* * *
Lacie’s homecoming was nothing more or less than he had expected. Shane wished he could have made it easier on her, but there was little he could do. Lacie needed her family. Her parents had been worried sick; they’d cut their cruise short and made arrangements to fly home as soon as they’d received Corinne’s call. They rushed out of their house the moment Shane pulled up in the driveway.
Without letting him out of her sight, Lacie held herself together pretty well in front of them as they hugged and cried and hugged again. None of them knew the details, of course. Lacie didn’t want them to. But one look in her haunted eyes and they could probably guess.
The next few hours were tough. The police came out to the house. With Shane watching over her protectively and giving counsel, she made her statement. There was no reason to go into specifics. She kept her answers concise and truthful, based on what she had endured while she was conscious.
There was no point, Shane advised her, in speaking on what she believed happened while she was drugged. Lacie was relieved that she could spare her family that at least. They were still reeling from the realization of how far gone Craig had been. News of his death was met with the numb acceptance that comes with shock.
Lacie was afraid that news crews would be pulling up all afternoon, but Shane assured her that his family had a couple of contacts in the media and that everything would be kept quiet.
The school year was officially over, so Lacie didn’t have to worry about going back into the school and facing everyone and all the questions they surely had. She’d felt bad about missing the year end carnival and seeing her kids before they became “graders”, but agreed that it was probably for the best. This way she had the whole summer to concentrate on taking those first few steps toward healing.
Lacie moved back into her parent’s house temporarily; Corinne took care of retrieving whatever she needed from her apartment. Shane and his brothers had made a complete sweep of the place, finding and removing Craig’s surveillance equipment. Lacie was unaware that Craig had been spying on her, and Shane saw no reason to tell her. If she ever asked, he wouldn’t lie, but it was not information he would volunteer. At this point it would do nothing but provide more fodder for her nightmares, and she had enough of those as it was.
Corinne said she still woke up most nights in a cold sweat, shivering and crying. Shane ached to be the one who was there for her, holding her through the terrors, but knew Lacie needed her family, too. He spent every evening with her, sitting quietly, talking, going for brief walks while she recovered.
Two weeks after their return to Pine Ridge, when Shane was certain Lacie would be fine without him for a little while, he told her he had to go out of town with his brothers for a few days, but that he had something special planned for when he got back. He refused to say any more than that, but he promised her she was going to like it.
* * *
It was harder than she ever would have thought to let him go. Those few hours spent with him each day had become the center of her universe. She looked forward to it, reveled in it, then ached when he left her with nothing more than a chaste kiss.
She understood that he was giving her the time and space she needed, and she was grateful for that. The intimacy they shared went far beyond the sexual. She craved everything about him – his scent, the warm heat of his skin, the glowing eyes, deep voice and clever wit. The world made sense when she was with him; the rest of the time she was lost.
“Come back to me,” she whispered, clinging to him as he was about to leave.
The way he’d looked at her then, his eyes reaching deep into her very soul, reinforced his words. “I will always come back to you, a croie beloved.”
* * *
Brian McCain flinched when he heard the heavy door leading into their underground cell creaking open and mentally prepared himself. They had been left alone for so long he prayed his captors might have finally given up, realized they weren’t going to get any useful information out of them, and moved on.
He quickly hid the tiny, six-inch-long piece of bone that was their last chance of escape, the last remaining piece of the poor bastard that had occupied this hellhole before him. Progress was slow, but he wasn’t giving up. He would get them out of here, or he would die trying.
What would it be today, he wondered grimly? More torture? Or perhaps just another few slices of that moldy shit they kept shoving at them and some of that rancid water. His stomach cramped just thinking about it. But as bad as it was, they would eat it. He wasn’t going to give the bastards the satisfaction of starving to death.
Then he heard it. A string of vile curses – in English! He shook his head, sure that he’d misheard. But no, there it was again! Every swear word he’d ever heard, ringing through the air like the most beautiful music, barked in deep, masculine American voices.
Brian forced himself to his knees and gripped the bars, afraid to breathe. Lights. He saw lights, heard heavy footsteps approaching double-time along the narrow passageway. The beam of a powerful flashlight flicked over the interior, into his cage. His arms flew up to protect his eyes.
“McCain?” a deep voice had asked. He wanted to weep with the pure joy of it, but he simply gave a jerky nod instead.
“How many with you, soldier?”
Brian lowered his arms and opened his eyes slowly, getting his first look at the men filing into the cave. Seven of them. Huge fuckers. Black shadows in the darkness, making no sound but for the spoken words.
“Two besides me. We’re the last. Who are you?”
Brilliant white teeth flashed. “We’re the ones who are going to take you home, Brian.” It was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.
He thought he was dreaming, finally having succumbed to the inhumane conditions they’d been forced to endure. But when he opened his eyes again he was on a stretcher and being moved. He was in and out of consciousness for a while, had vague recollections of being washed and bandaged.
When he woke up again, his next clear memory was of a man sitting beside his cot, holding out an honest-to-God, ice-cold Coca-Cola for him. “The beer and burgers come later,” the man told him with a knowing smile. “Mick says your stomach can’t handle the real stuff yet.”
Brian grabbed it greedily. “Easy now. Just sips, yeah?” He had never tasted anything as heavenly. He looked at the man, certain that he was one of the ones who had saved him and what was left of his team. A brief glance to the right showed one of his men sitting up, giving him a thumbs-up. The other was still prone, but he appeared to be awake and talking to someone.
Brian turned his attention back to the man beside him. His jet black hair, too long for standard military. Black cargo pants, skin tight black T, Celtic tat with the scales of justice on a substantial bicep. But it was his eyes that really drew his focus. There were a unique shade of blue, at once fiery and cold.
He looked around again. The guy talking to his buddy on the other side of the room had the same outfit, the same build. So did the one talking on a SAT phone, his fingers flying over the keys of a jet black notebook computer. And the two standing guard at the door, looking more like archangels than men.
“My brothers,” the man said quietly, catching his gaze. “Your extraction team.”
“Who are you?” Brian’s voice was rough, unused for so long and permanently damaged by the screams he hadn’t always been able to contain.
“Shane Callaghan,” the man answered. Callaghan. Brian knew that name. It was the name of a family from Pine Ridge. From home.
“How’d you find us?”
“Your sister,” Shane said, smiling, and Brian knew in that moment from the look in the guy’s eyes that he was more than a mere acquaintance.
“Lacie...” It could have been Corinne, but Brian knew with certainty it had been Lacie that found him. Moisture pooled in his eyes. He should have known she would never give up on him.
Shane nodded, confirming his thoughts
. “She refused to give up, said she knew you were out there, waiting for someone to come get you.” He grinned. “Sorry we’re a little late.”
“No problem,” Brian answered roughly. He had all but given up hope of ever being rescued alive. “Better late than never, right?”
“Right.”
“So.”
“So,” Shane echoed.
“My sister.”
“Yeah.”
“Do I need to shoot you, man? ‘Cause I have to tell you, I don’t want to.”
Shane chuckled. “Not unless you don’t want to be invited to the wedding.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Lacie, it’s good to see you again.” The multi-hued blonde offered a warm smile as she wiped down the bar and pulled out two bottles. It was only then that Lacie realized her feet had carried her into Jake’s Irish Pub. Shane had been gone more than a week. Lacie supposed her subconscious led her here, needing to be close to him.
Lacie nodded, accepting the light beer. Her eyes were drawn once again to the familiar green eyes of the dragon tattoo that seemed to stare at her over Taryn’s shoulder. “You, too, Taryn. Missing Jake?”
“Guilty as charged,” Taryn answered. Lacie looked closer. Taryn’s violet eyes captured and fractured the lights hypnotically.
“Are those contacts?” she asked before she could stop herself.
“Nope,” Taryn grinned. “They’re the real deal.” She leaned in close so Lacie could get a better look. “They drive Jake wild,” she winked.
Lacie couldn’t help herself. She laughed, the first time since Shane kissed her goodbye.
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, each on a different side of the bar. Taryn got up a few times to tend to a customer, but other than them there were only a few guys watching the game being rebroadcast and shooting pool. Anyone stupid enough to eye Lacie with interest received a lethal warning look from Taryn. Lacie realized she was every bit as tough as the men.
“So,” Taryn said finally. “You and me, we’ve got something in common.”
Lacie bowed her head. She’d thought she was ready to talk about it, but now that the moment was here, she wasn’t so sure. At least until Taryn leaned closer and said quietly, “Thank God I’m not alone anymore.”
Lacie’s head snapped up as Taryn grabbed a set of keys from behind the register. “Hey Dad, you okay if Lacie and I make scarce for a bit?”
An older man on the far side of the bar smiled and stood. Lacie knew immediately she was looking at the patriarch of the Callaghan clan. His hair, now woven liberally with silver, still boasted a fair amount of blue-black. And there was no mistaking the trademark Callaghan eyes, now looking at her with fondness.
“So this is the young lass that has stolen my boy’s heart,” he said, smiling warmly. “I was wondering when I would get to meet you.” He held out his hand and Lacie took it, expecting a handshake. Instead he brought it to his lips in an old-fashioned gesture.
“Well, at least I know where Shane gets his gentlemanly charm,” she said. Jack Callaghan chuckled.
“Aye, you’ll do just fine,” he said, his blue eyes sparkling. He turned to Taryn. “Well, go on then. Be off with you. No need to hurry back.”
Taryn grabbed Lacie by the hand and tugged. “You ever ridden a Harley before?” she asked.
Uncertainty flickered in Lacie’s eyes. “Uh, no.”
“Awesome. You’re going to love it.” Taryn fitted Lacie with a helmet, then showed her how to straddle the bike and hold on. “Hang on tight,” Taryn advised, kick starting the machine with one powerful down stroke. Before Lacie could catch her breath, it was stolen from her completely.
“That was ... amazing!” Lacie said half an hour later, reaching absently for a French fry. She and Taryn sat on a rock overhang high above the valley, digging into the bags of take-out they’d picked up at a drive-thru on the way.
“I know, right?” Taryn said, grinning. “It’s such a rush. Jake broke down and got me my own bike for my birthday,” she told Lacie, “but I’m only allowed to ride it when he’s not around. He says I make him nervous, if you can imagine that.” She laughed and rolled her eyes; Lacie felt as though a tiny bit of weight had lifted from her shoulders. Though it was hard to imagine Jake Callaghan being nervous about anything. A few minutes in his presence was enough to convince Lacie that he was a force of nature.
They ate in silence for a little while, enjoying the view. “It never goes away, you know,” Taryn said finally, wiping at some ketchup on the side of her mouth. “But you learn to live with it. You use it to make you stronger, to appreciate everything more because of it.”
Is that why Taryn was so strong? Because she had been through hell and fought her way back?
“What happened to you?” Lacie asked. She hadn’t really expected an answer; it was meant more to deflect the conversation from her own painfully recent experience. But Taryn told her. Everything. Beginning with her life as the privileged daughter of an aspiring US Senator with presidential hopes, through the assassination and murder of her entire family. The six months of torture she’d endured at the hands of an obsessive psychopath – a man who had been like family to her, who had been her protector. Her dramatic escape and subsequent rescue by a saint of a man named Charlie. She ended with her fateful unplanned stop in Pine Ridge and the erasure of her previous identity.
Lacie was speechless. “I’ve never told anyone the whole story before,” Taryn admitted when she was finished. “Jake and the others, they know pieces of it. Even Nicki, who had it worse than I did. Think they know all of it, but they don’t.” She looked at Lacie; silent understanding passed between them. “I think it would kill Jake if he knew everything.”
A long time passed in relative silence, nothing but the soft susurrus of the wind in the full leaves and the occasional squawk of a circling hawk, spotting its next meal down below. Finally, Taryn took a deep breath and spoke again. “Thanks, Lacie. I’m sorry I spewed all over you like that. You don’t know how long I’ve waited to tell someone.”
Suddenly Lacie’s arms were around Taryn, and they just held each other. Taryn was the first to pull away, wiping a tear from her eye. “If you tell anyone I cried, I’ll have to kill you.”
Lacie laughed through her own tears, swearing an oath of silence.
“Maybe someday I can return the favor,” Taryn offered.
“Maybe,” Lacie said, sighing heavily. “I can’t talk about it. Not yet. But this... it helped.”
“I understand,” Taryn said, and Lacie had the feeling that she was one of the few people who really did. “Besides, there’s no rush. We’ll be sisters soon enough, then you’re stuck with me.”
Lacie turned away, gazing back at the beautiful view. “I don’t know about that, Taryn. I’m having trouble accepting what’s happened, making my peace with it. How can I expect any more from Shane?” She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “For all I know this sudden trip of his is his way to put some distance between us, re-evaluate things. I can’t blame him.”
Taryn gasped. “Lacie, that’s not what you really think, is it?”
Lacie shrugged, afraid that if she voiced it aloud it would make it one step closer to being a reality. Some things should never be spoken of. Did that include her fear that Shane was already having a change of heart but was too honorable to come right out and say so? That he was just biding his time until she got herself together enough to move on?
“Shane told you that you were his heart, didn’t he?”
Lacie nodded. “But that was before... everything.”
Taryn shook her head vehemently. “Doesn’t matter. If you believe this is something that will change, something that Shane – or you – can simply walk away from, then you really don’t understand anything about how this croie stuff works, girlfriend. That line about ‘for better or worse’? Honey, you have no idea.”
Though Taryn’s words filled her with hope,
Lacie still had her doubts. She wanted Taryn to be right, but was too afraid to believe. With everything else that had happened, she couldn’t bear to pin her future on a man who might – with great cause – believe that a serious relationship at this point just wasn’t worth the hassle. If she did, and she was wrong, it would destroy her, more than anything Craig Davidson had ever done. And she already knew it was something she would never completely recover from.
The trip back down the mountain was a lazy one. Lacie discovered she loved riding on the back of a motorcycle. In return for her oath of silence and agreement to do this again sometime, Taryn promised to teach Lacie how to drive one.
When they returned to the Pub later that evening, they were surprised to see Jake and Ian there, talking to Jack. Taryn ran into Jake’s arms; he held her as if he had never held anything so precious.
“Shane’s out looking for you,” Ian told Lacie. “He was headed over to your parents’ house.”
Lacie couldn’t get there fast enough. Her feet covered the fairly short distance quickly, and soon she was sprinting up the steps and bursting through the door. What she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.
It couldn’t be. And yet it was.
“Brian?! Oh my God, Brian?!?” Lacie couldn’t take another step forward, afraid that if she did, he would disappear. He turned around, flashing her that familiar grin and she held her breath. He was so much thinner than she remembered, a shell of the big, hulking mass he had once been, but there was no mistaking that smile or his favorite way to greet her.
“Hey, brat,” he said.
Lacie flew into his arms, crying hysterically. He laughed and held her tightly, as if he had never thought he’d do so again. “Missed me, huh?”
It was a long time before she allowed herself to step back, but she continued to hold on to his shirt. Tears coated her face, dripped onto her clothes and his. “Only a little,” she sniffed. “What happened, Bri?
Beyond Affection: Callaghan Brothers, Book 6 Page 20