Merchants with Evil Intent (45 page)

      
“What are you smilin’ aboot, John
O’Mara?” she grinned.

      
He reached across the table and took her
hands into his. “Your eyes,” he replied seriously.

      
A smile tugged at her lips. She liked the
fact he was flirting with her. In fact, she liked it very much.

*
     
*
     
*

      
“Get back in the house, Camryn,” Declan
roared, cradling Nellie against his chest.

      
“Is she okay?” Camryn whimpered.

      
“Just get back in the house,” he said
softly as he brushed past her. When she didn’t move he turned and pinned her
with a stare.

      
She lifted her chin. “I asked if she’s
okay.”

      
His voice broke as he lifted Nellie away
from him, revealing a piece of paper held in place by a knife in her stomach.
“Nay, she’s not all right.”

      
“Oh my God!”
Camryn cried.

      
Light spilled from the windows exposing
the words written on the paper. She brought her hand to her mouth in horror.

      
“Gel, please. It’s no’ safe for you out
here. I’ll be in shortly.”

      
She nodded and walked towards the house,
scanning the landscape for any sign of movement.

      
Declan sighed heavily as he laid Nellie
on the ground next to the patio under the wooden awning. He made the sign of
the cross over his chest. “I’m sorry I wasna there to protect you, gel.”

      
He hurried back into the house locking
the door behind him. Camryn stood unnaturally still in the kitchen with her
arms wrapped around her sides. Her bottom lip quivered when he walked past her.

      
After he retrieved a plastic bag from the
cabinet he went into the den and took the afghan from the back of the couch and
headed outside.

      
Lightening sizzled across the sky and was
followed closely by thunder as Declan put the plastic bag over his hand and
gently withdrew the knife from Nellie’s stomach. The wind snatched up the paper
but Declan snatched it in the air and shoved it into the bag as well.

      
Afterwards he solemnly covered Nellie
with the afghan, promising he’d see to a proper burial in the morning.

      
When he went inside he noticed that
Camryn hadn’t moved.

      
“You’ll need to get out of those wet
clothes,” he murmured. When she didn’t acknowledge him he lowered his head to
meet her gaze. She stared at him, unblinking.

      
“Camryn?” he frowned. When she didn’t
reply he lifted her chin.
“Gel?
Say somethin’.”

      
She was out of it. He pulled out his
mobile and called Ian.

      
“You need to come to Teaghan’s,” Declan
murmured. “Orlov knows where Camryn is and sent a warning.”

      
After he disconnected the phone he
carefully picked her up and carried her to her room.

      
He placed on the chair in front of the
fireplace and got a fire burning to warm her. Afterwards, he dried her hair
with a towel, hoping she’d come back from wherever she was.

      
When that didna work he began to remove
her wet jumper.

      
Finally, she spoke.

      
“I’m next,” she said quietly.

      
“No, you’re no’,” he replied gruffly,
lifting the jumper over her head.

      
She nodded. “Yeah, I am. It’s only a
matter of time.”

      
He knelt on the floor in front of her. “I
vow, you’ll no’ be next.”

      
“But…” she trailed off.

      
“But nothin’.
If
anyone is next, it’ll be him,” Declan replied through clenched teeth.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Viktor laughed as he stood under the hot
water spray in the shower. He hoped to see Corrigan jogging, like the night
before, but the dog worked well too.

      
He’d let things simmer down for a day or
two.

      
He’d grab Camryn, do whatever he wanted
to do with her for a few days, then lure Corrigan and kill her in front of him.

*
     
*
     
*

      
After Declan and Camryn changed into dry
clothes they went downstairs and he started a fire in the den.

      
John was right. She should go back to
Chicago sooner than later. Viktor wouldn’t think of going back to the states.
But what if he went after Declan instead?
Or Siobhan?
She didn’t want to be responsible for their deaths as well.

      
She watched as he added peat to the fire.
He hadn’t said a word to her for the past half hour. She shook her head. She’d
stay and lure Viktor out of hiding. Then whatever happened, happened.

      
The back door slammed causing both of
them to jump.

      
Declan retrieved the gun from his ankle
holster and put a finger over his lips.

      
“Declan?” Ian roared.

      
Declan released his held breath and
holstered his gun.
“Aye, in the den.”

      
John ran in, raising his eyebrows to
Declan, who shrugged in response. Camryn sat in the corner of the couch with
her legs pulled up to her, trembling.

      
“Declan? Do you have a blanket? My girl’s
cold.” John asked, wrapping his arms around his daughter.

      
“She’s in shock,” Declan replied in a
strained voice.

      
Siobhan and Ian entered, measuring the
heaviness of the room.

      
“Tea or somethin’
stronger?”
Siobhan asked timidly.

      
John pushed the hair away from Camryn’s
face and she didn’t flinch. Not pulling his eyes away from her, he replied,
“Whiskey and lots of it.”

      
Siobhan nodded and set about her task.
Ian’s eyes shifted from Camryn back to Declan.

      
“Dec, we need to talk, aye?”

      
Declan pinned him with a steely gaze
before walking to Camryn. He knelt in front of her, pulling her chin to look at
him.

      
“I’ll be right back.” When she didn’t
respond he released a frustrated sigh and kissed her gently on the forehead.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Ian and Declan were discussing the
situation in the kitchen, awaiting the Garda, when Siobhan returned after
bringing a bottle of whiskey and two glasses to John.

      
“The poor ting hasna moved,” she tsked.

      
Declan glanced at his ma wearily and
nodded as he strode towards the den.

      
When he approached he heard soft
murmurings.

      
“He’s upset with me because of Nellie,”
Camryn murmured. “It’s my fault she’s dead.”

      
John rubbed his hand up and down her arm.
“I’m sure he’s upset about Nellie, but honey, I’m sure he’s
more
upset that Orlov knows where you
are.”

      
Declan entered the room and cleared his
throat. “John, if ya don’t mind, may I have a moment with Camryn?”

      
John reluctantly nodded and planted a
kiss on the top of her head before leaving.

      
Her legs were drawn to her chest and she
rested her chin on her knees. He sat next to her and ran his hand gently over
her hair.

      
“I’m so sorry about Nellie,” she
whispered. Then her voice cracked. “I’m also sorry about bringing a lunatic
into your life. I should’ve stayed in Chicago.”

      
“Camryn,” he sighed. His jaw clenched
when she didn’t lift her head. “Dammit gel, look at me!”

      
Her eyes were puffy and she chewed on her
bottom lip. “Are ya sayin’ that what happened between us shouldn’t have then?”

      
She released a frustrated sigh. “No, I’m
saying you’d be better off if I wasn’t here.”

      
He frowned when Ian interrupted them.
“Dec?
The Garda are here.”

      
He nodded once and turned his attention
to Camryn. “I didna have much of a life before we met, so don’t be sayin’ I’d
be better off without you,” he said curtly.

*
     
*
     
*

      
A week passed and the air at Teaghan’s
was rife with tension.

      
Declan was at his wit’s end with Camryn.
She had withdrawn and spent most of the time in her room, only leaving it for
meals.

      
That is, when she’d eat.

      
Aye, she was pissed at him; especially
when he put his foot down and told her she wasna allowed to leave Teaghan’s
until Orlov was apprehended.

      
Declan spent a lot of time outside,
hoping to lure Orlov from hiding.

      
One day, after breakfast, Ian proposed
the idea of using Camryn as bait. Declan didna know who was more outraged by
the suggestion, him or John. In any event Ian was damn lucky his ma intervened.

      
Declan jogged a lot on the strand in the
past week. It used to help clear his mind, now all he did was
think
.

      
He slowed his pace and bent at the waist
resting his hands on his knees.

      
He heard her laughing in her room the
previous night. His heart ached because she wasna laughing with him. He crept
from his room and rested an ear against her door.

      
He frowned when he only heard her voice.

      
Declan stretched and began running.

      
He wondered if she had been talking to
Devin or Dylan, whatever his name was.

      
The thought made him run faster, harder.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Calling Tamara helped Camryn’s psyche.
She had a knack for making Camryn feel better.

      
She told her about Declan. She tried to
explain how Declan looked, but thought a picture was worth a thousand words.

      
 
She
snapped a photo with her cell phone through her bedroom window while he jogged
on the strand.

      
Afterwards, Cam’s phone rang and she held
it away from her ear while Tamara squealed loudly on the other end.

      
She sat on the chair in front of the
fireplace in her room and held her cell phone. She pulled up the picture of
Declan and smiled wistfully.

      
They had barely talked in the past week,
especially when he forbid her from going outside. She lifted her chin to him
and mocked, ‘
Ya
willna be goin’ ootside, gel!’ before
she stomped upstairs to her room.

      
She had a lot of time to think during her
self-imposed solitary confinement.

      
The expression on Declan’s face when she
told him she couldn’t chuck her life in the states tormented her.

      
Her words stung him and her heart pinched
remembering his expression.

      
She stood and stretched. She knew what
she needed to do.

      
It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was
the only logical, sensible conclusion.

      
No matter how much it would hurt.

Chapter
15

      
Joe sighed when he hung up the phone.
Camille eyed him cautiously.

      
“They’re putting me on desk duty for
another week,” he growled.

      
“What’s another week? Besides, you
shouldn’t be out chasing bad guys after recovering from a concussion.”