Reunited

by Kate Hoffmann

  He grabbed her hand and held on to it so tightly that she couldn't pull it away. "Just listen for a few seconds and I'll explain."

  Keely jumped up from beside him, tearing her fingers from his grasp. "Tell me you didn't have anything to do with calling down the cops on my father. Tell me you didn't do something to bring the building inspectors out to the pub." She clutched her fists at her side, fighting the urge to punch him. "Tell me."

  Rafe slowly leaned back into the sofa. "I can't," he murmured. "I won't. Everything you suspect is true. I found the witness against Seamus Quinn and I convinced him to go to the authorities. I called a friend I have in the inspector's office and asked him to take a look at Quinn's Pub. And when Seamus tries to find an asbestos contractor to take care of his problem, he won't find a single contractor in the greater Boston area who will take the job. Oh, and I now hold the mortgage on the pub, so if he defaults, the place belongs to me."

  His cavalier attitude was like a punch to the stomach, stealing the breath from her lungs and making it impossible to draw another. She opened her mouth, but no words would come. How could the man she'd been so intimate with now be so hateful?

  "Before you tell me how much you detest me, maybe you should consider one point, Keely. What if it's true? What if your father really is responsible for the death of my father?"

  "It-it can't be true," she said, her voice trembling.

  "I think it is. All the evidence points that way, Keely."

  She walked to the window, then braced her hands on the sill, gripping it with white knuckles. "What about me? Was I all a part of this scheme? Were you going to use me against my own family?"

  Rafe stood up, but she backed away as he approached, unwilling to allow him to touch her again. "That night in front of the pub, I didn't know who you were. Imagine my surprise when you told me you were really a Quinn."

  "And you didn't have any second thoughts about what you were doing? Even after you knew I was Seamus's daughter?"

  "Why would I?"

  Keely spun on him, then made to slap him across the face. But he caught her hand just in time and she slowly let it drop. "No, I guess you wouldn't," she murmured. "I was just the woman you were sleeping with. Well, that's the end of it then. You've chosen your side and I've chosen mine." She drew a ragged breath. "You're not going to win, you know. I'll do everything I can to make sure you don't hurt my family."

  "That's not going to happen."

  His voice was so coldly confident it sent a shiver down her spine. "Try me," Keely dared.

  With a low curse, Rafe stepped forward and grabbed her by the arm, then pulled her toward the door. At first she thought he simply meant to throw her out of his apartment. But then he picked up his keys on the way out and punched the button for the elevator. No, he meant to embarrass her by throwing her out on the street.

  "Let go of me," Keely demanded.

  "No," Rafe said. The elevator descended, but it didn't stop in the lobby of his building. Instead, it went down to the parking level. "You and I are going to talk this out. And after you hear my side of the story, you're welcome to go running to the Quinns. But you are going to listen."

  Twisting and turning, she tried to pull out of his grasp. "I don't want to listen to anything you have to say. It's all lies." But as she fought him, Keely secretly prayed that he did have an explanation for his behavior. Or that somehow, between the two of them, they'd figure out that this was all just a big misunderstanding.

  He yanked open the car door. "Get in."

  "No," she muttered.

  "Get in," he repeated, his frustration tightly checked.

  "If you want to talk, we can talk right here."

  "No, we can't." He paused. "I need to show you something." He took her arm and gently pushed her into the car. Keely knew she should have fought him, knew that he'd suddenly become the enemy. But she also knew Rafe and he wasn't the kind of man to accuse someone of murder lightly. Did he have some kind of proof to show her?

  Keely reluctantly slid into the passenger seat. She wasn't abandoning her family by going with him. She simply needed to know all the facts. But even that reassurance didn't make her feel any better. In truth, it made her ashamed. Her feelings for Rafe had overwhelmed her loyalty for her family. She was treading on thin ice and if she wasn't careful, she'd fall through.

  "Where are we going?" she asked as Rafe got inside.

  "Someplace where we can talk." He turned the ignition, then locked all the doors with a flick of a button. A few minutes later, they were out on the street, speeding through late-afternoon traffic. But when Rafe steered the car onto the northbound interstate, Keely frowned. "Where are you taking me?" she demanded.

  He didn't answer her this time. Instead, he punched a number into his car phone, then picked it up. "Hi, it's Rafe. I'm on my way up to Aspen Lake. Make sure the kitchen is stocked and the heat is turned on. We'll be staying for a few days at the least." Rafe hung up the phone, then turned his full attention back to the road.

  Keely's stomach tightened. She'd never seen Rafe in such a black mood, so filled with anger he was ready to explode. "Where the hell is Aspen Lake?"

  "It's in Vermont," Rafe replied.

  "Vermont?" she cried. "Vermont? I don't want to go to Vermont."

  "I don't care. That's where we're going." His voice was cold and emotionless.

  "You don't have anything to show me, do you? You lied to me to get me in this car."

  "You wouldn't have gotten in if I hadn't."

  "Are you kidnapping me? Kidnapping is against the law. If I don't want to go to Vermont, then this is kidnapping. I could have you arrested."

  Rafe shrugged. "I suppose you could. But then, since I'm kidnapping you, I'm not exactly going to let you run to the police."

  Keely crossed her arms over her chest. "Take me back to Boston right now."

  "No."

  She reached out and grabbed the wheel and the car swerved wildly. Rafe cursed as he brought it back under control, along with his temper. "You and I are going to Vermont. Now you can either waste the next three hours shouting at me or trying to kill us both, or you can enjoy the ride. I'd prefer to enjoy the ride." He reached out and pushed a CD into the player. The sound of classical music filled the car.

  Just as quickly, Keely reached out and shut it off. "What do you think you're going to accomplish with this?"

  "I don't know yet."

  "You can talk at me all you want and it's not going to change my mind. I'm still not going to believe my father capable of murder. Or do you think you'll gain an advantage by kidnapping me, that my family will somehow suffer because of it?"

  Rafe glanced her way, then chuckled. "Your family doesn't know you exist. It might be hard to collect a ransom on a daughter Seamus Quinn doesn't even know he has. Besides, I'm not after ransom. I have plenty of money."

  "Then what?"

  "Time," Rafe said. He reached over and turned up the volume on the CD player.

  But Keely was far from done with him. She pressed the Eject button on the CD player and when the CD popped out, she tossed it into the back seat. "I'm not going to let you get away with this. The first time this car stops, I'm going to jump out. And then I'm going to call the police and have you arrested."

  He glanced over his shoulder as he changed lanes, the car accelerating smoothly. "The one thing I required when I decided on vacation property was that it had to be quick to get to. You'll find it interesting that there isn't a single stop sign between here and my place on Aspen Lake. Really quite amazing, don't you think?"

  Keely gritted her teeth and then growled in frustration. He had an answer for everything. God, why hadn't she noticed before what a smug bastard he really was? She eyed the car phone and wondered if she might dial 911 before he had a chance to take it from her.

  But Rafe saw what she was looking at and grabbed the phone. He unhooked the cord with one hand, then rolled down the window and tossed it out. "You can add littering to tha
t charge of kidnapping," he said.

  Keely slouched down in the seat. She wasn't going to win this round. But she had three hours to plot her escape. Once she did that, she'd capitalize on the first opportunity that presented itself. And in the process, she'd make Rafe Kendrick pay for everything he'd done to her. For those long, deep kisses and those earth-shattering orgasms. For those quiet conversations over dinner and for the fun and games in the shower. For making her doubt her loyalty to the Quinns. For everything he made her…feel.

  But as she thought about her own revenge, Keely wondered if she'd be the one paying the greatest price. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had fallen in love with Rafe Kendrick. And that could be the most costly mistake she'd ever made.

  BY THE TIME they reached the cabin, Rafe was ready to unlock the doors and let Keely jump out of the speeding car of her own free will. She'd been nothing but a shrew and a harpy and a royal pain in the ass the entire way to Aspen Lake and he seriously wondered at his decision to bring her to his weekend getaway. But all her demands for an explanation and threats of retribution didn't seem to quell his desire to strip her naked and make wild, uninhibited love to her.

  In truth, the reason he hadn't answered her questions was that he didn't have answers yet. He wasn't sure why he'd decided to kidnap her, only that he was certain if he let her out of his sight again, something disastrous might happen. And trying to keep Keely locked in his apartment until he pleaded his case with her would be damn near impossible. At Aspen Lake they'd have the peace and quiet to sort everything out. And when he was satisfied that she understood his side of the story, they'd return to Boston.

  The driveway into the cabin was difficult to find during the summer months, but in the dark of a winter night, it was nearly impossible. He slowed the car as they were getting close then spotted the wooden sign tacked up on a tree. "Kendrick" was all it said. Rafe carefully maneuvered the car between the snowbanks, then down a long hill to the cabin, which was set on the shore of the lake.

  He glanced over at Keely to find her studying the surroundings carefully-no doubt planning her escape. But Kencor owned all the property around the lake as well as the lake itself. "The nearest neighbors are at least two miles away," he said. "And they're summer residents. You've got a four-mile walk into town, if you can find your way."

  The cabin hadn't been opened since Labor Day. Snow crusted the roof and icicles hung from the eaves, but the caretaker had managed to plow the drive and shovel the porch since Rafe's call. The porch light beamed brightly, welcoming them and reflecting the snowflakes that had begun to fall.

  Rafe parked the car, then reached over and opened the glove compartment. He pulled out a flashlight. "We're here." He pushed open his door and stepped outside.

  Keely refused to get out of the car, stubbornly staring straight ahead, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Rafe circled to her side, opened the door, then dragged her out. "Come with me. I have something to show you." She trudged along beside him, eyeing the dark woods on either side of the path and struggling through deep snow.

  "Where are we going now? Are you going to tie me to a tree so I can't escape?"

  He stopped and considered her suggestion with a dramatic pause. "Not a bad idea. But the wolves and grizzlys would get you within the hour. I have a much better way to keep you here." They walked up the snow-covered path to a small shack with a crescent moon cut in the door. "This is the outhouse." Rafe pulled open the door. "And these are my car keys," he added, dangling them in front of her nose. "If you have any notion of driving yourself out of here, let me assure you, that's not going to happen." With precise aim, he tossed the keys through the hole and listened as they landed ten feet below with a slight jangle. "We leave when I say we leave."

  Keely's eyes went wide. "How are we going to get out of here?" She took a step over to the hole and peered down into the darkness. Rafe handed her the flashlight and she shined it downward until she was convinced that the keys were irretrievable. "You're crazy," she murmured. "You throw away the phone, you throw away the keys. What if there's an emergency?"

  Rafe snatched the flashlight from her hands. "There's always smoke signals." He started back down the path and was pleased when Keely followed close at his heels, obviously afraid of the wolves and the grizzlys, animals that hadn't been seen in this area of Vermont for years.

  As he'd requested, the cabin had been stocked with firewood and a fire blazed in the large fieldstone fireplace. Though he had the luxury of electricity and running water inside the cabin, he hadn't gotten around to putting in a septic system. For a single guy, the outhouse hadn't posed a major problem, but Keely, his first female guest at Aspen Lake, might feel differently.

  "Go ahead," he said. "Look around. The kitchen is back there. There are two bedrooms." He pointed to the doors on either side of the fireplace. "Take your pick."

  Rafe sat down on the sofa in front of the fire and warmed his feet as he watched Keely wander through the cabin. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, trying to fight off a yawn. All he needed was just a few moments of silence and he'd be all right. But the sound of the backdoor opening brought him to his feet.

  She was already out the door by the time he reached the kitchen. Rafe sprinted out into the darkness, slipping on the snow-covered steps and bumping down the last two on his ass. He stood up and tried to regain his balance, but twisted his ankle in the process, going down hard for a second time and hitting his head on the railing for the steps.

  "Sonofabitch!" he shouted as he struggled to his feet, his voice echoing in the silent woods. He tested the ankle and decided it wasn't broken. But there was no way he'd catch Keely now. Rafe cursed himself for even letting her out of his sight. With the cold and the snow and the dark, she was sure to lose herself in the woods. And when she was found frozen to death tomorrow morning, he'd be to blame.

  Rafe felt something warm on his forehead and he reached up and came away with damp fingertips. By the light from the open door, he saw blood. "Sonofabitch!" he repeated. He sat down on the step and pressed his palm to the cut on his forehead.

  "Are you all right?"

  The voice came from behind a nearby tree. "Keely?"

  "Well, are you?"

  "No," Rafe lied. "I think I broke my ankle. And I have a bad cut on my head. I'm bleeding, for chrissakes."

  The light from a flashlight flickered against the snow and, a few seconds later, Keely appeared. She observed him for a long moment, then cursed softly. "I shouldn't be helping you," she muttered as she wrapped Rafe's arm around her shoulders and helped him to his feet.

  He faked a serious limp until the moment they got back into the house. Before she could figure out what was happening, he grabbed the flashlight from her, removed the batteries and slipped them into his pocket. Then, he pulled her along to the fireplace.

  "Your ankle isn't broken," Keely cried.

  "Do you have any idea how long you would have lasted in the woods? That was a damn stupid thing to do. You would have been dead by morning." Rafe found a handkerchief in his pocket, then sat down on the sofa and dabbed at his forehead, which had already stopped bleeding.

  Keely stood off to the side, watching him warily, waiting for her next chance to make a run for it.

  "Take off your clothes," Rafe ordered.

  Her eyes went wide. "What?"

  "You heard me. Take off your clothes. And your boots."

  "If you think we're having sex, you are sadly mistaken. If you're horny, you can go…fuck a tree!"

  With a low curse, Rafe strode over to her, picked her up and set her on top of the coffee table. He bent down and unzipped her boots, then tugged them off her feet. Without a word, he carried them over to the fireplace and tossed them into the crackling blaze.

  Keely cried out and scrambled to the fire, but the flames licked around the black leather, too hot for her to mount a rescue effort. "Those were my favorite pair of boots. I spent a week's salary on them."


  "I'll buy you a new pair. Hell, I'll buy you ten pairs. But for now, you're not going to need them. It will be harder for you to escape without shoes, don't you think?"

  Keely balled up her fist and hit his shoulder as hard as she could. But he seemed unfazed by the pain.

  "Now your clothes."

  "No, I'm not letting you burn my clothes!"

  Rafe leveled his gaze on her. "Take your clothes off now, or I'll do the job for you."

  She sent him a withering glare. But Rafe would not be deterred. He wasn't going to take the chance of her making another escape attempt and killing herself in the process. He tried to grab her sweater, but Keely held out her hand. She jumped down from the coffee table, then slowly wandered over to his stereo system. After picking through a stack of CDs, she chose one and popped it into the player. A bluesy guitar solo drifted out of the speakers.

  As she stepped back up on the coffee table, Rafe wasn't sure what she was up to. Then she started moving to the music, swaying sinuously and doing her very best imitation of a stripper. "You wanted me to take off my clothes?" She slipped out of her jacket and threw it at him, hitting him square in the face. Rafe held his breath as the jacket dropped to the floor, unable to drag his gaze away.

  Piece by piece, she removed her clothes, first tugging her sweater over her head, then shimmying out of her jeans. She dangled both items in front of his face before dropping them at his feet and continuing her dance. Rafe felt himself growing aroused-against his will. She'd wrested control of the situation from him in just a few seconds, proving that when it came to desire, she always held the winning hand.

  The gold necklace she always wore dangled between her breasts in a tempting way, drawing attention to what he couldn't see. She reached behind her back for the clasp of her bra, but Rafe wasn't about to let her go so far. In one quick move, he grabbed her hand, then pulled her down onto the sofa. Stretching out on top of her, he trapped her body. Keely wiggled against him, trying to get free, but Rafe wasn't about to let her go. "I think that's enough of that," he murmured, pinning her hands above her head.