“Where the hell are you?” Mick demanded.
“Good morning to you too,” Gray said, irritated already by Mick’s tone.
“Good morning, my ass. You should be here, helping to catch Alex’s killer, not off f**king around with the girl.”
“Mick, don’t start,” Gray warned. “I called to see what the hell was going on. You may not like how we decided to do things, but that’s too damned bad. You’re reacting emotionally, and if you had your damn head on straight, you’d know I’m right.”
“We. Since when did this become we. I can’t figure out why you brought in Malone and his crew. His only concern will be for his daughter. He won’t give a f**k that Samuels killed my son.”
“Just like your only concern is for your own interest,” Gray said quietly. “Faith is an innocent victim, Mick. I won’t allow her to be used any more than she already has. If that pisses you off, too f**king bad.”
“I never imagined you’d sell out,” Mick said harshly. “I never thought you’d turn your back on Alex this way.”
“Damn it, Mick. Quit trying to yank my string. You’ve been doing this shit from the start, and I let you. I’m done allowing you to play the guilt card. If Samuels makes a move for Faith, Pop and the others will nail him. That should be all that concerns you. By the book. No legal loopholes for him to fall through.”
A long pause ensued, and the only sound was Mick’s harsh breathing. Finally Mick broke the silence. “If you won’t help me bring Alex’s killer down, I’ll do it myself. I’m not going to stand by and watch him get away. Not when we’re so damn close.”
“Mick, quit talking out your ass and calm down,” Gray said in exasperation. “Mick. Mick?”
Damn it, he’d hung up. Gray closed the phone and swore long and hard. Mick was losing it. He was too eaten up by grief and rage to think rationally. He needed to get his ass back to Dallas, but Gray knew there was no chance of that happening.
He opened his phone back up and punched in Micah’s number. He shook his head and tried to blow off his anger as he waited for Micah to pick up. For all Mick’s faults, Gray knew he was a good guy.
“Hey, man,” Gray said when Micah answered.
“Hey,” Micah returned.
“What’s the latest? Any word on Samuels?”
“No, nothing yet. Cops have got a double to stand in for Faith. She’s staying at Faith’s apartment and will be going in to the office like Faith does.”
Gray sighed. It was probably too soon, but the letter told him that Samuels was close. Even if he wasn’t yet in Houston, he soon would be.
More than ever, he was glad Faith was removed from the picture where he could keep her safe. He didn’t have a good feeling about any of it. Mick, Samuels or the mother. Faith stood to get hurt, if not physically, than certainly emotionally.
Again, he was hit square in the face with the reasoning behind Pop wanting to keep this from her. Though he’d vehemently disagreed, he wasn’t so sure now that Pop hadn’t been right.
“Look, buddy, I have to run. Things are a bit nutty around here. Nathan, Connor and I are keeping an eye out at the apartments. We have a few plants keeping watch, but we didn’t want to spook Samuels off and let him know we’re on to him. Faith’s double is due to leave her apartment in a few minutes, and it’s my turn to follow her to the office.”
“Okay, man, keep me posted, okay?”
“Will do. You just keep Faith safe and happy.”
Gray chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”
He slipped back inside and went in search of a piece of paper and a pen. After jotting a note for Faith, he eased back into the bedroom. He stared down at her sleeping face for a long moment, studying her features and how beautiful and peaceful she appeared.
Unable to resist, he leaned down and trailed a finger down her cheek. She stirred and leaned into his touch but didn’t awaken. He reluctantly drew away from her then left the note on the pillow next to her head.
When Faith awoke, Gray was no longer beside her. Bright sunlight blazed through the window, and she squinted against the glare.
When her gaze dropped to Gray’s pillow, she saw a single sheet of paper propped against it. She picked it up and saw Gray’s almost indecipherable scrawl.
When you wake up, come into the kitchen. I’ll have breakfast ready. Don’t put anything on.
She let the paper drift back down to the bed, and she felt the beginnings of a full-bodied blush coming on. Naked. If she was honest, she had no idea what to expect. He’d managed to keep her off balance so far. Instead of having sex, he’d spent the entire previous evening showering her with attention. She’d never felt so pampered and cared for in her life.
“Don’t be a chickenshit,” she muttered as she climbed out of bed.
She walked into the bathroom and quickly ran a brush through her hair. It didn’t need much. Gray had brushed it until it had shone. Now it fell down her back in soft waves.
She gazed at herself in the mirror. The woman who stared back fascinated her. There was a softness about her. A happy, radiant glow that was reflected in her eyes and smile.
She took a deep breath and left the bathroom. As she got closer to the kitchen, her pulse sped up, and a nervous tickle started rolling in her stomach.
He was standing by the bar, holding a skillet in one hand as he spooned eggs onto plates. When he looked up and made eye contact, her first instinct was to cover herself.
She halted several feet away and swallowed against the knot in her throat. He set the skillet down and wiped his hands on a dishrag. Then he stepped around the bar, his gaze roving up and down her naked body.
As the distance closed between them, her arms crept up to cover her br**sts.
“Good morning,” he murmured as he bent to kiss her.
His hands circled her wrists, and he pulled them down to her sides.
“Don’t hide. You’re much too beautiful for that. I want to look at you.”
Satisfaction was mirrored in his face as she blushed. Why he liked that about her, she’d never know. It seemed a little silly for a grown woman to blush as much as she did.
“Come, sit down, and we’ll eat,” he said as he tugged her toward the bar.
She followed him, her confusion building. She sat down, and he shoved a plate in front of her. Bacon, eggs and toast. And a tall glass of orange juice.