“I knew it,” Rafe gloated. “I knew you liked her. Tessa spotted it too. Every time you’ve been within ten feet of her, you can’t take your eyes off her. Admit it, man, she’s got you spinning like a top.”
“Shut up. Wait, don’t stop talking. Tell me about this character, Brewster. What’s his deal?”
Rafe sighed. “Jeremy Brewster. Hails from a very influential family in San Antonio and Houston. Lots of old money there. Jeremy did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and the cops in San Antonio looked the other way. Rumors were he got in deep with one of the local gangs. Vicious, ugly rumors, though my guess is there’s a lot of truth to most of them. From what I’ve been able to dig up, sounds right up Brewster’s alley.”
“So how’d somebody like that get his hooks into Gracie? From what little I’ve seen, she seems sweet. A tough exterior, but she doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman who’d hang out with hoodlums.”
“Hoodlums? I haven’t heard anybody refer to street level thugs as hoodlums in forever.” Rafe chuckled. “Gracie has done everything to turn her life around. She made mistakes, but she was young. Just turned eighteen when she got involved with Brewster. Far too young and innocent to be involved with somebody who…like I said, it’s her story to tell. I will say that all Brewster’s mommy and daddy’s money and influence weren’t quite enough to keep their baby boy out of Huntsville. He got fifteen years for attempted murder, extortion, and arson. He’s served four years so far. How he’s up for parole now is anyone’s guess, but I suspect his parents have a lot to do with it.”
“Who’d he go after?”
“Deputy district attorney prosecuting his case. Pretty much an open and shut case, with all the evidence neatly tied up with a bow. He used a pretty girl to lure him into an ambush after leaving a restaurant. Three guesses who the pretty girl was.”
“Gracie.” There was an echoing finality in his tone. If she was a criminal—no, he wasn’t going there. She was well liked, well respected in Shiloh Springs and by the Boudreaus. If Ms. Patti and Douglas, not to mention the town’s sheriff, vouched for her, there had to be a heck of a lot more to the story.
He was a patient man. Waiting had become a way of life for him, something he’d learned working undercover for Calvin and the Australians. Patience paid dividends, and he would let her have her space.For now.
The rest of the drive from the Big House to Gracie’s apartment flew by, since Rafe sped down the lonely stretch of blacktop back to Shiloh Springs. Seeing that he exceeded the speed limit by twenty miles per hour, though he didn’t run lights and sirens, spoke volumes to Nick. Rafe was more worried than he was willing to admit.
When Rafe pulled into the parking lot of an apartment building not far from downtown, he looked around. It wasn’t a new or fancy place. Resembling a refurbished older motel, it had three stories with outside staircases leading to each floor. It looked well taken care of, freshly painted with a crisp white with blue accents. Not exactly the kind of place an attractive single woman should be living, but Gracie was a smart, independent woman who could chose wherever she wanted to live.
He matched Rafe stride for stride up the stairs and down the right to a blue door with the number two eleven in silver-coated numbers. Rafe knocked, the motion brisk and hard enough that it couldn’t be missed. Two doors down a skinny man in a wife-beater shirt and gray sweatpants stuck his head stuck his head outside, spotted Nick and Rafe, and quickly retreated into his apartment, his movements fast and jerky.
The front door opened and Grace stood there, her face pale, eyes red. He balled his hands into fists to keep from pushing Rafe out of the way, and pulling Gracie into his arms. This had to stop. The woman was practically a stranger, somebody he’d barely spoken more than a handful of words to, and yet there was an irresistible pull between them. He found himself hoping that it wasn’t just him feeling the attraction, though she hadn’t shown any indication she was attracted to him.
“Come in, Rafe.” A small tentative smile graced her lips and she added, “Nick.”
“Can you tell me what happened?” Rafe stepped through the door and pulled his cowboy had off, holding it at his side.
“Not a whole lot. I overreacted. I was distracted and forgot to look at the caller ID. I don’t answer calls from numbers I don’t recognize or aren’t in my contact list. When I answered, it was Jeremy.”
“Mind if I see the phone?”
She walked over and lifted it from the coffee table in front of the sofa, though it was so small it barely classified as one. Probably would only hold two people at the same time. Dark brown in color, it didn’t reflect anything of her personality, which he pegged as vivid and bright. That’s how the décor of the coffee shop looked, and this seemed…unfinished. Temporary. He wondered if she considered this home, or was it a stopgap between Shiloh Springs and wherever she chose to run next. Because in his gut, he had the feeling she was about to hightail it out of town without a goodbye. He recognized the look, having seen in so many times over the years from the women he’d helped rescue. How sad was it that she reminded him of those victims? But from what he gathered, she had been a victim of a vicious brute. Maybe not physical, but sometimes the mental and emotional toll far outweighed the bodily injury.
“What did Brewster say?” Rafe scrolled through the phone and waited for Gracie’s answer.
“Not a whole lot. I knew it was him because he called me Caroline.” Her voice cracked at the end, when she mentioned the name.
“That’s your real name, the one you used before you changed your identity?”
She nodded. “That’s how I knew it was him. Nobody calls me that. Not anymore. Alvarez, the district attorney, and my parents are the only ones who have ever used that name since I left San Antonio.”
“Nobody else? You’re sure?”
“Positive. I had to cut all ties when I left. Alvarez told me it was the only way I couldn’t be traced, or at least it would be harder to find me. Because of Jeremy, I lost my friends, my family. I lost my scholarship to Texas Tech. Now, after everything, somehow he’s found me.”
Rafe grabbed her by the shoulders gently. “We checked. He’s still in Huntsville, so he’s not coming to get you. The number is probably a burner, but I’ll have my guys check. Chances are good it’s already been destroyed, but we might be able to find something.”
She shook her head again. “You won’t. Jeremy’s smart and his parents have money. I’d be willing to bet he’s got access to whatever he wants, even in prison. We both know smuggling illegal stuff into prison is a big business, and things like cell phones wouldn’t even warrant a second glance by most of the guards, especially if money changes hands. I guarantee Jeremy has access to Mommy’s money somehow. Being locked up won’t stop him. I…I don’t think anything will ever stop him.” Looking at Nick, her gaze captured his, and he watched her swallow before speaking, her eyes never breaking contact. “I won’t go back to being the person I was before. She was weak and broken. Caroline allowed a monster to control her, make her do things…I’m not her anymore. I’m stronger now. I’ve learned that when you have people who love you, support you, even when you don’t deserve it, it changes you inside. I’ve done horrible, unforgivable things, yet I’ve found forgiveness and peace here. I won’t allow anyone to take it away from me. No one.”
The phone in his pocket vibrated, and he wished whoever it was to perdition. He’d put the phone on silence when he’d been at the Boudreau ranch and forgot to turn the ringer back on. As much as he wanted to ignore it, with the threat of danger hanging over his head, he had to answer.
Pulling the phone free, he looked at the caller ID and a tinge of guilt swept him. It was Antonio.
Heading for the front door, he answered. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I talked to Momma and Dad. They said you might have a couple of leads. Can you talk?”
