Jamie.

The Grant Brothers Series.

By Kathi S. Barton.

*CHAPTER 1*.

Dane Wallace watched the man walk by her and released the breath she had been holding.

He was safe for another night. Picking up her bag, she made her way to her car parked on High Street. She was nearly home before she let herself think what she was doing. Again.

For the past three nights she had been going to sit on the park bench at dusk to watch this stranger walk by her. Dane knew if he noticed her he would probably not come this way again, and she was sort of hoping for that. But the dream had not changed in the two weeks before she started coming here and it had not changed in the three nights since. Her cell phone rang when she was stopped at a light. She groaned when she read the caller ID.

"h.e.l.lo, Pi. I'm on my way home now. Why don't you order us a pizza and I'll pick it up for us?"

"Missy Dane, you get hurt and I not have a house to pee in. You should tell police. Not walk streets like common hooker."

Pi and Dane had been living together for ten years and she still could not get the idioms right. Dane hardly noticed it anymore.

"I'm fine. Just order the pizza and I'll pick it up. I'll even bring you home some cola if you promise not to nag me anymore tonight."

"You bring home what I order? What if I order fishy pieces and eggs? You eat then?"

"If you order anything fishy on my half I'll send you back to China on a slow boat with all women. Tell me where you're ordering from and call. I'm tired and I have a headache."

"You be dead if you don't get help. I order from the Daddy place. You like him. He has nice commercials too. I want root beer, not cola. I like bubbles."

"I'll be home in an hour. Make sure you tell them I'll pick it up in forty minutes. And order a large salad and bread sticks. I have cla.s.s tomorrow and I can take it for lunch." After they hung up, Dane thought about Pi and their strange but strong bond. Even after ten years, Dane barely knew much more than Pi's last name and the only thing personal she knew about the older woman was what she had read in her file and the tiny snippets she'd gotten from touching her. Dane had gone to her country for a seminar and to learn the culture at sixteen. She then ended up trying to help find Pi's daughter.

Ping Chang had been walking home from college one day and had simply disappeared. Dane had been called in to help. Her special talents were revered rather than ridiculed in that country like they had been in the States and when asked, Dane had tried her very best to find the then eighteen-year-old girl. Dane knew that the girl was troubled, but she didn't know the extent of it until it was too late.

It had only taken her four days to find the girl. Her body had been in a boat that was sitting in a harbor. Ping had committed suicide. She had shamed her family by unknowingly having an affair with a married man and had gotten pregnant. Dane told Pi this after she told the police where Ping was.

"She was heartbroken and when she wrote the letter, she...she was most upset that she couldn't come to you."

"Why, Missy Dane? Why she not come to Momma? I love her. She my only baby. Why, Missy Dane?"

Dane didn't have answers for Pi, but she did have friendship to offer. When Dane had gone back to the States after her education, and then suddenly returned several months later, Pi had opened her home and her heart to the then broken Dane.

Dane had changed a great deal in the ten years. When she had come back to China after an incident in Chicago, she was badly injured and had lost a great deal of weight. Now she was a very beautiful woman. She also had a better sense of her self-worth and her abilities. Now Dane could help most of the time and it didn't hurt her as it had before.

Her hair was a plethora of autumn colors, browns, reds, yellows, and even some deep black that looked almost blue. Her olive complexion was light, but come summer she would tan nicely and become a golden brown. The sprinkle of freckles over her nose and shoulders gave her the appearance of someone very young, she knew this. But she also knew she had a body that left no doubt that she was very much a mature woman. Her full b.r.e.a.s.t.s were large, much larger than someone with her tall, slim frame would be able to carry off, she supposed. But she thought she wore them very well. Her dark green eyes sparkled. She supposed she looked okay, but never really cared one way or the other.

After picking up the pizza without anchovies, salad, and bread sticks and heading home, Dane thought about the man on the campus. She didn't know anything about him other than she must have touched him somewhere over their lifetimes. It would only take a small b.u.mp, an accidental touch of skin to skin. It was so dark where she had to wait for him to pa.s.s her, she wasn't even sure what he looked like. But she knew that if she didn't intervene, he would die.

And if he did, it would be her fault.

It was seven o'clock in the morning before Dane decided to go to bed. She had finished up her reports due the following week and had made a list of things she was going to do this weekend. The emails she had put off until the very last minute and even now, put it off for another day. They would still be there tomorrow. There was nothing ever in it that couldn't wait.

She was brushing her teeth and getting ready to get into bed when she stormed back into the office and looked through them. Nothing. But she knew that if she hadn't checked, she would only toss and turn until she did.

Pi woke her at noon to tell her there was a phone call for her. "Man say to tell you it important. Said that you are only one to help. I tell him you no help without sleep and he told me to wake you."

"Tell him I'll be right there." Dane dumped herself out of the bed and sat on the floor for a couple of minutes before she got up and pulled on her robe. She knew it could only be one person. He was the only one with this phone number. Picking up the receiver in the office, she snarled at him.

"I get four hours of sleep every day. You couldn't wait until two or later to call and bug the s.h.i.t out of me? It's barely nine o'clock where you are. This had better be important."

"Dane, I have another one for you."

Before she could catch herself, Dane was on the floor again. The room had tilted and she couldn't keep up with the way the room shifted and dropped. Her head was spinning and she could just make out someone yelling her name.

"You make her sick again, I put hex on your c.o.c.k. It never work again. I told you before no more. Why you tell her stuff that make her sick? I will do it you-"

"Pi, give me the phone. It's all right. He needs me and he's the only one I trust. Let me have the phone and could you please fix me a gla.s.s of tea?" Dane didn't think she was going to do it, and before she handed Dane the phone, she told Markus once more about the hex. Dane didn't think Pi knew how to spell hex much less try to execute one, but didn't think now was a good time to point that out.

"Tell me as much as you can. I'm not quite settled just yet, but I do have an office downtown. I don't know...I think I need a break soon, Markus. This is taking more out of me all the time without any down time. I told you before how much it takes from me."

"I told them that. Jefferies said to tell you he has your back. I told him I was doing just fine with it, but thanks. I also, well, I told him you wouldn't come and he offered five times your fee.

I said I'd ask. Dane, I can't do this without you. But I can understand why...this little boy. They think it's...I know you don't want information, but it's been four days. You know as well as I do what the chances of getting them back even after twenty-four hours are. They didn't let me know until this morning."

"Send me what you have. Right now I can't leave here. There's something going on where I am. Don't give Jefferies anything until I call you after I receive the information. Markus, make sure you send the usual with the paperwork too."

"Got it. You should have it before ten tomorrow morning. Will Pi...I know she hates me, but will she accept the package if it comes before you're awake?" Dane didn't know, but thought there was a good chance she wouldn't. Pi hated Markus and it was nothing he'd done so much as what had happened to her. Dane took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "You just send it and I'll make sure she signs for it." It took Dane two hours and a promise of a day at the spa for Pi to agree to accept the package from Markus. By the time Dane was getting out of the shower to go to work, she had the makings of a major headache. Pulling on the first thing she could grab, she was ten minutes behind and had forgotten her lunch.

"Jamie, please come over for dinner? We haven't seen you since we got back from our honeymoon. I miss you. I'll have Byron make your favorite meal?" Jamie had to smile. Byron had married Jamie's best friend and his brother did all the cooking. Of course Taylor did most everything else, but cooking was not something she even was sort of okay at. Taylor was, by far, a worse cook than even his and Byron's mother. And that was saying a lot.

"All right, but I have a late cla.s.s tonight so I won't be able to come over until after six. And I want pasta alfredo with chicken. And apple pie for dessert. Tell him not the store bought kind either. I want him cutting up apples and making crust. Tell him if he wears an ap.r.o.n all night, I won't tell you about the time he was caught with Beth in the back seat of Mom's car."

"Ah, you mean the girl he popped his cherry with? Yeah, he told me about that. He also told me about the time you two were caught in his bedroom with Sadie and Angel Davison. Shame on you, James Grant! That poor girl is probably scarred for life." Jamie sat up in his chair and was ready to blast his brother when his other line rang. "It was her fault. I'd never had anyone...you know, I'm not going to justify this to you. Suffice it to say, she is not scarred. I gotta go, I'll see you tonight. Love ya, Ta." Jamie cut his friend off while she was still laughing. "James Grant."

"What a way to answer your phone. Does anyone say, 'h.e.l.lo, Mother, how was your day?'

anymore. I was wondering if you've heard from your brother yet? He is supposed to be at the house this weekend and I don't know what he wants for his birthday dinner. And are you bringing a date? A mother likes to know these things." Jamie had to smile at his mother. There was no doubt in his mind that she was the most loved mother in the world and she had each of her sons, including their wives, wrapped tightly around her fingers. And he knew this was her way of reminding them all that it was Byron's birthday this weekend. He could get a date, but he was not really seeing anyone he wanted to take to his family's house. That was something no man did to a causal date. The girl did fine, but the man would hear about it for months.

James Grant had no delusions about his looks. He knew he was pretty good-looking, or so women had been telling him since he knew the difference between boys and girls, he thought with a grin. He was well over six feet tall and had a head full of black hair. It was longer than his brothers', just over his collar and while not curly, it had a wave to it that women could not resist touching. His body was tight with muscle and not the kind made in a gym, but of hard work and real labor. Every year he and one of his brothers or more would be at a project site somewhere building a house for some organization. He also helped the elderly with construction projects they needed around their house in his free time. His hard jaw was in direct contrast to his easy nature, he knew. His mother often told him that he had a hard head, too, but he doubted it was a compliment. Dark brown eyes and long thick lashes under dark brows gave him his rugged looks, and his high cheek bones and sloped nose hinted of his Indian heritage back along his family line. Jamie, to his friends and family, was hard to anger and quick to forgive. He'd always tried to live by that.

"I'm going over to have dinner with them tonight as a matter of fact. Taylor is cooking me my favorite dinner. And apple pie for dessert." He waited for the explosion and was not disappointed.

"Oh good heavens! Please tell me she's not cooking again. I don't think I've ever had anyone burn a cup of coffee before. Oh, Jamie, take over some pizza or something. Don't let her poison you. I love the girl very much, but...you're kidding me, aren't you?"

"Yes, Mom, I am. Byron is cooking. But he is making me my favorite. I have a late meeting then I'm going over there at six. You should come with me. I'm sure they won't mind." He was positive they would not mind, but hoped for some reason she said no. He loved spending time with his brother and Ta.

"No, I have two meetings as well. I also have to go over and see to this family. Why some people think it's their right to abuse children...I'll talk to you tomorrow. Tell them I love them and will see them both on Sunday."

After hanging up, Jamie made a few calls and started over to the lecture hall to begin his cla.s.s. He almost drove over, but it was such a lovely evening that he walked. It took him a little longer because he kept getting distracted by the girls-women really, who were out on the Quad sun bathing.

The campus at Ohio State was huge. It spread out over a ma.s.sive amount of s.p.a.ce, but there were buses every ten minutes or so to get you from one point to the other in no time. He was still headed to the meeting when he felt an odd sort of tingle.

He slowed his pace a little and started just looking around when he noticed a man and a woman staring at him. Well, staring was a strong term, he thought, but they were looking his way very intently. When he started to look back more, they suddenly turned and walked in the opposite direction. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he tried to remember everything he could about them. When his watch beeped to tell him he was running late, he took off at a gentle lope and made it just as the meeting was being called to order. Before he started taking notes, however, he make a list of everything he remembered about the couple and thought his sister-in-law Cait, a detective, would be proud of him.

*CHAPTER 2*.

Dane was just sitting down when her cell phone went off. She looked at the caller ID and moaned. Not now. She liked sitting quietly and waiting for the man to come by, not talking on the phone. Before she could decide if she was going to answer, she felt a stir in the air. He was coming. Tonight was going to be the night, she just knew it.

Sitting back further on the bench, she tried to concentrate on the area around her. She could feel...not anger, but something more. Hatred, violent hatred, too. She could not tell where it was coming from, but she could tell that it was close. Much closer than the man was. She thought about the dream and shuddered.

In the dream, he was walking by the bench and someone came out of the shadows and threw him to the ground. He fought hard, but when the second person came out and stabbed him in the chest, he began to lose the fight. Getting weaker, the two attackers started to push harder at killing him. Because that was their intent; the man was to die. He bled to death before he was found several hours later. Dane couldn't, no, she wouldn't let that happen again.

The man's closeness moved over her. His calm mind and easy thoughts were soothing to her. Dane reached out and tried to center on his thoughts, but like what happens most of the time; they are too many and too jumbled to get any single one. It wasn't easy to read the mind of someone with obvious intellect. Suddenly, he was in front of her and as he took two steps beyond her, she thought that she was wrong tonight again and sighed.

The attacker sprung forward so quickly Dane was too startled to react for several seconds.

Then when the younger man started to moan, she jumped up and kicked his a.s.sailant in the ribs and off the young man. She didn't know who looked more surprised by her kick, the attacker or the young man.

Before the victim could get up and help, the second attacker hit Dane in the back with something. She tumbled to the ground and landed over her man. Attacker one kicked her in the head and soon Dane was seeing stars, but had no time to appreciate the pretty colors when attacker two grabbed her by the hair and jerked her up. Just as the fist was coming back to hit Dane, Dane lifted her booted foot and kicked her in the kneecap, bending it backwards with a loud snap. The scream was loud in the otherwise quiet area. She released Dane immediately, but she was not able to keep standing. Another blow to Dane's head made her dizzy and she dropped to the ground. The man Dane was there to help, the hapless victim, hit attacker once again and he took off, leaving his partner unconscious on the ground beside Dane. Her last thought before she slipped into her own unconscious state was that the young man was d.a.m.ned good-looking.

"Dr. Wallace? Dr. Wallace, can you hear me?" Dane opened her eyes and tried to focus on the girl in front of her. It was too much effort and she closed them again. "Dr. Wallace, I need for you to look at me. I have to ask you a few questions."

"You're not supposed to tell me my name, first of all, and secondly, I can hear you fine. It's my head that hurts, not my ears. Where am I?" Dane tried to sit up, but the pain was too much.

"University Hospital. They brought you in about thirty minutes ago. Can you tell me the date?"

"It was five o'clock when I went to the Quad and since it's probably still the same date, I'll a.s.sume it's April twenty-fourth. I haven't really kept up on the political part of the States yet so don't ask me the president. I might know it, but my head hurts too much to try and figure it out right now."

"Dr. Sheppard will be in to see you soon." Humor laced the nurse's voice. "Are you hurting anywhere else but your head? Mr. Grant said that he thought you might have been hit in the back as well."

"Mr. Grant?" Her head was still fuzzy, but the name Grant meant nothing to her. She gave up trying to concentrate on just working through the pain; there were too many other emotions in the room for her to do that. Dane closed her eyes and concentrated on building a wall around her to block out the bombardment of feelings. .h.i.tting her. This was why she avoided crowds of people and especially hospitals.

"He's the man you saved. His family is with him now. I think Dr. Sheppard is releasing him soon." The curtain moved and Dane heard clicking, then the nurse continued. "But he's not releasing you, though."

Releasing him soon meant that he was all right. Dane relaxed for a few minutes and thought, one more. She'd been able to help one more. There had been a time when she decided that she'd had enough. That's when she'd moved-no, escaped would be a better term-to China. She'd been betrayed by the very people she'd been trying to help.

"Dr. Wallace? My name is Alex Sheppard. I'm the on duty emergency room doctor. I've gotten your x-rays back and there doesn't seem to be any cracks in your skull, but I would like to keep you over night. You were out for over thirty minutes and that has me concerned. If you'll lean up, I'd like to have a look at your back as well. Jamie said that you were hit with a piece of wood and he was surprised you didn't complain about it more."

"I didn't complain at all. Seems this Jamie person was more aware than me. Maybe I should have just let him take care of them himself. My back is fine. My head, however, feels like a freight train has gone-"

"Missy Dane! Missy Dane, where you be?"

"Holy Christ, you called Pi. You can't tell her anything. She is...well, I was going to say slightly over protective, but that's like saying I'm slightly a woman. Just play down everything, all right?"

Alex was nodding when the curtain flew back and Pi was grabbing her. For a tiny woman, she could hug tighter than anyone Dane knew. And since she was speaking in Chinese, Dane answered her the same way.

"I'm fine, I swear. I just slipped and hit my head on the bench. Nothing happened that you should be this worked up about. How did you find out anyway?"

"You didn't call. I worry for you. You didn't call. Then news person say two people mugged on campus, I knew it you. I told you, I told you to call police. But you never listen." Pi hugged her again. "What I do without you?"

"I'm fine, Pi, I promise. They're just going to keep me over night to make"

"Over night? No, Pi will stay too. You not be alone. I stay too. You scare me. Never do that again, Missy Dane."

The doctor had left at some point and Pi had crawled up into her bed. Now that someone had pointed it out, her back was killing her. Dane bit her lip and kept quiet. Pi was already upset and there was no reason to make it worse. The nurse came in a few minutes later and said that she was going to transfer Dane to the third floor.

"Pi, you have to go home and bring me back some clothes and some personal items in an overnight case. And you can't stay all night. I need you to sign for that package tomorrow. I'm sorry. But you can call me whenever you want."

"No, Missy Dane. I stay. No package worth something happen to you. I will keep you safe." There was a noise at the front of the curtain. Dane looked up in time to see her past slam into her.

Cait stared at the two women on the bed and it took her several seconds to realize who they were. Well, at least who the younger woman was. Christ, there had to be a mistake. She glanced up at the piece of tape over the bed and realized it was not a mistake. Dane Messenger had moved back to the States.

Neither of them moved until the oriental woman squeaked. "You hurt me, Missy Dane. Let go my arm. I go to get stuff."

"No!" Dane shouted to her. "I'm not staying. Go and get the nurse and tell her I've changed my mind. I'm all right and I'm leaving."

"Missy Dane, you think-"

"Now, Pi. Go get the nurse." Cait watched at Dane threw off the sheet and was beginning to stand. The older woman moved out of the curtained area, but she kept looking back at Dane and Cait. Before Cait could speak, Spencer and Jamie came around the curtain too.

"You found her, good. I was wondering where you'd gone off to. So this is the woman who saved my brother's life. I'm Spencer Grant. And you would be...?"

"Leaving." Dane grabbed the bed when she stood, dizziness overwhelming her for a moment. "I'm glad you're all right, Mr. Grant, but I've just remembered I have somewhere else to be. And if you all don't mind, I'd like to change."

"Dane, please don't go. I'm not here under any official business. I'm just-" Cait started to say.

"Frankly, Detective O'Malley, I don't give two good s.h.i.ts why you're here. You just are.

I'm leaving and if you try and contact me, I swear to you that I'll sue you so fast your head will spin. Either you leave or I dress in front of you. Your choice." No one moved. Cait knew she would do it and was not surprised when Dane shrugged and pulled the gown up over her head. Luckily, her back was to them, or unluckily. When she took off her shirt, it gave them all a view of her bare, scarred, and bruised back. Cait had seen her back before, but there had been open wounds back then. The bruise was new.

"Holy Mother of G.o.d. Who did that to you?" Jamie cried out just as Spencer moved forward.

It was too late to stop him. He touched Dane on the shoulders with both his bare hands and Dane screamed. Dropping to the floor, she screamed again as her body jerked and convulsed.

Cait rushed to her husband and pulled him away from her. But the damage was done.

"Get out. All of you get out and leave me alone. I beg you, please get out." Dane tried to stand, but staggered, and when she moved to hold on to the bed, Cait moved her brother-in-law and husband out and called for Damon to come quick. Most of the staff in the emergency department had come running when Dane screamed. Cait moved back beside Dane, careful not to touch her, and told everyone but Damon to get out.

"Damon, help her up, but don't touch her skin. Wrap her gown around her shoulders if you have to, but don't touch her. Jamie, I said to-"

"I'm not leaving. What can I do to help?" Cait looked at the woman still huddled on the floor and wished that she knew. "Don't touch her."