Between Love and Loyalty

by Shannyn Schroeder

  Fiona twisted wire in place and her gut matched the knot. Life would be so much easier if Connor would talk to her, let her know what he was thinking, but she couldn’t ask for what she wouldn’t give.

  How long could she hold out like this? Being secretive wasn’t her style. Every time Connor looked at her for information, it ate away at her. Her openness annoyed her mother. Mom would be so proud now, wouldn’t she? Fiona dropped her tools and decided sleep might be more productive. Things weren’t that bad. She had a date with Connor for Halloween. They could be together like a regular couple for at least a little bit, kind of like when they went camping. And there were fewer than three weeks left until election night.

  Then she would come clean to Connor on all counts.

  * * *

  Connor stood under the hot spray of the shower questioning his sanity. He should’ve made Fiona leave before she’d gotten naked. No matter what he did, he couldn’t deter her. He didn’t understand her game and he’d give anything for even a hint. She was a Cavanagh, which meant he couldn’t trust her. The problem was, he had a hard time remembering that when they were together. Especially when he looked into her big blue eyes.

  He needed a plan to be able to get what he needed from her without falling into whatever trap she intended to lay. Frustration still gripped him when he stepped out of the shower. He pulled on some underwear, made a pot of coffee, and sat at his computer to do the research he needed. He sipped on the strong coffee while scrolling through another round of Google hits for Fiona.

  Her work with the outreach center still popped up first, before the connection to her infamous father during an election. The photos taken of her and the kids at the center showed the Fiona he knew: a bright, lively woman who loved art. These were followed by her online jewelry store. A few clicks later, he found the Fiona he’d grown to despise: the sleek, polished Cavanagh. Then he found a picture of Fiona with Aiden.

  The years had been kind to his former friend. Aiden looked cleaner than ever. Maybe he’d finally grown up. Before Connor knew what he was doing, the search had shifted and Aiden’s life appeared on the screen. Two articles in and Connor realized Aiden had become everything Brady Cavanagh had ever wanted in a son. Connor had done his job.

  Unfortunately, he hadn’t known the long-term effects of the agreement. Right after prison, he’d approached Cavanagh, seeking to make it right, but Cavanagh had just wanted to throw more money at him. As if money could repay the years he’d lost. He scrolled back to Fiona. He couldn’t wrap his head around her being part of that family. But he had the proof staring him in the face.

  The little voice in his head he’d learned to listen to pointed out she routinely came to him to escape her family.

  Focusing on Fiona wouldn’t get him what he needed. He cleared his search again and started with Brady Cavanagh. Whatever Brady did and covered up was the information Connor needed. Once he had Fiona’s trust, he could get her to confide her father’s wrongdoings and then he’d…

  What? Would spilling all the horrid details of all of Brady’s politicking change Connor’s life? Connor shoved away from the desk. He knew he’d never be able to ruin Cavanagh. If the news reports over the years had never knocked him out of the running, Connor’s personal account wouldn’t either. Connor recognized he was losing sight of his original plan. He wanted his name cleared. He wanted people to know he wasn’t guilty of hurting that girl. Mostly he wanted the Cavanaghs to admit to destroying his life for their benefit.

  While it was true that he’d made the decision by himself, Brady had made it seem like no big deal. Confess, get a pile of cash to help his mother and brother, and no more. Brady supposedly had not expected Connor to actually have to serve time. It had been an accident after all.

  Connor paced the room and knew he was lost. He got dressed and went to the basement. Wood always made sense. Tools in his hands put him at peace. With any luck, the noise would drown out the echoes of Fiona’s gasps and moans in his head.

  He had no idea how he was supposed to keep this up.

  Chapter 6

  Connor felt the vibration of his phone against his hip and turned the sander off. A text from Fiona. She’d been coming to his place most nights, looking for whatever escape he provided but he found himself enjoying her company as much as he did the sex. None of which helped his cause. She rarely let anything slip about her family. When campaign crap appeared on the TV, she flipped the channel.

  Her text offered information for the Halloween party he hadn’t yet agreed to attend. He dialed her number. When she answered, he said, “I didn’t say I’d come to the party.”

  “I know. I was being optimistic. You complained about being a booty call. This is your chance to go somewhere as my date. But you have to be in costume.”

  “I’ll go as a carpenter.”

  She tsked at him like an old lady. “I already told you that doesn’t count. Use your imagination.”

  “What are you wearing?”

  “Right now I’m wearing an old T-shirt and nothing else. How about you?”

  The thought of her wearing next to nothing made his jeans uncomfortable and he groaned. “I meant for the party.”

  She giggled. “You’ll have to show up if you want to see.”

  “Who’s going to be at this thing?”

  “My friend, Sarah, who is also in charge of the center. I introduced you to her the first night we met. The kids from the program and maybe some of their parents.”

  She became abruptly quiet and unease crawled across Connor’s shoulders. He said nothing. Just waited for her to continue.

  “There’s a chance my brother might show,” she finally added quietly.

  When he didn’t respond, she continued, “I wasn’t going to tell you because I didn’t want you to freak out, especially since I put talk of my family off-limits. But then I figured if he did come, you would feel blindsided and get pissed off.”

  How could he get out of showing up without making Fiona want to ditch him altogether? Aiden would recognize him. “I thought you wanted to keep me away from your family.”

  “It’s not like that. Aiden is different. He doesn’t care who I’m with. It’s not like he’s going to run out and tell the world who you are.”

  She had no fucking idea how small the chances of that happening were. Aiden would want to keep him a secret more than Fiona did.

  “You’ll still come, right? It’ll be fun.”

  He couldn’t say no to her. He couldn’t refuse anything she asked which was a problem. A huge one. And he had no idea how it had happened. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

  “Great.”

  He could hear her smile and liked knowing he was the cause. They disconnected and Connor went back to sanding wood. All he had to do now was come up with a costume to hide his identity from Aiden. Between a well-designed costume and careful avoidance, the Halloween party could come off without a hitch.

  Then he’d have enough of Fiona’s trust that maybe they could spend some time at her place. A little reconnaissance in enemy territory might work to his advantage.

  He told himself that it didn’t matter that he no longer saw her as the enemy, even though her family was.

  * * *

  Connor stood at the door, not quite sure of his next move. The gauze over his face scratched and itched, but he figured it would make a better disguise than a mask, which could be easily removed. He inhaled a slow deep breath and then entered the outreach center.

  Kids ran by him without a second glance. He heard music and noise coming from a room off to the right, so he headed there. A small gym had been turned into a party room. Streamers dangled and twirled and fake fog swirled around his legs. He stood still and looked over the sea of people. A few adults milled around, chatting with each other as kids played games or snacked on food at the long buffet table.

  From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Fiona. The green skintight outfit she wore drew Connor’s gaze down
her back to her ass. He immediately imagined peeling the material from her body. She held onto the arm of a man. He didn’t need to see the face to recognize Aiden.

  He shook his head and turned in the other direction, immediately running into Sarah. She was dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, but her face was anything but sweet innocence.

  “Excuse me, but this is not an open party.”

  “Fiona invited me.” He extended a hand. “Connor.”

  “Oh, she told me she invited you, but I didn’t think you’d show.” She eyed him up and down. “You get points for actually wearing a costume.”

  “Fiona left me with the impression that I didn’t have a choice.”

  Her smile broadened. “You don’t, but most guys like to cheat. I think it’s instinct. Guys always look for a way to ignore the rules.”

  Connor chewed on that for a minute. Looking back on his life, he couldn’t argue the point. This time, however, it hadn’t even occurred to him. He just did what Fiona asked.

  “Care for a tour? I’m sure Fiona is around here somewhere. She’s dressed like Poison Ivy. She’s hard to miss.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “A tour sounds good.”

  Especially if it kept him away from Aiden.

  Sarah hung a basket with a stuffed dog on her elbow and tilted her head to lead the way.

  “Hey, Miss Sarah,” a little princess called as she ran past followed by a second princess.

  “Girls, no running.” Her voice had Connor straightening his spine.

  Both screeched to a halt and began to tiptoe away.

  “You sound like a principal,” he whispered.

  A smile eased onto her face. “I pretty much am. My job isn’t so different. I make a point of getting to know the kids and they see me as the boss. The one who could throw them out of the center and bar them from participating.”

  “You’d do that?” He knew a center in a neighborhood like this was all the kids had to look forward to.

  “No, but I let them believe in the possibility. A little fear is a good thing.” She walked on and began to explain the different types of classes held in each room. Occasionally, a parent or a kid interrupted them and Sarah always paused to chat.

  Connor watched adults interact with the kids, playing games, talking, laughing. He could only imagine what a place like this could’ve done for him and his brother when they were little. Then he thought of Fiona’s role here. He knew Sarah ran the place, which was a position he could easily see a Cavanagh in, but Fiona worked directly with the kids.

  She stayed out of the spotlight. So unlike a Cavanagh. The Cavanaghs were not the kind of people who liked to get their hands dirty by actually mingling with the people they supposedly helped. In their minds, money could fix anything.

  But Fiona didn’t fit that mold and the knowledge rattled him.

  Before he had time to examine it further, Sarah’s phone rang. “I’m sorry. I have to take this. If you walk down this hallway, you’ll get back to the gym. Fiona’s probably there.”

  Connor nodded and followed her directions, but overshot and went outside for fresh air. He leaned against a column and wished he still smoked. A night like this called for a cigarette. Instead, he attempted to inhale some fresh air and got a lungful of exhaust instead. The lack of fresh air made him think of camping, which unfortunately made him remember camping with Fiona.

  He pushed it aside and reminded himself that the Fiona who went camping was not the Fiona he was really dealing with. Here in Chicago, she was a Cavanagh. He had to keep the two straight. He heard the door clang behind him and when he turned, he came face to face with Aiden.

  Connor didn’t speak, only nodded a greeting. It was possible Aiden wouldn’t pay enough attention to recognize him.

  Aiden stared into his eyes, and Connor knew when recognition hit. So much for his costume being a disguise. The damn thing hadn’t helped at all.

  “Holy fuck. What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Aiden.”

  A range of emotions crossed Aiden’s face before Connor could develop an answer for Aiden’s question. “You’re the guy Fiona’s with? What the fuck are you doing with my sister?”

  A smirk lifted Connor’s mouth. “You really want the answer?”

  Aiden stepped forward with fists clenched.

  Connor glanced down at Aiden’s hands. “You might want to rethink. Remember what happened last time.”

  “I was drunk and high last time. I’m in full control of my faculties now. I knew you hated me, but why the hell would you go after Fiona?”

  The accusation poked at him, but the conversation felt natural. Just like it always had with his friend. “I didn’t go after her. She came onto me at a bar and introduced herself as Fiona Wells.”

  “But you knew who she was.” Aiden’s gaze shifted.

  “Yeah, but surprisingly, I never lied about my name and it didn’t ring any bells for her.”

  “She was away at school. She never knew.” Aiden’s shoulders sagged.

  Connor could almost feel the weight pushing between them, compressing the past into a flurry of emotions. If only he could turn back the clock. The number of things he’d do differently. He couldn’t help but wonder if he and Aiden would still be friends if things had taken a different course.

  “You can’t continue to see her.”

  “Why not? Afraid of the truth?”

  Aiden’s weary gaze met his. “Hell, yeah. I care about her. If you want to come after me then bring it, but Fiona isn’t part of this.”

  Connor was taken back by Aiden’s honesty. “She made herself part of it.”

  “I tried to make things right. You know I did.”

  Old anger swelled in Connor’s chest. “There is no making this right unless you tell everyone the truth. Are you prepared to do that?”

  Aiden shook his head. “I can’t.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “It wouldn’t change anything anyway.” He took a deep breath and stared out at the street. “I’ll tell her to stay away from you.”

  “I’m sure you will, but she doesn’t strike me as the type of woman to listen to her big brother.” Besides, Connor knew Aiden wouldn’t tell Fiona the whole truth out of fear that Fiona would get to hear Connor’s side of the story. Connor could tell her and possibly ruin Aiden’s relationship with her, but it wouldn’t be enough. Brady Cavanagh wouldn’t suffer.

  Aiden took another step. They stood eye-to-eye. “I’ve reformed my life, but if you hurt her, I will come after you.”

  “You can try.” Deep down, Connor knew he might hurt Fiona, but the chances of her destroying him were much greater.

  * * *

  Fiona swept through the party a second time and still couldn’t find Connor. Sarah said he was here, but now Fiona worried Aiden found him and said something to scare him off. Not that Connor would scare easily. She stood in the hallway, thinking she should be able to spot him easily.

  A mummy filled the doorway of the front entrance. Gauze dangled from his jaw and his broad body didn’t look like it had been stuffed into a sarcophagus for centuries. When his gaze landed on her, she knew it was Connor.

  She headed toward him. “Nice costume.”

  He stroked a hand down her side. “Not as nice as yours.”

  She suppressed the shiver his touch brought. “Come on. I feel like you’ve been avoiding me all night.”

  “Why would I avoid you?”

  “Because you didn’t want to meet my brother. You don’t have to worry. He’s gone. The party’s almost over. Let’s go dance to Thriller.”

  “You dance. I’ll watch.”

  Fiona led the way back to the gym where the first strains of Thriller played. She grabbed the hands of kids surrounding her and began to dance. She felt Connor’s gaze following her every move and it turned her on. She’d wanted to have more time with him tonight. She’d hoped to have a night with him out as a couple instead of hi
ding in his house.

  Well, hiding didn’t normally involve sex, and they’d been having plenty. She had the impression Connor wanted more, but maybe she’d been mistaken. Late-night sex seemed to appease him now.

  She just didn’t know if it would continue to be enough for her.

  When the song ended and the lights came on, brightly flooding the room, Fiona met Connor at the snack table. “Almost ready to go?”

  “Yes.” His voice was tight.

  When his gaze raked over her costumed body, she knew he was as turned on as she was. “I have to pass out goody bags to the kids on their way out. Then we can leave.”

  “I’ll help.”

  She reached under the table and slid a box out. He bent over and picked it up for her. Having a burly guy around certainly came in handy.

  “Follow me,” she said and led the way to the front door.

  Fiona watched as kids shoved gloved hands through sleeves on their coats. Others had to bend wings to make jackets fit. Some whined and cried that they didn’t want to go home yet.

  Sarah’s voice rose above the crowd. “When you have your coats on and are ready to go, make sure you see Miss Fiona at the door for your treats. Have a wonderful evening and thank you all for coming.”

  Connor and Fiona handed bags to eager hands. “Who’s going to clean up all the mess?” Connor asked.

  “Sarah has some teen volunteers who will stay and clean up. We’re really done as soon as this box is empty.”

  He handed a bag to Melanie, who was dressed as a princess. “Happy Halloween.”

  Melanie’s eyes widened. “Mummies can’t talk. They don’t have tongues. They just groan.”

  Fiona watched as Connor’s eyebrow disappeared above his line of gauze. The corner of his mouth lifted as well. “Uhn.” He said at Melanie.

  “Much better,” Melanie added as she grabbed her bag and ran out the door.