Part 13 (1/2)

Grady stripped off his sodden s.h.i.+rt and dropped it on the floor of the guestbathroom. Even with his eyes open and the light on, he felt as though he'dwalked into a black, airless cave where he'd been sent to live out his lifealone.

Feeling about as low as low gets, he dropped his jeans atop his s.h.i.+rt andstepped out of his skivvies. He twisted on the hot water, then added enoughcold to keep from scalding his b.u.t.t.

He pressed both hands against the slick tile and ducked his head under thehard spray, letting the water pound at the knot between his shoulder blades.Steam filled the tiled cubicle, making his eyes sting. Out of air, he drew ahuge breath that hurt all the way to the soles of his feet. She said he was adecent man.

She didn't love him.

She wanted to be friends.

She didn't love him.

He opened his eyes and stared at the water swirling around his feet. He wa.s.some kind of fool to think he could walk back into her life and with a few stiff words blurted out without more than a few seconds planning, have herfalling into his arms again.

Maybe if he'd been the one to rescue their son, she might have forgotten he'dalso been the one who'd brought h.e.l.l down around them in the first place.Women liked heroes, didn't they?

Maybe if he'd kicked down a few doors, busted a few heads. Taken anotherbullet. Maybe then she'd love him. Maybe...

The pain in his chest ground harder.

h.e.l.l.

He'd been wrong. Life didn't give second chances.

Not his life, anyway.

Women wanted the words, his mom had said. Well, he'd given her words, andshe'd handed them back to him, along with a prim little speech that had cutall the way to the bone.

With a savage curse that came all the way from the black depths of his soul,he straightened and reached for the soap.

Riawas huddled into her pillow, drifting in the surreal twilight between deepsleep and a restless uneasiness when she was jerked into full awakening by amuted and very male curse in the semidarkness.

Before she could do more than turn her head, Grady had folded into a crouchnext to the bed and was sliding the sleeping bag bundle under the frame. Inthe faint gleam of the hall light s.h.i.+ning through the crack in the door, shesaw the ma.s.sive outline of his bare shoulders and the flash of his bright hairas he stood suddenly.

Her heart tripped, flooded her with sharp terror mingled with outrage.”What-”

”Jim,” he grated, jerking up the sheet. The mattress dipped as he slid hisbody in next to hers. Before she could move, he hooked one heavy leg overhers, pinning her fast beneath the solid length of him. Though he'd promisedto buy pj's first thing tomorrow, tonight he was wearing running shorts-andnothing else. The heat of his skin was like a brand against hers.

”Stop-” Her cry was cut off by the pressure of his mouth over hers. She feltan instant of heat, a fast-and-furious jolt of shock and then an instant'sfury as he slid one hard arm beneath her neck.

You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!she screamed silently, struggling. And then she heard it, thealmost imperceptible whisper of the bedroom door opening. She froze, her gazesearching his in the dim white glow coming through the opening.

Understanding flooded her and she nodded. The steely muscles of his armsrelaxed slightly as he lifted his lips from her mouth and rolled to his back.

”Something bothering you, son?” he asked, his voice a good octave deeper thannormal.

”There's a noise in the closet,” Jimmy said in a small voice that tore ather. She opened her mouth to offer her baby the words of comfort and loveshe'd saved up for so long, but Grady beat her to it.

”Want me to go with you to check it out?” he asked in the same matter-of-facttone he'd used to discuss the terms of their divorce. His cop's voice, she realized now.

”I guess,” Jimmy muttered, but he edged a little farther into the room,looking anything but eager to face hidden monsters.

”Maybe he should stay here,”Ria murmured close to Grady's ear. ”Just incase.”

”Sure, if he wants to.”

Grady squeezed her arm, his rough hand incredibly gentle, before he slippedhis arm free and climbed from the bed. Jimmy watched with dark, frightenedeyes that tore at her, but he didn't flinch when Grady dropped a hand to hisshoulder.

”Do you want to stay here with your mom, son?”

Stevie darted his gaze from one another, his hands torturing the front of thedorky pajama s.h.i.+rt into a twisted knot. He wanted to stay with the lady, eventhough he was pretty sure she wasn't his real mom, but pride made him shakehis head. Guys who wimped out were jerks. Besides, the big guy ... Grady ...didn't look like he was afraid of anything. Not even guys with guns or knives.

Stevie thought it would be real neat to be like him.

”Guess you might need help,” he mumbled, trying his best to make his voicereal deep like Grady's.

Grady offered one of those quick almost-smiles Stevie was coming to like alot because it made him feel special. ”Just between us, son, I can always usehelp, especially when I'm not sure what's behind a door.”

Stevie had to think about that. He wasn't sure what was behind that door,either. Only that he'd jerked awake with his heart going crazy and a scaredfeeling in his head. He thought maybe he'd been having a bad dream, but hewasn't sure. And then he'd heard the noise. The scared feeling that ha.s.started to slip away came back in a rush, and he edged closer to Grady's side.

”Maybe you should bring your gun,” he said in the off-hand voice he used whenhe didn't want anyone to know what he was thinking.

”Let's see what kind of problem we're dealing with first, okay?”

”I think it's the man with the funny voice.” Stevie hadn't meant to say that,and he felt his face get hot all the way down his neck.

”What man, sweetheart?” The lady sounded awful scared all of a sudden. Hefigured he must have said something wrong.

”Jim?”

Stevie liked it when Grady squatted down the way he was doing now. Even whenthe light was dim like now, he could see his eyes real good. They were allcrinkly at the corners, like Mel Gibson's. Like he was about to laugh, evenwhen bad stuff was happening. Except when he looked at his wife, and then helooked the way Stevie felt sometimes when he wanted something real bad, onlyhe knew he was never going to get it no matter how hard he wished.

”He's in this dream I have,” he blurted out because he knew Grady wanted himto tell. ”The guy with the voice.”

”Sounds like you don't like him much.”

Stevie shook his head.

”Any particular reason?”

Stevie considered this which made a real bad s.h.i.+very feeling run all throughhim. ”Don't know.” He held his breath, afraid Grady would get all mad and yellthe way Lance did when Stevie honked him off.

Only Grady just nodded once, real steady like, before standing up again andholding out his hand. ”Ready to face that door, partner?”

Stevie darted a look down the hall that didn't seem nearly as long as it hadbefore. He nodded once, and put his hand in Grady's big one.