The Firstborn

by Dani Sinclair

  Bram was a man she could rely on. But he also had a softer side. She’d sensed it from the start. He exposed that silent part of him in the beauty of his art. But she’d experienced his gentleness firsthand. Look at the tender way he’d ministered to her today. How could she have questioned his intentions, even briefly?

  Bram stopped working and looked up. There was no way he could see her standing here, concealed in the deep shadows. Yet his brooding gaze went right to the spot where she stood, sending her pulses racing. Slowly, deliberately, he slid the large steel rod deep into the heart of the fire as he stared at her.

  Excitement pooled low in her belly. Her nipples tightened in anticipation and she couldn’t seem to draw a breath. Without turning away, he withdrew the rod from the flames, holding it so she could clearly see the tip glowing an angry red-orange.

  “Did you want something?”

  His voice seemed to travel over her body with the impact of a caress. Hayley stepped into the clearing, uncharacteristically nervous.

  “I…yes. Can we…talk?”

  “Talk?”

  His gaze swept over her, lingering a moment on her unconfined breasts. The flimsy material of her shirt became an erotic stimulus against her nipples.

  “Go back to the house, Hayley. I’m not in the mood to…talk right now.”

  She almost asked him what he was in the mood for, but he turned and savagely plunged the red-hot metal into a pail filled with water. The sizzle of the cool water on the hot metal rose in the air along with a burst of steam.

  “I’m not very good company at the moment, Hayley.”

  “I know. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

  He set down his tools, peeling the heavy gloves from his hands. “What do you want from me?”

  Everything.

  She set the bag of crackers and cheese on one of his rickety folding chairs and crossed to where he stood. Bram was a hard man, as unbending as the metal he worked. But metal could be softened by heat.

  “I need you,” she said honestly.

  “You mean you want sex,” he rumbled darkly. The glow from the fire bathed the sheen of sweat on his chest.

  “That, too. But first I need your help.” She swallowed, suddenly unsure how to proceed. Her bravado faded. “I’m scared, Bram. Really scared.”

  His expression remained unyielding. “Of what?”

  If he’d shown even the tiniest bit of softness, maybe the truth wouldn’t have tumbled past her lips. But his unyielding countenance sent her deep-rooted fears spilling into the warm night air.

  “Something’s wrong with me. I don’t know what’s happening and I don’t know what to do. I can’t seem to think. I’m easily confused and distracted. I’m exhausted all the time—when I’m not asleep. My brain feels like sludge and I don’t know why.”

  She bit off the litany, hearing the threat of tears in her voice.

  “I never cry. Never. Yet all I want to do is sit down and bawl like a baby. Maybe Eden’s right. Maybe I am insane like Marcus.”

  “Don’t be a fool,” he snapped.

  “I think it’s too late.”

  “See a doctor.”

  Hayley nodded, but she didn’t move.

  “Why come to me?”

  Because I think I’ve fallen in love with you.

  “Because you’re the only person I trust. You were right, you know. Someone is playing a nasty game with me—and I don’t understand the rules.”

  Unexpectedly, her stomach growled, a loud, distressing sound in the quiet clearing.

  Bram scowled. “What did you eat for dinner?”

  “I slept through dinner.”

  He stood there glaring. He wasn’t going to help. She would have to get in her car and drive away, after all. She closed her eyes, opening them when he grabbed her forearms.

  “Sit down before you fall down.” His eyes were twin coals, burning hotter than the flames. His voice softened. “You’re trembling.”

  “I do that a lot lately, too.”

  Bram swore. With a gentleness that threatened to fill her eyes once more, he guided her down on the other rickety camp chair. “You need to eat.”

  She nodded. “I have crackers and cheese. I brought enough for two.”

  “I ate dinner,” he said gruffly, turning away.

  Hayley closed her eyes so he wouldn’t see how much the rebuff hurt. She sensed him moving about the camp, but she didn’t watch. It didn’t matter what he was doing. He didn’t want her here. The attraction had only been sexual on his part, after all. And now he wasn’t even interested in that.

  She’d rest for a minute, then get in her car and leave. If there was no room at The Inn, she’d sleep in her car tonight.

  “Hayley? Wake up!”

  She forced her eyes open. “I wasn’t asleep.” But her voice was thick and her eyes were heavy.

  “Yeah,” he said more gently, “you were.”

  She started to protest that she’d only closed her eyes for a few minutes, but he was not only standing there holding a plate, he’d taken the time to rinse away the sweat and grime from his work and to don a clean shirt that buttoned down the front. Minutes must have gone by and she couldn’t remember them!

  Starkly, Hayley looked at him, her heart pounding in fear. “Something is wrong. No one is this tired all the time. I’m so thirsty. Would you hand me a bottle of water from the bag?”

  “Hayley, are you using drugs?”

  “No!”

  “Not even some sort of prescription drugs?”

  “I don’t even drink caffeine.”

  Bram studied her impassively. “But you do drink a lot of water. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without a bottle.”

  “It’s healthy.”

  He handed her the plate. In addition to the cheese and crackers, he’d added some fruit. “Eat this. I’ll get your water.”

  She stared at the plate and knew she’d never get a single bite past her dry throat. Why had she come here? How many times did Bram have to tell her to get lost before she took the hint?

  He handed her a bottle of water, but it slipped from her fingers and rolled across the hard-packed dirt. “Sorry. Did I mention I’ve been unusually clumsy lately, as well?”

  Picking up the bottle, Bram suddenly stood unnaturally still. He stared hard at the bottle, then he disappeared for a minute and returned. He thrust a large paper cup into her hand. “Drink this.”

  “What is it?”

  “Club soda.”

  “Yuck.”

  “Drink it anyway.”

  “I’d rather have my water.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  He moved out of the light and returned with a much larger lantern. Turning it on, he held the unopened bottle of water close to the light and began turning the plastic container slowly.

  The food sat forgotten in her lap as she watched him examine the bottle. He squeezed gently. A tiny trail of moisture trickled down one side.

  “When I picked it up just now, it felt wet,” he said quietly. “When did you first start to notice all these symptoms?”

  She began to tremble. “Shortly after I got here.”

  Bram nodded. “The other day, I had a drink from one of your bottles.”

  “I remember.”

  “I was tired and muzzy all afternoon. I put it down to the heat.”

  “Are you saying there’s something wrong with the water I’ve been drinking?”

  “The seal isn’t broken, and I need better light than this to be sure, but if I’m not mistaken, there’s a tiny pinhole right here under the bottom lip. The sort a syringe might make.”

  Her brain emptied of all thought. She could only stare at the bottle in his hand.

  “How much of this have you drunk today?” Bram demanded.

  “I—I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

  “Try, Hayley. Did you have some after you woke up?”

  “Yes. But only one bottle.”

  “On an
empty stomach,” he said grimly.

  “You don’t know there’s anything wrong with the water.”

  “I think a few assumptions are in order here. Come on. We need to get you to a hospital.”

  “No!”

  “Hayley, if the water was drugged…” Bram strove for patience when every molecule in his body cried for action.

  “They’ll call the police,” she said, so softly he had to strain to hear her. “The police will say I tampered with the bottles to get them to reopen an investigation out here.”

  “What sort of investigation?”

  “When my mother disappeared, Leigh and I convinced the police to dig up the newly poured foundation for the fountain out back. We were so certain Marcus had something to do with Mom’s disappearance that we convinced them to look for her body, even though it appeared she vanished in the city. I was…vocal.”

  “You raised a stink.”

  Hayley nodded. “The media picked it up. Marcus was forced to close his practice and send his patients to other doctors. The police tore up the fountain, they even checked the house and grounds without finding anything, but I kept insisting that Marcus was responsible. Chief Crossley finally lectured me on what would happen if I continued making accusations without proof.”

  “Let me guess. You stopped making accusations but kept hounding them.”

  “I had to! I won’t let them forget about her!” She looked away. “Chief Crossley won’t even take my calls anymore. He’d love an excuse to toss me in jail. If the water is drugged, he’ll have the excuse he’s looking for.”

  Hayley was nothing if not determined, and she had plenty of guts. Those were just two of the things Bram admired about her.

  “We need to get this analyzed,” he told her.

  “If it was poisonous, I’d be dead by now.”

  “I hate to burst your bubble, but there are slow-acting poisons out there.”

  Her eyes widened. She looked so fragile. He didn’t want her to see how worried he was, but it was all he could do not to lift her up, toss her in his truck and take her to the hospital whether she liked it or not.

  “Isn’t there someplace private we could take the water to have it tested?” she asked.

  “Probably.”

  “At least there’s a reason I seem to be going crazy.”

  “You aren’t crazy.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” she said with grim humor. “I haven’t told you what happened a few minutes ago.”

  “Tell me in the truck.”

  “I told you—”

  “No hospital,” he agreed. “The other night when we went for dinner you introduced me to a nice older couple.”

  “George and Emily Walken.”

  Bram nodded. “Let’s go pay them a visit.”

  “What can they do?” She shoved at her hair as he helped her to her feet.

  “I’ve no idea, but you said they know practically everyone. I’m out of my depth here, Hayley. I don’t know this area well enough to find us a lab that could run an analysis on the water, and it’s late. We’d never find anyplace open at this hour. Maybe they can suggest someone to help us. Get in the truck while I secure the area. You can eat something on the way. Food might help absorb whatever’s in that water.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe I should throw up.”

  Looking into her stricken eyes, he saw just how scared she really was. He felt exactly the same way. Fear for her was gnawing away at his insides. It was all he could do to remain calm. He laid his palm against her cheek. Her skin was incredibly soft and cool to the touch.

  “No fever. Do you feel sick?”

  “Not unless you count the butterflies doing aerial dives in my stomach.”

  “Let’s go talk to the Walkens.”

  There was total trust in her expression. “Okay. Oh. Wait! I have to go back to the house for my purse.”

  “Forget it. You aren’t stepping another foot inside that place until we find out what’s going on.” He wasn’t budging on that issue for any reason. She must have recognized that fact because after a moment she nodded slowly. He helped her into the passenger’s seat.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  When he slid behind the wheel several minutes later, her head was back, her eyes were closed and the plate of food was sitting in her lap untouched.

  He shook her gently, relieved when her eyes popped open. “Come on, Hayley, fight it. You have to stay with me. I’m going to need directions to their house.”

  The Walken estate proved to be considerably larger than Heartskeep, but designed along more traditional lines. Emily Walken answered the door right away. If she was startled to see them at this hour of the night, her innate graciousness covered the fact.

  “Hayley, Mr. Myers, what a nice surprise.”

  “Mrs. Walken,” Bram said, ushering Hayley inside. “I’m sorry for barging in unannounced this late, but we have something of an emergency.”

  As George Walken entered the spacious foyer Bram got right to the point. “Hayley’s been drinking bottled water that appears to have been tampered with.”

  “What sort of symptoms are you having?” Emily Walken asked. Her calmness was reassuring.

  “Exhaustion, mental confusion—anything else?” Bram asked Hayley, who stood there half-asleep.

  “Maybe auditory hallucinations,” she said nervously. “I was sure I heard the pantry door close, but when I looked inside, it was empty.”

  George met Bram’s gaze. “The hospital—”

  “No!” Hayley said adamantly.

  He nodded soothingly. “All right, Hayley. We have some friends who may be willing to help. Saul is a doctor. His wife is a chemist.”

  “Saul’s a pediatrician, dear,” his wife corrected. “But unfortunately, the world being what it is, he’s had to treat more than a few youngsters for drug ingestion and overdose. Come inside and sit while I call Rhea. You’ll like the Levinsons.”

  They did indeed like the couple. Saul was a short, jolly man who made up for his lack of stature with a big heart and a cheerful disposition. Rhea was a foot taller and on the quiet side, but it was quickly apparent she knew her profession.

  Hayley sat reassuringly close to Bram on the comfortable sofa. Maintaining physical contact seemed to steady her as well as him.

  “My patients are generally younger and smaller than you, but let’s see what we can discover,” Saul told her. “I’ll need a urine sample as well as some blood, and as much information as you can give me.”

  Emily escorted the couple and Hayley upstairs, leaving Bram to pace the warmly inviting family room restlessly. George Walken watched from his chair near the enormous fireplace.

  “I understand her concern over involving the police,” George told him. “Hayley’s been a thorn in Chief Crossley’s side ever since her mother disappeared. The lead investigator on that case was out of New York City. He and the local boys didn’t get along, so the situation has been difficult for everyone.”

  “Do you think Marcus had something to do with Amy Thomas’s disappearance?”

  George sighed. “I’ve never known what to think. Everyone took Dennison’s death hard, but no one more than Amy. She adored her father, and when she disappeared so soon after his death, her state of mind was called into question.”

  “I don’t imagine that sat very well with Hayley.”

  “No. None of us ever believed Amy went to New York on a shopping expedition so soon after her father’s death, but we don’t know why she did go there.”

  George took his measure thoughtfully for a minute. He eyed the tattoo on Bram’s arm, the open-necked shirt and the clean jeans Bram had quickly changed into before joining Hayley in the truck. There was no censure in his expression.

  “Hayley will never admit it, but it is remotely possible that grief made Amy behave out of character to some degree. She was never a careless person, but the city police are probably right that she was killed for her money and jewelry and d
umped in a shallow grave somewhere.”

  “Do I sense a but in there?”

  George continued to look him in the eye. “But I agree with the girls that there is more to the story. Unfortunately, Amy was an intensely private person. She always faced her problems head-on and dealt with them on her own.”

  “Hayley’s her mother’s daughter.”

  George nearly smiled. “Yes, she is. Thanks for bringing her here tonight. When Dennison was first diagnosed with his heart condition, he confided in me. He was worried about Amy and the girls, especially if anything should happen to him, as it did.”

  “Why didn’t Amy divorce Marcus?”

  George shook his head. “I asked her that once. She said she’d taken a vow for better or for worse. She considered her daughters were better than Marcus was worse.”

  Bram frowned.

  “You had to know Amy. Once she gave her word there was no looking back. It would have been different if Marcus had been abusive, but he simply ignored the girls. I promised Dennison I’d look after all of them if his heart ever gave out, but I did a damn poor job of things.”

  His regret came from the heart, Bram knew. Hayley had said Emily and George took in troubled kids. Bram wondered if those kids realized how lucky they were.

  The others returned and Bram was relieved to see Hayley looking better than she had a few minutes ago. She came to his side as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and he slid his arm around her waist.

  Saul couldn’t tell them much until his wife tested the samples, but his exam hadn’t revealed anything overtly serious. By the time the couple left, Bram’s apprehension had lessened.

  “I made up rooms for you both,” Emily told him. “Feel free to help yourselves to whatever you need. Hayley knows where things are.”

  “Thank you, Emily, but I can go back to Heartskeep for the night.”

  Hayley tensed.

  “You can, but I’d like it if you’d stay the night,” Emily said.

  Bram didn’t look at Hayley. He nodded slowly. “All right. Thank you.”

  She showed them to rooms across from one another. His room obviously had been intended for a couple of “their boys,” as the couple referred to their foster charges. At the moment, they didn’t have anyone staying with them.