Gatekeeper's Secret
Copyright© 2026 by Fick Suck
Chapter 38
Waking up began with an alarm on his mobile, which was next to Linh. “Really, Grady? An alarm?”
“It’s a working ranch, Linh,” Grady said. “As much as I would prefer to stay in bed with you, the animals don’t feed themselves, and Brianna and the Witts aren’t here to do it themselves. You didn’t want them here last night either. Ung,” he grunted as he pulled himself out of bed.
Finishing his ablutions, he walked back into the bedroom to grab some clean clothes. Linh told him that she was not angry and as far as the bed activities, she was a bit sore down there. “Me too,” Grady said. “Good sore, but I know what you mean. I’m going to put on coffee if Claire hasn’t already.”
“Claire’s already up; I heard her rustling about,” she said. “Go fetch us two mugs. I’ve got a question for you, Cowboy.”
Grady did not like the sound of that order, but he saw little benefit in arguing or delaying the request. He greeted Claire at the kitchen table. Looking up from her laptop with the pile of notes next to it, she said, “Good morning, sir. This is my first interaction with primates and their mating rituals. I have many questions, but I shall hold them until we can speak privately. In the meantime, Ms. Jessica called and will be here within the hour.”
Grady returned to the bedroom with two mugs of coffee, “We have one hour before the horde arrives. What question disturbs our peace?”
She took a sip. “How are we going to do my college when this project is so ... everything. Besides tying you to the bedposts and having my way with you, I want nothing more than to get back to the storeroom, enter notes, and organize what we’ve found. If I go to college, I’ll have to drop all this, including leaving you tied to the bedposts.”
Grady leaned against the wall, and he sipped his coffee. He recognized himself in her words. “This project is bigger than any one of us. Claire is the only one presently with the background of knowledge needed to work with any of this stuff. We need to get more educated, or we’ll flounder and flail. I’m not even sure what we need to study – that’s how ignorant we are.”
“It’s not just me?” she asked.
“All of us,” Grady admitted. “This project is going to take a lifetime to sort out what’s there and then figure out what to do with this huge collection. Hell, our children will probably take over the project from our liver-spotted hands.”
“Our children? Are you jumping the gun there, Cowboy?”
Grady gave her his best devilish grin. “Maybe – and maybe not.”
“You’re good,” Linh said before she drained her mug, “but we’re not getting married tomorrow. There is much to do, and as I see the world now, you are standing in my way. Take my mug, please, and let me get ready for the day.”
Breakfast had been made, served and cleaned up when the gate alarm went off. Grady watched the video as Christina unlocked the gate and locked it again after the SUV pulled through. A bleak thought ran through his mind of the reality of the times where a ranch in a far corner of the world needed a lock and remote surveillance. “Pity,” he muttered to himself. He felt a body lean in close to peer at the screen and the smile returned to his face.
“The horde has arrived,” Linh said. “Too late. I’ve already taken down the big bad villain and subdued him. He’s mine, now.”
“Their presence complicates the project,” Grady said, although the idea of being the villain piqued his interest. “They will ignore much, but they know nothing of the storerooms or Claire’s real job. We’ll need to watch ourselves and our words.”
“Where does all of this stuff come from, Grady?”
“From my part of the project, which I inherited my Grandpa Jedidiah,” Grady said. “I have no idea when I’ll be asked to act again, but my intuition says it could be anytime. When signaled, I take the horse and ride. I take a shotgun and the saddlebags.”
“Does Claire come with you?”
“I haven’t been summoned since Claire came on board,” Grady said, trying to weave the truths and the fibs into a whole fabric. “My great grandfather got shot, although they told everyone it was poachers. These events can be dangerous. My instinct is to not put anyone else in harm’s way, especially you and Claire. Christina, however, I’m willing to sacrifice.”
“Agreed,” Linh said, before she slapped his shoulder.
They heard the engine coming up the drive, which sped past the house and onwards to the barn. The brakes squealed. “I’m not surprised, but Jessica needs new brakes,” Grady said to no one in particular. “She won’t like another delay.”
Jessica knocked at the back door out of courtesy and then walked in with a large “hello!”
“Hello,” Grady and Linh both said as they stepped into the kitchen.
Jessica exclaimed that she had much to discuss as she dropped her purse on the table. She immediately rushed to the bathroom without saying another word. “Make yourself at home,” Grady called after her softly. “We usually charge for the toilet paper by the sheet, but for you we will make an exception.”
“Stop being an asshole, Grady. It’s not a good look on you,” Linh said. “You know Mom talked to her last night and I want to know what she said. Since Jessica came to town, they’re thick as thieves.”
“Sir, if I may,” Claire said, looking at Grady to give her the nod, “Male primate territorialism is a well-documented behavior. While Ms. Jessica has crossed over your boundaries, she means no harm. Further, I suspect she wishes to demonstrate how you have personally made her comfortable within your living space and how grateful she is. No insult is intended.”
“Yeah, what she said,” Linh said with a finger tapping his chest. “Jessica thinks you understand. As MY grandpa told me, ‘When in doubt, don’t open your mouth.’”
Grady rubbed his face, trying to put his brain into gear after being derailed. “Where did I go wrong?” he kept asking himself.
“Here you are,” Jessica called out as she returned. “The back of my car is full of paper goods and pantry goods to replace all the stuff we used while we hid in your house. Thank you again for opening your house to us. I knew in my heart of hearts that he would lash out at me. He wanted to hurt me, and that bastard tried. Thank you for all you did.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
She turned to Linh. “You chose a good one.”
Linh blushed.
“Everyone is safe and sound?” Grady asked, gesturing to everyone to join Claire at the table.
“Safe, yes,” Jessica said. “Nitwit was arraigned by video conference over the weekend. He is remanded to custody. Because of the gun in his possession and using his vehicle as a weapon, he’s not eligible for bail. He’s probably looking at prison.”
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