Author’s Note: A long time ago, my good friend Christina created an original Highlander-style Immortal named Grace, “played” by Charlize Theron. So you can probably imagine how excited she was when Brandon Flowers’ “Crossfire” video came out. A few months ago, as a gift to her, I decided I wanted to write her a story based on it, starring Grace. But since I couldn’t figure out who Flowers’ unnamed character was supposed to be or why he was in trouble, I wound up “recasting” that first scene with Peter Bishop instead. Just in case there was any confusion. *g* Assume that Grace is one of his myriad mysterious unnamed sources. 😉
It took a few minutes for the smoke to clear enough to reveal the party responsible both for the explosion and for the large holes in several of his captors. When it finally did, though, Peter was pretty much entirely unsurprised by the familiar face that emerged. Grace Hammond stood framed in the doorway like an avenging angel with her tachi in one hand. A smear of blood decorated one cheek from a wound that had already healed, and her stunning face was smeared with grime, but not enough so to hide the intense look of concern she shot his way.
Peter grinned. “Okay, now that’s just embarrassing.”
Raising one eyebrow, Grace crossed the floor and crouched down beside the chair to untie him. “What, being rescued by a girl?” she asked.
“Hell, no, that happens all the time. I didn’t mean embarrassing for me: I meant embarrassing for them.” He chuckled. “I mean, that’s gotta be the ultimate insult for a ninja: getting beat up by a white girl.”
Grace smiled. “All it takes is a few centuries of practice.”
With nimble fingers and a little help from the sharp edge of her sword, she soon had him untied. Peter rubbed his wrists, wincing a little at the rope burns. “So. How’d you know I was here?”
“Elementary, my dear Bishop,” she quipped, “considering the information you were looking for on Friday. When your FBI friends showed up this morning, following in your footsteps, it seemed the logical place to look.”
“Did you tell them where to look for me too?” he asked, amused.
“Of course,” Grace protested. Her injured expression was belied by the amusement in her eyes. “But law enforcement moves at the speed of bureaucracy. Since time was of the essence, I figured I could get here faster on my own, and without having to worry about a warrant.”
Somewhere below them and outside, the distant wail of sirens split the quiet evening. Peter couldn’t help but smile. “And that would be the cavalry now.”
Grace gave him an enigmatic, searching look that usually meant she was reading him like a well-paced novel.
“I hate it when you do that,” he remarked dryly.
Grace just laughed, her eyes twinkling with whatever secret she’d unearthed this time. “What will you tell them when they get here?”
“What do I always tell them when you’re involved?” Peter answered. This time his smile was all for her. “That I was rescued by a pretty girl with a big sword. I just, y’know, leave out the part about her being a thousand-year-old Immortal. Who looks damned good for her age, by the way.”
Grace smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek while she sheathed the sword in question. “Stay out of trouble, okay?”
As she turned away and disappeared back into the shadows, Peter called after her, “How long have you known me?”