Chapter Ten
Amiddle-aged woman sat at the front desk of the sheriff’s station when Nick walked through the front door. A headset was draped around her shoulders, and she was sorting through a stack of papers a couple of inches thick. If he remembered right, Rafe had said her name was Sally Anne.
She looked up when they walked inside. “Morning, Rafe.” Eyeballing him up and down, Nick nodded to her. “You’re Nick, right? I remember seeing you. Walked Ms. Patti down the aisle at the wedding.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Standing up, she walked around the desk and pulled him into a tight hug. “Welcome back to Shiloh Springs, Nick. I’ve heard so much about you. Any friend of the Boudreaus is welcome here.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” He stepped back when she released him and ambled back around her desk, sinking onto her chair.
Hugging? Guess it was a Southern thing.
“Anything pressing, Sally Anne?” Rafe asked reaching for a stack of pink phone message slips on the corner of her desk.
“No, pretty quiet so far. Daisy’s gonna send down food for our guest in about an hour. Other than that, Dusty’s got things covered.”
“Good. Nick, you know where the conference room is. I’ll grab our friend and we’ll meet you in there.”
Yeah, Nick remembered the conference room. The place where Ms. Patti recognized him, despite his altered appearance, when he was working undercover to take down Brashears a few months ago. It might have sped up the timeline for dismantling Brashears’ human trafficking ring as well as his drug operation, but it brought the Boudreaus back into his life, so he couldn’t really regret anything.
“Have a seat.” Rafe led the guy Nick had found skulking around Gracie’s apartment into the conference room, hands cuffed in front of him. He pointed to one of the chairs and closed the door behind him.
“Afternoon, Wilkins. Got a few more questions for you.” Nick leaned back in the chair, studying the guy. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, hair mussed, and stubble darkened his cheeks. From the red color of his eyes, he hadn’t gotten much sleep. “Sheriff, before we get started, was Mr. Wilkins read his Miranda rights?”
Rafe quirked a brow at Nick. “His rights were explained to Mr. Wilkins at the time of his arrest, and again right before I brought him here to answer our questions. Isn’t that right, Rudy?”
“Yeah, yeah. Look, I said I didn’t need a lawyer. I’ve answered all your questions. Why haven’t you let me go?” Wilkins flung himself into the empty chair, hunched forward and rested his cuffed wrists on the tabletop.
“I can hold you for seventy-two hours while the district attorney decides on all the charges you’re going to be looking at. Then you’ll go in front of the judge to decide if they’ll let you out on bail. You know how it works, Wilkins, you’ve had enough experience with the legal system. Your rap sheet makes for some interesting reading.” Rafe tossed a folder onto the table.
“I’ve told you everything. I was hired to follow the lady. See where she lived, where she worked.”
“Who hired you?” Nick voiced the question quietly. Inside, he still seethed from the morning’s events but had to push that down deep. Right now, it was more important to get answers. If he couldn’t talk to the person who’d slit his tires, at least he could help deal with this situation.
“Don’t know. My cousin had his old lady contact me. Said there was a job. I was told to call a number to get the details. That’s it.”
“Who is your cousin? Who might have asked him to tell you about the job?”
“Look, man, I’m not working for the bloody Fortune 500. My line of work, I don’t ask questions. That’s the quickest way to end up in a body bag. I called the number, got the info to hightail it to this backwater town called Shiloh Springs. I was told to call back when I verified the lady lived here.”
“Did you? Call them back?” Rafe leaned against the wall across from Wilkins, arms crossed over his chest. “When you found the person you thought you were looking for, did you call and tell anybody you’d found her?”
Wilkins stared down at the top of the table, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. Nick already knew the answer to Rafe’s question. But he needed Wilkins to confirm it.
“Look, it was just a job. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Oh, you’ve done several things wrong. Number one, you left Houston while on probation and didn’t check in with your probation officer. Number two, you were stalking an innocent woman. Stalking is a felony if you’re convicted. Number three, you had a firearm in your possession while in the commission of said presumed felony, and since you’re on probation, you’re not allowed to own or carry a firearm in the state of Texas. Rudy, that’s three strikes. Want me to keep going? Or maybe I should have the district attorney head over here. I’ve got him on speed dial.”
“Sheriff, I swear I wasn’t gonna hurt the lady. Just scare her, that’s all.” He shook his head. “There’s not enough money in the world to deal with this garbage.”
“Then tell us what we need to know to protect Ms. Medeiros.” Nick watched the man swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing after Nick’s question.
“Like I said, Nicki, that’s my cousin’s girl, passed along the message from this dude in Huntsville. Said there was ten grand if I came to your town and looked for someone. Sent me a description and a picture. It looked like the picture was from a newspaper or something, though it wasn’t the greatest pic because it was kind of grainy. Look on my phone, you’ll find it. All I was supposed to do was check out the town, see if this woman lived here. They wanted proof, so I took a couple of pics of her, one at the coffee shop and another one at the diner on Main Street. Sent those to Nicki. She sent them to my cousin.”
“If you finished your job, why were you still hanging around Shiloh Springs? Why were you outside Ms. Medeiros’ apartment last night, Rudy?”
Rudy raised his cuffed hands to his face, lowering his head into his hands. Nick got the feeling the dude was about to burst into tears from the way his breathing sped up, almost like he was about to hyperventilate.
“Told you, I was supposed to scare her. I figured it would be easy-peasy. Knock on the door, force my way in. Wave the gun around, get her all riled up, and then take off. Job done and I’d get an extra ten grand.”
“Let me get this straight. You got offered ten grand to verify Gracie—I mean Ms. Medeiros’ location,” Nick caught the slip with her name and corrected himself, but knew Rafe noticed. “You did what you were hired for, found her, and confirmed she was here. You were then offered another ten grand to scare her, is that correct?”
Rudy nodded. “Yep. Should have been an easy 20k. Instead, you jumped me and ruined everything.” The glare he shot Nick would have melted a weaker man, but he’d dealt with people a lot scarier than Rudy Wilkins. He was a two-bit hustler who’d take a dime to intimidate his own mother.
“This job came straight from your cousin? Your cousin know Ms. Medeiros, ever met her before?”
“Nah, he told his old lady he was getting paid good money to get the information and he was willing to share it with me, if I’d do the legwork. Guess somebody in Huntsville wants your gal pretty bad and has deep pockets.”
“Rudy, I’m going to need to talk to your cousin.”
Nick had barely gotten the words out before Rudy sprang to his feet and bolted for the door, cursing a blue streak. Rafe raced around the table and grabbed one of his arms while Nick latched onto the other, and they wrestled him to the ground, with him finally screaming for a lawyer. Nick knew they wouldn’t get another word out of him, which was too bad, because he had a few more questions for Rudy.
Rafe frogmarched him out of the room and probably back to his cell, at least that’s what Nick figured. Pulling out his cell phone, he looked up the number for Frank’s Garage, since that was the place Rafe had mentioned earlier, and made arrangements for his car to be picked up from the BB and have the tires replaced. He gave them the name of the rental agency, knowing they’d get the paperwork started for the insurance.
“Well, that was fun.” Rafe smiled and nodded toward the chairs. “Now it’s your turn.”
“My turn?”
“Question and answer time. I ask the questions and you answer them.”
“I’ve already made arrangements for the rental to be handled. What else is there?”
Reaching behind him, Rafe closed the door softly. “In all the hubbub of the last couple of days, I never got the chance to ask. Why exactly were you outside Gracie’s apartment?”
Oops.
“I was there when you talked to her about Brewster, remember? Offered to post somebody outside to watch her place? Since she refused your request to have an officer posted outside her apartment, and I had the time, I decided to keep watch for a couple hours.”
No need to tell him exactly how long I sat there, waiting for her to come home. That way I’ll feel less like a stalker than Rudy.
“Uh-huh. Nothing better to do with your time. I’m sure Momma will be thrilled to hear that.”
“Don’t you dare tell her I said that.”
Rafe chuckled. “Just kidding. I am serious though about Gracie. Was there a reason you felt you needed to be there? I planned to have the late duty patrol do a couple of drive-bys during the night shift, to check and make sure everything looked okay.”
He wasn’t about to tell Rafe he was obsessed with Gracie. After spilling his guts earlier, he didn’t want to seem like some lovesick sap. Nope, what he was feeling wasn’t anything like love. Not that he’d know what love felt like, at least not romantic love. He’d cared about women, sure, but never felt that magical connection like Ms. Patti and Douglas had. Or that Calvin and Gemma shared.
“I’m not sure exactly. Call it gut instinct, but after you got the call from the Texas Ranger about her ex, something felt off. Your officers are busy, and I was getting antsy staying in my room at the BB. Figured it couldn’t hurt to keep an eye open.”
“How come I didn’t see your rental outside her apartment? I know most of the vehicles here in town, and I would have noticed yours, especially since you called me to come and arrest Rudy.”
“I might have borrowed a car from the BB owner.”
Rafe chuckled. “You borrowed Ms. Edna’s car? She’s had that hunk of junk forever. Sometimes I wonder how it’s still running. I swear it’s held together with duct tape and bubblegum.”
“True, but it tends to blend in, whereas my rental would have stood out since it’s still got that new car appearance, not to mention the rental car agency sticker.”
Rafe stood and Nick followed suit. “I’ll give you a pass this time, because your instincts were on point, and you caught Rudy before he could do any damage. But next time, I’d appreciate a heads up if you’re going to be staking out one of my citizens. Got it?” He held out his hand.
Nick grasped it, knowing he’d dodged a bullet. “Understood. How’s Gracie doing since the whole Rudy thing? Between that and her ex’s call, she has to be rattled.”
“I’ve had Momma check on her and Tessa dropped by this morning. She swears she’s okay, and I’m going to believe her. She knows we’re here and we’re not going to let anybody, especially Jeremy Brewster, get anywhere near her.”
“Good. You need help with that, let me know.”
“You need a lift back to the BB?”
Nick shook his head. “I’ve got a couple things I need to do. I spoke with Dante at the garage, and he said it shouldn’t take that long to fix the tires. Figured I’d stick close to town and pick it up when it’s ready.”
“Sounds like a plan. Lemme know if you need anything. Wouldn’t want Momma to think we’re neglecting you.” A cocky smirk accompanied Rafe’s words, and Nick fought to suppress his eye roll, and headed for the front door. He gave a quick wave to Sally Anne and stepped out onto the sidewalk, drawing in a deep breath.
Almost immediately his eyes were drawn to Gracie’s Grounds, and he headed across the street. Wouldn’t hurt to grab another cup of coffee, since he’d only managed the one cup that morning while talking with Ms. Edna at the BB.
Pulling open the front door, he inhaled deeply, noting the rich, deep scent of freshly brewed nectar of the gods. The morning rush was past, and he easily placed his order with the barista. He found himself looking for Gracie, wondering if she’d come in that morning, or if she’d stayed home, worried about Brewster. Then he heard it. The sound of her laughter coming from behind the swinging door leading to the back area, which he assumed was the kitchen.
Waiting for his order of a large black coffee, extra sugar, he found his eyes glued to the door, hoping she’d come out. Within seconds his wish was granted as she came through the open doorway, a stack of papers in her hand. When she looked up, their eyes met and he caught her look of surprise before a sweet smile graced her lips.
“Hello, Nick. Have you been helped?”
“Yes, thanks.” He pointed to the teenaged girl who was getting his order.
“Good.” She turned to the girl. “Alice, his order’s on the house.”
“You don’t have to do that, but thanks.”
“Are you in a rush, or do you have a minute?” Nick watched a rush of color wash her cheeks.
“I’ve got time.”
“Good. I’d like to talk to you.”
Gracie tried toswallow past the lump in her throat. Nick was here. And this time he was alone, no Boudreaus attached to his hip. It seemed like every time she saw him, he had somebody from the family tagging along. Not that it was any of her business.
“How are you?”
“Good. Feeling a bit like a fool. I overreacted when my ex called. I shouldn’t have pulled Rafe into my drama.”
“Come on, let’s sit for a minute. If you’ve got the time, that is.”
She slid onto one of the empty chairs by the front window. It was one of her favorite spots in her shop. It gave her a broad view of Main Street. While the sidewalks of Shiloh Springs didn’t have the hustle and bustle of the big city, people here stopped and chatted with their neighbors. The shop owners took pride in maintaining their storefronts, gleaming with fresh paint and hanging baskets filled with brilliant-colored flowers. A few benches sat close to the busier places, like Daisy’s Diner and Jill’s bakery. Watching these people gave her a feeling of kinship she hadn’t found in San Antonio, though she’d been born and raised there.
“Gracie, you did the right thing calling Rafe. You’ve obviously had trouble with your ex in the past, and if he scares you, contacting law enforcement is exactly how you should have handled it.”
She studied Nick, trying to read how much he knew about Jeremy, wondering if Rafe had told him.
“Did Rafe—”
“No. He told me that it was your story to tell, if and when you decided.”
“There’s really not much to tell.” She brushed a lock of hair off her forehead, smoothing it back. “I mean, I barely know you. We just met the other day. Yet you seem to be everywhere. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, mind you, but you’ve got to admit, you seem to always be catching me at my worst.” She smiled tentatively to soften her words.
“That’s not true, Gracie. We’ve all had problems and issues that rear their heads at times we’d rather they stay buried. None of what’s happening is your fault.”
“Then why do I feel so guilty?”
“Should you though? From what I’ve heard and seen, you’ve done nothing to cause what’s happening. You weren’t responsible for your ex possibly getting early parole. You didn’t ask for somebody to be sneaking around your apartment, stalking you. And you didn’t ask for your ex to call you from Huntsville. Guilt implies you’ve done something wrong. You haven’t.”
She considered his words, let them sink in. Knew he was right, though something he said made her stop.
“I need to ask you something, Nick.”
“Anything.”
“The other night, when you caught the man sneaking around outside my apartment—why were you there?”
Nick stared at his cup, and she couldn’t help wondering why he wouldn’t meet her gaze. He picked at the plastic lid on the to-go cup, an almost nervous gesture.
“I heard Rafe offer you protection, to have somebody scope out your place after you got spooked by the call from your ex. You refused. But I had a feeling something wasn’t quite right, and figured I’d keep an eye out. Might have been for nothing, but the hunch paid off.”
“I owe you a huge thank you. The past few days have been stressful and I honestly don’t know how I’d have reacted if that man had gotten into my place. Normally, I’d fight back. I’ve studied, taken self-defense courses, but I’ll be honest. I was rattled after Jeremy’s call. Enough that I wasn’t thinking straight.”
Impulsively, she reached across and grasped his hand, squeezing it lightly. An instant tingle, some kind of unspoken recognition, sparked through her and she gasped softly. She’d been attracted to him from the moment she’d first seen him, which was funny because he’d looked so different then. Ms. Patti had later explained he’d been working undercover to bring down a human trafficking organization and helped to save Lauren and little Daniel’s lives. The next time she’d seen him had been at Douglas and Ms. Patti’s vow renewal ceremony. He’d looked so tall and handsome in his tux, his arm linked with Ms. Patti’s. At the reception, she hadn’t had a free second to spare, and after that he was gone again.
What surprised her was him squeezing her hand back. When she met his blue-eyed stare, she could have sworn there was something there, an almost yearning that matched her own, buried deep. She could almost touch the loneliness too. Kindred spirits, she guessed, because so many times even in the midst of all the Boudreau clan, she sometimes felt alone.
“Guess I make a great first impression. All drama, all the time.”
“You make a great first impression. And second impression.” Nick’s smile made her feel all warm and fuzzy, like she was a lovesick teenager. Gah, pretty soon she’d start sounding like a greeting card. Except it was nice to have somebody notice her. Outside of her coffee shop, she tended to stay in the background, not draw attention to herself.
“Are you planning on staying around Shiloh Springs?”
“I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. My home is in Australia, right outside Melbourne.” He stopped to take a sip of his coffee. “Shiloh Springs is a lovely place, but I miss my place. I have a little two-bedroom house on a couple of acres, where I can decompress after finishing a job. Enough room to be able to breathe with no neighbors breathing down my neck. My…friend, Grant Calvin, owns the property next to mine. He and his mate are the closest thing to family I have.”
Gracie couldn’t help noticing the slight hesitation before the word friend and wondered if there was something more there.
“Sounds like a great place. I’d like something like that one day. You’ve seen my place, it isn’t exactly the Ritz-Carlton, but I haven’t wanted to buy anything. Not with my life being the shambling wreck it is. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever feel free enough to settle down, feel like I can put down roots. Not always looking over my shoulder.”
“I have a good idea what that’s like.” Nick paused for a long moment and Gracie wondered if he was going to say anything else. His steady gaze locked on hers and she could see a vulnerability she wouldn’t have imagined in a man as strong and capable as Nick. “When I was younger, I was in a situation where I thought there was no way out. Wrenched away from anybody who cared about me, and sent to a place where I didn’t know anything. There wasn’t a single person I knew, nobody who gave a second thought about me or what I was enduring. Ripped away from the only real home I knew, here in Shiloh Springs with Ms. Patti and Douglas. Thrown into a life where I had no say, no rights, and definitely no safety. When I was finally able to stand on my own, the first thing I did was buy that land in Australia. It was mine, something I could feel. The dirt beneath my feet, the trees, the grass—it was mine. Something I had scratched and clawed my way toward, and nobody could take that away from me. Those roots you talk about? When you’re ready, you take your stand and you sink them into the ground. Plant yourself in the place where you belong and let them burrow into the soil, growing deeper and stronger until nobody can uproot you.”
She glanced down at the tabletop and noticed that he held her hands within his. When had that happened? “Sounds easier said than done.”
“It’s not easy. Nothing in life is easy. But if you want it bad enough, are willing to fight for it, when you’re finally strong enough to stand up for what’s yours, it’s worth it. You want Brewster to lose his hold over you? You have to pry his claws out of you, break one finger at a time. As long as you’re scared of him, he wins.”
Gracie looked around the coffee shop, noting it was mostly empty. The lull in customers wouldn’t last long, but for the moment, she had the illusion of privacy with Nick. He said Rafe hadn’t told him about her past, but from his words, he’d probably figured out a good deal. If he had her real name, it wouldn’t be hard to find out all the sordid details, know why Jeremy was a specter always hanging over her head like the sword of Damocles.
“Jeremy will always be a threat. You don’t understand my past, but it’s ugly. I’m ashamed of everything I did. As much as I want to blame Jeremy, I am accountable for my actions. I made stupid decisions. Did things I wish I could take back. Hurt innocent people and I didn’t care. There’s no excuse for the life I lived before. I escaped punishment for my actions because I was a coward and testified to escape my own prison sentence. Not such a pretty story, is it?”
Nick released her hands and leaned back in his chair, studying her intently. She felt like a bug under a microscope, his eyes taking in every inch of her. She fought to keep from squirming in her chair.
“You want to know what I see when I look at you, Gracie Medeiros? I see a strong, capable woman. Someone who made mistakes, realized there were consequences for her actions, and made amends the best way she could. A woman who feels remorse for her past, and is trying to make a path to a better future. I see a warm, caring, and generous spirit toward her friends and her clients. A woman who came to this town with nothing and has made herself an integral part of its community. I see a beautiful woman who loves her friends. Loves the business that she built from the ground up. I see a fighter who hasn’t let the world beat her down, who rolls with the punches and rises to stand strong. A woman who isn’t a quitter, and like a phoenix, rose from the ashes of her past to become a fiery beacon of hope.”
Tears burned at Gracie’s eyes by the end of Nick’s speech, and she struggled to keep them from falling. It stunned her to hear how he saw her. Looking past the superficial straight to her core, and it sounded like he appreciated the woman he saw. He’d even called her beautiful. She hadn’t felt that way in a very long time.
“I…thank you. You don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”
“Sometimes we see ourselves through a warped mirror, and the image we see isn’t the truth.” Scooting his chair back, he stood. “I need to go. Thank you for the coffee and the chat.”
“My pleasure, Nick.” Pushing back her chair, she stood also. “Any time you’re in town, coffee’s on the house.” She walked with him to the door.
“See you later, Gracie.”
“Wait!” She stopped his hand when he reached for the door. “Would you like to have dinner—with me?”
His smile lit his face, his blue eyes sparkling with something akin to happiness. “I’d love to.”
“Okay. Good. Um…I’ll cook. Tomorrow night, eight o’clock.”
“Sounds perfect. See you tomorrow.”
After he walked through the door, she spun around in a circle, giddy with joy. Then panic because she’d never asked a man back to her place for dinner. What if she screwed things up? What if she’d just made a huge mistake? What ifs raced through her head, anxiety warring with excitement.
She might not have done anything this spontaneous before, but she knew precisely who to call to give her dating advice. Pulling her phone free of her pocket, she dialed.