Dangerous Secrets: Callaghan Brothers, Book 1 (15 page)

“My guess is Kiara can identify her family’s killers.  That’s why she’s been in hiding all this time.”

“Not to mention she’s worth about twenty million dollars as the sole heir to the Fitzpatrick family fortune, that is.”

“And now we’ve just lit a beacon to her location.  Christ.  We should have just sent out engraved invitations,” Ian said.

“No one is going to touch her.”  Jake’s voice was low and lethal.  The others nodded their heads in mutual agreement. 

“Do you think we should talk to her about it?  There are a lot of holes.”

Jake shook his head.  “No, not yet.  If she knows we know, she’ll bolt, I’m sure of it.  She watched her whole family get taken out by these sadistic bastards.  If I know her, and I think I do, she’s not going to let that happen to anyone else ever again.  The second she feels anyone is in danger, she’s history.”

“But we’re not just anybody, are we?”

“No, but Taryn doesn’t know that.  As far as she knows, Ian and I run a pub and Mick’s a doctor.  God only knows what she thinks of the rest of you.”

“So what now?”

“Keep digging.  Ian’s got a pretty sweet set-up, but we can expand.  We need as much intel as we can get, see if we can’t bulls-eye these bastards before they get a bead on her.  One of us has her in sight at all times, two if possible.”

“Can I pull night duty?” Kieran asked eagerly.  Ian smacked him on the back of his head. 

* * *

W
hen Taryn awoke the next morning, she felt like she was trying to swim up from the deepest depths of the ocean.  Her body was so heavy, her mind foggy.  But she was warm, cocooned in something hard yet smooth.  And moving.

It took a while for her to realize she was tucked snugly against a solid male body.  The clean, spicy scent told her it was Jake.  At least she hoped it was.  She just didn’t have the strength to fight off yet another brother.  His arms were locked around her, his chest rising and falling rhythmically.  She listened to the hypnotic sound of his heart, strong and steady.

“Good morning,” Jake said softly.  How he had known she was awake?  She wouldn’t have minded pretending to be asleep a little longer, just to extend the incredible feeling of peace she felt in his arms.  Then she remembered that she was a “mistake”, and the only feeling she had was that of being pathetic.

“Good morning,” she answered, but it came out raspy and weak.  Her throat felt like sandpaper. 
Wait.  Good morning?
 

“It’s Monday?” she said, trying to sit up and immediately wishing she hadn’t as her head began to spin.

“Yes,” he said, his big hands steadying her.  “Mick said to take it slow.  The antibiotics he gave you really hit you hard.  Did you eat anything yesterday?”

Did she?  She couldn’t remember.  What she could recall were horrible, nightmarish images that sent chills down her spine.  She looked up at Jake as if to make sure it was really him.

“What is it?” he asked instantly.

“Nothing,” she lied.  “I just had some nightmares, that’s all.  Probably the antibiotics.”

“Probably.”

“I’m sorry I missed my shift last night.”

“That’s okay.  My dad had a blast.”

“Your dad and your brothers, they all live here?”

“Yeah, but they’re in and out a lot.  Ian and I are the homebodies.“

She smiled a little at that.  “Homebody” was definitely not a word she would choose to describe either one of them.  “It’s nice that you guys are so close.  Family is important.”

“That it is,” he agreed.

His arm was still wrapped around her, his body heat seeping far deeper than surface level.  She closed her eyes and tried to memorize the feeling, knowing she wouldn’t have it much longer.

“I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me,” she said finally.

“My pleasure.”  He pulled a stray lock of her hair through his fingers.  “You know, you’re one hell of a bartender.  What would you think about hanging around for a little while?”

It would be like a dream come true, Taryn thought.  Doing something she loved, spending her nights with two of the sexiest men on the planet, one of which she was pretty sure she was falling in love with.  But dreams were for other people.  People who actually existed.  People who had a future. 

Not
mistakes
.   

“That’s really nice of you,” she said, wishing things were different.  “But I have to leave.”

“Why?” he asked.  “If it’s about the other night –“

“It isn’t,” she told him truthfully.  His reaction to their regretful encounter (his regret, not hers) actually made things a little easier for her.  Had he given her any indication that he’d been as affected as she had by it, her feelings would be even more conflicted.  It wouldn’t have changed anything, though.

“I’m not even supposed to be here,” she said, avoiding the question.  If her car hadn’t broken down, she would already be hundreds of miles away, stocking up for a long winter in a remote location, alone.  It was one final gift from Charlie.  She’d found the first in a series of coordinates in a small envelope marked with cryptic instructions that it was not to be opened until a year after his death.

The only reason she could think of that Charlie would make such an odd request was that he knew something she didn’t.  She trusted Charlie implicitly; she’d followed his final directive to the letter.  It was one of the reasons she’d taken off right after his funeral and had been crisscrossing the country ever since.   

She couldn’t tell Jake that, though.  She could just imagine the look on his face.  It appeared to her as a crystal clear image – his blue eyes would shine and go all dark like the night sky, his face would get that implacable look, and his chest would swell slightly.  Her insides clenched at the thought as the now-familiar ache pooled within her, the same, primal reaction she seemed to have whenever she was close to this man. 

He’d go all ultra-protective on her again, and she’d start to feel all feminine and helpless, actually
wanting
him to take care of her.  It was a dangerous path, one she could not afford to take.  She had to remain strong.  This afternoon she would get in her car and drive away, leaving Jake, his family, and this town only in her memory.

“Maybe you are,” he suggested quietly, fingering the cross around her neck like she so often did.  “Maybe this is exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

The tenderness in his voice would be her undoing.  Fate could be so cruel sometimes, teasing her with glimpses of a life she could never have.  It would have been so much easier if she’d never stopped in this town, had never met Jake or Ian or any of their family.  But even as that thought crossed her mind, she knew she wouldn’t willingly give up a second of the time she’d spent with them.

“I’m an ‘oops’, remember?” she reminded him, as she tried to push away, but his arms were like solid steel.

“And I’m an idiot,” he said huskily, surprising her.  “I was angry with myself for losing control, and I took it out on you.  I’m sorry, Taryn.”

Dear sweet Jesus, he sounded sincere.  A warmth she only seemed to feel around him curled up through her body and wrapped itself around her heart. On a sudden impulse, she tilted her head and kissed the underside of his jaw.  Then she pulled away, more slowly this time.  Summoning every bit of will she had, she swung her legs over the side of the bed.  When her head stopped spinning and she was fairly certain she wouldn’t fall flat on her face, she got up slowly and carefully made her way across the floor to the bathroom. 

J
ake exhaled and leaned his forehead against the door that now separated him from Taryn.  He fisted his hands to keep from yanking it open and pulling her back into him, enveloping her body with his, and making love to her until she couldn’t conceive of a life that didn’t include him deep inside her several times a day.

He had seen a lot in his lifetime; had been in a lot of tough situations.  But one of the hardest things he’d ever done was allow her to get out of that bed and walk away from him, believing that she meant nothing to him.  And, thanks to the temporary insanity that plagued him for a few hours the other night, nothing he said right now would change that.

He would just have to prove it in other ways, and high at the top of that list was being there for her, even if she didn’t particularly want him to be.

Only when he was fairly certain she wouldn’t need his immediate help did he force himself away from the door, heading toward the kitchenette to grab some of that peach syrup over ice for her – maybe he would blend in some banana, too - and some coffee for himself. 

Was this what it felt like to be in love?  Christ.
  He’d been on missions easier than this.  At least then he’d had his training behind him.  This – this was like floating alone in the middle of the ocean without a friendly ship in sight. 

Suggesting that she stay on had been a longshot; he’d known that before the words even left his lips.  What he hadn’t foreseen was exactly how her response would affect him.  Her smile had been sweet and sad at the same time, tugging at places in his chest he’d never felt before and inciting a slow burn in the process.  She
wanted
to stay.  He had seen it in her beautiful, haunted eyes.  She had refused, as expected, but the fact that she didn’t seem thrilled about it gave him hope.  He could work with that.

Equally unnerving was the strange but powerful connection he felt with her.  It was almost as if he could see her thoughts, feel her emotions, even when she tried to hide them from him.  He’d never had this kind of connection with anyone besides his brothers – Ian especially – and it shook him a little. It was just one more sign that he couldn’t let her go.

He found Ian waiting for him in the small pseudo-kitchen, a back-up should he need it.  No less than six cans of peaches in heavy syrup dotted the counter.  Jake shot him an appreciative glance.  Ian inclined his head in acknowledgement, handing Jake a mug.

“She leaving?”

Jake grunted as he took a big gulp of the coffee.  “She thinks she is.  We have to play along.  Anything new come in?” 

“No, and I’ve got a really bad feeling about it,” admitted Ian.  “No sign of a backtrace.  It just doesn’t make any sense.” 

Jake frowned.  Assuming she hadn’t killed her captor – which would be at odds with her running – someone had to know she was still alive, and that someone would surely be on the lookout for any sign of her.  There had to be tracers on the data Ian skimmed.  The fact that he’d found no sign of a return scan meant that whoever they were dealing with knew what they were doing.  Jake didn’t doubt Ian’s abilities, so each hour that went by with no new info raised awareness of the forces they were dealing with.

* * *

T
aryn hefted the small pack over one shoulder.  Her eyes were moist, but she refused to let any tears fall, turning away so no one would see.  They deserved a proper goodbye, but that was something else she couldn’t give them.  She’d been over this a hundred times, a hundred different ways, and there was simply no other option.

She’d left her luggage upstairs.  There wasn’t much – a few changes of clothes, personal hygiene items – things she’d have to replace once she got on the road, but they had to believe she was coming back.  Everything she really needed – her knife, her GPS, her cash, some magnetics, and her mp3 – were in her small pack.

“Behave yourself, Kieran,” Jake warned ominously as they prepared to leave.  Kieran insisted on giving Taryn a ride to the garage.  He smiled innocently, pointing a finger to himself in a classic “Who me?” gesture.  Taryn bit back a smile.  They’d grown on her so fast.  She was going to miss them.  All of them.  But especially Jake.

“You sure you don’t want me to wait?” Kieran asked again, looking uneasy as Taryn slid out of his SUV a short while later. 

“I’m sure.”

“What if your car’s not done?”     

“It’s a beautiful day.  I can walk back if I have to.”

Kieran hesitated.  “Jake’s not going to be happy if I let you do that.”

Honestly, for a man the size of a small mountain he had the most boyish face and biggest puppy dog eyes she’d ever seen.  Lord help the young lady he set his sights on.  She laughed lightly at his roguish grin, knowing full well that he was pulling out all the stops. 

“Okay, fine,” she said, putting her hands up in mock surrender.  “Stop looking at me like that.”  His grin widened, turning adorable into devastating.  “Wait here while I find out what’s going on.” 

Taryn disappeared inside the garage, planting herself behind the huge vending machine where neither Kieran nor Joey (currently tinkering in one of the bays) could see her.  She sang a few verses of one of her favorite heavy metal songs in her mind, silently calculating the amount of time it would take to check in with the mechanic and see where things stood.

She emerged a few minutes later, forcing what she hoped was a convincing smile and reminding herself that she really had no other choice.  Charlie had been one of a kind; he never asked questions, never made demands.  As special as Jake was, she didn’t think he would be willing to do the same, and asking him to wasn’t fair to either of them. 

Not surprisingly, Kieran was still there, leaning casually back against the side of his truck, arms crossed, one ankle over the other.  His longer than normal hair and romance-novel-cover body were capturing the attention of several young women passing by, but his eyes never strayed from her.  Obviously Jake had managed to convince Kieran that she needed looking after.  It made what she had to do more difficult, but it was kind of nice, too, to know that someone cared.

“It’s almost done,” she told him brightly.  “Joey says it’ll be ready to go in about half an hour.”

Kieran’s expression didn’t change.  “Yeah?”

“Yeah.  So, I guess I’ll see you back at the Pub?”

“I can wait with you,” he offered, flicking a glance toward the garage bay where Taryn’s car was still raised.

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine,” she said, flashing a little smile.  “I’ll see you later, okay?”