As hands grabbed her shoulders, she screamed.
* * *
“What happened?” Mac said calmly as he placed the bowl on the floor and carefully lifted Delaney’s sore foot into the iced water.
Delaney was spooked, and he needed to keep calm, no matter how churned up he’d gotten at the sight of her running away from something that had terrified her. Hell, she hadn’t even recognized his voice. Something had set her off.
As soon as she’d recognized him, she’d hugged him tightly, but then had hurried them inside while looking over her shoulder. Which meant she was one foot in the here and now with him and one foot in whatever had set her off.
He wanted answers, but the way Delaney was biting her lip told him he wasn’t going to get any. “Please, Delaney. You look pale. And your skin is clammy. Trust me, whatever this is isn’t going to go away by itself. You need to talk about it.”
“It’s stupid, Mac. Nothing. I was seeing things. There’s a car that I’ve seen a couple of times. And the driver, well … I guess I’m seeing ghosts. It’s probably nothing.”
Ghosts or real, it had scared the shit of her. A few minutes later and he would have missed the whole thing. He’d never been more relieved to have left work early to make sure he had time to persuade her to join him at his mom’s barbecue.
And given she’d been talking about Lemtov the previous morning, he wasn’t so sure that what had scared her was nothing. “Talk it through with me,” he said, calmly. “Step by step. When, where … as many details as you can remember.”
Delaney laughed nervously. “You know, it’s probably some guy who lives the next block over. That’s why I keep seeing him.”
“Let me be the judge of that.” Plus, Mac had means. Contacts. People who had access to cameras—through legal channels or through a little bit of hacking. Once Delaney told him the details, he’d go back and retrace her steps. And quite possibly find and kill the guy, even if scaring the shit out of her was all he was guilty of.
“Honestly, Mac. I need you to tell me it’s nothing, not build it up into something more. I saw the car twice, and then I saw him wearing a ball cap and aviators on the street behind me today. I thought he was following me home, but he dropped back. I was freaked is all.”
Fine. He could work it backward from the point where he’d picked her up. One way or another he was going to get to the bottom of it. Except that tomorrow he was going to Washington to complete the contract he’d finalized on his last trip there. Some high-ranking Saudi diplomat who wanted additional security for family members. This kind of security detail wasn’t their preferred type of work, but it could lead to something more through the contacts he’d make. For the first time in his life, he wished he could blow off a job.
Whether he liked it or not, he needed to leave, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t task one of the others staying behind to look into what had happened to Delaney.
She was right that she needed him to help her calm down, not spin off into a conspiracy theory. At least until he had more proof one way or another.
“Give me the basics, and I can take it from there. It’s just a precaution, and you’re probably right. What you’ve been through would cause anybody to see the worst in a situation. And sometimes that’s a healthy thing. But let me check, okay?”
“Fine. The first time I saw the car was Monday when I went to see my mom. As I got out of the cab, he drove past, but slowly, like a really bad drive-by.”
“Your mom still in the same place?” Mac asked, even though he knew the answer. He just wanted her to keep talking.
“Yes. I saw the car again on Wednesday when we were having dinner with Six. And he was on foot when I saw him today by the pizza place over on Island. He followed me down Sixth, but I lost him.”
Mac made a mental note. Should be easy enough to catch a CCTV of him. Heck, he’d gone to school with the head of security at the hotel on the corner of Sixth and Island, and he was sure they had exterior cameras. That would be an easy favor to call in.
Mac checked his watch, and stood. “Let me get you something to dry off with.” Thinking over what she’d said, he made his way to the bathroom. It really could be all some stupid coincidence, but why would this guy, as opposed to any of his neighbors, stand out? He grabbed a towel, returned to the living room, and tapped her leg.
Delaney lifted it out of the water, and Mac gently rubbed it dry. “I’ll get someone to take a look, get a plate, run a name and address. You are probably right that it’s nothing, but I’m off on another job tomorrow afternoon, so you’ll be on your own. First sign of any problem, just call the police. Stay in public places. You know the smart things to do. I’ll be back Wednesday. It’s only a quick one.”
She nodded. “I should be fine. I get the keys to my new place tomorrow, so I’ll be busy getting things from my mom’s and unpacking. I’ll be gone before you get back.”
His stomach dropped. Tomorrow felt like way too soon for her to go. Hell, they’d been back on American soil less than a week. It was less than three weeks since she’d been taken. She wasn’t properly healed yet.
“Why don’t you wait until I get back? I can help you move in,” he said as persuasively as he could, given that his heart was beating a mile a minute. “You shouldn’t be doing heavy lifting on that foot.”
Delaney smiled and placed her hand on his cheek. “Don’t,” she said softly. “Don’t make this hard. I need to go. You have work to do. I need to start getting on with my life. I’ve been here a week. It’s time you got your place back.” She looked over to the dining room table where piles of books and papers continued to grow like weeds.
“What time do you get the keys tomorrow? I should at least go over and check the security, so that you—”
“No. You don’t need to. I’ve done fine without you all these years, Mac. It’s time to go. I can’t tell you how very grateful I am that you flew all the way to Germany, which I’ll pay you back for if you’ll let me know how much.”
How much? Couldn’t she see he didn’t want his stupid money back? Or his place back. He wanted her back. The old her. The new her. All the different hers there were going to be in the future.
“I don’t give a shit about the flight. Does your new place at least have a doorman?” The idea of her going into a new apartment before he’d had the chance to check up on the guy with the silver sedan made him feel uneasy.
“Look, I—”
“Does it?” he demanded.
Delaney shook her head. “No, it doesn’t. But it’s got a buzzer entry, and I’m not stupid.”
Mac got to his feet and began to pace. Yes, you are being stupid. Stay here instead of being stubborn. You never used to be this way. You are impossible. You’re—
“Maybe I should just go to Mom’s tonight.” Delaney got to her feet and headed toward the bedroom.
He grabbed her wrist softly. “Goddamn, Delaney. Give me a minute to catch up before you go marching out of here.”
She stood looking at him, her eyes wide, her cheeks pink. He tugged gently on her arm, and she moved closer to him. She was leaving him. Again. And he knew he wouldn’t be able to force her to stay. All he could do was check that where she was going was safe. And that her transition there was smooth.
“I know you don’t need me,” he said, his voice gruff as he looked at the way her hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders. “I know you probably don’t even want me there. But I need you to let me, Delaney. Because I won’t rest if I don’t know you are safe. I’ve worried about you for the last decade but haven’t been able to do anything about it. Just … just let me do this. Let me worry. Okay?”
She stopped when her feet butted up against his, when she had to look up to him. For once she looked at him like she used to, like he was a good man and she was grateful for him. “Okay,” she replied quietly. “But then we need to draw a line underneath this … reunion … whatever.”
“Do we?” he asked, watchin
g her eyes watch his lips.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. With his eyes on her, he brought his lips to hers, at first keeping the pressure light and gentle. They were so unbelievably soft, the only part of her that time hadn’t hardened. Her eyes fluttered shut as the kiss turned demanding. God, he wanted to devour her, slowly, over the next several hours.
Gently, he slipped his hand around the back of her neck and threaded his fingers through that long mane of hers that felt like silk. He knew that at any moment she could push him away, but he was determined to take whatever she’d give him. He slid his hand along the dip in her waist, allowing his thumb to brush over the side of her breast until she stepped up against him. When she groaned, he remembered how she sounded when she came. She slid her hands along his face into his hair, and he remembered how she used to grip it when he’d drop to his knees in front of her.
His actions were becoming more urgent, as were hers. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against his body, knowing she could feel how hard he was getting. He’d worry about her moving out later. For now, he wanted nothing but her.
Dragging kisses along her jaw, he nudged her head to the left so he could kiss her behind her ear.
“Mac,” she gasped, as his lips brushed the side of her neck. She’d always loved it when he kissed her there. “Mac, please.”
Her words were ones of caution, not encouragement. He kissed her one more time against her pulse and then raised his head to look at her. Her lips were more ruby than plum, and the color in her cheeks was high.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “That was my fault. I shouldn’t … I mean … we can’t.”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t want that. You were right there with me and we both know it.… Consent is the most important thing in the world to me. Don’t make out like you didn’t want this, Delaney.”
She looked down at the floor. “Don’t you understand?” she said. “It’s never been about not wanting you. It’s everything you remind me of.”
Mac took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time. “We need to go,” he said, knowing that Six had gone to Louisa’s lab to collect her and that Cabe was already on his way to Encinitas.
Delaney raised an eyebrow. “I said I’d think about it. But, I can’t go with you after that, Mac. It’s not fair. To either of us.”
“I already told Mom you were coming. I know, dick move, but I want you there. And she missed you. A lot. Please don’t disappoint her, Delaney.” It was a low blow, and he knew it—bringing his mom into it. Delaney and his mom had always gotten along famously. His mom had hurt almost as much as he had when the two of them had broken up.
“Cheap shot.” With a sigh, Delaney grabbed her purse. “Fine. But keep your lips and your hands to yourself, Mac.”
“Whatever you say, Buttons,” he said. But deliberately didn’t make any promises.
CHAPTER FIVE
As Mac pulled up outside the familiar house on Third Street, Delaney saw a familiar-looking young woman whose dark hair was pulled up into a messy bun. “Is that Aoife?” she asked. She’d always been envious of Mac’s large family and had wondered what had become of his younger siblings, Lochlan, Aoife, and Niamh. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen any of them.
“Yeah, she works in San Francisco as office manager for Lochlan’s tech incubator,” he said, rolling his eyes at Aoife as she waved excitedly at Delaney and then stuck her tongue out at him. “Despite appearances, she’s really clever.”
Delaney laughed. Beneath the gruffness, she could hear the admiration and love he felt for his sister. They’d always been thick as thieves, the four MacCarricks who used to fight over who had the most difficult name. She’d always thought that Niamh had been given the short straw.
“What about Niamh?”
“She works for a consulting firm out of their L.A. office, so she won’t be here today. She went to work there straight out of school. Graduated from Berkeley with a whole bunch of whistles and bells. Dean’s List, rocket-high GPA, magna cum something. They’re all so smart that it makes me wonder if I was adopted.”
“I don’t know. From what I hear, you did okay for yourself, Captain.”
Mac killed the engine. “Not the same kind of smart.”
“Well, if you didn’t all look so freaking similar, you might be able to persuade me to agree. You and your brother are the most alike.” Lochlan had been in her class at school. “Do you remember the time Lochlan shoved grass down my shirt and you kicked his ass?”
Mac looked over at her, a grin on his face. “Wasn’t the first time I’d kicked someone’s ass for you, and given that you haven’t changed, I doubt it’s going to be the last.”
“So not funny, Mac,” she said, slapping his arm and not knowing whether to be offended or laugh, though it was hard to not respond to the humor in his eyes.
Sylvie, Mac’s mom, appeared on the driveway. The petite woman in a pretty denim sundress and light sweater didn’t look a day over forty, even though she was well into her fifties. Delaney still couldn’t quite believe she could have given birth to four children, especially one who’d turned out to be the size of Mac.
“She’s desperate to see you. Wouldn’t be surprised if she made you a cake.” Mac took her hand. “Thanks for coming with me, Delaney. I’m not the only one who missed you.”
Gently, she pulled her hand out of his. “Well, better go say hello then.” She opened the door and dropped down out of the truck.
Every now and then, she was reminded of just how wonderful it had been to grow up in Encinitas. There was something in the air, something that made her feel calm, something that took her back to the time in her life when all that mattered was mascara, a cute bikini, and Mac. Her mother had always said that if they could bottle the air by the ocean, they could sell it as an elixir of youth.
Brock had loved surfing … and so had she. But she hadn’t been in the water since that day. In the ocean, she saw Brock everywhere. In the swagger of a young surfer, arms out of his wetsuit, carrying his board down to the water’s edge. In the crash of a wave. In the glimmer of the sun hitting the surface of the water. She took a deep breath and wondered if it would be okay to slip down to the beach just to be closer to Brock for a few moments. She hadn’t visited his grave because she’d always been sure he would have rather been cremated and had his ashes spread in the ocean.
“You okay?” Mac said, walking around the truck. She realized she hadn’t taken a step since she’d gotten out.
“What? Oh, yes. I’m fine … memories … you know.” She shrugged, needing to lighten the moment. She couldn’t break down right now, no matter how strong the memories were.
Mac’s mom hurried over and pushed Mac out of the way to pull Delaney into her arms. “Delaney. Oh, my child.” Sylvie stepped back and gripped Delaney’s arms with unexpected strength, given her size. “You always were such a wee thing, but look at you now. I’m so glad you could make it.”
Six walked out of the back garden wearing a pair of board shorts, a football in one hand and his arm slung casually over Louisa’s shoulder. “’Bout time you got here,” he said.
“He beat me here by minutes, right, Mom?” Mac said with a laugh.
“That he did, Malachai. But long enough for Six to get antsy as he always does, so I suggest the four of you go down to the beach and kill some energy for a couple of hours. We’ll grill later, and you and I can catch up properly.” She patted Delaney’s hand.
“You want to go, Delaney?” Mac asked.
“I don’t have a suit,” she said. It had been a deliberate omission. The idea of going down to the water she’d loved so deeply terrified her. Intellectually, she knew it was an overreaction. But to be forced to confront the memory of Brock in a place that had meant too much to all of them was almost more than she could deal with. More than half the time she’d ever spent with her brother was on that damn b
each.
“We look about the same size,” Louisa said. “The boys can get a head start, and we can head over to our place to hook you up.”
Delaney looked to Mac, who nodded. “Come on, it’ll be fun to blow off the cobwebs on the beach.”
There seemed to be no escape, and Delaney forced herself to smile in agreement.
“We’ll head to the entrance off the bottom of your road,” Mac said to Lou. “I’ll be the one kicking Six’s ass in a beach workout. He’s looking a little flabby around the gut right now.”
“Fuck you.” Six laughed. “Sorry, Mrs. MacCarrick.”
“You only ‘Mrs. MacCarrick’ me when you already know you’re in trouble. Now be gone. The pair of you. I’ll send Cabe along when he gets here.”
Mac pulled his T-shirt off and tucked it into the back of his shorts, and the three of them watched the two men go. It was difficult to ignore they were both perfectly fit and attractive specimens.
“Hard to believe one of them would scream every time Count Duckula came on the TV, and the other thought balloons held the spirits of dead people and would cry when we popped them,” Sylvie said.
“Okay. You have to tell me which one of those was Six,” Louisa said with a laugh.
“How did I not know this story?” Delaney asked, desperate to focus on anything other than the ocean.
Sylvie mimicked zipping her mouth and throwing away the key. “My lips are sealed. Now the two of you go too.”
“Come on, we’re over on E Street,” Louisa said without looking at her. “I’m betting Six was scared of Duckula. Dead spirits in balloons is way too cerebral.”
Despite the tightness in her chest, Delaney couldn’t help but laugh, and remembered Mac having told her not to be offended that Lou rarely looked at people when she spoke. “I’m trying to think back to see if I can remember a party or something where one of them freaked out, but they’re a bit older than me.”
“Six told me how you guys all grew up together. He told me about your brother and dad too. I’m sorry about that.”
Final Siege Page 8
