She chuckled. Or maybe she choked on her unshed tears. It was impossible to tell the difference.
As she followed her father into the house, her love for Hunter—and the devastating loss of him—felt like a bloodcurdling scream that was trapped inside her soul.
35
Black Knights Inc.
Hunter adjusted his duffel bag on his shoulder and looked around the shop at all the activity. Becky was busy grinding down the joint on a new frame. Boss was chasing his oldest daughter around and her giggle echoed through the yawning space. Bon Jovi crooned from the second floor, proof Ozzie had returned from vacation. And the sound of pots and pans clattering in the kitchen meant Eliza was hard at work whipping up something delicious.
Coming back to Chicago and the BKI compound after a harrowing mission—and fuck a duck, this last one was an absolute asshole tightener—was usually something he looked forward to. The old menthol cigarette factory was the closest thing he’d ever had to a true home. But for whatever reason, this time he didn’t experience his familiar sense of relief when he walked through the door.
Instead, all he felt was a sense of urgency.
The rest of the Knights sauntered in behind him, and the big front door shut with an airtighthissfollowed by abeep. His team was quick to disperse. Fisher flung his duffel aside and joined Boss in the chase—much to the delight of little Hazel. Sam sauntered over to chat with Becky. Graham and Britt both headed upstairs to stow their gear. And Hewitt lumbered over to check on his ride because Becky had promised she’d install a new transmission on the fantastical bike while they were away.
As for Hunter? He turned toward the kitchen, intent on talking to Eliza.
He’d barely taken two steps when she appeared at the mouth of the hallway, wiping her hands on the crisp, white apron tied around her waist and smiling her welcome.
“Have you heard from Grace?” His feet had brought him next to her of their own volition.
“Well, hello to you too.” She made a face. “Good to see you after nearly three weeks. How was Africa?”
“Hot,” he grumbled. “But we were able to prove the intel that came across the president’s desk was correct. The Rwandansarebacking the M23 rebels in the Congo. Shit is about to hit the fan.”
“Yeah.” She nodded, her expression full of disgust. “That’s what I figured.”
“Have you heard from Grace?”
He wasn’t surprised when she shook her head. The last phone call he’d had with Grace before he’d had to hop a military transport to Africa had been…awkward. Although, hewassurprised when Eliza added, “But her father called this morning.”
“Herfather?” His blood ran like ice water.
“Grace is fine,” she assured him after seeing his alarm.
“So why is her father calling me?” He frowned.
“Beats me. But I wrote his number on a Post-it and stuck it to your bedroom door.”
She’d hardly stopped talking before he was beating feet. He flew up the metal stairs to the second floor, sparing Ozzie—who was playing air drums—a two-fingered wave. He took the steps up to the third floor two at a time. And by the time he skidded to a stop in front of his bedroom door, he was out of breath.
The pink Post-it Note with the ten-digit number seemed to glow. He couldn’t decide if it was a good omen or a bad one. What hedidknow was Calvin Beacham wouldn’t have called unless it was important.
After ripping the note off the door, he tossed his duffel onto his bed and had his cell phone out and Calvin’s number dialed before he’d fully caught his breath.
“This is Calvin,” Grace’s father answered after the second ring.
“Hello, Mr. Beacham. This is Hunter Jackson. Eliza said you called. Is Grace okay?” All four sentences came out as one giant stream of speech.
“Depends on what your definition of okay is,” Calvin came back and Hunter was suddenly so dizzy, he had to sit down.
Collapsing onto the edge of the bed, he pressed a hand to his forehead. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s her heart.”
For a second, the words didn’t compute. Then, they did, and hisownheart stopped beating. Had the days on the ventilator weakened her cardiovascular system? Had some of the medications affected her heart muscle? “What’s wrong with her heart?”
“You broke it.”
