Du Rose Family Ties

by Bowes, K T

  “You’re not touching my son!” Hana’s green eyes flashed with a mother’s fury as she watched him pass her. He laughed, a cruel, hollow sound and moved to her marital bedroom where she heard him flinging things around. The sound of shattering glass identified Logan’s aftershave as the most recent casualty but she stood her ground; protecting her son.

  Asher wreaked destruction on the upstairs level as he went, tossing off sheets and knocking things over. He paused in front of Hana, his chest almost touching hers. “Did you hide it in here?” he demanded, his tone sing-song as though he thought it a game.

  “The only thing in there is my son.” She said it through gritted teeth and Asher snorted.

  “Yeah, that’s right. He is your son. Not Logan’s though, hey?”

  Hana’s eyes narrowed and her redheaded temper flared. “You know nothing about genetics, do you, Asher? But then I guess you didn’t stay in school so what can I expect? Mac is Logan’s son and when we’re gone, he’ll inherit everything you ever wanted, money, land, fortune; all of it.”

  “That whenua is mine!” Something in Asher’s eyes snapped and Hana regretted going so far. She held her nerve and did what it took to protect Mac. She shook her head, willing courage from her stomach into her chest.

  “Never. Logan paid for that land with hard cash and blood. You don’t get to take it back. No matter what you do, Asher, it’ll never be yours. Get over it.” She kicked him hard in the shin, her foolishness evident in his reaction. She made the confrontation physical and he responded in kind. Slender hands forced their way around her throat and Asher’s grey eyes turned to gun metal, hazing over as Hana fought for breath. She kicked out again but Asher dodged the blow, ramming her head against the doorframe as punishment.

  “Not so damn mouthy now, are we, Hana? You just don’t know when to shut up.” His thumbs pressed against her larynx and Hana saw lights flash in her vision as he cut off her airway. Her brain screamed for oxygen, begging her to fight. She scrabbled at his hands, digging in her nails and re-enacting a primeval desire to survive. She gouged his skin and he hissed in pain. Asher’s rational mind whispered sense over the anger and she saw the moment come and go in his stormy Du Rose eyes.

  “Stop!” The commanding voice resonated around the hallway, seeming to bounce off each of the walls in turn. Asher’s vice ended and Hana sank to the floor with a strangled breath, clawing at her painful throat.

  “Uncle Linc.” Asher backed away from Hana, his gaze darting between her and the imposing man standing at the head of the stairs. “It’s not how it looked. I wouldn’t really do it.”

  Lincoln took a step forward and Asher reversed until his spine touched the doorframe to Hana’s bedroom. “You okay, Hana?” Linc asked.

  She tried to nod, the action painful. Rage blossomed in her heart and she clambered upright, resuming guard duty for her defenseless son. Asher’s face darkened. “Don’t ask her if she’s okay!” he exploded. “It’s all her fault. Everything went wrong the minute she turned up.”

  Lincoln looked at Hana and then back to Asher. The rage inside her increased. “He’s lying! The Du Roses were screwed long before I married Logan. Don’t you dare hold me responsible for your family’s stupidity!” She rubbed at her throat with her left hand, the other braced against the doorframe.

  “It’s true, Uncle Linc. She turned up and then Poppa Reuben died, Dad lost the farm, Kane and Caroline left and then Tama went to live with her.” He spat the final word, jabbing the air with his index finger to list his grievances. “Then Mum got sick and left and Logan made Dad throw me off the property. I’ve got nothing and it’s all down to her. She’s taken everything, even my baby brother!”

  Hana shook her head at the blatant truth twisting. “You’re such a liar,” she hissed, knowing she diced with death.

  “Enough.” Lincoln sounded calm; a man who’d witnessed more prison fights than prison dinners. “Asher get out.”

  “No!” Hana ventured from Mac’s doorframe, pulling the door closed behind her and holding onto the handle. With the other hand she grappled in her pocket and pulled out her phone. “I’m calling the cops. He just tried to kill me. I’ll call my son.” She fumbled with the keypad, alarmed when Lincoln snatched it from her fingers.

  “No, you won’t. That’s not how we deal with things.” Lincoln held the phone above his head and Asher’s face lit up in victory.

  “No, that’s not how we deal with things,” he parroted, taunting Hana with an upturned mouth and spiteful sneer.

  Tears of anger gave her green eyes a metallic sheen as she delivered her ace. She’d heard that sentence too many times before to feel intimidated at its utterance anymore. “Maybe not.” She lifted her chin and glared at them both. “I’ll let my husband think of a more permanent solution.” She forced her shoulders into a shrug and watched Lincoln’s left eyebrow raise in surprise. “Get out of my house!” she shouted. “Both of you!”

  She didn’t give them time to respond. Slipping inside the baby’s bedroom she closed the door behind her with a satisfying click. The wood felt solid beneath her palm and she waited for a moment, her body aching from the excess adrenaline coursing through her veins. “Why do they always try to strangle me?” she whispered to the silent room, stroking the painful skin beneath her throat. “Can’t they think of something else?”

  The irony of the question brought a bubble of mirth to the surface at the ludicrousness of her thoughts. She sighed. “Thank goodness they haven’t.” Hana stumbled across to her baby’s cot, peeking over the sides into his open green eyes. He beamed at her and kicked his legs, one tiny foot bare and the sock waving in his hand. He squeaked with pleasure at her presence and Hana wrinkled her nose at the gift in his nappy. “I’m so grateful you heard none of that,” she breathed, his innocence like a balm to her soul.

  Hana dealt with her son’s bum and carried him downstairs, grateful for the closed front door at the bottom of the stairs. Unable to find the key, she shot the bolt across and hurled the dirty nappy onto the fire in the lounge. “Shall we get a nice drink?” she asked Mac, kissing his button nose and carting him through to the kitchen to heat up a bottle.

  “I made tea.” Lincoln’s voice brought Hana to a skidding halt in the doorway, anger crossing her face like a hot flame.

  “I don’t care. I asked you to leave.”

  Lincoln shrugged. “I heard ya.” He reached for his mug and took a sip of the dark brown liquid. Hana snatched a bottle from the fridge and Mac’s legs wiggled against her painful hip. His fingers opened and closed in anticipation as though reminded of why he’d woken. He grizzled and pushed his face against her shoulder while the bottle rotated in the microwave, filling with heat and zaps of radiation. Hana pulled it out after thirty seconds and he grabbed it with clumsy fingers and helped the teat into his eager mouth.

  Hana glanced at the clock. “Logan will be home in a minute. Then you’ll leave.”

  Lincoln put his elbows on the table. “Why? Because I stayed to make sure you were okay or because I didn’t call the cops?”

  “Both. And give my phone back!” Hana sat down opposite, near enough to the door to escape if needed.

  “It’s behind you.” Lincoln watched her through narrowed eyes as she turned her head and spotted it next to the kettle. “You’re a surprise, Hana Du Rose. I expected a timid little flower who did what Logan said and popped out babies to order.” He cocked his handsome face to one side and Hana noticed a scar along his jawline where the stubble didn’t grow. “You’re like the old kuia reincarnated.”

  Hana blinked with deliberate slowness to illustrate her annoyance and refused to meet his eye. “Just leave; I don’t want you here.”

  “I need to see Logan.”

  “Then wait outside!”

  “I’m fine here, but thanks.”

  “Then I’ll go.” Hana scraped her chair back and Lincoln shook his head, standing opposite and dwarfing her.

  “No, sit there. I�
��ll get a cold pack for your throat. Do you have frozen peas?”

  Hana shrugged, not sure what Leslie packed away in the fridge and cupboards. “I don’t know. There’s another freezer in the laundry at the end of the hall.”

  Lincoln nodded and left the room, returning with a packet of frozen stir fry mix. Hana gave him a disparaging look and he laughed. “Have it for dinner with the potatoes.” He jerked his head towards the browning vegetables on the draining board and Hana groaned.

  “I forgot about those.”

  Lincoln left her holding the baby as Mac fed himself back to sleep. To Hana’s surprise, Linc rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands and finished peeling the potatoes, putting them into a water filled saucepan. “You’ll expect a dinner invitation next,” she said with sarcasm as Mac pushed the empty bottle out of his mouth with his lips.

  “Was that it?”

  “What?”

  “The invitation.” Lincoln smirked as he dried his hands on a cloth and sat opposite Hana. “It would give me a chance to get to know you.”

  “I don’t want you to know me!” Hana snapped, lifting Mac over her shoulder and feeling embarrassed by the burp which popped from his lips.

  “So why does it matter what I think of you then?” Lincoln watched her exasperation with amusement, qualifying his question. “You seemed keen to make me believe Asher was a liar, rather than you being a trouble maker.”

  “I really don’t care what you think.” Hana pulled the packet of floppy vegetables away from her throat and flung them onto the table. “If you want to blame me, then do it. Logan knows I caused none of it and it’s his opinion that matters; nobody else’s.”

  “Good answer. But I don’t believe Asher, for what it’s worth. Reuben caused his own catastrophes in life and from what I remember of the man, he took ownership of every one of them.” Lincoln’s brow furrowed. “Kane and Caroline were a surprise though. Let’s hope they don’t breed.”

  Hana looked up from her son’s sleeping face. “I think they’re trying to.”

  Lincoln pulled an expression which showed open distaste. “Isn’t it illegal?”

  “You know about them?” Hana’s eyes widened. “About them being related.”

  “Half brother and sister? Yeah, I worked it out. I thought everyone knew.”

  “Nobody mentioned it. They mustn’t know otherwise they wouldn’t be together.”

  Lincoln shook his head. “Don’t bank on it, Hana. Some families are stranger than fiction.”

  Hana rolled her eyes. “This one is for sure.” She sighed. “I wanted to see Anahera to ask her if Wiri could visit. He’s struggling and I don’t know how to fix it.”

  “So why didn’t you?” Lincoln fixed a steady gaze on Hana’s face. “Why run away?”

  “You’re having an affair!” Hana’s voice raised in irritation. “Nev’s my brother-in-law. You can’t think I’d chat to you both and show photos of Wiri and then come home and say nothing.” She glared across the table. “I can’t stand cheats!”

  Lincoln raised an eyebrow and nodded, the action slow. “Is that the problem between us, Hana? You hate me because you think I’m a cheat.”

  Hana patted her son’s back and thought about the question without answering. She reasoned through her feelings about Lincoln Haines, picking through the remnants of their very first meeting and cringing. “It’s part of it,” she admitted. “But our first meeting involved you threatening to shoot Sacha.”

  “Followed by you threatening to shoot me in the balls.” Lincoln grinned. “Doesn’t that make us even?”

  Hana closed her eyes and absorbed the peace coming from Mac’s steady breathing and the beat of his tiny, regular heart against her collar bone. “I don’t know anymore.”

  “I’m not having an affair with Anahera.” Lincoln pushed his mug away. “I went to get answers.”

  “Why?” Hana screwed her face up in disbelief. “What could she possibly know?”

  “She gave someone an alibi which led to my arrest. I wanted her to validate it to my face.”

  Hana shook her head and Mac shifted against her chest. “I don’t buy this; you put your arm around her. That’s more than asking questions.” She ran a hand across her throat and winced.

  “I didn’t know she’d get so distressed.” Lincoln jerked his head towards Hana’s throat. “Put the cold pack on it.”

  “It’s defrosted. I don’t know if I want to eat it.”

  “Nobody will know.” Lincoln smirked. “Unless you tell them.”

  Hana’s brow knitted and she stood, hoisting Mac higher over her shoulder. “Well, that’s it right there.” Her smile looked sad as she turned away from him. “That’s the difference between you and me.”

  Chapter 45

  Threats and Promises

  Hana didn’t expect Lincoln Haines to still be sitting in her kitchen when she returned. Her neck felt better after a period of sponging it in the bathroom with a cold flannel. Mac snoozed in his cot upstairs and Hana rolled her eyes with annoyance as she turned up the monitor on the kitchen counter and faced the stable manager. “Why are you still here?” She put the potatoes onto the stove to boil and waited for his answer, tipping a block of mince into a frying pan.

  “I don’t wanna be like this with you.” Lincoln’s brow narrowed in a flickering movement as he rubbed a hand across his chin bristles. Hana watched his reflection in the kitchen window and shook her head.

  “It doesn’t matter; we don’t have to see each other and I can be civil.”

  “It does matter!” Lincoln stood, his jaw flexing. “I’m not a liar, Hana. Please believe that.”

  Hana pointed the wooden spoon at him. “You had an affair and cheated on your wife, killed a woman and went to prison. I caught you with your arm around my sister-in-law, you wouldn’t call the cops on Asher and now you want me to feed my family something I wouldn’t eat.”

  “I threw it in the bin; the stir-fry.” Lincoln’s gaze bored into her face, his need for her approval unsettling. “And I didn’t have an affair or kill a woman.” He licked his lips and stood, thrusting knuckled fists deep into his jeans pockets.

  Hana paused with the spoon in the air, dripping juice into the mince. “You didn’t cheat?”

  Lincoln twisted his face, causing a dimple in one cheek. The large man looked cowed. “I cheated but not in an affair.”

  “What other kind of cheating is there?” Hana waved the spoon in exasperation. “You bumped uglies with someone who wasn’t your wife!”

  Lincoln snorted. “Bumped uglies. That’s gross even for me.”

  Hana shook her head and stabbed at the meat. “I don’t care, Lincoln. Please go away.”

  “The woman I slept with took payment, Hana. I didn’t have an affair with her.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Logan keeps all that stuff away from the township. You’re lying again.”

  “Logan wasn’t here when it started.” Lincoln pushed his backside against the counter and chewed his lip. “While he stayed away in England, the township went to hell in a handcart. Reuben focussed on chasing out the drug dealers selling to his boys, but he didn’t have the motivation to deal with anything else. Alfred spent his time ruining the hotel business and fighting Jack over the running of the beef herd and stables.”

  Hana winced at the mention of Jack and gave an involuntary shiver. “Please don’t talk about him.”

  “Okay.”

  Hana sighed and went back to stabbing the mince as it turned from red to brown. The potatoes bubbled on the stove. “If this woman sold sex for a living, the police would know that another of her clients might have killed her. Why were you convicted?”

  Lincoln sat down in a chair and rested his arms on the table; the slump in his shoulders showing defeat. “Pania had a private arrangement between a few of the local men. After she died, the cops found evidence I’d been with her and managed to make a case around an illicit affair. Serves me right.” He raised his mug i
n salute. “Is a decade in prison serving a manslaughter conviction enough punishment for you?”

  “I don’t know. It’s none of my business. Why would you spend so long locked up for something you didn’t do? What if the client wasn’t local that one time and killed her?”

  “It couldn’t be a stranger. We had an arrangement and there were only four of us in it. Two died while I was in prison and the other one had a cast iron alibi at the time Pania died.” His eyes flickered closed, shutting Hana out of his innermost thoughts. “Nobody wants to talk about it now. I paid the price and in their eyes; it’s done.”

  “You said Anahera alibied someone. Who?”

  Lincoln shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. He wasn’t involved and she stood by her statement. I upset her and it wasn’t fair. It was just a longshot.”

  “Were you the last person to see her alive?” Hana laid the spoon down and turned to give him her full attention.

  “Apparently.” Lincoln gave her a sad smile. “Biggest mistake of my life seeing her that day. I argued with Fiona about trying for a baby. She kept putting me off because of her career and refused to discuss it, so I drove away and went to someone who made me forget my problems. Instead it detonated my life from the inside out.”

  Hana shook her head. “That’s so messed up on too many levels to count.” She resumed her stirring. “My son’s a police officer and often deals with murder enquiries; I’ll ask him to look into it. There might be things they overlooked back then which could exonerate you now. Maybe if Fiona knew you were innocent, she might want to reconcile.” Hana narrowed her eyes and glanced at him sideways. “I wouldn’t but she might be more forgiving.”