The American Soldier Collection 3: Amazing Grace (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (6 page)

Just then there was a knock at the door. Her brothers John and Frank entered.

“How are you doing, hun?” Frank asked then sat down on the bed next to her.

John joined them as well.

She turned her head sideways, not knowing quite what to say. Her brothers were worried and Grace knew her mom must still be hysterical downstairs.

Peter called the doctor, and he was sending over something to help her to relax. Grace couldn’t even imagine what all this was doing to her mother. She was sure her mom was thinking about Clara.

“This doesn’t make sense, guys. I was fine in Europe and then I come home and all this stuff happens in less than twenty-four hours.”

“Don’t even think about leaving. You’re not going anywhere without that Special Investigator Sandstone or one of us at your side,” Frank replied.

Grace gave her brother a sideways look.

“Don’t look at Frank like that. This is bad, Grace, really bad. For God’s sake, you just nearly had your head shot off. Being with one of us, the agents, or Charlie and Mark are your only choices.” John raised his voice then tried giving her his toughest stare.

Grace stood up and saluted him.

“Yes, sir, SWAT Team Commander, sir.” She giggled.

Frank and John both laughed a little.

“You haven’t changed that much in three years, sis,” John added with a small smile. He was concerned. That was obvious as he squeezed her hand.

“Yeah, she’s still an immature prankster,” Frank added, giving his sister a light punch in the arm as he looked at her. She giggled again. He stared at her as if her were memorizing her laugh.

It was unbelievable how just sitting in her room with her brothers brought back such great childhood memories.

* * * *

Frank was glad she was home but he couldn’t help but be concerned about her welfare and safety. Frank had heard a little bit about the murder of Cheryl Perez as well as the few recent others. The individual responsible was ruthless and violent. Grace and his family had good reason to worry.

“That Sandstone guy seems okay. It was pretty cool the way he turned himself into your own personal body armor. You’d be very safe with him.” Frank winked at his sister.

“I think she’s better off with her family. Between our friends and us, she should be safe and protected at all times,” John added.

“Where is she going to stay tonight?” Frank asked his brother.

“Excuse me but may I be part of this conversation please? This is my life you’re talking about here and I am not going to stop making a living. Those investigators don’t even know if someone’s after me or if I’m involved in any way.”

“This investigator thinks it’s a good bet that if someone just tried to shoot your pretty little head off, then to them you’re better off dead.” Investigator Sandstone pushed the bedroom door opened.

John and Frank just looked at Grace who seemed annoyed.

“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?” Grace asked as she gave him a dirty look.

“You save someone’s life and how quickly they forget,” Sandstone replied sarcastically, and both Frank and John laughed.

“I’m sorry. I appreciate you saving my life but I’m trying to have a private conversation with my brothers. They think I’ve just entered their own personal protective custody program.”

The guys laughed.

“Hey that has a nice ring to it,” John stated and Frank agreed.

They were trying to make light of the situation but both of them were very concerned. Frank looked at the investigator. He had friends in the Marines, and he’d looked up some info on this guy Sandstone. He was legit and then some. So was Detective Jim Warner as far as Frank could find out. Sandstone also had files connected to his name that were coded and top secret.

“Well we discussed it downstairs. They have you in their program for the next couple of days while I’m in New York. I’m going to see what I can find out there. Then I’ll be coming back this way. The agency is setting up our main base in the Houston Police Department. A few of my guys will be helping the detectives deal with the media coverage and go over all the evidence there is so far. When I get back, I might have a few more questions for you. Keeping you and your family safe and alive is important to me. Hopefully you won’t need my protection, Miss Thompson.”

“No offense, Investigator, but I hope I won’t either,” Grace replied and Frank felt his gut clench.
Why is this happening to my family? Why?

“So what’s up with this new case, Sandman? We haven’t seen you in days,” his brother Big Jay asked.

“It’s complicated. I may need you and Duke. Can you let Duke notify his commander so he can take off if needed?” Sandman said.

“Shit, it’s that bad? You haven’t needed both of us in a while. What’s the deal?”

“You been watching the news, Big Jay? You heard about the serial killer and the eleven murdered women?”

“Oh shit, that’s the case you’re working on? That’s some pretty brutal shit, bro. What the hell kind of monster cuts up gorgeous women, tortures them, and then kills them?”

“Exactly what I’m trying to find out. Jim Warner had called me. There was this latest case.”

“A model right?” Big Jay asked, and Sandman knew that his brother had been paying attention to the news.

“Exactly. The killer left a picture of a woman there. His next victim possibly. Anyway, it turns out that this woman has been out of the country for nearly three years. Gorgeous photographer who left Texas and headed to Europe at twenty-two years old. She had found her missing dead sister.”

“Shit, I heard about that. Are you in charge of protecting the woman?”

“If things get worse before they get better, I just may need you and Duke to help me out.”

“Hey, are you into this chick or something?”

“What?” Sandman asked, surprised that his brother would ask something like that. They weren’t even face-to-face. They were conversing over the phone, with a bad connection before Sandman boarded another plane home.

“You heard me. You sounded differently when you described her. You sound like you care.”

“Oh, fuck you if you don’t think I care about potential victims or victims’ families. It’s my fucking job.”

“You do care. But you’re also a hard-ass, a quiet, keep-to-yourself ex-Marine. Don’t give me any of your bullshit. What’s the deal?”

“No deal. She’s in danger right now and I’ll know how deeply once I return to Houston. Just be prepared.”

“I’m always prepared. Later, bro.”

“Thanks, Big Jay. See you in twelve hours.”

* * * *

Grace insisted that she leave her mom’s house. She didn’t want to put her through any more upset or danger. Her brothers agreed but decided that Grace should stay with one of them.

They wanted to be sure she was with someone most of the time, so John decided that Grace should stay with him and his roommates in a house they rented down by the local marina.

She wasn’t too happy about living with the four bachelors but the marina was beautiful and drew in a lot of tourists with its little boutiques and specialty shops.

Grace had been there for two days and she already loved the little place on the corner that made funnel cakes and fried zeppoles as well as the coffee hut next door to it.

Charlie had gone with her for a jog this morning and they sat together on a bench down by the water.

“It’s going to be hot today. It’s only 6:30 a.m. and that thermometer over there is reading eighty-eight degrees,” Grace pointed out and Charlie checked it for himself.

“Damn I’m glad I’m working inside the office today. John and I have some new rookies we have to break in,” Charlie told Grace.

“Well with it being so hot today you may want to break them in outdoors if you two can handle the heat,” she teased him and he smiled.

“You’re too much, Grace. I like your thinking though. I guess we’ll see how cocky they act first.”

“I’m sure you guys were just as cocky when you were accepted into the SWAT team unit. I have a couple of pictures of John posing in the mirror in his bedroom. Of course he had no idea I was snapping pictures.” Grace laughed at the memory.

“Oh man. I’d love to see those. He’d go crazy if he knew that. I love it. Were you like one of those real annoying little sisters who kept nagging their older brothers and wanting to hang out with them and their friends?”

“Kind of. I was mostly the prankster. Clara was the one who wanted to follow Frank and Peter around. She thought their friends were cute.” Grace looked toward the water again, thinking about her sister. The memory was vivid.

The five of them had so much fun together. She wondered if her sister would be the same way today if she were alive.

“I’m sorry, Grace. Does it still hurt a lot to talk about her?”

“I’m sure it’s always going to hurt a little but I’m glad I decided to come home in spite of the current situation. I’ve missed my brothers and my mom so much. I’ve been away nearly two years and my brothers act as if it’s been only two weeks.” She smiled at Charlie.

He was a real nice guy and very good looking. She had met his girlfriend last night when she accidentally walked in on them making out in the kitchen.

“Are you ready to go back? Maybe we should bring coffee with us.” Grace smiled at Charlie. He knew how much she liked the coffee hut. The guys liked it, too.

“Yeah let’s bring back coffee. Your brother John is going to need it. He was out until 3:00 a.m. with Maggie.”

Grace smiled.

“I don’t think we’re supposed to know about her.” Grace giggled.

“I think you’re right. He has been hiding their relationship. I guess he figures she works in the department and it could cause some problems.”

“Well you would think that if we know about her, then I’m sure half the department knows about them. Why hide it?”

They ordered five coffees to go.

“Maybe he’s afraid you’ll sneak up on them with a camera snapping pictures,” Charlie added jokingly.

“Hey, I’m sorry about walking in on you and your girlfriend. I’m sure it has been kind of an inconvenience having a woman living in your bachelor pad. I’ve invaded your privacy.”

They headed back to the house carrying the cardboard holders filled with steaming coffee cups.

“Are you kidding? That dinner you cooked last night alone is worth you staying with us as long as you need to.” Charlie rubbed his belly. “I made a pig out of myself,” he added as they laughed.

They turned the corner and headed up the street to the house. It was an older home with a nice large backyard the guys often had barbecues in and a nice wraparound front porch to sit on and look out toward the water. They were laughing together as she and Charlie headed up the steps.

Leaning against the front door was a large yellow envelope addressed to Grace.

“Who delivers this early in the morning?” Grace asked and Charlie followed her inside. They brought the envelope and the coffee into the kitchen.

John and Mark were in there as well as Jerry, their other roommate.

They said good morning and handed out the coffees as Grace set the envelope down on the kitchen counter.

“Late night there, brother?” Grace teased John as he yawned and added sugar to his coffee cup. The other guys began to laugh.

John gave his sister a light punch in the arm and she giggled then drank down a bottle of water. She didn’t even feel sweaty anymore because the guys had the air-conditioning on sixty-six degrees. It was like walking into a refrigerator.

She took a seat between John and Charlie then began to open the envelope.

She reached inside and found two other envelopes.

The first one showed pictures of a young woman with long brown hair standing in front of the coffee hut down by the marina. Grace recognized it immediately.

“I don’t know who this is,” Grace said as she handed the picture to her brother and the others looked at it.

“Where did you get the envelope?” John asked, still tired from his late night as he rubbed the sand out of his eyes and took another rejuvenating sip of hot caffeine

Grace then opened the other envelope.

She let in a large gasp of air and took a step back. When she saw the contents of the envelope, she dropped everything.

The guys looked. The picture that fell on the floor was that of the once-stunning brunette, now beaten and murdered.

The killer had enclosed a lock of her hair, which was covered in blood as well.

Grace had touched it.

She never even looked at the note that came along with it.

Time stood still in Grace’s mind. She was speechless and unaware of the chaos that went on around her in the kitchen.

It felt more like minutes that the police were at the house and detectives arrived.

Grace couldn’t speak. She couldn’t breathe. She wasn’t even sure this was happening as her brother and Charlie kneeled down on the floor near her chair and tried to comfort her.