“You don’t care that your actions are causing her more pain?”
“She’s plenty aware of what has to happen here. Not my fault if she doesn’t like it. Besides, the blame lies at your feet. None of this would be happening if you hadn’t gunned down my brother in cold blood.”
“He didn’t give me a choice,” Aidan ground out, his grip tightening on the butt of the gun. “He would have killed Sonya.” He knew Roland was pushing his buttons but couldn’t seem to stop the anger and shame oozing like crude oil through his veins.
“You’re telling me there wasn’t something else you could’ve done?” His gleaming eyes met Aidan’s. “There wasn’t a part of you that wanted him dead?”
Guilt fed the anger and shame. He’d wanted Earl dead most of his life. Had wished it were Earl who had been killed in the car accident when he was a child rather than his mother.
“I knew it,” Roland purred. “I’ve seen it on your face. You wanted him dead. Sonya was just an excuse.”
Had he shot Earl because deep down that was the outcome he’d preferred?
The gun wavered in his hand, and before he could tighten his grip, Roland swung the wooden plank, hitting him square on his upper arm, right where he’d been shot. Pain flared like gas poured on a bonfire. Cursing, he dropped the gun and cradled his arm. The gun spun across the floor, falling into the hole Roland had created. Roland swung at Aidan again, the plank coming down on the side of Aidan’s neck, the twisted nails in the wood cutting into his flesh. He stumbled to his knees.
Roland sneered, walking around Aidan. “I’d hope to see some fight in you. But this—” he gestured with the wooden plank at Aidan kneeling at his feet “—it’s a good thing my poor brother isn’t around to see the pathetic coward his own son has become.”
“If I was a pathetic coward, Earl would be alive now.”
Fury and grief mixed in Roland’s muddy eyes. “You son of a bitch.” He swung his leg out to kick Aidan in the kidneys. Aidan shifted just as Roland was off balance, grabbed his leg, and in one move had Roland on the floor, while he jumped back on his feet.
“Shit.” Roland spat out of the side of his mouth, glaring up at Aidan. “Forgot about those fancy moves of yours.”
“Might as well give it up, old man. You’re only going to get hurt.”
“Fuck that.” Roland slashed out with a switchblade that he had hidden in the pocket of his cargo pants, cutting through the skin of Aidan’s calf. The cut was deep enough to make Aidan lurch back, and gave Roland time to regain his footing.
They circled each other, Roland with the knife, Aidan with his fists. The guns lay forgotten as if they both wanted this to end personally.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance.” Aidan swung out with his fist, connecting with Roland’s steel jaw. His head jerked back, blood and spittle spraying from his cut lip.
“Yeah, really regretting that, right now.” He flexed his jaw, his eyes full of death and hate. “You’d’ve been dead if it wasn’t for that damned wolf leaping out of nowhere.” He wiped the blood trailing down his chin, then parried quick with the knife, cutting into Aidan’s borrowed coat, slicing through the fabric and into the flesh of his chest. Down feathers floated into the air.
“What about hitting me over the head?” Aidan swung right then left. Roland exchanged him swing for swing. Both were bleeding, their punches sliding on open skin more than connecting.
“If I’d had knocked you on your noggin, I’d’ve happily slit your throat.” He lunged, blocking Aidan’s right chop, and slicing left with the knife over Aidan’s throat. Aidan caught his wrist just before the sharp blade would have connected with his jugular, and twisted his arm trying to get him to release the knife.
Aidan struggled to keep Roland in his grasp. “You didn’t hit me over the head a few days ago?”
“Like I said, if I’d done that you wouldn’t be here now. You got more than one man after ya?” Roland head-butted him, breaking the hold Aidan had on his arm.
Stars flickered in front of his eyes, and bells rang in his ears. Then he was flat on his back, Roland on top of him, the knife once again at his throat.
“Oh, this was too easy.” Roland shook his head as though disappointed. “I haven’t even broken a sweat.”
Aidan swallowed, feeling the sharp blade cut into the skin of his neck.
“You know, I’ve watched you,” Roland said. “I take it you finally figured out that you have a bastard son of your own.” He scoffed. “I’m doing the kid a favor by killing you. All you’ve brought to people is pain and death. First your mother, your father. Sonya and her family, and look what ya did to that poor Maiski girl. Murdered her father too.”
“I didn’t murder Raven’s father.” His vision turned red.
“That’s not how Earl told it. You bought the explosives.”
“I didn’t know what they were going to be used for.”
“Ri-i-i-ght.” He snorted. “Just like you had no idea when you set the charges who they were meant for.”
Aidan growled and bucked Roland off, slamming the old man’s hand down on the hard floor again and again until the knife went skidding under the couch. Then he punched him. Left. Right. “I did not kill him!”
Rage overtook him and he kept beating Roland even though the old man was no longer blocking his punches or fighting back. His hands were slick with blood as he battered his uncle.
A gunshot rang out.
He glanced up from Roland’s bloody mug to find Raven lowering the forty-five she’d just shot into the ceiling. Her face was white with shock as she took in the sight before her.
Raven.
Bloodlust demanded that he end it. Finish Roland with his hands. Raven’s pale, frightened face as she stared at him in sickening horror, had him reining in the beast.
He rose slowly to his feet, dread shaking the very ground he stood on. He stepped over Roland’s prone body and moved toward Raven, coming up short when she slowly shook her head, her eyes wide and haunted in her colorless face.
Her gaze narrowed as though she was trying to see the real him. “Who are you?”
“Raven—”
“You bought the explosives? You set the charges?”
Oh God, how long had she been standing there? He vaguely remembered hearing bells when Roland head-butted him. Raven must have tripped the wire of Roland’s poor man’s door bell.
She pointed with the gun—he knew she wasn’t aware she still held in her hand—to Roland on the floor. “Is he dead? Did you kill him too?” she whispered the last part.
His heart stopped at the look of condemnation in her eyes. ‘Did you kill him too?’ echoed through the cavity of his chest, stopping his heart. Aidan looked down at Roland. Oh God, had he killed him? He knelt and felt for a pulse. It was there, steady and strong, like the crafty and resilient wolverine that he was. A groan escaped Roland, but he didn’t open his eyes, just lay there a bloody and bruised mess.
“He’s alive,” Aidan said.
“You would have killed him if I hadn’t stopped you. You would have beaten him to death with your own hands.” Horror reflected in her face over the reality of her statement.
Aidan had to look away from the fear and revulsion in her eyes. He’d been caught up in a rage so destructive that he knew she was right. “He was trying to kill me, Raven. I had to defend myself.”
“He’s an old man, twice your age.” She gestured to Roland again, in support of her argument. “You had him on the floor. He wasn’t fighting you.”
Where had she been a few minutes earlier? “This isn’t just his blood I’m wearing. Don’t feel sorry for Roland.”
“This is why I never told you about Fox. This Harte rage.” She shook her head and tears filled her voice. “Why did I think we could ever work it out? My dad was right.”
“Raven—” Aidan reached out a hand—a hand coated with Roland’s blood.
She stepped away from him, her gaze glued on his bloody hands.
“No. I can’t. I can’t do this.” She shook her head as though to convince herself.
“Raven, I love you. I love Fox. Please—”
“Stay away from Fox.” He felt the slap of her resolve in her hard voice. She’d retreated from him farther in more than just distance. “How could I be with the man who was responsible for killing my father? What was I thinking?”
“Please, Raven. You have to listen to me. I didn’t kill your father. I love you. You promised to give us time,” he pleaded, his heart tearing along the newly mended seams. “Don’t do this.”
“Our time was never meant to be. Whether you actually caused Dad’s death doesn’t matter, you put into motion the things that did.” She glanced at Roland’s body and then at Aidan, her eyes sad, yet full of resolve. “Stay away from us.” She turned and walked out of the cabin. The silence was like a death peal, killing any hope of a future he might have had with her and Fox.
“Well.” Roland groaned. “That was fun.” He slurred the words out the opposite side of his spilt lip. “Guess there are worse things than death, aren’t there, boy?” He slowly got to his feet, wincing at the action.
Numb, Aidan turned to look at him. Roland’s right eye was already swollen shut, but there was a twinkle of wicked glee in his left. “How long have you been conscious?” Aidan asked.
“Like you had the chops to knock me out. After that little scene, you’d probably welcome death if I offered it, wouldn’t ya? Think I prefer you living with this outcome. At least for now.”
Roland reached for the rifle leaning against the wood stove and tipped the barrel of the gun Aidan’s direction before pulling it back to rest on his shoulder. “See ya around, sucker. Oh, and I’ll be back for the gold. I figure it’ll be safe. Not like you have a need for it since your reason for living just dropped you like the pile of shit you are.” He cackled and then spat blood from his mouth onto the floor at Aidan’s feet. “Pathetic bastard.”
As Roland left, Aidan sank onto the cold, hard floor littered with blood splatters and snowy white feathers from his slashed coat. The emotional turmoil twisting loose inside him far outweighed any of his physical aches.
He wished Roland had put a bullet in him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“There he is!”
Aidan heard voices come at him as though from the end of a long mine shaft. He sat huddled on the floor. Tired. So tired. Someone was pulling at him, checking his pulse.
How could he have a pulse when his heart had been ripped out of his chest?
“He’s conscious. But not responding.”
What the hell was Lynx doing out here?
“Shit, there’s blood all over him, all over this dump. What the hell happened here?”
That sounded like Pike. Nice of the guys to show up. But then they didn’t know. Soon they would. Raven would be sure to tell them. Guess, he wouldn’t be one of the gang after all.
“Come on, Aidan. Talk to me.” Lynx shook him. “Tell me what went down here.”
Slowly, Aidan turned his head. Lynx inhaled when he saw his face. “She promised me, Lynx. Promised that she’d give us time.”
“Who promised?” Lynx brows furrowed. “Raven?”
He nodded. His head became too heavy so he let it sag back to his chest.
Lynx shook him again. “Where are you hurt?”
“Hurt?” He laughed with no humor. “I’m in too much pain to hurt.”
“Who did this to you, son?” Pike asked, kneeling down next to him. “Was it Roland? Is he dead?”
“Nope.” Aidan shook his head. “Left.”
“He walked out of here?” Lynx’s voice was disbelieving as he took in the destruction.
“Yep. The bastard wouldn’t kill me, neither. Not after Raven was here.”
“We’d better get him to Eva,” Pike said. “He’s not making any sense.”
They pulled him to his feet.
“No. Leave me here. I belong here.”
“He’s like ice,” Pike said. “If we hadn’t gone looking for him…”
“Let’s get him back to the lodge. We’ll figure everything out there.”
Aidan’s footing gave out, so they wrapped his arms around their necks and carried—dragged—him out of the cabin to Lynx’s waiting pickup.
He must have dozed. The next thing Aidan knew he awoke to a nightmare. He really didn’t see how this day could have gotten any worse. As near as he could tell he was laid out in the guest room he’d used previously, and Garrett Hunt was standing over him, his piercing blue eyes narrowed in his fish cop face.
“Fuck.” Aidan shut his eyes hoping the man was a figment of his imagination. He peeked. Nope, still there.
Garrett’s hard mouth tilted at the corners. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.” He cocked his head. “Trouble likes you, doesn’t it?”
So did heartache it seemed. “What the hell are you doing here?” His sluggish mind connected the dots. “Peter?”
Garrett nodded.
“Where is he?”
“Hiding in the kitchen with the women.”
The ache in chest, thumped. Women? “Sonya’s here?”
Garrett nodded again and folded his arms across his muscled chest. “Want to fill me in on what happened this morning?”
“Not really.”
“You understand that wasn’t a question?”
“Yeah, yeah. I remember the drill.” Aidan moved to sit up. Hell, he hurt. He had to give it up to Roland. The old man could sure land a punch.
“Do you need to do this now?” Eva asked, moving around Garrett.
Garrett’s imposing frame had blocked Aidan from seeing Eva enter the room. But now that she was here, Aidan started to sweat.
Eva’s pinched pixie face leaned over him from the other side of the bed. “Glad to see you’re back with us.”
“Go away,” he mumbled. Great. Damn fish cop on one side and the demon nurse on the other. Next time they ran into each other Roland was going to answer for this too.
“Did you hear that? He told me to go away.” Eva’s voice was more concerned than outraged.
“He’s been like that since we found him,” Lynx spoke from the shadows, sitting in the rocking chair in the corner. “Damn fool had to be the hero and go off on his own. Do you think he was hit on the head? That would explain a lot.”
Eva probed carefully around Aidan’s neck and head with gentle fingers.
“I can answer for myself,” Aidan said, moving away from Eva. Any minute now her soothing hands were going to dig in and make him hurt.
“Start talking then.” Garrett leaned against the dresser, crossing his legs at the ankles. He looked relaxed as though he had all damn day to interrogate.
Aidan glanced between Eva—pulling a pair of scissors out of her black bag of torment—and Lynx who slowly rocked back and forth in the chair.
There was no way he was going to get out of reliving this morning’s nightmare.
He addressed Garrett and tried to ignore Eva cutting another bloody, torn piece of clothing off of him. “How much do you already know?”
“Peter filled me in on everything up to the events of today.”
“I went to find Roland. I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt over Harte business.”
Garrett tightened his jaw, obviously remembering the nightmare the Hartes had put him and Sonya through last summer. “I take it you found him.”
“He was at Earl’s, tearing the place apart looking for gold. I surprised him.” And then Raven had surprised them both.
“Blast it, Aidan, you tore my stitches.” Eva shook her head in disgust. “You have any idea how careful I was to keep the stitching even and neat so you wouldn’t end up with a nasty scar?” She didn’t seem to need an answer as she continued to swear under her breath, grabbing gauze and disinfectant.
He flinched when she went to work cleaning and repairing the wound.
“What happened?” Garrett asked, the corner of
his mouth lifted in amusement as Eva worked on him. Lynx continued to rock silently in the corner, watching.
“The usual. Insults, punches, and then Roland pulled a knife.”
“Weren’t you armed?”
“We both were. Turned out we preferred to end it personally.”
“What broke it up?” Lynx asked, quietly from his chair.
“Raven.”
“Your sister, Raven?” Garrett clarified with Lynx, putting names and faces to all the players. Then he addressed Aidan. “Peter said you and her have history. A son together?”
He nodded. No way was he going into all this with Garrett. The man could arrest him for all he cared. He was not baring his soul, laying his dreams out for the damn fish cop to trample over again.
Garrett nodded as though understanding the past was off limits.
“What happened when Raven showed up?” Lynx asked, stopping the motions of the rocking chair.
Eva poked and pinched as she re-stitched his wound, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as answering Lynx’s questions were going to be.
Aidan met Lynx’s stare. “She overheard Roland egging me on. He brought up your dad’s death.” He paused to swallow. “Lynx, I was the one who bought the explosives for the bomb that caused the rockslide that killed your dad.” Eva gasped, her movements stilled. Aidan gave that a moment to sink in before he continued, “I was also the one who planted the charges. But you’ve got to believe me, I had no idea what Earl was up to until it was too late. I’d bought explosives for him many times. If I’d known…”
Silence lay heavy like wet snow over the room. Eva got up and laid a hand on Lynx’s shoulder, giving him emotional support. Garrett watched and cataloged like the cop he was.
“How did Raven take it?” Lynx finally broke the quiet.
“Not well. She’s real angry and hurt. I don’t blame her.” He glanced down at his hands, bloody and bruised. Hands that would have beaten Roland to death if Raven hadn’t fired that gun. “I had Roland on the ground and was…was going at him heavy with my fists. She told me to stay away from her and Fox.” His voice ended on a hush. The reality that he’d lost everything in one flash of temper had him closing his eyes and wishing again that Roland had ended it all.
SHIVER Page 24