Page 43 of Saving Grace

“The sheriff’s department will have to get involved in this,” Trent informed him. “I’m going to have to take Grace and Axe’s statement when they’re ready. Why haven’t you mentioned The Reaper to me before?”

“I didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to show his face in Misty Grove,” Matt replied. “Christ, I hope Grace still trusts me to protect her.”

“Has she mentioned what he’s after?” Trent asked.

“Negative,” Roger answered.

“I have feeling Troy deLamar knows,” Matt said nodding over to Troy’s group. The biker stiffened and narrowed his eyes at them. They hated getting tangled up with the law, but with the terror attacks on Atlanta, and The Reaper descending on Misty Grove, all bets were off.

Troy exhaled deeply in resignation. The biker might be morally ambiguous with most of his dealings, but if Matt would place him on the spectrum of good and evil, he’d lean more toward the good.

“But this is not a discussion for the hospital waiting room,” Matt pointed out.

“I agree,” Trent answered as he walked over to the biker group.

“This is becoming a big mess, boss, to be involving the sheriff,” Roger observed.

“He’s family and you know it,” Matt responded tersely. This was a wake-up call. Grace had weapons and self-defense training as a DEA agent, but she was not as skilled in fighting as they were. She was lucky she had something The Reaper still wanted because Matt couldn’t imagine what the cartel’s assassin would do to her when she became dispensable. Before her, all Matt cared about was his family and immediate friends, and since all of them were badass in their own right, he never worried much about them defending themselves. His mind right now was going into overdrive thinking of how to protect Grace, and Trent was the first person that came to mind. Cassie’s husband used to be a security consultant and had previously offered to wire his garage. Matt would be taking him up on that offer.

More than an hour had passed. Trent and his deputy had left, and Matt was getting antsy. Axe was about to get discharged but still no word from Grace or Millie.

“What’s taking them so long?” Matt growled. He stalked toward the nurse triage station to inquire.

“Are you family, sir?”

“No, but she’s in my care.”

“Your name?”

“Matt Foster.”

The nurse looked at her computer. “I’m sorry. I can only give information to Millie Cross.”

“Well, Millie is with her, and—”

“Matt …”

He turned to the entrance to the ER rooms and saw Millie. Finally.

“How’s Grace?”

“She’s on her way to radiography,” the diner owner said. She had a strange look on her face, almost like she was dazed, and it took a lot to rattle the woman.

His gut clenched with worry. “I thought they took her an hour ago.”

“No. They had to wait for the blood work.”

Matt nodded impatiently. They had to do blood work in Atlanta too, because Grace had no memory of her past, and they wanted to make sure they didn’t prescribe any treatment or script that she would show any adverse reaction to.

Millie was biting her lip, as if not knowing what to say next.

“What?” Matt asked, even if he was afraid to find out the answer. “Did they find something wrong with Grace?”

“I need to talk to you and deLamar,” Millie said, turning from him to call the attention of the biker. “Troy, a moment, please.” She gestured toward a deserted area of the waiting room.

This suspense was killing him. Did they find something wrong with her? Did she remember something, and she needed to tell him and Troy the information before she—

Matt wasn’t going to think that way. Grace was going to be fine. He repeated the mantra in his head.