by Lucy Leroux
“We can get your things tomorrow. I’ll take you to your place,” he said as he tossed a fuzzy throw over her.
Maia took the blanket gratefully. It wasn’t cold, but she still felt chilled from the inside, as if some vital internal organs had been replaced with ice.
“Okay,” she said.
She must have looked worried because his face softened.
“I know you’re worried about what’s going to happen now. I think we should take it one day at time. Tomorrow’s Sunday, but come Monday, you probably need to call your school and tell them you’re going to be out for a while. Till you’re back on your feet again.”
Still feeling like she was in some strange dream, she nodded. “If you think that’s best.”
“What happened?” he asked quietly. “How did they get you?”
Maia lowered her eyes to her lap. Grabbing one of the pillows next to her on the couch, she hugged it close.
“I was out in the woods and I saw those men, the fat one and the huge one with the tattoos. They were burying a body.”
He nodded as if her story made sense to him. “What were you doing in the woods?”
“I was collecting specimens for my supervisor’s Entomology class. I had just put them in my car and was going to leave when I saw a Long Tailed Skipper. It’s not supposed to live so far up north and I wanted to take a picture for the butterfly count.”
Calen stiffened and he cocked his head at her. “You were chasing a butterfly?”
“I study them…moths too.”
He nodded again, but it looked like he was trying not to laugh and Maia sighed. She had been teased for her looks her whole life. People often compared her to a fairy, and not in a good way. When they found out she studied butterflies on top of that, the teasing could get out of hand. She tensed, waiting for him to say something cutting, but his expression cleared.
“That’s perfect,” he said softly as if to himself, no trace of a smile in sight.
Calmly he continued to ask her a few questions, details on the men and what their vehicle looked like. She answered his questions but didn’t understand why he wanted to know. If he was going to take her to the authorities, he would have done it by now. Instead, she was in his home, having been treated by a private doctor. No policeman would ever know what she had seen.
“You’re not asking so you can tell the authorities right?” she asked softly for confirmation.
Calen shook his head with a resigned expression. “I’m afraid not. I know it doesn’t seem right or fair, but the best way to keep you safe is to stay quiet. That has to be our priority. I promised the Russians they would never hear from you. The best thing would be to forget you saw anything. That might be hard. Honestly, I don’t like it either, but we have to think of your safety.”
Maia absorbed that in silence before nodding slowly. She’d been preoccupied with saving her own life, she hadn’t even stopped to think about the fact those men were going to get away with murder.
“Will you miss classes if you don’t go for a few weeks?” Calen asked when she stayed quiet for too long.
“No, I’m doing research full time. Mostly on the computer right now,” she said.
“That’s good. You can set up an office here. There’s another spare bedroom, but until you can walk around, I can put a desk in your room.”
Maia hesitated. “Is that really my room?”
Calen stared at her for a moment, an indecipherable expression in his eyes. “For the foreseeable future. And...I think it might be best if people, my family included, think that we’re a couple. Maybe even engaged.”
Maia panicked. A couple? Her with him? Who would believe that?
“Why go so far? Why do we have to pretend?” she asked.
Calen cocked his head to the side. “If the Russians think you’re going to be a member of my family, there is less of a chance they’ll come after you again.”
“Why would they care about that? Is your family important? Are you related to a politician or something?” Maia asked bewildered.
Calen gave her a sharp glance before answering. “My father is Colman McLachlan. That’s why I was out there meeting with the Russians. I was doing him a favor.”
“I’m sorry,” Maia said. “But I don’t read the paper. Who is Colman McLachlan?”
Chapter 5
Was she serious? Did Maia honestly not know about the McLachlans? Calen swallowed his surprise. It had been a long time since anyone had been genuinely ignorant of his background, but Maia was a student. She probably wasn’t from around here, and most students were too busy to read the local papers. But his father’s exploits weren’t always restricted to print.
He laughed. “I guess you don’t watch the news, either.”
Maia’s frown wrinkled her little nose. “Not really.”
Calen inhaled deeply, trying to decide what to tell her. In the end, he decided on the truth.
“My father is in organized crime. Like his father before him, and if the stories can be believed, like my great-grandfather before that. Think Don Corleone, but Irish. My family is pretty notorious, and they’re completely entrenched in this town. It’s a big outfit, but I went another way. I try to play inside the lines. Started my first nightclub at twenty with my best friend Liam. Eventually I bought him out so he could use the profits to open a hotel with his brother Patrick. They’re doing pretty well. They own and operate the Caislean chain now. I’m still one of their shareholders.”
Maia looked a little green. “Oh. I think my supervisor stayed at one of the Caislean hotels during his last conference. He said it was very luxurious. Um, does your father do a lot of business with those people? The Russians?”
“Not as far as I know. They try to stay out of each other’s way. They owed him though, big. A distant cousin’s kid died. It was their fault, and they offered restitution. It was important, and the relevant parties were busy, so I went to make sure they paid up. I think it’s the only thing I’ve done for the family in like...the last ten years.”
“Oh, I thought maybe you were there buying drugs,” Maia said with an apologetic wince.
Calen snorted. “I don’t do drugs. Well, except alcohol. But hey, I’m Irish.”
Maia gave him a tiny shrug, “I thought you might be buying them for your patrons or something.”
“No VIP is worth that. I run a clean business. Make a point of it.”
“So you’re not going to...sell me?”
He laughed aloud. “No.”
“Why are you helping me?” Maia’s big green-blue eyes were filled with anxiety.
Calen searched for an answer that wouldn’t reveal too much. It wasn’t like he knew what he was doing. “I saw them bring you in, and I couldn’t leave you there.”
“Oh. Thank you. It seems so inadequate, but I don’t know what else to say except, well, I don’t think anyone’s going to believe we are a couple,” she said hesitantly, plucking at the throw covering her.
“Why not?”
“Have you seen you?” she asked in an incredulous tone.
He chuckled. “I’ve been known to look in a mirror on occasion. What’s your point?”
“Have you seen me?”
Since her image was probably still sitting on his desktop, he had to actively stop himself from smiling. Instead, he said, “Yes, I have. No one will question my choice. People generally don’t.”
“I guess I can believe that...” Maia said, closing her eyes briefly.
She looked tired and completely overwhelmed. Calen questioned her a little more, but his fairy was done for the evening. She fell asleep halfway through a conversation about her research and didn’t wake up when he put her to bed.
****
Calen was flipping through one of his prized volumes in the library thinking about the day’s events while he waited for the inevitable phone call from his father.
Ice cream, Jesus, he thought, remembering why Maia had disappeared so quickly that da
y at the club. It was so G-rated it was ridiculous. And it made him feel guilty. He was incredibly attracted to her, but she was such an innocent little thing. He wasn’t clean enough to touch Maia. Even if he had been living like a monk lately.
That didn’t change the fact that she needed him—despite the strength and fortitude she’d shown today. Most women would have fallen apart. He’d been half expecting her to have some sort of hysterical episode. But even though she was still unsure of him, Maia had gathered herself and carried on with dignity. She had even smiled at him a few times.
It made him feel warm inside, that he’d won a smile from her even after the day she’d had. In fact, the enjoyment she’d gotten out of the meal had been gratifying to see. He hadn’t seen anyone eat with such pleasure before.
Almost dying probably does make you appreciate the little things in life.
The phone rang. It was late. His father usually went to bed earlier than this. “What the hell were you thinking boy?” Colman asked, sounding tired.
He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Hello to you too, Da.”
“What were you thinking taking one of the Russian’s women?”
Calen tensed, the instinct to claim Maia too strong. “She’s not theirs. She’s just a kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
And she’s mine now.
“So Jimmy said. Doesn’t matter. You should have let it alone. What happens to her is not your business,” Colman said coldly.
“Actually, it is. You see, I know her. She came to the club once,” he said, knowing the half-truth would serve him better than an outright lie.
“You went out on a limb for one of your club girls?”
His father sounded disgusted. He had been after Calen to spend more time with someone ‘nice’ for years, instead of the party girls he was usually seen with. His father, one of the nastiest pieces of work he’d ever known, had no problem with the double standard. He didn’t care about getting his or his son’s hands dirty, but the women in their lives had to be pristine.
The fact that Darren’s wife Mary Margaret had once been a party girl herself had been an issue for the old man. But her willingness to settle down and start squeezing out kids right away had gone far toward earning his goodwill. His father wanted grandkids, a detail Darren was prepared to exploit to curry favor with the old man. Calen had thought it a cold and calculating move at the time, but it was starting to look more and more like a sound strategy.
“Maia isn’t a club girl. In fact, she went to Siren once for a birthday party and left early. Not her scene,” he said, fingering an image in his book that was close to what he was looking for. “How is Mary Margaret?”
“Okay, for now. They put her on bed rest so she won’t go into premature labor. And don’t change the subject,” Colman said, steel in his voice. “What are you going to do with the girl?”
“I thought that was obvious,” Calen said. “I’m going to keep her.”
Chapter 6
Maia woke disoriented and sore. Breathing hurt, and it took her a moment to remember why. Fear coursed through her as she relived the attack in the woods and the ride in the van.
And Calen. She slowed her breathing. She was in Calen’s penthouse. He was helping her.
You belong to me now.
Well, maybe he was helping her.
What the hell was he thinking suggesting they pretend to be a couple? Who in the world was going to buy that? Well, if he was the one saying it…
Calen looked like the type of man you didn’t question, but she found it hard to believe someone who looked like him would ever be with someone like her. And if she didn’t believe it, why would anyone else? Then there was the fact his family was Irish Mob. There was no way they would buy it.
She wasn’t ugly, but Maia knew she was kind of funny looking. Childhood was excruciating when you looked like an elf. Even now as an adult, she never attracted a lot of male attention. She blended in, and even those rare times when she didn’t, she was too shy to do anything about it.
Maia definitely didn’t belong on Calen’s arm. He was tall, with a swimmer’s build and thick dark brown hair with red highlights. In contrast, his eyes were a startling light blue. He was ridiculously attractive. Combined with the fact the he was obviously stinking rich, he surely had women throwing themselves at him all the time.
They would never pass for a couple.
Getting out of bed, Maia resolved to deal with that later. For now, it was enough that she was starting to believe he wouldn’t hurt her.
****
Calen waited for Maia to emerge from her room. He’d stayed home the night before to look after her, having his manager at Siren call in with updates. There hadn’t been much going on for a Saturday night. The club was settling down into a routine, and he didn’t need to be there every night anymore. His other clubs ran just fine without him, although he checked in regularly.
Perhaps Maia would like to visit one or two when she was better. The one in Miami or the one in L.A—both of those were pretty special.
When Maia didn’t come out of her room, he decided to bring her breakfast in bed. Getting around was probably still difficult for her. He whipped up some scrambled eggs and toasted an English muffin and put them on a tray with some orange juice. Balancing the tray on one hand, he carried it down the hall and knocked on her door.
“Come in,” Maia called out.
He entered, tray in hand. Maia was leaving the bathroom awkwardly on her crutches, and he hurriedly put the tray down.
“Here let me help you,” he said, sweeping her up, pretending not to hear her when she objected. He placed her gently on the bed and then brought her the tray. “I’m going to adjust these for you,” he said, fiddling with the crutches. “I think they’re set for a taller person.”
“Thanks,” Maia said, her cheeks growing pink as she started on the food.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, placing the adjusted crutches in her reach near the bed. He liked her easy capacity to blush. “We should go get your things. Do you think you’ll be ready to go in an hour?”
“Yes, I can,” she said eagerly from around a muffin, making him smile.
“Good. I’ll leave you to finish and be back for the tray in a bit,” he said as he stood.
Maia was wearing his robe again. It dragged on the ground, which was bad if she was on crutches. He better buy her one in her size immediately. Should he offer to help her change? He was going to have to make sure his housekeeper gave her a hand when she was around, but the woman wasn’t working today.
“Um, do you need a hand getting dressed?” he asked, hesitating awkwardly halfway to the door to look back at her.
“No. I’m fine,” she said, her blush deepening as she averted her gaze.
“All right,” he said.
Then he left to let her eat and get ready in private.
****
Calen was not impressed when Jay drove them to a shabby looking neighborhood in Allston. It seemed okay…but not great. Mostly families, but appearances were often deceptive in this kind of neighborhood.
As they entered Maia’s building, his opinion grew steadily worse. The building’s iron door was sound, but its hinges weren’t. A crowbar would be enough to get past it. And the front door to her apartment was a joke. One good kick would bust it wide open.
Calen carried Maia inside, again despite her objections. Her face was red when he set her down on an old corduroy couch.
“It’s cold in here. Does the heat work?” he asked.
“Yes, but not well. Sometimes it goes out,” Maia said apologetically.
“This window doesn’t close all the way,” Jay said from the windowsill.
Maia’s mouth twisted a little. “I know, the wood is a little warped.”
“So is the floor,” Calen said, looking around the room. “What do you do in winter?” he asked, stepping to the window to examine the gap between the window and the sash.
“I have two electric blankets, one for the couch and one for my bed.”
Calen looked away before frowning at his driver. Jay didn’t look too happy, either. His little fairy was poor. All of her things were old or used. The coffee table was scarred and worn, probably something she’d salvaged somewhere. The laptop on it was old and beat up. Only the books looked expensive—although most of them had a big yellow USED sticker on the spine.
“Why don’t we take the most important things now, like your clothes and books? And these pictures,” he said, picking up a framed photo of her and an older woman with the same hair as her. Her features were different, more conventional, but it was clearly her mother. “Do you look like your dad?” he asked curiously.
“I’m not sure. He took off when I was little. Mom didn’t keep any pictures of him,” Maia said, trying to gather her belongings while balancing on the crutches.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
He wanted to help her, but she seemed determined to do it on her own. At least this place was too small for her to be out of reach if she fell.
“It’s okay,” she murmured as she pulled a few books off a shelf. “I don’t think he was around long enough for her to have many pictures.”
He didn’t know what to say to that. Should he tell her not to feel bad? It wasn’t always a blessing to have your father around.
Probably not a good idea.
“What about her? Did she have any family?” he asked, gesturing with the photo.
“No, she was an only child, like me,” Maia said softly.
Calen nodded and decided it was time to change the subject. Maia was wilting. “Do you have a suitcase?”
“In the closet.”
Since Maia could reach most of her dresser from the bed in the cramped corner, he let her pack her own clothes. Letting her direct him, he took out the ones she wanted from her closet, including the only other coat she had. It was thin and slightly threadbare. The one she had been wearing was newer and thicker, but not by much. And it had been stained and torn in the attack.
He was going to have to buy her a whole new wardrobe. Maybe he should buy her something fur-lined. And some teal-colored dresses.
