Last of the O'Rourkes

by Kate Douglas

  He glanced down at the telephone. Should he call off the hunt? No. This one owed him. Let him waste his time.

  While the one who owed him hunted, he could wait. He’d learned patience over the years...patience and endurance...and subterfuge. He smiled, brushing his fingers lightly over the phone.

  It rang when he touched it. Still smiling, he took the call.

  THE DOOR CLOSED SOFTLY as Sharon Rucker let herself out of the examining room. As much as she hated to admit it, Kat was glad Seamus had insisted on a visit to the doctor. It was a relief to know that everything was going well, the baby sounded perfectly healthy and Kat was in excellent shape.

  Maybe all those long walks Seamus insisted on had been a good idea after all.

  Kat shrugged out of the cotton hospital gown and gathered her clothes. The doctor hadn’t been anything like Kat had expected. Oh, she’d been highly professional and obviously well qualified, but she’d known Seamus and Riley since they’d been children growing up together in the same San Francisco neighborhood. She’d laughed with Kat and told stories about the two boys, of the predicaments Riley’d gotten into, of Seamus’s often futile attempts to bail his brother out. Kat realized it was the first time she’d ever spoken with anyone who knew the O’Rourke boys before they’d grown so far apart.

  Sharon recalled long evenings on the front porch and the almost eerie silent communication between Riley and Seamus. Best of all, as far as Kat was concerned, she remembered a time when Riley and Seamus were each other’s staunchest defenders, best friends...most powerful allies.

  In spite of the doctor’s long history of friendship with the two men, she’d definitely sided with Kat after hearing the convoluted story of her pregnancy by Riley and her odd relationship with Seamus.

  Kat wasn’t sure why she’d felt comfortable enough with the other woman to talk about such things. She decided it must have something to do with the lack of female companionship.

  She hadn’t mentioned the stalker, though. Sometimes he didn’t seem real. The less Kat discussed him, even with Seamus, the easier it was to pretend he didn’t exist.

  Of course, she’d long been a master of denial, just like her old partner, Ramsey.

  Denial is not a river in Egypt. How often had they thrown that stupid quip at each other?

  Missing Ramsey and his silly teasing, missing Rose, his wife and her closest friend and wishing she could just sit down and spend time talking girl talk with a woman who actually knew her, brought a sting of tears to Kat’s eyes.

  Lord but she missed boring and normal and, as much as she knew her pregnancy and her stalker made it impossible, she missed her job and her friends.

  Thank goodness for Seamus.

  For now anyway.

  If only... No! Kat Malone goes it alone.

  Except, for the first time in her life, Kat Malone had to admit going it alone was, well ...lonely.

  She wiped her sleeve across her eyes, slipped her feet into sandals, quickly ran a brush through her hair and stepped out of the examining room. She heard Seamus and Sharon laughing about something. Their voices carried from the waiting room. She caught Riley’s name and the sound of more laughter.

  Kat stood there a moment, listening. Seamus sounded relaxed as she’d not heard him in weeks, reminiscing with his old friend, laughing. It was hard to imagine him doing anything to hurt her, but when she’d told Dr. Rucker of Seamus’s plans to try and get custody of her child, the doctor seemed to understand.

  Her quiet words remained seared into Kat’s mind.

  “Seamus has always been a man who needs family, yet he’s lost all of the family he ever had. First his parents, then his grandmother, now Riley. There was a lot of anger between them, but the love they shared was absolutely fierce and more powerful than the hate. He needs to fall in love and start his own family, but he’s afraid of the risk, afraid of falling in love and losing that person, too. He probably sees Riley’s baby as his chance for a child without risking his heart with a woman...and a way to hold on to the best of his brother.”

  Then she’d looked at Kat and smiled, as if waiting for confirmation of something brewing between her and Seamus.

  “No,” she’d said. “He looks at me and sees that I was Riley’s. I’m not good enough for him.”

  Damn! How pathetic I sounded.

  How true.

  The doctor hadn’t even argued with her. She’d patted Kat on the shoulder and left her alone to dress.

  Dress and realize just how much was lacking in her dismal life.

  Never realized just how good you were at feeling sorry for yourself, did you, Malone? You’re pathetic...absolutely pathetic.

  “Has to be the hormones,” she’d muttered, fully aware she had been perfectly capable of screwing up her life even without the added stew of pregnancy-induced chemicals simmering in her bloodstream.

  She’d taken one last glance in the mirror and fluffed her hair with her fingers, even blown herself a kiss. “It’s good to have a skill,” she’d said, laughing at her atypical bout of self-pity.

  Now, here she stood, eavesdropping.

  Pathetic.

  “But at least you’re consistent, Malone.” She was still grinning broadly when she walked into the waiting room.

  Seamus looked up and returned her smile.

  The man obviously didn’t have a clue what she found so funny.

  “How come you didn’t ask Sharon to tell you the baby’s sex?” He spread his palms wide in question. “She won’t tell me...said you didn’t want to know.”

  “That’s right. There needs to be some mystery in everyone’s life.”

  Seamus’s dry answer surprised her. “I think we’ve got more than our share of mystery, don’t you?”

  The doctor nodded in silent agreement. Obviously, he’d explained at least some of their troubles.

  “I’ve told Sharon about our stalker.” He held his hand out to Kat.

  Startled by the unexpected intimacy, she took his outstretched hand and sat next to him. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to say anything or not,” she said.

  Seamus gently squeezed her fingers. “The creep knows you’re pregnant. The fact I own property up here isn’t a secret. The guy’s always found you before and I was afraid he might think of checking with obstetricians in the area. I wanted Sharon to be aware. Forewarned is...”

  “You’re right.” She turned to Sharon. “I hope we haven’t put you in any danger. I didn’t even think...”

  “Don’t worry about a thing. I’m not putting this visit on the books and I’ll keep your medical history in my office, under a number and not a name. I sent my staff home early today, so as far as they’re concerned, this visit and any future ones, just won’t exist.”

  THEY PICKED UP GROCERIES at a huge market in Santa Rosa, then stopped by a shopping mall to check out the bookstores. While Seamus headed straight for the action and adventure books, Kat browsed through the romance section. She picked up first one, then another, and realized the romantic suspense she usually enjoyed wasn’t nearly as appealing any more.

  Not while her own life was filled with more than enough suspense and tension.

  She found a couple of new books by an author known for her quirky sense of humor, then realized she’d wandered into an area displaying books on infancy and child care.

  “Guess it’s time to do my homework, eh, little guy?” She glanced at her growing middle, sighed and picked up the closest book. What she didn’t know about babies could fill an entire mall.

  She checked the index, aware of an odd sense of unease, a tightening in her chest.

  The feeling someone was watching?

  She glanced around and saw nothing but shelves and browsing customers. Seamus glanced up from the far side of the store, smiled, waved, and went back to his shopping.

  Must be the thought of actually having this baby that’s giving me the shivers. The visit to the doctor had triggered the realization they were talking w
eeks now, not months.

  The brief discussion they’d had about labor, about whether or not Seamus wanted to be in the delivery room.

  Dr. Rucker’s surprise at Kat’s resounding“No way!” which of course led to the discussion of the actual parentage of the baby, of Seamus’s odd relationship to Kat and his brother’s child.

  The feeling increased. The familiar sense of impending something Kat often felt in the midst of danger. Still holding the book open, she surreptitiously glanced about her, spying nothing out of order.

  Couples shopped together, children giggled over in one corner and a harried mother tried to quiet them. A large number of teenaged boys hung out in an area designated for video games.

  A typical, busy day in the bookstore. So why did the hair on the back of her neck tickle her nape, why did her palms and underarms suddenly feel damp, her spine as if something crawled and skittered across the nerves?

  She glanced back toward Seamus but his back was to her. Growing more frantic by the second, Kat no longer made a pretense of looking at the open book in her hands.

  Who watched? Someone...someone very close, someone threatening. Someone frighteningly familiar.

  She took a deep breath, swallowed. Her eyes darted from side to side then suddenly her gaze was drawn upward, to a corner of the bookstore just over the doorway...to her own reflection in the large, round security mirror that took a wide-angle view of the entire store.

  To the feral eyes of Tim Anderson. Watching. Catching her gaze. Holding her immobile for one timeless second.

  Smiling at her, a smile of pure, unadulterated evil.

  She gasped, spun around to search the room, spotted Seamus looking back at her with a questioning expression on his face. She turned again, saw her own wide-eyed face staring back at her from the mirror.

  Where Tim Anderson had stood there was a young mother holding a book out to her fussing child.

  Kat dropped her armload of books to the floor and moved as quickly as her gravid body would allow.

  “Kat? Kathleen?” Kat and Seamus reached the doorway at the same time. He grabbed her by the shoulder, both halting and supporting her. “What the hell...?”

  “He was here.” She took a deep breath, trying to still the tremors that wracked her body. “Tim Anderson. I had a feeling I was being watched, just the weirdest sense of danger and when I looked into the security mirror he was staring at me. The bastard actually smiled at me. Shit! I can’t believe he got away!”

  “You’re sure it was him?”

  “Of co...” She thought about it a moment, wondering. It had been almost a year since she’d last seen him, during a court appearance. There was nothing remarkable about him, nothing to make his face stand out.

  “He looks like a little weasel.” She stepped out into the mall and looked both ways. Crowds surged by in all directions. He could be anywhere. “He was wearing a white shirt and a dark brown leather coat,” she added. “His hair is fairly short...it’s brown, and he’s got a dumb little mustache and goatee.”

  “Like that man over there?” Seamus pointed to the far side of the store, to the action and adventure section where he’d been shopping.

  Kat watched as a dark-haired man wearing a white shirt and brown leather jacket studied the shelves. He had the typical facial hair popular with some men. The young mother, child in tow, stepped up to him and handed him both the child’s hand and a book. Laughing, the three of them headed toward the checkout stand.

  Maybe? She tried to recall the image. The mirror was curved, the images distorted. This man looked enough like... Oh damn...it had to have been him.

  “I am so embarrassed.” She shook her head. Relief poured through her. “I was so certain it was Anderson. Guess I’m just jumpy. Must have been that guy.”

  Seamus took her arm and led her back to where she’d dropped her pile of books. “He doesn’t look too threatening, but I’m glad you’re not getting complacent, either.” He knelt down to retrieve her books.

  “Thank you, Seamus.”

  “For what?”

  “For not laughing at me. I feel like such a dope.”

  The look he gave her made Kathleen feel anything but dopey. In fact, it curled her toes.

  He stood up, reached out, stroked her hair, paused as if to speak, then shook his head.

  “C’mon,” he said. “Let’s pay for these and head home.”

  MUCH TOO CLOSE, BUT worth the risk. Though if she’d actually caught the idiot it could have ruined everything! At least now he knew his suspicions were correct. It would be easy enough to find O’Rourke’s so-called hidden cabin, a matter of public records.

  So, the bitch looked ready to deliver at any time? He stared at his hands, wondering how he would control the power over the next few weeks. There was no help for him at home...not any more. Of course, there would always be the memories.

  He nodded his head for a moment, keeping time with remembered screams. Good, but not enough. Not any more.

  If only...that was it! He grinned, rubbed his hands together, practically laughed aloud.

  A tiny little reign of terror...that would satisfy the power, satisfy his growing needs...for now.

  It would prepare him. Prepare all of them.

  The heat rushed through his veins, filled him with pleasure. He stroked himself through the light fabric of his pants, stopped just before the moment of completion.

  He reveled in his discomfort. Celebrated the power. It was almost time.

  SEAMUS STIRRED THE FIRE and added another log. He glanced back over his shoulder at Kathleen. She’d been unusually quiet on the way home. Tired? Possibly, but he thought it must be more.

  She’d been terrified this afternoon, so certain she’d seen her stalker. Her fear had transferred itself to Seamus. It was a potent reminder he’d let his guard down, again, after so many trouble-free weeks.

  Sandy hadn’t offered much help when Seamus called to check the status of the investigation. Anderson had disappeared again. He could be anywhere.

  In a bookstore in Santa Rosa?

  A white shirt and brown leather coat wasn’t an unusual outfit under any circumstances.

  What if Kat really had spotted Anderson?

  If that was the case, her stalker would find them. The location of Seamus’s cabin was certainly no secret. The fact his writing had made him a minor celebrity, even this far from San Francisco, meant any number of people could give directions to the private drive leading to his property.

  Seamus stood up, brushed the dust from his hands and walked across the room to the large sliding glass door. It wouldn’t hurt to check the locks throughout the cabin, but he didn’t want to frighten Kat.

  She had enough on her mind.

  The door was locked, dead bolts in place, the alarm active. Seamus originally kept it armed day and night, resetting it whenever they went in or out of the cabin. It would warn them if any doors or windows were opened or if someone walked across the deck.

  He’d grown lax in recent days. This was not a time for carelessness.

  Rain lashed the heavy tempered glass, sparkling like golden crystal shards in the reflection from the outdoor security light. Seamus drew the curtains closed against the storm.

  Usually the curtains remained open. There were no neighbors, no nearby public roads. Both he and Kathleen enjoyed the view of the forest, the beauty of the spring storms.

  These were not usual circumstances. The forest was dark and dense, home to everything from deer and wild pigs to the occasional mountain lion.

  It could easily hide a man—especially one who wanted to remain hidden.

  It wouldn’t hurt to check the rest of the doors and windows while he was up. Seamus glanced at the book Kat balanced on her rounded mid-section as he passed by her chair. Whatever the title, it was open to a beautiful black and white photo of a woman in the advanced stages of pregnancy, her belly swollen, her breasts enlarged with dark nipples and the shadow of veins visible under th
e skin.

  The model’s hands encircled her stomach, the fingers supporting the weight of the growing baby. Seamus had noticed Kat in a similar pose in recent days.

  Kat’s breasts were much bigger as well. He knew she wore a bra now to support their weight, but they must be every bit as large as the woman’s in the photo. His mouth went dry at the image in the book, at the thought of the flesh and blood woman in front of him. Kathleen could be the model now. Full with child, her body literally ripening day by day.

  He imagined her naked, her breasts unbound, the nipples stretched darkly smooth and his body reacted as it never had before.

  She is so lovely .

  He’d thought she was beautiful from the beginning. Now, in the abundance of her final weeks of pregnancy, she took his breath.

  Kat looked up, caught his gaze, blushed and turned away.

  Seamus had never seen her blush, had never noticed the least sign of self-consciousness over her changing body.

  But then she’d probably never caught him gazing at her with such unbridled lust before, either.

  Not that it hasn’t happened .

  He’d been careful to keep his feelings hidden. Still, she had to know how he felt, didn’t she?

  How can she, when you’re not sure what you want yourself. Idiot!

  He reached out and touched her chin, turned her face to his. He had to clear his throat before he could make a sound, and when he spoke it could have been a complete stranger voicing his words. “I assume you’re even more beautiful than the woman in the photo, Kat.” He smiled, hoping to mask the sudden intensity of his feelings. “Of course, you realize I’m relying entirely on imagination.”

  She returned his gaze for a long moment, as if trying to decipher the reason for such a personal observation. They had tip-toed around each other for so many weeks now keeping their relationship impersonal and as light as the situation allowed.

  Even Seamus wasn’t certain why he’d said the words he’d been thinking for so long. Would she realize it was an invitation, a desperate request from a man who was almost, but not quite certain, what he wanted?