Space-time vortex? Olivia couldn’t be any more confused if she’d walked into a movie theatre in the middle of a sci-fi film.
“You could have told her the story of the brooches and a bit about all the adventures.”
“I didn’t know how she’d react. What if she’d repeated the story to the sheriff? Then we would have had one hell of a mess. And David said not to tell her.”
“Kevin’s going to be pissed when he finds out what’s going on here, and that I kept him in the dark. It’s hell when we try to protect people,” JL said. “And it inevitably comes back to bite us in the ass.”
A sense of betrayal swept through Olivia. Her body shook, and acid churned in her stomach. She was going to be sick. She took several deep breaths as a thunderous rage began to build inside her, a rage fueled by lies and liars. The sickening moment passed, but not the anger going full steam through her mind, her heart. She swiped the back of her hand across her lips, as if that could wipe away every kiss Connor had given her. How could any man stoop to such a level of deception?
The crunching sound she heard was her heart breaking into tiny pieces. She leaned against the wall, her knees buckling, and a rock the size of a fist stuck in her throat. If she could, she’d truss Connor up and pitch him out the window, and the others, too. All of them. People she’d welcomed into her home. People who’d lied to her.
She threw her arm against the door, slinging it open. It banged against the doorstop on the baseboard and bounced back, almost smacking her in the head. She caught the knob and gripped it with a sweaty palm. “What the hell is going on here?” Connor stared at her as if his world had just imploded. Good. She hoped it had. Pointing at him, her hand shaking, she asked, “Where is my sister?”
JL patted her brother’s back. “Good luck.” Her mouth was drawn in a sober smile as she ducked between Olivia and the door. “I’m going downstairs. If you need me…” JL left the sentence unfinished and closed the door behind her.
Tears clouded Olivia’s vision as she stared at the man she was—until a few moments ago—falling in love with. That tie that binds had been snapped, severed, ripped in half. Now she could barely look at him without being sick.
“You knew… All this time. You knew…”
“Olivia, this situation is complicated,” he said.
“Honesty is never complicated.” Her muscles quivered, her heartbeat pounded, sending pains across her chest. Her anger was so intense, it scared the hell out of her. He made a move forward, and she stepped backward in an angry choreographed dance.
“Let’s go downstairs,” he said. “Bring Elliott and David into the conversation.” His words sounded distant, like she was hearing an echo and the source was miles away. “I know you’re hurt,” he continued, “and mad as hell, but I had a reason for not telling you what I knew.”
“A reason? Are you kidding? There’s no reason that could justify putting me through three days of anguish. Then you had the gall to kiss me like there was no tomorrow. I guess you knew there wouldn’t be one after I learned the truth.”
Olivia’s words flew at him as if they were rocks, pounding him with all her pain. She slapped him, and they both froze, staring at each other. He didn’t look away or touch his face. It was as if the slap had no effect on him at all. And then his expression changed, and he looked at her, almost sympathetically, as if he completely understood why she was throwing words at him so fiercely. And that pissed her off even more.
She wanted him to hurt, to feel pain as deeply as she did at that moment. Hurting him was her only thought when she picked up a porcelain vase. But he moved too fast and stopped her from hurling it at him. There was a short tussle, and the vase, forced from her hands, hit the floor and shattered like her dreams.
“Look what you did.” She jerked away, searching for another target. On the bed, a stack of washed and folded summer clothes awaited to be shelved. She scooped them up and pitched them across the room, creating a swirling path of Amber’s tops and shorts and bathing suits she kept at the house for quick changes.
“Would you really have gone to bed with me, knowing my trust would be destroyed?” She stared stonily at the heap of shorts and shirts scattered in a muddled mess, just like her feelings for him. “I’ve lived in fear for days that Amber was possibly dead, and you knew what happened to her. I’ll never forgive you for not telling me.”
Connor’s eyes shimmered, and he moved slowly toward the door as if he’d aged years in the last few minutes. “Is there anything I can say?”
“No. Just go.” He left, and she slammed the door behind him. What were her options? Drive back to Denver or stay put and lock herself in her room until they left. In her state of mind, driving back to Denver wasn’t really an option. She fell onto the bed. The light in her life had gone out as surely as if someone had thrown a blanket over her head, extinguishing all sight and sound.
It was in times like this that her grandmother had poured out hugs and words of wisdom. What would she say now? Probably something like, “You’ll never lose at anything, Olivia. You’ll either win or learn a valuable lesson.”
She hadn’t won this time so what was the lesson? Not to trust a sexy, lying Irishman. She rolled over on her back and hugged a pillow to her chest. A friendship had just ended with a smackdown and a romance ended like a crash at Indy. But Amber was safe, and Olivia had learned another life lesson.
A knock on the door had her throwing the pillow aside. “Go away. Leave me alone.” She rolled off the bed and sat on the floor.
The latch clicked, and the door opened. “Olivia, I need to talk to you.”
“I don’t want to talk. Just go away.”
The bed dipped as Kenzie sat then slid to the floor beside her.
“Please leave me alone,” Olivia said.
“I can’t, sweetie. It’s not my nature,” Kenzie said.
“Then act out of character for once.”
“I’m a storyteller, although they’re usually just one-liners, but I need to tell you something and you need to listen.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“You know,” Kenzie sighed. “I don’t care. I’m going to tell you anyway.”
Olivia clasped her knees to her chest and rested her head there. “Make it quick.”
“Okay. This part is just for context, so bear with me. Several years ago, I was living in London while working on a joint-degree program between Harvard and Cambridge. My thesis was on the settlement of international disputes, with an emphasis on Winston Churchill. I was knee-deep in World War II research.”
Olivia bristled. “I don’t care.”
“One day,” Kenzie continued, ignoring Olivia’s protest, “I received a package in the mail. I didn’t recognize the return address, but I opened it and found a puzzle box. I was intrigued. It took me about an hour to open it, and inside was a Celtic emerald brooch.”
Exasperated, Olivia said, “Please leave me alone. Maybe some other day, I’ll listen to your story.”
“The inside of the stone,” Kenzie continued, “was engraved with a Gaelic inscription. When I spoke the words, a fog swept over me and carried me back in time to 1944. I arrived in London the night of a bombing, and I was scared shitless. I recited the words again, but the brooch wouldn’t take me home. Fortunately, David came to my rescue, but it wasn’t an easy journey.”
“Kenzie, go away.”
“Sorry, Olivia. I can’t. You see, Amber found a brooch like mine in the puzzle box she left on the floor at the cabin. The brooch carried her away to Leadville in the year 1878.”
Olivia looked up. “You’re insane. You’re all insane. Take your crazy story and leave me alone.” She jumped to her feet and collapsed on the nearby window seat where she twisted a throw pillow viciously, as if she were strangling it.
Kenzie stood. “I want to show you something. She unzipped her jeans and lowered them on one side, exposing her left hip. “See this web of scars, Olivia? Do you want to kn
ow how I got them?”
“I’m sorry you were injured, Kenzie. I really am—”
Tears filled Kenzie’s eyes. “Trey Kelly saved my life in Afghanistan.”
Olivia gasped. “You’re… You’re that…Kenzie.”
She zipped her jeans. “I owe Trey my life. He was my best friend.” She sat down next to Olivia. “I met him the first day of classes at West Point. We were inseparable. We deployed together. And because of him, I have three beautiful children. Because of him, Amber’s disappearance is a top priority in my life, in David’s life, in Connor’s life, in Elliott’s life. Because of Trey, we’re here for you and for Amber. Work with us. Don’t fight us.”
Olivia tossed the pillow aside, snagged a tissue from a box, and blew her nose. “Trey talked about you all the time. I thought the two of you would get married. Then when he died, and you didn’t come to the funeral, I asked about you. Trey’s grandfather, Cav Cavanaugh, told me you almost died in the blast too, but Trey protected you. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize your name.”
“You wouldn’t have known my married name. Would you believe I met Cav the first night I was in London during the war? He was a young man, and so handsome. I met his friend Molly, too. She got me a job at Bletchley Park.”
“How’s that possible?”
“That’s what I’m trying to explain. When I heard Amber had disappeared,” Kenzie continued, “under familiar-sounding circumstances, I knew I had to help her. David and I, along with Connor’s brother, went back for her. David and I just came home after spending five days in Leadville in the year 1878.”
“If what you’re telling me is true, where’s Amber now?”
“She wanted to go fossil hunting in Morrison. It was something she’d dreamed of doing, and she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. We told her it wasn’t fair to you, and she struggled with that.
“We don’t have a Celtic brooch rulebook,” Kenzie continued, “but we do know that the diamond and amethyst brooches return travelers to within minutes of their departure. We left MacKlenna Farm this morning, spent five days in Leadville, then returned to the farm, and only a few minutes had passed since we left. We don’t know the properties of Amber’s brooch, so we don’t know when it will bring her home. When Rick agreed to stay an additional two weeks and protect her while she searched for fossils, David came up with the idea of taping a video to explain her absence.”
“Then she’ll be home in two weeks?”
Kenzie pushed to her feet and paced the room, picking up clothes along the way. “We’re not sure, so we’re going back tonight to get her. I know this seems crazy and otherworld-ish, but it’s real.”
Olivia threw her wadded-up tissue in the trashcan and snagged a fresh one. “The only thing real to me is that Connor didn’t trust me enough to tell me about Amber.”
Kenzie sat on the bed and folded clothes. “David told him not to tell you. And those orders came from Elliott.”
“Is Elliott Fraser the godfather? Does he wield influence by fiat, without question? ‘Do this because I say so?’”
“You wouldn’t have believed Elliott or Connor.” Kenzie matched up a bathing suit top to its bottom and folded them neatly together. “You’re not even convinced of it now. And telling you the truth could have complicated the situation. His lie was one of omission.” She stopped folding, letting her hands and the bathing suit drop to her lap, and she looked at Olivia with penetrating green eyes. “He never meant to hurt you.”
“You know, don’t you, that lies of omission are still lies.”
“The family is painfully aware of what lies of omission are. It’s a heartbreaking reality of being part of the Celtic brooch clan.” Kenzie picked up a T-shirt and folded it into a perfect square. “We have secrets we can’t share with others, and we dodge the truth to protect the stones. None of us volunteered for this. It was hoisted on our shoulders and we’re doing the best we can.” She folded another T-shirt. “Look, I’m sorry you were lied to, but it was necessary, and the truth is, we’d all do it again.”
“You don’t know how much it hurts.”
“Give me a break, Olivia. I do know. I was so mad at David for lying to me, and it took a while to get over it, but eventually I forgave him. I had to. I loved him.” Kenzie put the folded T-shirts aside and returned to the window seat. “Don’t let your anger drop roadblocks in your path that’ll keep you focused on problems instead of solutions.”
“I feel like I’m skiing down a steep mountain on a cloudy night. The moon peeks through. I see a familiar landmark and have a glimmer of hope that I’ll get home safely. Then it goes dark again, and I want to stop and wait for daylight, when everything will be clearer.”
“Let’s go talk to David. He has pictures of Amber. They’ll help you see the situation clearer.”
Olivia shredded the tissue in her hand. “Pictures? Why would I believe any pictures you have? They could be altered to show anything you wanted to prove. I need my sister back. And I need you to tell me where she is.”
Kenzie took the shredded tissue, threw it in the trash, and handed Olivia a fresh one. “The last time I saw Amber, which was late this morning, she was getting on a stagecoach to Denver with Rick O’Grady, Pinkerton Agent Daniel Grant, and Daniel’s ten-year-old son, Noah. That’s where she is or should be.”
Olivia didn’t want to cry, but she couldn’t stop the sudden rush of emotion. She drew a ragged breath. “Okay, let me see the pictures.”
Kenzie took her hand, tugged on it. “Come on. Let’s go find David.”
“I don’t want to see Connor. Will David come up here?”
“No, because he’s hungry. He banished Connor to the deck to grill steaks.”
“He’ll overcook them.” She had no evidence to support that, but right now, Connor couldn’t do anything to please her.
“No, he won’t. Connor can’t hard-boil an egg, but he could have his own grilling show on cable. It’s his forte. Grilling won’t do much for a bad piece of meat, but a good cut in his hands is a foodie’s orgasm.”
Olivia squeezed her eyes shut in frustration and heartache, then opened them. “I might be able to forgive him, but I’ll never forget what he did. He let me worry needlessly, put me through hell. I’ll never be able to trust him again.”
“That’s a shame,” Kenzie said, “because he’s a trustworthy person. And I know he’s agonized over this, but he did what he was asked to do. He did what was best for the mission, for the family, and although you don’t believe it, for you.”
“I don’t want to talk to Elliott either.”
“Elliott can take care of himself and he’s big enough to handle your anger. He runs a billion-dollar business and makes decisions that affect our lives. When it comes to the brooches, he listens to our opinions, but ultimately the decisions are his as Keeper and chief of the clan. He has our respect, our devotion, and our trust.”
“Keeper? Of what?”
“From what we’ve learned, the brooches are ancient. At one time, the Keeper had control over all of them. We don’t know how many, a dozen or more. Hundreds of years ago, they were scattered among the clan for safekeeping. Now, they’re finding their way back to the Keeper.”
“How many does he have?”
“Five: a ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, and diamond.”
“What stone does Amber have?” Olivia asked.
“An amber.”
“That’s her birth stone. She would have seen the irony in that.” Olivia pulled herself up with effort, like someone drawing the scattered pieces of a puzzle into one disjointed pile. “I need to wash my face.”
Kenzie followed Olivia to the bathroom. “Connor wanted to go back for Amber, but he stayed to help you deal with the sheriff, knowing he’d have to lie to you. He’s a good Irish-Catholic boy, and he’ll spend the next year going to weekly confession. He could have left you to deal with Amber’s disappearance on your own, but he refused to abandon you.”
Oliv
ia turned on the water and splashed her face, patted it dry, and rubbed on a bit of lotion. “You make him sound honorable when I don’t see him that way at all.”
How did she see him? She glanced around the bathroom. The towel he’d used was neatly folded over the handle of the shower’s glass door. The bathmat was hanging on the towel heater to dry, the toilet seat was down, and the toothbrush, toothpaste, and razor he’d used were lined up on a dry washcloth. The room was as neat and orderly as it had been before he used it. His clothes were gently tumbling in the dryer, set to low heat. How could you complain about a man who put the toilet seat down without being asked?
“Come on,” Kenzie said. “Let’s go see David’s pictures.”
Olivia stood at the bathroom door and stared back into the room. “I don’t think I’ve ever met such a fastidious man who showed no sign of the trait. He’s been out in the mud and rain for days and never once complained.”
“He’s not fastidious. He’s just well-trained. With six children in the house, they all had to toe the line.”
Olivia turned out the bathroom light. “I thought there were five kids.”
“JL had a teenage pregnancy and her son was raised as their brother. It’s a long story. He’s a neat kid. He’s the starting forward at the University of Kentucky.”
“Connor never mentioned it. In fact, he’s never really talked about his family much.”
“The O’Grady family is the most loving group of people I’ve ever been around. They would give you the shirt off their backs.”
Kenzie took her hand and led her from the room. Olivia closed the door, wanting to forget everything that happened in and around the room since they’d walked through the front door an hour or so ago.
At the bottom of the stairs Kenzie hugged her. “Listen to Elliott with an open mind. He’s an amazing man. He can smooth ruffled feathers, and I love him dearly. Once you are part of his inner circle, your back will always be protected. Amber is in the inner circle by circumstance. You, if you want it, can be in the circle by choice. And I don’t think anyone, other than his wife Meredith, has ever been given that option before.”
The Amber Brooch: Time Travel Romance (The Celtic Brooch Book 8) Page 33
