Beverly Barton - Grace Under Fire

I knew Jaron Vaden, the man who was dumped outside your gate. We were friends as teenagers. Grace heard Jed's voice inside her head.

"Grace?"

"Mmm-hmm?"

"Are you all right?" Elsa asked, concern in her voice. "You sound a bit strange."

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine."

"It must have been terrible for you last night. I mean having a dead body… you didn't see it, did you? The police didn't make you-"

"Jed took care of everything," Grace said. "I did have to speak to Sheriff Adams, but he asked me only a few questions."

"If you'd rather not come into work today-"

"I'll be there shortly. I'm not letting Booth Fortier scare me so badly that I can't function normally. I have a team of bodyguards to keep me safe." As safe as it was possible to be when a man like Fortier decided he wanted you dead, Grace thought.

"We'll expect you soon." Elsa paused. "And Grace… Troy called me a few minutes ago. He asked if he could come by the house this evening."

"That's good news, isn't it?"

"Yes, I think it is. He actually apologized for acting so badly the day he moved out. I'm hoping I can persuade him to give up the job at the warehouse."

"I certainly hope you can." Grace wondered if she should mention her idea of a major job promotion to Elsa. It would mean Elsa moving from St. Camille and uprooting Milly, but if she could persuade Troy to go with them, it might give the kid one more second chance. Better wait, Grace decided. Selfishly she wanted Elsa here at Sheffield Media, Inc. headquarters until this nightmare with Booth Fortier was over. Then she'd offer Elsa the type of job she knew her assistant longed for-managing affiliated radio and television stations. Grace intended to give Elsa her choice of Newport or Corinth, then when she'd done her apprenticeship in a small town, Elsa could move to a larger city when a managerial position came open.

"Inform Hudson that he's invited to lunch to celebrate. And phone Uncle Willis and see if he can join us. If he can, make the reservations for seven."

"I'll handle everything. Have a safe trip into town," Elsa said, then hung up.

Grace finished her coffee, set the cup down and picked up her purse. "Laverna, let's have dinner in the sunroom tonight. Make it really nice. Linen tablecloth and napkins. And Grandmother's china and silver."

"Candles and fresh flowers, too?" Laverna asked.

"Mmm-hmm. Yes. The works." Grace waltzed over and hugged Laverna, whose dark eyes widened in surprise. "I want music, too. Something romantic."

"Yes, ma'am." Laverna smiled timidly.

Jed waited in a long line of cars backed up on the highway between Beaulac and St. Camille. He'd decided to take the shortest route to Sheffield Media, Inc. headquarters, not realizing a road crew would have a section of highway blocked and was making the eastbound traffic take turns with the westbound traffic on the narrow strip of old road.

Jed thumped his fingers on the steering wheel as one foot patted nervously on the floor mat. Dom had phoned to let him know Grace had insisted on heading to the office immediately and wanted him to meet them there. Mentally he knew Grace was as safe with Dom and Kate as she would be with him: but on a possessive male, gut level, he didn't want Grace going anywhere without him.

Just as he started to call the office to let them know he'd be late, his lane of traffic got the go-ahead, so he shifted gears and moved forward, but only at a snail's pace.

An hour later, he parked at Sheffield Media, Inc. headquarters and strode into the main building. When he arrived at Grace's office, he was told by one of the secretaries that Ms. Beaumont had already left for lunch.

"Where did she go?"

"Rudy's. It's on Main Street. You can't miss it. Ms. Beaumont asked that you join them as soon as possible."

"Them? Do you mean the Dundee agents?"

"Yes, sir, they were with her, along with Ms. Leone and Mr. Prentice."

Oh, great, just great, Jed thought. Lunch with Hudson Prentice. He didn't like the guy. And it wasn't just because the man was in love with Grace. Jed's gut instincts told him Prentice couldn't be trusted. If he had to choose between Prentice and Uncle Willis to be the bad guy, the informant who had betrayed Dean Beaumont and Byram Sheffield, he'd pick Prentice. After all, what had Willis Sullivan gained by the two men's deaths? Nothing. On the other hand, Prentice had believed he would be named CEO of Sheffield Media, Inc. after Grace's father died. And with Dean Beaumont out of the way, he'd probably thought Grace would fall into his waiting arms.

Of course Jed had no real proof. And gut instincts wouldn't hold up in court. Nor would his gut instincts persuade Grace that her senior vice-president was a two-faced, conniving bastard. Besides, Jed told himself, there was always the off chance he could be wrong.

"How long have they been gone?" Jed asked.

"They just left. Less than ten minutes ago. Rudy's doesn't open until twelve-thirty during the week and there's always a crowd."

Jed dashed into the parking lot, jumped in the rental car and screeched out onto the road. As he zipped from red light to red light in the business district of downtown St. Camille, he asked himself why the hell he was in such a rush. What did he think would happen to Grace without him at her side?

As soon as he turned onto Main, he saw the restaurant at the end of the street, the last building on the left. Like so many establishments in town, Rudy's was housed in an old building that had been renovated and yet maintained a Louisiana antebellum ambience. Black wrought-iron banisters lined the upstairs porch as well as the downstairs one. Glistening black shutters flanked two sets of long, narrow windows across the front of the old whitewashed redbrick exterior. As he crept slowly along the street-the speed limit was fifteen miles an hour-he spotted Grace's Rolls parked out front, with Nolan sitting inside; then he saw a line of people slowly entering Rudy's. When he drew nearer, he recognized Kate and Dom standing in line and to their right Prentice stood beside Elsa Leone. Undoubtedly the others blocked his view of Grace. When Jed drove up in front of the restaurant, he hunted for a parking place, then noticed a sign pointing to parking in the rear. Grumbling under his breath, he eased the rental car onto the narrow alleyway that led to the back of the restaurant.

When he got out of the car, locked it and headed toward the sidewalk, some odd sixth sense kicked in, alerting him to danger. His steady walk turned into a hurried trot and then broke into a full run. As he turned the corner, he comprehended several different events occurring simultaneously. In his peripheral vision he caught a glimpse of a car crash at the intersection. One vehicle ran through the red light and rammed straight into the side of the other car. Looking directly ahead, he noted the customers entering Rudy's had stopped, turned and gaped in surprise at the nearby accident scene. Dom and Kate, flanking Grace, took defensive positions, blocking her body with theirs. And for some unknown reason, Hudson Prentice froze in place, closed his eyes and looked as if he was praying.

Jed hurried toward Grace. Two of the men in the crowd raced across the street toward the accident site, presumably going to offer assistance. When Grace saw Jed, her face lit up. Nothing had prepared him for the way her reaction made him feel. The woman had him turned inside out, her every look tightening his gut, her every touch arousing him.

"Jed…" She turned to him, but stopped herself before actually reaching out to him.

He knew what she felt because he felt it, too. He wanted to haul her into his arms and kiss her senseless. But Grace Beaumont wasn't the type of lady who would go in for public displays like that.