Betrayed by Shadows

by Nancy Gideon

  “You’ll make better time on the water than I will by road,” Boyd reasoned, “so I’ll probably see you sometime this evening. I’ll have Daddy close up the cabin for you and take care of any cleaning up that needs to be done. We can get your things to you later. Best stop and tell Sammy ’bout what’s happened here.”

  “They’re dead.”

  Brigit’s coolly delivered words stunned Giles to the soul. He took a staggering step back. “What?”

  Her unblinking dark eyes met his, then went to Boyd. “Tell your father they’re in the kitchen with another of the Terriots.” With that, she left the porch to walk toward the boat, leaving the St. Clairs to process their shock.

  Giles pressed Boyd’s shoulder, saying gruffly, “See to it, T.”

  His cousin nodded as his arms were filled with a silently weeping Corene. “Don’t you want to say something to your mama?”

  Giles glanced at the front door, his expression carefully schooled to contain his thoughts. “I don’t have anything to say that she wants to hear.” He leaned down to kiss his sister’s temple and strode after Brigit.

  He caught up to her in the drive, gripping her arm to jerk her about to face him. “You didn’t tell me. Why? Why?”

  She didn’t flinch beneath his tightly controlled fury. “There was nothing you could have done.”

  His eyes filled even as his tone slashed at her. “Those people meant something to me.”

  “I know,” she told him simply. “That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

  He stared at her in incomprehending pain and frustration, wanting to strike out at her for her indifference, but finally pushing her away so he could continue to the boat alone. He was working the lines free with shaking hands when she came up behind him to place fingertips to his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  He shrugged her away with a violent movement. “Get the hell off me. Is there anything you’ve touched that hasn’t been destroyed?”

  Without a word, she walked around him to climb into the boat, sitting on the back bench seat, hands composed in her lap, face turned toward open water.

  A clueless Louella bounded up to fling her bag into the vessel. She planted a noisy kiss on Giles’s cheek before leaping in to claim the passenger captain’s chair.

  And so they started for New Orleans, Giles listening stonefaced to his cousin’s excited chatter while Brigit sat motionlessly behind them, drowning in regret.

  She didn’t think things could get any worse.

  Until she entered the grand hall on River Road to find her brother standing there.

  “Bree, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?”

  sixteen

  “You’re back early,” Brigit said calmly, leading Silas into the parlor while Giles turned his awestruck sister over to the housekeeper.

  “Yes, I am, and I’m not particularly happy about it.”

  “Where’s the little missus?” The last thing she needed was Nica Frasier MacCreedy jumping out at her with any of the fiendishly deadly weapons she was so fond of.

  “At home, annoyed as hell. I thought it best not to bring her. You want to explain your message to me, and why it was followed by the arrival of two very unpleasant members of the Terriot clan? Paying to clean all the blood out of the hotel Jacuzzi cost me a fortune.”

  She hadn’t thought they might trace other calls from Boyd’s phone. Is there anything you’ve touched that hasn’t been destroyed? “Are you both all right?”

  “Other than losing out on eight more days of fantastic sex, which I’ll probably never have again after this?” He glared at her impassive face, then threw up his hands. “Let’s have it, Brigit. All the truth, for once.”

  In a small voice, she suggested, “You’d better sit down.”

  She told him everything with unfaltering truthfulness, at least those details she felt he needed to hear. About her precarious position in Tahoe and the one-way purpose of her eviction. About Kendra’s resistance to a bonding with Cale Terriot or any of his equally dangerous brothers. About the intruder who breached the grounds, intent on killing her, which led to their hurried exit, with their troubles following right to the heart of Giles’s family.

  She didn’t mention that she and Giles had been intimate, figuring that was a moot point.

  Silas listened to the entire recitation without interrupting. She watched his face closely, but it revealed nothing of his thoughts, except when she mentioned her quickly discarded notion of taking up their onetime plan of trading Oscar for Kendra’s freedom. A slight tic pulled at the corner of his mouth.

  “So, let me recap what’s happened since you arrived here in New Orleans the first time,” he drawled when she’d finished. “Your lover, Daniel f-ing Guedry, heir apparent to the entire f-ing clan, gets himself burned alive trying to kill Max Savoie just to impress you. You try to save your ass from his family by getting Kendra hooked up with the big dog of the Terriot clan, whom we both know is a mindlessly violent animal. You wear out your welcome there to the point that good-bye isn’t final enough. So you decide you’ll escape their blood feud by putting an innocent boy, who happens to be your nephew, into their psychopathic hands. You bring all this drama not only into this house but into the lap of Giles’s family, putting them at risk, too. Tell me, Bree, is there one good reason why I shouldn’t murder you myself and save them the trouble?”

  “I can’t think of one.”

  Her stoic calm had him shaking his head in defeat. “You make me so tired. What am I going to do with you? How am I going to clean up this mess you’ve made?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’m barely hanging on here as it is, Brigit. Max is . . . unavailable. Our clan is fracturing. The Terriots and the Guedrys both want to steal our territory, and those monsters in the North want to come down here and crush us. I’ve got a job, a wife, and a child on the way. Let me put all that on pause to sort out the problems you continually make for yourself.”

  When she said nothing, he got up and crossed over to the sofa to sit beside her. His arm circled her shoulders to draw her to his chest. “I’m sorry. It was a long trip. I am tired. I couldn’t reach you, and it scared me. I should have been here for you. You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.”

  Yes, she knew that. And she realized the tremendous consequences.

  They both became aware of Giles in the doorway.

  Silas bussed a kiss upon her brow. “Go up and put on something pretty while I talk with Giles. That’ll make you feel better.”

  She leaned back and searched his tender, well-meaning gaze. “Nothing like an expensive outfit to make other problems small in comparison.”

  When she stood, he caught her hand, frowning slightly as he studied her unsmiling face. She pulled free and left the room, whisking by Giles without acknowledgment.

  Giles turned so he could watch her ascend the stairs with poise and dignity. He wondered how she could cling to it after the conversation with her brother. The things he’d said. The things she’d done. Giles hadn’t meant to listen, but he’d heard it all. And the part about Oscar wedged hard and sharp in his throat.

  Still, his first words to Silas weren’t condemning.

  “She saved my life and my cousins’. She walked right into danger beside me when she didn’t have to.”

  “Having courage has never been my sister’s problem.” Silas paused. Then his steely eyes narrowed. “Are you having sex with her?”

  Giles never blinked. “If I were, would that be a problem?”

  Silas offered a wry smile. “Not for me, no. But for you, plenty. Watch yourself, my friend. Bree has a tendency to devour her mates once their purpose is served.”

  “She’s your sister,” Giles began mildly, while his stare was locked in and loaded, “so I can’t tell you how to treat her. But I’d suggest you not talk about her that way when I’m around to hear it, or we might just have that problem.”

 
“Oh-kay.”

  Giles advanced into the room as if no threat had been made. “One of the Terriots is being delivered this evening. You might want to think about what to ask him and how to use him.”

  “Taken alive?”

  Giles noted the surprise in his voice. “Your sister’s not only brave, she’s smart, too. Must get that from you.”

  “More than a half dozen of their men are dead. Martin was one of Bram’s most trusted men. I don’t think the return of one low-level relative is going to placate their mood. Unless maybe I deliver him to them. Cale and I go way back.” Silas’s smile was unpleasant. “I was planning to meet with him later rather than sooner, but I might be able to work something out with him, get him to understand that if he keeps sending them, we’ll have to keep killing them. If any of what Brigit said is true, he’ll have to answer for the way my cousin’s been treated.”

  “But not for the way they treated Brigit?”

  “Oh, that goes without saying.” A cold glitter entered his gaze. “No one messes with my family, either.”

  “In the meantime, what are you going to do about Brigit?”

  “I don’t know. A convent? Prison?” Silas sighed. “She does have a spectacular gift for creating chaos.”

  “Women who look like that can’t help but stir things up.”

  “Like you said, when you add brains to that beauty, expect all hell to break loose.”

  Brigit dressed carefully for dinner, scooping her hair up in a heavy clip so that several tendrils escaped in tempting wisps. A caramel-colored silk cable-knit sweater over black denim jeans, flats, and a simple gold chain made a conservatively chic statement, as did the subdued application of cosmetics. She presented a lovely sophisticated face over the wretchedness writhing inside.

  She glided down the stairs and into the dining room without registering her surroundings. She hesitated slightly when she saw Nica at the table, then breezed in with a practiced smile that never reached her eyes. “I hope you weren’t waiting for me.”

  She purposefully avoided looking at anyone as she sank into the seat beside Louella and reached immediately for wine. Her hand was rock-steady, though her emotions trembled wildly. She knew what they thought of her and how right they were in those opinions.

  As the meal was served and Giles and Silas settled into talk about neglected Legere Enterprises business, Brigit was distracted by the rattling of Louella’s silverware when she picked up her napkin with tentative fingers. Brigit leaned close enough to whisper, “Start from the outside and work in. When in doubt, watch what I do.”

  The girl’s nervousness instantly calmed, and in moments she was chattering brightly. Giles’s conversation stopped when she asked if Brigit would take her shopping in the city. Without lifting her gaze, Brigit replied, “I don’t think I’ll be able to do that. I’m sure Giles will take you if you ask him. He knows quite a bit about the value of such things.” She said it lightly, with gentle humor, but her heart sat heavy with remorse.

  No girl talk and shopping sprees for her.

  She glanced up to catch Nica’s shrewd stare and met it for a long, expressionless beat. Then she smiled at Lou. “Perhaps my sister-in-law would show you around. She’d provide you with a fine escort.”

  Lou looked between her and Giles in confusion, muttering that it would be very kind of Mrs. MacCreedy.

  “It’s Nica,” came the warm reply. “We’re all friends and family here.”

  Brigit said nothing, her focus on her soup. She managed to get all the way through the meal, then with wine in hand, she murmured her excuses while crème brûlée was served. No one followed as she slipped out onto the porch, wondering if, for the good of everyone, she should keep going right out the front gates.

  But she’d picked the wrong shoes for a strenuous walk.

  Sighing, she dropped onto the glider and let her defenses fall. The strain of holding her game face had left her shivery and sick inside.

  What was she going to do? How could she make things right? Or if not right, at least acceptable? Maybe the best thing would be for her to do nothing and quietly, gracefully slip away. The direction didn’t really matter.

  She leaned back with her eyes closed and let the cool of the night air whisper by. Carrying Nica’s faint scent as she soundlessly approached.

  “She’d rather go with you.”

  Was this about Louella? Brigit waved a dismissive hand. “She’s too young to make those choices for herself. She needs to listen to her brother, and I’m the last one he’d trust her to.”

  “She appears to be a fairly competent judge of character.”

  Brigit laughed. “Young and delusional, if she thinks I have anything worthwhile to offer.”

  “Social planner too full to accommodate a country bumpkin?”

  She didn’t wince under Nica’s harsh summation. “I think I’ve done enough harm here already, don’t you? Give it a rest.”

  “Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, how about doing some good for a change?”

  Brigit opened her eyes to see the former assassin leaning back against the porch rail, her strange intense eyes stabbing through her. “Don’t worry. I plan to be gone as soon as I can make arrangements.”

  “Gone where?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Not to me, but it will to Silas. How about a nice wedding gift of not getting my new husband killed?”

  “Silas is too noble to say he’d be thrilled to be rid of me, even if it’s true. Don’t worry. I won’t be involving him. I have a few other options.”

  Nica was suspicious, but she didn’t pursue it. “If you’re planning to leave, how would you feel about repaying me for the interruption of my honeymoon first?”

  A sniff. “I’m afraid I’m a bit strapped at the moment.”

  “All I need is your time and your talent.”

  “To do what, exactly?”

  “Silas tells me you’re a healer.”

  Alert now, Brigit said nothing. Where was she going with this?

  “Gifts run in your family,” Nica continued. “Silas is a reader. A good one. If he can go into a mind and see its secrets, I’m wondering if you could slip in and mend it.”

  Brigit made the connection, somewhat surprised. “Are you talking about Max Savoie? Did he suffer some kind of brain damage?”

  “Medically induced by our friends in the North. They started a mind sweep but didn’t get to implantation. He can’t reach his memories.”

  “I’m not a psychiatrist.”

  “Are you at least a decent being who cares about your brother, if not your clan or your species?”

  “About as much as they care for me at this point.”

  They stared at each other, at an impasse.

  Finally, Brigit shrugged. “I don’t know what you expect me to do.”

  “Try. That’s all I’m asking.”

  Brigit’s eyes narrowed. “Did Silas put you up to this? Was he afraid to ask me himself?”

  “No. And probably yes. He would see the risk to you as too great.”

  “Not something you’re worried about, obviously.” Brigit waved a hand. “Why not? Then you can all live here happily ever after. When?”

  “Have Giles bring you and the girl into New Orleans tomorrow to meet me. Don’t tell him what we’re planning. I don’t want him to get his hopes up unfairly.”

  Considering how badly she’d failed him in everything else, that was a wise decision. Then one of her future options came to mind. “If I do this for you, will you do something for me?”

  “If I can.” Cautiously offered. “What do you want?”

  “I’ll tell you tomorrow.” Brigit’s tone grew serious. “And this is something you can’t share with anyone else.”

  “Not even your brother?”

  “Especially not.”

  Nica straightened. “Ask me tomorrow and we’ll see.”

  After her new sister-in-law went back inside, Brigit finished her w
ine in a gulp. Time to stop being the Queen of Denial. It wasn’t like her to hide from the obvious, and she’d been avoiding certain possibilities far too long. There was no going forward until she had facts. Facts that would determine her future and whether she was strong enough to make the right choice.

  Could she trust Nica? The female had no reason to help her or to keep her secrets, but Brigit had limited resources and couldn’t afford to be picky.

  Step One in place for the rest of her life’s journey.

  If only she had a clue where she was going.

  When she heard the rumble of a powerful engine coming through the gates, she had a good idea who might give her a ride to destinations unknown.

  “Evenin’, darlin’. Aren’t you a sight, sitting up there like you was ruling a kingdom?”

  She smiled at Boyd St. Clair, some of her misery falling away in the face of opportunity. A very charming face.

  He came up the steps, grinning wide, his blue eyes full of devilish intent. “Quite the setup Rob-E’s got here. Especially who he’s got sharing it with him.”

  “Not for much longer.”

  A flash of genuine regret was quickly overcome by self-interest. “Why, I am purely sorry to hear that. And here they said my cousin was the smart one. Let’s say we work on turning that frown upside down by you and me going into the city after I get done talking business.”

  “Probably not a good idea.”

  His cheeky grin widened. “Probably not. No nice girl would even consider it.”

  She studied him in his loud tropical shirt, the way his black hair fell in a flirtatious curl over his brow, his cocky stance promising plenty of hell-raising. Considering it.

  “Whatchu got against good music and a good time?” he challenged.

  “Not a thing.”

  “ ’Less, of course, somebody else is the boss of you.”

  Her independence flared, just as he’d known it would when he made that not-so-subtle challenge. This once, she didn’t mind being played.

  “No one is the boss of me.” But she pulled back behind a cool “I’ll think about it.”

  “You do that.”