She shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Bul shit. “No, you aren’t.” Wade heard someone honk, and he realized it was the cab. He took out his wal et and pul ed out a few bil s, then shoved them at Gracie’s father.
“Uh, I guess I’d better go,” her father said, his voice a little steadier as he took the cash. “Cal me tomorrow, Gracie.”
She nodded, but didn’t speak. Wade suspected it was al starting to real y sink in. The shock was wearing off. Damn, what he wouldn’t do to get his hands on the bastard tormenting her. He wanted to tear him apart, slowly. He wanted it to hurt for a good long time before death final y came.
He took her to one of the kitchen chairs and helped her sit, and then he crouched down. “I’m sorry, baby. I should have insisted on that security system. At the very least I should have been keeping an eye on this place.”
“No, it’s not your fault, Wade. None of it. Besides, you were protecting me. You can’t be in two places at once.”
He wouldn’t let her make excuses for him. Wade cupped her cheek in his palm. “I could’ve had Jonas here, Gracie. I was a little too intent on getting you into bed. Everything else sort of fel to the wayside.”
She smiled, and as usual the bril iance of it lit him up like a freaking Christmas tree. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but I was pretty intent on that, too.”
They both fel silent. Wade stood and strode across the room, then started opening drawers. “Do you have a pair of tongs or something that I can use to pick up the card?”
“Um, the third drawer down, I think.”
Wade pul ed it open and found a pair of red-handled tongs among a bunch of other kitchen utensils. Grabbing them, he went back to the table and used them to pluck the card out of the vase. He had the insane urge to throw the entire thing into the damn trash, but it was evidence, and he couldn’t destroy evidence. There could be a fingerprint. He highly doubted it, but there was stil a chance, and he clung to it. It took a few tries to get the card out of its envelope. Once the card was free, Wade read it to himself first.
“What does it say?” She straightened her spine, as if bracing herself for yet another impact.
Instead of repeating the words aloud, Wade handed her the tongs. The whole situation was putting him into a dangerous rage. “I’m usual y a pretty patient man, but this asshole is real y pissing me off.”
You’ve betrayed me, Gracie Lynn. I can’t let your slutty behavior continue. I’ll see you soon, my love.
Forever, Your Admirer
Wade watched the look of disgust come over Gracie’s face. Nothing in his life had ever been more difficult than standing around, helpless, while his woman was being tormented. When she started to shake uncontrol ably, Wade took one long stride, then reached out and snagged the tongs holding the card out of her hand and placed both gently on the table, before pul ing Gracie into the safe cocoon of his arms. They held each other tight. “I wil find him,” he vowed, “and he’l pay for al of it.” The bastard’s days were numbered.
“I thought I was braced for the worst, but the words on the card . . . Wade, he’s crazy.” She had her face buried in his T-shirt, causing her words to sound garbled.
“Crazy, but he’l make a mistake, and we’l get him.” The implications of the words on the card said it al . He’d seen him and Gracie together.
And it’d pushed him to act out. Wade knew that would be the way to find him.
“God, he was in here. Al over my apartment.” Suddenly, Gracie jerked out of Wade’s embrace and ran to the trash. She threw up so hard Wade’s gut clenched. He went to her. Placing his palm on her back, Wade soothed her as best he could as he held her hair back with his other hand. He murmured soft words to her and final y her spasms eased. She raised her head to look at him. “Sorry.”
“Don’t. You have nothing to be sorry for, baby.” Gracie seemed to pul herself together then. Walking over to the sink, she reached up and grabbed a paper towel from its holder, and yanked. As she went about cleaning herself up, Wade heard the sirens again, close. “The police are here.”
Gracie went back to the table and leaned down to look at the card. “The way he says Gracie Lynn . . . It’s starting to seem familiar. Like I’ve heard it before. But . . .” She broke off then as if contemplating something.
“But what, honey?” Wade urged.
She looked up at him, a frown marring her pretty face. “I told you before I’ve never used my middle name. But I could swear someone cal ed me Gracie Lynn recently. I wish I could remember.”
“You wil . Give it time.”
She sighed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I’m so tired of his having the upper hand.”
“Me too. But he’s losing his composure. This sort of destruction was done in one hel of a rage.”
“And you think we can get him to make a mistake if he sees us together again?”
“Yeah, I do. Now, about your staying with me.” A loud k
nock interrupted them. Instinct had Wade moving between her and the doorway.