Soul of the Dragon (17 page)

“Sweet child, to come all this way. And so quickly, too. Peter said there were storms and you might not be here until tomorrow.”
 

“Uh, well, I was able to catch a flight.” She handed Aunt Ethel her gifts and waited while she oohed and ahed over the “special items.”
 

Alexa claimed the only empty chair and glanced around the room. “Bing said it was crowded in here. Doesn’t look crowded to me.”
 

Her father scowled. “Peter’s
fiancée
and her brother went to the cafeteria a minute ago. Ethel wanted a donut.”
 

Alexa wondered when Victoria had acquired a brother. She remembered the girl as an only child. That had always been Alexa’s impression, anyway.
 

“Now, don’t start scolding, Paul.” Ethel smoothed the blanket over her legs. “I had an ordeal. I think a little sugar will be a good boost to my system.”
 

“You have diabetes, Ethel. Your system is already in shock.”
 

Alexa forgot about Victoria’s brother with that revelation. “Diabetes? Since when? Are you on insulin?”
 

Ethel lifted her chin. “I
may
have diabetes, according to the doctor last week, but they aren’t sure yet. The doctor who examined me last night said my blood sugar was fine. And no, no insulin, I am simply to control my diet. Since I haven’t eaten all day, the donut will be a good thing.”
 

Paul’s scowl deepened. “You didn’t get served breakfast?”
 

“You know I don’t like eggs, Paul.”
 

“Or lunch?”
 

Ethel glanced at the wall clock. “It seems a little late, though I do believe I smell grilled cheese. It should be here shortly.”
 

As she finished speaking a willowy young woman entered the room. She smiled at Alexa and Peter, then brought Ethel a plastic-wrapped glazed donut. “Best I could do, Aunt Ethel. My brother is holding out for an éclair, but he’s not too hopeful.”
 

“Thank you, dear, this will be fine.”
 

Peter stood and slipped his arm around the woman’s waist. “Alexa, this is my fiancée, Victoria Chambers.”
 

“I remember your sister, of course, Peter. She’s the reason I passed math.” She smiled at Alexa again, but seemed as shy now as she had ten years ago.
 

“You got an A, as I recall. You just needed help focusing.” Alexa took in details without being obvious. Victoria wore a nice floral rayon dress, not designer but fairly new. Her shoes were inexpensive but leather, and well taken care of. Her long reddish hair was pulled back in a velvet scrunchy that matched the purple flowers on her dress. Her ears held tiny gold posts, her neck an old locket that Alexa remembered from high school.
 

She still, however, did not remember a brother. “I never met your brother, Victoria. When did that happen?”
 

The younger woman flushed with pleasure. “Well, he’s my stepbrother, actually. He’s eight years older and disappeared when I was pretty young. We recently reconnected.”
 

“How nice.” Alexa was just feeling foolish for her suspicions when the door began to open. The hair on the back of her neck lifted and she knew an instant before the man walked in who she would see.
 

Tars Suinn stepped into the room.
 

Alexa squelched her urge to leap up and yell, “You!” She also tamped down the need to point and call him an arsonist or, more appropriately, to wrestle him into handcuffs and haul him to the nearest police station. She simply sat where she was, the weight of the immeasurably higher stakes pressing her harder into her chair.
 

Tars allowed the door to close and met Alexa’s gaze with his own highly amused one. He gave a tiny quirk of one eyebrow at her lack of surprise, then followed the well-worn path to Ethel’s side.
 

“No éclairs, I’m afraid. I did manage to find an orange that looked pretty healthy, however.”
 

Alexa expected her aunt to beam at him the way she’d been beaming at everyone else. Instead she accepted the orange with a reserved “thank you” and picked up the magazine Alexa had brought her.
 

Aunt Ethel had always been a good judge of character.
 

Not so Peter, Alexa noted. He moved to Tars like a puppy to an old shepherd.
 

“Let me introduce you to my sister,” he said, pulling him by the elbow. Tars didn’t allow his annoyance to show, but Alexa felt it. She felt the entire roiling cauldron of emotion that boiled beneath his polished surface. And that would be to her advantage.
 

“Alexa Ranger, Tars Suinn.”
 

Alexa didn’t stand. Tars held out his hand but she didn’t reach for it. She had no need for pretenses in front of her family.
 

“I know Mr. Suinn,” she said, not looking away from the fiery pale blue eyes. Amusement sparked in them once again. “His holding company owns my former employer,” she said. “I wasn’t aware we had a past connection as well, however indirect.”
 

“I understand you once tutored my little sister.” He moved away to stand next to Victoria and behind Paul.
 

“I understand you weren’t around to do it.”
 

Victoria gasped and Peter gaped. Paul winked at her, though, and Alexa heard a “humph” from her aunt that was probably a smothered laugh.
 

“Yes, unfortunately I had a misspent youth. I was angry at my father and resentful of my stepmother and their favored child, and I ran away. We’ve all reconciled, however. And I am proud of the success I can bring to them.” He put his arm around Victoria, who hugged him and never stopped grinning.
 

“Tars has offered to…what did you call it?” She looked up at her brother. “Underwrite our wedding.”
 

Paul stood and turned. “He what?”
 

Peter stepped closer to his fiancée. “We had planned a small civil ceremony and a reception at the house. Now that that isn’t possible, Tars has generously offered the opportunity to have a traditional ceremony and a catered reception. We’d planned to start looking tomorrow,
but since Aunt Ethel—”
 

“Nonsense.” Ethel dropped her magazine to her lap. “I’m perfectly fine, going home in the morning. You two keep your plans. Especially now that you can do something worthwhile.”
 

Peter kind of grimaced. “I thought, since you were going to be staying with us for a while, we should be there.”
 

“Can’t you just give me a key? There’s no reason to stand on ceremony, boy. Don’t worry.”
 

“It’s okay,” Alexa told Peter. “I’m glad you two can have a storybook wedding. I’ll take care of Aunt Ethel.”
 

“You sure?” Peter asked, still looking uncertain.
 

“I do not need taking care of,” the older woman barked.
 

“I would be happy to offer the use of my car and driver,” Tars started to say, but Alexa cut him off.
 

“That won’t be necessary. I’ve got it covered.” Well, she would, anyway. She didn’t want the fiend to get any more entrenched in her family. Particularly since he was the one who’d uprooted them.
 

She didn’t know what his new game was. But she’d soon find out.
 

* * *
 

Alexa had planned to ask her family about the fire but was hampered by Tars’ presence. Victoria’s, too. Even if Peter’s fiancée had no idea of her brother’s situation, she was clearly enamored and would relay every word to him later. Alexa sighed and hunched deeper into her chair. This was getting more and more complicated.
 

“Ah, a full house.”
 

Alexa glanced up and saw a man who looked like the Addams Family’s Lurch in a lab coat. He consulted a clipboard, then asked Ethel how she felt.
 

“Fit as a fiddle. You took me off the oxygen. Why can’t I go home today?”
 

“You inhaled quite a bit of toxic smoke,” he told her, obviously not for the first time. “At your age, it’s better to be cautious.”
 

“But I can breathe fine,” she protested, inhaling noisily and ending with a few hacks. “See?”
 

Dr. Lurch smiled and patted her arm. “Tomorrow, Ethel, unless you get worse overnight. It’s not unusual for that to happen as you slough endobronchial debris.” He made a notation on the chart. “We’ll keep a close eye on your breathing today. Call the nurse if you have any problems.” He capped his pen and slid it into his coat pocket. “Any questions?” Ethel shook her head. “Then I’ll see you in the morning.” He started to leave. Alexa jumped up and followed him out. He was already halfway down the hall when she got there.
 

“Doc.”
 

He turned and lifted a brow. “Yes?”
 

“I’m Alexa Ranger. Ethel Ranger’s niece.”
 

“Oh, yes. Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand with his long-palmed one. “What can I do for you?”
 

“I just wanted to ask about her condition. My family isn’t the savviest, medically.”
 

“Certainly.” He consulted the chart in his hands. “Well, according to her description when she came in, she was in the kitchen fixing lunch when there was a loud explosion at the back of
the house. Smoke rolled through the open window before she could move, and she inhaled it.”
 

“Did she lose consciousness?”
 

He shook his head. “Not according to the report. Your father found her on her hands and knees on the floor, which was good. She was below the worst of the smoke. He got her out of the house.”
 

“And ran back in.”
 

“He told our ER resident that he went back to get his lockbox and it was hot. That’s how he burned his hand.”
 

Alexa knew he kept all his important papers in the metal box, which wasn’t fireproof. It wouldn’t have mattered, anyway, once the second blast hit. Nothing had survived the fire.
 

“So they’re both as fine as they say?”
 

Dr. Lurch smiled again. “Almost. Your father will need some follow-up care at his family doctor or the clinic. I sent some Silvadene ointment home with him. Your aunt will need to take it easy for a little while.”
 

“Thank you, doc.”
 

“My pleasure.” He cocked his head at her. “Will you be in town for long, Ms. Ranger?”
 

“Uh, I don’t know. Why?”
 

He folded his arms over the chart and looked at the floor. His voice lowered several decibels. “I thought maybe you would like to go to dinner.”
 

Surprised, Alexa didn’t react right away. “I’m afraid I won’t be in town long enough. I’m sorry. Maybe my next visit.”
 

“Certainly.” He smiled again and turned away, apparently not overly affected by her rejection. Alexa shook her head as she turned. In her current situation, being asked out was as alien as basking on the beach would be.
 

“The good doctor doesn’t fit into your plans?”
 

Alexa jerked back before she slammed into Ryc, who had once again materialized behind her.
 

“Will you please stop doing that!”
 

“Sorry.”
 

“No, you’re not,” she countered. “If you were, you’d stop.”
 

“You’re right. I like catching you off guard.”
 

“Why?”
 

Ryc wrapped his strong fingers around her shoulders, bent closer, and pressed his lips to hers. They moved gently and were gone before she could shove him away—or pull him closer.
 

“That’s why.” He placed one finger to her chin and lifted it to close her mouth. “It’s fun.”
 

Alexa cleared her throat and stalked down the hall in the direction the doctor had gone. “You’re right. That was fun,” she said sarcastically. “I’ll have to get a sign that says ‘lips off.’”
 

Ryc caught up to her. “I thought your aunt’s room was that way.” He aimed his thumb over his shoulder.
 

“It is.” Alexa lengthened her stride, not sure why but convinced Ryc and Tars could
not
meet. “I’m getting you away from it.”
 

“Why?”
 

She stopped at an exit door. “Do me a favor. Go check on Cyrgyn.” She told him how to get to the glade. “I’m worried he’ll be detected.”
 

Ryc studied her, his hands cupped over her shoulders again. Alexa liked the warmth seeping down into her. If only things were different…
 

But they weren’t. It wasn’t good that she had to keep reminding herself of that fact.
 

“Alexa, Cyrgyn can take care of himself.”
 

“So can I.”
 

“What’s going on?”
 

She tossed her ponytail. “You don’t trust me to handle things?”
 

His brow crinkled. “Usually, of course. But something odd is happening here.” His fingers tightened and she felt his tension mount. “Tell me.”
 

Alexa didn’t want to consider the consequences if Cyrgyn found out she was so close to Tars. “Later. I have to get back to my aunt.”
 

“Alexa…”
 

“Go.” She opened the door and shoved him out.
 

Not a moment too soon. When she started back down the hall, Peter came out of her aunt’s room.
 

“Whatcha doing?” he called quietly. Alexa waited until she got close to answer.