The By Request Collection. Kate HardyЧитать онлайн книгу.

       Ten

      Shit. This was the last thing Roman needed. He rose from his seat, which was just as uncomfortable as it looked, and told Agent Crosswell, “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

      The agent leaned back in his chair, nonplussed. “You may want to rethink that.”

      “Why?”

      “Because as far as we know, she could be involved. She could be hiding evidence.”

      No way. Knowing Grace the way he did, Roman didn’t believe that for a second. Besides, he’d gone down this road before and he’d lost the only thing that mattered to him. He would not take that chance again. “She would never do that. If she does have evidence, I’m betting she doesn’t know it.”

      “An undercover operative learned from a source that she may be in possession of files that would prove the misappropriation of funds and even the bribery we suspect him of.”

      If they had undercover people working this, it was clearly a serious investigation. He didn’t want to see Gracie implicated. She had been through enough in the past few months. “I can tell you right now that she isn’t hiding anything. She worked on his campaign because she believed in his politics. She would never knowingly hide evidence. Going after her would be a waste of your time.”

      “She may not know that she has the evidence, but we’ve learned that the senator thinks she does and that she may know something she shouldn’t. If she isn’t working in collusion with Senator Caufield—and that’s the theory we’re leaning toward—our concern is that he will do anything to get them back from her, and keep her quiet if necessary. Meaning that she could be in serious danger.”

      The idea of Gracie getting hurt made his heart beat faster. If she truly was in danger he had to listen to what Agent Crosswell had to say.

      Roman reclaimed his seat. “You’re sure about this.”

      Crosswell nodded. “Without a doubt.”

      “What do you need from me?”

      “We need to get to those files before the senator can. Do you have any idea where they might be located?”

      With a shrug, Roman said, “Not a clue, but I can ask her.”

      “No. Absolutely not. If she suddenly drops out of sight, Senator Caufield will know something is up. We can’t take the chance of the investigation going public. We have too many man-hours invested in this to blow it. The senator cannot know that we’re investigating him. Whatever you have to do, Miss Winchester cannot know about it.”

      “And if I tell her?”

      “I can charge you with impeding a federal investigation.”

      Great. It was his past coming back to bite him in the ass. If Gracie was truly in danger his first instinct was to take her as far from Chicago as he could, if that’s what it took to keep her safe. But there was no way Gracie would agree to that. Not without knowing why.

      Dax had obviously had Gracie completely snowed. Then Roman thought of something that nearly made his heart stop altogether. “The senator has been trying to set up a meeting with her.”

      “We know. You can’t let that meeting happen. If she gives him the files, our investigation is over. Or worse, she could be charged as an accomplice.”

      Jesus, how did he keep getting into these impossible situations? “This is emotional blackmail.”

      “I know. And I’m not unsympathetic.”

      His sympathy wouldn’t stop his and Gracie’s relationship from crashing and burning. “I can’t lie to her.”

      The agent leaned forward, his expression serious. “Mr. Slater, if it’s her life on the line, can you afford not to?”

      * * *

      Gracie came home from work early after a surprise call from Roman that afternoon. Though they typically didn’t see each other on weeknights, he’d said he missed her and offered to bring dinner over. The truth was, she missed him, too, and seeing him only on the weekends just wasn’t cutting it anymore. And it would give them an opportunity to talk about their relationship.

      There was no question in her mind that she loved him, and she wanted them to be together. And she was fairly certain that he wanted the same thing if it felt as right to him as it did to her.

      She had just gotten out of the shower and was still wrapped in a towel when her sister Nora called. With her wedding barely a week away she was scrambling to make last-minute preparations. Normally Gracie would have helped with the arrangements but she had just been too busy with work, and the proposed date had been too close for Gracie to arrange for time off. But Nora, sweet as she was, had been understanding.

      “Reid and I took Declan for the final fitting on the tuxes,” Nora told her. “He looks so adorable.”

      Declan, Nora’s son from her first marriage, was a precocious two-year-old with curly ginger hair, adorable freckles and striking blue eyes. Nora’s fiancé hadn’t been open to taking on another man’s child at first, which had worried Gracie and Eve, and especially Sutton. But Reid proved himself to be an amazing father and the three couldn’t be happier.

      “I wish there was something I could do to help,” Gracie told her. “I know you have your hands full.”

      “I’m fine. For once in your life I want you to just enjoy a family event instead of feeling like you have to run it.”

      But that was what Gracie did. She helped people. She sacrificed her own time to make the lives of others easier. “Well, if there’s anything you need me to do—”

      “There isn’t,” Nora insisted. “You are a guest at this wedding and I want you to act like one. Which reminds me, are you planning to bring a date? I’d like to have the final list ready by tomorrow. And I’ve heard a thing or two...”

      Of course she was talking about Roman.

      “Would it be a problem if I brought someone?”

      “Honey, of course not.”

      Gracie frowned. Maybe she just didn’t understand who Gracie would be bringing. “Seriously, I can bring anyone?”

      Nora laughed. “Why are you beating around the bush? If you want to bring Roman that’s fine. I think it’s better than fine.”

      Huh? “You do? After what he did to our family...”

      “That was a long time ago, and Eve explained that he had nothing to do with this last scandal. He’s human, Grace. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone deserves a second chance. And it’s obvious that he makes you happy. There’s a light in your eyes that I haven’t seen in ages. I’m not saying that he doesn’t have to prove himself, but I do think he has potential.”

      Her relief at hearing that left her weak in the knees. “I’m in love with him again.”

      “Again?”

      What was her sister implying? That Gracie hadn’t really been in love with Roman before? “I’m not sure what you mean.”

      “I’m curious, Grace. How many men have you dated seriously in the past seven years? Just a rough number.”

      Nora already knew the answer to that. Gracie had used work and her charity obligations as an excuse to avoid dating, but the truth was, no man had come along whom