Aislyn

by Aislyn (NCP) (lit)

  Go for broke, he thought. He glanced back at Watson. "Catch any fish?"

  "The crew went out for a couple of hours," Watson said. "Didn’t catch much though. One John Dory, I think they said."

  "Good eating fish," Seamus replied.

  "Perhaps you should return to your cabin and make things up with your lovely wife?" The suggestion sounded more like an order. "Morgan is heading back that way. You can walk together." An order with a bodyguard attached.

  Seamus grunted. "Yeah, I guess I may as well. I’m soaked through. Although if Aislyn thinks I’m changing my mind about the in-laws coming to stay, she can think again."

  "Good night then," Watson said in his crisp English accent.

  Seamus sensed the crate in the dingy held one of the native species on the scavenger hunt list, yet he was powerless to take further action. He wondered where Watson would hide his contraband. Would it be worth contacting Gill to arrange a search warrant? They might get lucky if they searched Watson’s cabin or the boat or dip out. Seamus suspected the latter. Watson struck him as smart.

  "Did you hear me, Mr. Gallagher?" Watson’s voice grew harsh.

  "What? Sorry." Seamus grimaced. "Mind’s on Aislyn."

  "I said, good night."

  "Good night. I’ll probably see you around the resort. Thanks for inviting us to your cocktail party tonight. Aislyn and I enjoyed it."

  Morgan pulled a torch from his jacket pocket and switched it on. "Are you ready to go?"

  "Sure," Seamus said. What else could he say under the circumstances?

  They walked side by side along the beach and when they approached the path leading up towards the cabins, Morgan gestured for Seamus to precede him. Not the ideal situation but he was at a distinct disadvantage since he had to stick with his story, that of a newly wed husband who had fought with his wife.

  His back itched as he climbed the path, right between the shoulder blades. The residue of water in his boots sloshed about making squelching sounds as he walked while his wet trousers clung to his chilled legs. The wind had picked up and howled in from the sea, ruffling his hair, tugging at his clothes and foretelling of the storm to come.

  "Looks like a storm is on the way," he commented over his shoulder.

  Behind him, Morgan grunted, a sound that could mean anything.

  In that moment, Seamus acknowledged that he and Aislyn might as well leave the resort and return to Auckland. They’d confirmed that Watson was a competitor in the scavenger hunt, and it was unlikely they would discover anything else to help the investigation. Hell, it would be safer for him with Aislyn out of reach.

  They reached the path branching off to Watson’s cabin.

  "I’ll say goodnight," Seamus said cheerfully. "Thanks for the torch light. At the rate I’m going tonight, it’s likely I’d have broken my neck."

  "I’ll walk you back to your cabin, if you like."

  "I don’t want to take you out of your way. You’ve been more than helpful as it is."

  "It’s no trouble."

  Great, the bodyguard intended to escort him all the way back to the cabin. And Seamus would take a bet that the man, or at least someone in the Watson camp, would watch over their cabin for the rest of the night.

  "The path is well lit."

  "Mr. Watson would never forgive me if some accident were to befall you on the way back to your cabin."

  Seamus rolled his eyes. Hell’s teeth, did the bodyguard really think that he bought that lie? He poured on the pace and behind him, he heard the bodyguard speed up too. The cabin came into sight. Seamus slowed and turned to Morgan.

  "Thanks. I guess I’d better head inside and see if Aislyn is speaking to me. A shame about the fishing," he added. "One John Dory won’t feed the number of people in your party."

  Seamus unlocked the door and stepped inside, waving at Morgan before closing the door.

  "Damn," he muttered, knowing he’d made a hash of things. Watson would be on his guard now. Maybe, he and Aislyn should stage a fight in public. It wouldn’t take much in the way of acting, especially after he told Aislyn about Renee.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  At the scrape of a key in the lock, Aislyn jerked upright in the bed and switched on the bedside lamp. After dragging the wayward locks of hair from her face, her gaze snapped to the empty side of the bed. The tension oozed from her body. Seamus had returned. The smile spread into a broad grin.

  Aislyn leapt off the bed, scooped up a robe to cover her nakedness and hurtled down the stairs.

  "Seamus! Where have you been?" She threw herself at him, trusting Seamus to catch. "Ugh. You’re all wet."

  Seamus put his hands on her arms and firmly pushed her away. Aislyn smiled, but the frozen expression on his face made her grin slowly die.

  "What is it? What’s wrong?"

  He shrugged. "Nothing. Everything."

  "Well which is it?" She stepped forward intending to give him a quick hug, but Seamus brushed her off.

  "I need a shower." He turned his back and headed for the stairs, leaving Aislyn staring after him in bewilderment.

  Aislyn took a deep breath as he disappeared from sight. Her chin shot up, her mouth firmed. Damn it, he wasn’t going to get away with this. If their relationship had any chance of working, they needed honesty between them and that meant sharing the good and the bad. Aislyn stomped up the stairs after him.

  A pile of wet, dirty clothes littered the bathroom floor. Water cascaded against the shower door and tiles with the power of a waterfall. Aislyn shrugged off her robe, wrenched open the door and stepped under the steamy water. Masculine hands grasped her waist, foiling her attempt to melt against the hard, sculpted curves of his body.

  "What the hell are you doing?" His face appeared hard, the angles sharp, his mouth set and determined. He looked like the Seamus of old not her lover.

  "Curious. I couldn’t wait to find out what’s tied you up in knots. Did you see our watcher?"

  Seamus backed up into the corner of the shower, placing distance between them. The telling move caused Aislyn’s heart to stutter with sudden fear. Was this about them rather than the case?

  "Tell me," she demanded, her eyes narrowing. Goosebumps formed over her body despite the warm water pouring over them. They were a couple. A team. Surely, he wasn’t....

  "I walked along the beach and arrived at the beach below Watson’s cabin just as his boat was coming in." His voice was low, terse, and she had to strain to catch every detail.

  "The tide was in full. They moored the boat and dropped a dinghy over the side."

  "The scavenger hunt?" Aislyn asked, intrigued in spite of the gnawing uncertainty about her and Seamus.

  "Yeah. They had something all right, except when I tried to get closer, I stepped on a stick. They caught me. I told them we’d had a fight, and I’d gone along the beach for a walk to cool off. I don’t know if they bought my story or not."

  "You’re still in one piece." Aislyn inched closer to hear and once again, his hands snaked out to hold her away. "Is something else wrong?" She fought to control the emotions that swirled around inside, aware that her voice contained a note of panic. Remain calm. Deep breaths. It can’t be that bad. Aislyn kept her gaze glued to his face, trying desperately to see a sign that all was well.

  He closed his eyes.

  Aislyn’s stomach churned. It was as if he couldn’t bear the sight of her.

  "I’m betrothed."

  The two words were like a physical blow. Her knees shook, and inside she cringed.

  "Did you hear me?" he gritted out, opening his eyes to stare at her, dark hair plastered to his head, face harsh and rigid.

  Aislyn swallowed the lump in her throat and willed herself not to cry. "I heard you." She reached for the door and slid from the shower, the silence she left behind telling. Final. Water dripped from her naked body onto the tiled floor. Aislyn thrust her wet arms into the robe and grabbed up a towel, intent on escape. A female fairy had pride--she refuse
d to beg. She swiped a rapid hand over her face and the offending tears, determined to appear stoic in front of Seamus. When the shower stopped running, she tensed.

  Aislyn dabbed the towel over her hair while her mind circled the situation. She kept coming back to the same thing. Why hadn’t he told her the truth up front? Why all the pretence? He’d given her hope and now with two words, he’d smashed her rosy future.

  The floor creaked overhead. A drawer opened and closed. A few minutes later, footsteps sounded on the stairs. Her chin shot up, her backbone firmed until she stood so straight it hurt.

  "Aislyn?"

  "Down here." She stepped into the small kitchen area and snatched up the electric jug. Impatient with the time it took to fill the jug with water, Aislyn visualized a cup of coffee, laced heavily with whiskey. It materialized on the bench in front of her. Aislyn seized the cup, and drank a hefty slug. The mix burnt sliding down her throat, but she swallowed another mouthful. One cup wouldn’t be enough to warm the icy sensation inside.

  "We need to talk."

  "A bit late for that."

  "I’m freaking sorry, okay? I know I should have told you about Renee, but I kept putting it off. I didn’t mean for tonight to happen."

  Aislyn saw he looked as miserable as she felt. But that didn’t make her feel any better. "Okay," she muttered, taking another slurp of coffee. She hadn’t expected tonight either. "What I want to know is why you didn’t tell me before." Before they’d slept together. She glared at Seamus while she waited for his reply. If only he’d had the guts to tell her the truth. Aislyn drank the last mouthful of coffee and wished her cup full again. It filled to half way then stopped. She glared at the contents of her cup and muttered inwardly. This magic business was driving her crazy. Sometimes it worked and other times, like right now, nothing happened.

  "I tried to tell you," Seamus muttered.

  "You should have tried harder. Betrothals don’t happen over night. My family went through negotiations with Duncan and preliminary contracts with Fergus." Aislyn closed her eyes. Seamus must have known for months, probably longer. Her eyes snapped open. "When was the betrothal finalized? Why haven’t I heard?"

  A dull tide of red flooded his cheekbones. "I haven’t made it public yet."

  "You haven’t made it public because you wanted to keep me onside," Aislyn snapped. "All along you’ve wanted to make a fool of me and now you’ve succeeded. Are you going to tell me who you’re marrying?"

  "Renee Pompadour."

  "The Renee Pompadour? The fairy princess from the Southern French colony?" Aislyn demanded. Fury spiked inside her. She wondered if she’d ever really known Seamus. Aislyn narrowed her eyes and considered drawing and quartering. No, not painful enough. "You take the bedroom. I’ll sleep down here." Aislyn had no intention of returning to a bedroom that shrieked of seduction: rumpled bedcovers and clothes strewn haphazardly over the floor, memories in vivid Technicolor. By Hades, she’d been a fool.

  "You take the bedroom."

  "I insist," Aislyn said through clenched teeth.

  Seamus shrugged helplessly then strode for the stairs. Aislyn sank onto a plump leather chair and tried to shut out the sounds of Seamus preparing for bed.

  The man she loved was betrothed to another woman. Renee. Beautiful. Eligible. A fairy princess who was everything that she, Aislyn O’Sullivan, wasn’t.

  She’d never had a chance.

  * * * *

  Aislyn stared out the sliding door, noting the approaching dawn. The clouds were sullen and dark with the promise of rain. Shivering, Aislyn climbed to her feet. Every muscle ached, but the crick in her neck indicated she’d fallen asleep at some stage. She stretched then headed purposefully for the stairs. When she entered the bedroom, Seamus was awake.

  "Good morning."

  "Morning," Aislyn drawled. "Nothing good about it."

  "Hell’s teeth, Aislyn. I’m sorry! What more do you want me to say?"

  "I’m going back to Auckland."

  "We’re here on assignment."

  "You said yourself that Watson suspects we’re not who we say we are. We know he’s a competitor. We know he’s basing himself at the resort. All we need to do is obtain a search warrant--"

  "I don’t know where he’s stashed the items he’s collected. If we arrest Watson and can’t find the birds, we lose out."

  Aislyn stormed to the wardrobe and dragged out her battered leather case. She yanked a handful of clothes from the hangers and dumped them inside. "What’s the use of being a fairy if we leave our powers back at the colony? If we had the use of our magic, we could find the birds and lizard things. We could stop men like Watson."

  "Do you want to return to the colony?"

  Aislyn whirled away from the wardrobe to glare at Seamus. "No, I don’t want to return to the colony! There’s nothing for me there, but that doesn’t mean I think working on the human side is ideal. It’s not. There are just as many problems here. And no magic."

  With the wardrobe emptied of her clothes, she started on the drawers. She scooped up a handful of silky lingerie and fired it into the case. Once the drawer was empty, she slammed the lid of the case shut.

  "I’m leaving for Auckland," she reiterated.

  "All right. All right." Seamus stalked to the windows and stared out, his hands thrust in his pockets. "Let me check with the boss and see what he thinks. You’re probably right. There’s not much more we can do here now our cover is blown."

  Aislyn’s head jerked up. "I’m ready to go now."

  "The world doesn’t revolve around you and your problems, Aislyn. If you can’t stand the sight of me, go and have breakfast at the resort restaurant. I’ll make a few calls and come and find you once I’ve finished."

  "I’m not hungry."

  "Aislyn." His voice held warning, but Aislyn didn’t seem to care. She slammed the door on her way out, loud enough that the fairy colony weather forecaster would hear it and predict rain.

  Seamus sank to the bed, trying to work out when everything had started to go so wrong. He’d made a real hash of things. At least before, he’d counted Aislyn as his friend. He doubted she’d talk to him after today. Sighing, he climbed to his feet and collected the car keys. Seamus locked the cabin and walked briskly up the path to the car park. He looked for Aislyn, but didn’t see her amongst the diners sitting by the pool.

  Forget it, Gallagher. Nothing you do is going to make things right with Aislyn.

  Seamus unlocked his Ford and climbed inside. For seconds, he stared blankly out the windscreen. Memories of Aislyn’s slender body crushed under his, her soft lips and breathy sighs flitted through his mind.

  Seamus swallowed and told himself he needed to start thinking about Renee. For the greater good of the colony, she was the one he had to marry. Seamus drove to the township on autopilot. He parked near the public phone he’d used before and rang Gill first.

  "Gill, it’s me."

  "About time you checked in. How’s your wife, the luscious Aislyn?"

  "She’s not my wife," Seamus snapped.

  A pregnant silence bloomed at the other end of the phone. "I see," Gill said in a careful voice. "Struck out, did we?"

  "Quit fooling around. Gill, I’ve stuffed up. I think Watson is on to us."

  "What happened?"

  Everything went to hell, that’s what happened. His hand gripped the receiver. "We had someone watching our cabin. Once they’d left, I decided I’d go for fresh air. I walked down the far end of the resort and despite the hour, there were dozens of people out, some of them from Watson’s group. I cut down through the bush and along the beach. Gill, I swear it was just pure, dumb luck, but when I reached Watson’s end of the beach I saw a boat drop anchor. Watson was on the beach waiting. I wasn’t close enough to see properly or eavesdrop so I decided to move in closer."

  "Don’t tell me." Gill’s voice was wry. "They caught you."

  "Stood on a damned stick."

  Gill snorted his amusement.
"You’re still alive to tell the tale. What story did you spin them?"

  "Told them Aislyn and I had an argument and I’d gone for a walk to cool off. The bodyguard escorted me back to the cabin."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "Ring the boss."

  "Yeah, probably better to use you elsewhere now we know for sure Watson is involved up to his neck. Any idea where they’re stashing their contraband?"

  "No. After last night, it’s going to be difficult to snoop around. Any news your end?"

  "We’ve found two bodies in separate locations, both floaters. Fishermen hooked one up near Rakino Island and another was found washed up on the beach at Mission Bay. No identity as yet. I’m afraid the fish have had a bit of a nibble."

  "Thanks for sharing. I haven’t had breakfast yet." At the thought of eating, his stomach churned. He’d have to track down Aislyn and pretend they were a happily married couple. Seamus didn’t think he’d be able to pull it off.

  "Thieves hit a private museum in the States. The museum security caught them, but they were after one of Princess Diana’s dresses. We’re hoping we’ll get some useful information out of the two men they arrested."

  "At least that’s positive."

  Gill grunted. "Told Aislyn about your engagement yet?"

  "None of your business," Seamus snarled.

  "I take it that’s a no. You’re a fool. I’ll tell you this for free, Seamus. Women don’t like being kept in the dark about things like engagements."

  "MacGillicuddy, the advice columnist. I never thought I’d live to see the day."

  "Sarcasm doesn’t sit well on you, mate."

  The succinct curse that rippled down the phone line held every drop of the frustration bottled up inside him.

  Gill laughed. "Better go. I’ve got a couple of recruits waiting for me to show them the ropes. Catch ya latter."

  Seamus made a quick call to Auckland Central and discussed the situation with his boss. Five minutes later, he was back on the road, heading for the resort and Aislyn.