Beverly Barton - Grace Under Fire

Willis Sullivan cleared his throat loudly. "I'm Grace's attorney. Perhaps I should-"

"That won't be necessary, Uncle Willis," Grace said.

Hudson gripped the back of Grace's chair with white-knuckled tension. "If you'd like, I can-"

"No." Grace rose from her seat, patted Hudson 's clutched fists curled around the chair and bestowed her most charming smile on her devotees. "I love each of you for being concerned, but from here on out, I don't want any of you involved. Things could get very dangerous and I couldn't bear it if any one of you was harmed because of me."

"Grace, sweetie, I wish you wouldn't…" Joy let her sentence trail off into oblivion when Grace gave her a disapproving stare.

"I have Jed to depend on now," Grace told them. "Y'all stay out of this, stay uninvolved, and let Jed do his job. He'll protect me… if it comes to that."

When Jed put his arm protectively around Grace's shoulders, she allowed him to escort her from the conference room, down the hall and into his office. Dom and Kate followed them, came inside and closed the door behind them.

"Just how many people are aware of what's going on?" Kate asked, her gaze moving from Jed to Grace.

"Too many," Jed said.

"Four people." Grace frowned. "Four people I trust implicitly. My cousin, who has been my best friend since we were children. My father's friend and attorney, who is like an uncle to me. The senior vice-president of Sheffield Media, Inc., a man who… well, who's probably in love with me. And my assistant of three years, who is loyal and trustworthy."

"Kate didn't mean to upset you, Ms. Beaumont." Dom flashed her his irresistible smile. "But the more people who know, the better the chances that something will leak out and-"

"Are you implying that Joy or Hudson or Uncle Willis or Elsa would betray me?" Grace asked indignantly.

"Not willingly betray you, but perhaps unintentionally." Kate unzipped her briefcase, removed a computer CD and handed it to Jed. "Here's the information you asked for." She glanced at Grace. "You might want to look at it later."

Jed laid the CD beside his laptop. "Thanks, I'll do that."

"What information?" Grace eyed the CD. "I hired Dundee 's. I'm paying your salaries. But I get the feeling you're keeping me in the dark about something. Just what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on," Jed assured her, hating himself for lying to her. But he couldn't tell Grace about the FBI's involvement. It wasn't that he didn't trust her-he simply didn't know her. Not really. They'd met thirty-six hours ago, certainly not long enough to trust her completely. Besides, the Feds wouldn't look kindly on him sharing confidences with anyone outside the circle of Dundee agents involved in the case.

Jed clamped his hand onto Grace's slender shoulder. "Let us do our job. And that job is to find the information you need and to keep you safe."

Grace stiffened her spine, squared her shoulders and glowered at him, then glanced pointedly at his hand still clutching her. He removed his hand.

"All right," Grace said, and he could tell she was reluctant to agree. "I'll leave y'all alone and get back to the business of running Sheffield Media." Without further ado, she nodded to Kate and Dom, then marched out of the room.

"Whew…" Kate's expressive brown eyes spoke plainer than any words.

"What's going on with you and Ms. Beaumont?" Dom asked.

"I don't know what you mean, there's-"

"Cut the crap," Dom said. "There was so much tension between the two of you, I could cut it with a knife."

Jed shrugged. "I rub her the wrong way, that's all."

Dom grinned. "And you'd like for her to rub you the right way, huh?"

Kate cleared her throat.

Both men winced, then looked at her sheepishly.

"Sorry," Dom said.

"Yeah, sometimes we forget you're a woman." Jed said.

"Now, I wouldn't go that far." Dom winked at Kate.

Kate rolled her eyes upward and shook her head. "There's not ten cents worth of difference between boys and men." She sighed. "Okay, Jed, you take a look at the info we brought while Dom and I set up shop. Who do we ask about getting another desk and a couple of comfortable chairs moved in here?"

"Elsa Leone, Grace's assistant."

As if the mention of her name conjured up the lady, Elsa called from the other side of the closed door, "Mr. Tyree, please come quickly. Grace just received that phone call she's been expecting."

Instantly Dom's and Kate's gazes locked with Jed's; then Jed swung open the door and broke into a full run.

Elsa caught up with him just as he reached the door to Grace's office. She grabbed his arm and pointed to the portable phone he'd ordered she use to answer incoming calls today. He nodded understanding, then picked up the phone and placed it to his ear before entering Grace's office.

"Do you have the five million?" the disguised voice asked.

Grace glanced up when she saw Jed entering her office. He nodded. It had been arranged for them to pick the money from her bank later today, after Dom and Kate arrived. He wanted backup when they transported that kind of cash. "Yes," she replied. "I have it."

"Good. Now listen carefully. We'll make the exchange tomorrow. You'll come alone. No cops. Nobody else."

Jed came over to Grace's desk, picked up a notepad and pen and scribbled instructions. Grace read the message hurriedly.

"I've hired a bodyguard," Grace told her caller. "He comes with me tomorrow for the exchange or it's no deal."

Silence.

Grace looked up at Jed, her eyes asking him if they'd made the wrong move.

"Okay," the voice said. "You and the bodyguard. But if you try to double-cross me, you won't get the evidence you need. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Tomorrow morning, come to Terrebonne Park. Come in on the south side, near the carousel. At precisely twelve noon, get on the carousel, sit in the swan seat-just you. I'll join you and we'll make the exchange."

Grace looked at Jed. He nodded. "All right," she said. "Tomorrow. Twelve noon, on the carousel, the swan seat."

The moment Jaron saw Booth's car pull up outside, he broke out in a cold sweat. The timing couldn't have been worse. He'd already telephoned Grace Beaumont and set up the exchange for noon tomorrow-no way to change the particulars now. Besides, he had to move as fast as possible. Time was running out. When Aric Luther, Booth's chauffeur and bodyguard, had called while they were en route to alert the household staff of Mr. Fortier's return, Jaron had taken full advantage of the advance notice. Curt had slept all morning and left directly after lunch to tend to some business in Baton Rouge. Charlie Dupree, who also lived at the house, had driven into Lafayette to visit his eighty-year-old mother, who was in a nursing home there. And Ronnie had taken Charmaine into town on yet another shopping excursion that would last for hours. With all three of Booth's flunkies out of the house, he'd been able to get into the safe where the documents he needed were kept. He'd hidden the papers in his room, in his bed, between the mattress and box springs. Tomorrow morning, he'd put the papers into his briefcase and use the excuse of making some spot checks on several of their businesses located in various nearby towns; then he'd keep his date with Ms. Beaumont. If anyone spotted him at Terrebonne Park -anyone who would report back to Booth-he'd say he'd stopped there for lunch. He'd be sure to arrive well before noon so he could pick up a sandwich and Coke at the refreshment center in the park. Cover all your bases, he told himself.

Jaron swung open the front door, rushed out onto the porch and down the steps to meet Booth as soon as Aric opened the limo door. Whenever Booth made a trip to New Orleans, he always used the black limousine. He liked playing the big man. Hell, there was no playacting to it-Booth Fortier was the big man in Louisiana.