Atonement

by Winter Austin

  The hard-ass general who commanded men and respect was revealed in that moment.

  “That, Detective, is none of your concern.” William about-faced and began to march out of the room.

  “When she wakes, I’ll be sure to mention that you paid her a visit.”

  The general paused at the door, glanced at Con, emotionless, then exited the room.

  “Don’t let him fool you,” Nic whispered. “He’s a cold-hearted bastard.”

  “You were awake?”

  She rolled onto her back and gingerly pushed herself into a sitting position. “From the moment he walked in. Do you know you snore?”

  “Only if my head is cranked back wrong. How did you not flinch when he touched you?”

  Her narrowed gaze bored holes into the door. “Years of practice playing dead.”

  Con sat on the edge of the bed. He itched to take her hand and keep it clasped between his, but with the charged energy rolling off of her, he thought better of it.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I want to go home to my own bed. If one more nurse comes in here to check my pulse I might slug her or him.”

  Con smiled; he couldn’t help it. “And here I thought the good doc slipped you a sedative to get you to sleep through all of that.”

  “Did I mention I used to play dead to avoid detection?”

  “How’s your head?”

  She pressed her fingertips to the bruise along the side of her neck. “I don’t have a headache anymore, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Well, that’s good. Maybe I can talk Dr. Drummond into letting me take you home.” He went to stand, but she caught up his hand, halting him.

  “Con ... ” She pursed her lips together and stared at their joined hands.

  He couldn’t be sure what she wanted to say, and he didn’t want to make it any harder on her. Flipping her hand into his, he gave it a squeeze, and then tried once more to stand. She grasped his wrist and held fast.

  “You stayed here with me because you didn’t want me to be alone, not to keep suicide watch?”

  “Aye.”

  “Where’s Cassy?”

  “Um,” he placed his free hand on her arm, covering the hospital wristband, “she took Cadno back to my place to clean him up and make sure he slept. My mam and Farran were working their tails off at the pub, so they couldn’t leave. Cassy offered, and I didn’t want to leave you.”

  Nic gave him a weak smile. “That’s nice.”

  Her hand slipped from his wrist; before she could retreat back into her personal space, he grasped it and drew her forward.

  “I meant what I said to your da’. You can rail at me all you want and try to push me out of your life, build the walls you think you can hide behind—all of that won’t stop me.”

  A shuddering sigh escaped her lips. She rocked up onto her knees and cupped his face. Surprised by her actions, he blinked.

  “I can’t promise I won’t fight back.” She came within an inch of his lips. “Just keep pushing.”

  “I think that’s the oddest thing I’ve heard you say.”

  She claimed his mouth, sucking on his bottom lip. A wildfire broke free, and he let it consume him as she continued to work her devil magic on his mouth.

  Breaking contact, she leaned her forehead against his. “Don’t take me home.”

  “Then where?”

  “Your place.”

  He gave her a gentle kiss. “I’ll see what I can do, but I need to get you discharged first.”

  “Hurry.”

  That single word chased him out of the hospital room.

  • • •

  Once she was certain Con was far enough down the hall, Nic disabled the heart monitor and flicked off the finger clip, then stripped out of the gown. She found her soaked, muddy clothing in a bag inside the bathroom. Shit. She kicked it aside and stared at the towels.

  Wait a minute. Didn’t Cassy shove something at Con when they were bringing Nic up here?

  She vacated the bathroom and yanked open the small closet door. There, hanging from a hook in the middle of the closet, was a backpack. She tore into it, pulling out the clothing Cassy packed. Her hiking boots, backup pistol, cell phone, and a money clip with her personal identification cards were sitting on the bottom of the bag. Hmm, baby sister was thinking ahead.

  Dressing quickly, Nic peeled her holster out of her wet clothing and strapped it where she could place her pistol on her hip. It would take Con about fifteen to twenty minutes to track down Dr. Drummond, get the discharge approved, and get the papers. The single thing going against her was the nurse’s station. Her room was far enough down the hall from it, but no matter which way one went, the whole floor circled back to the large desk. Maybe she could sneak past if she caught them preoccupied or off on their rounds.

  She scribbled a note and propped it against her ruined riding boots, leaving them in the middle of the floor with the bag of her muddy clothes where Con wouldn’t miss them. Slinging the backpack over her shoulders, she cracked the door open and peeked out, then pulled it open far enough for her to check the hall.

  Clear.

  Down the hall, around the corner, and she tiptoed past a few rooms with open doors. The nurse’s station and exit was around the next corner. Lowered voices drifted to her. Clenching her jaw to prevent cursing, she crept closer, pressing her body against the wall. She tilted her head to the side and spotted the lone nurse at the station. The woman had her back to Nic and was busy clacking away on a laptop. Con, his elbows braced on the counter, leaned over to see what the nurse was doing. He jerked back when she swatted at him.

  “O’Hanlon, keep your nose out of my work.”

  “Hey, I’m just making sure you’re getting all the pertinents down.”

  “These are standard forms.” The station phone rang. The nurse answered.

  While she spoke to the caller, Con drifted into the waiting room, his attention glued to the early-morning news broadcast.

  Nic bolted from her hiding place and slipped into the little hallway that harbored the elevators and the emergency exit. Bypassing the elevators, she made sure the door wasn’t rigged to set off an alarm—good to go—then quietly entered the stairwell and carefully closed the door.

  She took the four flights down as fast as she could, stopping once when her rapid movements made her head throb. When she hit the ground floor, she spied the sign indicating that the final closed door was an exit leading outside the hospital. Perfect. She wouldn’t have to try and sneak past any people in her escape. Until the red words at the bottom of the sign warning of an alarm stopped her.

  Damn it!

  Blowing out a quick breath, she entered the main floor. With head held high, acting like she was supposed to be there, she walked to the main exit/entrance. The help desk and registration area were empty. She let her hair fall across her face as she passed the cameras pointed at the doors and stepped outside. Once she cleared the parking lot, she hiked up the backpack and headed for the hotel.

  At this time of the morning in Eider, there was no traffic. Most of the residents were still tucked in bed. But her target wasn’t.

  She hadn’t wanted to see him again or do this, but after The General left her hospital room, Nic couldn’t think of anything except cornering him. This was the lone hotel in all of Eider. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he’d be here. Even with all the tourists in town for the Fall Festival—that had been canceled due to Walker’s untimely demise in front of the whole damn town—The General would have secured a room.

  Luck was on her side this time; no one was manning the front desk. Making sure nobody was hiding out in the small office backing the desk, Nic slipped behind the counter and flipped through the stack of hotel paid receipts to find his room. She ducked out just as she heard someone returning. She took the hall closest to the elevators, passing the hotel clerk as she went. The twenty-something male gave her a curt nod and continued with his phone co
nversation. Nic felt so secure in knowing he was ever vigilant to intruders.

  Fourth floor, best room the hotel could offer. Yeah, that was The General.

  An ache was beginning in her head. With a concussion, she knew she’d be coping with headaches for a while.

  By now, Con was probably flipping out over her disappearing act. Nic checked her cell phone for the time. How long did she have before he contacted Cassy and learned where The General was staying? Nic didn’t tell him where she was going, but Con was quick. He’d figure it out.

  She stepped off the elevator and went to the room. Her hand settled over her gun butt before she rapped on the door, turning so only her profile showed in the peephole. The lock clicked with a resounding clack, and there he stood, still wearing the neatly pressed white shirt, black blazer, and slacks.

  Nic didn’t give him a chance to speak. She pushed her way inside the room, backing him from the door so she could close and lock it herself.

  “You appear in better health than you were in at the hospital,” he said.

  “Showing weakness makes you a failure, ain’t that right, Pop?” She fiddled with the holster strap securing her weapon.

  Was she that mad or crazy that she was contemplating drawing her weapon on her old man?

  “Your candor shocks me at times, Nicolette.”

  “Learned it all too honestly.”

  She circled him until she was standing in what was supposed to be a modest seating area. Her gaze swept the bedroom around the partition wall: the bedding was rumpled and the door to the bathroom was shut.

  “I meant what I said the other day. You’re not welcome here. Pack your shit and leave.”

  The General’s piercing gaze pinned her. “I have no intentions of leaving until you come with us.”

  “Us? There is no us. You’re the only one here.”

  The bathroom door opened, and Emma exited, wearing a pair of cream-colored slacks and a turquoise blouse.

  “Ahh, shit.” Nic glared at The General. “You would bring her here.”

  “I didn’t give him the option, Nic.” Emma moved to stand in front of her. “Cassy’s reports on your well-being weren’t enough. I needed to see you.”

  “Everything’s peachy, so there. Now take him and go home to Virginia.”

  Emma sighed. When Nic met her for the first time—shortly after she’d married The General—Emma had been a bit of a free spirit in her demeanor and her clothing choices. Over the years, as an officer’s wife, she’d refined her wardrobe and her presence. Nic hadn’t liked the subtle changes, but the free spirit still remained, popping out at the right times.

  Now was not it.

  Cradling Nic’s head in both hands, Emma smoothed back her hair as a mother would her daughter. “Everything is not all right. I know what’s been happening here. I watched the news reports on what you witnessed yesterday.” She ran her thumbs along Nic’s cheekbones. “The strain is evident all over your face.”

  “It’s worse with him here. I made damn sure he could never find me, and now Cassy has blown it.”

  “I’m afraid that’s my doing. Cassy never could hide things from me. You, however, managed to thwart your father. It was my idea to come here, and I knew I couldn’t keep him in the dark about it.”

  Nic pulled Emma’s hands down and put space between them. A blind person could get the drift. Emma had used Cassy to get to the bottom of what took place on that last mission. What caused the rift between father and daughter to give way to an insurmountable chasm. Emma was the one who wanted to mend the ties, and it must be killing her not being able to repair this damaged relationship.

  Nic met The General’s steely gaze. Their horrid secret hung in the room like a hungry vulture waiting for the first one to die.

  “You’ve seen me, I’m doing as well as I can be, now go home.” Nic headed for the door. “Take that bastard with you and don’t let him ever show his face around me again.”

  She unlocked the door.

  “Nic, don’t run from me again.”

  The pain in Emma’s voice seared a mark on Nic’s heart. She’d loved this woman as her own mother. Hurting her like this was horrible, but she couldn’t allow Emma to get in the middle of her battle with The General. Not ever again. Because if she learned the truth about her husband, Emma might not recover.

  Nic looked over her shoulder at her stepmother. “I’m sorry.” With that, she quickly exited the room.

  In the elevator ride down, Nic kept it together, barely. She hurried past the hotel clerk, acknowledging her parting with a minor wave. Outside the hotel, she pulled up at the sight of Con’s truck, waiting for her in the pick-up and drop-off lane.

  Resigned to her fate, she crossed the median and climbed inside the cab. He didn’t say a word, just drove onto the road and directed the truck in the direction going out of town. She rested her head against the window and watched the scenery flash by. The sun was making its first appearance of the day, revealing the damage left behind by the storm and readying to dry out the area so the people of McIntire County could start making repairs.

  But there would be no repairing the damage done to Nic. No matter how many people tried to help her. She was forever broken. It was time for her to disappear, for good.

  First things first. She had a killer to stop. No one else would feel powerless against him and succumb to his sweet words. He’d assisted in his last suicide.

  Chapter Thirty

  She’d wanted to go to his place, and that’s where Con took her. During the ride he said nothing. Nic kept her own counsel, staring out the window the entire trip. When he pulled into the gravel drive he noticed Cassy had cleared out, leaving Cadno in the fenced-in yard.

  Without a word, Nic vacated the truck cab and headed for the house. Con wanted to smash his forehead against the steering wheel for good measure, but he got out and followed her. Nic paused at the gate, then let herself into the yard where joyous barks greeted her.

  “Traitor,” Con muttered.

  Nic knelt on the ground with her hands buried in the fur on the scruff of Cadno’s neck while he licked her face. The dog’s weight forced Nic back onto her rump. Like he was still a pup, Cadno crawled over her, flopped onto his back, and let his head loll into her lap. With a chuckle, she scratched his belly.

  Seeing her like that, Con could imagine her with a kid or two hanging over her shoulders. It floored him, making him take a step back. It was difficult enough picturing Nic as a serious girlfriend, but as a mother?

  “Let’s get this over with. After what I did, I’m pretty sure you’d rather get me out of here than look at me.”

  Her statement threw him. He gaped at her before shaking his head, realizing what she was attempting to do.

  “Bloody hell, Nic.” He tromped over and crouched down to her level. “I’m not mad at you. If anything, I can understand why you needed to do it, but you didn’t have to do a disappearing act. I would have taken you there.”

  She continued to keep her focus on Cadno. “It wasn’t something I wanted you to be present to see.”

  “Are you that blind, or just too stubborn to see what’s in front of you?”

  Her hand stilled in Cadno’s fur. Snapping his fingers, Con barked a command for Cadno to fetch. The dog hesitated a fraction before rolling off Nic’s lap and trotting to the fence line to search for the KONG Con had hidden among the bushes a day ago.

  Taking her hands, Con pulled Nic to her feet and trapped her in his arms. She didn’t struggle, just stood there stiffly.

  “Part of me realizes I can’t flip a switch inside of you and make you quit doing what you’ve always done. But the other part wants you to just stop it and let me in.”

  “Why does it matter so much to you?”

  “Can’t you figure it out?”

  The stiffness left her posture, and she slowly relaxed against him. “I don’t know what it’s like to have someone care for me.”

  “You do; why else wo
uld your sister be here?”

  “That’s not what I mean. I … I’m not talking about that.”

  Either he had gone daft, or she was confused. What did she mean? Realization smacked him upside the head. She didn’t know what it was like to be loved by a man or have a male care for her. Her father hadn’t done either.

  “Oh, Nic, I’m so sorry.”

  She frowned, making her lips pucker in a cute pout. “Why?”

  Gently, he tucked stray wisps of her hair behind her ear, brushing his fingertips over the bruise on the side of her neck. “You should have never been made to feel unloved. Did Aiden even say he cared for you?”

  She swallowed and averted her eyes. “Not that I can remember. We weren’t exactly thinking half the time we were together.”

  “Why were you with him?”

  Somehow she managed to get an arm between them, and she rubbed her forehead. “Some perverted sense of payback at The General, I guess. At one point I thought I had feelings for Aiden, but by then, things had gotten ugly.”

  “Is that what you think will happen with us?”

  Nic wagged her head. “I don’t know. It’s just too much right now.” She struggled in his arms, and Con freed her. She staggered to the patio furniture and sagged into one of the chairs.

  Cadno took that as permission to return to her. This time, he laid his head in her lap and stared at her. With her head bowed, Nic stared back, but she didn’t touch the dog.

  Uncertain how far he could push, Con remained rooted where he stood. He racked his brain to find something to use as a safety net. Obviously, he meant something to her, or she wouldn’t have bitten his head off for making the assumption that she’d used sex with him as a means to an end for her. It was that newness of emotions that must’ve had her running scared.

  Finally he took the chair beside her and stroked Cadno’s fur. The German Shepherd made a contented sound and shifted his attention from Nic to Con.

  “There’s one male in this whole circus who’s taken to you. He risked his neck for you. Even took on a family of raccoons for you.”