"Tiny or Vic or whoever he is can go to hell and so can you. I don't need another tough guy in my life or in my bed. From now on, I'm sticking to my own kind."
"I don't give a good goddamn what you say, Tiny is going to be here tonight."
"Oh no, he isn't. I fired you and your whole team!" She was being totally irrational but had no way to stop herself. She'd lost sight of everything but the hollow core in her chest.
"Black Watch is off my payroll."
"So he's going to do it pro bono."
“I’ll have him arrested for trespassing."
"I'd like to see you try," John countered coldly. "The NYPD won't touch one of my boys, Countess."
Grace leapt to her feet, balling her hands into fists. Her body was trembling. "Get out! Just get the hell out of my life!"
He was silent for a long time.
And then she was surprised when he acquiesced, simply turning and striding across the room. When he got to the double doors, he paused. His head went down, as if he were bracing himself.
"Good-bye, Grace."
And with those two, simple words, he left.
She took a deep, shuddering breath.
Blindly, she began shuffling papers on the desk, pulling out sheets from files at random, making a mess. Faster and faster, she rifled through them, searching for nothing at all.
The tears fell from her eyes onto her father's desk, leaving water spots on her memos and contracts, policies and reports.
She was still crying silently twenty minutes later when Kat buzzed.
"Yes?" Grace cleared her throat. "What is it?"
"That man is still here," Kat said quietly.
Tiny. Vic. John's partner. Another hard man with a gun. "Well, he can sit and rot for all I care."
chapter
24
After talking with Tiny about the Gala, and hearing the man decide to let Grace go ahead with attending the event, Smith hopped in a cab and went to her home. On the way there, he was thinking that Tiny was probably right. The risk to her was small, especially with Marks's men there, and Tiny promised to cover her like she was the president of the United States, the Pope, and Nelson Mandela all rolled into one.
As soon as Smith opened her front door, a compelling urge not to leave her kicked off a wave of self-doubt that had him cursing. Rushing through her home, he gathered his things while doing his damnedest to ignore the subtle smell of her perfume lingering in the air. Before he left, he took a last look at the photo of her and her father.
Then he put his key on a side table, activated the alarm, and walked out.
When he got to the street, he hailed a cab and asked to be taken to the hotel down on Wall Street that was so close to the Hall Building. The minute he got to his room, he picked up the phone and dialed Senator Pryne's private line. He needed to confirm locations and do a little cyber legwork and he was hoping both would distract him.
It rang only once before he hung up.
Sitting down on the bed, Smith put his head in his hands.
Everything felt wrong. The hotel room. The whole idea of flying off to a different part of the world. His goddamn duffel and his metal briefcases.
When he lifted his head, he caught himself staring back in the mirror over the dresser. Looking at his face, he saw a man who was missing his woman. A man who, quite possibly, would always feel lost without her. A man who was making a mistake.
She was right. He did love her.
So what the hell was he doing leaving?
But he had to let her go, he told himself. To keep her safe.
In a flash, he heard Grace calling him a coward.
Or was he just keeping himself safe?
* * *
The next thing Grace knew, Kat's voice came over the speaker. "I'm going down. Are you ready yet? "
Grace glanced at her watch. Hours had passed and she was close to being late for her own party.
"I just need to get dressed. I’ll meet you in the atrium."
She changed quickly into the gown she'd brought with her, not really caring how she looked. In the bathroom, she slipped a ring of diamonds around her neck, clipped a pair of earrings on, and touched up her makeup.
After spraying on some Cristalle, she stepped out of her office and was surprised to see Tiny still in the waiting area. She'd forgotten the man was even there and the reminder of John brought fresh tears to her eyes.
Tiny got to his feet like he was coming to attention and nodded, stiffly. He'd changed into a tuxedo.
"You need to leave," she told him.
He just shrugged. "Nowhere to go except here."
"So get creative. This town is full of tourist attractions."
"Sorry, Countess, I've got my orders."
She squared herself and sent him a withering glance. "Not from me you don't and I run this place. You are not welcome here."