Novels 03 After Twilight, page 6
Kacy steered to the left, passing the drive, heading down the lane to the village. Stone walls lined the road on either side. Like countless other Irish stone hedges, these were layered with dense vegetation, hazel and brambles tangling with gentians and cranesbill.
The lane felt like a green tunnel on sunny days. In the dark, it took on a more sinister cast. Usually it didn’t bother Kacy, but tonight it seemed bleaker than ever. She stopped for a moment, bracing herself with her foot, pulling her raincoat closer around her.
It was just a road. She went down it almost every day.
The wind moaned and the leaves lifted, fluttering into a skittering dance. She swallowed and tried to think of the pub, full of light and laughter. She failed miserably, her brain insisting instead on replaying the bridge scene from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
She should have brought Mac.
A trailing branch rubbed against the back of her head. She jumped, stifling a scream.
This was ridiculous. There was no headless horseman, and she had a date waiting for her. She pictured Braedon. Blue eyes, brown hair, broad shoulders, and …
She sucked in a breath and started to peddle. It was just a road. A thread of light lit the pavement in front of her, the arc expanding rapidly. Her first thought was relief. Light was definitely good. Even light accompanied by humming.
Humming?
The noise increased as it neared and Kacy recognized the mechanical whine. A car. It was a car.
Company.
A second thought snuck into her brain, insisting on being heard.
The car was coming too fast.
She peddled to the side of the road, the wall preventing her from pulling completely out of the way. Still, she should be safe. She turned to look back and was blinded by the light. The noise of the engine swelled, threatening to overpower her.
She dove off the bicycle just as the bumper of the car hit it, the momentum sending her sprawling into the wall, her head cracking against the stones. It was over in a second, and the car and its light disappeared around a bend, leaving her in the dark rain. Kacy’s last thought was that the son of a bitch hadn’t even stopped.
* * *
“Why are you slowing?” Max leaned forward, peering out the window.
“We just ran someone off the road. Do you want me to stop?” Anson tossed a glance over his shoulder.
“Could you see who it was?” Max picked at the leather ridge on the trim of the seat with his index finger.
“No. Looked like a woman. But it’s really dark out there.”
“Did she see us?”
“No way. The lights were in her eyes.” Anson smiled into the rearview mirror.
“Drive on then.” He waved a hand in dismissal, his mind already turning back to his plans for his brother’s soon to be departed wife.
“Whatever you say, boss.”
Max frowned, the mental picture evaporating. Anson only called him boss when he disapproved of something. “You think we should go back?”
The chauffeur was quiet a moment. “Yeah.”
“So we can rush the woman to a hospital?” Max sneered.
“No. So we can make sure she’s dead.”
Max tipped his head back and laughed. God, he loved Anson. “I applaud your tenacity, but I think we’ll leave her to fate. We have more important things to think about.”
Chapter 6
HE’D BEEN STOOD up. Braedon paced in front of the door to the pub, stopping every pass to look out the window at the rain spattered street. He’d have thought he was beyond getting upset about this sort of thing, but he obviously hadn’t figured Kacy into the equation.
“Whoa, man, if you don’t quit your pacing, you’re sure to wear a hole in me floor.”
He stopped and walked slowly back to the bar. “Sorry, I guess I wasn’t thinking.”
Fin’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “I’d say ’twas just the opposite. I’m not a betting man, mind you, but if I were, I’d say your problem involves too much thinking.”
Braedon sighed and sat on a stool, swinging around to face the man. “That obvious, is it?”
“Afraid it is.” Fin tilted a glass under a spigot. “She’ll be here, you know.”
Braedon fought the urge to say “who.” He’d already made fool enough of himself. “Why do you say that?”
The barman opened a packet of peanuts and poured them into a bowl on the bar. “Two reasons. One. Kacy doesn’t lie.”
Fin obviously wasn’t talking about the same Kacy. If his hunch was right, the woman was a lie. Braedon reached for a handful of peanuts. “And two?”
Fin smiled. “I saw the way she looked at you. Believe me when I say it. She’ll be here.”
Braedon swallowed the nuts, the bulk of them sticking in his throat. “You think a lot of Kacy.”
Fin sobered. “That I do. She’s one hell of a woman. And if I thought I had a prayer, I’d give you a run for your money.”
“I see.” Braedon wasn’t really surprised that Kacy inspired such fierce loyalty. It was just that the whole thing was so at odds with his original thoughts about her. “How long have you known her, Fin?”
“Well, off and on all her life, I guess. Her granny lived here, and from time to time she’d show up and stay, starting when she was a just a little sprite.”
Braedon found himself imagining Kacy as a child, her long hair pulled back in ribbons. “So you were friends?”
“No. She always kept to herself. And she was rarely here more than a day or two at a time. She had an odd sort of childhood. At least that’s what me mam said. Her mother never was very clear on who exactly Kacy’s father was, if you know what I mean, but there was always money to burn. And then, when her mother died, we all expected she’d come here to live. But she didn’t.”
“Where’d she go?”
Fin shrugged. “I don’t know the whole of it. I do know she was in the States just before coming back here.” He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “But I think being here again has done her a world o’ good.”
Braedon recognized the sparkle in his eyes. Hell, he probably had one of his own. Kacy seemed to do that to a man. “I’d wager it hasn’t hurt you either.”
The smile turned into a grin. “Can’t say that it has. I’ve certainly come to know her better.”
“And you’ve become close?” He picked up a peanut, rubbing it between his fingers.
Fin frowned for a second, considering the question. “I suppose so, in a manner o’ speaking.”
“That’s certainly a cryptic statement.” Braedon popped the peanut in his mouth.
The other man smiled. “Well, now, I don’t think I meant for it to be. It’s just that our Kacy’s sort of a contradiction.”
“In what way?”
“It’s hard to put into words. On the one hand, she’s almost like a child discovering the world for the first time. Open, kind of inviting.” He paused, scratching his head. “I think being back here has done that.”
“She was closed before?” Braedon struggled to assimilate this new information.
“Well, closed isn’t really the right word. Shut down might be better. She was devastated over the death of her husband. I’ve never seen a person in that kind of pain before.”
“What happened to him?” Braedon tried to keep his voice conversational.
“He drowned during a storm. Swamped by a wave.” Fin placed a glass under the spigot, drawing a beer. “I think she saw the whole thing. Can you imagine anything more horrible? Watching someone you love die and not being able to do a thing about it.”
Actually he didn’t have to imagine it, he’d lived it. “You said, you think she saw it. Don’t you know?”
“No, not the whole of it. I’ve been able to put bits and pieces together. The basics. But she won’t talk about the rest. Keeps it all bottled up inside. In fact, she won’t talk about her past at all. That’s the contradiction I was talking about. As long as you stay in the here and now, Kacy’s an open book, all smiles and dimples.”
Braedon lips quirked into a grin. He remembered that dimple. “But?”
“But if you try to dig any deeper, she shuts you out. Closes the castle gates, so to speak.”
“Circles the wagons.”
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s an American term. Means the same thing.” Braedon had spent years circling his wagons. He was an expert.
Fin nodded, his brow furrowed. “I guess the real answer to your question is that Kacy isn’t close to anyone, Braedon. There’s a part of her I’d bet she’s never shared with a living soul, certainly not with me.” Fin put a glass down in front of him.
“You’re saying she has secrets?” Braedon downed half the beer with a single gulp.
“Everyone has things they’d rather be keeping to themselves.”
“True enough.” He sat back, waiting.
Fin blew out a breath. “The truth is, you might have a real shot at getting her to open up.”
“Me?”
“Aye. In all the time I’ve known her, I’ve never seen her react to anyone the way she did with you. It was there in her eyes.” Fin studied him for a moment, his eyes narrowing. “You’d best not be hurting her. I may not hold the key to her heart, but I care about her just the same, and I’ll not tolerate any man toying with her.”
Braedon held up a hand. “I’ve no intention of hurting her.” Unless she was guilty.
“See that you don’t.”
“See that you don’t what?”
They both turned at the sound of her voice. Anger warred with relief, relief winning by a nose.
She was leaning against the doorframe, looking literally like something the cat had dragged in. Her hair was a mess, with leaves and brush helter-skelter in the tangle. Her raincoat gaped open, her dress smeared with mud. One arm of her coat was ripped at the shoulder. She stepped into the light.
His heart skipped a beat. “You’re hurt.”
She smiled crookedly, wiping at a streak of blood on her cheek. “Good deduction, Sherlock.”
He reached her side just after Fin, who wrapped a strong arm around her waist. She smiled at him gratefully and Braedon ground his teeth, jealousy rearing its ugly head. “What happened?”
“I had a fight with a car and the car won.” Fin settled her into a chair, and she leaned back, closing her eyes.
Jealousy evaporated as he knelt beside her, taking her hand. She looked so fragile. He felt so helpless. “Fin, call a doctor.”
“No.” Her eyes flickered open. “I’m fine. I just need to clean up.”
“Kacy, you’ve been hurt. You need a doctor.” He stroked her hand with his thumb.
“I said, I’m fine.”
Braedon met Fin’s gaze and the other man shrugged. He blew out a breath, admitting defeat. “Well, at least let Fin call the police.”
“For what? A car that’s probably miles from here by now?”
“Did you see who it was?” Fin’s voice sounded anxious, mirroring Braedon’s concern.
“It was too dark. And the headlights were in my eyes.”
“Did the driver stop?”
She shook her head. “No. And he had to have seen me. Or at least heard my bike hit the bumper.”
“Bloody bastard,” Fin exploded, then shot a sheepish look in Kacy’s direction. “Sorry.”
She smiled up at him. “It’s all right. I’ve actually spent the last half hour calling him a heck of a lot worse.”
“You walked here?” Braedon raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Well, the bike has seen better days. Me, too, for that matter.” She shot a grin in his direction, and he basked in its warmth, marveling at her spunk.
“I still think we should call the police.” He reached out and pushed the hair back from her head, revealing a gash above her eyebrow. It was small, but still bleeding slightly. He ran a finger lightly across the skin above it. She shivered at the contact, her pupils darkening with something he couldn’t quite identify. He leaned forward, his eyes dropping to her lips.
“Why don’t you go in back and let Caitlin have a look at you?” Fin’s words broke into the moment and Braedon pulled away.
She shifted on the chair, wincing with the motion. “I think that’s a good idea. A quick wash and a cup of tea and I’ll be right as rain.” She looked up at Braedon. “Will you wait?”
“I’ll be right here.”
“There now, that ought to hold you.” Caitlin O’Brien sat back to admire her handiwork. “You’re sure to have a wallop of a bruise by the mornin’, though.”
Kacy touched her bandaged temple gingerly, feeling the movement in her shoulder. “I suspect more than just one.”
“Well, ’tis lucky you are that it wasn’t worse.” The redhead nodded in accompaniment of her thoughts, her riotous curls bobbing in time with the motion.
Kacy frowned. “I just wish I’d gotten a look at the car. It would give me great satisfaction to haul the jerk who was driving in front of the constable.”
“Aye, ’twould do us all good. And if I was a bettin’ woman, I’d say for certain it was a tourist. They’re always dashing about the roads as if they owned them. You’d think the lane was a bloody autobahn.”
“Well, hopefully, whoever it was won’t be back. I’m not sure I could take a second round. And I know my bike can’t.” In fact a decent burial was about all it was good for at this point.
“I’ve got a spare you can use, if you like. At least until you can get yourself another.”
Kacy stood up, stretching slowly, testing her stiffened muscles. “Just at the moment, I’m thinking of getting a Land Rover. Or better yet, a tank.”
Caitlin laughed. “Well, then, in that case, I’d say whoever was driving that car is best off in another county.”
“I suppose I’d better be getting back in there.” Kacy looked down at herself doubtfully. She was wearing a pair of Caitlin’s sweats, the sweatshirt proclaiming that she was from the University of Dublin. Ironic, when she thought about how long it had taken to decide what to wear in the first place.
Caitlin eyed the getup appraisingly. “Not exactly the date look. ’Tis sorry I am that I’ve not got anything better. But most of my clothes are in Dublin. And you’re so much smaller than me.” She looked down at Kacy, smiling at the disparity in their heights. Fin’s sister was almost six feet tall. And despite the fact that she was willowy, her sweats threatened to swallow Kacy.
“Maybe that’s just as well. I’ve been having second thoughts about having a date anyway.” And third thoughts and fourth thoughts …
“With him?” Caitlin tipped her head toward the doorway leading to the common room of the pub. “Lord in heaven, if I had a chance with a man like that one, believe me, I’d not be letting the opportunity slip through my hands.”
“It’s just been such a long time since I even thought about the word date. Let alone the actions that go along with it.”
“Well, now, if you ask me, that’s the problem.” Caitlin reached out to take one of Kacy’s hands. Blue eyes meeting green. “You’ve been too long without a man.”
“But Alex—”
“Is dead and gone.” Her friend smiled, her eyes speaking volumes. “And from what little I’ve been able to pull out of you, ’tis more than a blessing. He certainly was not the right one for you.”
“Maybe, but he charmed me into believing in fairy-tale endings. I guess I should have known better.”
“Well, there’s no sense beating yourself up about it. Everyone makes mistakes now and then. Especially when it comes to men.” She smiled knowingly.
Kacy pulled away and stood up with a smile, the sentiment not quite reaching her heart. Alex’s betrayal still hurt. “That’s exactly why I don’t need to be dating anyone. My powers of judgment obviously leave something to be desired.” And that was an understatement. She thought back on her last night with Alex, shivering.
“Go on with you.” Caitlin gave her a playful tap. “Out of the frying pan, into the fire.”
Kacy stood her ground, eyeing the door with trepidation. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
Where Braedon Roche was concerned, incineration was not out of the question.
“Well, there you are.” Fin’s voice filled the pub. “We were just wondering if maybe you’d slipped out the back way.”
Braedon was by her side almost before she could step into the room, his hand warm under her elbow. “Are you all right?”
His eyes burned down into hers and she bit back the desire to answer no. Absolutely not. “I’m fine.” At least as fine as she could be under the circumstances.
“Come over here, by the fire. Your hands are like ice.” He led her to a table near the hearth and helped her settle into a chair.
“I’ve got a cuppa for you.” Fin set a steaming mug on the table. “Laced it with a wee drop o’ whiskey. I thought it might put the color back in your cheeks.”
The two men were hovering over her like overprotective mamas. It was charming and claustrophobic at the same time. “Thanks, Fin. I’m sure this will do a world of good.” She reached for the mug and sipped slowly, the heat and alcohol combining to warm her from the inside out.
She met Braedon’s worried eyes. “Why don’t you sit down?” She tipped her head toward the chair beside her. With almost simultaneous movements, the two men tried to sit in the chair, Fin winning by a nose. Kacy bit back a giggle and watched as Braedon shot Fin a telling look.
“Oh. Right.” Fin flushed and jumped up. “I’d best be seeing to the bar.”
Braedon sat down in the vacated seat and reached for her hands. “You really are all right?”
“I’m a bit sore. And probably will be more so tomorrow. But aside from the insane desire to sit on the road with a shotgun and blow away unsuspecting speeders, I’m fine.”
Braedon smiled and released her hands, reaching for his beer. “Sort of a dramatic entrance for a dinner date, wouldn’t you say?”
“Well, I wanted to make certain I had your attention.” She smiled at him over the rim of her teacup.
