Remember Love: Saints Protection & Investigations (35 page)

Attempting to keep his mind on the mission, he noticed the other Saints circling around. Just then another shot rang out, and this time, he saw Grace drop to the ground. His heart stopped as he rushed forward, forsaking all caution to reach her side.

Before he could reach her, she began screaming about Gypsy. Unsure if she was hurt or her dog had been shot, he continued to race through the woods. Running around a tangle of trees he came into the clearing from behind his truck. As he bolted around, he was shocked to see Grace, in her jeans and bra, pummeling Jocelyn with a large stick, screaming at her.

A quick glance to the ground indicated it was Gypsy that had been injured. Grabbing Grace from behind, he warred between wanting to clutch her to his body, feeling with every inch of his being the sensation of having her alive and well in his arms, and the desire to shake her for putting herself in danger by attacking someone holding a gun.

But as she broke down in his embrace, her grief overwhelming her, he knew he would have done the same.

“Almost there,” Marc said. “Jack called the neighbors and they’ve put out lights on the field.

Blaise knew Marc had flown in combat and for the CIA for years. He had no doubt his friend would be able to land anywhere and, within a few minutes, Marc proved just that. The landing was bumpy, but they soon came to a stop and taxied over to a waiting SUV. Within fifteen minutes they were at his house, Marc jumping out of the vehicle to assist. Another car was already in the driveway and the occupant was standing in Blaise’s doorway.

“Good to see you, Annie. Thank God you got here.”

The pretty red-haired veterinarian smiled, saying, “Glad to see you again too.” Her eyes dropped to the bundle in his arms, as she followed him into his back room. Once inside, she quickly moved around to begin assisting, hooking up the anesthetic machine to the IV line Blaise had already inserted.

She glanced up at Marc and smiled. “Hey, I’m Annie Douglass. You must be one of the Saints.”

Cocking his head to the side, Marc nodded curiously. Blaise, focused solely on Gypsy, made no introduction, so Annie continued. “My husband is Shane Douglass, with the Richland Police Department. And we’re good friends with the Alvarez Security men…they used to serve with Jack.”

Nodding, Marc greeted, “Nice to meet you. Glad you could help us out.”

“I’ve got a clinic not too far from here and Shane’s home with the kids.” Looking over at Blaise, she said, “But he said you owe him a beer for getting me out this time of night.”

Finally looking up, Blaise smiled. “Done.” Pulling the surgery table over to him, he said, “Now let’s get this bullet out of my woman’s dog.”

*

By the time
Grace ran through the front door, Bethany was waiting for her in Blaise’s living room.

“It’s okay, they’re working on her,” Bethany hurried to explain, wanting to reassure her friend as quickly as possible, noting her long black t-shirt that was obviously one of the Saints, as well as her blood-covered jeans and arms.

“I’ve got to get to her,” Grace said, trying to push past her. The other Saints crowded the room as well.

“Let’s get you cleaned up first,” Bethany suggested, but Grace refused.

“Don’t you see?” Grace pleaded, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at the full room. “For weeks, Gypsy was my only friend. The only connection to who I used to be. She stayed with me. Protected me. Never left my side…not once.” Her face crumpled as she whispered, “So I can’t leave her side now.”

Nodding Bethany hugged Grace quickly, tears in her own eyes, and then let her pass down the hall toward the clinic room. Stopping at the closed door, Grace hesitated, placing her forehead and hand on it. Silent prayers filled her as she thought about the weeks that Gypsy was there for her.
Please God…if You care about animals and I believe you do…please take care of her.

Sucking in a shaky breath, Grace opened the door and walked in. Blaise was stitching Gypsy as a beautiful woman in a lab coat monitored one of the machines connected to the dog.

“You must be Grace,” the woman smiled, looking up. “I’m Dr. Douglass. Annie.”

Rushing forward, she looked down at Gypsy peacefully sleeping. “How is she?”

Blaise smiled at her, though the lines on his face indicated his fatigue. “I can’t fucking believe it, but I think she’s going to be fine. The bullet missed all her organs and mostly went through the muscle. She lost a lot of blood, but Annie brought some from her clinic.”

“Oh, thank you,” Grace effused, her eyes not leaving his until he dropped his gaze reluctantly back to Gypsy. Grace stepped over to the woman, wanting to touch Gypsy, but uncertain what was allowed.

Annie’s smile warmed Grace’s heart as she nodded, “You can touch her. It’s okay. She’s sedated and, I promise, she’s not in pain.”

Bending down, Grace laid her hand gently on Gypsy’s shoulder before continuing the rest of the way down. Placing her head right next to the still dog, she breathed in her scent, nuzzling her fur. Silent tears began to fall, dropping onto Gypsy’s coat.

Annie blinked back tears of her own as she watched the agony play out in front of her. Glancing over at Blaise, she saw tears sliding down his face as he completed the stitching. Reaching over, she touched his shoulder, whispering, “I’ve got this. Go to her.”

Nodding his thanks, Blaise looked up as he placed the suturing materials back on the tray and pulled off his bloodied gloves. Standing behind Grace, crowding into the small space, stood the rest of the Saints. Every one of them. And, more than a few, quickly blinking while swallowing hard.

Walking around, his work on Gypsy now done, he focused on the woman holding his heart. He bent his body over hers, plastering her back to his front, laying his head next to hers. Whispering into her ear, he murmured comfort as his huge arms encircled her. After a moment, he raised up, lifting her upper body as he moved.

She turned, her cheek pressed against his chest, her arms holding tightly around his waist. The couple stood, silent…no words could possibly convey their emotions.

Annie quietly turned off the anesthesia machine and removed the endotracheal tube. Giving silent instructions to the men in the room, Chad and Jude walked over and assisted her in lifting Gypsy down to a soft pad on the floor. Bethany stepped forward and whispered to Annie, “I’ll help clean up in here. Just show me what to do.”

Marc came up to the couple in the middle of the room and said softly, “Blaise, you need to take care of Grace now. You’ve done all you can for Gypsy. Go get Grace, and you, cleaned up. We’re here for now. Come back down when you’re ready.”

Blaise felt, rather than heard, his friend’s concern, but knew he needed to see to Grace. “Babe, come with me and, I promise, we’ll be right back to be at her side.”

With that, he bent to scoop her up in his arms, carrying her out of the room and up the stairs. Kissing the top of her head as he walked into the bathroom, he glanced at their reflection in the mirror. Exhausted, bloody, complete total messes. And yet, seeing them together, he knew he was looking at the most beautiful sight in the world.

S
tepping into the
warm shower after stripping both of them, Blaise maneuvered Grace where the water would hit her back. Taking the shower gel, he lathered his hands and then smoothed them over her body.

She leaned her head back allowing the water to cascade from her hair to her toes. Her gaze pinned his with unspoken words of love. A tremulous smile curved her lips as she took a shuddering breath. Letting it out slowly, she finally said, “Thank you.”

He moved closer, his hands now washing her hair, fingers massaging her scalp, keeping his gaze on her. “Babe, thank
you.”

Her brow crinkled in question as she asked, “For what?”

Bending down, he whispered, “For staying alive.” His voice shook and he captured her lips before she could see the tears forming in his eyes once more.

For several long minutes, they stood, bodies pressed together, arms holding fast, as their lips met. Taking away fear. Soothing grief. Passion mixed with love.

Finally, pulling back, he said, “I want to take you to bed. I want to hold you in my arms all night long and never sleep for fear of losing one minute of my life not seeing you.”

Her easy smile pierced his heart, and he reluctantly added, “But we have a houseful of people downstairs who want to check on us. But when they leave…”

“Then I guess we’d better get down there,” she agreed, still grinning. “The sooner they can check on us, the sooner we can get on with our lives.”

*

By the time
Grace and Blaise made it downstairs, Angel, Sabrina, Dani, and Evie had arrived and Mitch was just walking into the house. The group had moved into the living room where drinks and snacks the women had brought were being enjoyed.

Annie stepped over to the couple and hugged Grace. “We weren’t properly introduced earlier. I’m Annie Douglass, a friend of Blaise’s. He’s helped me out when I had rescue animals that needed to be boarded so I was glad to have a chance to pay him back.”

“Please sit down and have some refreshments,” Grace offered, waving her hand toward the breakfast bar loaded with goodies.

“Thanks, but I need to get home. My husband, Shane, is sitting up waiting for me while keeping an eye on our kids.” She hugged Blaise before saying her goodbyes to the rest of the group.

Mitch walked over next, saying, “Grace, we’ll have to have an official statement from you, but I’d love to go over more of what you know combined with what we know, if that’s all right.”

Blaise started to protest, but Grace placed her hand over his chest and said, “Honey, I really want to do this. I know we’re all exhausted, but I’m ready.”

Kissing the top of her head, he moved into the living room, settling down in one of the comfortable chairs with her in his lap, unwilling to be apart from her.

Once everyone had sat down, covering all of the furniture and most of the floor space, Mitch rubbed his hand over his tired face and smiled at Grace. “Why don’t you tell us what you remember now? We’ll start with that.”

Sucking in a deep breath, she nodded, looking at the expectant faces of the crowd. The crowd of friends…ones who cared…ones who charged out into the night to save her. An emotion jolted right to her very marrow…
I’m not alone anymore.
Armed with that knowledge, she plunged ahead.

“I now remember what happened that night, although I don’t understand why or who all was involved.” Casting her mind back, she could now see the events taking place. “One of the TSA secretaries asked if I would deliver a package to the TSA at the Charlestown Airport since I lived nearby. It was not a problem and, in fact, I thought I might see Jocelyn. I arrived there and was walking towards what I thought was the terminal when I saw Douglas Wilkins. Before I could greet him, I could see he was deep in conversation with a tall, well-dressed man and I didn’t want to interrupt. They walked to another vehicle and as Gypsy and I neared the white SUV, Gypsy indicated there were drugs there. Not sure what to do, we moved out of sight and then watched as Douglas got into his vehicle and drove away. So I followed him.”

Blaise grunted underneath her, drawing her attention to his glare. “Babe, you never fuckin’ go after someone on your own. You always have someone take your back.”

“I know that now, but—”

“No buts about it,” he continued. “That was reckless.”

Glaring back, she retorted, “Do you want to hear my story or not?”

The others cried, “Yes,” in unison, causing her to smirk in triumph at Blaise. He shot her a warning glance, which only made her smile wider.

“I followed him and waited on the road after he turned down a lane. A deputy car came by and asked if I needed help. It turned out to be Jocelyn. I guess I now understand why she was in the area, but at the time, I simply thought it was a stroke of luck. I told her what I’d seen and she told me to follow her and she was calling for backup. Obviously, she didn’t and I was following her blindly, assuming she would never lead me into danger.”