by J. A. Dennam
Danny’s boots hit the dirt. Her knees wobbled for a moment. She yanked off her gloves, then her tool belt. Please, God, let her be okay, Austin prayed as he took his last strides. She was already covered up by men by the time he arrived, but soon the bodies parted and she ran to the back of the hoe. Her shoulders lurched forward. She blindly grabbed for something to hold on to as the contents of her stomach spilled out into the dirt.
“Get out of the way!” Austin yelled, panicked by the sounds of her retching. The men let him through and he could finally see her.
When the convulsions stopped, Danny wiped her mouth with her sleeve, staggered and wrapped her arm around her middle while the other tensed at her side. Austin knew her ribs hurt and he immediately turned her to face him. Her hair was out of control, her face and clothing were covered with dirt, but there were no other physical signs of injury. “Danny, look at me,” he prompted. She did. “Are you hurt?” She shook her head. “What about your ribs?”
“They’re fine,” she panted and nodded her head for assurance. “I’m just a little shaken up.”
“Shaken up, she says!” Torsten guffawed from behind him. “Hell, I’d have pissed myself! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that, Danny.” He turned to address the other men. “Did anyone else see that? Did you fucking see – that?”
While Torsten raised hell with the others, Austin scooped her up in his arms and began the long trek back to the office.
“You don’t need to carry me,” she protested weakly. “Dammit this is embarrassing!”
“Shut up, Bennett,” he growled, never missing a stride.
“It wasn’t my fault!”
“I said, shut up. I’m not blaming you.”
“But you’re mad at me.”
His insides exploded with an emotion that definitely was not anger. If she only knew how he really felt, she would be running for the hills. Holy crap, the sheer terror of watching her get {hintresquished under that thing was enough to level him. “If I’m anything, it’s confused.” About a whole lot of things, but he said, “I’m still trying to figure out how you avoided getting skewered.”
Danny finally relaxed against him as she bounced with his determined strides. “I’ll let you know when I figure it out myself,” she mumbled and exhaustedly rested her head on his shoulder.
When they reached the commons room, he set her down at one of the long tables and crouched beside her to do a more thorough inspection. She was still shaking.
“Any pulled muscles? Broken bones? Mashed fingers or toes?”
He was scanning her body like a Corvette owner whose ride was just hit. “No dents or scratches, either,” she groused as the sound of approaching men came through the door. “Go check on Stan, he needs you more than I do. I’m fine.”
“Don’t start with me, Danny,” he warned, his eyes coming up to grab a hold of hers. “We’ve already done this and I’m not taking this bravado crap from you again. You puked for Christ’s sake, just own the fact you’re not fine!”
And then he saw it. She swallowed just as the anxiety slowly crept in. He unfolded his long legs and reached for her hand while others came into the room. “Come on. You need to splash some cold water on your face.”
Mechanically, she took his hand and allowed him to pull her up. When they reached the faucet behind the bar, he turned the knob. Her heart pounded when he ran his fingers through her hair and drew it back for her.
The first thing she did was rinse the foul taste out of her mouth, then bathed her dirty, hot skin in handfuls of cool water. It felt cleansing, fresh, therapeutic, but it failed to wash away the reality of it all. She could literally feel the unease creep into her bones.
This was the second time she’d come close to death since walking through the Cahill gates.
“She okay, boss?” Mac asked behind them. He was winded and concerned, placed her retrieved gloves and tool belt on the counter.
“Stay with her while I check on Stan,” Austin requested, and left her leaning against the counter.
“I’m going to die here,” Danny mumbled, her dripping face devoid of emotion. “Mac, what the hell am I doing?”
The big man handed her a paper towel. “You’re just spooked, Monkey. It’ll be okay.”
Her eyes went wild and she began to shake her head in denial. “This is crazy! I’m crazy.” Mac took the ignore
d towel and wiped her face for her. “What the hell am I doing here?”
imes New Roman">“Well,” Mac shrugged helplessly, “you’re keeping me on my toes, that’s for damn sure.” When she didn’t acknowledge the comment, he bent over to peer under her furrowed brows. “What are you thinking, Danny?”
The breath trembled through her lips and her eyes clouded over with a haunted cast. “I’m a Bennett, Mac. I’m not going to make it out of here alive.”
Chapter 12
Austin returned having sent Stan away in the ambulance. The man would be okay, but his health problems needed to be monitored for a day or two. He scanned the faces in the commons room, but Danny was nowhere to be seen. He spied Mac exiting the locker room as the crew filed back out to the yard.
“How’s she doing?” he asked, prepared to find out for himself as soon as Mac filled him in.
Mac shrugged his sagging shoulders and looked down at the fresh shirt in his hands. “I don’t know, boss. She’s spooked like I’ve never seen her.”
“Did you see what happened?” When the big man nodded, he asked, “How did she get out from under that hoe?”
“I don’t know. One second it’s rolling over her, the next she’s climbing up the side.” He shrugged into the denim shirt and began buttoning the snaps. “The best I can figure is she must have latched on to the bottom to avoid the tires. But, dammit, if that had happened to any one of us, we’d a been waffled.”
“She’s quick on her feet, just like her brother,” Austin retorted, genuinely impressed.
It was the first time Mac heard his boss mention Danny’s brother in a while. “Is he as good at climbing shit as she is?”
Austin thought back to when Derek scaled the five-story building in a matter of seconds. “Better,” he muttered and moved past him toward the locker room.
“She’s not in there, boss.” When Austin glanced back over his shoulder, Mac nodded toward the house. “Went to her room.”
Moments later, he was standing at her open door, watching her throw her belongings into a duffel bag. He leaned against the doorframe, folded his arms over his chest. “Going somewhere?”
Her efforts increased in speed. “You don’t miss much, do you?”
“Just take a breath, Danny.”
“You can sue me, I don’t care,” she mumbled and moved back to the open dresser drawer. “I’m getting the hell out of here. It’s better than dying.”
The blood turned to ice in his veins at the thought of her leaving. “Don’t ~="+/ip wiyou think that’s a tad melodramatic?”
Her laugh was cold and a little crazy. “Just like Jenny Bennett, never saw her again after she was sucked into this place.”
Austin searched his memory. “That was a hundred and ten years ago.”
“Then Mickie Bennett and Uncle Shamus,” She whirled on him with a pointed finger, “and you know he died here!”
Now Austin didn’t know whether to be amused or confused. “Yeah, during the Depression Era. Danny, this is the twenty-first century. You won’t be hanged, I promise.”
“Eye-for-an-eye, right?” She jammed her clothes into the bag then reached under the bed for her shoes. “What did you do, pay Stan to run me down?”
His attention was immediately drawn from her protruding derriere and his spine went straight. “Now, wait a minute…”
“We take, you take, we kill, you kill. Doesn’t matter if it’s true as long as you believe it.” She popped up fast and threw her stash of shoes at him one by one. “Well, I’m not going to be sucked in, Cahill, do you hear me?”
“Get off me, Cahill!” she railed when he grabbed her from behind and pinned her arms to her sides. “I’m not done throwing things at you yet!”
“Oh, yes you are,” he growled and lifted her bodily from the ground. He remembered her ribs as soon as she made a delicate sound of pain. But as soon as she was free he realized he’d been tricked when she delivered a quick elbow to the gut.
“Damn, woman!” Little faker. Not so easily snowed, he picked her up again, kicking and struggling, moved her out of the room, down the hallway and through the back door. When her boot heel connected with his shin, he swore and dropped her, but only long enough to reposition his load. Her yelp of surprise carried down the breezeway and through the open walkway to the offices. A dozen heads turned, crewmembers gaped as they stopped working and watched their boss strut toward the commons room with a struggling woman draped over his shoulder.
She was still hurling curse words and accusations by the time Austin reached the showers.
“Don’t even think about it, you bastard!” she shrieked from behind him as her eyes widened on the approaching stalls.
He chose one and, with his free hand, reached for the knob on the right.
“Damn you, put me down!”
Ice cold water hissed out of the showerhead. “Whatever you say, Bennett,” and he unloaded her directly beneath the spray. Her heated string of threats was replaced by an audible intake of breath.
“Evidently you needed more than a splash,” he observed dryly and remained as a solid barrier between her and the exit.
“Y-y-you are Satin,” she stuttered as the icy coldness washed down her entire body, soaking her from the top of her head to the tip of her boots.
“And you’re in shock.” He halted her repeated attempts to turn away from the spray and held her firmly by the arms, forcing her to face it. “Just let it soak in for a minute.”
A few seconds later, her voice had dropped to a humble squeak. “Okay, I’m done.”
“You sure?”
Her wet head nodded spastically. He reached past her and turned the other knob to let in some warmth. She shivered. When he felt it was safe he bent and wrapped his arms around her middle, rested his chin on top of her shoulder. He was getting drenched as well, but he didn’t care. This was where he needed to be.
When her movements subsided to no more than deep controlled breaths, he said, “You did an incredible thing today, Danny.”
“Yeah?”
He could barely hear her reply. “You saved a man’s life. You put the safety of others ahead of your own. It severely shortened my life span, but it’s still a positive thing. That’s what you should be focusing on. Not me, not the feud or the past.”
His soothing words were met with silence. Just like the water, she soaked it in and basked in the warmth of his comforting embrace. She’d accused him of some terrible things, but he took them for what they were and cared enough to offer her what she needed. As reason returned, so did the uncomfortable reality that Danny was rapidly falling in love with this man.
Were those his fingers on her neck, she wondered, or his lips? Slowly floating now, Danny stammered, “How...how can I focus on anything...when you’re doing...that?”
Focus. Such a difficult task he was struggling to manage himself. But as soon as she’d gone all pliant in his arms, his mouth took on a life of it’s own. It was as if he could read where her thoughts were leading. The woman was in an entirely different place than she was just a few moments ago.
His lips brushed the side of her jaw in slow, feathery strokes. The sensation was hypnotic and her insides began to pulse with anticipatory pleasure. She closed her eyes, tilted her s, er jaw in head to give him better access. Her own mouth opened to suck in air when his tongue came out, licked her skin. His arms loosened their hold. She turned in them. Suddenly his mouth closed over...a spot on her forehead.
Damn.
Then slowly trailed down to brush gently over the fading bruise on her cheek, then by her mouth. If she turned ever so slightly, those sensual lips would be on hers. His hands came up and cupped her head as his thumbs traced the ridges of her cheekbones.
“Danny,” he whispered ever so close, acutely aware of her complete submission. “I’m going to leave now.”
Her eyes opened and she grabbed his shirtfront in both fists. “I don’t want you to.”
He raised his head and communicated his desire through eye contact. Hers were heavy with her own need and he nearly lost the strength to back away. But back away he did, nobly held her at arms length. “Take a shower. Wash your hair. Get some rest, and then you can tell me what you want.”
She opened her mouth to respond and was abruptly cut off.
“Get your hands off my sister, Cahill!”
Danny jumped and Austin’s head snapped around toward the entrance to the showers. His thoughts took such a sudden turn the tiled room swam around him. It had been eight months since he’d come face-to-face with Derek Bennett, but this time it was the other man who radiated vengeful hatred from afar. The woman in his grasp began to tremble again and he let her go, backed away.
“Derek, what are you doing here?” Danny asked in a shaky voice and stepped between the two men who glared death threats at each other.
Derek’s whiskered jaw clenched and his fists pumped at his sides. “Committing a very legitimate crime,” he replied smoothly while his eyes never left the other man’s. “Why don’t you go pack while Austin and I…communicate.”
As if the day wasn’t already turbulent enough, she thought. “I don’t think you want to pick a fight with him,” she warned and headed toward her brother. “Believe me, you’ve had enough of a ‘reality check’ for today.”
Since Austin stood a good few inches taller and wider than Derek, she wasn’t comfortable with the odds.
“It’s okay, Danny.” Austin paced like a panther in a cage. “Let him come. I have a whole lot of need that could use some release right now.”
His implication could have been taken more than one way. Derek didn’t like either one and he pushed his sister aside to gain access to a match that was now unavoidable. Danny yanked on his shirt and then was forced to tackle him bodily in order to slow him down.
“Derek, don’t do it! Nothing happened!”
The force of her body knocked him off kilter, but only slightly. His eyes had locked on their target and his feet weren’t changing course until he fired a shot. Danny stumbled behind him and his hands came out, slammed against Austin’s shoulders. “I won’t let you use her, you bitter son-of-a-bitch,” he yelled and this time followed up with a solid right hook.
Austin’s head snapped back as he opened himself to the shot. Now he had grounds to return fire and did so with a quick jab to the face, but Derek was ready and ducked easily to avoid it. It was then Austin remembered how quickly Derek moved and he reconfigured his battle plan to expect it. When the other man lunged at him again, Austin was prepared. Their bodies slammed together. Instead of being backed into the plumbing, he used the impact’s momentum to fling them around. It was Derek who was pinned against the tile wall while water from the still-running showerhead rained down from above.
Danny watched in wide-eyed horror as her brother took an incapacitating blow to the stomach. Then another, and another. “God, Austin, stop!” she yelled and scrambled into action. She jumped on his back and wrapped herself around his big upper body in order to slow him down. “Please don’t do this!” she wailed as he attempted to slacken her hold. “He’s not Brett, dammit, he’s trying to save me from you!”
That slowed Austin down a little, but the black rage was difficult to cut through. Now that he finally had Derek Bennett where he wanted h
im, he was going to get his pound of flesh. “I won’t kill him, Danny,” he assured her over his shoulder. “I’ll just re-break his nose, maybe put him in a wheelchair for a while.”
“I like his nose just the way it is,” she responded closely to his ear. “Just turn around and walk away.”
When he backed up another step, she slid down and yanked on his sodden shirt to do the turning. Good. His focus was on her now. But her brother took that opportunity to lunge again and Austin grunted from the sideways impact. Danny blinked when he was suddenly gone from close proximity. Much to her chagrin, Derek didn’t know when to quit and the two grown men battled it out on the floor. “You’re acting like fools, both of you!” she shrieked from above, jumping up and down in her frustration. “Stop it!” More blows were exchanged. “Stop it!”
Then, suddenly, there were others around her as she continued to rant and scream her orders for ceasefire. Mac, Frank and Torsten physically intervened in a way she could not. Soon the two men were broken apart. They were both out of breath and suffering injuries they weren’t yet aware of, but this time Danny wouldn’t give either one an opportunity to attack again.
“I’ll kill you, Cahill!” Derek thundered, struggling to break free from Frank’s hold.
“Yeah, well you better pack a lunch, Bennett!”
Without further hesitation, Danny took her exhausted brother, shoved him and his split lip toward the door.
Wimes New Roman">“You are one stubborn meathead, do you know that?” she scolded, and used all her strength to keep him from turning and heading back to the showers. “No, Derek, stay focused. We’re walking, and we’re walking…and we’re walking…”
It was like directing a kindergartener off the playground.
“That’s right, almost there,” she coaxed, holding on tight until they reached the fence. Then he turned on her.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Danny?” he raged, jabbing an accusing finger in her direction. The gate hummed and began to move behind him. “I thought you were an intelligent girl, please tell me you did not just get all slippery with him!”