Seven Days Grace (A Grace Rose Novel Book 1) (12 page)

‘
He
’
s lecherous
,’
Grace said.

‘
Grace
,
I
’
m sorry
,
I didn
’
t realise
,’
Kate said
,
almost in tears.

‘
Don
’
t stress
,
I
’
m good. I think we should get out of here. The paramedics can deal with this animal. Let
’
s go.
’
  Grace turned to Jake and checked his hand.
‘
I
’
m sorry to drag you into this. It
’
s not what you think. The guy
’
s a complete sleaze bag with an overinflated ego.
’
She shook her head.
‘
It
’
s another long story
,
let
’
s leave it for now.
’
This is great.

‘
I
’
ll take you home in a taxi
,’
Kate offered and apologised again for what she now realised was a worse date than Grace had let on.
‘
I feel guilty.
’

‘
Don
’
t. It
’
s okay. How could you have known? Go and hang out with Christian and I
’
ll see you soon. Love ya
,
chick.
’

‘
You sure? I don
’
t know.
’

‘
I
’
m going to forget this guy once and for all. I want to get home and curl up in bed.
’
And she meant it.

As they were collecting their belongings to leave
,
a man who worked at the café approached them.

‘
Excuse me
,
the police have been called and you
’
ll need to stay to make statements when they arrive
,’
a man in his mid- twenties said. He wore a name tag that read
,
Ashton
,
and underneath his name it read
,
MANAGER.

Meanwhile
,
one of the waiters had turned up with a bag of ice for Jake
’
s hand. Grace held it for him as he flinched.

‘
How long do we need to hang around for
,’
Grace asked.

‘
Shouldn
’
t take too long
,’
Ashton said.

Grace turned back to Jake.
‘
What
’
s a girl to say in this situation?
’

‘
Guys like him give the rest of us Americans a bad name. It gets under my skin when I see a guy treat a woman like that.
’
Jake
’
s breathing was heavy.

‘
It
’
s not just Americans who treat women like that.
’
There was a comfortable pause between them.
‘
I
’
m glad you were here. It
’
s been fun meeting up with you again
,’
Grace smiled.

‘
Yeah
,
it
’
s been a real party
,’
he smiled back.

The girls and the private investigators watched as two police officers come into the ba
r.
Jock was coming around and yet it was Jake who could be charged with assault. Jake stood up and walked over to greet the officers.
‘
Wait here
,’
he said to Grace.

She was surprised to be ordered around and not knowing what else to do she sat down on a stool and did as she was told. Then she wondered if she could charge Jock with assault. She watched Jake talking to the cops and saw him show them some identification. There was a lot of nodding and then one of the cops gave Jake a friendly pat on the back as he made his way back to Grace.

‘
There won
’
t be any charges laid unless you want to take an Apprehended Violence Order out on Jock or charge him with assault
,’
Jake said.

‘
I
’
d rather walk away and not see this slime ball ever again.
’

‘
Let
’
s go then.
’

‘
So
,
what did you show the cops?
’

‘
My ID
,
that
’
s all. I have friends in low places. Anyway
,
I
’
ll walk you out
,’
he said.

The crowd had dispersed. Jake threw the ice pack onto a table and they headed over to the lift together. As they stood on the side of the street waiting for a taxi
,
the silence was palpable. Engulfed in the cool
,
night air she was acutely aware of his presence. After the wonderful yet strange events of the evening she felt awkwardness between them.

‘
This is going to sound like a line
,
Grace.
’

She liked the way her name rolled off his tongue.

‘
I don
’
t go to bars often and I don
’
t pick up women in bars –
’
he kicked the ground.

‘
Often
,’
she finished for him.

‘
Right.
’
He smiled at her.
‘
It
’
s not my scene and as you know I was engaged but now I
’
m free.
’

She stared at him without say anything.

‘
It turned out it was more like a brother/sister relationship than a
‘
We
’
re getting married soon
’
relationship so we called it quits. Anyway
,
I realise it
’
s been a long time but I
’
d like it if we could start off as friends.
’

Grace was silent
,
contemplative.
Don
’
t forget the vow.

‘
I
’
m sure you have a stack of invitations up to your ceiling to pick from but if you had the time do you think
,
um
,
perhaps we could see the sights?
’

A taxi pulled up and she opened the door to get in.

‘
Jock
’
s about as good as my invites get
,’
she said.

‘
I know yo
u
.
A
t least I remember what you were like when I knew you before. I
’
ve no doubt you didn
’
t bring any of that on yourself. I
’
d be happy to hear about it sometime if you felt like telling me.
’

Grace nodded. He looked at her. She looked at him. He ran his hands through his hair and smiled. This was the fresh start they both needed.

‘
Man
,
I don
’
t know what you
’
re doing to me
,
Grace
,
but I feel like a school kid.
’

‘
How can I have any control over how you feel? I refuse to take responsibility
,’
she smirked.
‘
Are you trying to ask me if I am free this weekend at all?
’

‘
Yes.
’

‘
You
’
ll have to ask to find out.
’

‘
You
’
re teasing.
’
He inhaled.
‘
No worries
,
as the Aussies say. Here goes. Grace
,
I don
’
t have much to do this weekend and
,
of course
,
being here on business I don
’
t know a lot of people in town. Therefore
,
Miss Rose
,
would you like to go out sometime? I realise it
’
s short notice but I want to see you again.
’
All the words came out in one breath.
‘
And we don
’
t have to do the dinner thing. How about a coffee and a visit to one of Sydney
’
s famous museums?
’
he finally managed then held his breath.

Be still my beating heart.
‘
Hmmm?
’
She paused for effect. She liked him but it helped to make a man squirm a little bit. You had to make them think they had to work for your attention and time. She counted to five
,
slowly. He looked at her.
‘
Alright
,
Mr Williams. Why don
’
t you give me a call?
’

‘
Grace
,
I should have asked for your number and called you. It would have been less traumatic. And the night
’
s been distressing enough.
’
He was smiling as he said it.
‘
Great
,
a date.
’

‘
You in or out lady?
’
the driver said.

‘
Start the meter. I
’
ll be one minute
,’
she said.

‘
Kiss her goodbye
,
mate
,’
the driver said to Jake.

Grace and Jake rolled their eyes.

‘
I
’
ll call you to arrange a time. Can I have your number?
’
Jake asked.

‘
Sure.
’
She rattled it off and he stored it in his phone.
‘
How
’
s your hand?
’

‘
It
’
ll be fine.
’

‘
Do you make a habit of protecting a girl
’
s honour?
’

‘
I do
,
especially when creeps like him are around picking on the innocent.
’

She smiled
,
‘
This driver
’
s not going to wait much longer.
’

‘
Goodnight.
’
He kissed her on the cheek as she climbed in the waiting car.
‘
I
’
ll call you tomorrow. I
’
m glad I ran into you
,
I wouldn
’
t have known where to start looking for you.
’

‘
You were going to look for me?
’

‘
Of course.
’

‘
Wow.
’

And then he closed the door and the taxi pulled away from the kerb.

WEDNESDAY

14

Gracewok
e
with a pounding headache. The sound of her alarm felt like hundreds of minute needles piercing her brain. She was groggy and disoriented in the dark. She rubbed her eyes
,
lay back on the pillow and questioned why her alarm had gone off earlier than usual. After she hit the snooze button she turned over and closed her eyes. In the next second
,
she sat up and was wide awake. She turned the light on and jumped out of bed. As she threw off the covers
,
Shadow flew off the bed and moaned as he landed on the floor. He gave her a dirty look.

‘
Shadow
,
I
’
m sorry. Don
’
t worry
,
I want to stay in bed
,
too
,
but I
’
m late for a meeting.
’

Grace rushed into the kitchen with her sleek black companion trotting along behind her. She picked up a sachet of cat food and fed her feline friend. She located the headache tablets and threw took two of them in her mouth
,
chased by some orange juice. She searched her memory banks to work out why her head was throbbing. As her mind cleared
,
the flood gates opened. She leant on the kitchen counter for support. She remembered. Last night she met Jake.
Oh boy.

Shadow finished his breakfast and came to rub on Grace
’
s legs.

‘
Bub
,
get this. You know how much I hate bars
,
right? So to keep Kate happy
,
I reluctantly ventured into one last night and what a blast from the past. Oh man. And that vulgar
,
ghastly and horrible American Jock showed up. Ugh. It was such a bittersweet evening. Jake meet Jock
,
Jock meet Jake. I can
’
t even think about it and no doubt I won
’
t hear from Jake because of that weasel.
’

The evening
’
s events had left her shaken and unable to sleep. After she studied The Voice
’
s
notes again
,
she crawled into bed at midnight but sleep evaded her. Her mind was occupied with thoughts of a man from a time she thought was long gone. Grace lay there as she replayed the night
’
s conversation in her mind over and over.
So
,
his engagement to Misty didn
’
t work out? Then again
,
with a name that
’
s usually reserved for a golden retriever
,
it was understandable.

Eventually she fell asleep with thoughts of the American floating through her mind and into her dreams.

Grace had decided long ago not to pay attention to guys who said they were going to call you because they rarely did. They showed interest at the time yet after too many nights at home
,
staring at the phone
,
lifting it up to check it was still working
,
she had given up. At least these days with mobiles
,
you could go out and about instead of waiting at home for the call. Although
,
you still ended up waiting in some form. One day she hoped to figure out why guys invested a whole lot of time to find out your name
,
talk to you
,
flatter you with compliments
,
ask for your number
,
plan a date and then not call. Consequently
,
she had learned to put even the good ones out of her mind. If she heard from someone
,
it was a pleasant surprise.

However
,
she had a feeling down to the tips of her toes this was different. They
’
d been friends and perhaps they would be friends again. He was better looking than she had remembered. Perhaps it was the longer hair. She ran through the catalogue of her mind searching for the previous night
’
s conversation. That
’
s right
,
a date of coffee and a trip to the museum. She wanted to wallow in romantic thoughts of what could be though she had more pressing concerns. And Jock had simply added insult to the whole situation. Who knew what would happen now?

‘
I have to get a grip
,’
she paused and looked at her cat.
‘
You know
,
Shadow
,
I feed you and give you a place to lay your head. The least you could do is to help me to get ready for my meeting.
’
As a sliver of sunlight made its way through the back windows and Shadow began to groom in the warmth
,
Grace hustled to her bedroom and threw on the same outfit from Monday morning.

Even though her headache was fading
,
exhaustion crept up on her as she picked up her mobile phone from the charger plus her notepad
,
pen and keys. Her notepad was sure to be a
faux pas
. The Voice gave her no more than a few minutes on Monday morning to talk
,
let alone time to take notes. If history repeats
,
he
’
ll be in a hurry again.

‘
See ya later
,
Shadow
,’
she called to him and then pulled the door shut behind her.

Too tired for a run from late nights and early mornings
,
Grace drove to the Royal Botanic Gardens and waited for the call. Parking would be a breeze at such an hour and she would be on time. It was five minutes to six when she pulled up to the Gardens. The tired journalist spotted a drinking fountain and headed to it. As she gulped the water
,
her mobile rang.

‘
I
’
m under the bridge in The Rocks
,’
The Voice said.

You
’
re kidding.
Now she would have to get around to the other side of Circular Quay.
‘
I
’
ll be there in ten
,’
she said.

‘
Make it five
,’
he demanded.

Why even bother with this farce? What if she didn
’
t turn up? What would he do? Kill her? Grace laughed.
Don
’
t be extreme.
He was the good guy determined to reveal the wicked deeds of others.

She did a speedy calculation and worked out by the time she drove through the city and all the one-way streets it would be quicker to get there by foot. Her jog was a cat
’
s eyelash quicker than a brisk walk due to her weariness. As it was barely past dawn
,
she passed the quiet ferry terminals without having to fight her way through throngs of people. She began to wonder about the man in the black suit who assaulted her and tried to throw her into the harbour after her first meeting with The Voice. Someone must have organised this brutal attack. Who did it? Could it be Sleen? How would he know The Voice was meeting with her? This was a mystery indeed. As Grace couldn
’
t put the pieces together
,
she surmised it was a random event.
It had to be.

Anyway
,
The Voice hadn
’
t given her any juicy information as far as she could see to nail this Minister. The files she
’
d read through last night shed no light on what this case held. She needed more information. Who were the other people involved
,
what did the emails point to and what were the meetings the Minister had attended? It would be easier to turn water into wine than figure out this cryptic muddle.

She arrived under the bridge within ten minutes. A figure stood staring out across the harbour. As he heard her footsteps he turned around.

‘
You
’
re late
,’
he said.
‘
I told you five minutes. It
’
s almost ten past six and I don
’
t want anyone to see us. It
’
s already getting light
,’
The Voice said.

‘
Thank you for the reprimand because no
w
I
’
ve had all I can take. You haven
’
t given enough time for a world-class sprinter to run here
,
let alone a regular jogger. And I have no idea who you are. You tell me to meet you in the gardens on Monday
,
naturally I go there this morning figuring you
’
ll be in the same place. No
,
you
’
re in a different location. How could I know that? My head is aching
,
it
’
s six in the morning and quite frankly
,
I
’
ve had enough of all these Sherlock Holmes smoke and mirrors mystery games. So
‘
fess up and tell me what
’
s going on
,
why I
’
m here and who you are. Otherwise
,
I
’
m gone
,’
she folded her arms
,
stood her ground and looked up into his sunglass-covered eyes.
‘
It makes no difference to me
,’
she lied.

‘
I can
’
t give you too much information right now
,’
The Voice said as he stared back and remained silent.

‘
Fine
,
I don
’
t need this
,’
Grace yelled over her shoulder as she turned on her heel and strode off. She broke into a slight jog and before she had taken her third step he seized her from behind.

‘
Let go of me or I will scream so loud your disguise will be blown off from the sheer force of my voice
,’
she said as she looked at him.

Several people jogged by and one man said
,
‘
Need any help
,
lady?
’

Grace responded
,
‘
I
’
m fine.
’
History repeats itself.

She gave a threatening look to the larger-than-life nameless man. All she had for him was a nickname.

‘
I apologise. Don
’
t go. Please
,
I need your help
,’
The Voice said as he took off his cap and folded it to his chest.

Grace was at a loss. None of this made any sense. One minute he was acting like an ASIO spy and the next minute he was like a scared little kid. Why didn
’
t he come out and tell her the whole story? Everything? And why did he choose to pass the information on to her? And on a memory stick? Probably because he didn
’
t want anything tracked back to him which is exactly what email would do. The information she had accumulated she had little to no idea how to interpret.

‘
I
’
ll tell you what I can at this point as I don
’
t want to put you in any danger
,’
he added as he replaced his cap.

Grace sighed.
‘
Alright. However
,
we are going to go and sit in the hotel over there
,
have a cup of coffee and act like civilised people. If someone is going to see you in there
,
they will see you here. And I want to know what
’
s going on or I
’
m leaving. And it
’
s your treat.
’

The Voice shuffled behind Grace as she led the way to the hotel foyer. She knew the way to the café with its comfortable couches. They sat down and a waiter took their order. The man was nervous
,
twitching and she noticed
,
after he removed his sunglasses
,
there were dark circles under his eyes. He introduced himself as John
,
although
,
Grace suspected this was not his real name. He took off his cap
,
again
,
along with his scarf and she saw shiny teeth for the first time. The rest of the disguise remained. The same getup he wore the first time they met two days ago including the wig and moustache.
Oh my.