Chapter Twelve
t empting as it was, I didn’t crawl into bed and curl around Grace. So tempting, in fact, that I couldn’t stop myself before I made a few steps toward her to do just that.
Sleep mussed her hair and rumpled her clothing.
Adorable. I meant what I said earlier, though.
I didn’t want her to wake up when this was all over and regret anything between us.
I wanted her to want me as more than a protector.
I couldn’t bear it if she only wanted me because of the safety I provided.
I’d prove to her and myself that I was worthy of her. That she could trust me.
While we were talking, I gained some idea of who could be behind this.
I just wasn’t sure if Grace was ready to hear it.
She was right that there were many people who might have wanted her grandmother’s money, but there was one who would have felt slighted by her personally if he didn’t get what he considered his due.
Only one person would have had a personal motive to hurt her.
Bill.
Her dick of an ex. He did a number on her emotionally. I could see that much, even in her letters, but I wasn’t sure just how much until I wiped away her tears.
If he expected to inherit money from her grandmother and then she divorced him before he got it, then he has likely become desperate enough to do something stupid. I needed help with this. I knew exactly who to call.
It was the middle of the night, but I knew that didn’t mean much to Tink. I don’t know if his cave even had windows. Sure enough, he picked up after just a few rings. Music played in the background, slightly too loud for a conversation, and I could hear him swear and turn it down.
“Tink. I need your help.” I didn’t bother with niceties.
Tink didn’t expect them, anyway. That was the beauty of going through hell with someone.
They didn’t expect you to be pretty or act nice.
All pretense and masks were burned away and what was left was the raw truth.
There were only a few men in the world that saw my raw truth. Tink was one of them.
“No ‘hey man, how are you?’” He said, immediately contradicting the nice thoughts I had about him only moments before. That fucker.
“Seriously, Tink. I don’t have time to fuck around.” I probably sounded more petulant than anything.
“What’s going on?” His tone was more serious this time.
“Grace is in trouble.” That phrase came out a bit ragged and worn. It was difficult to say out loud.
“Shit. What can I do?” Tink asked. All the guys knew how obsessed I had become with Grace.
Those letters came so regularly for so long that it couldn’t have been a secret how much I craved hearing from her.
Even if she had only existed in letters.
That connection to something other than the dirt and grime and sweat and blood was the lifeline I needed to keep from drowning myself, or blowing everything up.
I told him the story, albeit a shortened version of the story.
“Fuck,” he said and then fell silent.
“I need to find the men after her,” I said. My voice turned into a bit of a growl after recounting all the shit that’s come her way. “I have my suspicions about who is behind it all. Can you do a deep dive for me?”
“What am I looking up?” I could already hear his rapid typing as he asked that.
“I need a thorough background check on her soon-to-be ex, Bill Witherwood. Likely William Witherwood.”
I could hear him snickering on the other line.
“Will wither wood. Wonder how accurate that is,” he said, but I could hear him typing.
“Send me his address and anything you know about him. I’m getting a few hits, but it looks like a few different unfortunate people have that name, so I’m going to need more. ”
“I’ll send you what I know.”
“Is that it?” Tink asked. “Just a background check?” He teased.
“For now,” I said. I wasn’t sure what I would do if I was right. I’d been entertaining images of kicking his ass for longer than I wanted to admit. That was the power Grace had over me. Even in her letters. She had me from the first with that damn unicorn stamp.
“You’ve got it bad,” Tink teased again.
“You would know about that,” I countered. He had been in love with the wrong woman for far too long and knew exactly how much it could mess with a man.
“Yeah.” He sounded uncomfortable, like he always did when someone brought her up. “Alright, well, I’m on it. I’ll send you what I find.”
“Thanks.”
I hung up with Tink. I felt marginally better after our call. The screams from Grace’s nightmare still rang in my ears, but at least now we had a plan. Or the start of a plan.
I pulled up the security feed on my phone and settled in for a long night.
Logically, I knew I would need to sleep at some point, we weren’t going to resolve this in a day, but I was still too keyed up to sleep right now.
Besides, this couch was a bitch to sleep on and I wasn’t near tired enough for the floor.
My thoughts inevitably went to Grace once I was settled.
They always went back to Grace. It was so tempting to find her when I got out of the Marines.
It wouldn’t even have been hard, of course, since she gave me her actual address in the letters, though I wasn’t sure of the exact timeline of her leaving Bill, so maybe she wouldn’t have been so easy to find.
I didn’t go to her, though. I was broken, and she didn’t need that, especially if she was still married.
Turns out she had her own shit to deal with.
Maybe we could fix the broken things in ourselves together.
I could keep her safe. I would burn the fucking world to the ground if I needed to in order to keep her safe.
She was one of the only things keeping me going when I wanted to give up.
Just the thought that she existed in the world made me want to be stronger and better.
She was a light in the darkness. I could protect that light. I could protect her.
My phone went off just then, reminding me I wasn’t alone in this. I had friends. Other people I’d die for. They’d help me protect her. No world burning required. I shook off my dramatic thoughts.
It was Tink, confirming that he found the right man.
He sent over an old wedding announcement for Grace and Bill.
The image filled the screen when I clicked on it.
My heart clenched seeing his arm around her.
It was the right Bill Witherwood. Of course it was.
Tink was good at what he did. Smart as a whip.
God knows why he joined the Marines instead of the Air Force, where his brains might have been appreciated a bit more.
Or why he joined any military at all. His skills for hacking into anything were trumped only by his skills for blowing shit up.
He got us out of some tight spots over the years.
Tink is not a man I would mess with. Thank God he is on my side.
I messaged him back, confirming that the photo was of Grace and Bill.
She was so beautiful in the photo it made my chest ache.
I could tell that even then she wasn’t sure of marrying him.
I knew her genuine smile, and that wasn’t it.
She was young, too. Too young to be marrying anyone.
What the hell were her parents thinking?
Shit, her parents. I should have Tink look into them as well. From what she has told me, her mom married her stepdad when Grace was young. It was George, her stepdad, who introduced her to Bill. I sent their info over to Tink. He messaged me back quickly.
T: Already on it. Figured your brain was addled over the girl you’ve been pining over forever. Now go be with her and leave me alone so I can work.
Be with Grace. Yeah. That would be something. My skin itched to make it happen, but she’s vulnerable and in my care. She doesn’t need to be smothered by a man too desperate to know to back off.
Fuck.
But then she seemed to like my help with her nightmare. That kiss and the way she curled into me before she became self-conscious settled me, calming the beast that hovered near the surface. Every broken and misplaced piece of me clicked into place, fitting perfectly around the woman in my arms.
God dammit.
I was screwed.