Tommy Gabrini: The Grace Factor Read Online Free Page B

beer.
    Raj watched her drink her beer.   “I suggest we retire upstairs,” he said, “and
rest until we get the call.   I will give
you another one of my world class massages.”
    Liz rubbed her neck.   She could surely use a world class
massage.   But she was nobody’s fool.   This man didn’t want to ease her muscles.   He wanted, once again, to ease his
boner.   “We’d better wait right here,”
she said.   “I’d never forgive myself if
Adabi showed up and I wasn’t in place.”
    “You think he will actually allow you
to see Mamoof?”
    Liz nodded.   “Yes.   I think so.   But be prepared.   He’s probably not going to let you come
along.”
    “And that is okay with you?”
    “I’d rather have my own photographer,
certainly,” Liz said.   “But I know
Adabi.   We’ve worked together
before.   He’s good too.   Besides, this is going to be the interview of
a lifetime.   An exclusive with an ISIS
informant.   I’m not passing this up.”

 
    Tommy leaned back in the musky cab as
it lumbered through the bustling streets of Damascus.   He didn’t have time for this, he had too much
on his plate as it was, but he knew he had to make this journey.   This was come
to Jesus time for him and Liz, and it was a long time coming.   Long overdue.   And as he looked out over a city he’d never visited before, he tried to
think how it all went off the rails for them.   But he couldn’t say.   He couldn’t
pinpoint when it all changed.   But he did
remember what he didn’t think was then, but now believed to be, the defining
moment.
    It happened two months ago.   They were at a horse ranch owned by a friend
of Tommy’s in northwest Seattle.   It was
a family day for Destiny.   Her mother was
there, Tommy’s ex-wife Grace, and Grace’s husband Ed.   Tommy invited Liz along, and she accepted.
    Destiny was up on her pony, with an
experienced rider at her side, while Tommy, Liz, Grace and Ed were on
individual horses.   But before they could
even begin to trot along, Ed decided to give his horse an unnecessarily harsh
slap, and the horse lifted up on his hind legs, screeching, and then tossed Ed
to the ground.   Grace’s horse, and Liz’s
horse, reacted to Ed’s horse and took off running down the slope.   The women were terrified, crying for help.
    Tommy immediately ordered the trainer
to watch Destiny, and then he gave his horse a swift kick and galloped toward
them.   He wasn’t a great rider, but he
was an experienced one, and was able to catch up with the wayward horses within
seconds.   But he knew he had a decision
to make.   Either he was going to save Liz
first, or save Grace first.   He couldn’t
get to both.   He kicked his horse into
high gear, and made his decision.   He
went for Grace.   He didn’t know why he
made that decision, but he did know he would have died if anything would have
happened to Grace.
    When he made it up to Grace, he
corralled her horse, grabbed the reins, and stopped the progression.   Liz, stunned that he would rescue Grace over
her, lost her balance before Tommy could get over to her, and fell off of her
horse.   She wasn’t hurt.   But Tommy knew she was pissed.
    “Really?” she asked when Grace and
her horse were safely reined in and Tommy was jotting toward her.
    “What are you talking?” Tommy
asked.   “I had to make a decision!”
    “And you chose Grace?”
    Tommy wasn’t going to deny it.   “Yes.”
    “Why, Tommy?   And don’t tell me that shit about her being
Destiny’s mother.   You always use that
excuse every time you do something for that woman.   Well what about me?   You don’t do shit for me!”
    It was a major blowup that riled
everybody that day, with words being tossed around that shattered all
peace.   Tommy couldn’t remember what
words they exchanged, but what he never forgot was his decision, and the fact
that he didn’t regret that decision.   He
didn’t regret it for one second.