the same look as you do when you’re about to take a dumb-ass risk on the mountain. What’s going on in your head?”
“I’ve got to get back to Grayce. They might come after her again.” His heart pumped hard, as if he were dangling over a crevasse.
Chris nodded. “For one little woman, Grayce sure gets herself into a lot of trouble.”
“Not anymore.”
Chris guffawed. “Now you’re talking like the Davis I know. Remember, I’m going to be the best man at your wedding.”
“Right.” He wasn’t going to tell Chris that he had just acted like a jackass, and Grayce might not forgive him. His hurt pride didn’t matter. He wasn’t leaving her until he knew she was safe.
“Where’s Mitzi? We need to head over to Grayce’s.” The tightness in his chest was beginning to ease. He could almost take a breath. He was better at making a plan of action than navigating the mire of his emotions.
“Mitzi’s at my place. It’ll be good to have Mitzi stay with Grayce.”
“I’ll be staying with Grayce, too, and Mitzi can go to work with Grayce once she’s recovered.”
“I swear that poodle understands everything I say. When I told her I’d take her back to Grayce, she settled right down.”
“Mitzi is totally attached to Grayce.” Since the first time he and Mitzi met Grayce, they had become her devotees.
“You’re not kidding. The dog howled like a banshee when they took Grayce in the ambulance. It was pitiful.”
He didn’t want to relive the images of the accident scene again. He’d played and replayed them since James had called him. The image of Mitzi howling and Grayce being sped to Harborview tore away all his steadfast control. He was going to nail the bastards who hurt Grayce.
He might not be the man she called for help, but he was the one to protect her. He had failed. But he wouldn’t fail again.