Saving Grace (Serve and Protect Series) by Norah Wilson Page B

Money. Cash money. Lots of it.
    Grace, from the doorway: “I didn’t imagine it, did I?”
    Ray lifted one of the bundles, fanning the bills. “There must be...” - he paused to do a mental calculation - “...nine or ten thousand dollars here. Where the hell’d you get this wad?”
    She stepped into the room. “I told you, I don’t know.”
    “But so much ... how can you not remember where you got it?”
    She stiffened. “Ray, I threw my marriage away, quit my job, and tried to leave my life behind.” She marched over to the bed, snatched up a bundle of twenties and shook it under his face. “If I can’t remember why I did those things, why should I remember this ?”
    Stupid thing to say. “Of course. I’m sorry.”
    The fight seemed to drain out of her at his apology. She looked down at the money in her hand for a moment, and when she lifted her gaze again, her eyes looked tortured.
    “I’d shred every last one of these notes, then burn the scraps, if I could just have my life back.”
    Her words caught him fair in the heart. “Aw, Grace.” She looked so miserable he just couldn’t bear it. Lifting his right hand, he cupped her face, and for a moment she leaned into his palm, closing her eyes. Then, abruptly, she pulled back.
    “Okay, we’d better figure this out,” she said, her voice brisk if a little tremulous. She tossed the money down on the bed. “I don’t think I could have embezzled it from the paper. No access or opportunity.”
    Embezzled? Gracie? “I don’t think you have to worry about that. You’re not a thief.”
    “I didn’t think I was an adulterer or a liar, either.” Her lips twisted in the kind of bitter smile he never imagined her wearing. “I think we have to consider all the possibilities, however improbable they sound.”
    A spark of admiration ignited in his chest. The old Grace would have fallen apart. She’d have cried on his shoulder, borrowed his strength and accepted his comfort. But this new Grace seemed determined to face the situation squarely.
    “I’ll start with the bank.”
    “The bank?” Ray lifted an eyebrow. “We don’t have that kind of money laying around.”
    “Unless I cashed in my RRSPs.”
    His heart contracted at the bleak expression on her face, but he knew better than to show it. She was holding herself together by force of will.
    “You’re right. We have to think outside the box, here. Okay, you check on the RRSPs. I’ll call the insurance company to see if the equity in our policies is still there.”
    “God, yes, the policies. You check them out.”
    Grace used the phone by the bed while Ray used his cell phone. As he waited on hold for the agent to check on the policies, he listened to Grace’s one-sided conversation. By the time the insurance agent came back on the line, Ray already knew the RRSPs were intact. So was the equity in the policies.
    “Well, there’s a small mercy. At least I didn’t clean us out.” Grace sat on the bed and pushed her hair behind her ears.
    Ray almost wished she had cleaned them out. At least then they’d know where the money had come from. He sat down beside her.
    “So, where does that leave us?” she asked. “Should I stash it in our safety deposit box until my memory comes back?”
    “Dammit.”
    “What?”
    “Tommy Godsoe.”
    “What about Tommy Godsoe?”
    “He saw the cash in my truck.”
    She blinked. “What was Tommy doing going through my bag?”
    “It’s a long story.”
    “I think I can spare the time.”
    Damn, he’d hoped not to have to tell her about this. On the other hand, maybe it was just as well. If he really was a target for Viktor Landis’s thugs or some crackhead with a grudge, she could be caught in the crossfire. If she knew about the danger, it’d be easier to persuade her to lie low.
    Besides, he pretty much had to spill the story if he hoped to get her to go along with what he was going to suggest.
    “The mechanical trouble I had the other night?” She