by BJ Wane
“Greg mentioned taking a shortcut back down.” Jeffrey Sorenson glanced around from in front of her and the Kilpatricks as he swung his wife’s hand.
Kelsey found the young couple cute. “I won’t complain about that. You guys must have more experience than me.” Last week the only guests she spent much time with were Otis and Silas, but she was glad she played hooky from work today to join this outing. Any time she could spend with Greg and Devin would mean more memories to take home with her. The bad part of that would come when she compared every guy she met with them, as she knew she would.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been on a horse, but it was like riding a bike. Some things you never forget how to do.” Mr. Kilpatrick winked at his wife over Kelsey’s head.
It was obvious how close the two couples were, and as she stepped away from them when they reached the horses, Kelsey wondered if she would ever be that lucky. She doubted it, considering how easily the men in her past relationships had walked away. Sadness pulled her shoulders down as she patted Cleo’s soft neck, wishing she knew why no one cared enough about her to stick around. Except for Jordan and Theresa, whose closeness she cherished.
Kelsey was so immersed in her thoughts and not paying attention to anyone else that Cleo’s sudden high-pitched whinny and agitation caught her unprepared. The usually quiet, docile mare reared up, pawing the air and shaking her head hard enough to yank the reins out of her hand and send her stumbling back to avoid her thrashing hooves. Fear of the unknown prodded her to keep shuffling out of harm’s way, heedless of Greg’s warning shout to stop. Her foot caught on a protrusion and sent her sprawling backward to land on her side right on the edge of the hill. With a startled cry, she tumbled over the side, rolled twice and came to a jarring stop in the brush alongside the hill.
“Kelsey!”
Pushing her hair back with a trembling hand, she looked up the few feet to the ledge to see both Greg and Devin lying on their stomachs with their hands stretched out toward her.
“If you’re not hurt, lift your arms so we can help you up,” Devin ordered, his voice calm compared to Greg’s strident tone when he called out for her to halt.
She sucked in a deep breath and crawled upward. “I’m fine,” she assured them, raising first her right arm and waiting until Greg gripped her forearm before giving Devin her left. With an effortless tug, they hauled her up, pulling her away from the ground so as not to scrape her body against the rugged terrain. If she weren’t so rattled, Kelsey might have found that quick soaring lift fun. Falling against Devin as soon as her feet were on the ground, she leaned against his rigid body, trying to dislodge her heart from her throat as her breathing continued to stutter in and out. Everything had happened so fast that she found the whole episode a bit surreal as she stood there shaking.
Greg placed his hand on her lower back, rubbing in soothing circles as he leaned down and whispered, “Are you sure you’re okay? Nothing hurts?”
She shook her head, wishing he would kiss her, not caring the other guests were gawking. Pulling back with a deep breath, she held up her scratched arms. “Just some cuts. What… what happened with Cleo?”
“I’ll check her while Devin puts something on those.” With an abruptness he’d never exhibited toward her, Greg spun around and strode toward the young mare that now stood quivering and pawing the ground.
“Are you all right?” Vickie rushed forward as Devin wrapped his arm around her waist and led her toward Thor.
“Just shook up, not harmed.” And embarrassed, but Kelsey couldn’t hide that from the concerned looks on the other’s faces. “It’s not the first time I’ve tripped over my own feet while here. Right, Devin?”
He didn’t return her smile, just looked her over with a critical eye before pulling a first-aid kit from his saddlebag. “I’ll dab some antibiotic ointment on those cuts and scrapes and then you’ll ride back down with me. If the rest of you would mount up, we can get going in a few minutes.”
For the first time, she didn’t take umbrage with his commanding tone. At this point, she would even walk down the hill rather than get on Cleo. “Ow,” she muttered as Devin first cleaned the reddened gashes and then blotted them with ointment.
His hand tightened on her wrist as he held her arm up. “It could have been so much worse.”
Kelsey winced as he gently applied cream to a tender cut. “But it wasn’t. I’m likely to be sorer from riding than that tumble.”
“A hot soak in the tub when we get back will go a long way to ease those aches. Any place I missed?”
She wished she could see more of his face, but he kept his hat lowered and head angled away. “No. Thank you.”
“Devin, bring me that cream when you’re done,” Greg called out, one hand running in soothing circles on Cleo’s flank.
“Wait here, then.” Carrying the tube of ointment, he left her to walk over to Greg and Cleo.
The stinging in her arms started to ease as she watched the two men conversing in hushed tones while tending to something Greg spotted on Cleo, and a few minutes later, curiosity propelled her forward. As soon as she saw the trickle of blood on Cleo’s hip, she dashed to her side, her fear forgotten in her concern.
“Poor baby. What happened?”
“Most likely a female horse fly or deer fly. Their bite is extremely painful and will draw blood, but even so, her reaction was extreme.” Greg tended the oozing sore with gentle fingers, Devin moving to the horse’s head to keep her as still as possible.
“So she was hurt, and scared?” Reaching out a tentative hand, Kelsey felt delicate shuddering ripples running under the smooth coat.
“Yes, but like I said, she never should have reacted that way. I’ll examine the bite more closely when the swelling goes down.” Capping the ointment, Greg cupped her jaw and tilted her head up. “You’re okay?”
“Yes, so you can quit asking. Devin wants me to ride down with him, but maybe…”
“No,” they interrupted at the same time. Greg grasped her shoulders and turned her toward Thor. Sliding his hands down to her waist, he lifted her up and Devin swung her in front of him.
“You two handle me like I weigh ten pounds,” she huffed, settling back against him.
“That’s the best part about your size.” Devin tightened his arm around her waist and turned Thor to lead the riders down the hill.
He entered the rustic cabin, shut the door and leaned against it. A rare smile curved his mouth as he gazed at his partner lounging in front of the fireplace. “That was quick thinking up there, digging your nail into that bug bite.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” She sighed, irritation flitting across her face. “Too bad it didn’t give us better results. I was hoping she would at least end up hurt bad enough to lay her up at the house. It would have made getting to her with no one else around easier.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Young and Fisher seem damned protective of her when we were told no one knows about the contract.” Walking over, he threw himself onto the sofa next to her and propped his feet on the coffee table. “I’m thinking arranging an accident isn’t going to work.”
“You give in too easily,” she retorted. “We’re here until Tuesday. If an opportunity doesn’t present itself by then, we’ll leave and sneak back to finish the job. It won’t be the first time we’ve trekked through woods at night.”
“True, but if I have to go through that much trouble and risk, that impatient asshole is paying more.”
She patted his arm. “I always did say good things come to those who wait.”
“There’s more irritation here than a fly bite.” Tom eyed the puffy sore on Cleo’s hip with a skeptical look. “They hurt, but I agree with you, she shouldn’t have reacted like that. I’ll keep an eye on it, and her.”
Devin stroked the mare’s nose, glad to see she’d settled down and her gentle nature was once more shining through. “I was on the other side of Thor, so couldn’t see her clearly. Everyone was gathe
red around behind the horses, getting ready to mount. With only a few other horses bedded down inside tonight, she’ll rest quietly and maybe we can get a better look at it in the morning.”
He would never forget the surge of gut-clenching panic he experienced when Cleo’s thrashing hooves missed Kelsey’s face by inches, or the anxiety that had propelled him forward as she rolled down the hillside. Thank God, she hadn’t slid too far and they were able to bring her up with little effort. His throat constricted every time he imagined all the ways she could have ended up hurt much worse. And wouldn’t his best friend just love to know the extent of his worry and concern over the girl?
With a last pat to Cleo’s shoulder, Devin followed Tom out of the stall and caught Greg talking into his phone as he signaled to him from the front of the stables. “See you in a few minutes at the hall,” he told his manager, leaving Tom to scoop grain into Cleo’s feeder to see what Greg wanted.
“Hold on, Jordan. Devin’s here and we’re taking this outside.” Jerking his head toward the doors, Greg said, “McAllister needs to talk to both of us about Kelsey.”
From the urgency in Greg’s voice, Devin figured this wasn’t Kelsey’s foster parent just checking in. As soon as they stepped out into the night-fallen cooler air and verified no one else was around, Greg switched his cell to speaker and Jordan’s voice rang with sharp concern.
“You stay glued to Kelsey if you have to handcuff her to your side.”
“You found out something.” Greg’s knuckles went white as he held the phone between them.
With everyone except Tom and Kelsey already at the social hall for dinner, the only sounds in the yard were the night life stirring in the woods and McAllister’s voice. Jordan paused, as if weighing his words then replied, “Yes, and it goes back to Kelsey’s childhood, to when she was five and found alone several blocks from the house where it was later discovered her father had been murdered.”
“Son-of-a-bitch, you knew that all this time, didn’t you?” Devin snapped, pissed off at their deceit in keeping Kelsey’s past from them.
“DNA proved she was related to Fiske Olssen, a Swede with dual citizenship. It wasn’t until after we gave her a name and had her ensconced in foster care that we discovered her birth certificate. Her real name is Inga Olssen and her mother died in childbirth. At the time of his death, we had Olssen under surveillance for money-laundering and knew nothing about a daughter. He went to great efforts to keep her identity hidden.”
Greg swore and narrowed his eyes. “She doesn’t know any of this. I’ve heard her say she’s a nobody when she’s denying there’s any threat against her.”
Jordan’s heavy sigh came through the line and they could hear Theresa sniffing in the background. “She wouldn’t be a nobody even if she wasn’t related to a murdered criminal. We knew at the time about Olssen’s partner in Sweden and learned of an ongoing investigation over there that was at a standstill.”
“Fine,” Devin bit out, glaring at Greg for involving them in this mess. There was no way he would turn his back on Kelsey now. “Skip forward to now and tell us what you unearthed. Someone is after her, correct?”
“Yes. The authorities in Sweden referred a law firm searching for Inga Olssen to us since her father spent the last seven years of his life in the states. It appears he left her the contents of a lockbox to open upon her thirtieth birthday, which is coming up on October second. Both Sweden and we believe someone, likely Olssen’s partner, Sven Lindgren is trying to stop her from inheriting. Authorities in Sweden are working on getting a court order to open the box without involving her.”
Theresa’s stern voice came on the line. “In the meantime, you don’t let her out of your sight.”
“Like you did the night she was assaulted? Where the hell was she that someone could get to her?” Devin growled.
“At a private club, miles from the city, with strict instructions to remain upstairs in the office. She had no business spying on the activities taking place downstairs but disobeying our orders as well as the club owners may have saved her life since her assailant is the one who ended up dead.” Jordan’s voice vibrated with tension.
“Are you talking about a BDSM club?” Greg looked at Devin and mouthed ‘that explains a lot’ when Jordan confirmed his suspicion.
“It wasn’t my idea, but after I talked to her boss, which she doesn’t know, I thought she would be as safe as she’s been all these years. And yes, I know about your involvement in the lifestyle,” he added in a dry tone.
“And you still trusted us with her. When do you plan to tell her all of this?” Greg asked as Devin started toward the house.
Jordan sighed. “You’re going to insist on now, aren’t you?”
“We won’t keep her in the dark. You’ve done that long enough,” Devin retorted, opening the front door. “We’re headed over to dinner. Call her in two hours or we’ll tell her.” He pressed end before Greg had a chance to rebuke his statement.
“Don’t worry,” Greg returned, following him inside. “I agree with you. She has a right to know who she is. It won’t be easy for her.”
“I know.” And Devin knew there was nothing they could do to change that.
I wanted their attention, but this is ridiculous. Kelsey sent Greg a questioning glance as he followed her to the buffet table, again. “What’s with you?”
“Can’t I get a dessert too?”
She snorted. “You can do whatever you want, but you know what I mean. Either you or Devin has been glued to my side since you walked in the door.” She leaned closer, went up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear as he bent down. “Since I know you don’t intend to give me another lesson in submitting in front of your guests, back off.”
Greg slid his hand under her hair and gripped her neck, his green eyes turning stormy as he sank his teeth into her lower lip, obviously not caring who saw. “We may not be in a scene but behave yourself anyway. I’ll use any excuse to toss you over my knee.”
For once, she wasn’t put out with the girls and slutty bitch’s quick, heated response to his dark tone and titillating threat. All too aware of how time was ticking away, she planned to get on board and stay there with whatever either of them wanted.
“I’ll look forward to it,” she returned, stepping back with a teasing grin. “But right now, I want a piece of that cherry pie.”
“Then you better hurry,” Mary quipped from behind her. “There’s only one piece left.”
“It’s mine.” Kelsey grabbed the plate before asking Mary, “Do you want some help cleaning up tonight?”
“No, thanks, dear. These hunters have almost cleaned out the buffet, so all Les and I have to do is load up the dishwasher. That’s the best part about camp dining, everyone expects disposable dishes that can be tossed instead of washed. Go on, enjoy yourself.”
Kelsey waited until Mary returned to the kitchen and Greg picked up a piece of chocolate cake and then placed his free hand on her lower back as they started back to their table before saying, “I hope this sudden hovering isn’t because of my fall this afternoon. I told you I’m fine.”
“Maybe we just want to make sure you don’t have any more tripping accidents.” He checked the time as they sat down, Devin and the two guests from the hunting party at their table having taken up a game of pool.
“Do you have a hot date later tonight? You keep checking the time.” Devin had done the same thing while they ate.
“You know I don’t. Besides, I’m a one-submissive-at-a-time Dom.”
Greg winked at her and she let her misgivings about their odd behavior slide off in favor of basking in the rush of pleasure his statement produced.
Over the next ninety minutes, the guests trickled back to their cabins to turn in and Kelsey started feeling the effects of the long ride. By the time she waited for the social hall to clear so she could return to the house with Greg and Devin, the soothing relief from her long hot soak in the tub before dinner was gone. As th
ey climbed the steps to the porch, her longing to crawl into bed was interrupted by the silent vibration of her phone.
“Who’s calling this late?” she muttered, pausing on the porch to pull her cell out of her pocket. Seeing Jordan’s number, she frowned, wondering why, given the even later time in Philly, he hadn’t waited until morning.
“Hey, Jordan, what’s up?” A cold chill invaded her body as Greg and Devin each squeezed her shoulder and then stepped inside, leaving the door open as she stood on the porch listening to her foster parents’ explanation for keeping her past a secret from her for twenty-five years.
Chapter 12
Thirty minutes later, sobs tore through Kelsey’s constricted throat as she hung up the phone and dashed inside. She didn’t see Greg and Devin’s concerned faces as she ran by them, slammed her bedroom door behind her and flung herself face down on the bed with uncontrollable tremors of scorching betrayal. A lie. My whole life has been a lie. No matter what Jordan or Theresa had said, they couldn’t convince her she meant more to them than just being part of an unsolved case. As they had filled in the blank spots about whatever family she had come from, Kelsey still couldn’t remember anything about her father or the night he’d been killed.
Inga Olssen. Kelsey Hammond. Who am I? She shuddered with the onslaught of fresh tears. Someone wanted her dead because of an inheritance she didn’t even want. She couldn’t wrap her mind around that revelation. All these years, the couple she thought had taken her in and kept her because they cared had only been doing their jobs. Jordan admitted he and Theresa had suspected the attempted kidnapping from a school outing when she’d been six and the break-in at her second foster home four years later weren’t random incidents. When nothing else happened by the time she’d turned eighteen, they had figured she was safe from her father’s enemies.