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 ismine. 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.
