Tommy Gabrini: The Grace Factor by Mallory Monroe

know,
Tommy.   You would never hurt me.”
    “Never,” Tommy responded.   He could feel her presence too, and it was so
powerful he wanted to pull her into his arms.   He never felt such protectiveness for any woman the way he felt for
Grace.   She was in his soul.   Even during their darkest hours, in the midst
of their divorce, he still felt that connection to her.   “And don’t you forget that,” he added.
    Grace was near tears, but she didn’t
allow herself to cry.   Because she knew
that would only make it worse.   That
would only allow Tommy to see the kind of train wreck her life really was.   Because she knew what he was about to
do.   She knew whenever he made up his
mind regarding her or Destiny, there was no stopping him.   And she was right.   He did it.   He removed her sunglasses.
    When Tommy saw the extent of the
damage, when he saw that Grace had literally been punched in the face, his
entire countenance changed.   He frowned
when he saw the purple bruise beneath her eye.   It was no longer swollen or puffy, but he could tell it had been.
    Grace wanted to look away from
him.   She was embarrassed by the end
result of her decision to marry a man like Ed.   But Tommy placed her chin in his hand and kept her face turned toward
his.   There was no blame in his
eyes.   There was no judgment.   To Grace’s everlasting relief, there was only
concern and sadness.   “Who did this to
you?” he asked her.
    Grace didn’t respond.   She knew she would be signing Ed’s death
warrant if she told.
    But Tommy already knew.   “It was Ed, wasn’t it?”
    Grace continued to stare at him.
    “I know it was Ed,” Tommy said.   “This is his handiwork.   A man who would contract hitmen to
assassinate me will have no problem doing shit like this.”
    Grace’s heart fell through her
shoe.   She couldn’t believe it.   “Hitmen?   What are you talking about?”
    “That’s why I picked up Destiny.   That’s why you stay at my side until I find
that joker.   He’s bad news, Grace.   He wanted control of Destiny’s
inheritance.   But he couldn’t get it
unless he took me out of the picture.”
    “He wants to kill you?   He hired people to murder you?”
    Tommy knew how tough it was for Grace
to hear such news.   But she had to know.
“Yes,” he said.
    “ Oh,
my God !” Her eyes were moving rapidly from side to side, as if she was
still trying to understand.   “What have I
done?   A wolf knocked at my door, and I
let him in ?”  
    Tommy handed her a handkerchief out
of his coat pocket and then placed one of his hands on the small of her back,
pulling her closer.   “How did it happen?”
    “He was upset about my refusal to
support you endorsing him.   I didn’t want
to hear it, so I went in the bathroom.   He broke the door down and punched me.”
    Tommy was livid.   “In the bathroom?”
    Grace nodded.   “I felt so trapped.   But I fought my way out of there, God knows I
did.”
    “I hope you beat his ass.”
    “I did,” Grace said, nodding her
head.
    Tommy rubbed her back.   The idea that Ed would put her in that
position angered him.   “I take it he
didn’t try to harm Destiny?”
    “No way!   I declare he wouldn’t be alive if he would
have touched our child.”
    He isn’t going to be alive after touching you , Tommy wanted to say, but wasn’t
certain if Grace could handle it.   “Is he
also behind that hostile takeover, Grace?” he asked her.
    Grace was astounded that Tommy would
put Ed in that mix.   “He’s not behind
it,” she said as she wiped her nose.   “But that’s about the only negative thing he isn’t behind!”
    But Tommy was still staring at
Grace.   One of his hands was still on the
small of her back, and his hand had moved from her chin to the side of her
face.   He was now standing so close to
her that their bodies were touching.   She
could feel the outline of his penis pressing against her belly button.