by Eden Ashe
Without a word, her sisters closed in and wrapped her in a huge hug. The tears started all over.
Lilah continued to hug her, one-armed. “Can we do anything to help?”
Swiping at her tears again, Megan shook her head and rested it against Lilah’s, while squeezing Dylan’s hand. “Honestly, I kind of want to be alone for a while. It’s not like it was any great love affair, but I really liked him.”
Dylan went on her toes to kiss her cheek. “Don’t forget, we close early today, so if you need to go out drinking, I’ll call Jilly and arrange for a girls’ night out, okay?”
Lilah nodded in agreement and kissed her other cheek, before handing her the ice cream and the spoon. “Let me know if you need more.”
Then, that quickly, they were gone, leaving her alone with her misery again.
Ten minutes later, though, she was in the shower and done feeling sorry for herself. Plenty of women had one-night stands with men they liked without falling to pieces afterward. Just because she’d never liked anyone this much didn’t mean her world had ended.
She washed her hair, conditioned it, shaved her legs. Normal things. A normal girl with a normal crush on the stupidly hot man of her dreams. A man who could give her three mind-blowing orgasms in one night, kissed like a god, and made her…want.
He also had a job as dangerous as hers was safe, which would cause her no end of worry if they were actually together.
Her tears had finally dried up by the end of her shower. And by the time she’d slipped into a pair of skinny jeans, a pretty teal Henley, and brown boots, she had control of her thoughts and emotions again. Thorn had her number. He’d call her if he wanted. If not, she’d move on.
Satisfied, if not happy, she texted Jilly she was coming over for coffee and grabbed her purse. Since Jilly and Luke lived on the opposite end of town, Megan wouldn’t have to see if Thorn’s truck still sat on Main Street, and she could start getting back her life.
Or, so she planned, anyway. She’d only made it halfway down the stairs to the parking lot when a roar of rage echoed through the building, followed by glass shattering.
Thorn.
She hit the doors leading to the parking lot at a dead run, only to slam into someone. She yelped and leapt back when Wally reached for her hand.
“Not now.” She shook him off and ran toward the front of the building, panic building faster the longer it took her to get to Thorn.
She made it a few steps before a hand fisted in her hair, yanking her to a stop so forcefully she screamed. Wally hauled her up against his chest and snarled in her ear, “You’re not going anywhere, you bitch. Who the hell do you think you are, firing me?” He didn’t wait for an answer before he pulled harder, forcing her to bend backward, and leaning over her. She’d never seen that madness in his eyes before, a rage that didn’t fit the Wally she knew.
With fear and pain flooding her bloodstream, tears flowing, and Thorn’s face filling her mind’s eye, she had to get to him. She had to find a way to help him. “Wally, please. I have to go.”
“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me I have my job back!” The pendant around his neck hit her in the face. “You had no right to fire me!”
The amulet. No wonder they couldn’t find it. He’d kept it. Oh, she was so going to kick his thieving, lying ass. Reaching up, she grabbed the amulet and wrenched while letting her legs give out beneath her. He lost his grip, and she hit the ground hard but was back on her feet and running before he could grab her again.
Thorn. She’d never forgive herself if she didn’t get to him in time.
Any hope Thorn had harbored deep in his heart that Jake would still be his brother, that he hadn’t given in to the darkness, disappeared when his brother flung his hands, sending both Thorn and Declan flying through the air. Declan, who proved to be more of a fighter than Thorn had thought, rolled easily once he hit the ground then shot upright, knife in hand. The blade whistled through the air, cutting through the apparition like smoke, and giving Thorn the second he needed to dive for the shotgun Jake had ripped from his hands.
He ignored the sirens already on their way, hoping the townspeople were smart enough to stay away. Declan flew backward again, slamming into a bookcase. “How the hell do we destroy this thing without the amulet?” he bellowed.
Thorn had no goddamned idea. They hadn’t had enough of Jake to cremate, and his spirit would only get angrier, and more violent, the longer he remained on this plane.
“It has to be here somewhere. We missed something.” He aimed his shotgun when Jake materialized again, lowered his head, and charged Thorn like a freight train.
He fired.
“We have about five minutes before he regroups.” Crouching, he grabbed Declan’s hand, pulling him to his feet before swiping a hand over his own bloody nose. “Look fast.”
Declan barked out a laugh. “Yeah, easy.” He dragged a forearm over his brow, wiping away sweat and blood as he took in the destruction of the shop. “Megan’s going to have a coronary.”
Thorn’s heart clenched at her name, at the realization her brother was right. Not only had Thorn slept with her without any intention of staying, he’d demolished her store. He’d be lucky if she didn’t hunt him down and shoot him with one of his own guns.
“We’ll deal with that after we find this fucking—”
“Thorn!”
He and Declan both froze before swinging in unison to stare at Megan, who stood on the street in front of the store. While she might be far outside the destruction zone, he had no problem seeing her tears and tremors.
“Get the hell out of here!” he roared. “What do you think you’re—”
She cut him off again, holding up her hand. It took him a moment to realize she held the amulet. “I have it.”
“Fucking hell,” Declan muttered beside him. “How the hell did she get that?”
“Don’t know. We’ll worry about it later.” Thorn tossed him the shotgun. “I need five minutes. Can you do that?”
Declan nodded once, his jaw so tight the muscles twitched. “Yeah. I’ll buy you time. Get her somewhere safe.”
“On it.” Too much in a hurry to worry about damaging anything else, he took off at a run, grabbing his duffel bag as he went. He snagged the amulet out of the air when she threw it to him then grabbed an empty metal can and dropped the amulet into it.
After dumping the can in the street, he crouched to dig through his bag for the salt, his lighter, and the gallon of gasoline he kept in there. With the Latin spell automatic on his tongue, he didn’t spare her a glance as he dumped in the gas and salt then flicked his Bic to life.
Before he could light the gas, Jake roared inside the store, followed by a shotgun blast. Megan screamed and shot forward, but Luke—who’d appeared out of nowhere—grabbed her by the waist and hauled her away.
Without a word, Thorn dropped the lighter and sent his brother home.
Chapter Nine
He’d done it. He’d destroyed his brother.
With his body aching, Thorn leaned against the side of Megan’s building, watching her in the ambulance. Declan’s face sported a few nasty bruises, he’d dislocated his left shoulder and cracked one of his ribs, but sat and let his sisters fuss over him.
Thorn had to admit, her brother had taken way more of a beating than he would have given the man credit for. And when push came to shove, he’d stood when most would have run screaming for the hills from a foe they didn’t stand a chance of winning against.
“So that’s it?” Tall and young enough to be fresh out of the academy, the officer crossed his arms. “That’s your story? A rabid raccoon got into the store, and you and Mr. Bannon were trying to shoo it out?”
Thorn lifted a brow. “What other story would possibly make sense?”
The cop yanked his cap lower over his eyes. “Maybe you and Declan—Mr. Bannon—were fighting?”
Thorn patted t
he guy on the shoulder. “You’re right. There was nowhere better for us to fight so we decided to destroy his sister’s store.” Without waiting for him to respond, Thorn grabbed his duffel bag then pushed off from the wall and beelined for his truck. He was cleaning his weapons on an old rag when he heard her.
“Are you leaving?”
Putting the last weapon away, he locked the case before he used his forearm to block the glare and faced her. The sun hit her from behind, haloing her blonde hair, and punching all the air out of his lungs like a sledgehammer. “Soon. I wouldn’t have left without saying good-bye.”
He lied, and they both knew it. No way did he want to say good-bye to her before walking away.
She nodded and grabbed her left arm with her right hand. “Why didn’t you let the EMTs check you out?”
“Nothing’s broken or permanently damaged.” He sat back on his heels because he didn’t know what else to do, he only knew he wasn’t ready to leave yet. “I’m sorry about your shop. Don’t file a claim with insurance. I’ll send you a check to cover the damage so you don’t have to deal with higher deductibles.”
She glanced around once before sitting next to him. The way the denim stretched over her ass, he had to drag a hand down his face to clear his brain. She rested her head against his shoulder and slipped her arm through his. “I’m sorry about your brother.”
Pain sliced through his chest. Of course she’d cut right through his bullshit. “It had to be done.” He braced his arms against his knees. “Not sure I would have had the strength to do it if I’d had time to think.”
“You would have.” She lifted her face to his when he glanced down at her, so close their noses brushed. “I know it.”
Pressing their foreheads together, he closed his eyes. “How?”
She ran her fingers gently down his throat before cupping his face. “Because as much as you miss him, you want him at peace more. And neither of you would ever be at peace if you’d allowed him to hurt someone.”
Jesus. How did she do it? When he opened his eyes, hers were bright and steady and warm on his. Without thinking, he tangled his hand in the hair at her nape and pulled her down for a kiss.
He didn’t give a shit about the audience, or the daylight, or what he’d done. All that mattered was Megan, and the balm she soothed over his soul. Lifting her onto his lap, he gave himself over to the feel of her, the taste of her, the need to memorize her before he left.
Finally, he lifted his head and glared. “You are more dangerous than a drug, sunshine.”
She laughed and grinned, flashing the adorable dimple and fluttering her lashes. “Are you saying I’m addictive?”
“Fuck, yes.” He was damned serious, too. She’d found her way into his bloodstream. If he did the girlfriend thing…. He shook his head when a thought occurred to him. “Meggie, where did you find the amulet?”
Her eyes hardened, like a switch had been flipped. “Wally. Asshole attacked me.”
Thorn didn’t ask if he’d hurt her, it showed in her eyes. In a single heartbeat, he was back on his feet and unlocking his weapons case. “Where does he live?”
She stood and laid her hand on his biceps. “Thorn, you can’t kill him. We’ll tell the police and let them deal with him. I can prosecute for the attack and for stealing from me.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” He shoved a knife into his boot and grabbed his biggest machete and its sheath. He checked the blade then strapped it crosswise across his chest before he wrapped his hand around hers then bent until they were nose to nose again. “I mean it. Go tell the police everything. What he did, what he said, and that he stole from you. Then give them the bastard’s address.”
He kissed her once more, turned, and started across town.
Megan didn’t waste time arguing with him. Instead, she took off at a dead run for Declan and Luke, who still stood by the ambulance. She’d seen the glint in his eyes before. Not in his, but in Luke’s. It had been five years since he’d found out Jilly’s boyfriend had put her in the hospital. There had been no talking Luke down, and they hadn’t seen him again until after he’d found and dealt with the bastard.
Luke reached out to hug her then both brothers went rigid. “What happened?” they barked in unison.
“Wally attacked me and Thorn went after him.”
Luke slammed an arm out, preventing Declan from going anywhere, and snarled, “You’ve been hurt enough for one day. Stay close to Meggie. I’ll go take care of this and stop Thorn from doing anything stupid.”
Because she knew Declan hated sitting out a fight out, she gave him a gentle hug and used his injury to convince him to stay behind. “Shouldn’t we get you to a hospital?”
“Nah. I’ll live, Megs. You know it will take more than a wimpy little ghost to kill me.” He rested his brow against hers. “It’s the meds saying this, so if you ever repeat it, I’ll deny it. Got it?”
“You’re not on any—”
“Hush.” He covered her mouth with his hand, and kissed the tip of her nose. “I don’t hate your boyfriend.”
Tears flooded her eyes, and she buried her face in his chest. “I feel like I’m going crazy, Dec. Who likes someone this much, this quickly?”
He tilted her chin up. “Mom and Dad. Gran and Gramps. Apple Granny and Pop. It runs in the Bannon blood, supposedly.”
She snorted because, while she liked that she wasn’t crazy, she didn’t believe a relationship could withstand long distance for long. Or that Thorn would even be interested.
Declan grunted. “Don’t be that girl, Megs. You’re not that insecure.” He flicked her ear. “Let’s go call your parents and let them know we’re alive.”
Chuckling, she wrapped her arm around his waist and walked with him toward the store. “Are they not your parents this week?”
He winced. “I haven’t told them I’m in town yet.” He helped her make her way through the debris until she stood behind the counter.
She winced at the devastation that had once been her meticulously ordered shop, and concentrated on her breathing to avoid hyperventilating. “Dec?”
“What?” He glanced up as he carried a pile of garbage to the door.
“Wally bought the amulet on the Internet. What if he bought more spirit-possessed things or enchanted items that we don’t know about?”
Tossing the pile into the corner, he scowled and thought about what she’d said. “Luke will make sure Thorn doesn’t kill him. I’ll talk to Sheriff Mills and convince him to let me talk to him later.”
While she didn’t want to admit it, she had a great, big knot of fear in her belly. And all of it stemmed around Thorn killing Wally. Pulling her phone out of her purse, she texted Luke. I like him. Don’t let him kill Wally.
Thorn rubbed his right fist and watched the child-faced officer grip the struggling Wally’s head and push it down, shoving him into the back seat of his cruiser. The idiot bellowed as though they were about to make him walk the plank, instead of arresting him.
Crossing his arms, Thorn leaned back under a tree and bared his teeth at the Bannon next to him. “Remind me again why I didn’t break his jaw?”
“Because you’re a nice guy?”
He snarled. “He hurt Meggie. He’s lucky he still has use of his legs.” A sneer lifted his lip. “Why is it whenever I turn around, there’s another Bannon asshole around?”
Luke slapped his shoulder. “Can I give you a ride back to Megan’s?”
“I’ve got my truck, thanks.” The police cruiser took off down the tree-lined street. “Tell me the sheriff isn’t an idiot and Wally will at least spend some time behind bars.”
“Mills is a friend of ours. Wally isn’t going anywhere.”
He nodded and slipped into the passenger side of Luke’s beat-up truck. They rode in silence they drew up alongside Thorn’s vehicle . Luke lifted a brow. “You sticking around?”
He meant to say no. He had no ide
a why he didn’t. Instead, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and blew out a breath. “It’s not that easy. I have a sister and a baby niece to look after in Chicago.”
“What do I tell Megan?”
Misery twisted in his gut. “Tell her I said good-bye.”
Muttering something about idiots, Luke nodded and drove away, leaving him standing in the middle of the street, staring toward Megan’s shop. Thorn spotted her moving around inside, and his heart twisted a little more at the thought of leaving.
Sighing, he tossed his duffel into the back seat, slid behind the wheel, and turned his truck toward the interstate out of town. He had no right to keep her, and she didn’t know him well enough for him even to ask. No matter he felt like he was leaving everything important in his world behind.
Turning up the stereo, he blasted Guns N’ Roses, and drove toward home.
Two hours later, her family surrounded her. While the townspeople were busy cleaning up the outside of her shop and fixing what could be fixed, her parents, brothers, sisters, and Jilly were inside with her. Thanks to Jilly’s OCD list-making and organization tendencies, they had already made a good dent in separating what was salvageable from what needed to be tossed, damaged beyond repair.
Lucy and Cole brought pizzas and sandwiches, and whenever Megan turned around, one of her brothers were shoving their mouths full of food. She would have laughed if she didn’t want to cry so badly.
The bastard had left without saying good-bye.
Grabbing a stack of clothes from Jilly, she walked to the storage room. Instead of leaving them on the table to sort through later, she took the moment of privacy and quiet to fold everything into impeccable piles.
She lasted five minutes before the tears started.
“Why are you crying, sunshine?”
Megan stilled, sure she was hearing things. She turned slowly, her heart leaping into her throat at the sight of Thorn leaning against the doorway. His bruises were darker than they’d been earlier, and he’d changed his shirt. He dug his hands into his pockets and watched her watching him.
