Hell Transporter (Between) (18 page)

He was the one who’d been flirting so why did I feel like I’d done something wrong, dammit?

When I turned back, he stood in the opening of the door, blocking my way. His voice was clear and steady, and his eyes held mine without apology.

“Lindsey, I know very well you’re intimidated by her body. And aye, she is beautiful.” The baldness of his statement was like a slap across the face. Seeing me blanch, he took my hands in his own and changed his tone. “But you’re the only lass for me. My heart belongs to you,
mo chridhe.
‘Tis why I asked you to be my bride, remember?” The sincerity in his voice helped cool my jets, but I wasn’t ready to let him off the hook.

“She wants you, Aiden. I can see it in her eyes.”

He twisted in the doorway, moving swiftly and pressing me against the wall of the office with his body. “It doesn’t matter what she wants. You’re the one that I
want.” He kissed me hard, claiming me as his possession, and blotting out all arguments I had about Mona. His hand cupped my breast and he whispered in my ear, “I’d be pleased to show you just how much I want ye, right there on the billiards table. But I don’t want you to lose your job, aye?” He sent me a mental image of his proposition. I flushed when I saw it and raked my fingernails down the front of his shirt.

“I’d love to. But you’re right, I would get fired.”

He laughed and picked up my book bag. “Come, then. I’ll walk ye home, love. Before we do something we shouldn’t.”

Chapter 23

The next weekend, Stephanie, Brandon, and his brother Brian were playing a corporate event in Salem, and she invited us to come. Brian was a little taller than his brother, but otherwise, they could have been twins. They even wore the same black-rimmed glasses. The trio was providing soothing background music at a hotel during the evening, and we tried to blend in with the rest of the guests as we listened to them play. Stephanie was in her element, the bow gliding effortlessly over the strings of her violin. There seemed to be an unspoken connection between the musicians that kept them perfectly in synch without even looking at one another. Their outfits were black and simple so as not to call attention to themselves, but I was fascinated by the vibrant artistry in their pieces. Stephanie had really grown in her skills, even from last year. Pride for my friend swelled in my chest and I wanted to give her a big, fat hug.

After the evening was over, the five of us went out to have dessert and celebrate the success of the event. Spirits were high, and there was an easy camaraderie between Stephanie, Brandon, and Brian that came from playing together all summer. Stephanie seemed oblivious to it, but it was clear to me that Brandon was totally into her. He sat next to her at every opportunity and his eyes lit up when she laughed. I remembered her outburst when I’d suggested that they were dating, though, and kept my mouth shut.

Brian had driven down from Portland for the gig, so we said goodbye to him outside the restaurant. The four of us piled into my car and headed back to the college. I covered a yawn with the back of my hand, since it was nearly one o’clock in the morning. Aiden gave my knee a quick squeeze as he followed suit. Stephanie and Brandon talked animatedly in the back seat like they’d just downed triple mochas. After dropping Aiden off at his place, I drove back to the school. In the parking lot, Brandon gave Steph a brief hug and thanked her again for such a great evening. Her face shone at his words and I thought for a moment I saw something between them, but then he turned and headed off to his dorm. I was so tempted to say something, but she was in a stellar mood and I didn’t want to ruin it.

The night air was cold and damp, and I pulled my coat tight around my shoulders. Steph didn’t seem to notice the chill, though. She was practically glowing. I laughed at her for being wound up like a kid on Christmas morning.

“You guys sounded great, really. Now I can see why you were such a hot ticket this summer.” I nudged her with one shoulder and she waved off the compliment, grinning from ear to ear. We ascended the torturous flights of stairs to our dorm room, chatting quietly.

Steph’s face changed from euphoria to fear as we rounded the corner and saw Micah sitting in front of the door to our room.

He leapt to his feet, livid. His eyes locked onto hers as he hissed, “Where the hell have you been?”

She stared at him, paralyzed. “I... I told you, I had the gig with Brandon and Brian in Salem tonight.”

The tremor in her voice made my blood run cold. I started to say something, but Micah cut me off as if I wasn’t there.

“Brandon! How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want you hanging out with him?” He grabbed her arm and she made a muffled sound of surprise.

“Hey!” I said, but he dragged her off to the stairs before I could stop them. I stared after them, openmouthed, unsure of what to do.

A couple hours later, Steph finally came back and crawled into bed. I woke up when she came in and I wanted to say something to her, but I knew it wasn’t the right time. Instead, I lay staring up at the bottom of Jen’s bunk bed and prayed until her breathing slowed and she fell asleep.

I tried to talk to Aiden about it over dinner at his place the next night, but he wasn’t much help.

“Did he hurt her?” he asked.

“Well, no. I mean, he just grabbed her arm. But it was the look in his eye and the tone of his voice more than anything. She was afraid of him.”

He took a deep breath and held it, choosing his words carefully. “You know that I don’t care overmuch for Micah, but I can also see his point. Brandon does have an eye for Stephanie—you saw it yourself. Were I in Micah’s shoes, I wouldn’t like her spending so much time with him, either. Now mind you, I wouldn’t have gone about it the same way, but Micah’s none so bright, aye?”

“So what if I was hanging out with Ravi? Would that bother you?” I was baiting him and I knew it, since I had no desire to hang out with Ravi, but I was a little peeved at him for taking Micah’s side.

He nodded unapologetically. “It would. ‘Tis not that I don’t trust you. I do. I just don’t trust him.”

“But we’re in the band together! Are you saying you want me to quit the band?” My tone made it clear I had absolutely no intention of quitting, regardless of his answer. Aiden remained calm as ever, which only served to annoy me further.

“Of course not. You love it.”

“And Stephanie loves playing the violin. So she should just stop because Micah doesn’t trust Brandon?”

He frowned at me. “That’s not what I said.” He looked like he wanted to end the conversation, but I was just getting started.

“And what about Mona? You told me I shouldn’t be jealous of her, even though she was obviously coming on to you in the game room. How is that any different? I don’t trust her as far as I could kick her!” My voice had started to get screechy in indignation.

He sighed heavily, running his hand over his mouth and down his chin. “Mona is a woman. There is naught she can do to me if she doesn’t get what she wants. It’s different with a man who can harm a lass in order to get his way.”

I barked out a laugh. “You think Ravi would hurt me?”

Aiden shook his head and picked up my hand, squeezing it lightly to draw my attention back to his face. “No. I just said that I don’t trust him. ‘Tis my job to protect you and knowing how he feels about you, I wouldn’t like him to be tempted, is all.” His eighteenth-century view on women was rubbing me the wrong way, but I could see arguing was getting me nowhere, so I kept silent. He went into the kitchen to refill his drink, then turned to me as if he’d just remembered something.

“Ian has asked me to accompany him to the casino in Lincoln City this weekend. Sarah wanted to know if you and your friends would come stay with her. She said she’d like to spend time with you doing cooking and crafts. Would you be amenable to that?”

“What about the hell transporter?” I asked.

He froze with the glass halfway to his mouth.

“Have you—“ he started, but I cut him off.

“No, but for a while there, you wouldn’t let me out of your sight and now you’re leaving for a whole weekend to go gambling? It’s not Ravi you should be protecting me from, is it?”

Aiden looked like I’d hauled off and punched him. I had crossed a line and I knew it, but I was pissed. An array of emotions passed over his face but he said nothing. The silence hung between us like sides of beef in a cold locker, swaying back and forth, chilling me to the bone.

“You’re right. I won’t go,” he said finally, his voice full of self-reproach.

I don’t know what I expected, but all of a sudden I felt like a worm. One minute we’re fighting about Ravi—of all people—and the next, I’m raking him across the coals about the hell transporter.

Nice.

“No, I want you to go. It’s just… “ Frustrated, I rubbed the bridge of my nose and tried to think clearly. “I don’t know what we’re doing about it. Are we just waiting for it to attack again? What kind of plan is that?” Aiden sat down at the table, his gaze boring into the wood grain as his mind worked. Unable to sit still, I jumped up and began pacing.

“It could happen again at any time and I need to be there with you,” he said.

“To do what? How is that going to get us any closer to killing it?”

“It’s not,” he conceded. “We haven’t any idea where it is. If we could but locate it, I could trap it. If I could get my hands on it…” His fingers curled into tight fists.

A thought occurred to me and I stopped. “Wait a minute. We know it can control my mind, so maybe… Maybe the connection works the other way, too.”

“You’re going to try and control its mind? Even if you were able, how would that help?”

The idea built within me and I started to get excited. “No, not control it exactly, though that might be something to consider. I was thinking I might be able to just… you know, get in there. Look around. Figure out where it’s hiding.”

Aiden’s eyes grew wide. “And you think you can?”

“I have no idea, but it’s worth a shot. We don’t have anything else to go on.”

Aiden nodded, though I could tell he had reservations about it. Striding over to the couch, I sat down and took a deep breath, trying to cleanse my mind and focus on the transporter.

“Now?” Aiden’s incredulous voice broke into my thoughts at the same time I felt his weight next to me on the cushion.

“No time like the present,” I said with more confidence than I felt. Closing my eyes, I pictured the beast, with its reptilian skin, razor-sharp claws and blood red stare. A shudder ran through me. Aiden took my hand and started rubbing little circles over my fingers. Envisioning the monster as it appeared to me in the band room, I tried to connect with it the way I sent thoughts and pictures to Aiden, but without anything specific in mind. My senses came alive, noting the hum of the refrigerator and Aiden’s breathing beside me, the feel of the worn fabric couch beneath me, and the taste of garlic on my tongue from dinner. I waited, channeling all my energy toward the transporter.

Nothing happened.

It was as if I were trying to read Stephanie’s mind or connect with Jennifer telepathically. Maybe I was transmitting but there was no receiver. Blinking at the brightness in the room, I shook my head at Aiden.

“It didn’t work.”

“This time,” he said, earning a lopsided smile from me. “We’ll try again later. Perhaps I’ll try as well. And I won’t leave your side until we find a way.”

“No. I mean, yes, we can keep trying, but I want you to go on your weekend with Ian.” He started to protest, but I shut him down. “We can’t let the hell transporter dictate our lives. If we spend every moment being afraid, then it’s won. I’ll be here with Sarah, so you don’t need to worry. I’ll ask Jen and Steph to come, too. It’ll be fun.” He looked doubtful, but nodded. “But I have to ask: why the casino? You don’t have any money to gamble, I’m sure.”

“Aye, that’s true. Ian does, though, and he likes the way I play cards. He told me I can have half of the winnings.”

I cocked an eyebrow at him. “And pay half the losses?”

“Och, ye don’t have much faith in me, lass.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a teasing smile. “Oh, I have lots of faith in you. It’s the casino I don’t trust.”

“Touché,”
he said, then told me to be quiet in Gaelic and saw to it himself by sealing my mouth with a kiss.

Chapter 24

Jen couldn’t make it because her oldest brother was getting married that weekend, but Steph agreed to hang out with me and Sarah while Ian and Aiden were at the casino. Sarah was beside herself excited to have two college girls to spoil. When she rattled off the list of things she had planned to keep us occupied, I nearly burst out laughing. There was no way we’d get all those things done in just two days. Still, her enthusiasm was infectious. And it didn’t take long before Steph fell in love with her just like I had.

“She’s like the best grandma ever. Can I keep her?” Steph whispered.

Tying a ruffled apron around her ample waist, Sarah called for us to join her in the kitchen. In her slow, southern drawl, she patiently explained how to make a perfect pie crust. “The trick is to have all your ingredients ice cold—even the flour—and to mess with them as little as possible.” She grabbed the butter out of the freezer and I watched in fascination as she shredded it with a cheese grater. “All those little pieces of butter will nestle into the flour and then melt when we bake the pie, creating a flaky crust with little drops of heaven in every bite.” She winked at Steph, who grinned broadly in response.