Page 106 of Holding Grace

I breathed out slowly as I looked at the entrance to the prison. Michael stood by my side, as he always did, his arm looped around me.

“You don’t have to do this, Gracie. I know you said you wanted to, but you don’t have to.”

“I think...” I took another breath and released it. “I think I do have to. I need to finish this.”

I was here to see – to confront – my brother.

In the months since Seth had tipped us off about Ellis’ murder-for-hire plan, Detective Chase and the police had been hard at work. They’d worked with a prison informant who had put Ellis in touch with a “guy he knew” – an undercover cop – on the outside. After a couple conversations where Ellis skirted the issue, feeling the guy out, he’d come out and told the guy he’d pay him to “take someone out.”

The undercover officer had asked Ellis what exactly he meant – was he talking about beating someone up, running them out of town, what?

Ellis had replied, very clearly and very succinctly, “I want the fucker dead.” When the officer asked who, Ellis said, “My sister’s husband.”

I was Ellis’ only sister and Michael was my only husband, so they had him. The police waited long enough for Ellis to have Jim Stokes arrange payment, showing he intended to follow through, then they shut it down, told him it was over, and charged him.

From what Detective Chase had told us, Ellis had been less than pleased with the news.

Since then, he’d been indicted, and subsequently taken a plea deal.

Though I knew Detective Chase was beyond frustrated about the deal, I’d come to terms with it. From what I’d been told Ellis would still spend many years behind bars – he hadn’t even finished serving his first sentence yet – and the plea meant I wouldn’t have to go through a trial.

Then Detective Chase had given me a chance to talk to Ellis before he was sentenced. I’d hesitated, then said yes.

I’d let him control my life for too many years. I wanted to face him and be done with it. I wanted to move on.

So, here I was.

I turned and gave Michael a hug, then stepped back and looked up at him. “I’m ready.” I gave him my most confident smile. “I’ll be okay.”

Michael stroked one finger across my cheek. “I know you will, Grace. You’re fierce. I’ll be right here. I love you.”

I tipped my face up for Michael’s kiss. “I love you, too. Don’t worry about me.”

Michael huffed out a laugh. “Sure thing, sweetheart. Like that will ever happen. Go get him.”

I turned, straightened my shoulders, and headed for the entrance.

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BREATHE, GRACIE. BREATHE.

I listened to Michael’s voice in my head as I stared across the room at my brother. The visitor center was empty except for the two of us, the two guards who stood behind Ellis, and the guard next to me.

Ellis sat at the end of a long, ugly orange counter. He stared back at me, making no attempt to disguise his burning hatred for me.

I startled as the guard next to me spoke. “If you’ll have a seat at the counter, ma’am, and pick up the receiver, you’ll be able to speak to your brother.” I hesitated and the guard went on, doing his best to set me at ease. “See that barrier that will be between you?” I nodded, eyeing the thick plexiglass that ran down the center of the counter. “That’s just so you can see each other, but he can’t touch you. That barrier won’t break or shatter no matter what he does. He cannot get to you.”

I nodded again and forced myself to take a step forward, then another, and another, until I was lowering myself onto the stool on my side of the counter.

Ellis sneered at me, picking up his receiver as I did the same.

“Come to gloat?”

His voice sent a shiver down my spine, triggering remembered tension and fear. I wanted to pull back, move away from him, but I forced myself to stay just as I was.

He can’t get to you. He can’t touch you. All he has are words. He can’t touch you.

“Hello, Ellis.” Good, that was good. My voice was even, unemotional. I sounded as if he had no effect on me.