Chapter 10

Upstairs in his loft, Mick put on his robe for a second time that night. After informing the ladies of what he'd discovered and returning Grace's knitting needle, he'd joined them briefly before they'd all called it an evening. To his surprise, he discovered the easygoing friendly mood of their first meeting pervaded now that they'd cleared the "vampire quagmire" as Grace jokingly termed it. The curvy brunette was far more forthcoming, supplying details of her childhood and even sharing a few amusing anecdotes, mostly concerning the family butler Claude. Beth responded in kind with a few mundane incidents of her own including the tale of the laundry debacle. Though he hadn't commented much, Mick found himself enjoying Grace's company. It certainly didn't hurt that Beth was more open, relaxed and animated with her friend than she'd been with anyone but him for a long time. Excusing himself, he'd headed upstairs while Beth took care of their guest. Before long, she joined him.

"Is Grace settled in for the night?" He asked as she crawled into bed next to him to cuddle.

"Yes. Thanks for letting her use the couch in your office tonight. I agree it probably wasn't safe for her to go back to her apartment. Carl left me a voicemail. Tomorrow we're going down to the police station to pick up our things from the accident and check on what's left of my car and her motorcycle."

His worried frown gave her a preview of what he was about to say. "Beth, maybe…"

"Mick, we've been through this before. If I run for cover at every threat that comes along I'd never leave the loft. I think we can handle going alone to the police station and a car garage or two." She grinned impishly up at him. "Besides, I've got my mace and Grace has her knitting needles. I think we're covered." Mick could only sigh, knowing this was no way he was going to win this discussion.

The next day the girls slept late and finally got moving around lunchtime. Grace's clothes were torn but she managed by borrowing a few things from Beth. Hailing a taxi, they set off. Their first stop was the garage where Beth's car was taken, a dirty, run down disreputable place called "Slick Larry's". Unfortunately, Slick Larry proved as distasteful as he sounded. Boorish and crude, he'd been dismissive of Beth but that didn't stop him from leering at the two women openly. The last straw came when he demanded an exorbitant fee for towing and storing her wrecked Prius. Any other time, Beth would have given him hades but they still had to see about Grace's motorcycle and go to the police station so she postponed that battle for another time.

When Beth announced their second destination, Grace's eyes widened but she made no comment. Regal Customs was a sharp contrast to the previous business. Though obviously geared toward men, there were no offensive pin ups of naked women, just advertisements for various car brands and multiple racks of high end accessories. The lobby was spotlessly clean with comfortable chairs, a coffee bar and even a children's play corner. The huge, tattooed guy behind the counter was intimidating but one look at his name tag had Grace smiling in a way that confused Beth. She'd been preparing for another bad experience but Grace sashayed right up to him and turned on the charm.

"Can I help you?" Though gruff, he wasn't immediately rude.

" Hi, I'm Grace Hamilton. And you must be Theodore. I had the pleasure of meeting your momma Ms. Betty Ann last night and she just couldn't stop bragging on you."

The brusque exterior melted away and the burly man smiled widely. "What can I do for you two ladies?"

"I believe they brought my motorcycle here last night."

Sebastian hadn't needed to hear her voice to know Grace had arrived. Though he couldn't explain how, he'd felt her presence as soon as she stepped out of the taxi. For the past hour he'd been shut up in the office pretending to do paperwork while he waited for her to appear. The nervous anticipation he'd been experiencing quickly turned to exhilaration at the thought of seeing her again.

As Tank brought her through the door into the shop, Sebastian came out of the office to meet them. Her back was to but he saw her straighten as if she sensed him behind her. "Hello, Grace." His warm smile of greeting dissolved into a worried frown as she turned to face him and he saw the large cut on her cheek. The sight hit him like a gut punch. He stepped closer and gently took her chin in his hand. "Querida, what happened?"

"It's nothing." She hedged as she lifted her hand to remove his but ended up resting it on his wrist instead as she looked into his eyes and was surprised at the depth of concern there.

"This isn't nothing. You didn't have that scratch yesterday."

"I surprised a burglar when I got home last night. He pushed me down while he was getting away. I'm fine, really."

"What did the police say?"

She hesitated before speaking. "He was probably some homeless person and he ran off. That's all."

Her face was sincere but her heart rate told another story. But he let it go temporarily as he fought to keep himself under control. Backing up abruptly, he dropped his hand and hers fell to her side. "I'm sorry, Grace. I need to make a call. Tank will take care of you. Excuse me." He didn't see her bewildered and hurt expression as he quickly turned and went back into the office.

Sebastian barely got the door closed before the white hot anger welling up inside him had his eyes silvering over and his fangs erupting. It wasn't just the injuries to Grace like the bruises on her neck she'd tried to hide that sent him into a rage. Every instinct Sebastian had screamed that Josef knew she'd been the person attacked last night and kept it from him.

Striding across the room, he put his fist through the side of one of the steel filing cabinets. It didn't make him feel any better but it left him with enough control to pick up the phone without crushing it.

The instant the call connected he spoke. "You knew Grace Hamilton was attacked last night and you didn't tell me!" He accused.

"Sebastian, I thought…"

"I don't want to hear any of your fucking excuses, Josef! You knew I cared about her but you didn't tell me because you needed me to promise I'd protect Beth Turner so you could preserve your precious conference. You knew I'd honor my promise. In fact, you counted on that, didn't you?! You USED me, Josef!" There was a pause on the other end.

"I never meant it that way. I…"

"Save it! But if anything happens to Grace, Cynthia Davis isn't the only one I'm going to hold responsible. Anything else you neglected to mention? You'd better not be holding out on me!"

"There is something. Last night Mick told me Grace knows about us… the tribe."

"How?"

"She has relatives that are…members."

"Does she know about me?"

"I don't think so but I can't honestly say. That's the truth, Sebastian."

"It better be! One last thing. Listen to me carefully, Kostya. If you EVER hold out on me or try to use me again, it will be the LAST time. Do we understand each other?" The second pause was even longer.

"Yes." He didn't bother replying merely hung up the phone.

Sebastian knew it was cruel to use the nickname Josef was forced to abandon the fateful night he'd been turned, but his sire wanted to make it clear exactly how angry he was. Had his former fledgling told him the truth, he still would have agreed. But by his deception, Josef had chosen to put Beth Turner's life over Grace's and that was unacceptable. The monarch turned mechanic would simply have to make sure nothing happened to either one of them.

Josef tread back and forth across his office, analyzing his tactical error. He'd severely underestimated the depth of his sire's feelings for Grace Hamilton. Though it didn't impact his plan overall, his own personal sense of equity demanded he make amends. Going to his desk, he picked up the comprehensive list of Kostan properties he'd ordered that morning. As he flipped through the pages, he sat up all at once as a smug grin passed across his features. Chuckling to himself, he reached for his phone.

Grace was unusually subdued and distracted as emerged from the back of the garage. "Is it as bad as my car?" Beth asked.

"What? Oh, yes, they pretty much needed a broom and dust pan." Beth raised an eyebrow at the preoccupied tone. "Grace?"

Before her friend could answer, her phone rang. Still distracted, the brunette answered. "Hello? " Beth thought it odd that she looked more and more perplexed the longer she talked. By the time she hung up, her expression was almost unreadable.

"That was weird."

"What?"

"That was the real estate agency I rented my apartment from. Somebody reported seeing a suspicious person in the complex last night so they were doing a security check around the building and found a gas leak in one of the walls. It turns out they are going to have to relocate some of the residents while they do the repairs but they are offering us all apartments rent free in their other properties. They've got one all picked out. All I have to do is accept and they'll move me in today."

"What's so weird about that?"

"Beth, the apartment is in your building on the floor below yours."