And she desperately needed to keep Rick that way, too.
She glanced over Tommy’s shoulder in time to watch as Boone checked the gun at his waist. A second later, he turned his back on them before slipping off into the murky dusk. Her gasp was soft, yet heart-wrenching. Rick wasn’t here yet. There was still time to fix this.
If Tommy heard her gasp, he didn’t respond to it. Not with words, though the way he squeezed her closer to his chest made Grace suspect he already knew just what she was thinking. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t trying to break free again. The pain in her head mellowed some as a fresh burst of adrenaline pumped through her, knocking the rest of the drug-induced wooziness out of her. Okay. She might be stuck, but that was okay.
She could still save Rick. No matter what she had to do, she had to try.
Tommy didn’t let go of her until he had propped her against his hip, thrown open the passenger door to his Jaguar, then eased her limp body inside. She didn’t fight him as she shoved the elaborate ruffle of the gown’s skirt inside the car before gently yet efficiently strapping her in. The door closed with a final slam. She took a deep breath, readying herself. Seconds later, Tommy was in the driver’s seat, engaging the automatic locks as soon as he was seated.
He glanced across the console at her, satisfaction in the curve of his lips as he grinned. He was so damn handsome, it made her skin crawl. It wasn’t fair. His outside should’ve reflected how dark and twisted he was on the inside.
She couldn’t do this. Being this close to him, even after all this time… it brought all the memories back. Beneath the confines of the seat belt’s strap, she started to tremble.
“It’s okay, my love. Don’t be afraid. You never have to be afraid of me, Grace. True, you shouldn’t have tested me this way.” Tommy clucked his tongue. His voice was so light, so smooth, it was hard to pick up on the threat underlining every word. “Pushing me to this point was extremely unwise, Grace. You know that, don’t you? But you’re mine, so I’m willing to let you make this up to me. Given enough time, and with some effort on your part, I’m sure I’ll eventually forgive you for your betrayal.”
Her throat ached with the effort it took not to scream again. Rick, she told herself. Think of Rick. “My… my betrayal?”
It was dark inside the Jaguar, the tinted windows locking in the gloom, but the pale white light from the radio display reflected the maniacal gleam in his cobalt eyes. “Don’t be stupid. I found you sleeping in another man’s bed. That’s the ultimate betrayal. You know that. Why do you insist on testing me?”
His voice was so very careful, so very soft. And she knew that the danger in his cultured tone was infinitely more noticeable than if he were shouting. Worse, he didn’t immediately start to pull away from Rick’s house. If he wasn’t in a hurry to whisk her away, it was because he knew there was no need for it. Once Boone took out Rick, no one else would come looking for her—especially if her car was gone, too.
And if they did? It would only
be because they thought she had a part to play in his death. Which she would, she knew. If Tommy’s obsessive jealousy led to Rick’s murder, it would be all her fault.
The flippant words Natalie Newton threw at Rick that day in the coffeehouse came back to her in a rush.
Don’t forget what happened the last time one of us took up with an outsider.
People died. Two of them, including the last sheriff of Hamlet.
She wouldn’t let this outsider go after her deputy.
Okay. Okay. Tommy wasn’t peeling away in a reckless bid to run off with her so he obviously wanted to talk some more. She could do that; for Rick’s sake, she had to. There had to be a way to get him to call off his attack dog. So long as Rick was safe, she could worry about her own skin later.
Grace knew she only had one choice: she needed to downplay the relationship she had with Rick. She couldn’t let Tommy think things between her and Rick were as serious as they were. It was bad enough she was sleeping in Rick’s house. If Tommy ever had proof that she’d been sleeping with Rick, he would snap.
And that wasn’t even the worst thing that could’ve happened.
Loyalty. In the beginning, when they first started dating, Tommy asked only one thing from her: her loyalty. They were exclusive from that first meet-up at the coffee shop, whether she knew it or not. He never accepted that they were over and done with. Even if it was Grace’s decision to move on, he wouldn’t allow it. To Tommy, her falling in love with another man really was the ultimate betrayal.
So if he ever suspected that she had? Boone wouldn’t be the one gunning for Rick. Tommy would.
Grace gulped, her stomach tightening to the point she thought she really was going to hurl all over the wedding gown. Hell of a time to realize she fell in love with Rick, considering the only move she had left to play. She had to convince Tommy that Rick meant nothing to her. It was the only hope she had to keep him safe.
“It was only a fling,” she whispered. When he turned to look at her closely, watching her intently, she raised her voice. “I… I was lonely. I wasn’t even there long.”
“Come here.”
There was a warning in the command that she couldn’t even dare ignore. With as much slack as the strap allowed, she leaned into him.
Once she was in reach, Tommy gripped her chin lightly between one hand. “Lies, Grace?” he whispered, lifting the other to stroke her cheek lightly. “Come, come, darling. You’re so much better than that.”
Chilled sweat dripped down her spine. She fought to keep her expression confused. Innocent. “What… what do you mean?”
His hand moved from her cheek, jerking so fast that he had another chunk of her hair in his grasp before she could protect herself. A flash of temper flared up in him, twisting his beautiful features into something ugly as he lashed out. Like before, he didn’t tug for long, just long enough for her to cry out in pain.
He definitely had her attention now.