by Jane Jamison
Her heart already hurt just thinking about never seeing any of them again. Could she really stay? Or had their words been only that? Just words.
Teag and Kitty were only feet away from her when they split apart. Teag darted around the left side of the house as Kitty took to the right.
Now where are they going?
Lisa spun around and dashed for the front door. She’d chased after the twins before, so she knew all too well how fast they were. She’d even joked about the kids being part cheetah. At first, Lena and the men hadn’t laughed. They had, in fact, acted as though she’d said something awful about the kids. Then they’d simply agreed.
As she burst out of the house, she saw the twins come together again. Side by side, they darted into the field and raced toward a large area of bushes and trees.
“Kids! Come back here! You know you’re not supposed to go off by yourselves!”
She heard them giggle as they kept on going.
“Damn it.” She slipped on her sneakers placed by the door and took off after them. By the time she’d made it to the tree line, she was out of breath. She glanced around, but didn’t see either one of them.
“I swear I’m going to lock you two in a cage,” she mumbled. Not that she really would, but sometimes she wished she could at least put a bell around their necks. Anything to help her keep track of them.
Taking care not to let the branches scratch her, she eased into the foliage. “Kids! Teag? Kitty, where are you?” Should she promise them a treat if they answered? Or would she be rewarding their bad behavior? Still, wouldn’t it be worth it?
Damn. I should’ve told Craig and Marrick they took off. But it was too late now. She had to keep going.
“Come on, guys. Stop horsing around.” Were they playing hide and seek again? Perspiration slid down her spine and dampened the back of her neck. “This isn’t funny, kids. If you don’t show yourself soon, I’m going to have to tell your uncles.”
A dirt trail led deeper into the trees. She pushed past the branches, keeping her gaze on the rough ground in front of her.
Hands grabbed her, stopping her cold. Fear leapt to her throat, cutting off her air.
The man holding her was dirty and his clothes were torn. His dark eyes glinted as a sneer lifted the corner of his mouth. The sneer morphed into a smile that lacked warmth.
“Easy, girl. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Who are you?” She was surprised her voice didn’t shake.
“I’m John Bask.”
A chill swept over her. “John Bask? Donna’s husband?”
The glint in his dark eyes sparkled. Was he happy she knew who he was? Proud of who he was?
“The one and only.”
She tried to yank her arms free, but he held tight. “Let me go.”
“No. You need to listen to me.” His attention dropped to her heaving chest then back up. “Hear me out and I’ll let you go. I swear I won’t hurt you.”
Like you didn’t hurt Donna?
She kept her thought to herself and played along. If she could get him to loosen his hold, she might have a chance to break away. Could she outrun him? Should she scream and hope Craig or Marrick heard her? Fear made thinking difficult. Had he seen the kids? Or worse, hurt them?
The sudden protectiveness that sprang up washed away her fear. If the bastard had laid a hand on the twins, she’d tear his eyes out. At least, she’d die trying.
She set her jaw. “All right. I’ll listen.”
“I didn’t kill my wife.”
He looked sincere and yet, even if he hadn’t already been accused of murdering his wife, there was something about him she didn’t trust. “If you didn’t do it, then who did?”
He gave her a look, silently asking her if she’d run. She shook her head, telling him the truth. After what he’d said, she had to hear him out.
“Marrick did.”
She laughed, truly thrown by his answer. “Marrick killed his own sister? Why would he do that?”
“He didn’t mean to. He lost control of his tiger and it killed her.” He dropped his hands, freeing her.
“His tiger?” So there really was a tiger? But if so, why hadn’t Craig and Marrick admitted it? Had Donna run into the animal? But the kids had said that their daddy had hurt their mommy.
“Marrick has a tiger?” She asked the question, but she wouldn’t believe his answer.
“The kids think it was me because Donna and I had a fight, but it wasn’t. It was Marrick who killed her.”
“You’re lying. You just said it was Marrick’s tiger.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Then give me a reason why he’d kill his sister.” Even if Marrick had a pet tiger and had lost control of it, she couldn’t lay the blame squarely at his feet. Donna wouldn’t have been out in the open, vulnerable, if she and John hadn’t had a fight.
He’s lying. The kids told the truth.
He had to be telling her a bullshit story to try and throw her off. Marrick with a tiger? It was impossible.
“They had an argument over their family’s money. They’ve been fighting over their inheritance for years. He finally lost control of his tiger and it killed her.”
She couldn’t and wouldn’t let him get away with such a ridiculous assertion. “Your story doesn’t any sense. Besides, your kids said you hurt their mother.”
He blinked, his expression going lax as though she’d caught him off guard. “They’re mistaken. I don’t blame them for saying it was me. They probably thought it was me, but it was Marrick. He must’ve had his back to them.” He tugged on his black hair, hair so much like Marrick’s.
“You just said it was his tiger.” How dare he accuse Marrick. Her anger threatened to boil over. “You’re a damn liar.”
She expected him to get upset. Instead, he studied her, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what? Why don’t you just spit it out? If what you’re saying is true, then tell everyone your story.” She didn’t think a small town like Twisted would have a police force, maybe not even a sheriff, but they had to have some kind of law enforcement even if they had to call the authorities in a nearby town.
He scoffed. “It won’t do me any good. Marrick’s a big man around here. He’s got everyone fooled into thinking he’s a great guy. But me? Hell, I don’t play their games and I tell them like it is whether they want to hear it or not. Some of those folks hate my guts because of the lies he’s told them. They’ll never believe me over him, especially with the kids mistaking him for me.”
“Teag! Kitty!”
“Lisa!”
She started to turn around at the sound of the men’s voices, but John clutched her arms again, keeping her facing him. “Listen to me if you want to stay safe. You can’t trust Marrick or Craig.”
“Lisa! Where the hell are you?” Craig’s worried voice rang out.
She jerked free. “Over here!” When she turned back, John was gone.
“Lisa, what are you doing out here?”
She pivoted around to find Craig breaking through the brush and striding toward her. Suddenly, the fear she’d kept down came back, barreling into her. She fell into his arms, her hands fisting in his shirt.
“Hey, what’s going on? Are you all right?” He pushed her back and skimmed his gaze along her body. “Are you hurt?”
“No, no. I’m okay. The kids took off running into the trees. Did you see them? We have to find them. I was chasing them when—”
“I found them.” Marrick strode toward them with the kids in tow. “I swear they’re getting faster every day.” He stopped, his probing look fixed on her. “What’s going on?”
Craig bent his head low, bringing her attention back to him. “Go on. You were chasing them when… When what, babe?”
What if John had told her the truth? Had she been duped into falling for Marrick and Craig? After all, she barely knew them.
“When I got lost.” She buri
ed her face against his chest, unable to look him straight in the eye and lie.
Craig wrapped his arms around her, giving her the comfort she needed, albeit for a different reason. Guilt hit her, but it wouldn’t wipe away the worry plaguing her.
“Let’s get these three back to the house,” said Marrick.
She kept her gaze averted as Craig took her hand and started leading her home. What would she do now? Did she leave and never look back? She trusted Marrick and yet John had put doubts into her mind. If she left, would she be leaving the kids in the care of a murderer?
* * * *
Lisa was still trying to sort out her feelings when she carried the fish fillets and hot dogs outside to the backyard. Marrick was manning the grill, tossing lighter fluid on the coals. The flames leapt higher, increasing the crackling from the fire.
“There she is.” Craig tossed the Frisbee to Teag who jumped up and snagged it out of the air. “We were wondering when you’d get out here.”
“Sorry. I was busy trying to make sweet tea the way Lena does.” She made an ugly face. “I failed big time and chucked it all down the sink.”
“Don’t worry about it. The kids can drink water. Craig and I are set.” Marrick lifted a beer. “Do you want one?”
“No, thanks. I’ll stick to water, too.”
Kitty dashed in front of her, squealing her delight as she raced around the yard, chasing a butterfly. Her movements were graceful, her hair a shimmering dark stream flying behind her. She was the picture of happiness in her pretty sundress.
Not for the first time, Lisa wondered about the twins. She didn’t know a lot about kids, but she couldn’t help but think they were a lot more coordinated than other children their age. Even Teag’s high flying jump into the air was more than she would’ve thought possible. Not only did they have grace and coordination, they ran faster than the kids she liked to watch on the playground next to her apartment.
She handed the tray of fish and hot dogs off to Marrick. He made a “that looks yummy” face and set to work placing the food on the grill. The meat sizzled against the hot steel.
Lisa took a seat on the long bench of the picnic table where she could keep track of the children. Her heart soared as she watched them play. But her joy was short-lived as she shifted her gaze to Marrick and Craig standing side by side, their heads tilted toward each other.
Marrick couldn’t have killed his sister. He was too nice a person to do such a horrible thing. Yet weren’t a lot of murders considered “nice guys” by their neighbors and friends? Even by their loved ones?
Her attention went to Craig. If what John Bask had said was true, would Craig know? It was hard to believe Marrick would keep any secrets from his best friend, but it wasn’t impossible.
She sighed, hating herself for having those ideas. She had to believe in them. If they weren’t the men she thought they were, then she’d never trust another man again.
There was no way either man would be involved in Donna’s death. Letting John talk her into believing such lies was just plain stupid.
Still… Why would John stick around if he wasn’t telling the truth? If he’d killed his wife, why wasn’t he halfway to Mexico by now?
“Don’t worry, Marrick.”
Craig’s hand on his friend’s shoulder brought her focus back to them.
“We’re going to find that bastard and make him pay.”
The men glanced her way, checking to see if she was listening. She averted her gaze then busied herself with pouring water out of the ice cold pitcher into her glass.
“Yeah, I know. I’m just pissed that it’s taking so much time.” Marrick speared a fish with a quick stab of his fork and flipped it over. “I would’ve thought he’d come after the kids by now.”
“He knows the area as well as we do. There’s a ton of places he could be hiding out. It takes time to check all of them.” Craig took a swig of his beer. “Lena thinks we need to get the sheriff in on this. Or the state patrol.”
“And let outsiders decide his fate?” Marrick’s lip lifted into a snarl. “Not a chance. We deal with this our way. The tiger way.”
The tiger way? Lisa inhaled sharply. Was John telling her the truth? Had Marrick somehow trained a white tiger to do as he commanded? To attack a person like a trained guard dog?
They looked her way again, this time catching her watching them.
“Is everything okay, baby?” asked Marrick. His dark gaze met hers, diving deep as though searching for the real answer.
She should’ve kept her mouth closed, but she was the type to put all her cards on the table. “You’re going after John again? Why don’t you turn the matter over to the authorities?” She would’ve sworn she saw a flash of amber in both Marrick’s and Craig’s eyes.
“Because that’s the way it’s done around here,” answered Marrick. “We take care of our own.”
“Are you talking about handling things like vigilantes?”
A muscle twitched in Craig’s jaw. “We wouldn’t call ourselves that, but we think our problems are better left to the people of Twisted. The outside world doesn’t need to know our business.” He grinned, obviously trying to ease the tension that had suddenly erupted between them. “What happens in Twisted, stays in Twisted.”
She didn’t smile, didn’t laugh. Instead, she forced out the next question, hoping she’d get an answer that would calm her nerves. “And what will you do when you find him?”
Marrick turned his back to her. “We’ll take care of him the way we’ve always taken care of those who do wrong.”
It was harder to take a breath. “I’m afraid for you.” Of you.
Craig strode toward her, moving faster than she’d have imagined any man could. In a moment, he was by her side, his fingers under her chin, making her raise her head to meet his gaze. “Are you afraid of us, babe?”
How had he known? Her body language must’ve clued him in. “Maybe. You’re talking about killing a man, aren’t you? Instead of taking him into custody and turning him over to the police? What about a trial? What about innocent until proven guilty?”
“He’ll face the council.” Craig slid his palm over her hair. “You’ve got to trust us on this. Twisted isn’t like most places. We have our own way of doing things and it’s worked well for a long time. John will get his say, but with the kids’ testimony, his fate’s pretty much sealed.”
“What if the kids are wrong?”
Marrick turned back around. “Wrong? They saw their father.”
She glanced at Teag and Kitty, making sure they were far enough away not to hear. The urge to tell the men about John was on the tip of her tongue, but something held her back. “I know, but they’re young. Who knows what their imaginations might have done?”
“They saw what they said they saw.” Marrick’s expression turned cold. “You have to believe us. Kids around here are different. They grow up faster and their senses are a lot better than most.”
He was right about that. Kitty and Teag had a way of picking up sounds she couldn’t hear and sights she couldn’t see. “Why is that, Marrick? I’ve noticed how fast they are and how much better their hearing and sight is.”
He shrugged. “I guess children in Twisted are raised better. Maybe it’s the clean living and the nutritious food they eat.”
He was hiding the truth from her. What other truth was he keeping secret? “Oh, sure. Like hot dogs? Real good for them, huh?”
His smile could’ve melted any cold heart. She found herself wanting to believe him, needing to believe him. “Hey, the facts are the facts.” He went back to tending the food.
“We’re going to go out later.” Craig took a seat next to her. “Are you okay staying with the kids? Would you like us to see if Lena can come out to keep you company?”
“I’m fine. Unless you think there might be a problem.”
“Nah, no problem.”
She looked down at the table, unwilling to let him see her eyes. �
�What if their father shows up?”
His arm snaked around her. “Then you give us a call. We know you’d do whatever you have to do to keep the kids safe.”
“Yes, I would.” But did that include getting them away from their uncle?
“Don’t worry. We have a few of our friends watching the house, too.”
She jerked her head up. “You have people watching the house while you’re away? While I’m here?” She glanced around, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He let out a sigh. “I guess we were afraid it might spook you into going home.”
“You should’ve told me.”
She didn’t know whether to be angry or not. They’d done it to keep her and the children safe. Yet, it still felt like an invasion of her privacy. Then it hit her. Would they have friends watching the house if they didn’t think John was a threat? The only reason to think so would be that he was indeed Donna’s killer. Or was Marrick trying to keep the kids from their father so he couldn’t convince them that they’d made a mistake? Her mind spun with the possibilities.
How do I know who to trust?
“Yeah, I know. You’re right. We should have.”
“When are your friends here? When are they watching?” Had they been around the day she’d run into John? If so, why hadn’t they grabbed him?
“Just at night.” Craig whispered in her ear. “There’s another secret we need to tell you about.”
That you have a pet tiger? A tiger trained to kill?
But she couldn’t accuse them. Not until she knew more. Sometimes even those who liked to show their hand had to hold them against their chest. “What’s the secret?”
He motioned to Teag and Kitty who were wrestling on the ground. Kitty could play as rough as her brother. “Be careful around Teag. He bites.”
