Trusting Danger (Danger, #2)(40)

On impulse, he pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. “It’s going to be okay.”

He ignored the look of surprise that flitted across her face. This had nothing to do with desire; he was just trying to comfort her. It had been a horrific night for them both.

“We’ll leave in a few hours, once I’ve wrapped things up here. You should get some rest.” Helping her up, Grayson kept an arm around her as he walked her back to the bed.

Once she was lying down, he pulled up the covers and tucked them around her, much like his mother had done for him when he was a boy.

“I’m right here if you need me,” he told her. “I’ll send a paramedic up to check you out in a few minutes. Being knocked out isn’t something to ignore.”

As Claire’s eyes closed, he fought the urge to hold her again. Get a grip on yourself. Be professional.

Her grief for Jeremy had been sincere; he had no doubt about that. And when he thought back to how she’d behaved over the last few days—her attempts to befriend him, her concern for her client, her easy friendship with Jeremy—Grayson realized that his partner had been right. Grayson had totally underestimated her.

Claire wasn’t a spoiled rich girl. She was a kind, caring person who deserved much better than the way he’d been treating her.

But he’d think about that later. Right now, he had work to do.

Eli was on his way back and should be arriving soon. When Grayson had reached him by phone earlier and relayed the news, the boss had remained professional, even though Grayson knew he had to be devastated.

“Your apartment’s a good idea,” Eli had said, his voice gravelly with emotion, “especially with Camden there to help you. But take precautions. We’ve still got nothing concrete on who’s behind the kidnapping attempt. Whoever put out this contract may have hired someone else.”

Grayson had agreed, feeling his own throat constrict with emotion as he hung up.

This miserable night was far from over. Eli still needed to notify Jeremy’s family, a duty Grayson didn’t envy him. It was the worst part of the job, and not for the first time, Grayson was glad he was only an agent and not responsible for the entire team.





Chapter Thirty





On the drive from Springfield to DC, Claire couldn’t stop crying. Grayson reached across the console and took her hand, murmuring words of comfort, his low voice soothing.

She sobbed, her heart feeling like it would break as they sped down I-395, and tried to collect herself but didn’t ask questions when Grayson pulled into a parking garage near the Justice building. When he helped her out of the SUV and settled her into the front seat of a nondescript silver sedan a few rows over, it hardly registered. And when he started the car and drove through a tunnel before exiting a block away from where they’d first pulled in, she didn’t really care. Misery had made her numb.

When they arrived at his apartment in the wee hours of Friday morning, Grayson surprised Claire by introducing his friends who were staying there, Camden and Autumn. They looked equally stricken, having learned the news from Grayson by phone earlier, and had waited up for his arrival home.

After the introductions, Grayson walked Claire to his bedroom and got her settled in. Camden and Autumn were staying in the guest room, he said, and he would sleep on the couch.



After just a few hours’ sleep, Claire felt a little more human. She crawled out of bed, blinking against the bright morning light streaming through the bedroom window, and tugged on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt Grayson had left folded on the dresser for her with a note.

Sorry, but we had to send all your things to the lab. These might be a little big, but they’ll have to do for now.



The clothes were obviously Grayson’s, much too big for her, but she’d make do.

She drew the pants’ drawstring as tight as she could, then studied herself in Grayson’s bathroom mirror. One cheekbone was a bit purple, swollen and tender from where she’d been hit the night before, and her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. Basically, she looked as washed out and miserable as she felt, but at least she didn’t have a concussion or any other injuries.

She sighed as she turned away from the mirror. Despite the change in location, she couldn’t stop thinking about Jeremy.

By now, his mother and brothers had to know. How were they taking the news? Had his ex-girlfriend found out too? Thoughts of their grief made Claire want to crawl back into Grayson’s bed.

He’d shown a completely different side of himself in the last several hours. So much so that the accusations she’d previously made to him filled her with shame.

No longer wanting to be alone, Claire opened the door of the bedroom and wandered through the living room to the kitchen. Grayson’s modern apartment was bright with light, contemporary with a masculine feel. The kitchen was outfitted with subway tile and chrome fixtures, just like the master bath. It was all very attractive but cold, much like her first impression of Grayson.

“I should have been there.” Grayson stood in the middle of the kitchen’s slate-tiled floor, rubbing a hand over the stubble on his face as he spoke with Camden and Autumn.

“You sound just like Eli,” Camden said. “It wasn’t his fault, and it isn’t yours either.”

“I was doing a half-assed job on the case, going back and forth to my mother’s the way I was.”