Gracie - Sherry Foster Page 0,1
You are a nut.”
He winked, “But you still like me.”
“Yeah, I do. I happen to like nuts.”
“Good thing for me.” He grunted, “You partner sounds drunk. I think I should go so you can help him to bed.” He jumped up and headed for the door.
“Running away? He swore he would behave next time.”
“Gracie, dear, he is drunk. Drunk people rarely behave.” He opened the door as Halo reached for the handle, sidestepping the drunk man who struggled to grab the door frame to stay upright. He backed away from Halo as Gracie came rushing over. He leaned over and kissed her as she tilted her head up. He chuckled as Gracie grabbed frantically for Halo. His chuckle shut off abruptly as he heard Halo murmur, “Mmmm hot chocolate.”
“Bye Hendrix.” Gracie pulled Halo inside while shutting the door with her foot.
He smiled as he walked away. He could hear Gracie scolding her partner. “Yes, hot chocolate. My hot chocolate and I don’t share. Besides, it wouldn’t do you any good. You know he doesn’t bat for the same team you do. Come on, let’s get you to bed. Your head is going to hurt tomorrow. I swear, it wasn’t your fault, Halo. No one could have saved that little boy. Come on, we gotta get you back on the wagon. Me and you are gonna have a long talk tomorrow, when you can remember what I say. If all else fails I swear I am going to start handcuffing you to your bed.”
Hendrix didn’t catch the next words from the man but Gracie’s reply told him all he needed to know and he turned his slow walk into a jog. He didn’t want to know what man Halo wouldn’t mind being handcuffed to a bed with.
Later that night, as he twisted and turned in his empty bed he cursed Halo. He was certain his bed wouldn’t have been so empty if Halo had come home sober. He would have invited Gracie out for a midnight walk and they would have ended up back at his place, where his partner knew better than to disturb him at night. He didn’t blame Halo much for the drinking. The young man hadn’t been in the business as long as he had and Gracie had been in the business even less time but even at his age every loss was a blow. Humans took things harder than his kind. But when the knife slit the little boy’s throat as the bullet left Halo’s gun, so close to saving the kid, those kind of losses hurt the most. They were the hardest to get over.
Chapter Two
She stroked her hand gently across his chest. She wasn’t sure what nightmare rode the man, but she knew enough about his job to know she didn’t want to shake him awake. Her job wasn’t so different from his. Find the bad guys, rescue the victims and move on to the next mission. She hoped, after tonight, he would be more willing to open up to her about his past. The days they spent together weren’t enough, and after the night they had she didn’t think one night would ever be enough. He didn’t talk much but when he did he never talked about his past. She didn’t have that problem. He knew everything about her a person could know.
A few times she wondered if he had someone waiting for him back home but those thoughts were fleeting. One thing she had learned about the man over the last few months, he loathed a liar. And he always knew when someone was lying. She hadn’t figured out that trick yet, and he wouldn’t tell her how he knew. He was like a living lie detector. She had even tested him a few times and he always knew.
Her training had included learning the ability to pass a lie detector test. She could keep her heartbeat steady, she could keep her facial features firm, she could and had fooled men who had been in the game decades longer than him, but she couldn’t fool him. It drove her a bit crazy. He drove her a bit crazy. Maybe more than a bit. She had watched him kill a man before but with her, when she was in his arms, he touched her as though she were made of spun sugar. And the sex, if this night was any indication of his ability she was forever ruined for another man. No one should