Disaster can strike any home project. A stray ladder, a lid not completely secured on a paint can. Always be prepared for the unexpected.
—HAMMER GIRL BLOG
Ellie and Grayson walked through the hospital halls dodging squeaking carts and bustling nurses. The beige walls smelled freshly painted, and an undertone of antiseptic lingered. Grayson glanced at Ellie’s set face. This was going to be hard for her, especially after hearing Jason was still blind.
Grayson put his arm around her shoulder as they rode the elevator to the fifth floor. “You doing okay?”
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around all this, you know?”
The elevator dinged, and they stepped onto Mac’s floor. Rosa sat on a chair outside a room two doors down from the nurses’ station. It had to be Mac’s room.
Rosa rose as they approached. “I thought you’d be along anytime. She’s awake and has been asking about you.”
“When will she be released?” Grayson asked.
“Probably tomorrow. Her lawyer has already been here. Go on in.” Rosa opened the door for them.
The room was a private one with sunlight streaming in a big window. The walls were a pale green, and the soundtrack to the movie Mac was watching was on low.
Dressed in a blue-and-white-striped hospital gown, Mac sat in an orange vinyl chair with her bare feet on the tile floor. She’d lost at least ten pounds, and her legs looked frail. Her hair had been washed but not dried and it frizzed around her head.
Ellie’s sneakers squeaked on the floor, and Mac looked up. Her eyes widened, and she didn’t smile as she rose to grip the rail on the bed.
“Mac, how are you doing? You’ve lost weight.”
“I’m okay. Did Isaac hurt you?” Her blue-eyed gaze raked Ellie from head to toe.
“Not really. Gray is a little worse for wear with his bum knee, but we’ll all survive.”
“How’s Jason?”
Ellie winced and looked down at her hands. “He’s blind, Mac. At least at the moment. We’re hoping once his head trauma heals, his sight will come back.”
“Oh no. He has to see again!” She looked over at Grayson. “I know you’re with the Coast Guard, but I didn’t catch your name.”
“Grayson Bradshaw.”
“He’s Shauna’s long-lost brother,” Ellie said. “Not that it matters right now, but it’s a wonderful turn of events.”
“And now you’re here to question me.”
Ellie pressed her hands together. “I mostly wanted to make sure you’re okay, but yes, Gray will have questions.”
Arms folded across his chest, Gray stood where he was. “I do need some answers.”
Mac squared her shoulders and set her cup back on the tray. “It all started when I went to South Korea. I met Tarek there, and to tell you the truth, I fell hard for him. Then little by little I found out he was a terrorist. I was so disillusioned and I broke it off. I tried to put it behind me and move on. Then I ran into him again at a restaurant in town when I first started dating Dylan.”
She shook her head. “I still can’t believe I let myself fall for it.” She sent a pleading glance toward Ellie. “Then a day or two later Tarek found me walking along the shore of Rainshadow Bay late one night. He told me he’d never gotten over me and that he wanted us to be together, that he was willing to give up his vendetta against my country. He said he was being pressured, though, and he had to deliver enough cocaine to buy his freedom so we could leave all of that behind.”
Ellie sighed. “Oh, Mac.”
“I know, I know. Oldest trick in the book. He said he knew Dylan would show me where the cocaine was if I asked him, and that he’d arrange for some men to help me. Once it was delivered, we could be together.”
“So you did it,” Gray said.
She nodded. “But not for that reason. By that time I saw him clearly. I called the FBI and told them what I’d discovered. They arranged for me to get the cocaine to prove myself to Tarek and to be able to be on the inside of the plans.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ellie’s voice was small and forlorn.
“Ego. If I delivered the cocaine, I’d be the hero.” She gave a heavy sigh. “Then I was at Monte’s house learning about ham radio.” Her voice rose. “We stumbled on a broadcast in Korean, and I recognized Tarek’s voice. I realized the cocaine was about to fund something really terrible and horrendous.”
“An EMP bomb,” Gray said.
Mac nodded and clicked off the television, then reached for her water and took a sip. “I’m so thirsty all the time. They didn’t give me much food or water.” Her raspy voice showed the damage to her throat. She sat down and clenched her hands together in her lap.
Mac stared at Ellie. “I’ve always been jealous of you, Ellie. I loved you and hated you all at the same time. You’re always so calm and in control. You always do the right thing. Just once I wanted to do the wrong thing and have fun doing it.” She pushed her curly brown hair out of her face. “It sounds so crazy to even say that. So stupid. I was stupid to get involved with Tarek.”
Ellie went to stare out the window at the parking lot below. She leaned her head against the glass for a long moment.
“Ellie? Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Ellie turned to reveal a pale, strained face. “I don’t know what to say, Mac. Why would you be jealous of me? You had the best job, an exciting life, the most friends. I could never compete with you. I never even tried. And I killed our sister. I live with that mistake every day.”
“It was an accident. And you were a kid. Sheesh! You need to let that go, Ellie.” Mac waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “You have always had something so valuable—a genuinely good heart. You always see the best in people. I hated that, but I can’t even tell you why. Jason always saw through me, you know.”
Ellie gave a slight shake of her head. “I’m nothing special, Mac.”
Mac’s eyes went frosty. “Stop it! I can see the way you’re internally making excuses for me. But I don’t want your pity. I’m being as honest as I know how.” Her voice quavered, and she fell silent.
Ellie took a step toward her. “I forgive you, Mac.”
Tears flooded Mackenzie’s eyes. “I didn’t even ask for that.”
“You don’t have to ask.”
Gray cleared his throat. “Where’s the cocaine now, Mackenzie?”
“I don’t know. I gave the cocaine to Nasser like I was supposed to.”
At least jail wasn’t in her future. That would be a comfort to Ellie, and he’d figure out the rest of it.
Ellie lifted her chin and closed her eyes, relishing the touch of the sun’s warmth on her skin. The ocean raged against the rocks below, but she felt safe with Grayson’s strong arm around her waist. They’d come straight here to Saltwater Point so she could let the scent of the sea wash away the taint of the hospital.
She examined how she felt and realized she truly had let go of her disappointment, pain, and shame. Only God could have helped her release it, and she already felt lighter. It had been hard to carry that all these years.
She rested her head on Grayson’s broad chest and listened to his heart thump under her ear. He guided her to a giant boulder looking out at the expanse of gray, stormy sea as thunder rumbled. The salty breeze carried the scent of ozone to her nose too.
He sat on the rock and pulled her onto his lap. “We won’t be able to stay long. The storm will be here in a few minutes.”
The thunder rumbled a warning again, and she rested her back against him. It felt as though nothing could hurt her if she was near him. Gray was a rock every bit as dependable and stalwart as the boulder. The thought he would be leaving soon was more heartbreaking than what she’d already gone through.
She pushed away the despair that was creeping into her heart. He was here with her in this moment. It had to be enough to see her through the lonely days and nights without him. When had he become as important to her as breathing? The love blossoming inside her had surprised her when she wasn’t looking.
She forced a bright note into her voice. “So, you’ll be leaving soon.”
His arms tightened around her, then one arm came under her knees, and he turned her on his lap so she was sideways and looking up into his face. “Maybe not.”
A tiny ray of hope began to push away the gloom she felt. “What do you mean? Don’t you have to get back to work?”
He pressed his lips to her cheek and spoke against her skin in a gentle voice. “I’ve put in for a transfer. I won’t hear for a few weeks, but there are several possible stations here. I think I’ve got a good shot at being reassigned.” His right hand cupped her cheek. “Here’s the thing, Ellie. I don’t want to leave you. I hope that doesn’t scare you. I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I think we might have a shot at a future together. I’m not willing to throw that away. Not even for my dream job.”
She searched his face, examining his tender expression and tentative smile. “Y-You aren’t leaving?”
He shook his head. “Not for long, at least. I promised Shauna I’d go talk to Brenna, and I’ll need to report back to work until my reassignment is approved, but I won’t be gone long. Will you wait for me? Don’t go running off and dating some pinhead while I’m gone, okay?”
It was too good to be true, and she reached up and pinched her arm. “Ow, that hurt. I don’t think I’m dreaming.”
His grin widened. “You’re not dreaming, but I might be because I think you’re saying you feel the same way.”
She planted her palms on his cheeks and nodded. “Kiss me, Gray. I don’t think I’ll believe it until you do.”
She closed her eyes as his lips, gentle and exploratory, came down on hers. Lightning crackled overhead and thunder crashed as she reveled in the passion rising between them. His arms tightened around her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They should get to the SUV, but she didn’t want to leave the haven of his arms.
He lifted his head, and she tightened her grip on his neck. “I don’t want this moment to end. It might not be real.”
As the rain came, he lifted her in his arms and carried her toward the SUV. “This is the beginning, Hammer Girl. Only the beginning.”