“That sounds nice,” Tierney said, but she didn’t sound excited. The words trailed off and her eyes followed a white car that passed through the intersection at the end of her block. It didn't turn on to their street, so she turned and looked the other way.
“Tee?” He leaned down to get into her line of sight. Ronan wanted to ask what is going on? but Sean was still jumping up and down.
“Come on, Mom, this is great. You know you want to go!”
Ronan had introduced the child to steak two years earlier. And he knew the nine-year-old was going to spend a good chunk of money on the best cut in the restaurant. The good news was Ronan didn't care. What concerned him right now was the woman standing in front of him.
She crossed her arms again, bumping her breasts upward. One curved hip stuck out, but she shivered a little in the cold. He couldn’t help noticing all of it.
Tierney was more than worried, she looked almost angry. He’d known her since the day she arrived, and he could read her like an open book.
“Hey, Sean.” He pushed the kid lightly on the back, “head inside. Check over your homework. We have to make sure we get that done before we go.”
“Do I?” The whine was real. Something else Ronan wouldn’t hear from his own child.
“Do you want steak?” Ronan realized as he asked that he was playing the parent, and it wasn't his job.
Still. Tierney had always told him she was grateful that he had a good male role model in his life.
“Okay, okay.” Sean conceded quickly, practically bouncing up the stairs, stepping on a stain of color that made Ronan frown. He could only guess that it was left over from the dead rats she'd been finding.
He wanted to tell her to get inside too. She had to be freezing, but he didn't want to ask her in front of Sean. If there was one thing he knew about Tierney, it was that she guarded that child with everything she had. If something was really wrong, she wouldn't say so if Sean was in sight.
“Tierney, what's going on?”
“It's nothing.” She started to turn away to follow Sean, but Ronan reached out, grabbed her elbow and gently tugged her back around.
She could have pulled away, but he was grateful that she didn't.
“I know it's something. Tell me what it is.”
She looked left, then scanned right, as if making sure no one was coming up behind him with a gun or a baseball bat or something equally concerning. The move made her concern turn into his.
Tierney, at last, looked him in the eye. “I got a weird email.”
What email could make her act this strangely?
“You know, one of those where they said they've hacked your account.” But her eyes darted down to the dead grass at her feet. “They actually put my password—the right one—in the email.”
“Those don’t mean anything. I’ve gotten those. Do change the password, but don’t worry.” He tried to soothe her and then realized it had to be something more. “What? Did they demand money or something?”
“No.” She looked away again. “They said … they said—”
She looked down the street, pausing her words as a car turned onto the road. But she must have recognized it or something because she shook her head as if to shake it off. “They said they had video of me … masturbating in front of my computer. You know, one of those threats.”
Damn. Why did that flare the heat in him? Suddenly his coat was too hot.
“Could they?”
“Jesus! No!” Her reaction was swift, the pink in her cheeks the only thing making him think she wouldn’t freeze.
He swallowed down the heat that suffused his system. “So, change your password. They can't extort you. It’s not a real threat if they can’t have the thing they are threatening with. I’ve gotten those ones, too.”
He should not be thinking about jerking off to internet videos right here with his sister-in-law.
She nodded. “You're right.”
It seemed in that moment both of them realized his fingers were still wrapped, warm and firm, around her elbow. She gave him an odd look that let him know he needed to let go.
But he didn't want to.
Still, he forced his fingers to open, and he watched as she turned to walk inside, her movements still stiff. All Ronan could do was stand there and wonder why he was feeling this heat and why she was lying to him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Honey.” There was a pause as Mom set the rag down on the bar top. Stopping her perpetual motion was almost a threat. Aileen Doyle always seemed to be moving, and this meant it was serious. “What’s going on?”
“It's nothing, Mom.”
The rag didn't start moving again. “It's something. It's something enough that Ronan asked me about it.”
Interesting. How often did Ronan talk to his ex mother-in-law?
Tierney had to stop now, too. Clipboard in hand, she turned to face her mom after making the last mark. They'd enter all the numbers into the system later. Hashmarks were still the easiest way to record stock. She couldn’t hit a four instead of five when she was writing it herself. “What did Ronan say?”
“He said that you seemed jumpy and nervous.”
Did he now?
“He thought you were worried. I don't like when you're worried.” That was fair. Mom knew what had happened—at least the basics of it—before they all moved here. And that there could be real reason to worry. “So, what's going on?”
“It's nothing.” But even as the words came out of her mouth, Tierney watched her mother's face pull into a disbelieving scold. Aileen didn't even have to say the words, Tierney knew she'd have to tell her mother more. “It's stupid. You know? Just the kind of thing that makes me paranoid.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t a full concession but at least her mom’s hands started moving again.
They'd be opening in just ten minutes. A car had already pulled into the lot and was waiting with the engine running. Tierney had learned long ago not to take pity on the people waiting outside and open the doors early. As much as it seemed a nice thing to do, it only made everyone upset when they weren’t ready.
Normally, she’d be snacking now, shoving much needed food in her face to fuel her through the lunch rush. But she was still full from that amazing steak dinner last night. A small smile graced her lips. They’d felt like a family. But they weren’t. And they couldn’t be.
She looked at the clock again. Nine minutes. She couldn’t be daydreaming.
At least there was a nine-minute limit on this interrogation—she could feel that there was more coming even though Aileen was waiting patiently for her daughter to cough up information. Tierney didn't like lying—even though she'd spent a very large portion of her life doing it—certainly not to this woman who had risked so much for her and Sean.
Unlike the lie she told to Ronan, she could tell her mom more. “I got an email addressed to Emily.”
That made Mom Doyle's head snap up and her hands freeze in place. “What?”
“It was just a subscription to something … A sale announcement from an online t-shirt shop.” Tierney waved her hand around trying to dismiss it. She should be counting stock. But, while mom could clean the bar while she talked, Tierney couldn't count and talk at the same time, not without errors.
So, she picked up cleaning supplies and headed out to wipe down the tables. She could count later when she wasn't being questioned.
Mom was still mulling over the meaning of it. “So not written to you as Emily specifically?”
“No, they were trying to sell me shirts.”
“Oh.” The relief in her mom's voice ricocheted throughout the bar and Tierney decided not to add that she'd gotten a second email addressed to Emmie. With an I E, not a Y, the same way he used to spell it.
“Is that all?” Her mother wasn't quite placated yet.
Tierney wasn’t willing to put everyone who mattered into panic mode over what was likely a casual mix-up. It had to happen sooner or late
r, right? Emmie wasn’t that uncommon a name. She tried to downplay her own concerns. “I wish that was it. I'm twenty-six. I'm a mom. I'm completely single.” And that couldn’t change. “The feral cat that we feed isn't a male. I’m pretty sure Mr. Kittens is expecting a litter of her own kittens any day now.”
She paused. Then added, “And she must be feeling maternal because she's left several dead rats on the doorstep for me.”
“That's gross.”
Despite her mom's relief, Tierney’s didn't come quite as easily.
It was much easier to placate someone else than herself. The loud slam of a car door from the parking lot turned both their heads. The subsequent soft churn of gears signaled that Talia had arrived.
Sure enough, a minute later, a knock came at the door, but no shadow was visible through the classic yellow diamond-cut glass. That was Talia—she wasn’t tall enough to peer through given the wheelchair.
“She’s here!” Cheering, Tierney set her cleaning supplies on the table and headed over to the door.
Undoing the bolt, she pulled the door wide for Talia’s souped-up chair to roll through. It left little traces of snow on the floor from the rugged tires. But it was no different than shoes would be doing in just a few minutes when they officially opened.
“I come bearing gifts!” Talia announced, pointing to the full plastic bin she had balanced on her lap.
She held it up and Tierney took it from her, setting the whole thing onto the bar. “We’ve been waiting for these!”
There would be a town business crawl for Valentine's Day in two weeks. Tierney was looking forward to their annual event. But this year Ivy Dean, the town librarian, had taken over and she was going full steam ahead.
Talia had rolled in and opened a much-needed cupcake shop and bakery. She’d bought a shop front down main street and had it outfitted for herself with special counter heights and more. The only bakery in town was owned by an elderly couple, and Talia had promised to start making bread when they finally went out of business. But so far, she was doing gangbuster business with cupcakes, special occasion cakes, muffins, and a solid coffee selection.
Standing slowly from the chair, she made her way to the bar. “We've added the fire station, the wood shop, and the new game place to the crawl.”
Tierney raised her eyebrows. “Of course, you added the fire station!”
They had expected Ivy to be one of the singles on the Valentine's crawl with them, but a recent turn of events had left Ivy no longer single. With her new boyfriend being a firefighter, it was a no-brainer that the firehouse would be on the crawl.
“Yes, but now they will not just have the doors open, they’ll have their new fire dog and they’ll be serving cookies from my bakery.” Talia grinned. She was smart, getting her food featured at two stops on the crawl.
“The new vet is in, too?” Tierney continued to pull pieces out of the packed bin.
“Zadie says she’ll have the shelter at least up and running by then. She’s hoping to adopt out some dogs and cats on the crawl.”
“Is the florist in?” Mom Doyle asked.
“They've been in from the start. Flowers, Valentine's Day, that's a no brainer.” Talia reached down into the basket and pulled out a handful of laminated signs. “These go with each item on the display. Everyone is advertising everyone else.”
“Perfect!” Tierney said, but she was looking through the cards, checking the discounts.
Talia leaned on the counter and sorted some of the items she’d brought. Walking in the parking lot in the inches deep snow would have been too much, but inside she could move around easier. Tierney also suspected Talia didn't want to walk outside. She’d been around enough when Talia stood up that she’d heard people ask why she needed a wheelchair at all.
It was frustrating at best trying to explain over and over. Luckily, it was a small town and Talia would educate them all soon enough. Tierney hoped.
“Okay, all three shirts have to go up to show the assortment the town is selling for The Crawl. Ivy talked them into men's and women's sizing and three colors. The sign has the code for ordering them.” Talia plucked one of the laminated signs from Tierney’s hand.
It should be big enough for phones to link to the website just by leaning over the bar, Tierney thought. But she set them down and rummaged through more stuff. There was a vase and several wrapped flowers. She handed them off to her mom.
“These need water!” Aileen declared and ran off.
There were library books on loan, a beautiful wood cutting board, and more. Everything came with a matching tag for the store hosting another spot on the crawl. Redemption wasn't big enough to have a pub crawl. It would simply be two places—Snafu in the center of town and Addison's, a run-down bar that served watered whiskey on the cheap just beyond the edge of the city limits.
Besides, Tierney thought, this was always much more interesting. It was unusual enough to bring people in from surrounding towns, even Lincoln and a few from Omaha.
“Are you coming?” Talia asked her. She was perched on a stool, arms crossed on the bar as she helped sort through all the pieces.
Tierney began to put them up on the empty shelf in front of the mirror where she'd been saving space. “You know I am. I'm your date.”
“Always.” Talia grinned.
“What is this?” Tierney asked as she reached down into the bin again and found a foil covered pan heavy and full of food.
“Lasagna.” Talia nodded with a grin on her face. “It's for Ronan. I heard he's up to his ears in casseroles.”
Tierney laughed. “If he gets another turkey tetrazzini or chicken enchilada bake, he's going to smile a polite thank you and dump it right out.”
“I know he likes lasagna. You'll deliver it?”
“Of course, I will.”
Was Talia making a move on Ronan?
CHAPTER NINE
Ronan turned a hard right, pulling into Tierney’s driveway. She’d offered to make the delivery to him, but he'd refused.
He'd been stuck in his damn house for so long convalescing that any chance to get out on his own was welcome. He still wasn't fit for work, and he was bored out of his head.
Opening the wide car door, he planted his feet on the ground, and honestly looked a little like an idiot. Soon, he'd be in good enough shape to look good getting out of his sports car, but today was not that day. Right now, Sean was the only one who was low enough to the ground to look cool.
Ronan had to twist himself and baby his side while pushing up with his arms like an old man. Once he was upright, though, he slammed the door shut and hoped if any of Tierney’s neighbors were watching him, he could at least pull off a slightly better swagger up the walkway.
He managed it up the short path to the porch, but then stopped dead. A flare of heat shot through his side at the sudden movement, but he ignored it.
Holy shit.
The rat lay sideways, its mouth open, tiny paws up in the air. It was filleted from its throat to tail, the entrails yanked out and draped across the steps as if making sure someone would see them.
Ronan looked around for something to clean it up with, but he didn’t see anything. Also, something about it bothered him. He couldn’t put his finger on what, though. He didn't want to show Tierney, yet knew he should.
Gingerly, he stepped around the mess and pulled the screen door open, but only wide enough to wedge his body inside the space and knock. He tried to step back, but with the entrails looped along the front step he couldn’t. The landing was barely large enough to sweep the door open anyway. He was simply going to have to scare the crap out of her when she opened the door.
Standing in the cold air, he watched his breath and figured he looked like a stalker. But she didn't come.
He tried checking for anything that would tell him why she wasn’t answering. Instead, he almost lost his balance and stepped back into gooey, bloody, dead rat.
He’d parked behind her car. Since
she was the only driver, she had to be here. Right? Maybe she'd walked somewhere? But it was really cold—he watched his breath form in the air in front of him—and she’d called and told him she was home.
He knocked again and waited. When he got no response, he tried the knob. The door swung open far too easily. His nerves began to twist. Something about the dead rat didn't look right and now Tierney wasn't answering the door.
He would have called out, but a soft shuffling noise from the back of the house drew his attention.
Was she in trouble?
Should he not alert someone that he was here? Two steps inside and he was standing in the middle of the small living room. It was painted a bright sunshine yellow, which continued to the other side where the living room connected to the eat-in dining area which was really part of the kitchen. To his left a hallway cut the space, leading from her bedroom at the front of the house. Past the bathroom and around to the back was Sean's room, next to a small laundry area. That space connected the loop back to the kitchen.
The rooms were tiny. The kitchen was tiny. The house was tiny. But Tierney did okay for herself. He didn't know why she'd never gone on to college, she was plenty bright. She’d graduated at the top of her high school class despite having to leave periodically to take her sick child home.
The noises and shuffling from the back sounded low to the ground and not quite human. So, he stepped cautiously down the hall. Her bedroom door was closed, and he paused when he didn’t hear anything. The bathroom door was open, and noise there caught his attention.
As he peered in, he saw her perfect ass in the air, her head and hands shuffling through whatever was under the sink. Looking away, he scanned the hallway and didn’t see or hear anyone else. Whatever had been in the back was likely just the house settling.
Down in Flames (Wildfire Hearts Book 5) Page 4
