“That it is,” he agreed.
His arm was still wrapped around her, his body heat seeping far deeper than surface level. She closed her eyes and tried to memorize the feeling, knowing she wouldn’t have it much longer.
“I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me,” she said finally.
“My pleasure.” He pulled a stray lock of her hair through his fingers. “You know, you’re one hell of a bartender. What would you think about hanging around for a little while?”
It would be like a dream come true, Taryn thought. Doing something she loved, spending her nights with two of the sexiest men on the planet, one of which she was pretty sure she was falling in love with. But dreams were for other people. People who actually existed. People who had a future.
Not mistakes.
“That’s really nice of you,” she said, wishing things were different. “But I have to leave.”
“Why?” he asked. “If it’s about the other night –“
“It isn’t,” she told him truthfully. His reaction to their regretful encounter (his regret, not hers) actually made things a little easier for her. Had he given her any indication that he’d been as affected as she had by it, her feelings would be even more conflicted. It wouldn’t have changed anything, though.
“I’m not even supposed to be here,” she said, avoiding the question. If her car hadn’t broken down, she would already be hundreds of miles away, stocking up for a long winter in a remote location, alone. It was one final gift from Charlie. She’d found the first in a series of coordinates in a small envelope marked with cryptic instructions that it was not to be opened until a year after his death.
The only reason she could think of that Charlie would make such an odd request was that he knew something she didn’t. She trusted Charlie implicitly; she’d followed his final directive to the letter. It was one of the reasons she’d taken off right after his funeral and had been crisscrossing the country ever since.
She couldn’t tell Jake that, though. She could just imagine the look on his face. It appeared to her as a crystal clear image – his blue eyes would shine and go all dark like the night sky, his face would get that implacable look, and his chest would swell slightly. Her insides clenched at the thought as the now-familiar ache pooled within her, the same, primal reaction she seemed to have whenever she was close to this man.
He’d go all ultra-protective on her again, and she’d start to feel all feminine and helpless, actually wanting him to take care of her. It was a dangerous path, one she could not afford to take. She had to remain strong. This afternoon she would get in her car and drive away, leaving Jake, his family, and this town only in her memory.
“Maybe you are,” he suggested quietly, fingering the cross around her neck like she so often did. “Maybe this is exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
The tenderness in his voice would be her undoing. Fate could be so cruel sometimes, teasing her with glimpses of a life she could never have. It would have been so much easier if she’d never stopped in this town, had never met Jake or Ian or any of their family. But even as that thought crossed her mind, she knew she wouldn’t willingly give up a second of the time she’d spent with them.
“I’m an ‘oops’, remember?” she reminded him, as she tried to push away, but his arms were like solid steel.
“And I’m an idiot,” he said huskily, surprising her. “I was angry with myself for losing control, and I took it out on you. I’m sorry, Taryn.”
Dear sweet Jesus, he sounded sincere. A warmth she only seemed to feel around him curled up through her body and wrapped itself around her heart. On a sudden impulse, she tilted her head and kissed the underside of his jaw. Then she pulled away, more slowly this time. Summoning every bit of will she had, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. When her head stopped spinning and she was fairly certain she wouldn’t fall flat on her face, she got up slowly and carefully made her way across the floor to the bathroom.
Chapter Thirteen
Jake exhaled and leaned his forehead against the door that now separated him from Taryn. He fisted his hands to keep from yanking it open and pulling her back into him, enveloping her body with his, and making love to her until she couldn’t conceive of a life that didn’t include him deep inside her several times a day.
He had seen a lot in his lifetime; had been in a lot of tough situations. But one of the hardest things he’d ever done was allow her to get out of that bed and walk away from him, believing that she meant nothing to him. And, thanks to the temporary insanity that plagued him for a few hours the other night, nothing he said right now would change that.
He would just have to prove it in other ways, and high at the top of that list was being there for her, even if she didn’t particularly want him to be.
Only when he was fairly certain she wouldn’t need his immediate help did he force himself away from the door, heading toward the kitchenette to grab some of that peach syrup over ice for her – maybe he would blend in some banana, too - and some coffee for himself.
Was this what it felt like to be in love? Christ. He’d been on missions easier than this. At least then he’d had his training behind him. This – this was like floating alone in the middle of the ocean without a friendly ship in sight.
Suggesting that she stay on had been a longshot; he’d known that before the words even left his lips. What he hadn’t foreseen was exactly how her response would affect him. Her smile had been sweet and sad at the same time, tugging at places in his chest he’d never felt before and inciting a slow burn in the process. She wanted to stay. He had seen it in her beautiful, haunted eyes. She had refused, as expected, but the fact that she didn’t seem thrilled about it gave him hope. He could work with that.
Equally unnerving was the strange but powerful connection he felt with her. It was almost as if he could see her thoughts, feel her emotions, even when she tried to hide them from him. He’d never had this kind of connection with anyone besides his brothers – Ian especially – and it shook him a little. It was just one more sign that he couldn’t let her go.
He found Ian waiting for him in the small pseudo-kitchen, a back-up should he need it. No less than six cans of peaches in heavy syrup dotted the counter. Jake shot him an appreciative glance. Ian inclined his head in acknowledgement, handing Jake a mug.
“She leaving?”
Jake grunted as he took a big gulp of the coffee. “She thinks she is. We have to play along. Anything new come in?”
“No, and I’ve got a really bad feeling about it,” admitted Ian. “No sign of a backtrace. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Jake frowned. Assuming she hadn’t killed her captor – which would be at odds with her running – someone had to know she was still alive, and that someone would surely be on the lookout for any sign of her. There had to be tracers on the data Ian skimmed. The fact that he’d found no sign of a return scan meant that whoever they were dealing with knew what they were doing. Jake didn’t doubt Ian’s abilities, so each hour that went by with no new info raised awareness of the forces they were dealing with.
* * *
Taryn hefted the small pack over one shoulder. Her eyes were moist, but she refused to let any tears fall, turning away so no one would see. They deserved a proper goodbye, but that was something else she couldn’t give them. She’d been over this a hundred times, a hundred different ways, and there was simply no other option.
She’d left her luggage upstairs. There wasn’t much – a few changes of clothes, personal hygiene items – things she’d have to replace once she got on the road, but they had to believe she was coming back. Everything she really needed – her knife, her GPS, her cash, some magnetics, and her mp3 – were in her small pack.
“Behave yourself, Kieran,” Jake warned ominously as they prepared to leave. Kieran insisted on giving Taryn a ride to the garage. He smiled innocently, pointing a finger to himself in a classic “Who me?” gesture. Taryn bi
t back a smile. They’d grown on her so fast. She was going to miss them. All of them. But especially Jake.
“You sure you don’t want me to wait?” Kieran asked again, looking uneasy as Taryn slid out of his SUV a short while later.
“I’m sure.”
“What if your car’s not done?”
“It’s a beautiful day. I can walk back if I have to.”
Kieran hesitated. “Jake’s not going to be happy if I let you do that.”
Honestly, for a man the size of a small mountain he had the most boyish face and biggest puppy dog eyes she’d ever seen. Lord help the young lady he set his sights on. She laughed lightly at his roguish grin, knowing full well that he was pulling out all the stops.
“Okay, fine,” she said, putting her hands up in mock surrender. “Stop looking at me like that.” His grin widened, turning adorable into devastating. “Wait here while I find out what’s going on.”
Taryn disappeared inside the garage, planting herself behind the huge vending machine where neither Kieran nor Joey (currently tinkering in one of the bays) could see her. She sang a few verses of one of her favorite heavy metal songs in her mind, silently calculating the amount of time it would take to check in with the mechanic and see where things stood.
She emerged a few minutes later, forcing what she hoped was a convincing smile and reminding herself that she really had no other choice. Charlie had been one of a kind; he never asked questions, never made demands. As special as Jake was, she didn’t think he would be willing to do the same, and asking him to wasn’t fair to either of them.
Not surprisingly, Kieran was still there, leaning casually back against the side of his truck, arms crossed, one ankle over the other. His longer than normal hair and romance-novel-cover body were capturing the attention of several young women passing by, but his eyes never strayed from her. Obviously Jake had managed to convince Kieran that she needed looking after. It made what she had to do more difficult, but it was kind of nice, too, to know that someone cared.
“It’s almost done,” she told him brightly. “Joey says it’ll be ready to go in about half an hour.”
Kieran’s expression didn’t change. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. So, I guess I’ll see you back at the Pub?”
“I can wait with you,” he offered, flicking a glance toward the garage bay where Taryn’s car was still raised.
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine,” she said, flashing a little smile. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
Taryn turned around before she gave herself away, keeping her shoulders up and her pace easy as she went back into the empty garage office.
* * *
“Did you hear that?” Kieran asked quietly once he’d gotten back into his truck.
“Yeah,” said a voice thru the miniscule earpiece he wore. “Shane’s across the street. He’s got it.” Kieran knew better than to look. If Ian said he was there, then he was there.
* * *
Peeking through the window from between the promotional MOPAR poster and the Office Hours sign, Taryn breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Kieran climb back into his truck and drive away. She put her hand on her stomach and tried to rub away the squirmy feeling that had taken up residence there. She hated lying to Kieran. Thank God he had been the one to drive her to the garage instead of Jake. She never could have pulled it off otherwise.
Steeling herself with a deep breath, she once again reminded herself of the bigger picture. Taking a second deep breath, she entered the nearest garage bay.
Joey was very apologetic. He said that he’d thought that the problem had just been a clogged fuel line, but when he went to flush it earlier, several parts literally exploded. He felt awful about it, and said of course he would fix it free of charge, but that it would take a couple of days to get in all the parts he needed.
Taryn bit her lip. She couldn’t stay even one more day, let alone a week. The Callaghans were soaking into her, making her think – and feel - crazy, insane things. She had to get out now while she still had the will to do so. But how?
Overriding her feelings of remorse at what she was about to do, and offering a silent prayer asking for just a little more forgiveness, she placed her hand on Joey’s forearm and smiled at him. She assured him that she understood that these things happen, that she was surprised the old car had lasted as long as it had. She was very impressed that Joey thought he could fix it – he must be a mechanical wiz – because it all seemed so complicated to her.
She swallowed the guilt as Joey’s face glowed.
She asked then if he had a loaner she could borrow to run some errands, saying she’d need to pick up some things if she was going to be staying in town for a while. He eagerly offered her a used Accord, one that they kept around for just such a thing, handing over the keys gladly.
One more good man Taryn was deceiving, she thought as she exited the garage, holding the phony smile on her face. She told herself it was necessary. Besides, he was getting the Audi for nothing. If nothing else, he could sell it for parts. Plus she would make sure the gas tank was full before ditching the Accord. It wasn’t much, but, she thought wryly, it wasn’t like she had much to offer.
She pushed all of those thoughts to the back of her mind as she went into what she called her “survival mode”. Quelling her natural inclination to worry about everyone else, she tried to focus on what she needed to do to become invisible once again. Unfortunately, it was something at which she had become very adept.
Her first stop was Wal-Mart, where she picked up hair dye, glasses, a new prepaid phone, a change of clothing, a box of granola bars and a six-pack of water. She was in and out in under ten minutes. Timing was critical. Getting back into the Accord, she followed the signs to the interstate.
As she drove, she transferred her purchases to her pack with one hand. The truck stop at the exit was a large one, and it was busy enough to suit her needs. She pulled in, being extra careful not to attract any unwanted attention.
Chapter Fourteen
Shane watched as Taryn filled up the car with fuel, pulling forward into a parking spot while she went inside to pay. He had positioned himself in such a way that all public, non-emergency exits were within his line of sight. When several minutes went by and Taryn still hadn’t emerged, the first niggling of unease began.
Maybe she was getting coffee, or stocking up on a few items for the road, Kieran suggested when Shane quietly voiced his concerns over the hidden mic. It sounded reasonable enough, but Kieran must have felt the same unease, because he was already en route to the truck stop.
After waiting for what he felt was a more than reasonable amount of time, Shane could delay no longer. With his hair tucked up under a baseball cap and dark sunglasses, he entered the store. Just inside the door, he scanned front to back, left to right with a skilled eye. There was no sign of her.
Muttering curses under his breath, he began a path through the convenience store, walking a perpendicular path along the aisles so he could see easily down each one as he passed. She was small enough to be hidden by the shelving and large displays, after all. But as he exhausted each section, the bad feeling in his gut grew.
At the back of the store, Shane paused. He was sure she hadn’t slipped out – he’d kept careful watch - which meant that she had to be in the ladies restroom; it was the only logical conclusion. Not quite desperate enough to enter that forbidden area yet, he made up his mind to return to the front of the store. He checked his watch. It hadn’t been that long, really. He’d give her another five minutes.
Shane rounded the corner and felt something collide against his chest. Glancing down, he saw the form of a young girl. She had dark red hair, cut unevenly and hanging in poker-straight jagged spikes that framed her pale face. Her eyes – an unnatural aquamarine – glared at him, framed in thick black liner that ended in scrolls beneath her eyes like some kind of Egyptian hieroglyph. Piercings adorned the entire length of her ears, her nose, and her lips.
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Shane extended his hand down toward the black-clad figure to help her up, but she swatted it away. He muttered a quick apology, while continuing to scan the store, so the brief look of terror on her face didn’t immediately register. The girl pulled herself up and stomped away without saying a word, but the vicious scowl on her face pretty much said it all. Shane shook his head. He’d never understood the whole Goth thing. She might have been a pretty girl under all that makeup and attitude, but who could tell?
Still, he found his gaze drawn back to the retreating figure several times as he kept watch for Taryn. There was something oddly familiar about the sway of her hips, more womanly than he would have expected from such a young girl. Like the tumblers on a lock, freeze-frame images started clicking in his head. The familiar way she’d tilted her face to look up at him. The edges of white gauzy material barely visible, sticking out from beneath the black leather fingerless glove of her right hand. The bottom edge of a silver Celtic cross beneath the black lace choker. Son of a bitch!
Shane dashed to the front of the store, looking left and right. The Accord was still where she’d left it, but there was no sign of Taryn anywhere. He sprinted across the parking lot, looking for a smudge of black against the big rigs constantly entering and exiting the stop. It was like searching for a needle in a constantly moving haystack.
* * *
Taryn crouched low behind a monstrous black pickup backed into the parking space toward the rear of the building, gasping for breath from a combination of fear and barely controlled anger at her own stupidity. She’d run smack dab in to Shane!
Even with the hat and shades she recognized him immediately. Men like the Callaghans were just not that common. Was it a coincidence that he just happened to be here in this particular convenience store at this particular moment? Not a chance in hell.
She cursed under her breath. Jake had known she was going to leave all along. He’d sent his brothers to ... She paused, not knowing exactly how to finish that thought. Just why had Jake sent his brothers after her?
Dangerous Secrets: Callaghan Brothers, Book 1 Page 12
