The By Request Collection

Of course she was talking about Roman.

“Would it be a problem if I brought someone?”

“Honey, of course not.”

Gracie frowned. Maybe she just didn’t understand who Gracie would be bringing. “Seriously, I can bring anyone?”

Nora laughed. “Why are you beating around the bush? If you want to bring Roman that’s fine. I think it’s better than fine.”

Huh? “You do? After what he did to our family...”

“That was a long time ago, and Eve explained that he had nothing to do with this last scandal. He’s human, Grace. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone deserves a second chance. And it’s obvious that he makes you happy. There’s a light in your eyes that I haven’t seen in ages. I’m not saying that he doesn’t have to prove himself, but I do think he has potential.”

Her relief at hearing that left her weak in the knees. “I’m in love with him again.”

“Again?”

What was her sister implying? That Gracie hadn’t really been in love with Roman before? “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I’m curious, Grace. How many men have you dated seriously in the past seven years? Just a rough number.”

Nora already knew the answer to that. Gracie had used work and her charity obligations as an excuse to avoid dating, but the truth was, no man had come along whom she’d been interested in dating more than once or twice. She always compared them to Roman.

“None,” she told her sister.

“Exactly.”

She wasn’t sure what her sister was trying to say. “Meaning what?”

“Is it possible that maybe you never stopped loving him?”

Leave it to Nora to speak her mind and tell it like it was. And of course Gracie had considered that. “At this point, I’m not really sure. I just know that I feel good when I’m with him. We just...fit. The thought of letting him back in then losing him again terrifies me. Maybe it’s not so much that I don’t trust him. Maybe I don’t trust myself.”

“I know all about loss, honey, believe me. When I lost Sean I thought I would never recover.”

Nora’s husband and childhood sweetheart, Sean O’Malley, had died fighting in the war in Iraq. He’d given his life saving other soldiers. Gracie hadn’t forgotten how devastated Nora had been to lose the love of her life. The only thing that had kept her going was her son, Declan. And she’d sworn that she would never give her heart to a man again. But here she was, now happily engaged, deeply in love and about to get married. People did get second chances.

Maybe it was now meant to be, and seven years ago just hadn’t been their time.

“Your only other option is to not try,” Nora said. “Is that what you want?”

No, not trying wasn’t an option at all. They had something good. Something special. “I can barely imagine my life without him in it. I’ve never been able to talk to anyone the way I can talk to him. He accepts me for who I am. He sees past the Winchester name and appreciates me for me. He always has. In a couple of weeks he’s gone from being my mortal enemy to my best friend. How do you give up on something like that?”

“Simple. You don’t. You give it your all, and you fight for what you want. And you don’t stop until you have no fight left in you.”

Nora was right. Gracie needed to fight for them. And the truth was that so far, she hadn’t even had to fight all that hard. Everything just seemed to be falling into place. It was almost too easy. But easy was good, and she planned to enjoy it.

“Yes,” she told her sister. “I’m bringing Roman to the wedding.”

Nora sounded genuinely pleased when she said, “Wonderful! I’m so happy for you, Grace.”

Her doorbell rang. “Speak of the devil. Roman is here. I have to go.”

“If I don’t talk to you before then, I’ll see you next Thursday. Love you!”

“Love you, too!” Gracie hung up, slipped a robe on and scurried to the door. Roman was early. He wasn’t supposed to be there for another half an hour, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t wait to see him.

She pulled the door open, ready to throw herself into his arms, and was surprised to find not Roman standing there, but Dax Caufield.

Before Gracie could say a word, Dax walked right in without invitation, and for a second she was too stunned to say or do anything. He’d been blowing up her phone and nagging her assistant since Friday, after Gracie had seen him at the restaurant. But to show up uninvited at her home?

“Dax, what are you doing here? And how did you get in?”

He avoided her question entirely. With a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, he shrugged out of his coat and said, “You’ve been avoiding me, Grace.”

She instinctively pulled her robe tighter around herself. She’d always felt comfortable with Dax. He’d been to her place a dozen times before when they’d worked on the campaign and she’d never thought twice about it. But something about this surprise visit, and the vibe she was getting from him, felt very wrong. She made a mental note to have a serious talk with her doorman. She didn’t care if it was the president there to see her, he should have called up. “As I told you the other night, I’ve been very busy.”

He took a seat on the couch, making himself comfortable. “You don’t look busy now. Let’s talk.”

Who the hell was he to tell her if she was or wasn’t busy? Why was he acting like this? “This is not a good night for me.”

“I won’t take too much of your time,” he said. “I promise.”

He already had taken too much time. And he was making her uncomfortable. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her, and the fact that all she had on was a thin silk robe.

“You could offer me a drink,” he said, crossing one leg over the other, settling back as if he was planning to stay a while.

He was trying to intimidate her, she realized. He was bullying her. She’d seen him do it before, never to her but to his political enemies during the campaign. She hadn’t cared for it then, and she really didn’t like it now.

“Dax, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

With a sigh he leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “Grace, I can’t do that.”

She went from uncomfortable to downright uneasy. He was actually refusing to leave her home?

“Grace, I have a problem and I need your help.”

“What kind of problem?”

“There are people out to get me. They’re trying to ruin me, Grace.”

Well, of course there were. He was a politician and it was a cutthroat business. And what did he think she could do about it? “Who is trying to ruin you?”

“People who don’t like my politics. Who think there’s no place for a straight shooter in the senate. They tried to buy my vote, and when I refused they set out to ruin me.”

Unless he had something to hide, it shouldn’t have mattered who was after him. “How can they do that if you’ve done nothing wrong?”

“That’s why I need all the files you have from the campaign. It’s the only way to prove my innocence.”

That made no sense. “You have copies of everything.”

“You’re going to have to trust me on this, Grace. I need you to hand over everything you have.”

That was the problem, wasn’t it? She didn’t trust him. Not anymore. He wasn’t acting like himself, and it was scaring her a little. “Dax, I’m sorry, but I don’t have backups of anything.”

“Grace,” he said, rising from the couch. “We both know that’s not true.”

She took a step back, not just intimidated, but actually scared. “Dax, you have to leave right now.”

He took a step toward her. Casually, but there was a darkness in his eyes that made her heart beat faster and her breath hitch.

“I really need your cooperation. It’s a simple request.”

She held her ground, but her knees had started to knock. “I can’t give you something I don’t have.”

“We can do this now. You can hand over the flash drive and we can be done with it, or I can send someone to get it for me. And my colleagues are not as patient as I am. It’s up to you, Grace.”

Colleagues? He was threatening to send someone to do what? Rough her up?

Who the hell was this man?

“If you don’t leave now I’m going to call the police,” she told him, squaring her shoulders, struggling to hide the tremble in her voice, wishing she had her cell phone. If she could record his threats...

“That’s not advisable, Grace. You would be wise to cooperate.”

Screw that, and screw him. With a surge of courage that came from somewhere deep inside of her, she walked past Dax and grabbed the cordless phone off the coffee table. She punched in 911, and with her finger hovering over the button to connect the call, said firmly, “Get. Out.”

Dax shrugged and shook his head, as if he were disappointed in her, then grabbed his coat. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He strolled to the door, casually pulling his coat on, and without looking back, walked out. She ran to the door and locked it behind him. That was when the reality of what had just happened hit her full force, and she started to shake from the inside out. What could ever possess Dax to treat her that way? To bully and threaten her.

She felt betrayed and used and so stupid for not seeing sooner what he was really like.

And why were her copies of the files so critical? They were no different from his. At least, they shouldn’t be.

Something was up, and she had the feeling that it had nothing to do with his innocence. If people were out to get him there must be a damned good reason. And she wanted to know why.

She collapsed onto the couch and sat there for several minutes, trying to calm down, stuck somewhere between grief and fear and hurt. The sharp rap on the door several minutes later nearly had her jumping out of her skin. Was that Dax’s colleague already? Was he there to rough her up?

It took all her courage, but she got up and with shaky knees walked to the door, checking the peephole this time.

It was Roman. She went limp with relief. She threw the door open, hurled herself into his arms, knocking the bag of food he’d brought right out of his hand, and started to cry.

Eleven

“Gracie, what’s wrong?” Roman asked, holding her tight, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

She buried her face against his chest and sobbed, clinging to him like he was her lifeline, trembling all over.

He walked her backward into the apartment and shut the door behind them. When he’d pulled onto her street he had seen a man, one who’d looked an awful lot like Dax Caufield, leave her building and climb into a limo, but he’d been too far away to tell for sure.

Now he knew.

He wanted to know what had happened, if Dax had hurt her, but she was in no shape to explain. So he held her tight until the sobs subsided and she stopped trembling.

“Are you okay?” he asked, holding her away from him and cradling her face in his hands so he could see her eyes, which were all red and puffy.

“I am now,” she said, sniffing and wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Dax came by.”

His heart skipped a beat. He should have gotten there sooner. He should have gone straight to her when he left the FBI. To protect her. But there had been no way to know Dax would be so bold as to show up at her apartment. “Tell me what happened.”

She told him how Dax had arrived unannounced and harassed her, even threatened her, for the flash drive from his campaign. That he would flat out threaten someone of Grace’s social standing disturbed Roman more than anything. Dax was either running scared and desperate and making mistakes, or so arrogant he thought he was invincible.

“Did you give him the flash drive?” he asked her.

“I told him I didn’t have them.”

“Do you?”

She nodded. “In my file cabinet. Something isn’t right, Roman. He has the same copies of everything that I do. Why is this so important that he would threaten me? I thought he was a decent guy. How could I have been so wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. He didn’t know what else to say. At this point there was nothing else he could say. He was bound to secrecy by the FBI. His hands were tied. “Maybe it would be better if I held on to them for you. Just to be safe.”

She shook her head firmly. “I refuse to let him intimidate me. I’m going to go over every single one of the files and see what it is he’s so anxious about.”

That was not a good idea. Roman didn’t know what was in the files and he didn’t want to take a chance on her seeing something she shouldn’t and putting herself in even more danger. “Maybe you shouldn’t.” And he couldn’t even explain why he was saying that.

“Roman, I have to. I have to know what’s going on.”

He knew that once Gracie set her mind to something, changing it was next to impossible. But he couldn’t let her do this alone. “Then would you at least let me look at them with you?”

She seemed relieved. “Of course. Maybe you’ll see something I would have otherwise missed.”

“Get dressed and pack a bag,” he said.

She frowned. “Why am I packing a bag?”

“Because you’re staying with me until we sort this out.” There was no way he was taking a chance and leaving her alone. He had friends in the security business. If necessary he would hire someone to shadow her when he couldn’t be there.

“I can’t let him scare me out of my home. If I keep the door locked—”

“Gracie, the sort of people we’re talking about won’t be stopped by a locked door. And they won’t hesitate to hurt you if they don’t get what they want.”

Gracie looked so confused and hurt when she said, “I didn’t even know that he had connections to people like that. Maybe he really doesn’t, and he was just trying to scare me.”

Roman seriously doubted it. He’d done a bit of digging and talked to a few people after his meeting with the FBI. Everyone agreed that while Dax had a stellar public persona, he also had a dark side, and reputed connections to some very bad people. Not just corrupt public officials and businessmen but the mob, as well. But no one as of yet had been able to prove it. “I’m not taking that chance,” he told Gracie. Agent Crosswell had forbidden him from telling her about the investigation, but he couldn’t stop Roman from protecting her. “Now pack some things. We’re leaving.”

* * *

Grace had only lasted an hour or so before the adrenaline rush of being threatened by a man she thought was her friend left her completely drained of energy. Roman had tucked her into his bed, then sat at his desk and got back to work. By 5:00 a.m., he had a pretty good idea of why the senator was so hot to get his hands on Grace’s files. After comparing them to the documents on public record, there were major inconsistencies.

Until the senator got what he wanted, or the FBI nailed Dax for his crimes, Gracie would continue to be in danger. And Roman would do anything necessary to keep her safe. Even if he had to do it covertly.

The only way to put an end to this was to hand over everything she had to the FBI. The quickest way would be to make copies of the flash drive, and Gracie would never be the wiser. But while he could view the information on his computer, the flash drive was locked with a code and couldn’t be duplicated or altered in any way. The only way to prove the senator’s guilt was to take the original flash drive and hand it over to Agent Crosswell. But Roman would have to do it behind Gracie’s back. Meaning he would be forced to lie to her.

Just like before.

The realization had been like an arrow through his heart. This was supposed to be their second chance. But it was the only way to keep her safe.

“Good morning,” he heard Gracie say, and looked up to find her standing in his office doorway, wrapped in a blanket, her hair tousled from sleep. “Have you been up all night?”

He nodded, wondering what the hell he was going to do next.

“Did you find anything?”

He’d given this a lot of thought, and he’d made a choice, one that could save Grace’s—and his own—ass.

“Nothing,” he told her. “I found nothing at all.”

* * *

Confused, Grace said, “Nothing? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

She drew in a deep breath then blew it out. “Well, then, what was the big deal about him getting the flash drive?”

“I don’t know, Gracie.”

“Do you think I should just give them to him?”

“Hold off a while,” Roman told her, looking as confused as she was. “There’s clearly something shady going on and I want a little more time to dig. I’ll keep the flash drive and you’re going to stay here just in case.”

“For how long?”

He got up and crossed the room to where she stood, putting his arms around her. “I wish I could answer that.”

This was crazy. When and if she ever moved in with Roman, she wanted it to be the next step in their relationship, not some twisted obligation to keep her safe. It wasn’t right. “I could stay at my father’s estate. That place is like Fort Knox.”

Roman tipped her chin up so he could look in her eyes. “Is that your way of saying you don’t want to be here with me?”

“No, of course not. I just... I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

He dipped his head and kissed her gently, and her heart melted on the spot. “You could never be an inconvenience to me, Gracie.”

She laid her head on his chest and held on tight. “Maybe this is a bad time, but there’s something I think we need to talk about.”

“Something bad?”

“No, just something that’s been on my mind.”

“Can it wait till I take a shower?”

She stroked the side of his face with her palm. It was rough with beard stubble. “Of course. Would you like me to make you breakfast? Or did you want to get some sleep first?”

“No time for sleep,” he said. “I’m used to pulling all-nighters so it’s not a big deal. And I would love some breakfast. Give me fifteen minutes.”

While Roman showered, Grace threw on her robe and headed to the kitchen. Considering he was a man, his refrigerator and cupboards were insanely well stocked with, for the most part, healthy foods. But he’d always taken good care of himself, exercising regularly and eating well. He did have his weaknesses, though, two being bacon and eggs.

She opened the fridge and found a slab of thick-sliced bacon, a half-empty carton of eggs and a jug of orange juice. From the pantry she pulled out a loaf of raisin bread, which had always been a favorite of his in the mornings. That she remembered his habits was a comfort somehow.

She found the pots and pans she needed and got to work. She had skipped dinner last night, and though she didn’t have much of an appetite now, she knew that she needed to eat. But it would be difficult with the huge knot twisting her insides. It was still a little surreal the way Dax had spoken to her, and threatened her. She’d thought for sure that Roman would find something incriminating in the files.

She had hoped she would wake up this morning and it would all make sense. Now she was more confused than ever. She was tempted to give Dax the flash drive and just be done with the whole thing, but intuition told her to wait and let Roman dig deeper. She trusted him, and she knew that if anyone could figure this out he could. And if she really was in some sort of danger, he would keep her safe. Despite all that they had been through she had never once doubted that he would sacrifice his own life to save hers.

There had been an incident back in college, when they were still just friends. They had been studying at the university library for finals and he was walking her back to her sorority house when a strung-out-looking guy, not much older than them, pulled a gun on them and demanded Gracie’s purse and Roman’s wallet. Without hesitation Roman had stepped in front of her. Whatever the guy had been on, his hands had been shaking and he’d been visibly agitated. Roman had spoken to him in a very calm and rational voice and done as he’d asked, handing over the requested items. As soon as the guy had them, he’d run off. He was never caught, and it had been a pain in the butt having to replace everything in her purse, but Roman’s cool head and quick thinking had saved them from further trouble.

Still, she hated that she needed someone’s protection. It was just all so confusing and disturbing, but she trusted Roman to do the right thing.

When he walked into the kitchen fifteen minutes later he was freshly showered, clean-shaven and dressed for work in black slacks and a black cashmere sweater, carrying a black blazer that he hung over the back of a chair at the kitchen table. “Something smells good,” he said.

“Bacon, eggs sunny-side up, raisin toast and juice. And of course coffee.” She had the feeling they were both going to need it. “Have a seat.”

He took a spot at the table while she fixed their plates, and he asked, “What did you want to talk about?”

Here we go, she thought, and the knots that had begun to loosen in her belly cinched tight again. What if she poured her heart out to him, and he rejected her? What if to him this was just a fling? What if he was content being single and on the market?

But what if he wasn’t?

She served the food and sat down, taking a deep breath for courage. “The last few weeks have been wonderful,” she said.

He nodded and smiled, but his eyes were serious. “I think so, too.”

“Despite everything that’s happened between us, I feel as if we’ve really reconnected.”

“I feel that way, too.”

She was so nervous the smell of the eggs was upsetting her stomach so she pushed her plate away. Why couldn’t she just say it?

“Obviously something is on your mind that you’re hesitant to talk about,” he said. “Whatever it is, good or bad, I want you to tell me.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “If that’s what you want.”

For a big tough guy he was so damned sweet sometimes.

She swallowed her fear, and her pride, and said, “I know we agreed on our friends-with-benefits arrangement, but everything feels different now. I feel different. But before I get in any deeper I need to know if you feel the same way. If you think we have a future together. I know it’s only been a few weeks, and I don’t want to rush you—”

“Yes.”

She blinked. “Yes?”

“Yes,” he said, still holding her hand, and the affection in his eyes was so nakedly honest her heart shifted in her chest. “I see us having a future together. I want us to be together. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, Gracie. Hard as I tried to forget you, I never could. You’re a part of me. I know there’s bad feelings, and it will take time, but not being with you isn’t an option anymore. We can just take it one day at a time.”

She was so relieved, and so happy that she’d had the courage to ask.

“I can do that,” she said. Hell, in the past she had waited two years for their relationship to bloom into something more than friendship.

“I do have one more question,” she said. “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

“I was kind of hoping someone would invite me to Nora and Reid’s wedding,” he said with a grin.

His smile warmed her from the inside out. “Would you be my date?”

“I would love to,” he said, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand, then letting go. “But right now I have to eat and get to work.”

“This early?” she said, feeling disappointed. She had been hoping they might have a little time to fool around before he left.

“My day is booked solid. How about you?”

The truth was, she had more work than she could handle. They were obviously both workaholics, but she was sure they could make that work. “I’ll probably shower and get to the office early, too.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“I have to go to work.”

“And you will, but I’m sending a car for you. It will take you to and from work, or anywhere else you need to go. I don’t want you going anywhere alone. Understand?”

“You don’t think that’s excessive?”

“Not at all. A threat is a threat.”