Dangerous Secrets: Callaghan Brothers, Book 1 (24 page)

As the weeks went on, though, and Kiara was asked out more and more, Gavin grew increasingly protective, and it was starting to bother her a little.  She noticed Gavin didn’t seem to care what her older sister did.  Or her brother for that matter. 

She hadn’t said anything, though, knowing if she had, he would probably lose his job.

Eventually, others started to notice too.  Her sister said it was downright creepy.  Her brother Nathan told her to stay away from Gavin and threatened to say something to her father.  She’d begged him not to, believing that they were all just overreacting, and she could handle it. 

How foolish she had been.

“Kiara.”  Gavin was in her bedroom again that night.  This time she could smell alcohol on his breath. 

“Gavin?  What are you doing here?” 

“I’ve come for you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Leave with me, Kiara.  Right now.”

“You shouldn’t be here, Gavin.  You need to go,” she’d said firmly, more concerned for his safety at that moment than her own.  “If Dad finds out you’re here –“.

“Come with me, Kiara,” he urged, his eyes too bright.  “I’ll take care of you.”

“No, Gavin,” she said as the first tendrils of real fear began to curl in her stomach.  “You have to leave.”  His eyes blazed at her words; his expression hardened. 

“Come with me willingly, Kiara,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, “or I will come back and take you.”

“My father will never allow it.  He’ll have you arrested,” she said, the fear growing with each passing second.  There was no trace of anything even remotely brotherly in his features anymore.  In those few moments, she had no doubt Gavin was every bit the lethal man her father said he was.  “If you don’t leave now, I’ll – I’ll scream.”

“Your father will not live through the night, Kiara.  Come with me while there is still a chance, or you will be dead, too.”

“Then you must protect him!” she insisted, pushing him away.  “That’s your job, Gavin!”

“It’s too late for that,” he told her regretfully.  Even as she spoke she heard shouts from out on the grounds.  “Last chance, Kiara.  Come with me.”

“No!”

A loud banging at her door had Gavin lurching toward the French doors.  Before he vaulted over the balcony railing, he looked back.  “Be ready for me, Kiara.  I won’t let them take you.”  And then he was gone.

Her father was breaking down the door the next minute.  Kiara pointed to the window, but Gavin was already gone.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” her father said, rocking her as she told him in between sobs of what Gavin had said.  “I should have done something about Gavin a long time ago.  I never realized just how far gone he was.”

“He said he’s going to come back for me, Dad.”

Danny Fitzpatrick stroked his youngest daughter’s hair.  “We won’t let that happen, baby.  I’m calling the police right now.”

But when the Senator lifted up the phone, it was dead.  So was the one in his room.  And the one in his office. 

The memory of that night replayed in her mind, a series of surreal images.  The phone lines had been cut.  Shortly afterward, the power went out, taking the security system with it. 

“Don’t worry,” her father had tried to reassure her, though she had seen the worry in his eyes. “The backup generator will kick in and an alarm will sound at the security company.”  But the backup generator didn’t come on, and the security company acted too late.

By the time dawn was rising over the Fitzpatrick estate, every member of the family – except Kiara – was dead or lay dying.  Kiara had been forced to watch, to listen as they were taken out one by one.  She’d actually managed to escape once, to find Nathan, after her mother, her father, her sister were gone.  But then they had found them, and then Nathan was gone, too.

As Gavin drove away with her bound and gagged in the back seat of her little car, she’d been in shock.  “I never wanted to hurt you, Kiara,” he told her.  “There was nothing I could do for your family, but I will save you.”

Thus began her nightmare.  Gavin took her to a “safe house”, as he called it.  After several attempts at escape, he chained her to a bed.  The chain was long enough that she could make it to the bathroom.  He left a supply of non-perishable food and water within reach, then left again, saying he would return.

He did, eventually, and that’s when she first noticed the healing gunshot and stab wounds.  How many had actually been inflicted by her father and brother before they died she didn’t know, but she was certain Gavin had added a few of his own to make it look as though he had tried to protect them.  As far as she knew, no one ever questioned it. 

Over the next few months he told her not to feel too bad about her family.  They were all going to be assassinated anyway, and she should be grateful that he saved her.  He loved her, he told her, and would take care of her, always.

At first she didn’t believe any of it, but over time he had told her too many details, known too many specifics, mentioned too many names for her to believe he had acted alone.  And she knew that if – when – she escaped, she could never go public.  She would be killed before she could open her mouth.

Over the years, Taryn would occasionally hear of the deaths of those Gavin had admitted were involved in the plot to take down her father.  She suspected that Gavin was taking them out, one by one, securing his father’s place in office.  From everything she’d been able to glean, however, the elder Howard knew nothing of his son’s plots.

Now there was only one other person who knew the truth, and someday, somehow, Taryn would bring him to justice.  Only then would she know peace.  But until then, this was a burden she had to bear alone, lest someone else’s blood fall upon her hands.

* * *

“I
can’t,” she answered Kane finally, her voice heavy with a sadness so profound his chest tightened.

“Why not?”

Taryn pushed back onto her knees, and this time, Kane allowed it.  The look on her face unnerved him; he had never seen so much pain in another’s eyes before.  “Because you are a good man, and your family shouldn’t have to lose you as I lost mine.”

“I’m not so easy to get rid of,” Kane told her.  Taryn smiled at him and kissed his cheek, but said nothing more on the subject.

“E
njoying yourself?”

Jake’s voice, whisper quiet, was as cold as ice.  Kane sighed as Kiara shifted in his lap at the sound of Jake’s voice.  Even in the dim glow of the embers, Kane could see that the expression on his brother’s face was not a happy one.

“Yes, actually,” he goaded, simply because he was the older brother and old habits were hard to break.  Knowing it would only inflame Jake further, he gently pushed a strand of hair away from her face.  She looked much younger in sleep, without all of the fear and worry weighing on her features.  Usually she placed herself behind him or across his back, so he didn’t get to see her clearly.  “She’s quite soft and warm.”

Jake growled low in his throat, just as Kane knew he would, satisfying that deeply ingrained piss-off-your-little-brother need that he had.

Very carefully so as not to disturb her, Kane extracted himself, tucking a pillow beneath her head and covering her with a blanket before leading Jake toward his bedroom where they could speak.  The lamps were already lit, allowing Kane to clearly see the daggers Jake was shooting at him with his eyes.  Even with several yards between them Kane could hear the grinding of his teeth.

“I asked you to guard her, Kane,” Jake hissed, “not seduce her.”

Kane pinned hard eyes on him, all traces of the softness Taryn had managed to put there quickly evaporating.  Having a little fun at his brother’s expense was one thing, but Kane would not tolerate any question of his honor.  “I did not seduce her.”

“Yeah, right,” Jake snorted.  “I suppose she just crawls into your lap on her own.”

“No.  She usually crawls onto my back or sneaks behind me when I’m sleeping.  This was a first.”

Jake’s eyes snapped to his.  There was no trace of amusement or sarcasm in Kane’s expression, just simple truth.  “Jesus Christ.  You’re not kidding, are you?”

Kane shot him a look intended to make Jake feel stupid for even asking.  Kane was
not
known for his sense of humor.  “She has nightmares,” he said by way of explanation, blowing out a breath.  “I don’t think they’re as bad when she’s not alone.”

“Since when have you grown a heart?”

Kane offered him a ghost of a smile.  “Don’t kid yourself, little brother.” 

“She gets to you, doesn’t she?”

Hell, yes, she got to him.  Those big purple eyes, her maddeningly stubborn demeanor, the way she curled up to him at night when she thought he was sleeping.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“How’s our girl?” Ian asked as he joined them from the hidden entrance.  Two sets of blue eyes remarkably like his regarded him.  Kane couldn’t help but wonder how Kiara would respond to their blatant claim of possession.

“Kiara is fine,” he said pointedly.  “Sleeping now, but she senses something.  She’s been wired ever since you guys started showing up early this morning.”

Jake nodded, as if he expected no less.  “We’ll have to wake her soon.  It’s best to move before dawn.” 

“To where exactly?” Kane asked, crossing his arms over his chest.  “I thought the Pub was being watched.”

“She’ll be safe enough with me,” Jake growled, his posture stiffening. 

“With
us
,” Ian corrected.  “We’ve got everyone in on this one, Kane.” 

“She’s safer here.  With me.”

Jake glared at him, the sheer emotion in his eyes proving Kane’s point.  Jake’s objectivity was questionable; he was too close to the situation be effective. 

“Kane,” Ian said, clearly sensing the approaching shit storm that was about to break loose. “Thanks for looking out for her, really.  But we’ve got this.”

Kane ignored him. “You’re thinking with your dick, Jake, and that’s only going to get her killed.”  Kane spoke quietly, but there was no mistaking the authoritative tone of his voice. 

“Excuse me?”  Jake asked incredulously, sure that he had heard wrong.

“Kiara stays put until the threat is identified.”

Blue flames lit Jake’s eyes.  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he hissed.

Kane met Jake’s stare evenly.  His stance was relaxed, casual, but no one was fooled.  “Do I look like I’m kidding?”

“You didn’t even want her here!” Jake spit out.  “We know the only reason you agreed to babysit is because Dad called you on it, Kane, until we shook off the feds.  If I recall correctly, you chewed my ass out for saddling you with such a – how did you put it?  Oh yeah – a ‘tremendous pain in the ass’.”

In his peripheral vision, Kane caught the slight movement in the shadows as the bedroom door opened slowly, forcing him to bite off the acidic retort before he could speak it.  How much had she heard?  If the stunned look on her face was any indication, she had heard more than enough.  For a brief moment, he felt a stab of sympathy for her, then reminded himself that sympathy wasn’t going to keep her safe.

Ian misunderstood Kane’s silence.  He and Jake were facing Kane.  They hadn’t seen Taryn emerge noiselessly behind them.  “Kane, you fulfilled your part of the bargain.  I’ve got your new sat system out in the truck, state of the art.  I’ll even hook it up before we leave.”

“
You.  Fucking.  Bastard
.”  Taryn’s voice was one of utter disbelief as she glared toward the three of them, focusing on Kane.  “I
trusted
you!”

“Kiara –“  Kane started, taking a step forward, but she pulled a 9 mm and pointed it right at him, stopping him in his tracks.

“Whoa, hold on there,” Jake said, holding his palms up to calm her.

Ian spoke up, using his most soothing voice.  “We are only trying to help you.”

As the reality of the situation sank in, her eyes grew impossibly wide.  “You know who I am?” she whispered.

Ian nodded.  Jake took a tiny step forward.  Taryn squeezed the trigger and buried a bullet in the hardwood flooring half an inch to the right of his extended foot.  “Don’t move,” she warned.  “How?” she glanced at Ian.  “How did you know?”

Ian exhaled heavily, then exchanged a glance with Jake.  “Jake lifted a print from your car and I ran it.”

“You did
what
?!?”  The color drained from her face.

“We knew you were in some kind of trouble.  We can help you.”

“The feds...  you said the feds... they know?”  She swayed a little, looking like she was going to be sick any minute, but her gun hand remained rock-steady.

“We think someone had your files tagged.”

“Oh, God.” 

“We can protect you,” Jake said. 

“
Oh, God
.”

She fired off two more shots with blinding speed, one at Ian’s feet and another at Jake’s as they attempted to move toward her once again.  “I said don’t move!” she said forcefully.  “All I wanted was to be left alone, to live in peace.  Why?”  She looked at each of them in horror.  “Why have you done this?”

Taryn began to cry.  Hot, angry tears coursed down her cheeks.  She looked at Kane, the betrayal in her eyes a tangible thing.  “You knew!  You fucking bastard!  This was all a big set up, wasn’t it?  You knew all along and you let me believe...  that you actually...”  Tears rolled down her face unchecked.  “Say something!” she yelled at him. 

Kane stepped away from the wall, toward her, his face unreadable.  The Iceman was once again in place.  “Put the gun down, Kiara.”  He took another step.

“Stop!” she warned him, planting a bullet near his foot.  He kept coming.

“Damn you, don’t make me do this,” she pleaded, backing into the doorway.  Kane took another step.  This time so did Jake.

The gun discharged; Jake went down.  “Son of a fucking bitch!” yelled Jake.  “She shot me!”

Mid-step, Kane twisted.  Another shot rang out, then Kane went down, too.

The sound of the front door slamming against the wall resounded throughout the room.  “Go after her, Ian,” Kane barked, before she gets herself killed!”