Highland Fling (The McLaughlins)

by Shelli Stevens

  That same look of backtracking flashed across his sister’s face. “Time for a hearing aid already? I didn’t say shrimp, I said beef.”

  “The fook you did.” He scrutinized her and reached his conclusion. “You’re lying. Covering for her. Where is Delonna really?”

  Kenzie folded her arms across her chest and tossed her red hair. “I’ve told you already. She’s sick.”

  “All right.” He nodded. “Fine. Well I’ll still be dropping by to wish her well then.”

  He turned and moved to the door. Clearly she was trying to call his bluff, because only when his hand touched the handle did she call out, “Wait!”

  Chapter Two

  Aleck turned and arched a brow at his sister. “The truth.”

  “People lie and call in sick all the time, Aleck,” she said curtly. “I hardly think you’d go through this much trouble to find the real reason with anyone else. It’s not as if she’s done this before.”

  It didn’t matter if her points were valid. “The truth, Kenzie. Is she with her boyfriend?”

  Her eyes narrowed and she set the pen back on his desk. “And would it matter if she was?”

  “If she skipped work—”

  “It doesn’t matter, she made sure her shift was covered. You’re hardly in a bind here.”

  “It’s the principle.”

  “Really? And you hold all your employees to that level of principle?” Kenzie heaved a sigh. “If so, then you should probably know I called in sick two weeks ago, so that Brett and I could keep shagging without me having to leave halfway through the evening.”

  “Kenzie!”

  “What?” Her eyes widened innocently. “You started this.”

  Dammit all, but he didn’t want to even think about his sister having a sex life.

  She approached him, her gaze searching his. “What’s this really about, Aleck? Why are you taking such a personal interest in Delonna?”

  His teeth snapped together and he met her stare grimly. Just how much did his nosey little sister know? Had Delonna told her about that brief lapse in sanity between the two of them over the summer?

  That night was still clear in his head. He’d dropped by to check on her well-being after being injured, and she’d answered the door clearly expecting someone else. Likely her boyfriend—because she’d answered the door in tiny panties and a tank top. His concern had turned to desire, and before he knew it he’d been exploring the inside of her mouth with his tongue.

  Would Delonna have confided that moment—one they agreed would go on record as never having happened—to his sister?

  No. Staring down at Kenzie, he knew Delonna would be just as determined to keep that moment quiet as he was.

  “She’s been employed at my pub for several years now,” he finally answered briskly. “She’s also your roommate. So, aye, she falls under my umbrella of protection.”

  “Those are your reasons for being protective?” Kenzie finally shook her head. “Okay. Sure. You go ahead and tell yourself that, and I’ll pretend to buy it.”

  “What the fook does that mea—?”

  “Here’s the deal. She went to confront James tonight after he may or may not have stolen a shite ton of money from her tips that she’s been saving up.”

  The blood in his body went from simmering with irritation to an icy chill. He pulled up the image of Delonna’s boyfriend in his mind. Average height, bulky and muscled, with a beard and tattoos. He rode a motorcycle, if he remembered correctly. Aleck rarely generalized, and had plenty of biker friends, but it wouldn’t surprise him to learn James was involved in one of those dodgy biker gangs.

  “How much money?” It had to be quite a bit if Delonna had gone to confront him. “Hundreds?”

  Kenzie hesitated. “I don’t know how much, exactly. But I’m thinking thousands. Over five.”

  “She had thousands of dollars in cash just lying around? What the bloody hell was she thinkin’?” he roared, pressing a hand to his forehead.

  “It wasn’t lying around, you arse, it was well hidden. And I’m not telling you this so you can judge her, I’m telling you this because I’m worried.”

  He had been too, but to hear his sister voice the same fear… Shite. “You think he’d hurt her?”

  “I really don’t know. I just don’t trust him. I never have. But she was…happy enough. So it wasn’t my business.” She sighed. “I tried to convince her to take a guy with her tonight, and would’ve been happy to ask Brett if she’d let me.”

  “I’ll go after her.”

  “You have no idea where he lives.”

  Aleck pushed past her, muttering, “As if that would stop me.”

  Delonna was on the ferry, in the middle of Puget Sound, when Aleck’s text came in.

  Where are you?

  She exited the game she’d been playing on her phone, and stared down at the message. Quickly, she typed a response.

  In bed, sick to my stomach, boss boy. Didn’t CJ tell you?

  Shit. Was he going to get all pissy because she’d called in sick? It was maybe the second time she’d ever done so in her time working at the pub.

  Her phone buzzed again.

  Cut the bullshit. I know about the missing money and you heading to Seattle. Where are you?

  What the hell? Kenzie had ratted her out? Disappointment and anger flashed through her, and she tossed her phone onto the passenger seat.

  How did she even answer that? Better yet, why should she have to? She wasn’t Aleck’s responsibility.

  Dammit.

  She picked up her phone again and texted Kenzie.

  You told him?

  The text came back a moment later, as if Kenzie had been waiting to hear from her.

  I’m so sorry, he completely called my bluff and bullied it out of me. You know how he can be. And he’s worried about you—we both are.

  Delonna tossed her phone back onto the passenger seat. Well, let them worry. She didn’t have time to coddle and reassure them she’d be okay. Yes, James had likely stolen a shit ton of money from her and she was beyond enraged, but she really didn’t think he’d hurt her during the confrontation.

  They’d dated for over a year, slept together every chance they’d gotten—and she was banking on a shaky relationship combined with good sex being grounds to talk about this reasonably.

  The ferry began to dock, and her attention shifted from James to her plan of action once she got to his house. A plan of action that included…what now? Use her key—like hell she’d give him a chance to not answer her knock—enter his apartment and then kick him square in the nuts. Then begin questioning.

  Yeah, that sounded pretty good.

  Five minutes later she was off the ferry and heading toward I5. Well on her way to James’s place. Her phone hadn’t stopped buzzing, but she didn’t check to see if the messages were from Kenzie or Aleck. Right now she couldn’t be bothered with either of them.

  When she arrived at James’s complex, she didn’t automatically spot his truck, but no matter. She’d wait for his sorry ass to get home if need be. But just in case he was avoiding her, she’d park around the corner to avoid tipping off her presence here.

  She’d gotten a late start heading to Seattle—grabbing a quick shower and food first—and it was already close to eight. So really, he should’ve been off work at his customer service job.

  He’s probably out blowing your money. Right this very moment.

  Her stomach roiled as she slid out of the car. She wrapped her arms around her chest, shivering in the October evening air. This knock-off North Face fleece wasn’t doing shit to keep her warm. But she was too cheap to buy the real deal.

  She reached the complex quickly and climbed the outdoor stairs to the second floor. Her footsteps echoed, and she couldn’t help but notice how deserte
d it seemed. There was literally no one around. Several apartments had lights on, but it was just graveyard quiet.

  Gripping her keys in her hand, she stopped outside his apartment. Even through the blinds she could tell it was dark inside. So it was looking more likely that he wasn’t home. Fine. She’d kill some time watching TV. James had all the cable channels, which was a luxury she’d never indulged in.

  She unlocked the door and pushed it open, hitting the light switch as she walked inside. Despite knowing he wasn’t home, she still called out his name tentatively. There was no reply, of course.

  She closed the door and walked down the hall to the living room, thinking it wasn’t much warmer inside than outside.

  When she reached the end of the hall she gave a strangled gasp. It was empty. No big leather couch. No giant television. No side table. The room was absolutely empty except for a candy bar wrapper in the middle of a carpet that was direly in need of a good vacuuming.

  No. This wasn’t happening.

  Forcing herself to keep moving, she rushed down the hall to the one bedroom in the apartment. The door was open, and a quick glance inside showed it just as empty.

  Her stomach sank and the thick, cloying sense of dread swelled heavier inside her. With trembling fingers, she pulled her cell phone free from her purse. Ignoring the list of texts on the lock screen, she went to her contacts, found James and hit dial. It went straight to voicemail.

  “Shit.” She leaned against the wall, not trusting her legs to hold her up for much longer.

  He was gone. He was fucking gone. And his phone was off.

  She sank to the carpeted ground and closed her eyes against the tears of shock. Why? Why had he done this to her?

  She was so lost in her own miserable world that it took her a moment to recognize the sound of the door to the apartment opening.

  Hadn’t she shut it? Locked it? No. Realization kicked in. She hadn’t locked the door.

  Her insides twisted as the despair slid into fear. What were the chances it was James returning to the abandoned apartment? Not very likely.

  Footsteps sounded in the apartment now. Unhurried and light—almost as if the person were trying to be quiet. With nothing but silence surrounding her, though, he may as well have been stomping.

  She glanced around, frantically searching for anything she could use as a weapon. Nothing. There was literally nothing but a candy bar wrapper. James had a horrible sugar habit.

  Spotting the open closet just feet from her, she moved to her hands and knees and crawled as quickly as she could over and into it. As much as she wanted to close the door, she knew the sound would tip off whoever was in here.

  The footsteps stopped and she caught her breath, hope flaring inside her.

  Turn and leave. There’s nobody here.

  Almost a minute of silence, before the footsteps sounded again. This time they were coming down the hall.

  Fuck. Shit. Damn. Delonna let out every curse she knew in her head as she glanced around the closet, hoping to find a weapon of sorts. Nothing but a plastic hanger. It’d have to do.

  She grabbed it and slowly rose to her feet. Maybe whomever it was would just glance in the room and not bother to check the closet. If they just peeked in the room, they wouldn’t be able to see her…

  The footsteps moved into the room. Closer. Closer still. She’d be in view in just about any—

  Delonna slammed the hanger down onto the hand that reached into the closet.

  “Ouch.”

  Ignoring the furious, blatantly male cry of pain, she darted past him and sprinted straight for the front door to the apartment. An iron-like arm slammed around her waist, stopping her momentum and snapping her backward into a solid chest.

  “Oof.” The air rushed from her and her head spun from the impact of hitting wide, hard shoulders. The shock subsided and panic kicked in again.

  She tried to elbow him, head butt him, kick him, do something to free herself. Nothing worked, because he held her too tight and dodged her blows.

  “Delonna, stop it,” the snarled words finally registered. “Stop fookin’ struggling. It’s me. Aleck.”

  Aleck. The tension fled her body as relief sank in. She went limp in his grip and her heart slowed back to normal. Her breath was shuddering, before she tried to pull out of his grip again. This time he let her go.

  Stunned disbelief had her turning and demanding, “What in the hell are you doing here?”

  His gaze flickered with irritation. “Keepin’ your arse out of trouble.”

  She was already so on the edge, that his close proximity made her even more off balance. His nearly black hair, vivid green eyes and perfect smile could take a girl’s breath away, while his broad-shouldered, nearly six-and-a-half-foot frame was enough to intimidate.

  She stepped back from him, trying to get her heart rate back under control. “How did you even find me? Find James’s apartment?”

  Not that he lived here anymore. Clearly.

  “I got his full name from Kenzie, and had Colin look him up in the system.”

  Of course Kenzie had given that information freely. And so why wouldn’t Aleck have his brother, a sheriff’s detective on the island, look up James?

  Her mouth flattened. “That’s a hell of a lot of trouble you went through to figure out where my boyfriend lives.”

  “So he’s still your boyfriend, aye?” Aleck’s gaze slid around the apartment. “After he’s stolen your money and skipped town. You certainly know how to choose them.”

  “Well that kind of reply is going to garner you a big old fuck you, Aleck. Go ahead and judge me from your high horse. Or wait a minute, don’t. In fact I’d appreciate it if you’d stay the hell out of my personal business.”

  With a glare meant to wither his balls, she turned and strode out of the bedroom.

  Ah, fook it all.

  Aleck strode after her, his brisk strides bringing him to the front door before she arrived at it. He blocked her exit and softened his expression.

  “I apologize. That was a shite thing to say,” he said tightly.

  She met his gaze. The anger in her eyes hadn’t settled even a little bit. “Yes, it was.”

  “I was worried about you. We all were.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t seem wise for you to confront a man who was obviously desperate enough to steal a large sum of money from you. Even if he was your boyfriend.” He narrowed his eyes. “Unless you’re giving him the benefit of the doubt and calling him your lover still.”

  She gave a laugh that was half exasperation and half despondency. “No. He’s definitely no longer welcome in my bed, and clearly it’s hard to give him the benefit of the doubt when only he and Kenzie knew about the money. And then—” she gestured around the abandoned apartment, “—this.”

  Staring down at her, he watched the panic and disbelief fill her eyes again. Saw her body begin to tremble and tears gather. She looked vulnerable, and so damn young. Which, really, she still was.

  Something inside him softened and the urge to pull her into an embrace hit hard. Which didn’t settle well with him—not after that sensual moment at her place two months ago. Touching her in any way or form was best to be avoided.

  Instead of reaching for her, he offered a gruff, “Let’s get you out of here, Lana.”

  The area between her brows wrinkled. “What did you call me?”

  Shite, had he called her the name aloud? Lana had been the nickname in his head for a while now, but he’d never let it slip. Then again, during the past few months their working relationship had shifted. Had become not quite so employer and employee. Though he wasn’t sure how he’d qualify what it had become.

  Sliding a gaze over her, he took in her blonde hair that was nearly out of the low ponytail, the thick, cream, knit sweater that fell to her thighs, and then the tight j
eans that were tucked into calf-high brown boots.

  It suited her girl-next-door persona and sexy-without-trying appearance right now.

  “Just a nickname,” he murmured. “Didn’t realize I’d even used it.”

  She gave a shrug, her mind clearly elsewhere again. “It’s fine, it just surprised me more than anything. My family used to call me that. I was named after my mom’s best friend.”

  Her words grew fainter as she glanced around the apartment. The shock and helplessness in her eyes made him realize she was still trying to digest what she was seeing.

  “You’ll not be able to sort out anything here,” he said quietly. “Let’s go find some place to grab a coffee. Sweets. Something.”

  He just needed to get her out of here. With the appearance of this apartment being abandoned, two people wandering around inside would only draw unwanted attention.

  Delonna finally nodded. “You’re right. I need to sit down and get my head on straight. I can’t do that here.”

  She turned and moved away from him, making a beeline for the door, leaving Aleck rushing to keep up with her.

  “I’m sorry if I freaked you guys out,” she muttered, giving him a quick glance. “I’ll just head home. You really don’t need to waste any more of your Saturday night on me.”

  “I’ve no plans.” Blatant lie. He stayed by her side. “And you’re not exactly in any state to be driving. Coffee first. I insist.”

  “You insist?” She arched a brow and then waited as he stepped out onto the walkway outside of the apartment, then shut the door and locked it with a key. “And what if I still say no.”

  “Then I’ll throw you over my shoulder, toss you into my car and personally drive you to coffee.” He paused. “Kidding, of course.”

  “Of course.” Her lips quirked as they walked down the stairs and to the parking lot together.

  He glanced around the parking lot. “Where’s your car? I didn’t see it driving in.”

  “I parked on a side road. I didn’t want to alert James to my presence. I’ll just grab it and meet you…where did you say you wanted to go?”