To Bedevil A Beauty (Southern Sanctuary - Book 5)

by Jane Cousins

  Looking into his slate grey eyes Berry’s pathfinder power instantly kicked in, but instead of dozens or hundreds of options open to Ramsey, there were only a dim hazy few. What the… instantly, knowing she had less than a second, Berry threw herself hard against Ramsey, causing him to stumble back a step.

  Ramsey caught Berry as she unexpectedly stumbled forward, knocking him off balance. She cried out, the sound of the bullet loud as she was ripped out of his arms, spinning away from him, falling, her head hitting the side of her car with a loud thud as she went down.

  Ramsey, within a blink of an eye was down on the ground next to her, her head cradled in his lap, Berry’s blood splattered across his face. Ramsey had his gun out, his upper body twisting, searching for a target, listening for footsteps. Nothing.

  Berry let out a small groan as she struggled to get up, her eyes blinking rapidly, her pupils large and unfocused. Ramsey holstered his gun, restraining Berry gently with one hand as he grabbed for his walkie talkie and called for an ambulance and requested back-up. Once that was done he leaned over Berry, making soft crooning senseless noises, feeling useless and angry at himself for dropping his guard as he applied pressure to her wound. Berry’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment.

  “Stay with me Berry. Stay with me.”

  Her eyes opened suddenly and just for a moment her dark, sinful, chocolate coloured gaze focused on his face, she frowned, a small furrow appearing in the middle of her forehead. “I know you from somewhere, don’t I?”

  Chapter Six

  Berry woke feeling groggy, numb and strangely weighted down. She stared at the unfamiliar ceiling and the bright filtered daylight that played across it. Her first thought that she was in hospital was quickly dismissed. The bed was too large and way too comfortable.

  Turning her head on the pillow she slowly took in the unfamiliar room. The light-coloured hardwood floors, the crisply painted white walls, the expensive furniture and the top of the line sheets and coverlet draped over her. Where was she? The scent of the ocean teased her nostrils, turning her head the other way she noted the sliding doors leading to what must be a balcony were slightly ajar, the curtain billowing gently, letting in fresh air.

  Damn, why did she feel so… icky and off balance? She frowned, and that hurt a little. Surprised, she reached up, her fingers tracing the edge of a large square adhesive bandage plastered to her forehead just above her right eye. Hmmm, and what was up with the left side of her body? Staring down she received two more surprises, the first was the unfamiliar navy crepe silk sleeveless loose pyjamas she found she was wearing and the second was a lot more disturbing. Her left arm was heavily bandaged from elbow to shoulder. What the…?

  Experimentally she tried to lift her arm, but it felt too heavy… distant, as if the limb belonged to someone else. The movement also caused a low level wave of hot pain to shoot up her left side. Flashes of memory assaulted her, the car park, Ramsey Hughes… she’d been talking to Ramsey Hughes, hadn’t she? Yes… and then what?

  “You were shot. They got away.”

  Berry’s focus flicked to the bedroom doorway. “Mum?” She didn’t bother asking the rest of the questions swarming like killer bees in her head. Her mother had an annoying habit of answering questions that Berry had yet to put voice too, it was an incredibly irritating trait in a parent. But a great one if your throat felt like sandpaper.

  “You also hit your head as you fell. I’ve bought you some water.” Kimberly Malone, wearing black jeans, boots and an over large red jumper strode into the room, holding a glass in one hand, a straw in the other. “And I’ve mixed in a little something Nell prescribed to help with the pain.”

  Berry’s head collapsed back on the pillow with a muffled thud. Who knew the effort of just sucking water through a straw could be so draining. While they waited for Nell’s magic elixir to work, Kimberly bustled around the room. Opening the curtains, smoothing the sheets, adding another pillow to help prop Berry up a little. It was funny, if Berry didn’t know better, she’d almost say her mother was… nervous.

  The two of them had little in common, looks-wise. Kimberly was a youthful looking blonde for a start, with a waterfall of straight hair down to her shoulders that never frizzed or curled. Her eyes were blue and she was a few inches shorter than Berry and less curvy in shape, though clearly Berry had inherited her mother's wide smile and straight nose.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed Kimberly reached over to brush back a stray dark curl from Berry’s all too pale face. “Better?”

  “Much. Thankyou. Where’s Dad?”

  “He volunteered with some of the enforcers to help search the Nature Reserve. Don’t worry, Chief Hughes is under the assumption that the local neighbourhood watch group are just a bunch of eager helpful do-gooders.”

  Berry, held her tongue. Ramsey was pretty savvy, she doubted he thought any such thing.

  “Elijah.” Her mother referred to the head of the enforcement team. “Can be very persuasive. I called your brother, told him what happened. He’ll try to get back here as soon as he can.”

  “He doesn’t need too.” Berry bit back a sigh. Her brother’s work was important.

  “You know there’s such a thing as too independent don’t you?” Kimberly frowned. “Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. We’re family, it’s what we do.”

  Berry bit her lip. Funny, what some might label as being helpful, others might interpret as outright interference.

  Kimberly read the stubborn look in her daughter’s eyes. “When are you going to stop blaming the family?”

  Berry recoiled slightly. “I don’t blame the family for getting shot.”

  Kimberly smiled, but it wasn’t in humour. “I was talking about your marriage and subsequent… parting.”

  “That’s ridiculous, I don’t blame the family for either of those things.”

  “I think you do. You need to look at things from your Grandfather’s perspective.” Kimberly was referring to her father, Edward, the head of the High Council. “When Aunt Alma’s husband died and she left the Sanctuary, no one, least of all Dad, thought she’d stay away for twenty-two years. That’s a long time for the family to be without a match maker. You know as well as I do that keeping the Sanctuary grid functioning is a numbers game. Without matches, without off-spring, it doesn’t take a fancy law degree to do the math does it? So when you rang Dad saying that you were pregnant five years ago…”

  “I was tricked! I was never pregnant.” Berry reminded through gritted teeth.

  Kimberly patted Berry’s leg but kept on talking as if she hadn’t been interrupted. “Your news was like a beacon in the dark. A baby, even born outside of a meld match would still be family.”

  “More like I was an experiment.” Berry rolled her eyes. “Maybelle as acting-match maker turns up in Sydney the next day and proceeds to let Robert flatter the hell out of her. Before I know it, I have High Council approval to get married.”

  “I know Dad regrets everything, and you have to know I do too, Berry. I should have come to see you, perhaps if I’d met Robert I might have seen him for what he was. It’s just you’ve always been so…”

  “Self-sufficient?” Berry queried.

  “I was going to say stubborn. Ever since you were little. You always seemed to know exactly what you were doing and where you were going without any input from your father or I.”

  Berry hadn’t realised her mother had been blaming herself for the wreck of her marriage. Well how could she? She’d been avoiding spending one on one time with any of her close relatives from almost the moment the ring had been placed on her finger. Too embarrassed to admit she’d made a colossal mistake.

  Goddess, she really was a stubborn fool. “I don’t blame the family for my marriage, Mum. I blame myself. I couldn’t see Robert for who… what, he was. When he said he loved me, couldn’t live without me, I hesitated. Even when that doctor friend of Robert’s told me I was pregnant, even with Maybelle’s gushing a
pproval, I hesitated. And instead of going with my gut, I decided to put all my trust in my magic. So when I looked at all the possibilities open to Robert when it came to marrying me, each and every one of those pathways was a bright shiny light. I only caught a glimpse, that first step Robert would take… but in each and every one, if he married me, Robert would be happy. Happier than he’d been in a long time.”

  “Oh darling.” Kimberly reached over to grip Berry’s hand.

  “I ever so blithely assumed that if Robert were happy… well, that I’d be happy too. How could I have known that Robert was addicted to gambling? That he’d discovered that I talk in my sleep and was able to pick winning horses? That he was in debt so deep when we met that his bookie client, the notorious bikie gang, had him effectively by the balls, doing all their dirty work for them? That everything he owned was leased or mortgaged to the hilt, even his own mother’s house? Oh Goddess Joanne, is Joanne okay?”

  “She’s fine. The Sunshine club have rallied around her. She’ll stay with one of the relatives until we find out what’s going on.” Kimberly patted Berry’s hand. “I think you need to cut yourself a break sweetheart. Everyone makes mistakes. What’s done is done. We all have to move with the times and it’s no big deal these days to be…”

  Berry couldn’t help but laugh as she watched her mother’s beautiful face screw up as if she’d just bitten into a lemon. “You can’t even say the word.”

  “Divorced, okay? Divorced, divorced, divorced, divorced.”

  Berry laughed again, followed by a groan as her arm protested at all the movement.

  “Careful. Hmmm, it’s probably time to change the dressing and put some more of Nell’s salve on the wound. You were very lucky the bullet didn’t do more damage. Nell says it’s more like a deep gash than a bullet wound.”

  “Tell that to the throbbing in my arm.”

  “Oh, then I should definitely put some more salve on it. Nell said something about a numbing agent.” Kimberly stood up. “Let me just go grab it. And I need to fine some fresh bandages. I think the Chief said he had a first aid kit in the main bathroom, I’ll just go check.”

  While her mother bustled off, Berry spent a minute or so processing her current location. When Kimberly came back into the room Berry fought hard to keep her tone casual. “Where did you say here was again?”

  “I’m not surprised you don’t recognise it. Remember the old Life-Saving Headquarters? It was renovated into apartments, with shops on the ground floor. Have you been to the ice cream parlour? You should. Then there are three floors of apartments, two on each floor, the views are just magnificent. Chief Hughes’s apartment is on the second floor.”

  “I’m in Chief Hughes’s apartment? In his bed?”

  “Apartment yes.” Kimberly smiled readily. “But this is the guest bedroom. The whole place is really very nice. If you were wondering if I like your new beau, then the answer is a resounding yes.”

  “Chief Hughes…” Berry grit her teeth as her mother helped her to sit upright. “…is not my beau. I’ve sworn off men. Remember?”

  Kimberly carefully unrolled the bandage around Berry’s upper arm. “Is it because Chief Hughes reminds you too much of Robert?”

  “What?” Berry jerked abruptly. Hissing with pain as her mother undid the last of the bandage. “No, of course not.”

  Berry didn’t see her mother hide a delighted smile at the vehemence in her tone. She was too busy comparing Robert with Ramsey Hughes. The two were as unalike as a match versus a stick of dynamite. For pity sake, Robert had been pale, blonde, average height and super slick in his high priced suits, oozing false charm where ever he went.

  Ramsey Hughes was tall, huge in fact, dark, brooding, gruff, scarred, abruptly flirtatious, with that wicked come hither smile of his… ouch. Thank Goddess her mother distracted her from her train of thought as she applied fresh salve to her wound. No good could come of her day dreaming about Hotshot Ramsey Hughes.

  Looking down, Berry winced. “Yuk.” There was a nasty looking gash in her arm, glistening strangely, thanks to the blue salve her mother had just coated it with. It looked raw and angry, the skin around it black and purple with bruises.

  Kimberly nodded in commiseration. “It’s a pity we don’t have more warrior blood in our side of the family. Not to worry though, with Nell’s salve you’ll hardly have a scar. It just needs a few days to work its magic.”

  “Do they know who shot at us? Why they were aiming at Chief Hughes?”

  “No. And you can’t be sure it was Chief Hughes they were aiming at.”

  “I saw all the possibilities. It was always going to be the Chief who got shot, unless I intervened.”

  “What about if the gun they used always pulled to the right? Or if they were a notoriously bad shot? The Chief may have been collateral damage in all the pathways purely because he was standing next to you.”

  Berry frowned, feeling the bandage on her forehead tug painfully at her skin. “You may be right, it all happened so fast… my gift isn’t infallible.” Her disastrous marriage was proof of that.

  “Oh sweetie, I didn’t mean for you to doubt yourself, I just don’t think we can afford to make any assumptions until we know more about who fired the gun. Once we know who, then it shouldn’t be too hard to work out why. Until then, the best place for you is right here.”

  “Er.” Berry lay back down as her mother finished re-bandaging her arm. “Wouldn’t I be just as safe staying with you and Dad?” Lethargy stole over her, suddenly her eyelids felt like they weighed a ton each.

  Kimberly shook her head. “Your father is a finder, not an enforcer. And my powers can be defensive but I’m not exactly trained for combat. I’d feel much better if you stayed here. The security is top of the line, the windows are all tinted and either the Chief or one of his men will be guarding you twenty-four/seven. Gideon is here as we speak.”

  “Okay…” Berry’s eyelids fluttered shut then opened for just a moment. “Thanks Mum."

  “You’re more than welcome darling girl.” Kimberly breathed out a sigh as Berry finally closed her eyes. Glancing down at her shaking hands she smiled ruefully. She’d been so tense since she’d heard the news that Berry had been hurt. Even more so when she realised she’d finally have a chance to talk… really talk with Berry. Something the two of them hadn’t seemed to do since before Berry had gotten married to that snake charmer Robert Granger.

  Heavens, she wanted to hurt that man. For tricking Berry into marrying him. For using her daughter. For giving Berry that wary, watchful look in her eyes. For making her doubt herself. For leaving her all but penniless and scrounging to support herself and her mother-in-law.

  Berry would be horrified to know that she knew that last part… that the whole family knew. That they’d conspired and plotted and planned to get Berry back to Haven Bay, give her a job, a home… a Sanctuary and maybe… just maybe, Kimberly crossed her fingers, maybe Berry would find love here. Her little girl deserved no less.

  Digging out her phone Kimberly paused for a moment. She hadn’t liked the fact Berry had gotten hurt but she needed to trust that the Goddess would keep her little girl safe. Harder still for Kimberly was to place her trust in Aunt Alma. Who would ever have thought there’d come a day when she would conspire with Alma… against her own child, no less? Heavens, just remembering her own rocky road to romance made her grind her teeth in frustration. But this wasn’t about her, this was about Berry. She’d do anything for Berry. Quickly, before she could change her mind, she tapped out a message. B in position. Release the cats.

  Chapter Seven

  Ramsey sat nursing a beer whilst he waited on his burger. For the umpteenth time he checked his watch. Gideon still had an hour left on his shift guarding Berry and he didn’t want to look as if he were undermining his subordinate by showing up early. God, who was he kidding, he didn’t want to look too eager.

  It had been a hellish twenty-four hours since Berry had been shot in the
High Council car park. The fact that they didn’t know anything more about who pulled the trigger or why, was not for lack of trying. Or for that matter competence. His officers had readily stepped up in the crisis. Proving themselves capable, smart and dedicated. And it wasn’t like they lacked manpower. Within five minutes of his initial call a doctor, who just happened to be in the Council building at the time of the shooting (what were the odds?) was attending to Berry in the parking lot. Two minutes later an ambulance was pulling up and a whole pack of locals, belonging to the neighbourhood watch scheme, had turned up en masse to help.

  Their co-ordinator, a large sturdy fellow, a few years older than Ramsey, had introduced himself as Elijah, an intense man with hard, flat eyes of a soldier. He’d advised that the neighbourhood watch members were there to help search the Nature Reserve. Ramsey hadn’t protested the help of amateurs, not with the seriousness of the situation and the fact that they desperately needed some answers. Nor did he mention how strange it was that all the volunteers had knives or swords strapped to their bodies, or that they moved like silent professional hunters.

  Ramsey would have given a kidney to be able to head to the hospital and check on Berry personally but he forced himself instead to focus on the job of setting up a temporary command post in the parking lot. Grimly he tamped down his concern for Berry Malone and forced his attention to the job. Sending Zeke to follow up at the hospital and assigning the rest of his immediate personnel to search for the bullet, the spent shell casing and any evidence left behind by the shooter that might help them identify who he was.

  Elijah’s volunteers focused on finding the gunman’s trail in the woods. A challenging assignment as the sun dropped rapidly from the horizon, leaving them to work by torchlight. Maureen organised a number of the local ladies to drop by with food and carafes of coffee throughout the night. Now, more than ever, Ramsey appreciated the community spirit of Haven Bay. No one complained. No one gave up. In anything, as the night progressed it seemed like more and more volunteers arrived to report to Elijah for an assignment.