by Brenna Lyons
“No. Everything Ty did, he did for a reason. He killed Peter, because he was a threat to Kyle, which was in turn a threat to Ty.”
“Why Monica?”
“She threatened to take Kyle from Carol and keep him from seeing the O’Hanlon side of his family.”
“How is it in Ty’s best interest to stop that?”
Katie cut in. “Any number of reasons. It would upset Kyle and make him harder to handle. Plus, Tiberius didn’t like the Thompsons any more than Kyle did—one thing we all seemed to agree on.”
“Also,” Keith interjected, “Ty had finally convinced Katie to come home. The last thing he wanted was someone keeping Kyle and Katie apart.”
“How did he convince you to come home?” Mac directed to her.
“He had Kyle give me hints that he was around and causing trouble to get me home, and he got me in a few unguarded moments personally to have talks with me.”
“The hospital parking lot?”
She blushed and nodded. “I thought the knowledge that I was coming back would end the outright violence. I thought it would revert to Ty versus me at that point. I should have known better.”
“Why didn’t you take care of it then and there?”
“I didn’t know how, because I didn’t have enough memories to piece together where he was. Believe me, if I had, it would have ended then and there.”
“What about your mother? Why kill her?”
“I’m not sure, but I think that was partly my fault. He made it clear he wanted me to stay close—with her, but I refused to live with her.”
“You think he did it just for that?” Mac asked in shock. “As a punishment of some sort?”
“I’ll never know. It may have been something else. He didn’t have to do it while she was in the house with Kyle, so maybe something else went wrong.”
“So, why wouldn’t Ty want Keith dead?”
Katie sighed. “Keith was his only bargaining chip. Kill him outright, and he has nothing left. Hurt him or drive him insane, and it’s a threat that goes on and on.”
“What about Carol? He could have gone for Carol.”
She shook her head. “Simple strategy. Anything that put Carol out of commission would do one of two things. Either Kyle would be stuck with the Thompsons, or he would be stuck with me.”
“He wanted you. Wouldn’t that be better?”
“No. It was too dangerous to have me in the same house during his truly unguarded moments. It would be too easy for me to remember something and end it all before he had reaction time.”
“Okay. I’ll buy that. Keith, how did he do it? How do you make someone commit suicide that way?”
Keith sighed. “It starts with the hallucinations of being stalked by the tigers. The tigers leave the welts, actually your body’s reaction to what Ty is doing— Skip that part. I can’t even explain how he manages it.
“Ty makes your mind think they hurt like hell, a horrendous burning sensation. They don’t, really. When you’re not under his control, it’s just like a bad scratch.”
“Why cut them and add more pain?” Mac asked curiously.
“The burning is awful, but embedded in the hallucination is the surety that cutting them will be cooling, soothing, even pleasurable. If Ty can inflict pain, he can cause pleasure.” He smiled crookedly. “Don’t hit me for this one, but I know pleasure can be given.”
“Really?” Mac teased.
Katie blushed and turned her face away without answering him.
“One of the many perks of my powerhouse wife,” Keith joked.
“It’s not too late to change that,” she cautioned him.
“So, what they did felt good to them,” Mac guessed.
“No,” Katie decided. “Tiberius was cruel. Once it was too late for them, I’m sure he let them suffer. He was a monster.”
“Does Kyle remember any of this?”
“I’m sure he’s told you what he does. Tiberius kept him in a state of blackout, what Keith misinterpreted as a seizure for the more heinous things he did. Ty knew if Kyle saw it, he would stop it, or he would be traumatized and shut down. That was the last thing Ty wanted to put up with again.”
“Again?” Mac questioned. “Just how much do you remember now?”
Katie smiled sadly. “Want me to write a book? Yes, I remember. I needed to remember to stop him, but it’s something I wish could have stayed forgotten.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Mac— When I get home, okay? We’ll even have you over for some homemade Italian. Right now, I’m too tired to rehash it.”
“Okay, but you are telling me this story.”
“What about the case, Mac?” she changed the subject uneasily.
“What case? Coroner has two suicides, brother and sister in a copycat fashion, and a heart attack. Carol has a little boy who needs some counseling after his father’s suicide. A neighborhood cat scratched Keith, and you—had an odd reaction to being pregnant. Wait. Need something better for the guys than that unless you want them all over you.”
Keith smiled. “Sugar reaction because of her poor eating habits,” he suggested.
“Thank you, Mac,” she whispered, holding back tears.
“Just do me one favor,” Mac requested.
“What’s that?”
“When I come to dinner, show me what you can really do, as an uncle not as a cop.”
“Sure. You have my word.”
Mac left, and she curled into Keith’s chest.
“Going to sleep?” he asked.
“I wasn’t kidding. I’m exhausted. When can we go home and sleep in our own bed?”
“If all your tests stay stable, we can go home tomorrow.”
“Good.” The word barely made it past her lips before she fell asleep.
* * *
Katie’s morning sickness bounced back and forth between a mild nausea and bouts of almost debilitating vomiting. She found it hard to concentrate on her writing, and her appetite left a little to be desired, but she was sleeping a lot, and much sounder than she had for most of her life.
Three days after she came home, Katie kissed Keith with a passion that surprised him and sent a longing through him that he had been trying to suppress, waiting for her to be ready. Their lovemaking was slow and sensual, almost as if they were discovering each other all over again, and maybe they were. The important thing was that they were happy with their discoveries. Afterward, Katie lay smiling with her fingers making tracks through the curls on his chest, more content and relaxed than Keith had seen her in over a week.
“What are you thinking?” he asked her.
“Let’s have Mac over for dinner this weekend.”
Keith looked at her in confusion. “Okay.”
“I’ll need your help cooking,” she added.
“No problem. Umm. Why now? Why this weekend?” he questioned.
“I need someone to walk me down the aisle.” Katie smiled again and wrapped her arm around his neck.
“I should have known you’d choose Mac.”
“He’s next in line.”
“He’s what?”
“After Dad died, Uncle Michael took his place. After Michael, Mac came up to bat. If Mac dies, it would be Bruce, Prentice, then Bugsy. Somehow, I became everyone’s little girl, but there was a definite hierarchy involved, though Mac and Michael seemed to be vying for first Daddy position for a while there.”
“You’re my girl, now,” he teased.
“You’re right. That’s why Mac has to give me away.”
Keith smiled and ran a hand up the curve of her back. “I see. Is this your way of telling them to back off?”
“Not really. It’s more like a general announcement that the position has been filled.”
“Think it will work?”
Katie snuggled her face into his chest. “Nope,” she admitted in amusement, “but as long as they act like normal uncles, I don’t really care.”
“Think
that will ever happen?” he prodded as her hands continued their exploration of him.
“Maybe. Just be prepared to have the most guarded children in history.”
* * *
Keith watched as Katie hugged Mac. The older man looked for all the world like a proud father, and Keith wondered yet again that Katie endeared herself without trying. Even when she was at her worst, people protected and loved her.
Mac crossed to Keith and shook his hand, as Katie disappeared to check on dinner.
“How’s it going, Mac?” Keith greeted their guest.
He smiled warmly. “Just fine. You taking care of Katie for me?” Mac asked with a raised eyebrow.
“That’s my job description,” he joked.
“Good man.” He handed a grocery bag to Keith. “I wasn’t sure what to bring since Katie is off wine for a while, so there’s beer for us and milk for her.” He smiled crookedly.
Keith laughed lightly as they headed for the kitchen. Katie was busy stirring the sauce while he started unloading everything into the fridge.
“Want one?” he offered, the six-pack in his hand.
“Don’t mind if I do.” Mac accepted a beer from his hand and snagged the church key from the front of the fridge. He took a long pull from it before looking over his shoulder at Katie. “How are you feeling? You look pale.”
“A little tired. Sick sometimes, but I’m okay overall.”
“Then, sit down. Remember what I told you when you moved home?”
Katie smiled wryly. “Let someone else take care of me for awhile?”
“That would be the one. I’m sure Keith can manage to strain noodles when the timer goes off.”
She nodded and sank into a chair. “He’s actually turning into a decent chef on me,” Katie admitted.
Mac took another pull on his beer. “So, why the summons?”
“No summons. This was an invitation. The summons is coming next.”
Mac took a seat next to her. “Really?”
She pasted on her most impish grin and nodded.
“So what is the summons?”
“Remember when you said you worried about my love life because it was something Dad would do?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Dad would walk me down the aisle, Mac.” Katie looked at him with a childlike longing Keith had never seen from her. “Will you do that for me, too?”
Mac looked at her in shock. “You want me to walk you down the aisle?”
She blushed and nodded slowly.
Mac laughed heartily and enveloped her in his arms. “I thought you’d never ask. Of course, I will.”
Katie smiled in relief and wrapped her arms around him. “Thanks, Mac.”
Keith switched the timer off before it could buzz and dumped the noodles in the strainer. “Well, now that that’s settled, let’s eat. Katie, you stay there. I’ll get your plate.”
“Extra meatballs and sausage and lots of Parmesan and mozzarella,” she requested.
Mac smiled indulgently. “That baby making demands already?” he joked. “Must be just like Mom.”
“Nope. I think.” Her voice was unsure, and Keith could guess at her state of mind.
Mac set his jaw and cupped her face back to his. “Katie? What is it?”
Keith almost dropped the plate. He never thought Mac could be so tender.
“Bashaw thinks it may be twins,” she informed him nervously. “We have an ultrasound scheduled.”
He sighed raggedly and shook his head. “When is this ultrasound?”
“Tuesday,” Katie answered. “We’ll know Tuesday.”
“Good,” Mac decreed. “Then eat. Starving yourself won’t make it better.”
Katie laughed lightly. “I thought you were supposed to be Dad, but that sounded just like Mom.”
“Does it matter? The advice is sound either way.” He got up to fill a plate for himself. “After dinner, you owe me a demonstration—if you’re up to it,” he reminded her over his shoulder.
Katie nodded. “I think I can manage that.” She smiled. “Don’t get skittish on me, Mac. It’s just me, just like always.”
The older man raised an eyebrow. “How—”
“Do I know?” she cut him off smoothly. “The demonstration begins.”
Keith smiled as he filled plates for each of them, heating mozzarella cheese over hers in the microwave. He wondered how Mac would react to the first demonstration of control Katie had arranged for Keith. Probably not well.
As he set her plate in front of her, Katie smiled. “Be nice, Keith. You know I would not do that to Mac.”
“Oh, only I get that treatment, huh?” he asked sarcastically as he dropped into the chair next to her.
“I did apologize. Are you going to hold that against me forever? After all, I’m not holding a grudge,” she pointed out.
Keith looked at her in disbelief. “You said—”
“Not that. I told you that wasn’t your fault. I meant the tirade that prompted my demonstration.”
He nodded. “I see your point.”
Mac stared at them in confusion. “What are you talking about?” he demanded.
Katie blushed lightly. “Keith and I had a few problems learning to deal with this whole thing between us, and Ty was going out of his way to make it harder at the end.”
“I imagine.”
She shook her head. “Actually, the mind reading part was the least of our worries, and I usually turn that off to even the playing field.”
“Then, what are you talking about?”
“You’re too nervous. If I showed you now, it would hurt,” she explained as she took a bite of sausage.
“She’s right,” Keith agreed. “Fighting it hurts. If you’re relaxed, it’s a piece of cake.”
“Stop scaring him, Keith. He’ll never get his demonstration if you keep getting him upset.”
Mac looked at them warily. “How was Ty making it worse?” he asked, swallowing a mouthful of the spaghetti.
Katie darkened.
Keith shook his head. “Um. Remember that bit about hallucinations?” he managed.
Mac nodded.
“Yeah, well. When she stopped me from cutting open those welts—”
Katie broke in. “Let’s just say Ty laid a doozy on him and made him think I was the enemy—with a knife in his hand.”
Mac’s jaw dropped. “He came at you with a knife?”
“Well, not really. He came at the hallucination with the knife. I was the unfortunate one in the way. I think Ty wanted to snap me so I’d attack in anger, but it didn’t work.”
Mac rubbed his forehead roughly. “If I tell you that your life is weirder than your books, would you be offended?”
“No. I have to get my ideas from somewhere.” She blanched, as he met her eyes. “I’m turning off mind reading now. I think you need your privacy.”
“How do I know that’s true?” Mac managed.
“You don’t. If you’ve seen enough, I won’t do anything else. I’ll leave that up to you.”
Mac nodded and returned to his dinner, watching Katie uncertainly as she wolfed down her food. “Loading up on carbs?” Keith finally asked.
Katie shook her head and swallowed a mouthful of meatball. “No. I’m starving.”
“Good. You need to eat more.”
“I’d be eating just fine if I didn’t throw so much of it back up,” she argued.
“That’s probably true.”
The rest of dinner passed in silence. For the most part, they all paid attention to their plates and nothing else. When either of the men did look up, it was to regard Katie, but she was lost in thought.
After they cleared away their plates, Katie led the way to the living room. She curled into her father’s leather chair. “What do you say, Mac? Do you want a demonstration or are you done for tonight?”
“I want to know,” he answered quietly.
* * *
Katie sighed, opening her mind to him a
gain. Mac said he wanted this, and a brief examination of his thoughts confirmed that he thought he did. She only hoped he didn’t change his mind in two minutes.
She entered his mind stealthily while he examined her pale features, the dark circles under her eyes— Connection. Katie planted a vision of pink elephants a la Dumbo. Mac startled and reached his hand out toward them. She planted the sensation of bubble-like softness to match the image.
Mac met her eyes in shock. “What is that?” he asked quietly, as if talking louder would disturb the vision somehow.
“It’s not real.” She withdrew the image. “Try this,” she invited.
Katie inserted an image of the gray wolf from the wildlife poster across the room from them. In Mac’s mind, the wolf would walk out of the framed piece onto the mantle, throw his head back, and howl. She erased the image as Mac clapped his hands over his ears and flinched.
She asserted control over him while he was still frozen in shock and incapable of fighting the sensation. “Would you like another beer, Mac?” she invited calmly.
He swiveled his head to look at her and nodded slowly. Then he walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
“Get me a glass of chocolate milk, Mac.” She sent the compulsion gently, but gently was all he needed.
His hand swung to the milk and the Hershey’s syrup and drew them out. Mac mixed her glass silently and put everything away before bringing it to her. As she removed it from his hand, Katie released him. Anger burned in Mac’s eyes, anger like she had never seen from him before.
“Get yourself that beer, and we’ll discuss it,” she assured him quietly.
The chocolate milk was gone before Mac returned.
Keith looked at her in concern. “Was that enough?” he asked.
Katie nodded as she set the glass aside. “Of course, I’m raiding that chocolate cake soon, but I don’t need to raid it.”
“As long as you’re sure.” Keith’s features relaxed, and he curled into the wide chair around her, drawing her into his lap smoothly. “I figured you could use backup,” he whispered close to her ear.
Katie smiled and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, but Mac’s not considering hurting me.”
She was right about that. In fact, Mac didn’t want to talk about what she had done. Another time—another night, but not until he sorted out his thoughts and feelings about the whole thing.
