Courage (Partners in Crime Book 2)

Chapter 3

Grace awoke the next morning. The smell of coffee filled the air. She was sprawled on the couch with a blanket and pillow that hadn't been there before. Cole stood in the kitchen waiting for the coffee.

"Morning Grace."

"How did you know I was awake?"

"Brother's intuition." He poured two cups of coffee, came into the living room, and handed her one cup. "You didn't have any nightmares last night."

"Yeah. I guess I didn't." Memories of when she woke up in the middle of the night with nightmares when she was little came to mind. Neither her mom nor her dad came in. It was always Cole or Nicole who came in and helped her fall back asleep. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Yep. I forgot how comfortable your recliner was." He grinned.

She sipped her coffee, "And I forgot how good your coffee was."

"I did work at a coffee shop in high school."

"I forgot about that."

They made small talk for a while, then after their coffee was gone Cole helped her up. "You, my friend, need to get ready for work."

"Do I have to go?" She whined.

He laughed, "Yes."

"But I don't want to." She put on a three year old voice.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to punish you myself."

Knowing what was coming, she ran down the hall laughing. Hiding in her walk-in closet, she crept out when Cole was searching her bathroom. She hid behind the couch and when he came looking in the living room, she tried to jump out. Catching her, he started tickling her like crazy.

After he finished, she went down the hall laughing and clutching her side. Cole had gotten stronger since the last time he tickled her.

Thirty minutes later, she arrived at work with a breakfast sandwich made by Cole in her hand. She waved to her friend Paige Fisher as she made her way to her office.

Grace started some work on John Sills. She was trying to find every piece of information on him to find the reason he held his wife hostage. Marie was in no shape to talk and nobody really knew anything about him. She had worked for three and a half hours, when she decided to head to the break room for a snack. She met Paige on the way.

"Grace, are you okay? Yesterday had quite the action."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Cole came by."

"Oh good. I wanted to come but Max had me swamped with paperwork. Also, um Hunter told me that if I saw you to tell you to go to his office. He said he wanted to talk to you." Paige grabbed a donut from the box.

"Great. Thanks." She snagged a muffin and headed out.

"Uh, Grace?"

She turned, "Yes?"

Paige took a bite of her donut, "Hunter's office is the other direction."

"I know." She continued on her way. She really didn't want to talk to him right now. Not ever. She finished her muffin on her way to her office and tossed it in the trash right before her office. When she stepped inside, Hunter stood in her office looking at her family pictures. "What are you doing in here?" She asked.

He turned around to look at her. "I came to explain."

She shut the door behind her. "I really don't want to hear it."

"Well then, humor me."

"Hunter, listen. I don't want to hear it. Save it for Marie or her kids. They might want to hear it." She turned around and put her hand on the doorknob.

"I shot him because I was worried he was going to kill you and I couldn't live with myself if you had died." All that sounded like three words jumbled together.

Grace froze. What? Her hand still was on the doorknob. She slowly spun around. "So, you killed a man for me?" Weren't they just friends?

"No. Well yes. Wait, no. I shot him. I wasn't aiming to kill. I was worried for you."

That didn't make any sense. This man didn't make any sense. "I don't understand."

He sighed, "Grace, I care about you. I couldn't bear to see you die or get hurt on my watch. Do you understand that?"

Yeah she understood. But she didn't like it. "I have to go." She quickly left the room and race walked out the building and to her car. They were supposed to just be friends. None of this 'I care about you' junk.

~~~~~

Hunter sat down in a decorative armchair in Grace's office. That went well. He sighed and looked around the place while he thought. Nice, simple decorations like pictures of flowers on the wall. Stuff that suited Grace.

Paige popped her head in Grace's office. "Grace, did you find out anything more on John-Oh. Hi Hunter. Where's Grace?"

He shrugged, "She left."

Her mouth formed an 'O' shape. "So, you told her."

He nodded. Oh he told her all right. And ruined everything. "Your advice clearly didn't help. She knows we're friends and by the look that was on her face that's all she wanted it to be until I decided to mess it up."

"Sorry." Paige clicked the pen she was holding. "Why don't you go to her place and talk to her? I bet she's just processing everything."

"I'll bet you my next paycheck she won't walk to talk to me. I'll also bet that she hates my guts. She probably won't even listen to me."

Paige grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "Go. At least try. I'll cover for you. Both of you. And she doesn't hate your guts. You guys are friends, remember? Grace is more mature than that."

He thought about it. Maybe he should talk to her. In private. He really did like her and he didn't want her to hate him. "Yeah, I'll go."

~~~~~

Grace set her purse down on her table. What was wrong with her? She just left Hunter in the dust. But he shot John because he cared about her and couldn't bear to see her get hurt? That didn't make sense. Sure, Hunter was nice. And she'd noticed his gorgeous dirty blonde-brownish hair and grey eyes. But she only ever thought of him as a friend. Just a friend, they were only friends. Okay. So maybe that was a small lie. She liked him. He was nice, funny, and he had the look department in the bag. But ever since he killed John when he told him not to, she was angry with him. And she didn't want to be angry at him. But she didn't want to talk with him either. She didn't know how she felt about him. But he was willing to shoot someone for her?

She didn't know someone besides family cared for her that much.

And she liked that thought.

A little too much.

But she was still angry at him.

Very angry.