by R. L. Syme
He paused and was just about to move when the chirp of his phone sounded. Both men froze, but Aidan was at a loss. If he dug for his phone, he would give away his position when he brought it out of his pocket. But if he didn’t, the thing would keep going off.
He fumbled in his pocket for the off button, but accidentally turned the phone on. He could hear Will’s voice, muffled, and a touch garbled.
“Who’s out there?” Bret MacLeod yelled across the yard. “I have a gun, and if you don’t show yourself, I’m going to start shooting.”
Aidan’s breath came too quickly. He didn’t have time to think. He just had to act.
Without a plan, without a thought, he stepped out from behind his truck with his hands up. “It’s me, Chief. Don’t shoot.”
Chapter Thirteen
The slick sweat of fear wet Aidan’s palms as he walked toward Bret MacLeod, swathed in the flashlight beam.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Bret’s voice was higher-pitched, edgier, and more volatile than Aidan had ever heard him. He pointed the gun alongside the flashlight. “And here I thought you were in the house already.”
“Whatever you’re doing, boss, you can just leave it be.”
“That’s the funny part, Conley. I can’t leave any of it be.” He pointed the gun at Claire. “Miss Milton here was the wild card I hadn’t expected. You were supposed to be in jail right now. Not out talking to Jeff Young. Not finding my emails. And if she hadn’t vouched for you, that’s exactly where you would be.”
“How do you know what we were doing?”
“I have eyes and ears everywhere in this town, Conley. Including your precious lawyer’s office.” He put the flashlight on the railing so that it stayed trained on Aidan, and kept pointing that stupid Glock, but he bent over and turned the gas can over Claire’s body again.
Aidan’s heart leapt, almost taking his body with him. He tried to calculate how quickly he could get up those stairs before Bret MacLeod could shoot him. The one wild card was, he didn’t know how much spark a gun like that threw. One shot could easily put Claire into a fireball.
The pungent waft of smoke hit him in the face again and he coughed. Where in the hell was the fire? He looked across the whole yard. The only place he couldn’t see was the back of the house.
“Do you smell that, Chief?”
“I ought to be able to smell it, Conley. I set it.”
“Where is it?”
“It’s inside your house. Where I thought you would be, passed out, after your girl left tonight. Good thing I followed her, too, or I wouldn’t have known for sure you were onto me.”
Aidan took an involuntary step forward. “You followed us to your house?”
“With my headlights off, of course. I parked at the fork and waited for her. When I saw she was alone, I went to your house to set the fire, but when I found the bag of Jane’s things, I knew Claire had found more than you’d told your lawyer. Sure enough, she went to my house, and I found her sitting in her car, texting someone, and getting ready to go inside to tell my wife.”
“Claire doesn’t know anything,” Aidan lied, raising his hands higher. “I was in your house when you found Claire. I was the one talking to Sonja. Claire didn’t know anything. Just let her go.”
His heart twisted as he waited for the psychopath’s answer. The Chief looked down at Claire, then laughed.
“I don’t think so, Conley. This will be poetic justice. I covered up an affair with one fire. And I’ll cover up that fire with another. If Claire dies in the fire, I can blame it on you, even if you’re shot through the head in your pickup truck outside.”
Bret MacLeod held up the gun and advanced on Aidan. “Everyone will know you killed your wife. You’ll be gone and I won’t have to look at your face any longer.”
“You killed Jane.”
Bret laughed. “Of course I did. She was trying to blackmail me into telling my wife about our little affair, but she was nothing. It’s Sonja that I really need.”
Aidan grasped for some stalling tactic. He needed to think of a plan. “Well, you’ll be happy to know that your wife knows and suspects nothing.”
Bret narrowed his eyes. “If only I could really believe you.”
“You can. I promised Claire that I wasn’t going to say anything. I just wanted to know whose house it was.”
“You didn’t know it was mine?”
“Not until your wife answered the door. And Claire still doesn’t know any of this.” Aidan’s throat closed for a moment. He had to get Claire out of there. “I promise you, Bret. She doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t even know why we were at your house.”
Bret lowered the gun for a moment and stepped back to the door of Aidan’s house. Beyond him, through the window into the kitchen, Aidan could see the first signs of flames licking up the drapes around the sink.
“You were going to burn my house down with me in it?”
“I needed to get rid of you before you discovered what really happened with Jane.”
“Then why re-open the cold-case?”
“Because I was getting pressure from the mayor.” The gun hand went up to his forehead and the barrel rested across the front of his face for a crazy moment. “He thought your dad was covering up for you. If I hadn’t opened the case, the mayor would have put pressure on Randall to do it, and I couldn’t risk Allan VonBrandt getting his claws into it. I needed it to come from the firehouse.”
Aidan edged closer to the steps, hoping Bret wouldn’t notice. He had to find some way to get up there and get the gun away from him. Even if it meant getting shot himself.
“You stop moving, Conley, or I’ll shoot you and set your little girlfriend on fire.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Well, you could have fooled me, the way you’re all noble protector right now. You can’t tell me you don’t want to hit that.” Bret licked his lips. “That tiny little blonde waif of a thing. I’ll bet she’s an animal, just like her sister.”
Behind Bret, the flames jumped higher, and the smoke started to billow out one of the open hall windows. All Aidan could think about was trying to get Claire away from that fire before a spark caught her and she went up. He wouldn’t let himself rise to Bret’s bait.
“She’s nothing like her sister, and let me tell you, even Jane wasn’t really the person she was with you. That was just an act she put on trying to get attention.”
“Well, it worked, you know.” Bret chuckled. “Besides me, there were at least four other men regularly banging your wife. How does that feel, Conley? To know you were so blind and the woman you loved was such a whore? How does that feel?”
A quick movement swiping across the deck somehow had MacLeod’s feet out from under him. The gun flew out of sight and landed somewhere in the grass with a thud. The flashlight clattered to the ground and Bret hit the deck with a loud grunt.
“How does that feel, you horse’s ass?”
Aidan had never been so happy to hear Claire’s voice in his whole life. Within a second, MacLeod began to struggle and was back on his feet. He pushed Claire into the door, and she bounced against it and landed hard on the decking.
MacLeod was out in the grass, digging for his gun, and Aidan was just about to punch him hard in the face when a gunshot sounded and Aidan dropped hard to the ground.
The pain caught him off-guard. No. He wasn’t supposed to get shot. He was supposed to shoot Bret MacLeod. That was how it always worked in those movies. The bad guy always got the bullet.
Aidan gasped and clutched at his chest.
He heard a loud crack and another thud, and he sucked at the air, trying to give himself the strength to get to Claire. In his fading vision, he saw her stringy, wet, white-blonde head hovering over him, one of his mother’s pots broken in her hands.
The rich smell of soil almost cut through the fire and the gasoline. Aidan pointed toward the creek.
“Go get in the creek now.”
&nb
sp; “But Aidan,” she protested.
“No. you’re covered in gasoline. Into the creek. Now!”
She left his vision and the corners went dark first. He allowed himself to slip away, knowing that at least he had given his life to save Claire. He could now be at peace.
Chapter Fourteen
Aidan woke in a bright room. A pair of green arms had flashed before his eyes and disappeared. Couldn’t possibly be heaven. Scrub green only existed in hospitals.
“He’s waking up.” He recognized his sister’s voice. But before he could see her face, Claire came into his vision. Her face was red, her eyes bloodshot, but she’d never looked more beautiful to him than in that moment.
“Aidan,” Claire whispered. She sat on the edge of his bed, which made the throbbing in his chest intensify. He couldn’t tell if it was from her nearness or the bullet. But he’d take either one.
“I thought I was dead,” he said.
Claire smiled, her wet cheeks pinking. “We thought you were going to die.”
“I didn’t,” Marin spoke up from somewhere in the corner. “Just for the record. When Claire called me, I knew you were going to make it.” His sister approached with a worried smile on her face. “I knew you were too stubborn to die.”
Aidan laughed, which brought more pain. He choked for a moment, and Claire called out for his nurse.
A pretty, brown-haired, caramel-eyed woman in green scrubs came to his bedside. Her nametag read Emily Smith.
“How bad is the pain, scale of 1-10?” Emily asked.
Aidan sniffed and held his breath while a wave went through him. “Bad.”
She pushed a button near his bedside and the pain began to subside. “Oh, and we have your blood panel results, Miss Milton. Here’s a copy for your records.”
Claire took the pink piece of paper and studied the lines while the nurse left the room. Aidan couldn’t read any of it.
“What was that all about?”
“Oh, the cops wanted to run a blood panel to confirm my story.”
“What story?”
Claire lowered her eyes. “I called 911 after he shot you. When the Sheriff and the fire crew came out, I had to give my statement. I was pretty sure that Bret drugged me, because one minute, I heard the car door open, and the next, I woke up on your porch with those damned plants all around my head and I smelled smoke. So he must have injected me with something.” She pointed to the pink sheet. “Lorazapam, it looks like.”
Aidan opened his good arm and gestured for Claire to join him on the bed.
“You’ve just been shot,” she protested. But he caught her hand and pulled her down.
“I have been waiting for this moment since we were sitting in the diner.” He kissed her forehead and noticed his sister exchanging extreme raised eyebrows with her poncy fiancé.
“What moment?” Claire asked.
“The moment when it would all be over.”
Claire settled down against him and put her hand on his stomach. Just the rhythm of her breathing made him relax. He curled his good arm around her and pulled her closer into his side.
“I don’t even mind staying in the hospital. As long as they let you stay with me.”
She gazed up at him. “Oh, Aidan.” There was such sadness waiting in her eyes.
“Now what? Don’t tell me that MacLeod got away.”
“God, no,” Marin said. “Claire knocked him out with one of those big pots mom gave you, and she tied him up with her purse straps, smart girl. The Sheriff took him away and Deputy VonBrandt tells me they have some kind of recording.”
Claire blushed modestly and Aidan pulled her up the side of his body. He turned into her and kissed her with such depth, such passion, he thought they might have to ask for a private room. But she pulled back, sliding back into sadness.
“Then what’s with the down face?” he asked.
“Your house, Aidan. You can’t go back.”
“That is true. By the time the fire truck got there, Claire had dragged you back behind the pickup and she’d been in the creek. But your house couldn’t be saved.”
Aidan paused, waiting for some kind of emotion, but none came. He shook his head. “That house was just a house, Claire.” He kissed her again and held her tight against him. “I could never go back there again and still live a happy life.”
She slid her hand along his cheek. “You don’t have to say that for my sake. You can be sad that you lost your house.”
“I’m not.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “You are safe. That’s all I care about.”
“Well, you can stay with me at my aunt’s house while you recover. And then you can decide what you’d like to do from there.” Claire pressed her lips to his and held herself there for a long time. Marin cleared her throat.
“You can also come stay with me in Austin. And Mom and Dad should be here this afternoon. They’ll have you at the house if you’d like.”
“I want to stay with Claire.” Aidan’s eyes didn’t leave Claire’s, and he felt they might set themselves on fire if they weren’t careful.
He hadn’t felt this much desire for a woman in his whole life. Once his rehab was over, he was going to show her exactly how much desire that was. And he couldn’t wait.
“I have to go back to Austin for my investor’s meeting in two weeks, but you can stay at Aunt Becky’s while I’m gone.”
“We have two weeks to figure that out.” Aidan settled down into his pillows and smiled at the thought of how much had happened in just a few days. In a few more, he might even have her married and honeymooned. Who knew?
“We have as long as we need to figure it out.” A tear slid down Claire’s face, and Aidan kissed where it dropped on her cheek.
“I don’t need to figure anything out. I know what I want.” He held her face still with his good hand while he kissed her.
“Me, too,” she said, smiling.
“Then that’s all we need.”
Claire nodded and burrowed against him. Even sitting on a hospital bed with a hole in his chest, this was the happiest Aidan had been in his life. He could only imagine what more was to come with Claire by his side, in his heart, in his life. Forever.
Aidan’s Fiery Delight Cupcake
Something about the combination of all the different forms of heat just screamed Aidan to me, and as soon as I saw him with Claire, I knew why. He needs fire. Whether he’s fighting fire or fanning flames, he is true to his name. Little fire. This cupcake is Aidan’s personality and his love story in dessert form. I hope you enjoy!
-Meghan Klein, The MatchBaker
Cupcake Batter (Bake at 350)
1 cup stout
3/4 cup grated ginger (do not drain)
1 cup diced candied ginger
1 cup cream
2 ½ cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (crushed)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
Pour stout into a large mixing bowl, rest. On the stove, heat the cream on low (do not boil) and add both the fresh and candied ginger. You are primarily extracting flavors. This mixture should only be warm. Then, in a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and spices so they’re fully incorporated. (I use a fork at this stage.)
All of the mixing in the batter recipe should be done by hand so as not to break the character of the stout. Only mix until incorporated. Add to the stout: white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and oil. Sift in half the dry ingredients, mix by hand, then add the cream and ginger mixture. Sift in the rest of the dry ingredients. The batter will be on the runny side. This is normal.
Pour into prepared (either butter/flour coated or paper-lined… do not use co
oking spray) cupcake pans. Fill them only half-way to 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a center cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
Frosting
1 ½ c. butter
16 oz. cream cheese (cubed)
½ c. liquid caramel
¼ t. cardamom
¼ t. coriander
¼ t. cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 T. heavy cream
4 cups powdered sugar
Start off with all ingredients at room temperature. In a large bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. Add the cream cheese and cream again, scraping down sides of bowl with a spatula. Add the liquid caramel and spices. Cream together. Add cream and powdered sugar (slowly) and mix until thick. Add more cream if the frosting is too thick (and depending on how you’d like to apply it). Allow cupcakes to cool naturally (leaving them out after baking). And apply frosting as soon after preparation as possible.
~ Dedication ~
For John & Sonja—my first
and only attempt at matchmaking.
It’s nice to be batting a thousand.
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Other Books from R.L. Syme
From the Highland Renegades Series of Medieval Scottish Romance:
The Outcast Highlander (2013)
The Runaway Highlander (2014)
The Pirate Highlander/Malcolm’s Return (2014)
Lachlan’s Revenge (releasing in 2015)
From the DC United Series of Inspirational Romance:
His Wounded Heart (2013)
His Forgotten Past (coming in 2015)
In the Montana Christmas Romance Anthology:
Montana Mistletoe (2014)
