Learning To Fly

by Melissa Snark

Cassie turned away to afford him a degree of privacy while he spoke with his brother. She gazed out over the landscape, longing for more greenery. Summer was past but fall had not yet come to the California coast. The hillside grasses were dry and brown, wilted from the lack of rain. It was wildfire season and the hills were ripe to burn. The land did not lack vitality. Always, the ocean was the essential source, the eternal well of life, supporting tide pools, bird colonies and marine mammals.

  Overhead, the red-tail hawk screeched and swooped low as if to see what her silly humans were up to. Cassie grinned and tilted her head back, shading her eyes to watch the bird. She wished she’d remembered to bring her sunglasses.

  “We’re heading back.” Kyle came to her and touched her elbow. His steps were fast and his tone urgent.

  “What’s happened?”

  “Lynch got away from Kieran’s people when they tried to catch him. Joe was shot. They’ve lost track of Lynch.”

  Cassie’s mouth went dry. “How long ago?”

  “Less than an hour. We’re supposed to meet back at the house.”

  ****

  Kyle parked the convertible in the driveway. “Looks like we beat Kieran and his people back,” he said. “Let’s wait for them inside.”

  His grim tone made an already hard situation worse. Cassie nodded her agreement and climbed from the vehicle. The joy she’d experienced just an hour before had fled in the face of bad news. A terrible sense of foreboding hung over her.

  They were halfway up the walk when the front door swung open. Shelly stumbled through the entrance with a man following close behind her. Poor Shelly’s face was white and her expression terrified. Lynch held a pistol to her head, the muzzle resting against her cheek. Cassie stopped dead in her tracks, and Kyle did the same.

  “Did you miss me, Cassandra?” It was a voice she knew well; it had been with her for five years and a thousand nightmares. With it went a face ingrained in her memory—a face she had imagined in passing crowds and on countless strangers.

  Lynch was a man of moderate height but great strength. He had curly brown hair and matching eyes that held a scary intelligence. His crooked front teeth gave him a goofy air, but she understood his capacity for violence too well to ever be fooled.

  Cassie faltered for a second before her survival instincts kicked in. Taking a step forward, she distanced herself from Kyle and moved closer to Lynch. She knew he wouldn’t hesitate to kill either Shelly or Kyle. It fell on her to distract him.

  She beamed. “Of course I have, Simon.”

  Suspicion flittered across Lynch’s face. “You testified against me at the trial, Cassandra. Don’t think for a second I’m buying into your lies!”

  “It wasn’t me, Simon.” She kept her voice calm and soothing. The lies came so easily. “The FBI forced me to lie. They took me away from you. They made me testify.”

  “You’re lying,” Lynch snarled. The muzzle of the gun turned from Shelly’s head toward Kyle. “What about him. Did you think I wouldn’t find out you were cheating on me?”

  The depth of Lynch’s delusions stunned her, but it confirmed that he continued to believe they were in a relationship. No dose of reality could penetrate his sick mind. It made it easy to manipulate him.

  Cassie widened her eyes and protested her innocence. “But Simon, I had no idea you were out of prison. I’ve been here a couple weeks for an illustrating job. He doesn’t mean anything to me. You know better than to think anyone could ever come between us.”

  “Cassie, don’t.” Kyle started forward.

  The boom of the gunshot deafened Cassie. She turned and saw bright red blossom on Kyle’s shoulder. He staggered and then fell to the ground. Horrified, she cried out and whirled back to Lynch. He kept an arm locked about Shelly’s throat. The older woman sobbed but offered no resistance.

  Cassie stepped in front of Kyle so the next bullet would hit her in the chest and advanced to point-blank range. Her confidence received a boost when Lynch’s aim wavered. In his eyes, she could see the same sick obsession as before. He didn’t want to kill her; he wanted to own her.

  In the distance, sirens shrieked. Upon hearing the sound, Lynch shifted with unease. He needed to run. The sound provided her with an opportunity and she seized it. “Simon, let Shelly go and I’ll come with you.”

  An ugly look crossed his face—impotent rage and frustration. Lynch shoved Shelly away and she stumbled toward Kyle. Simon drew back his arm and struck Cassie full across the face with his open hand. The blow snapped her head to the side and a cut opened on her lip. She tasted blood.

  “Don’t bargain with me, bitch.” Lynch sneered and seized her arm. “Being away from me has made you uppity. You’ve forgotten who’s in charge.”

  Cassie kept quiet and dropped her eyes. She caught a final glimpse of Shelly crouched over Kyle. Thank God, he was moving. She hadn’t gotten the man she loved killed.

  The sirens continued to wail in the distance. Still wielding his gun, Lynch dragged Cassie around the side of the house and out through the back gate. He made his escape on the trails leading toward the rugged coastline.

  ****

  Kyle swam through darkness into blinding pain. He regained his hearing first. The sound of Shelly’s frantic voice reached his ears through the haze of agony emanating from his shoulder. He felt her holding his hand.

  “Kyle, my boy, please be okay. You need to wake up. That awful man took Cassie and I just don’t know what to do.”

  He forced his eyes open and then blinked against the blinding sunlight. He groped with a dizzying array of sensations. His shoulder felt as if a bomb had exploded from the inside; pain radiated out from the vicinity of his scapula.

  “Don’t move. Help is coming.” Shelly tried to hold him down, but Kyle sat up with a determined grunt. His shoulder hurt but it didn’t get any worse. A quick glance to the left revealed fresh blood had soaked his T-shirt.

  “Cassie?” He struggled to his feet.

  “That awful man took her with him,” Shelly said. “After he shot you, she moved in front of the gun and offered to go with him.”

  Cassie had sacrificed herself for him. The news didn’t surprise Kyle. His anger and determination to stop the bastard who had abducted her knew no bounds. He caught hold of Shelly’s wrists. “Shelly, listen to me. It’s going to be okay. Those sirens are close. I’m going after Cassie.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks. “No, it’s not safe. Just wait…”

  “I can’t wait. He might kill her. Which way did he go?”

  Shelly stared at him and her lower lip trembled as she pointed toward the back of the property.

  “Stay here and wait for the cops.” Kyle turned and took off at a dead run. Even injured, he knew the trails on his estate better than anyone. So he ran with one mission: to save his lover.

  ****

  Cassie accompanied Lynch without resistance until they were a safe distance from the house. He kept one hand locked on her upper arm and clutched the pistol with the other. He gripped the gun uneasily; she knew he preferred knives and fists to firearms.

  “Where did you get the gun?” She surprised Lynch and herself with the question.

  He glanced at her and then shrugged. “I took it off some Mexican.”

  “Joe. His name is Joe.” She felt sorrow and guilt for the innocent people who’d gotten hurt because of her. First Joe, now Kyle. She was so sick of this shit.

  Cassie dug in and refused to take another step.

  “Why are you stopping?” Lynch prodded her with the gun. She looked back at him with eyes bright and full of hatred.

  She exhaled through her nose. “You know what, Simon? I can’t do this anymore. I’m sick to death of lying to you.”

  He scowled. “What do you mean?”

  “I hate you!” Cassie wrenched her arm from his grasp. “You’re an awful man—a monster—and you’re pathetic. We don’t have a relationship. It’s all in your head.”

  Fury transfo
rmed Lynch’s features into a monstrous mask. As she had expected, he discarded the gun and came after her with his bare hands. She understood him only too well. All of his prior victims has been beaten and strangled. Guns simply weren’t personal enough for him.

  With a shout, Lynch rushed at her, hands outstretched as he reached for her throat. She scrambled backward and managed to evade him for several paces. Then she stumbled and fell, emitting a sharp shriek. Lynch grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked with all of his strength. Cassie’s head jerked to the side. She landed on her butt in the dirt and her momentum continued to carry her over. She kicked out and caught Lynch on the knee.

  He reached for her again but Kyle suddenly appeared and tackled Lynch about the waist. The two men went down in a tangle. Fists flew and a splatter of blood painted Cassie’s arm right before she managed to free her hair from his fist. She scrambled away on hands and knees.

  Kyle recovered his feet first. Lynch struggled to stand, turning to confront Kyle. Simon got one leg under him and delivered a short jab to Kyle’s ribcage. Standing with his legs spread in a wide stance for better balance, Kyle retaliated with a punch to Lynch’s chin and a second to the side of his face. A kick to the chest sent Lynch to the ground again, where he landed in the dirt just a few feet from the gun. He spotted it and started to reach for the weapon. Kyle was too far away to get there first.

  “Kyle, watch out!” Cassie’s heart was in her throat and everything happened in slow motion.

  Kyle started forward, making a contested lunge for the pistol, but Lynch already had his hand around the stock and brought the weapon up. He aimed the barrel just as Cassie’s lover sprinted forward. Before Lynch pulled the trigger, a bright red spot blossomed on his shirt and then a second to the right of the first and directly over his heart. There was no sound, no explosive gunfire. A third bullet caught Lynch between the eyes. He toppled forward, face down on the ground.

  Kyle skidded to a halt. Cassie hurried to him and threw her arms around his neck with a strangled sob. “Oh God, I was so scared.”

  “Shh, Red, it’s okay. Don’t cry. I’m okay.” He held her close, one hand against the middle of her back, the other cradling her head. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then stroked her hair away from her face.

  “He shot you,” Cassie said as tears ran down her cheeks in an outpouring of grief.

  “Yeah, it hurts.” He mustered a faint smile.

  “You could have been killed.”

  His gentle hands soothed her fears. “I’m okay and he can never hurt you again.”

  The crunch of approaching footsteps alerted them to a man’s approach. They turned and greeted Kieran. Kyle’s brother carried a sniper rifle with the muzzle pointed into the air. His stride was long and his stance easy. Deputy Stan Boggins and two other uniformed men followed behind. They went straight to Lynch’s body to confirm his death and secure the pistol.

  “Are you okay?” Kieran asked Kyle.

  Kyle nodded to his brother. “We’re okay. I could use a doctor.”

  “I’ll ask Stan to call for the paramedics,” Kieran said.

  Cassie turned away from Kieran. She would thank him later. She had a more important and urgent matter to attend. There was something she needed to say before life came along and snatched her opportunity again.

  She met her lover’s gaze. “Kyle, I love you,” she said, without hesitation or reservation. Then she kissed him with all of the passion in her heart.

  Epilogue

  Eighteen months later…

  Wine and white were the colors Cassie and Kyle chose for their Christmas wedding on the Los Lobos estate. Christmas Eve found the McCleod household bustling with commotion as caterers, decorators, and florists went about their business under the watchful direction of Shelly.

  The Irish housekeeper stood at the eye of the storm, as commanding as a brigadier general as she gave directions, issued orders, and set down mandates. Truly, Shelly enjoyed her finest hour as the Wedding Planner Extraordinaire.

  Kyle waited to speak with the housekeeper, standing in line behind the painter and the man with the folding chairs. When he finally reached the front of the line, he opened his mouth but never got the words out.

  “Kyle, be a dear and carry these to the kitchen for me.” Shelly deposited a stack of linens in his arms. He blinked, but she had already moved on to the woman behind him.

  “Shelly, have you seen Cassie?” Interrupting might be bad manners, but there had to be some advantage to being the man of the house.

  Shelly reprimanded him with a frown, but he’d get an answer regarding the location of his missing bride-to-be. “She’s out at the gazebo supervising the decorators.”

  “What about Kieran?”

  Shelly huffed. “That shiftless brother of yours has vanished! So help me, if he misses his final tux fitting, I’ll have his scalp!”

  Kyle nodded. It was one of many occasions that he’d envied his twin’s talent for disappearing, a sentiment he kept to himself.

  “Thanks…” he hesitated. If the best man had a tux fitting then it stood to reason the groom did also. “What time is the fitting?”

  Shelly rolled her eyes. “Two o’clock. Now be off with you!” She shooed him away. Kyle made a short trip to the kitchen to be rid of the linens and then set off in search of Cassie.

  The trek across the estate to the gazebo involved dodging a veritable army of workers heading in both directions. Like scurrying ants, an endless line of people carrying chairs clogged the walkways. It took five minutes to wind his way around them. He wound up following a deer trail to circumvent the obstacles in his path.

  The gazebo shone in the sunlight thanks to a fresh coat of white paint. What must have been hundreds of red and white roses—maybe thousands—were being attached to the structure’s exterior. The air was full of floral sweetness.

  Tenderness softened Kyle’s features as he gazed on his bride with adoration. She wore her burgundy hair in a loose coif, bound with a single wooden hairpin, which he longed to steal. Her green eyes gleamed with humor; her smile was wide and ready. She buzzed from place to place with vivacious energy, interacting with the florists.

  The playful impulse got the better of him. Easing forward, he sneaked up behind her, caught hold of the wooden hairpin, and tugged it away so her glorious tresses tumbled free. Kyle buried his hands in the vibrant silk and threaded his fingers through the strands.

  Laughing, Cassie whirled to face him. “Oh, you. Stop that! Now I’m a mess.”

  “You look way too proper, Red. A bride should look more…tousled.” He framed her face in his hands, cherishing the moment. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, while the florists giggled and poked fun at them.

  She swatted his arm in mock protest. “I’ll tousle you, mister! The tousling comes after the wedding, not before.”

  Kyle formulated a scandalous suggestion but a soft voice intruded. “Excuse me, but I’m looking for Mr. Kyle McCleod?”

  “That’s me.” He turned, expecting to find yet another person associated with the wedding. Instead, a nervous young woman dressed in a prim skirt suit stood before them. She wore sensible black shoes and her hair in a bun. She extended a polite hand in greeting.

  His brow rose. “How can I help you?”

  “My name is Amy Edwards,” she said. “I’m from the Big Time Nanny Agency.”

  Cassie’s jaw dropped and Kyle performed a neat double take. They exchanged a dumbfounded glance. Then Cassie cocked a fine eyebrow and her face lit with wicked humor. “In a bit of a hurry, aren’t we, m’dear?”

  Kyle groaned. “I guess Shelly exaggerated the three year wait.”

  Cassie snorted. “What a shock.”

  The nanny finished gawking at the bustling activity going on, and then her scandalized gaze turned to Cassie’s flat stomach. “Are you planning a wedding?”

  Kyle indulged a chuckle at the poor woman’s expense. “It’s a shotgun wedding, but we’re keep
ing it hush-hush until after the ceremony. Can you keep a secret?”

  “Oh! Of course, I can—I will—” The woman blushed and stammered and then stared at the ground in silence.

  Cassie shot him a reproving glance, but her wrath was worth enduring. Grinning, he wrapped his arm about her waist and made a show of patting her stomach. “Of course, we’re a few months out from the due date, but it never hurts to get a head start. Oof—”

  Cassie’s elbow cut Kyle’s response short. She had deadly aim and caught him right under the ribs. When he fell silent, she took over. “Thank you, Miss Edwards, but we’re right in the middle of wedding preparation. I’m afraid today is a bad day for an interview. Could we reschedule for two weeks? Say, after the honeymoon?”

  “Oh! Of course!” She nearly fell over herself in her haste to be accommodating. Cassie sent the young woman on her way to see Shelly about rescheduling.

  “It doesn’t seem right to waste more of her time,” Kyle said, once the nanny was out of earshot.

  Cassie turned on him. Her face was flushed and her vocal pitch high. “Did Shelly tell you? She swore she’d keep quiet.”

  “What?” He felt his jaw drop.

  She crossed her arms and glared at him. “I only found out myself last night!”

  “Are you messing with me?” If she were, Kyle was ready to concede the field. She had gotten him but good.

  But Cassie continued to sputter in indignation. “I couldn’t believe the test was positive. When we agreed to start trying last month, I thought it would take longer—”

  His shocked expression transformed to one of pure joy. “Cassie, are we having a baby?”

  She smiled, mysterious and feminine, and dropped her eyes. Her hand caressed her flat stomach. In that simple gesture, Kyle had his answer. He whooped and swept his bride into his arms. He spun her about the gazebo, dancing beneath the canopy of white and red roses.

  “Are you happy?” Cassie asked. He felt her shy smile against his throat. Her hands clung to him. He set her down and his hand framed her face.

  “I’m so happy I could fly,” he said, and kissed her to seal their love. God, but he loved her for better or worse, no matter what life brought them.