by Cait London
Max stared at the house and bared his teeth.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’”
When his cell phone rang, Owen didn’t glance at the caller’s number. “Shaw here.”
The silence at the end of the line seemed to pulse at him. He glanced at the caller’s number, but it didn’t matter. The handyman could be using any number, and Owen wasn’t in the mood for games. “Vernon, we need to talk.”
When the line clicked off, Owen instantly called back. No one answered. He wasn’t happy when his cell rang again. He answered without looking at the number. “Don’t hang up. I might be able to help you.”
This time the silence was followed by Leona’s droll, “Okay, if you say so. I do need you to help me, Owen. We’ve just got time before I open the shop.”
Owen stared at Max, who stared back. “I got the impression you weren’t exactly happy with me. Where are you?”
“At the shop. I’m going to open late this morning. Don’t worry when you see the CLOSED FOR REPAIRS sign on the front door. Just knock on the back one. I’ll be waiting.”
Fear for Leona leaped into Owen; he started his pickup. The tires squealed as he reversed out of Vernon’s driveway and headed toward Leona’s shop. If Vernon had hurt Leona… “Vernon didn’t turn up, did he? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but I want to talk with him. I’ve left messages on Vernon’s machine and his cell, but he hasn’t returned them.”
“You called his home?”
“Uh-huh. Several times…just about fifteen minutes ago. It sounded like his regular message machine.”
Owen’s hands gripped the steering wheel until it creaked. He’d been in Vernon’s home fifteen minutes ago. That phone had been disconnected and that meant Vernon had set up camp somewhere else….
“So we’re headed for Sue Ann’s house?” Owen said to Leona as he maneuvered the pickup easily through Monday’s early-morning traffic.
Leona hadn’t said anything about last night, or this morning. Owen decided not to question his good luck at the moment.
“I need to know that she’s safe. She’s been a good friend for years. I know—I feel that she’s terrified. I want to know why. She recommended Vernon, and he could be threatening her. If I find out that he is, I’m not certain what I’ll do.” She wrapped an arm around Max, who sat between them.
Owen glanced at her. “Take it easy. We can’t blow this. There are too many lives at stake.”
“I trusted Vernon. He was in my house. He’s worked with Sue Ann’s husband, Dean, a nice family guy. They have children who could be in danger. Naturally, I’m really afraid for all of them.”
“That seems to be the picture. Have you checked with your friend, Alex, lately?” Okay, so Owen was a little upset about last night, too. And he was definitely nettled by Leona’s attachment to another man.
Leona leveled a look at him. “Yes, Alex is my friend, Owen. And I do need to check with him. Robyn’s death took most of yesterday. Then you and I discovered we have a little communication problem. I was a bit upset and didn’t call him last night, or this morning. But I called the day before, as soon as you flew out with Janice. And I’d seen him the night before. He was bruised but okay.”
“That’s good. Let’s just take this one step at a time. Things are starting to move really quick now. And I agree: We do have a communication problem.”
“If you try to pull that commando technique again, things are going to fall apart really quickly between us.”
Owen breathed deeply, aware that Leona hadn’t cooled down all the way. He was confident he could make her understand that she needed to leave Lexington. After checking out the Celtic design of her jewelry—she usually only wore the brooch—he was certain she was garbed to be the bait. That meant she hadn’t changed her mind. “Okay—honey. Anything you say.”
There. He’d come up with something that sounded just fine. He’d have to develop another approach to make Leona see things his way. He’d handled tricky real-estate problems; he could handle her. Or not. For now, he’d go with the flow. Women.
Leona stared at Owen. He seemed pleased with himself, as if he had just passed a very private test. She decided not to question him just yet. Instead, she glanced down at the potted flowers on the floor between her feet. “These are so beautiful. You shouldn’t have.”
“I thought maybe…maybe I’d help you plant them later.”
Her senses quivered slightly, and Leona turned to study him fully. Owen’s look at her was guarded. “What?” he asked.
“Do these daisies have a special meaning for you?”
Sunlight stroked his stoic profile, those long lashes making shadows on his high cheekbones. The lines around his lips deepened. “Maybe.”
Following her instinct to probe deeper, Leona closed her eyes and focused on the daisies, imprinting them over Owen’s image. He’d helped his mother pick daisies once. As a boy, Owen had stood with his mother in Montana’s fields of daisies. His harsh father had ridiculed him for “doing girl play,” but it had been a precious moment in his life. The memory was private and tender, and Leona let it fly gently away from her grasp.
“My father was a harsh man. He was raised that way, laying down the law to my mother. He was wrong to treat her that way. I’m finding that out by my relationship with you.” It wasn’t an outright apology, but clearly Owen was considering an adjustment to the Shaw-male attitude.
He glanced at Leona, then down at the wolf’s-head brooch on her blouse. Aware that Owen studied her, trying to get a fix on their relationship, Leona decided to be quiet.
After a night of missing Owen, she had surprised herself by her response to him when she saw him in the pickup this morning. When he’d smiled tentatively at Leona, she simply bent down to kiss him briefly. It felt very natural and easy, as if she’d never been angry with him. “Good morning. Thanks for coming,” she’d said.
After that, Owen had been wary. Maybe he had a right to be uneasy. Leona wasn’t exactly certain of herself right now—except that she needed Owen at her side and that she was hunting. She smiled, mocking herself. Last night, Owen was only doing what came naturally—he wanted to protect her. Who better to have at her side now, than a protector from an ancient Viking bloodline—with the name “Wolf”?
The breeze from the pickup’s open window played in her hair and gently flipped the silver disks at her ears. The woven Celtic design matched the ring she wore. When Leona lifted her hand to smooth her hair, the silver runes tinkled against the wide cuff bracelet. She felt very sensual, very womanly and desired. It was a nice feeling and she settled in to enjoy the momentary respite from danger. From his glance at her, she could see Owen was taking in the changes. “Nice getup. Unique jewelry.”
She lifted her wrist and studied the rune bracelet Tempest had created. “She—Aisling—didn’t need runes, but she laid them out for show, to disguise how powerful she really was.”
“Interesting design on the cuff bracelet. The ends of the designs seem to be two snakes, facing each other, mouths open. Does that mean anything special?”
Leona nodded and considered the bracelet. “Interpretations vary. Some say it represents the battle between paganism and Christianity. But the snakes can be defined as almost everything in opposition. Tempest likes to think that it is our battle with what we don’t want—the inheritance from Aisling and Thorgood. Or it could be good against evil, I guess. Depends on how you want to think of it.”
“That jewelry is intended as bait and you know it. If this…vampire…has a grudge against your family, and he knows about your ancestors, flashing that stuff is sure to shake him up.”
“Oh? I had no idea. Really?” Leona asked too innocently, as the pickup turned on Man O’ War Boulevard.
As if resigned, Owen sighed deeply.
As they drove through Lexington’s streets, Leona handed Owen a traveling thermos cup. “I found a tea shop you might like—a little more unique blend than what�
��s in grocery stores. I brewed some while I was waiting. I hope it’s okay.”
“Mm. Nice. Thanks.” He sipped the tea and this time, his sigh was in appreciation. “Chai without milk…peppery, spicy, perfect.”
“You seem to be a spicy sort of guy.” Leona spoke automatically, her mind on their mission.
Owen smiled confidently. “Glad you think so.”
Leona took in that supremely pleased masculine tone. “I wasn’t thinking about that.”
“I like to think about it.”
“Well, stop.”
Owen sent her a sidelong look. “You’re snagging something from me, aren’t you?”
She turned to view traffic, successfully hiding her blush. Owen’s body was humming sensually, and hers was responding. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied.
“I’m sorry last night didn’t end well,” he stated grimly.
“That was last night.”
“You’re not holding a grudge, are you?” he asked, glancing cautiously at her.
“Could you just focus on driving? Are you someone who needs a replay?”
“Since you’re snippy, I can only take that to mean that you’re not happy with how we ended last night, either. I try not to let that get out of control, but you—with you, it’s different.”
Leona knew exactly what Owen meant. She glanced away from the slight teeth mark she’d left on his throat. Guilt took her into a brooding silence. Lovemaking with Joel had been gentle and sweet and reassuring. With Owen, it had been like a firestorm.
“I’m doing this, Owen.”
“I get the picture.” He sounded resigned as he braked for a driver who had passed them too recklessly. He glanced at a traffic wreck at the other side of the boulevard where an officer was taking notes. “We may need to involve the police.”
“Sure. Try explaining dreams of foreboding, ancient curses, and psychics. Turn left at the next stop light.”
Owen turned off Man O’ War Boulevard and onto the street Leona had indicated; they continued driving north and west. “Tell me what you’d do if you caught this creep…if he sees you all decked out to play and he goes berserk.”
“Incapacitate him somehow. Make certain he never hurts anyone again.”
“You haven’t thought that far, have you?”
“Frankly, no.” Leona looked out the window as they passed a lush field. “Janice will love the events at the Kentucky Horse Park and Keeneland. What’s your pick of the two-year-olds?”
“Stop trying to change the subject.” Owen handed the thermal cup back to her. “That was good. Thanks.”
Leona studied the cup and wondered if the woman in Owen’s past had served him tea. Did Leona remind Owen of that love? “Tell me about the woman you loved.”
Acres of bluegrass spread gently out around them, as Leona directed Owen to the turnoff to Sue Ann’s home.
“She was married. I didn’t know. It got messy,” he stated curtly.
Leona sensed that his scars were too deep to open easily. She placed her hand on Owen’s, linked her fingers with his, and sent a soft, gentle pulse to him.
Owen didn’t look at her, but he smiled. The tension within him seemed to ease, a sign that he had accepted the psychic caress. “Nice. Thanks. I could use more of that later.”
She had to tell him. “Owen, every time I reach out and explore, it gets stronger. I don’t know the limits of what I can do.”
“Maybe it doesn’t have limits. You’ll figure it out.”
She stared at him. “Just like that? That easy?”
“Just like that.”
As they drove, Leona looked at the elegant horse barns, the parallel black-board fences, and the bluegrass fields. “I remember her—my grandmother. I’ve been thinking a lot about her lately. She terrified me, and she was always focused on me. ‘You’ve got to stop him, Leona,’ she said. I never knew what she meant. Now I do. She wasn’t delusional, or anything else. At that moment, she was just terrified. Then she changed so quickly, as if someone had changed her, just as Janice and the others were affected. My grandmother was very strong, despite denying her gifts—her blood curse. I think she may have been vulnerable somehow. And someone understood just how to use her weak points…. Turn here,” she added, indicating the next corner.
Was she strong enough to stop Borg’s descendant from harming her, or her family? That uncertainty quivered in her mind as she placed her hand on Owen’s thigh. He put his hand over hers. “You’re not your grandmother. You can do whatever you have to.”
“You believe in me?”
“Sure. Just believe in yourself.” Owen’s fingers pressed hers before he pulled into a residential section. Leona directed him to Sue Ann’s tree-lined street. Her van was in the driveway of her home, children’s toys in the fenced yard. The air was sweet with freshly mowed lawns as Leona and Owen stood on the Marshfields’ front porch.
A curtain moved in a window beside the front door, and Sue Ann opened the door slightly. Her eyes rounded with fear, her voice hushed. “Why are you here?”
She glanced over Leona’s shoulder to Owen. “Who is he?”
“Owen Shaw. Owen, meet Sue Ann. He knows that we’re good friends, Sue Ann, and that I’m worried about you. If you’re afraid, let me help you. Owen can help, too.”
Sue Ann glanced behind her and then quickly turned to Leona. “I’m not afraid. I just don’t want to work for you anymore. I’m going to start a catering business.”
“That’s great…. Is someone inside, Sue Ann? Is Vernon here?”
“My husband worked late last night, and he’s sleeping now. I haven’t seen Vernon since he redid your office. He’s been keeping to himself. He’s been working at your place, hasn’t he?”
“He started my closet, but it isn’t finished yet.” Leona didn’t want to upset Sue Ann further by telling her about Vernon’s possible connection to Robyn’s death.
“Oh. Well, he’s been busy at the Balleau estate. Billy is supposed to come back from tour pretty soon. Vernon is working on one of those old historic homes for some retired guy. And sometimes Vernon gets busy down at Tom’s Salvage.” Sue Ann glanced uneasily at Owen as if she were suspicious of him. “Vernon has a lot of part-time jobs.”
Being suspicious wasn’t usual for Sue Ann. But there was nothing usual about the way she was acting.
“I know something is wrong. We can help.” Leona said quietly. She glanced at Owen and hoped he understood: Sue Ann might open up about the problem without his presence.
Taking the hint, he said, “Nice to meet you, Sue Ann. I’ll wait in the pickup, Leona.” Then he walked back to the pickup and let Max out, fastening a leash to the dog’s collar. Instantly Max started barking, his hackles raised. Owen leveled a look at Leona, who understood. Max’s keen senses had caught a specific psychic residue of someone threatening and evil. The man Leona wanted to catch had definitely visited Sue Ann’s.
“If you see Vernon, let us know, okay? I miss you, Sue Ann.” Leona touched the other woman’s hand. Icy, fearful shivers immediately ran up her own. Images flashed, tumbling through her mind. Acting instinctively, she sent out tiny spirals, sticky as a spiderweb to catch fragments of Sue Ann’s life. “I didn’t know Vernon was your husband’s cousin. Dean has been seeing him quite a bit, hasn’t he?”
Sue Ann’s eyes rounded. “Did someone tell you that? Vernon is a cousin, but so far removed that no one thinks of it anymore. Yes, they work together sometimes.”
“And drink together, too? Sometimes all night?”
For a heartbeat, Sue Ann stared blankly at Leona. “No one knows about that either.”
“Trust me, Sue Ann. I do know.” Leona gently squeezed Sue Ann’s hand and focused on clearing a mental path. Then she placed images of the good times they’d shared as friends into the other woman’s mind.
“Oh, Leona…” Sue Ann’s fearful cry trembled in the fragrant morning air: her words seemed to tumble from her. “Dean has ch
anged since he’s been going down to the salvage yard to help Vernon at nights. They take the good parts out of wrecked cars, then Vernon crushes the cars. I don’t know what’s happened to Dean since he’s been spending so much time with Vernon.”
“I have some idea.”
“When I said I wouldn’t spy on you, Dean got real mad. I was afraid of what might happen. I have to go now. Go away, Leona, I don’t want him to start up again. The kids are at my mother’s until we get over this bad patch.” Sue Ann’s lips parted as if she had something more to say. Instead, she shook her head and started to close the door.
Her husband jerked it open again. Dean’s appearance momentarily shocked Leona. Usually clean-cut and cheerful, Dean looked as if he’d slept in his clothes. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Leona. “Get the hell off my property. Shut that barking dog up, or I will.”
Owen immediately put Max into the cab and closed the door. He leaned back against the pickup and spoke quietly to the dog, who wouldn’t stop barking.
“Hey, you!” Dean yelled, and hurried toward Owen. “Are you going to stop that dog, or am I?”
“Dean! Don’t!” Sue Ann’s fearful cry didn’t stop her husband from advancing on Owen.
When Leona started down the steps, Owen’s eyes locked onto her. His quiet order seemed to vibrate in the morning air. “Stay back, Leona. Or get in the cab with Max.”
“Come with me, Sue Ann.” Leona wrapped her arms around Sue Ann and held her trembling body. Obviously set for a confrontation, Dean started yelling at Owen, who seemed unaffected.
“He’s never hurt me or the kids,” Sue Ann whispered. “I love him, Leona. I can’t leave him. Dean isn’t like this. I don’t know what happened. He’s just worried about his job and making house payments. We got married awfully young, you know. He missed a lot of what other men did, and maybe he just needs to—”
A woman in love, Sue Ann had found excuses for her husband’s behavior. “Then at least let me take you to your parents’. Just until Dean has a chance to think clearly, and you can talk things through. Sometimes people just need a little space and time to think, to resolve what’s going on.”
