Remember Love: Saints Protection & Investigations (30 page)

Blaise reached his hands up, cupping each bouncing breast, tweaking the nipples. Watching her face as she bit her lip, her eyes closed in concentration, he felt her sex begin to tighten around him. As she whimpered, he slid one hand own to press on her clit, eliciting the response they both wanted.

Throwing her head back, she screamed his name again as her pussy clenched and the orgasm sent electric shocks throughout her limbs.

Knowing she was exhausted, he took over, lifting her hips slightly with his hands as he began to piston upward. In a minute, the friction sent him spiraling into his own orgasm, groaning as he pumped until he was empty.

She fell onto his chest, her head on his shoulder, legs tangled. His large hands roamed up and down her back from her neck to her ass. The lazy movement, plus the two orgasms, had her relaxed and sated. Several long minutes later, she managed to lift her head, her hair plastered to her sweaty forehead, and looked down at him. His sky-blue eyes held hers as their hearts pounded together.

“You interested in a shower, big boy?” she teased.

“With you? Hell yeah.”

Grinning, the two moved from the bed and into the master bathroom. A few minutes later, as the warm water sluiced over their bodies, they made love once more.

*

Bayley and Barbara
stepped inside the front foyer as Bayley slipped the key into her purse. Barbara said, “Did you call this time?”

“Yes,” Bayley said, quickly amending, “But he didn’t answer. I just wanted to say goodbye since I’ve got to go out of town tomorrow.”

Barbara’s eyes widened. “He didn’t answer? Bayley Hanssen! We shouldn’t be here if your brother doesn’t kno—”

The words halted in her throat as the two women noted the man’s shirt on the floor with the woman’s shirt a few feet further. Socks, men’s jeans and then women’s jeans continued up the stairs. A bra and panties mingled with boxers near the top.

The women could hear water running from the shower. Mother and daughter cast wide-eyed looks at each other, as they both tiptoed backward toward the front door, Bayley grinning wildly.

“Bayley, that’s it. Tomorrow, give your brother his key back,” Barbara whispered as they stepped out onto the front porch.

Sucking in a deep breath of air, Blaise’s mom, red with embarrassment, looked at her still grinning daughter. “Thank God Grace doesn’t know we’re here or she’d be mortified once again.”

“Mom, I can’t help but grin. He didn’t catch us and, face it, doesn’t it feel good to know that he’s
with
a good woman?” Bayley asked, winking at her mom.

Rolling her eyes at her daughter as they drove back down the driveway, Barbara smiled secretly.
Yes, I am glad my son is with someone so good.
Breathing a sigh of relief as they made it back to the road, she vowed,
No more impromptu visits!

S
tanding on his
front porch the next morning, Blaise sipped his cup of coffee, barely hearing Grace padding outside in bare feet to encircle him with her arms.

“How’d you sleep, babe?”

“Mmmm,” she grinned, looking up at him. “With the workout you gave me, I slept like a baby.”

Bending to kiss her sweet lips, he barely touched her before his phone buzzed. Glancing at the screen before answering, he said, “Hey mom.”

Grace headed to the kitchen to give him some privacy, shooing the cats away as she walked. Resorting to giving them some food, she then bent to rub Gypsy’s fur. “Hey, girl,” she said, staring into her dog’s warm eyes. Looking up as Blaise came back in, she asked, “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Bayley is flying out today to go on a business trip and mom wanted to know if I could take her.”

“Sure we can,” Grace offered.

“You want to go too?” he asked.

“Honey, I’m not going to fall apart just because I see an airport. I used to work at one, you know,” she teased.

Stepping closer he put his hands on her shoulders and bent to look into her eyes. “I know you say you’re ready to get out there and face your past, even face the unknown, but you don’t have to do it all at once. Yesterday was big for you,”

Nodding slowly, she smiled softly. “Thank you,” she whispered as she leaned forward, resting her head on his chest. “I certainly wouldn’t be ready today to go meet Carter and the group in Richland, but the small Charlestown airport should be easy. If I do it today, then I’ll be ready to tackle the much larger airport…maybe tomorrow.”

“You’re ready to jump into this feet first, aren’t you?” his voice rumbled in her hair.

“I think I’ve remembered all I can from dreams…and nightmares. I think getting out will stir more memories. At least solidify the ones I have, like the training center and seeing Mr. Wilkins.” She squeezed her arms around his waist, then continued. “Being with you has given me strength…and courage, to face the rest of what happened to me.”

“Grace, I’m telling you straight up…you’re the bravest person I know.”

With his arms enveloping her, the two stood for several silent minutes in the kitchen, bodies pressed together, hearts beating as one.

*

Laughter rang out
in the SUV as Grace listened to a few embarrassing childhood stories about Blaise. She was quickly finding that Bayley had very little filter when it came to making fun of her brother. The drive was soon over and the three walked into the mid-sized airport. Giving Bayley a hug, Grace stood back to give the siblings a chance for a private goodbye. Wandering over to a row of small shops, she found herself next to the security line. Watching as people moved through the security she stared at the TSA agents, in their dark blue uniforms, herding the travelers.

A blinding flash bolted through her mind, painful and searing. Grabbing the wall next to her, she blinked rapidly. An image blasted to the forefront of her mind.

Leaving the locker room, I check the mirror first to make sure my dark TSA uniform is perfect. Lifting my gaze to my face in the reflection, I take a deep cleansing breath. “I got this,” I say out loud. Glancing down to Gypsy, sitting obediently at my side, I grin. “Come on, girl. Let’s do it.”

Stepping out of the locker room, we walk down the hall, passing through several doors, ending in one of the large luggage bays. Preston is already scowling at me. Wondering why, Gypsy and I hustle over to him. He begins barking orders and without hesitation, Gypsy and I perform.

The baggage carousel is loaded with every size and shape of luggage, but she and I work as we’ve been trained. Preston continues to bark orders as the carousel begins to fade…

Blinking rapidly as the Charlestown airport came back into view, Grace clung to the wall.
I remember the Richland Airport. Being here has triggered more memories.
Closing her eyes again, she willed her memories to continue, but nothing came.

“Grace, Grace,” Blaise called, his hands grabbing her shoulders. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Blushing, she opened her eyes, glancing around in embarrassment, hoping no one was watching her fall apart.

Searching his face, she steadied her breathing. “Yes, I’m fine. I just had a flashback. It was triggered seeing the people move through the security lines.”

Pulling her in close, he held the back of her head to his strong chest, saying, “Can you tell me?”

“I remember my first day at the airport in Richland. I remember seeing Preston as he yelled out his commands to Gypsy and me. I had on the same uniform as these TSA agents. I remember feeling really proud, kinda nervous, and sure that Gypsy and I could do the job.”

“Come on, Grace. Let’s get you out of here,” Blaise ordered gently, tucking her underneath his arm, guiding her away from the wall.

Afraid she had made a spectacle of herself, she glanced around once more, stumbling as her eyes landed on a man staring at her. Dark hair. Dark suit. No smile. Just staring.

Blaise steadied her as his concerned gaze drop to her. Making their way out into the bright Virginia sunshine, she breathed deeply.

“Better?” he asked, leading her to his SUV.

Nodding, she forced a smile, but the eyes of the man from the airport continued to bore into her mind.
He seemed familiar. I think…I think I’ve seen him before. But…I can’t remember.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, the suited man stood on the sidewalk outside the taxi line and placed a call.

“I’ve seen her. She was not fuckin’ killed. I thought someone went to the car and checked. She saw me…looked right at me, but didn’t seem to recognize me. No, no. I’m not taking a fuckin’ chance that she won’t remember where she saw me. I want her taken care of…permanently this time.”

*

Blaise sat at
the Saints’ conference table, listening to Luke’s report and growing more frustrated by the minute.

Finally, he blurted, “So we’ve got no identifiable fingerprints from the plane, the barn or office, nor from Grace’s apartment. And Mitch is telling us there are no other prints on Grace’s car other than hers.”

Luke glanced at the others before continuing. “I’ve been running the finances of everyone on the list Grace provided, from the K-9 training center to her co-workers at the TSA, and, so far, I don’t see anything odd at all. No large deposits, or withdrawals. No new accounts that I can find. Nothing suspicious at all.”

Throwing himself back heavily in his chair, Blaise ran his hand over his face. “So, right now, we still got nothing. We’ve got no fuckin’ idea why she was on that mountain, although we can suspect that it had something to do with the Savine operation. The FBI’s got nothing new on her car.”

Mitch, on video-conference, replied, “We know what kind of vehicle hit her but have found no garage in a fifty-mile radius that claims any body work has been done on a vehicle fitting that type.”

“What made her go up that mountain?” Marc asked, pondering out loud.

“Okay, men,” Jack said. “Brainstorm any reasons you can think of.”

“She found something at the RIA.”

“She’d have reported it there.”

“She was meeting someone.”

“At night? With Gypsy? There’s no indication anyone on that road knew her.”

“Maybe she discovered something on her job. Gypsy reacted, but didn’t find it.”

At that, the others grew thoughtful. Looking over at Blaise, Jude added, “Grace remembered feeling pressure at work. Maybe she and Gypsy noticed something but, as a TSA trainee, missed it…or wasn’t sure.”

Blaise, unconvinced, sighed heavily. “I guess it’s possible. But what did she notice?”

“Noticed an address? Followed someone?”

Monty, the quiet Saint, spoke up after listening to everyone’s suppositions. “We’re going about this backward.” Gaining everyone’s attention, he explained, “While we can’t be certain, we can make a good assumption that her being on the mountain road had something to do with the Savine property and the fact that it’s more than likely a private drug running airstrip.”

He looked at Blaise and said, “We can still look at who she was with at RIA but, at the same time, we can look deeper into what’s happening on the mountain. Then we might tie it back to her.”