Remember Love: Saints Protection & Investigations (17 page)

“I got a call from Preston, saying you’d be coming by,” he explained, amicably. “Come on in.”

Curious as to why Preston would have called Carter, Blaise said nothing as he and Chad walked into the small living room. Carter’s mom disappeared and returned a minute later with glasses of iced tea on a tray.

“I thought you gentlemen might like some refreshment,” she explained, nervously glancing between them.

Thanking her, they noticed she left the room after receiving a pointed stare from Carter. He turned to them, saying, “Sorry. It’s kind of embarrassing to be twenty-five and still living at home. But, now, with a steady income from the TSA, I should be able to rent my own place soon.”

Nodding, Blaise began, “We are investigating the disappearance of Grace Kennedy and understand that you were close to her when at the K-9 training center.”

“Yeah, I guess you could say we were close. The first day of training, I was nervous as hell and just happened to be sitting at a table with the only two women in the class. Grace and Jocelyn Montez. Both nice as could be and I think just as nervous as me. We got to talking and stuck together for most of the training.”

“Tell us what you know about Grace,” Chad prompted.

“She was super smart…probably the smartest one in the class. She and her dog had a real bond.” He smiled as he reminisced. “We didn’t hang out after class. She lived close enough to drive but far enough away to have to leave right after class most days.”

“Anything personal?”

Crinkling his brow, Carter said, “Not too much, although I know her parents had died and she had no one in her family. We had a little graduation party at a nearby restaurant when we finished the training and most of us had some family with us. She was alone.”

“Tell us about the position with the TSA at the Richmond International Airport. We know you were hired at RIA after she did not return. Rather fortuitous for you, wasn’t it?”

Startling, Carter immediately sat up straighter. “Wait, you don’t think I had anything to do with her disappearance, do you?”

“We’re just trying to establish what was going on in her life at the time she went missing,” Blaise explained smoothly.

“Listen, it’s like any other job. There’s gonna be more applicants than jobs and so it’s not unusual for us both to be interested in the same place. We, and Jocelyn, were the only local people at the K-9 facility.”

“It’s our understanding that she was the front-runner for the job and had begun the TSA job at RIA shortly before you graduated.”

Nodding his head, still scowling, Carter admitted, “Yeah, I know. And, honestly, when they called to offer me the job, I was surprised. But they said she quit, so I thought ‘Lucky me.’”

“Lucky you?” Blaise asked as Chad glanced his way again.

“I didn’t know anything bad happened to her. I had no idea she actually disappeared. I just thought maybe she found another job,” Carter defended.

“Did you bother to check with her? Try to call her? See if Jocelyn had heard from her?” Chad asked.

“Naw. We didn’t see each other after the K-9 class. I just didn’t think about it. I’m not ashamed to say, I was thrilled to receive the call.” His eyes shifted from them to around the small room. “My goal was to get outta here and into my own place. This job’ll make that happen.” As an afterthought, he added, “But I never wished her any ill. I hope you find her, safe and sound.”

Driving away, the two Saints were quiet for a few minutes, each man deep into their own thoughts. His eyes still on the road, Chad asked, “You okay, man? The investigation is only gonna get more intense, you know.”

Sucking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, Blaise replied, “Yeah, I know. And I’m all right. Sort of.” Chuckling, he said, “I guess that didn’t sound very convincing, did it?”

Grinning, Chad shook his head. “It’s all good. Don’t worry about trying to sound convincing to me. You just gotta stay cool while we’re interviewing.”

“I know,” Blaise agreed, “but it’s so fuckin’ hard to not want to bash someone’s head in for not reporting her missing!” Running his hand through his hair he let out a long sigh. “You should have seen that broken down, abandoned house she was living in, Chad. No heating or cooling. No furniture. No running water or electricity. Just her and Gypsy sleeping on the floor.”

Chad grimaced, angry at what the sweet woman had endured. “You can’t beat yourself…or anyone else up, Blaise. She’s in your life now and that’s where you can help her.”

“She was freaking out last night and I told her the same thing. We can’t turn the clock back but can focus on moving forward.”

Chad spared a glance toward his friend. “She it for you?”

A smile replaced the scowl on Blaise’s face as his mood lightened just thinking about the beautiful woman back at his house. “Yeah, man. It may sound crazy, but yeah.”

Chad, matching Blaise’s grin, proclaimed, “Nothing crazy about finding the woman that clicks with your life…or the life of a Saint. I felt that about Dani and wasted too much time before letting her know. Don’t make the same mistake I did.”

*

Dropped back off
at Blaise’s house, Grace waived goodbye to Miriam before turning to head inside the house. The symphony of barking met her ears as she walked straight through to the back room. Filling up the buckets the way Blaise showed her, she made the trek to the kennels, Ransom and Gypsy following on her heels. Having learned their names, she greeted each one, taking the time to ruffle their ears and while they gobbled the food, she hosed down their kennels.

Finishing the outdoor animals, she moved to the few cats that were inside. The figure-eights they pranced around her legs ceased as soon as she filled their dishes as well. Hearing a high-pitched mew, she looked over at the tiny kitten. “I didn’t forget you, little one.” Unable to resist, she opened up the cage and lifted the small animal to her chest. Its claws came out as it hissed.

“Ouch!” she exclaimed. “You’ve got little talons there.”

Stroking the dark fur, the kitten began to purr. “Mmm, you may have sharp claws, but you’re just scared aren’t you.” Continuing to hold it close, she said, “You know? I think Talon is a good name for you.”

Feeding the little tigress, she put her back into the cage and moved into the kitchen. Fixing a sandwich, she looked at the clock.
Only two p.m. Ugh. I wonder if Blaise has found out anything more?

She looked down at the temporary cell phone he gave her and hovered her finger over the keys.
No, stop it. If he had anything I needed to know, he’d call.
Flipping through the channels on the TV, she quickly became bored. Gypsy trotted over, laying her head in Grace’s lap, her amber eyes staring at her mistress, whimpering.

Smiling, she stood and said, “Let’s go, girl. I’m bored. You’re bored. Let’s have some fun.”

Finding some tennis balls and dog ropes in the feed room, the two of them headed outside, with Ransom plodding along after them, curling up in the shade. Grace and Gypsy began with a simple game of ball toss that soon morphed into her calling out commands. As her training came slamming back into her, Grace gave Gypsy a workout, remembering how they used to play together after getting home from training.

Tossing a ball in the park near my apartment. Her sleeping on the pad next to my bed. Our training! I remember her on a leash, going over concrete walls, wooden crates, plastic pipes. She would sit and bark once when she found something.

Excited, Grace tried to pull up other memories of people she knew, but the only ones that crowded into her mind were of her and Gypsy.
But, thank God, it’s a start!

The crunch of tires on gravel had Gypsy and Ransom barking and Grace jogged around the house to see one of the Saints dropping Blaise off in the front. “BLAISE!” she screamed her greeting.

He stopped halfway out of the truck, the sight of her causing his heart to pound. Her long, dark hair flowing behind her. Her tight jeans making her legs appear long and slender, while fitting her delectable hips perfectly. Her breasts bouncing slightly in the old t-shirt. But it was the expression on her face that rocked him. A wide smile, bright eyes, and unadulterated joy at seeing him.

Without holding back, she ran straight to him, jumping up in his arms as he planted his feet to brace himself.

Laughing at his reception, a woman in his arms, two dogs running circles around their legs, and a couple of cats lounging on the front porch—
what more could I want?

“Hey, babe,” he greeted. “Looks like you had a good day!”

“I remember some things! I remember training with Gypsy and running with her in the park near my apartment! And I remember her sleeping next to my bed in the apartment! That’s all, but it’s a start and the counselor said more should come with time!” she gushed, capturing his lips with hers, sealing them with a kiss of joy.

His arms tightened around her body, feeling her trembling, but this time with excitement instead of fear.
Thank God!
Her breasts pressed into his chest and he could feel her heat through their jeans. Forgetting Chad’s presence, he angled his head, taking the kiss deeper.

Hearing another car door close, she jerked away, a deep red blush rising from her chest to her hairline. “Oh, I’m sorry!” She wiggled to get down, but Blaise held on tight as he turned his body to where they faced his friend.

“I realize it’s too hard to remember all of us, but I’m Chad.”

“It’s nice to see you again,” she said, her wide smile lighting her face as she observed the large man with the dark hair and quiet demeanor.

Chad watched the pair, perfectly aligned as Blaise held her close, with the animals running around, and grinned. It was easy to see that Blaise was right—she was definitely the one.

A
s the sun
moved past the woods in the back, the moon peeked out from the other side. The evening air was slightly cooler as Blaise and Grace sat on the patio, droplets sliding down their beer bottles.

He did not want to interrupt her jubilant mood, but she insisted he tell her every detail of what his investigation had uncovered about her past.

She now sat, contemplating all he had revealed. Taking a deep pull of her beer, she set it down on the wide arm of the Adirondack chair she lounged in. “So, in a nutshell, I’m an only child, orphan, who has a dog I love. I graduated from college, then decided to go to K-9 school and did the training there. Gypsy and I were so good we were the top pick for the TSA at the Richmond International Airport. I had two friends, one was in competition for the same job. I got selected, started the TSA training shortly after I graduated school, had my accident about 3 weeks later and my friend got the job since I didn’t show up anymore. No one has heard about me since I disappeared and no one reported me missing.”

Blaise listened as she calmly recited the facts as though talking about the weather. “Sweetheart—”

“No, Blaise,” she interrupted, finally giving emotion to her words. “Don’t give me platitudes about my former life. I just find it hard to think that no one cared.”

He scooted his chair so that it was now facing hers, directly in front, and moved his large, muscular body so his long legs pressed on the outside of hers. Taking her hands in his, he pulled her forward so she was forced to be at eye level with him.

“You need to listen to me,” he ordered softly, but deliberately. “You were in a state of transition. You only lived in your apartment for a month or two and had already paid for two more months. You hadn’t had time to meet neighbors. You graduated from the K-9 school, so they didn’t know you were missing. You had only been in the TSA training for three weeks when you left, so you hadn’t had time to establish friends there either. Their office is busy, overworked and understaffed, so, unfortunately, you were seen as more of a number than a person. It sucks, but it happens sometimes.” He paused for emphasis then continued, “This situation is not on you. Granted, I grew increasingly pissed as the day wore on, but Chad had to remind me that the state of transition hindered your situation.”

She grew quiet, mesmerized by his crystal clear, blue eyes not wavering from hers. His hands, fingers laced with hers, were warm and strong. She caught a whiff of his masculine scent, not from cologne but musky and original to him. His words wrapped around her heart, sinking into the loneliness she felt when she attempted to stare into her blank past.

Sighing heavily, she nodded slowly. “You’re right. It just made me sound like such a loser when I said it earlier. But I’d like to think that I’m the kind of person that people would miss.”

Without skipping a beat, he leaned in further, saying, “Babe, if you were missing from my life for one day, I would miss you more than my next breath. I’d never stop searching for you. I’d circle the globe, just to find you.”

This time, his words slammed into her, taking her breath away as he pulled her closer. Leaping from her chair, she landed in his lap, their lips sealing the promises between each other.

Slipping his tongue deep into the warmth of her mouth, he reveled in the heady taste of her, exploring every crevice. The sensations shot straight to her core as her womb convulsed. She squeezed her legs together in an attempt to ease the ache between them.