Everything You Wanted Me To Be.

Chapter 81

Charles looks at me stunned.
"You'd do that?" I nod. He takes the gun from my hand.
"I know why Jace loves you. Grace please come with me? You can trust me." I nod. I stand up shakily.
"I need to get something from the car."
"Okay I'll come with you." I walk into the garage and lean into the drivers side of the Bentley. I pull the vanity down and retrieve the scan. The only biological reminder Jace was here. I walk into the Bentleys boot and retrieve his hoodie. I fall to the floor, the smell of Dior, cigarettes and Jace fills my nostrils. I don't ever want this smell to go. My entire being is pained, my loving husband gone. I sit down behind the car and smell Jace.
"Grace I know you're sad, but you need to come with me now, I promise you you're going to be fine." I nod and stand up. I follow him to his car. He opens the door for me. I get in. I'm not sure why I'm here, maybe it was a contingency thing Jace made. I should be going back to the hospital, Jace would kill me if I let anything happen to our baby.
"Grace?" I look at Charles.
"I can't believe our last day together I spent being an idiot." I sob. I put Jaces hoodie around me. I lie back in the car and watch the scenery.
"Show me how I load a gun." Charles agrees and shows me. It's actually a lot easier than I thought it would be.  It feels like we've been in the car ages when we pull up to another car.
"Grace, I promise you're safe. Look I'll even load your gun. I need you to get in that car. It's going to drive and I need you to be in it. I cannot stress enough that you are safe." I have no idea what's going on but I'm certain at this point Jace planned this before his death. I nod and climb out the car.
"You'll be okay Grace." Charles shuts his door and his car pulls away. I open the door to the limo and climb in. There is no one in the car, something deep inside me was praying Jace would be in there. I clean back and sob. The car pulls away and travels the opposite direction to where Charles brought me from. I put Jaces hood up and inhale his beautiful scent. The car feels like it's gone no where at all when it pulls into a woods. I'm beginning to wonder if Charles is on Jaces side and if for some reason I've been brought here to be murdered too. I see a man approaching the car, I recognise this person. It's Ben. Why is Ben out here. He opens the door for me.
"Hi Grace."
"Hi Ben? Why am I here." Ben looks around and smiles.
"Just come with me." I keep trusting people, and I'm beginning to question if that's wrong. My gut tells me to though and I follow him.

He leads me to a clearing. I can't believe my eyes. I drop to the floor in floods of tears my heart feels like it's going to burst. Jace is pacing around the clearing. My Jace. He sees me and runs over to me. He gets on his knees and pulls me into him he holds me so tightly.
"How are you here right now?" I'm crying so hard my stitches hurt.
"The car pulled onto the runway and I saw the plane. I'd seen it before and remember being told by my usual pilot that the plane was fucked and it should be scrapped. The driver of the car told me I had to get on the plane or they'd kill you. I did as they said but they never took my gun. It was just me and the pilot on the plane. I frantically was looking for a parachute on the plane while it was taking off. I couldn't find one. The pilot told me to join him in the cockpit. He said Charles had got to him, said he'd make sure his family was taken care of. He told me to jump when he went over some water, Charles had a car waiting that brought me here. I've been here waiting for someone, anyone. I'm so glad it's you Grace. I was so worried that my father got you."
"Jace..he..you're dead." My heart hurts saying that.
"He made a statement confirming you are dead. He said it was because of a mechanical malfunction. Jace..I'm so sorry, he he said I could save you, he said if I signed over Atlas he wouldn't kill you."
"Did you? Did you sign over Atlas?" I shake my head.
"I don't have my shares yet. I never signed the paperwork Jace. I gave him Acorp. I'm so sorry I thought it would save you, he said he'd stop the plane taking off. When i signed the sale agreement he said he lied. He put the news on and your plane had already crashed. I'm so sorry I thought I would be saving you."
"Grace I don't care, I'm so relieved you're okay." He looks at my hands.
"And why do you have a gun?" I look down and put the gun down.
"I..I was going to kill him. I couldn't load it in time." He smiles and pulls me into him.
"I love you, but you don't have to kill someone for me."
"It wasn't for you." He doesn't let me go.
"How are you? Are you okay?" I shake my head.
"I've just gone through every stage of Grief, only to find you alive in the middle of nowhere. Jace what are we going to do?"
"Well you need to go back to hospital." My eyes go wide.
"No way I'm not leaving you I just got you back, I thought you were dead. My heart broke."
"Grace I can't come everyone thinks I'm dead, if I walk into that hospital everyone is going to be speculating and my father will find out. You need to go alone." I'm beginning to panic at this and shake my head.
"No please don't leave me Jace no."
"Okay then we will go to the hospital, I'll stay in the car. You go in, get checked out and then discharge yourself. I need to know you're both okay please Grace."  I nod.
"You won't go anywhere?"
"No I'll be in the car waiting. I promise."
"Jace what are we going to do?"
"We are going to a party." He can't be serious.
"Jace I'm not going to a party."
"Charles is throwing it. It's a mascaraed party it's an opportunity for me to talk to Pete, the crime commissioner, if I can get Michael arrested for attempted murder then he'll be gone Grace. Out of our lives. We'd both be safe and secure. But first, let's go get you checked over." He helps me up and pulls me in again. He holds me so tightly.
"I love you." He kisses me like we've never kissed before. I wrap my arms around him and kiss him back.
"I love you." He replies. We walk over to the limo that dropped me off. Ben climbs into the front seat.
"Jace why is Ben here?"
"I think it was about time we had a security guard, don't you?" I smile and nod. We climb into the back of the car. It's so dark you can't see in or out but I guess that's probably the point.
"Nice hoodie by the way."
"It smelt of you, i went and got it and this." I dig through the pocket and get the scan photo. Jace smiles.
"Grace I'll never leave you."
"I know." I whisper and lean into him he wraps his arm around me. We sit like this the entire way. He was only gone an hour, but it broke my soul in a way I never thought possible.
"How do you know no one's going to track this car?"
"This is Charles's car, I think everyone would expect my contingency plan to include his reach. Grace, in the safe where you got the gun, there is a letter, did you read it?" I didn't even notice a letter.
"No I didn't see one."
"It is my contingency plan. I think if you'd of read it you'd have known I wasn't dead. It's very specific and it's written only for you."
"I hope I never read that letter."
"So do I baby." The car pulls into the drop off at the hospital and Jace suffles to the top of the limo.
"We will circle the hospital and stop in the under ground car park" I nod and slide the gun to Jace, I can hardly walk into hospital holding one. I climb out playing the grieving wife I wrap the hoodie around me and walk in. I find my way back to the ward.
"Mrs Atlas..I'm surprised you came back. I'm so sorry for your loss." The nurse says at the reception. I let my tears roll down my cheeks.
"Thank you. I know he'd want what's best for the baby. I was hoping to get checked over and discharged?"
"Of course I understand I'll get the doctor to come immediately."
"Thank you." I walk into the room and gather mine and Jaces things. I throw them into his bag.

"Hi Grace, I'm here to check you over, I understand you've decided to discharge?"
"Yeah I just need to be at home, I don't know what to do with myself and I know being home will help." She smiles and nods.
"Do you want me to scan you?"
"Yeah I'd really like a photo to please."
"Of course I'll print some off for you."
"Why don't we try an external one?" I nod.
She leaves the room for a few minutes and comes back with the ultrasound machine. She puts a tiny amount of gel onto my tummy avoiding my wounds and places the wand onto my stomach. She nods and smiles, turning the screen around to me she shows me the baby.
"A really good strong heartbeat Grace, would you like to hear it? Or I can print you a picture with the heart beat on it?"
"A picture would be great." It looks like an actual person today, rather than a blob in my tummy. I'm so glad I didn't cause it harm. I'd never of forgiven myself. The doctor scans around the rest of my tummy.
"It all looks really good Grace. I'm going to prescribe some antibiotics and pregnancy vitamins but I'm happy to discharge you. I'll just get that cannula out okay?" I nod and smile. She comes over and gently pulls it out and covers it with a plaster.
"That's you free to go, here are your pictures. Grace I'm so sorry about Jace, but thank you for coming back in." I nod and grab my stuff and the photos. I head down to the garage and sure enough the limo is there. I climb in and smile when I see Jace. Something about today makes me appreciate him so much more.
"I got you some photos." I pass him the few the doctor printed off and the heart beat one.
"I didn't hear it, I wanted to wait till we could hear it together."
"You didn't say that did you?" I laugh.
"Of course not, I just said I wasn't ready to hear it." Jace looks through the photos and smiles.
"I love you Grace. Thank you." I smile and the limo pulls out.
"Where are we going?"
"Charles house. It'll be safe there." I nod.
"Jace I want to sell the house, our house." He nods.
"I've been thinking the same thing I think we need something more secure, more people protecting us, something less accessible." I nod.
"This is it isn't it?"
"It's what baby?"
"You're going to turn to crime?"
"I think it's the only way I can protect us fully. If I have people who owe favours then it makes me strong. Charles is an excellent example of that." I nod. I understand the drive, I just don't particularly like the idea of Jace becoming some King pin.
"I don't want you to keep me out the loop. I want to know what's going on."
"I suspect there's things that I wouldn't be able to tell you Grace."
"Is this why you signed the other company shares over? You didn't have to relinquish any really."
"I need someone to keep my legacy legitimate, you will do that." I bite my lip. Today I was prepared to kill someone for Jace, I'm not sure I'm the person who he believes me to be sometimes.
"I can see your mind is made up, but I just want you to consider your child. Do you want them to know about this? This lifestyle you're going to raise them?"
"I know Grace. If it keeps them safe it's what I'm prepared to do."
"And you? Whose going to keep you safe." He smiles at me.
"I'll be fine. We will all be fine." I'm not going to argue with him. I love him and today I thought I'd lost him so god help me if I ever pick a fight with him again.