Steel Hearts: Amazing Grace

Saxon zipped up his pants and walked away. The whole fuck was beyond disappointing. Especially when he could have been inside the pub watching the girl. Grace. Amazing Grace, as the singer called her. No matter how dangerously distracted, she made him. It was where he wanted to be.

*****

Three months later.

"What do you mean, someone's been stalking you?" Teddy demanded. His tone was angry, and he stood over Grace, making her shrink under the force of his emotions.

"And this is why she doesn't tell us shit anymore," Mitch grumbled, pushing Teddy a few steps back and pulling Grace into a gentle hug. "You did the right thing, Gracie. He needs a minute to process. Then you can explain what's going on to both of us, okay?" He moved to deposit her on the couch and sat beside her. She wasn't just Teddy's little sister. They all knew her well and treated her like a sister to the brotherhood. Especially now that Saxon had met her and asked about her.

"You ever get that feeling that someone's watching you? You know when the hair on the back of your neck stand up, and even though there's nothing there, you can't help but peer into the shadows to make sure?" she asked in a small voice. "I've started sleeping with a nightlight again," she admitted.

"That doesn't mean you have a stalker," Teddy said soothingly, coming to sit on her other side.

"I'm not that neurotic. I'm telling you how it started about three months ago after I drove out to deliver those parts for you and sing with the band, remember? You gave me the Kombi to drive. When I got home, it felt like someone had been in my apartment, but nothing seemed missing, well, nothing important, so I told myself I was being an idiot and moved on. But then things started to move around the apartment or go missing entirely. Little things like a book I was reading would move, and the bookmark would be on an entirely different page. And though I hate to admit it, if any more of my underwear goes missing, I will be going commando," she blushed deeply and looked down at her hands folded in her lap.

"Fuck, three months, and you're only telling me now?" Teddy asked.

"I thought I was just being forgetful at first. It was just little things, you know, but then they started to add up, and my friend Jenna from work swears that someone was following us to the last gig the band did over at The Kellys. Also, even though I know you won't be concerned, it seems like I have guy repellent on suddenly. Like no one will come near me, or if anyone does, suddenly they disappear without a word," she complained.

"Okay, so what happened this time? Why call Teddy now?" Mitch asked.

"This is going to sound stupid, but there is a message on my bathroom mirror that you can only see when it fogs up from the shower," she grimaced. "I know how dumb that sounds, but I swear, it's true."

Before she could finish talking, both men walked to her tiny bathroom. Teddy turned the shower on while Mitch stood at the door, his large frame not forcing its way into the tiny space and keeping most of the steam from escaping. The apartment was small enough that she didn't have to move from the couch to see what they were doing or their reactions the moment when they could read the message. "You'll be my Valentine" was innocuous enough, but it was just too much with everything else going on.

"Alright, get your shit. You can come to stay in the packhouse with us. Let's see this fucker get to you there," Teddy ground out between gritted teeth.

"No! I'm not going anywhere or letting this guy win. Just help me with some added security. Change my locks and maybe one of those doorbells with a camera thing. Help me, not boss me around and take over my life," she grumbled. "Besides, I have commitments here I can't just walk away from. I need to work. It's coming up to the busiest time of year."

"Fuck," Teddy cursed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Call Sax and let him know we're staying in town tonight," he said to Mitch, "Unless you want to go and just let me deal with this shit. It shouldn't take long tomorrow to get a locksmith out and see about some added security."

"Maybe it would be cheaper to move you to a better neighbourhood," Mitch suggested hopefully and looked at Grace.

"I can't afford to move," she gave a sad smile. "I understand why it might be better to do that, though."

"So, if I could find a place with similar rent and Teddy paid the bond for you until you could pay him back, you'd move?" Mitch asked, being specific as if he already knew of an available place she could live.

"I'm not stupid enough to turn down an offer like that when I've just told you that I'm scared, but I can't go to the packhouse. It's too far away. I can't drive two hours to and from work every day like you guys." she admitted. "Besides, I don't want to run away like a scared little girl and let him win."

"You are a scared little girl," Mitch said bluntly. "Why the hell else did we rush here tonight?"

"It's not two hours to the packhouse," Teddy grumbled.

"Not the way you drive," she teased and nudged him. "I'm talking about regular law-abiding people here!"

"Is that all you need to show us here?" Mitch asked. "I'm starving. Let's go eat while we make a plan," he suggested after Grace nodded to confirm she had told them everything of importance. It was the fact that she now had proof someone had been in her apartment that bothered her so much.

"Pack a bag. You can stay with me tonight. We will have the locks changed before you come back again," Teddy said.

"Yeah, okay," Grace agreed without arguing, which only confirmed for Teddy just how scared she was despite her bravado about not wanting this guy to chase her away.

*****

Saxon raced through the streets of the rundown suburb, intent on getting to his brothers and the woman he had been fighting to put out of his mind for months. It was one thing for him to have checked in on her from a distance from time to time, glean information from his brothers, and even encouraged Teddy to talk to her about her life choices. But, unfortunately, she lived and worked in unsafe neighbourhoods, and something like this was inevitable.

He shouldn't have walked away. He shouldn't have assumed Grace was safe in her dull everyday life. He shouldn't have suppressed the first attraction he felt for someone in years. Instead, he growled and spun the wheel of his motorcycle. As he reefed up the handbrake, he slid into the curb in a parking manoeuvre worthy of the fast and furious crew. He grabbed his phone and the envelope satchel from the passenger's seat and stepped from the car.

It had taken Saxon less than thirty minutes to make all the arrangements Mitch had asked for, and now he was about to drop what he was sure would be a bomb on his brothers and Grace. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the kitschy restaurant with its shelves of bric-a-brac and old-world vibes. He climbed the rickety stairs and headed for the large antique wardrobe. Only regulars here knew of the second bar through the wardrobe in a homage to Narnia. It was the wrong neighbourhood for a place like this with its inflated prices and sense of the whimsical. Still, he and his brothers enjoyed the privacy they received there and made it their regular hangout, which made them seem just as bizarrely whimsical within its confines as the décor.

Stepping into the Narnia bar, he found his brothers and her, the woman he had become obsessed with in the last few months. Grace. She was every bit as alluring as ever despite her casual clothes and the worry etched on her face. His eyes travelled over her to ensure no harm had come to her. His eyes met hers, and he read the anxiety and concern there as she took him in, in equal measure. Her eyes widened, and a tiny spark of recognition flared in those hazel pools making the corner of his lip tilt-up before he could control it.

"Sax! You were fast," Mitch said, signalling to the bartender for service.

"Because I'm good at what I do," he said in a quiet gruff voice before taking a seat at the table. "The rooms above The Doss House are done. She can stay with me there until we find her a new place of her own."

"Wait, that's not what I agreed to," Grace looked directly at Teddy. "I don't even know this guy, and the last time I saw him, he threatened me!" she exclaimed.

"You threatened my sister?" Teddy asked incredulously.

"A hot woman wanders into the workshop without a brother or an invitation. What do you think I did? Offer milk and cookies?" Saxon said dryly. "It wasn't a threat, just a warning. It's not like I knew you had an actual sister at the time."

"Shit, when was this?" Teddy looked between Saxon and Grace with a frown.

"It was when you had that concussion and convinced her to drop off the parts Beau needed at the Packhouse on her way to Eversley," Mitch explained, remembering the meeting and how Saxon had looked at Grace that day from the workshop.

"Why didn't you tell me you'd met Sax?" Teddy asked, frowning in confusion.

"I didn't. Not really. I walked in, he chased me out without letting me explain, and Beau came to the rescue. So it's all good. I went to Eversley and forgot about it until now when you expect me to live with the psycho," Grace said. "Look, I'll be fine at my place. Just help me change the locks as I asked."

"Bad first impression, I get it, but your brother trusts me, and you can't do anything about the locks on your apartment tonight, so you may as well come and see what I am offering you," Saxon said unperturbed by her accusations.

"He's right, and that bad first impression is my fault. I didn't tell him you'd be dropping the stuff off for Beau. You have no idea how many girls show up at the packhouse wanting an audition for the role of his old lady," Teddy shrugged. "I would have been surprised if he didn't tell you to fuck off."

"I didn't tell her to fuck off. Instead, I asked what the hell she was doing there and told her trespassers weren't tolerated," Saxon admitted. "She never said a word to explain, just ran back to that funky van you gave her and locked herself in. She was about to drive away when Beau stopped her."

"Well, if you hadn't been so angry and shouting at me like I was a criminal while trying to intimidate me with your sheer size," she argued back. "Forget it. I'll stay the night with Jenna and get the locks changed tomorrow. I don't even know why I bothered to call you." She sagged deflated. She'd wanted Teddy to help her, to chase away the monsters and bad feelings like he had when they were younger. Since joining the Brotherhood, he was never alone or the same big brother she had adopted while in foster care. Finally, she stood and walked away from the table, pulling out her phone to send Jemma a text to get her.

"Grace, you aren't staying with Jenna. This is serious," Teddy said, snatching her phone from her hand and guiding her back toward the table she had been sitting at with him and his brothers. Once she was settled, he took her hand. "Gracie, someone was in your apartment, was there multiple times, possibly while you were there in the shower or asleep. That's not okay. Do you understand? Not okay. You could be putting Jenna and Drew in danger by staying with them. Have you thought of that?"

"There's safety in numbers!" she answered, frowning and peaking at Saxon, sitting passively with his arms folded over his chest.

"There will be numbers at the Doss House, and it will be much harder to get in with the security we have, both electronic and physical," Saxon stated. "Mitch said the message stated Valentines, stay with us until then, it's only ten days away, and if nothing else happens, we'll find you an apartment in a better neighbourhood, and you can be on your merry way again."

"Two weeks to go apartment shopping and be sure whoever this guy is, he's dealt with once and for all," Teddy said deceptively mildly. "Please, Gracie, for me? I need to know the only person outside of the brotherhood that I care for, like family is safe. I need you to be safe. Please."

"Okay, fine," she sighed. "But I will have to go back for my uniform, I forgot to pack it, and I have to work in the morning."

"I'll get it. You go with Mitch and Saxon to check out the Doss House," he kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Thank you."

"Ride with us to the Doss House, and then you and Mitch can go together," Saxon said. "If that clown is still hanging around and thinks another man is taking what he believes is his, given the message he left, well, there's safety in numbers," he said as if deep in thought. "I know you can hold your own, Ted, but we don't know what we're up against here."

"Yeah, alright," Teddy looked at Grace. "We got you, Gracie. You'll be safe with Sax, I promise."

"I want to come back to pick up my stuff. I'm sure there are more things I forgot. You told me just to pack for one night now you are talking about weeks. I need to go and grab some stuff. If I made a list for you, I would forget the things I need. Please Teddy, then I will go and stay with Saxon, no more arguments after this, I promise," Grace negotiated.

"Alright, let's go then. The sooner we do this, the sooner you will be somewhere safe," Teddy agreed, and they drove back to her tiny apartment in convoy, both Saxon and Teddy driving their cars and Mitch on his bike.

From the exterior, everything looked the same as it had when they had left an hour or two earlier, except that the garage door assigned to her apartment was swinging up and down slightly in the breeze as if it hadn't been closed properly. Mitch and Teddy approached either side before suddenly swinging it up to see inside.

"Ladybird!" Grace gasped. Tears welled in her eyes as the men around her swore loudly and profusely. Someone had beaten the shit out of her beautiful car, and she had no idea why someone would do that.

"Get a tow truck here and have Ladybird taken to the packhouse. Beau can make it good as new. He and Eli can fix anything, even a classic like that. It probably needed a good safety overhaul anyway," Saxon said unemotionally. He had said the word classic as if he was giving the benefit of the doubt to some crappy early model Camry instead of her beautiful 240Z.

"On it," Mitch said. "Ted, take her upstairs to grab her things so we can get her someplace safe."

"Come on, Gracie, let's go," Ted encouraged and turned her toward the stairs leading up to her apartment.

"What about the police? Shouldn't we report the damage to the police?" she asked. "I only have fire and theft insurance, but still, shouldn't a report be made?"

"Is that what you want? Police to come and impound a car built for if not used in street racing with possibly five or more illegal modifications to the chassis and suspension?" Saxon asked.

"What the fuck?" she hissed. She'd told Teddy she'd give up racing and had been so careful about the last few races she'd done there was no way he could know.

"She doesn't race anymore," Teddy came to her defence before she could say anything. "He's right though better to let Beau and Eli take care of it for now while we take care of you."

"Okay, let's go get my stuff then," she said, resigned to just doing what the guys wanted for tonight. It wasn't as if anything else could go wrong. She'd spoken too soon, though, and when she opened her door, she screamed in horror at the destruction within her tiny apartment.

Grace felt like she was barely a passenger in her own body as she was bundled up against a hard chest and rushed out of the apartment. She caught snatches of conversation and nodded when told that they would be calling the police. Her stalker did not like that she had another man come and visit, let alone two men escort her out after he had left his Valentine's Day message for her. This time the messages of whore and slut spoke for themselves alongside accusations of cheating on him when he did nothing but love her.

The thought made her sick, and she stayed buried in Mitch's big arms as Saxon and Teddy made calls to have people out there helping to deal with the mess before calling the police. The one thing she knew for sure was, the Brotherhood considered Grace one of their own now, and this fucking psycho, whether they knew it or not, had just declared war on one of the newest but fastest growing underground clubs in the region.

*****

Saxon busied himself with the calls, and the organisation needed to track this motherfucker down. His eyes kept drifting to the girl he had been obsessing over for the last three months. He had been prepared to watch from a distance and not get her involved in Brotherhood business. She had been a sweet, delicate fantasy to be admired but never touched or tasted. That was until this psycho had forced them together. Now he would claim what he wanted for his own.

He could admit to himself that he was jealous of how she turned to Mitch as easily as her brother, and he wanted to be that person in her life now that the wall he had built between them had come down. He would keep her close and keep her safe, and he would do it in such a way that his brothers and hers would not suspect his motives until it was too late.

He may not be as bad as this asshole who was scaring her and destroying her belongings in an attempt to force her into a position where she would accept him. Still, he had his own agenda when it came to the amazing Grace, and while his methods might be more subtle, he wanted the same outcome as her stalker; to be able to claim her as his and his alone.

When they had done all they could at her apartment, they left two brothers they trusted to sort through what could be salvaged from the mess. Beau had arrived in record time with Eli to pick up the car and for a few minutes argue about what was best for Grace, wanting to take her with them back to the packhouse. Then, finally, he drove her and Mitch to what would be her new home if he had anything to do with it while Teddy rode Mitch's bike back, leaving his car to transport the belongings that could be saved.

Grace sat quietly on the drive home. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were puffy and red-ringed. She fidgeted and squirmed in her seat as if she wasn't sure what she was doing in the car with the man who both scared her and made her feel safe at the same time. She was beyond confused and upset. Now she was trying not to fly to pieces again and break down completely. The life she had worked so hard to create for herself seemed to be crumbling around her.

"You are safe with me and the brotherhood. We won't let anything happen to you from this point on," Saxon reassured her when he caught her watching him. When she tried to focus her glassy eyes on him, however; he realised he could have been speaking another language for all the impact his words had on her. It didn't matter. She was his to protect now, even if she didn't know it. He did, and he would find the fucker screwing with her and make him pay.

*****

"Oh shit!" Grace exclaimed, waking with a start as Teddy leaned over her.

"Police are here to interview you. So put something decent on and come out to the common room," he said. "What time do you have to be at work today? Because you might be late already," he admitted making her swear again as she checked her phone.

"Shit! Can you call Jenna for me and let her know what happened and ask if she or one of the girls can cover me today? I can't even right now," she shook her head, grabbed the overnight bag which someone had brought to where she had slept and raced into the bathroom to shower quickly. "The police are here?" She asked double-checking what he had said before closing the door.

"Yes, about the apartment. Beau came and got your car last night," Teddy confirmed.