Chapter Nineteen
Gracie yanked her arm free from Jesse’s heavy grasp. “I can walk; you don’t have to manhandle me.”
They’d pulled into the driveway of a modest ranch house in a modest section of town, about five minutes or so from the busiest tourist section of the Riverwalk. The homes were all basically the same, one of the subdivisions where everything was cookie cutter and alike, nothing remarkable to make it stand out. The neighborhood was vaguely familiar, but not someplace she’d spent a lot of time before. Didn’t matter, if she got the chance, she’d run. Somebody had to be home in one of these houses, even if there were no cars parked in the drives. They were probably in the garages, which each home sported.
His vice-like grip fastened on her wrist again, and she knew he wasn’t about to budge. “Like I’m gonna trust you. Let’s go.” Frogmarching her through the front door that Cassandra had unlocked, he slammed it behind him before finally releasing her.
“Check the GPS. See if Nick’s made it here.” Cassandra glowered at her cousin, who simply rolled his eyes and pulled free the laptop from the backpack, and walked over to the countertop peninsula separating the kitchen from the living area. While it was strictly builder grade stuff, the layout was straight from a couple of decades ago, meaning there wasn’t much of an open floor plan to this house.
“When Nick gets to the parking lot, what are you going to do?” Gracie asked the question, her mind whirling with thoughts of escape. She wasn’t about to sit back and wait for the cavalry to ride up or a white knight on a steed. Fairy tales had been forgotten a long time ago, and while she knew in her heart Nick was coming and he’d do his best to rescue her, she wasn’t a fairy princess or a damsel in distress waiting for her prince. She’d had enough sitting back and letting life toss her around, make her feel less than useless. First, she’d allowed Jeremy to ruin her young life, destroy her relationship with her parents and her friends. Now Cassandra and Jesse were threatening to do far worse.
“I have a few hoops he’s going to have to jump through before you get to see him. Make sure he hasn’t been followed. From what I’ve gleaned while in Shiloh Springs, it seems the Boudreaus could be formidable foes. You’d better hope they listened when Nick was told to come alone.”
“GPS is pinging at the parking lot, Cas. It’s not moving, so Nick is at least following directions.”
“Good. Can you access the CCTV or traffic cameras nearby, see if he’s talking to anybody? If he was followed,” she cut her gaze to Gracie, a wicked smile on her lips, “then all bets are off.”
“Seriously? What am I, some kind of magician?” Jesse started muttering under his breath and hitting the keys. “CCTV and traffic cameras. Like that is so easy. Remember, cousin, this is America. Things are different here than back home.”
“Just do your best. I need to start putting Nick through his paces. I’m worried though that we haven’t heard back from Uncle Simon or Alex. She should have texted by now.”
“Give it a little more time. Remember, they might not be able to use the phones while they’re on the helicopter. Good news is, once Uncle Simon is free, he can access all that money he’s got hidden away, and we’ll be rolling in dollar bills.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Cassandra paced back and forth, and Gracie stood in the living room, watching the two intently. Jesse hadn’t locked the front door behind him, when he’d shoved her through it, so there was a possibility she might be able to bolt. One moment of distraction, just one, that’s all she needed.
“Cas, I can’t get into the cameras. Everything’s worked swimmingly so far, call Nick and let’s get this finished. I’m ready to go home. I’ve had enough of Texas to last me a lifetime.”
She sighed. “You’re right. Okay, I’ll call.”
Gracie watched Cassandra dial. With a smirk, she put the phone to her ear. “Hello, Nick. Ready to meet me? Tut-tut, such language. No cookie for you.” She listened intently for a minute before putting the phone on speaker. “Alright, Gracie’s right here. Gracie, tell Nick that we haven’t hurt you, that you’re fine.”
“Nick?”
“Hey, baby, you okay?” His voice was the sweetest sound she’d heard in hours.
“Nick, Mighty Oaks subdivision—”
Cassandra smashed her hand over the phone, effectively muting the sound. “That was a mistake, Gracie. You’d better hope I cut you off in time. Otherwise, you might meet the same fate as Nick.”
“You’re a fool if you think killing him will do anything but have you hunted by the police on two continents.”
“They can hunt all they want. By the time they find Nick’s body, I’ll be in a country with no extradition agreement and enough money to buy my own island. Heck, there are a few countries out there I could probably pick up if I want to.” She pulled the phone back to her ear.
“Leave the parking lot and walk toward the Riverwalk. Go to San Fernando Cathedral and wait by the front entrance. Call me back at this number when you arrive.”
“You know we can’t monitor him once he leaves the car. The GPS only works on it. You gonna trust him to do what he’s told?”
“As long as we have his girlfriend, he’ll cooperate.” Cassandra started toward the kitchen. “Watch her.”
Gracie watched Cassandra open the sliding glass door leading to the back. There was a lovely covered patio out back with a pool, loungers, and an outdoor kitchen. The fresh air wafted through the open door, dispelling some of the suffocating heat inside the house. The air conditioning either wasn’t turned on or they didn’t think they’d be here long enough to need it.
A tall privacy fence encircled the yard. Gracie wondered if there was a gate leading either outside or to the alley. Most houses similar to the ones in other subdivisions were like her parents’ home, where the trash pickup was in the alley behind the house, and the occupants had to wheel the trash cans out there for pickup. She needed to stay alert; it might be a possible route of escape.
The minutes stretched past, the hands on the clock on the kitchen wall never seeming to move. Worry ate at her. Not for herself, but for Nick. He knew he was walking into a trap. Knew Cassandra taunted him, wanted him off balance and not thinking about anything but Gracie.
Please, please, let Nick have understood my message.
She jumped when the phone rang, splitting through the silence. The smug look on Cassandra’s face had Gracie’s palm itching to slap her. There was no doubt Nick was on the other end of the line, having reached his destination.
Unable to hear from this far away, Gracie started toward the open doorway, but Jesse grabbed her upper arm.
“Nope. You stay put.”
With a barely suppressed growl, Gracie jerked her arm free and paced the floor, back and forth across the sparse living room. A few pieces of furniture decorated the space, mainly consisting of two recliners and an end table between them. The recliners looked like something from Goodwill, the pleather held together with duct tape and hope. The kitchen held no furniture that she could see, not even a dish. Dark brown cabinets lined two walls, the countertops a gray granite. A thoroughly depressing room, but it was the style when the house was built.
Cassandra strolled back inside, leaving the French door open. “I’ve sent him to Confluence Park. That’ll take him another ten minutes or so to walk.”
Gracie bit her tongue, frustration riding her until it felt like it would burst from her skin. This was intolerable, the whole situation devolving like a farce. She knew Nick, but she also knew the Boudreaus, and if any of them had been close to Nick when the first call came through, it was a one hundred percent guarantee he hadn’t come to San Antonio alone.
When the phone rang, she jumped. It hadn’t been ten minutes yet, had it? Unless Nick ran all the way, he couldn’t have made it to Confluence Park yet. Cassandra’s smile assured her it was Nick, with her cat that ate the canary smirk.
“Good boy, Nick. Ready for your next destination?” Whatever Nick said had Cassandra frowning and then putting the phone on speaker. “This better be good.”
“Simon Norville has been arrested.” Nick’s bald statement had Jesse racing across the living room to grab his laptop. Furiously pounding the keyboard, he sucked in a breath and nodded at Cassandra.
“This changes nothing.”
“It changes everything. Your sister was also arrested. Whatever contingency plan you had in place in Australia is in pieces. We need to end this now, Cassandra. Give me Gracie and walk away. I’ll make sure you don’t face any charges here in the States. You can leave, get on a plane, and go anywhere in the world. I don’t care as long as you let Gracie go unharmed.”
“You can’t promise me that, Nick. Too much has happened. Your girlfriend has powerful friends in the Boudreau family.”
“You said the magic word, Cassandra. Family. The Boudreaus are my family. Not by blood, but ask any one of them and they’ll tell you. That powerful family you’re talking about is mine. Which means I can make all the charges disappear. Or I can hunt you to the ends of the earth, and we both know I never give up when I’m on a case. I’ve stayed undercover for years at a time, becoming the right hand to a man who was the epitome of evil. Do you think I didn’t learn a few tricks along the way? I can make your life a waking nightmare. This offer is for you and Jesse, and it’s only good until we end this call. After that, the deal’s off the table.”
“I need time to think. You can’t expect me to—”
“That’s exactly what I expect. Clock’s ticking, Cassandra. Deal or no deal?”
Cassandra looked at Jesse, her hand wrapped tight enough around the cell phone, Gracie was afraid it would crush in her grip. For the first time since this whole ordeal started, she looked spooked. No longer in control. For the first time, Gracie allowed a sliver of hope to fill her.
“Nick?” She called out knowing the phone was still on speaker.
“Yeah, baby, I’m here. You heard?”
“Every word.”
“You hang in there, I’m coming to get you. Hold on, everything’s going to be alright.”
Cassandra watched Gracie’s face as she spoke with Nick, though she didn’t try to stop her. The gleam in her eyes worried Gracie. She was planning something, and she had the sinking feeling it wasn’t turning herself over to Nick and the Boudreaus.
“I’m going to put the call on hold. I’m not hanging up, but I need to talk to Jesse about your offer.”
“You’ve got two minutes.” Nick sounded so sure and confident, it bolstered Gracie even more. It was only a matter of time before she’d see him, and she’d tell him how she felt. No more hiding, telling herself it was too soon, that they didn’t know each other. Even if he didn’t return her feelings, she wasn’t going to shy away from taking a chance. She loved Nick. This whole fiasco had only deepened her resolve, convincing her that what she felt was real. It wasn’t the pale imitation she’d had with Jeremy. Now that she’d found the real thing, she recognized the feelings she’d manufactured for Jeremy were manipulations and coercion on his part, to mold her into the woman he wanted. Not the real person.
Watching Cassandra and Jesse bicker back and forth stole their focus off her, and Gracie realized this was her chance and she had to take it. Seeing her shot, she bolted for the front door, hearing Cassandra yelling for her to come back. She didn’t turn around, not wanting to see if Cassandra had the gun in her hand or not.
Running through the door, she tripped on the front porch where there was a crack in the cement, going down onto one knee hard. Her momentum carried her forward, and she tucked into a roll, coming back up on her feet. She couldn’t stop, not until she got away. It wasn’t until she ran smack into a hard chest that she realized she wasn’t alone.
It was Nick.
A sob escaped as she threw her arms around him. He was here. He’d come for her, just as he promised. She could hear someone barking out orders and footsteps rushing past her. Pulling slightly away from Nick, she spotted several police cars parked in front of the house, with uniformed officers as well as Rafe, Shiloh, and Douglas.
The front door slammed against the side of the house, as officers stormed inside, and she heard shouting. Cassandra wasn’t giving up without a fight apparently, but if the cavalry was here, that meant Gracie was safe. When strong arms wrapped around her, she knew it was Nick. She was in Nick’s arms, where she belonged.
“Looks like you didn’t need us after all. Always knew you were a fighter.”
Gracie recognized the voice of Joaquim Alvarez, the Texas Ranger who’d been her friend when she’d testified against Jeremy. The man who’d helped her, pointed her in the direction of Shiloh Springs. She owed him so much.
“After today, I think I’m hanging up my boxing gloves.”
“Retiring undefeated.” He nodded toward the house. “Those two are going to jail. We’ll need to get your statement, but from everything the Boudreaus have told me, you’re an innocent victim in all this. Once we get them in custody, we can get you to the hospital and get you checked out and then you can go home.”
“No hospital, I’m fine. They never hurt me.”
A scream echoed inside the house and Cassandra bolted through the front door, the gun clasped in her hand. Her eyes wild like a cornered animal, she stared around the yard, noting all the officers with their guns drawn pointed straight at her.
“You!” She screamed at Nick. “This is all your fault. I hate you. You ruined everything!”
The world seemed to freeze, then started moving again, like watching a film in slow motion, and Gracie saw Cassandra’s finger tighten on the trigger. She squeezed as an officer tackled her from behind, and Gracie didn’t think she’d ever forget the fear and desperation she felt hearing the sound of the gunshot.
“I’m alright, sweetheart. I promise, I’m okay.”
She didn’t realize until that moment that she’d been screaming Nick’s name over and over, thinking he’d been hit. Slumping forward since her knees had turned to jelly, she welcomed Nick’s arms around her.
Cassandra was marched past them, yelling obscenities and blaming Nick for ruining her plans. Jesse walked behind her, subdued and a little forlorn. She couldn’t bring herself to muster any sympathy for either of them, since they’d planned to kill the man she loved.
“How?”
“Mostly it was your clue about Mighty Oaks subdivision. Shiloh was monitoring my calls with Cassandra on another line and he caught it, did a computer search, and came up with this place. It’s only a few minutes from the Riverwalk. Rafe contacted Alvarez, who met me in the parking lot where Cassandra sent me.”
“We didn’t think she could have eyes on him, so we took a chance and sent in a decoy to do the running around in the Riverwalk and we headed here.”
“Decoy?”
“I’ll answer that one.” Douglas pulled her into a hug. “Antonio volunteered. He looks nothing like Nick, I know, but slap a cowboy hat on him pulled low and you can’t tell he’s not a blond.” Nick motioned and Rafe, Shiloh, and Douglas came over and hugged her. “Shiloh found the subdivision, contacted Alvarez, who called out the local cops. We did a grid search, checking with neighbors, and somebody said the white SUV was new to the neighborhood. From there, it was an educated guess, and we set up while waiting for Cassandra to get back on the phone. And it paid off.”
“You okay, sugar? You gave us quite a scare, bolting out of the house like that.” Douglas kept her pulled into that hug until Nick tugged on her arm and moved her to his side, keeping her close.
“We’ll explain everything later. We’re just glad everything worked out and you’re safe.” Shiloh gave her a wink, and went back to typing something on his phone. “By the way, Momma says don’t worry about your shop. She has the ladies set up on a rotation schedule to cover until you feel up to going back to work. And Alice said she’ll work any extra hours you need.”
“Oh. Tell Ms. Patti I said thanks.”
It took several hours to get things settled, go downtown to the police station, give her statement, and see her parents, who Douglas had called. Gracie had no idea how he’d gotten their number, but she was so happy to see them she cried. It felt good to see her mother’s face, feel her daddy’s kiss on her cheek, his hand ruffling her hair like she was still his little girl.
Finally, they headed back to Shiloh Springs. She rode with Nick, who wouldn’t let her out of his sight. Collapsing against his side, she felt the warmth of his skin where it touched hers, heard him breathing, smelled the woodsy cologne that he wore, and allowed herself to be lulled to sleep, knowing she was safe and going home.