Grayson

Chapter Seventeen

"A person would have to be crazy to be out riding in this kind of weather." she said as she scraped the leftover food into a bucket. "Gray, are we going to see about getting some pigs tomorrow?"

"Yeah honey, sure." Grayson replied distractedly. He and Peter shared a look. Both of them deciding at the same time that Peter was staying around until they figured out exactly where Thomas Whitaker was.

After dinner, Callie put Grayson and Peter to work fixing the loose banisters on the stairs in the house while she cleaned the mess up from dinner. She saw that Grayson had taken his gun belt off and since the derringer was making her foot sore, she removed it from her boot and laid it on the counter.

She was just wiping off the table top when she heard a horse neighing outside. She walked to the front door and opened it. The storm and wind had let up but the rain was still falling hard and cold. Callie looked out through it and saw a black horse standing out by the road. It was saddled but standing there alone. She looked around for the rider but could see no one.

"Gray." she said. Grayson and Peter both walked out onto the porch with her.

"Whose horse is that?" she asked. Grayson and Peter both shrugged.

"I don't recognize it." Grayson said.

"I would say it spooked and got loose from somebody during that storm." Peter added. Grayson stuck his hand out to test the rain and made a face.

"I better go get it and put it up in the barn." he said. Peter and Callie did not offer to help, since helping would involve going out in that downpour.

"He won't melt will he?" Peter asked with a laugh when Grayson winced as the cold rain started soaking through his clothes. Callie covered her own smile with her hand.

"No, he won't melt." she replied.

"Good because that would be one hell of a puddle." Callie and Peter both laughed and turned to walk back into the house only to find themselves standing face to face with a pistol.

"Hello, little Callie." Thomas said with a sneer. Callie nearly screamed with fear but managed to hold it in.

"What do you want?" she demanded. She was happy that her voice sounded much more calm than she was feeling.

"You and your man stole from me, Callie, and I want my money and my property back." he replied. His icy blue eyes had a crazy light in them. It was as if any sane or human part of Thomas was gone. He looked like a cold blooded animal.

"Thomas, put the gun down." Peter said calmly. He spared a glance back at Grayson but the man was still preoccupied with the horse and hadn't yet looked up to the porch and noticed the trouble.

"Shut up. You are the single most worthless person I have ever met. You do nothing but crack stupid jokes and stick your nose where it doesn't belong." Thomas spat and then he turned his attention back to Callie. "I am going to kill that husband of yours and then you and I are going to go and get married so that I can have my money."

"You are crazy." Callie said loudly. Grayson looked up at the porch and instantly reached for his gun only to realize that he had left it in the house. He had never before felt anything like the ice cold panic that froze his veins at the sight of Thomas holding Callie had gunpoint.

"Thomas Whitaker! Get that gun away from my wife!" he shouted. Thomas's eyes flickered to him momentarily.

"She will be your widow before I leave here." he sneered. Thomas reached out his free hand to grab Callie's arm but Peter jumped between the two of them.

"Keep your hands off of her, you son of a bitch." he warned. Thomas laughed and the brought his pistol down hard on the side of Peter's head. Callie screamed as Peter fell backwards off the porch and onto the ground. Callie ran from the porch and fell on her knees beside Peter trying to wake him up as blood ran from a cut on his temple.

Grayson started toward Callie but Thomas cocked the pistol and he stopped in his tracks. Callie looked up, her face was pale and her tears drops were mixing with the rain drops as they fell down her cheeks.

"Thomas, I'll give you the money." she said quickly. "I'll give you all of it! Just please don't hurt Gray." Thomas shook his head.

"Not good enough, Callie. Do you know how hard I have worked to make sure I would get that money. I killed your worthless father, I married your whore of a mother, I spread those stories the night Phillip died to get rid of Grayson…. All of that means nothing now! I am going to kill Grayson for making such a fool of me. I tried to kill him once before but my aim was a little off, I can promise that it will be better today."

"You killed my father?" Callie asked feeling her stomach turn over. Thomas nodded.

"Yes and now I am going to kill your husband and then you are going to marry me and I am going to get your money and then kill you too."

"You aren't going to touch, Callie." Grayson growled from where he was standing five feet away. "I won't let you hurt her."

"You'll be dead." Thomas replied simply. He took aim at Grayson and Callie screamed and launched herself through the air. Thomas pulled the trigger and the bullet flew straight toward Grayson's chest. Grayson yelled in horror as Callie's body appeared between him and the bullet and the sickening wet thud of a bullet hitting flesh sounded in the rain filled air.

"Callie!" Grayson screamed. He forgot about Thomas and Peter. He forgot about guns. He forgot about danger. He fell to his knees and gathered Callie up into his arms. He looked down at her and saw the blood spreading on her rain soaked dress from the hole in her chest.

"I love you, Gray." she gasped weakly. Grayson didn't even try to stop the tears that were pouring from his eyes as he looked down at her pale, pain filled face. Her blue eyes were losing their shine and she was trembling in his arms.

"You stupid woman!" he shouted down at her. "You cannot die for me! I told you I can't live without you!" Callie managed a small smile but her head was spinning and her vision was growing blurry. She raised her hand and laid her fingers against Grayson's tear and rain streaked cheek.

"I love you, Callie." Grayson choked out and then he yelled in a mixture of rage, fear, frustration and heart ache when her eyes closed and her hand fell limply to the ground.

"Thomas took off." Peter's voice broke through Grayson's pain. "I'll find him. You get her to the doc." Peter added. Grayson nodded. He stood and grabbed the black horse which amazingly enough had not spooked at the sound of the gunshot. He jumped in the saddle and Peter helped lift Callie up to him.

"She'll be okay, Grayson." Peter said. He knew it was probably a lie but the big guy looked as if he needed to hear it right now. Grayson just nodded slowly and then let out a yell as he urged the horse to a fast gallop through the pouring rain.

Peter put his hand on his head which was throbbing and blinked several times. His vision was blurry and he was dizzier than he had ever been in his life. He went into the house and grabbed Grayson's gun belt and the derringer. He saddled his horse and took off into the woods in the same direction that Thomas had gone. Thomas would pay for what he had done to Callie.