“Is she... did she look... okay?” Shane pressed, the need to know etched in his features; his jaw was clenched, his eyes dark and intense. His muscles were bunched so tightly the veins were clearly visible in his forearms.
Shit, Kane thought. He just wasn’t good at this kind of shit. His natural tendency was to speak the truth, however brutal it might be, but finding his own croie had tempered him somewhat. He tried to put himself in Shane’s place, imagining that Rebecca was the one being held in that cabin, but that was just too painful. Sensing his distress, Rebecca stroked his back lightly with the pads of her fingers. God, he loved her.
And Kane was going to make damn sure his younger brother got to experience the love of his croie.
“She’s holding her own.” Kane said the most positive thing he could. He felt Rebecca’s approval when she discreetly slid her hand down his back and patted him on the backside. She was the only one he would allow to get away with that, and she knew it.
Shane opened his mouth to ask more, but a glance from Kane warned him not to. Instead, he pressed his lips together and nodded.
“Right,” Kane said, anxious to move on. “We’ll move in right before dawn, when Davidson is most vulnerable. Set up positions here, here, and here.” He pointed to various points around the cabin as he spoke. “Kieran, you go in first and take care of Davidson.”
Kieran nodded; Kane ignored Shane’s bold pointed stare. “Mick, when Davidson’s secure you go in next. Based on what I could gather, he seems to be keeping Lacie in this room here.” Kane circled the rightmost back corner of the building. “We’ll have the Hummer here for immediate transport back to this location, where Rebecca will have a room set up for Lacie. Understood?”
Shane clenched his jaw so hard it was surprising that it didn’t break. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Kane pinned him with another look. “No. You hang back until I tell you otherwise.”
“That’s bullshit, Kane! Lacie’s my - ” Shane didn’t get to say another word as Kane’s large hand shot out, making contact with Shane’s chest and effectively pinning him against the wall. “I know exactly what she is to you,” he growled. “Which is why we are not going to take any chances of her getting hurt. Feel me?” He let up on the pressure, releasing Shane. “You are too close. You are not thinking clearly.”
Rubbing his chest and looking like he wanted to kill something, Shane stalked outside.
“You can’t keep him away from her, Kane,” Michael said quietly. He knew, as did all of his mated brethren, that Shane would stop at nothing to get Lacie back safely.
“I know,” Kane exhaled. “But he’s going to lose his shit when he sees her.”
“That bad?”
Kane didn’t answer. Instead he said, “I’m counting on you two to keep your heads. Kieran, you’ve got to take Davidson out of commission double-time. He’s fucked in the head, but he’s a hell of a soldier. There’s no telling what the crazy bastard is going to do if he knows he’s cornered. Treat him with extreme prejudice.”
Kieran nodded confidently. Nearly as large as Kane and just as deadly, Davidson didn’t stand a chance. “No problem.”
“And Mick...” Kane shook his head. He could not think of a single piece of useful advice. Michael was the best; no matter what they found, he would handle it. There was no better medic in the field, no one Kane would rather have taking care of his family, and Lacie now fell into that category. But at least he could give him a heads up. He rubbed at the back of his neck where a large knot was forming. “From what I saw, Lacie’s not going to be in any kind of shape to be helpful.”
Michael stared at Kane, and understood what he wasn’t saying. He took a deep breath, and nodded.
“Get her back here as soon as possible. Rebecca’s already prepared the spare room with everything you may need. She can assist you.”
Rebecca, looking as serene as ever, gave Michael a gentle smile. Kane had shared what he’d found with her. And if what he suspected was true, Rebecca would be invaluable. She had spent a decade working in third world impoverished nations. She had seen more than her share of the world’s horrors, and yet had somehow retained her gentle soul. Her capacity for caring for others knew no bounds.
* * *
Finally! Lacie was asleep. She’d fought it for as long as she could, but eventually her exhausted, weakened body had just taken over.
Craig sighed. She hadn’t wanted to drink her tea, and had begged him not to give her any more of the pain meds. At first he agreed; he’d already made the decision to start weaning her from them. As the day progressed, however, she began to shake from the sudden withdrawal, and he went back to his original plan of cutting down her doses instead.
It hadn’t been easy. Lacie eyed every beverage with suspicion and he’d been forced to drink from each glass before she would take some. He could have forced the meds into her, he supposed – she barely had the strength to hold her own cup – but he didn’t want to do that unless she gave him no other choice.
Thankfully, he’d managed to empty a capsule into a small jar of applesauce, and for whatever reason, she hadn’t challenged him on that.
Craig was running out of time, he could feel it. Lacie had been looking at him strangely all afternoon, as if she didn’t quite know who he was. She’d asked all kinds of questions about the cabin, about his “uncle”. Maybe it was the meds, maybe not. But he didn’t like it. She was supposed to be growing closer to him, not moving farther away.
Crawling into the bed beside her, he pulled her close against his body and buried his face in her hair. He loved holding her like this, spooned against him, safe and warm in his arms. He’d become addicted to it, in fact, and he never wanted to spend another night without her. To love her. Lacie had the power to renew his faith in everything good, and he so desperately needed that.
* * *
Lacie shivered. It was so cold. Not the kind that came from the frosty mountain air; that would be most welcome. No, this cold came from somewhere deep inside of her, more chilling than anything nature would create. It was in her very bones, the center of her soul. So very cold.
It was dark again, too. Still. Silent. As if everything was waiting. A familiar sense of dread began to creep over her. It was skimming her arms, the outside of her thighs, her breasts. Something hard pressed against her from behind as puffs of moist, warm air pulsed against her neck and shoulders like some panting beast.
Tonight the nightmare was different. There were no comforting dreams to ease her into it; Shane’s presence wasn’t there to give her the strength she needed to make it through this one. Tonight there was only incomprehensible grief.
She screamed silently in her mind, knowing that her body would ignore the commands she desperately tried to give it. Her arms hung uselessly at her side, unable to push and scratch and fight. Her legs remained immobile, incapable of kicking out. Her body, utterly powerless to even twist away or curl herself into a protective ball.
But it was even worse than usual. Tonight, her mind registered everything.
She could do nothing. She was frozen in a drug-induced paralysis, her body unmoving, but her mind unbearably alert and aware.
Something inside of her snapped. The last thread of hope, reduced to just a fragile gossamer-like strand, was gone. The walls that had shielded her mind, kept her safe and blissfully ignorant, shattered like paper thin crystal. No more illusions.
She couldn’t fight him.
No one was coming.
And there was no way out.
An eerie serenity came with acceptance; she knew this now. With a silent prayer asking for forgiveness, Lacie relinquished the last of her consciousness, giving in to the fatigue and weariness of her body and mind.
As the dark clouds built around the edges of her mind’s eye, finally offering the peace she so craved, she hoped she never, ever woke again.
And then... it was the strangest thing. Lacie felt completely weightless, as
if she was rising, floating on a cloud. There was no pain – only peace. All of the discomfort, the aches, the soreness was mercifully gone. Lacie tentatively flexed her hands, her arms, her legs. Everything seemed to be working perfectly.
She opened her eyes and gasped, but there was no sound from the action. She was no longer in bed; she was floating above it, looking down...
Lacie felt no fear, only the mild interest of an impartial observer. Dawn was just breaking over the horizon, the first rays of the sun slanting in through the cabin window, illuminating everything in a soft, washed-out glow. Beneath her, Craig was lying face down, just beginning to stir from sleep. His large body was wrapped around something, holding it tightly to him as a child might hold a treasured stuffed animal. He nuzzled it and drew it closer, before stilling.
Not a stuffed animal. Her.
It was surreal. Lacie drifted serenely above, watching Craig as he began to realize that something was terribly wrong.
Her hair was splayed across the pillow. When had it gotten that long? Her skin was deathly pale, her brown lashes looking exceptionally dark against it. She looked so peaceful lying there, unnaturally still. She felt at peace, too.
Free.
Craig was shouting; at least she thought he was. Her ears didn’t seem to be working properly; she could hear nothing but silence; it was like watching a movie with the television muted and cotton in her ears. She could see his mouth moving, a look of panic on his face as he shook her body and slapped her cheeks, but she remained limp and unresponsive. He bent his head and pressed it against her chest, listening for a heart that had gone still.
Then he was turning away, looking toward the door. Someone else was here. Oooo, he was big, and dark, and strong – he hauled Craig away from the bed like he was a small child. He looked so familiar.
Another man was there, too. He looked like the first guy, but leaner. He had a big black bag with him. Lacie watched as he quickly checked for a pulse at the side of her neck, lifted her eyelids, put his face right near her nose....
She recognized him....Michael! Shane’s brother, the doctor. So the other one must have been a brother, too. That’s why she thought she had seen him before. The family resemblance was strong, just like in the two that had been at the Pub that day.
Uh-oh. Michael looked upset. He was talking into something, then he was straddling her body, pressing rhythmically against her chest, calling out to someone else, someone she couldn’t see...
Then Shane was there, and she felt a pang of sorrow. He was so beautiful, and he looked so sad. Michael was talking to him, telling him to do something.
Michael moved back and Shane bent over her, kissing her. Ah, Shane was the most wonderful kisser! No, no, he wasn’t kissing her; he had his mouth over hers and he was breathing air into it, pinching her nose to keep it closed as her chest rose and fell.
It was mesmerizing.
Where had Craig gone? She wondered vaguely. Oh, there he was. He was crying, trying to get back to the bed but the big guy wouldn’t let him.
A fourth guy entered. God, he was even bigger than the first guy. One huge fist shot out of nowhere, and suddenly Craig was laid out on the floor, quiet.
Michael was yelling again and the big bear-like guy was rummaging around Michael’s bag, pulling out a syringe. Michael stopped compressions long enough to jab the long needle into her chest. When the plunger was fully depressed he removed it, tossing it carelessly aside and then hit her chest so hard the entire bed shook.
Lacie felt a strange tingle somewhere deep in her chest. What was that? It grew stronger, like an irresistible tug right behind her navel. Her vision was getting cloudy, too, as if she was being encompassed by a fine, silvery mist. It felt surprisingly cool and pleasant.
Was it time to leave already?
She hadn’t had enough time. There was so much more she’d wanted to do. She’d wanted to bring Brian home safe and sound. To tell her parents how much she loved and appreciated them. Stand proudly beside Corinne when she graduated with honors.
And Shane. She had dreamed of a whole lifetime with him. A houseful of children – he would make such lovely babies...
Inwardly she sighed, and gave herself over to whatever force was leading her now. The power of it was immense; there was no hope of fighting it. She’d never been overly religious, but she’d tried to live a good life and be a good daughter, sister, friend, teacher. Hopefully, it had been enough.
Chapter Twenty
Shane gathered Lacie up into his arms, pulling her close against him, warming her with his body heat as Michael wrapped a blanket around the both of them. Her heart was beating again, but it was too slow, laboring harder than it should have. The shot Michael had given her was keeping her going, but just barely, until they could get her to an ER.
She hung limply, like a lifeless rag doll, as Shane held her, murmuring into her ear, words of love and apology. Michael sat beside them in the back seat, constantly monitoring her pulse and breathing while Kane drove like a bat out of hell down the mountain to the nearest medical facility, using the Hummer to create his own shortcuts and bring their ETA as close as he could, wishing to hell he’d had the foresight to have had Sean standing by with the chopper. Kane radioed ahead, repeating Michael’s commands to the waiting staff verbatim.
Shane held on tight, cushioning Lacie as much against the rugged terrain, but the situation was dire enough that a few more bumps and bruises were the least of their worries.
Kane executed a perfect horizontal slide into the emergency entrance. Michael was out before it even stopped moving, barking orders.
“Shane.” Kane’s voice was sharp, cold, but it needed to be to get through to his brother. Shane glanced at him, holding Lacie against him, looking as lost as Kane had ever seen him. He’d gotten out of the vehicle, but he made no move to place Lacie on the waiting stretcher.
“She needs help, Shane. Let Michael do his thing.” Shane blinked as if he didn’t understand.
“Shane. You have to let her go. Now.”
“Never.” Shane’s eyes narrowed in warning as Kane took a step forward, but Kane refused to back down.
“Shane. She’s dying, man.”
The words were harsh, but true, and probably the only ones that could have gotten Shane to release his death grip on Lacie. Reluctantly Shane loosened his hold, putting her into Michael’s arms. He swallowed hard, and looked to Michael with a silent, desperate plea.
“I’ve got her, Shane,” Michael said gently. Then, without wasting another second, they were moving her inside.
Shane watched, frozen, praying for one of Michael’s medical miracles. In a rare show of affection, Kane laid his large hand on Shane’s shoulder. “Mick’s got this, Shane,” he said quietly. “He won’t lose her.”
Kane prayed he had not just lied to his brother.
* * *
Shane sat by her side, holding her hand as the fluid dripped into her body. For all that she’d been through, she’d never looked more beautiful. Like a fairy tale princess. Silken blonde waves framed her face, her expression one of supreme peace as she drifted in the throes of some ancient magic spell.
His heart.
He was vaguely aware of the others standing in the background, talking in muted tones. He knew it was out of respect for him that they didn’t speak of it, but he knew. He had seen the evidence of what Davidson had done to her. He had drugged her and taken what she would not freely give him. And it had nearly killed her. Had, in fact. And it was only through the grace of God and his brother’s medical skill that she was still with them.
Silent tears dropped onto her hand, each one a prayer that she had been unconscious for it all.
“Come back to me, a croie beloved,” he whispered. “I need you.”
* * *
From somewhere very far away, Lacie heard the words, floating to her as if in a dream, spoken in a voice she longed to hear.
* * *
“How is she?” Jak
e asked quietly. The bizarre irony of the situation was not lost on him. Nearly five years before, it had been Shane asking Jake the same question as Taryn lay still and unmoving after the psychotic stalker who had murdered her entire family had caught up to her ten years later.
And, just as Jake hadn’t been able to answer then, so Shane couldn’t now.
Everyone else had gone home, with the exception of Michael, who had merely left only to grab a shower and a sandwich. The day had been a constant parade of support. Jake knew from personal experience that on some deep level Shane was registering it, but on the surface, he was thinking only of Lacie. How much he loved her. How she had to come out of this alright, because anything else was simply unacceptable.
Jake also knew that Shane was blaming himself, berating himself for all the things he could have or should have done differently. How he should have known, should have sensed Davidson’s level of psychosis. How he shouldn’t have waited so long to speak with Corinne. How he should have found her sooner.
Unfortunately, he would have to fight those demons on his own. There was nothing that anyone could say or do to ease the clawing grief in his heart and mind. The only one who had any hope of helping him heal and get past it was Lacie.
Jake stepped up to the bedside and looked down at the woman who had captured his brother’s heart. The last time he had seen her, she had been beaming, radiant with happiness over some small gift Shane had left for her. With her shy smile and contagious ebullience, she was a perfect mate for Shane, and Jake had liked her instantly.
It was hard to reconcile that woman with the pale, fragile form before him. Her hair, carefully braided for practicality of care, was tucked along the pillow. A mask covered her nose and mouth, providing the oxygen her lungs needed to hasten the effects of the drugs on her tortured body, as did the fluids that flowed through her veins, attempting to flush out the narcotics. At least the padded restraints had been removed; they’d been an unfortunate necessity when they’d first brought her in. Her body had been racked with seizures, symptoms of withdrawal from the powerful narcotics Davidson had been giving her. Michael had said that her body chemistry was way off-kilter, but chemical genius that he was, he’d devised the right combination to stabilize her fairly quickly.
Beyond Affection: Callaghan Brothers, Book 6 Page 18
