Saving Grace

By Lara Hawkins

She is a drug-addicted prostitute. He is an international hostage negotiator. But once upon a time, they were in love.

Grace Adams is desperate for a hit and heads out into the darkness to find her salvation.

Josh Moore is back from the Middle East and looking for his high school crush who went missing on prom night. She is the one girl he can’t let go of through the years. He blames himself for her disappearance, and can’t rest until he learns the truth about her.

Finding Grace was never going to be easy, but he never expected to find her like he did.

Angry, desperate and addicted, she is in serious trouble with some serious people.

Taking the chance he never had in high school, Josh kidnaps her and takes her to his secluded beach house to help her detox, and find a purpose in life again, but Grace is determined to use every trick she knows to escape.

 But Josh has his own demons, haunted by those he hasn’t been able to save, he seeks solace in Grace but their connection is fragile, and neither really trusts each other. Then Grace is forced to go back to her old life in order to set some wrongs right, but it’s dangerous, and she might just lose Josh and herself in the process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Novelist
• Release date: Jul 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516344178

Book preview

Prologue

Grace smoked the joint down to the filter and then threw it onto the pavement as it gave a little hiss when it hit the wet ground.

How much? she heard a man’s voice and looked up to see a nervous middle-aged man in a family wagon.

What do you want? she said with a half smile, trying to drum up some enthusiasm but failing.

My dick sucked, he said, looking past her so as to avoid her eye.

God, he won’t look her in the eye, but he’ll put his cock in her mouth?

What an asshole.

She knew he was horny and that would drive the price up so she went for broke.

Fifty, she said.

The man frowned, The girl on the corner said twenty.

Yeah but then you will pay at least three hundred dollars in medical bills when you get that nasty disease from her rotting teeth, Grace said looking away, as though more business was driving her way.

The man glanced over his shoulder towards the girl he had just asked and then nodded at Grace.

Let’s go, he said quickly, and Grace walked to the car and got inside.

It was warm and comfortable, with music playing on the stereo.

Miles Davis, she said, listening closely to the tune.

You know Miles Davis? the man asked, glancing at her and Grace tried to pull down the crushed velvet miniskirt to cover more of her legs.

Yeah, I like jazz, she said and looked out the window at the passing traffic.

She needed to remember that clients didn’t like to be reminded she was a person who was educated, and had feelings. She was their sex doll and nothing more.

The man pulled the car into a dark street and then parked under a tree.

The music and the lights went out with the engine, and Grace felt the nerves rise. This was the point where he would either follow through, and be a decent person, or as decent a person could be, who asked a girl on the side of his road to suck his cock for money.

She had been attacked and raped before in a car like this. Never let the family car fool you, her pimp, Brody always said.

But tonight luck was on her side, and he handed her a crisp fifty-dollar note and then looked down at his lap.

I can’t believe I’m doing this, he said sadly and she saw all his shame on display.

Me neither, she thought, but instead she put her hand on his thigh.

It’s okay, she said encouragingly. Close your eyes and imagine I’m someone you love. When your eyes are closed, I could be anyone.

She unzipped his pants and then lowered her head, taking her own advice and closing her eyes.

He could be anyone right now, not just a nameless stranger looking for relief from a drug addicted prostitute.

Grace took him in her mouth and imagined what she could have been. The girl once voted the girl most likely to succeed was now in a car in a dark street, thinking of her next hit.

She stopped her work and looked up at him.

Can you put the music back on? she asked and his hand reached out to turn on the stereo and the sound of Miles Davis playing Round Midnight became the soundtrack as she lowered her head once again.

She could have been anyone, she thought, he could be anyone, this could be anywhere, and she closed her eyes and thought of the hit she would get after this was all over.

Chapter 1

Josh Moore was early when walked through the doors of his old high school. He was early to everything. It was his thing. It allowed him to assess the space, find the exits, scope for the troublemakers. Old habits die hard, he thought, as he stared at the wall plaque in the hallway. Finding his name, he smiled as he read the one below it - Grace Adams.

God, she was so pissed when he won music captain over her, but he had been in one more band, he had reminded her at the time.

So it’s not based on talent then? she had laughed, as they had left the auditorium after the presentation.

He had pretended to take offense and hung his head in sadness.

Grace had punched him in the arms playfully. Toughen up sunshine, you’ll never get to play trumpet in New York if you carry on like that, jazz dudes are cool, you’re so not cool right now.

I know, I wonder if I’ll ever be cool, he said as he walked Grace to her next class.

You might, one day, she said as she pushed open the door. See you at lunch? she asked and Josh nodded.

He would see her anytime she asked. She was the girl he loved, not that she had any idea.

Grace Adams could have anyone, so why would she want him?

The very fact they were even friends defied the school community’s opinion of him.

Tall, thin, with terrible face acne, he made a curious spectacle next to Grace’s sultry, curvaceous beauty.

But they met in music class when auditioned for the Big Brass Band and Josh was the trumpet player. She sang Good Morning Heartache and it was the most sorrowful version Josh had ever heard, next to Billie Holiday.

Grace was a mystery to him. He would see her walking the hallways with her friends, all the cool people, and they would ignore Josh, until she joined the band, and then she said hello. And slowly the others said hello, as though Grace held the power to social inclusion. Not that he ever saw her use it for evil. She was the most charming, fun, beautiful and puzzling girl he had ever known.

The first night they ever spoke, she turned up to his house unannounced on a Saturday night. He was embarrassed he was at home but more surprised she was at his door.

She arrived in like they were best friends and soon she was over more and more, and then one day she wasn’t.

It had been seven years since high school, and Grace was the only reason he had come to the reunion.

He had scoured social media for her name when he had lived in Germany. He had looked for her name on the web when he was in Jordan and had even checked the Interpol database in France but Grace Adams had disappeared from sight. The school reunion was a last hope but still, it was something.

Hey, how are you?

Josh turned to the voice and saw Sam Wheeler coming towards him, with a lot of extra pounds and much less hair.

It was clear Sam didn’t recognize Josh. The acne had long gone, the height was balanced by a very muscled physique, and he was tanned from his recent time in the Middle East. Good clothes helped also, he imagined, as Sam put his hand out for a greeting

Sam, how are you? said Josh, taking his hand. Josh Moore, we played in the Big Brass Band, I was trumpet, and you were on drums.

Sam shook Josh’s hand, pulling in his stomach, Shit man, look at you, all fit. I didn’t recognize you. I’ve been meaning to get back to the gym, he said. I heard about you on the radio, getting those idiots out of Syria.

Josh smiled politely. They were journalists, he said, but Sam rolled his eyes.

Why the fuck would you go to that place anyway? There’s plenty of news everywhere else in the world?

Josh just nodded politely and watched as more of his schoolmates arrived.

So many of them were still friends, he noticed, as they shared small talk in the school gym. Their worlds were so small and safe, he thought, as he glanced at the door again to see if Grace had arrived.

They drank from plastic wine glasses and ate tasteless cocktail snacks, and Josh feigned interest in people he hadn’t been friends with at school, until it was after ten and then he knew she wasn’t going to come.

Disappointment filled him, as he went to say goodbye to a few people, including Sam, who was now without his tie and eating chicken wings.

I’m going, said Josh, Good to see you.

Sam wiped his hands on his blue paper napkin, leaving little remnants of it on his sticky fingers.

"Good luck with