Kathryn stared, recognizing it for one of those she’d left with the sheriff. “How—” she started to ask, suspicion blooming. “I stored your gear at the Sheriff’s Office.”
Dan shook his head, as if reading her mind. “The nut brought it to me, bragged how clever he’d been, stealing it from under the Sheriff’s nose.” He tightened his hold on the camera, lifting it to eye level. “This is gonna win me a Pulitzer, Kat.”
“Dan,” she scolded.
Kurt urged him toward the hallway, but Dan stopped in front of her and took her hand. “I knew you’d come.”
Kathryn tightened her hand on his. “It was Kurt who found you,” she said, giving the bartending vampire a grateful look. “I was sure Alex Carmichael had you.”
“Alex?” Dan repeated in confusion.
“Later,” Kurt said. “Shower first.”
Dan laughed a little, gave Kathryn’s fingers a final squeeze and repeated, “I knew you’d come.” Then, as if the exchange had taken what little energy he had left, he leaned heavily against Kurt, who all but carried him out of the filthy room.
When they were gone, she gave Lucas a hard look. “Pilarski,” she said tightly.
“All tied up with a pretty bow, just as you ordered, Agent Hunter,” he replied mockingly.
“I know you think I’m foolish—”
“Not at all,” he said, then grimaced and covered his nose and mouth with one hand. “But could we finish this somewhere else? Even a human nose must be offended by the smell in here.”
Kathryn belatedly remembered the stench, and her stomach roiled. She’d been so preoccupied with Dan . . . Fighting a sudden urge to vomit, she hurried from the filthy room, pushing Lucas ahead of her. “Move, vampire, unless you want me to add to the aroma.”
Lucas grabbed her and raced them both down the hall and outside into the parking lot, where Kathryn leaned over, hands on her knees as she sucked in deep breaths of the brisk night air.
“God, that was awful,” she gasped. “I can’t imagine . . . Hell, I need a shower.”
“Here comes your sheriff,” Lucas commented from where he stood several feet away, probably just in case she lost the battle against her stomach.
Kathryn looked up as Sheriff Sutcliffe pulled into the lot, followed by a second patrol unit, both with their light bars flashing.
“But I didn’t call him yet.”
“I had Nick call before we went in,” Lucas said mildly. He shrugged when she gave him a questioning look. “I didn’t feel like waiting around for the local Garda to get here. It can take a while for someone to show up in these small towns, especially at night.”
Kathryn straightened, then patted Lucas’s arm in appreciation as she went to meet the sheriff.
“Sheriff Sutcliffe,” she greeted him.
“Agent Hunter,” he responded. “How’s your brother?”
“Exhausted and hungry, but nothing a few days rest won’t take care of.”
“You didn’t call for a rescue unit?”
“A friend took him in,” she said, letting him assume she meant in to the hospital. “We thought it would be faster.”
“So, he’s been right here the whole time,” Sutcliffe said, shaking his head. “How’d you find him?”
She nodded. “Anonymous tip on my cell phone about ninety minutes ago. The voice was a man’s, but muffled. He said my brother was being held here, and since we were already en route from the airport, we came directly to the park to check it out.”
“You waited to call me,” he said in obvious disapproval.
“That’s correct, sir. I saw no reason to make a scene if it turned out to be a prank. After all, you and I both checked things out here at the visitor center, and nothing tweaked our radar.” She phrased it deliberately, making herself just as responsible as the sheriff—maybe more—for overlooking anything that might have indicated her brother was being held right under their noses.
“I see.” His gaze traveled over the vampires ranged behind her. There were only three—Lucas, Mason and Nicholas—since Lucas had already sent the others away. He would have sent even those two, but he hadn’t been willing to leave Kathryn alone with the prisoner, and Nicholas had refused to leave Lucas alone with the human authorities. Trust-Issues-R-Us, apparently.
“Mister Donlon and his associates were with me when I received the tip,” she explained, feeling only a slight twinge at manipulating the truth.
“Do you know where it came from? The tip, I mean.”
“I’ve already had it checked. The call came from a throwaway cell. Impossible to trace.”
“Damn things. Well—” He looked beyond her to Cody Pilarski, who was hanging miserably between two husky vampires. “What have you got to say for yourself, Cody?”
Pilarski lifted his head and addressed the sheriff. “I want to deal,” he said sullenly. “This was Belinda’s idea, not mine. Hunter’d be dead if I hadn’t protected him.”
Sheriff Sutcliffe shrugged. “Not my call,” he said, then turned to Kathryn, who was still absorbing Pilarski’s claim. Belinda had been the one who instigated the kidnapping? She was the park ranger Kathryn had interviewed on her first day in town. The one who’d gotten all flustered when talking about Dan. Kathryn had assumed she was smitten, but maybe she’d simply been guilty.
“I’ll hold Pilarski overnight,” the sheriff was saying, “have the County pick him up in the morning. And don’t you worry about him getting bail, no matter what deal he gets. We don’t take to kidnappers in South Dakota.”
“I appreciate that. And now, the scene is yours, Sheriff. I know I should stay, but my brother needs me. So, if it’s all right with you—”
“Don’t you worry,” Sutcliffe assured her. “I understand, and I know where you work,” he added, with a wink.
Kathryn laughed, relieved. She’d known she was pushing it by not hanging around. It was bad enough that her brother, the most important witness, was already gone. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “You have my numbers, and I’ll make sure we’re available to give our statements.”
“You’ll be in town?” Sutcliffe verified, proving he wasn’t totally gullible.
Kathryn nodded. “A while,” she said vaguely, very aware of Lucas’s keen hearing picking up every word she said. “You can reach me on my cell.”
“Good enough, then. I’m glad everything worked out for you and your brother, Agent Hunter. This is a good day.”
“Yes, it is, Sheriff.”
Lucas came up behind her, not touching, but close enough that she could feel the heat of his presence. They stood silently until the sheriff ambled over to confer with his deputies, and then Lucas dipped his head to her ear and said, “A while, Kathryn?”
She shivered at the low rumble of his voice and the slight menace in the question. She’d known this was coming. She had to go back to Virginia, her job was there. And her home, such as it was. In a perfect world, she might have stayed in this little town, bought a quaint little cottage and settled down to raise goats, or maybe paint masterpieces. It always happened that way in stories. Unfortunately, this was the real world.
“Kathryn?” Lucas demanded.
She turned to face him, her hand automatically lifting to caress his beard-roughened jaw, her eyes meeting his golden gaze. And her heart twisted. She didn’t know how it could have happened. Didn’t know why it had happened now, and with a vampire of all people. But she loved him. It was going to tear her apart when she had to leave.
“A while,” she repeated, stroking her thumb over his soft lips.
Lucas wasn’t fooled. He eyed her suspiciously and said, “We’ll talk.”
Kathryn nodded. Saying good-bye was going to be hard enough, she thought sadly, but Lucas was used to getting his own way. He was going to make it even harder.
“Do you know where Kurt took Dan?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Kurt lives at the ranch.”
Kathryn gave him a surprised loo
k.
“Most of my people do,” he explained. “Vampires tend to live in nests. It’s safer that way.”
“Can I see my brother, then?”
He gave her a narrow look. “Aren’t you coming back to the ranch tonight?”
Lucas was far too intuitive for Kathryn’s comfort. “Of course,” she assured him, even though she would rather have gone to the motel. Kathryn didn’t believe in dragging out the inevitable. Better to make a clean break of it. But Dan was at the ranch, and in her heart, she wanted these last few hours with Lucas. Tomorrow would be soon enough for heartbreak.
* * * *
Kathryn’s brother was waiting when Lucas finally got home to his ranch. Kurt had him sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of hot tea and the remains of a sandwich in front of him. Lucas eyed the food, then lifted his gaze to Kurt, one eyebrow cocked curiously.
“Judy made the sandwich,” Kurt explained. “And we had the tea.”
“I see,” Lucas murmured. He heard Kathryn come in behind him. Dan had been watching the exchange between Lucas and Kurt, more curious than frightened. Not that he had anything to fear from Lucas—Kathryn would stake him in his sleep if he touched one hair on her precious brother’s head. But it was surprising, given his recent captivity, that Dan Hunter retained as much of himself as he did. It spoke to strength of character, and courage, too. Kathryn had raised him well, Lucas thought dryly.
“Can I hug you now?” Kathryn demanded, bypassing Lucas to go directly to her brother’s side.
He grinned, and Lucas abruptly saw the resemblance between them. The brother’s hair was darker, his features obviously heavier, more masculine, but the eyes were the same deep blue, and that grin was what Kathryn’s would have been if her life hadn’t wrapped her up so tightly in responsibilities. Most especially a baby brother.
Dan Hunter stood, and brother and sister hugged. He was a good three inches taller than Kathryn, and yet when they hugged it was the hug of a mother and child. Lucas watched and felt an answering tug in his soul, the yearning of a child who’d never had that kind of security. Or who’d lost it so young that it was only a faint memory.
Kathryn ran her fingers through her brother’s hair. “Did you call Penny?”
“First thing.”
“Are you going back to California right away?”
“I don’t know,” he said carelessly. “I never finished what I wanted to do here, and there’s the new collection to work on. You said my gear’s at the sheriff’s? All of it?”
“Yeah,” she said, not concealing her surprise at his answer. “You sure you don’t want to go home? Or you can come to my place, if you want.”
“No. I’m gonna hang out here with Kurt awhile.”
Kathryn’s sharp gaze flashed to Kurt, who gave her a conspiratorial wink.
“Huh,” she said, then turned her attention back to Daniel. “Sit, baby,” she said, urging him back into his seat.
Lucas almost growled. She never called him “baby,” he thought, then nearly laughed out loud. What? He was jealous of her damn brother? Maybe he should let her leave if this was what she turned him into.
“Kathryn,” Lucas said softly, trying not to sound as irritated as he felt.
She turned to him, eyes wide in dismay. Or maybe guilt. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Dan, this is Lucas Donlon. He’s been helping me look for you. Lucas, my brother, Daniel.”
Dan stood again and took a step closer to Lucas to offer his hand. But his expression, when he met Lucas’s gaze, was no longer that of a beloved baby anything. It was full of warning and protectiveness, a look that said, hurt my sister and die.
“Kurt’s told me all about you, Lord Donlon.”
Lucas gripped the boy’s hand, just managing to curb the instinct to crush his too fragile human bones. If not for Kathryn watching every nuance, he might have.
“You’re a lucky man,” Lucas said instead, “to have someone like your sister care so deeply about you.”
“I am,” Dan agreed. “And she deserves the best.”
Lucas nearly laughed at the obvious but unspoken threat. He bared his teeth. “Don’t push it, boy,” he growled
“Stop it!” Kathryn hissed. “Both of you. Dan. Sit down and drink your tea, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She turned her glare on Lucas. “Can we talk?”
“Of course,” Lucas replied smoothly. “Let’s take this to my office.” He pushed open the kitchen’s swinging door and gestured for her to precede him, giving the brother a dark look over his shoulder as he followed.
“What the hell was that?” Kathryn demanded once they were safely behind the closed door of his office.
“Ask your baby brother,” Lucas responded loftily. “He’s the one who tried to break my fingers with his feeble human handshake.” He circled his desk and slumped down into his comfortable chair, picking up a sword-shaped letter opener to play with.
“I can’t believe this. You’re jealous of my brother?”
“If you say so.”
“There’s no reason—” she started furiously.
“Tell me, Kathryn,” he interrupted, raising his eyes to meet hers. “What are your plans?”
She froze mid-sentence. “What?”
“Your plans. You’ve found your brother, and he’s apparently staying here. Should be interesting, by the way. But what about you?”
Kathryn stared at him as she sank wordlessly into one of the chairs in front of his desk. “I can’t stay here, Lucas,” she admitted softly. “My job—”
“Your job. That’s it, then? You and I mean nothing?”
“We live thousands of miles apart,” she pleaded. “And I don’t exactly work nine to five. This is the most I’ve taken off work in . . . ever. Even if we traded off visiting each other—”
“Which I can’t do,” Lucas said, throwing the letter opener onto his desk. “Virginia belongs to another lord. I can’t go there.”
“But you expect me to give up my life,” she said, making it a statement, not a question.
“Your job is your life? I doubt that. So what’s the real problem here, Kathryn?”
“Fine. My problem is that relationships have a way of taking over. It starts out being fun, and pretty soon you’re giving up time with friends, skipping out on work, and then before you know it, your life isn’t your own anymore. It’s someone else’s.”
“News flash, love. That’s a two-way street. You’re not the only one being asked to give up something.”
“But I don’t want you to give up anything! I don’t want either one of us to give up anything. I just want my life to be mine. I spent twenty years taking care of my brother, and my father, too. I lived for their needs, their wants, their everything, and I promised myself that when Dan was grown I’d never do it again.”
“Except here you are,” he responded bitterly. “Rushing in once more to save your brother. Obviously, you’re not as free as you thought,” he added, surprisingly hurt by her words, by the idea that she considered what they had to be a burden, rather than a gift.
“But I love my brother. I can’t just turn off my feelings, you know.”
Lucas stared at her, concentrating on sitting perfectly still, on not showing any of the pain her words were causing him. Not that it seemed to matter. She was completely unaware of what she’d said.
Lucas stood from behind his desk, the big leather chair gliding away noiselessly. “At least not the feelings you have for your brother,” he commented flatly. “Be safe, Kathryn. Nick will provide any assistance you require in arranging transportation.” He strode across the room, heading for his private entrance.
“Lucas,” Kathryn pleaded as he pulled the door open. “Don’t leave like this.”
But Lucas didn’t turn around, didn’t even look. There was nothing more to say.
Nick was coming down the hall as Lucas closed the door behind him, Kathryn’s words still playing in his head.
“My lord,” Nick said, hurrying forwa
rd. “I was just coming to your office.” He paused, catching the expression on Lucas’s face, and probably a whiff of his emotions, as well. “My lord? Did something happen?”
“Nothing. Agent Hunter will be leaving. Give her whatever help she needs. Where’s Mason?”
“Down at the stables, I believe, with a few of the others.”
“Get him up here. I’m going to the homestead. The sooner the better, Nick.”
* * * *
Kathryn stood in Lucas’s office, staring at the door he’d shut in her face. She could open it. She could chase him down and force him to talk to her, to let her explain. But what was the point? Everything she’d told him was true. They did live thousands of miles apart, and she’d known when she said it that he couldn’t visit her in Virginia. Which meant, regardless of Lucas’s fine words about compromise, she’d be the one expected to turn her life on its side once more. Lucas would still be here, on his ranch, with all of his people around him. Still the big, fucking lord of the realm. While she’d be giving up the only thing that had ever been truly hers. Her job.
So, instead, you’re giving up Lucas?
She swatted away the voice in her head. Who said she’d ever had Lucas to give up in the first place? They’d known each other for a few days, a week. Big deal. They hadn’t even gotten past the lust phase of a relationship, much less anything else. Okay, so she’d never actually been in lust like this before, but her friends had, and they’d told her all about it. In great, fucking detail. With an emphasis on the fucking. So, maybe that’s all this was with Lucas—a few days of great sex.
But even if it wasn’t, even if they’d managed to stick it out a month, or a year, it would mean compromising on her job. Being with the FBI was the only thing she’d ever wanted to do. And if she wasn’t willing to give that up in order to be with Lucas, then maybe it wasn’t love, after all.
The pictures on the wall next to Lucas’s desk caught her eye, the ones she’d admired at the very beginning, the ones Dan had taken in Ireland. She smiled sadly, thinking about a young Lucas crossing those fields with his mother, only to be turned away by the very people who should have protected them. She went over and touched the image of a running horse, sighing softly. Maybe Lucas was right. There was no sense in raising hope where there was none. Maybe a clean break was best.
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