Darke Heat (9 page)

Paige felt exhaustion seep into her bones…every last one of them. Her muscles were strained beyond belief from all the cleaning and painting she’d been doing, not to mention dragging Sheba’s carrier full of pups around. She sat on the front porch drinking a cool glass of iced tea and listening to the silence that descended as the last of the workers took off.

She’d loved the property on sight. It was the perfect spot for her business and for her brothers to come home to. They could hunt and fish to their hearts’ delight whenever they could get away from their day jobs. Or go canoeing on the lake fed by the Lockes.

So who didn’t want her here? This was her hometown. Granted, her family had always been in the midst of mischief and trouble when they’d lived here before, but surely the locals didn’t object to the adult Connors coming back.

She finished her drink and decided to stroll down toward the lake, hoping the calm waters would soothe her nerves, which were way too raw from the happenings these past few days. Instead, when she arrived at the lake there were carrion birds circling overhead.

Alarmed, she ran to the end of the dock to peer out over the surface of the lake. Something was floating in the water. It drifted closer and she realized that it was a dog. Her heart jumped into her throat as she remembered the pit bulls she’d found caged at the old farmhouse. Was this how they disposed of the ones who were unfit to fight another day?

Not thinking, she jumped in, swam over to it, and dragged it onto the shore. The water had been cold, but her insides were in a burning rage. The dog had been shot in the forehead, just like the dead man someone had dumped on her property.

She held onto the poor dog, crying and stroking its wet, matted fur. She was soaked and shivering, chilled to the bone, but couldn’t let go of the dog. Somehow, this dog raised to be a violent killer for others, seemed to epitomize the life of her brothers. Just like this poor animal, her brothers couldn’t help that they were good at being violent. They both wore scars inside and out, just like the pit bull she held on her lap. She wanted her brothers home, and safe, not dead like this poor, unfortunate animal. She hugged the dead dog to her as if it was a lifeline connecting her to her brothers.
Please, come home safe.
With that plea, her crying became big racking sobs that tore through to her very soul.

Bryce pulled up beside her house and got out of his vehicle. At first, with everything so quiet, he thought Paige had already left, but when he walked around to check out the area, he saw her Jeep. Then he heard someone crying. The sobs came from the lake. He ran toward the sound, fear clutching his chest at the thought that she could be injured. As he got closer, he saw her sitting on the shore. In her arms was an animal she held as tenderly as if it were a baby. The dog had been a fighter, if the scars were any indication. It must have survived numerous battles to the death. Paige sat there crying as if her heart was breaking, and he realized she still didn’t know he was there.

“Paige, honey, are you okay?” He gently turned her to look him in the eyes. She was so pale.

“They killed him. He could have been trained, if they’d let him, and instead they shot him. It wasn’t his fault he was a trained killer. They did that to him!”

“Paige, are you talking about the dog?”

“No! I mean ...Yes!”

The look of confusion on her face told a different story.

“They didn’t have to kill him, Bryce. He wouldn’t have ever been a domesticated dog, but then neither are lions and tigers domesticated cats. But he could have been useful as a watch dog or something.”

She was searching his face, pleading with him to agree with her for some reason.

“Sure, Paige, they could have found something useful for him to do. But he’s gone now, honey. Let me take him and find who did this. Okay? You need to let him go, so I can take him in and find his killers.” He carefully pried her cold hands off the dog, gently lifted the body in his arms, and carried it back to the car.

“Paige, get me something to put on the back seat so I can lay him on it.”

The task seemed to shake her out of it. Whatever
it
was, he wanted to get to the bottom of soon, but right now, he needed to deal with the dog. She pulled a tarp out of the chicken coop and laid it on the back seat.

“Paige, go change out of those wet clothes. I’ll get Sheba and the pups and you can lock up and get in the car. I’ll drop you off at the Rose and bring you back in the morning.”

He placed the dog gently on the back seat, went and got Sheba’s carrier, and stood beside the car and opened the passenger door for Paige after she finished locking up. She looked much better with some color returned to her cheeks.

“Paige, you okay?”

“Yeah, Bryce, I’m sorry about the meltdown back there.”

“No need to explain right now, but Paige,
we
will be having a talk real soon.”

“Whatever,” she said, her usual attitude shining through, he noticed with relief.

“After I drop the dog off, we’ll talk,” he said without turning his head to see if she agreed.

The last thing Paige wanted to do was have a little chitchat and reminisce about the good ol’ days, which for her were definitely not good.

The drive to the morgue was done in silence. Paige battled with thoughts of her brothers and the similarity between them and the dog. Her brothers were killers, first as hunters to survive, and then as military assets. Now the military wasn’t sure they wanted their trained killers walking around as civilians. Or at least that’s how it seemed to her.

Bryce took the dog into the hospital basement, where the coroner waited to remove the bullet for ballistics to get a match. Paige waited outside the car. The heat was cooling off, and the cicadas were singing up a storm in the nearby trees. Minutes passed, then Bryce returned and they left the hospital.

“I need to eat something. Is the Main Street cafe drive-thru okay with you?”

“Sure, anything is fine.” She didn’t have the energy to argue.

After receiving their takeout burgers, fries, and milkshakes, Bryce pulled in near the center of town where a gazebo was set up. From there, you could see past the baseball field to another lake, where the Fourth of July fireworks were always staged.

He rolled down the windows, and dug their food out of the bag.

“Okay, so I’m going to ask questions, and you’re going to fill in the blanks.”

“I was always taught not to talk with my mouth full,” she said to stall the conversation.

“Not from your old man you didn’t. And Sharon’s mother was too busy getting her rocks off to care what you did one way or another.”

“What makes you say that? I thought you and my brothers believed Libby was the perfect substitute mother for a thirteen year old.”

“I never said anything to your brothers, because they were doing all they could to keep you safe. For some reason, they thought keeping you away from your father was the best way to do that.” He took a bite of his burger, and washed it down with a drink of his milkshake. “Which brings me to another question—why weren’t you safe?”

“You can get the file on my family. Check for yourself.”

“Paige, we’re friends, or at least we used to be. I’m not going to snoop unless you don’t cooperate, then I might have to take a peek.”

He thought they were friends? Good grief! This must be what it feels like when a girl tells a guy he’s nice but... I haven’t felt friendship for you in a really long time, Bryce.

“Actually, those are closed files, sealed because they involve minors. By now, I figure either you or your brothers had the documents expunged.”

“I never did, but Dane might have.”

“All right, I’ve always wondered what happened the night the cops took your old man away. You want to fill me in?”

“No.”

“Please.”

She thought about making something up, but there was enough truth going around with the rumors, that she might as well clear the air, if not for herself, at least for her brothers.

“I came in as usual, with a couple of rabbits we’d caught in some of our traps. Dane had a beaver he’d gotten, and not to be outdone, Colt had a fox. His had been hit by a car, but the hide was undamaged, and the tail was worth some money. So they were out cleaning their haul, and I was cutting up the rabbits to fry, when the old man came in. He was piss drunk, and had a real mean on. I’m not even sure what he was accusing me of, but he was fit to be tied. His yelling startled me and I spilled some oil. Then he grabbed me and flung me up against the wall. My brothers heard the commotion and figured out what was happening. Colt came in, sized up the situation, and barreled into the old man, slamming him up against the mudroom door. When Dane came through the door seconds later, he palmed my carving knife and threw it into my dad’s shoulder pinning him to the door. Then I passed out.

I woke in the hospital with a cast on my arm. The old man was in jail, and Aunt Libby had signed on as my guardian. My brothers both gave up full scholarships to play football for Ohio State, and joined the marines. They paid my Aunt for my care, but I didn’t find that out until years later. And that is the entire history of the Conner family tree.” She hoped he wouldn’t ask anything more. She didn’t want to open up any more wounds, fresh or old.

“I wondered why they never went to State.”

“Is the inquisition over?” she asked with more than a little hostility.

“For now. I’m curious as to what happened to all of us. Somehow, I think our pasts have altered where our futures would have taken us.”

“I live one day at a time. There’s no reason to look for what ifs.”

“Which brings us back to the present. Your new property is deadly. I’m not even sure why yet, but there is so much criminal activity going on around there, it’s not safe for you to be out there alone. These gangs are getting bolder, and they don’t care if they harm innocent people. I’ve been working on this around the clock, plus some of the investigators from surrounding areas are giving us what support they can, but I don’t have enough men to provide the surveillance needed for you to be protected.”

“Thanks for the warning, but I’m not giving up my new home. I’ve got animals to care for, remodeling to do, and a home to prepare for my brothers.”

“Paige, your brothers are grown men. They can make their own homes.”

“Not like the one I’m making for them. I’m making a Sanctuary. It’s what I’m going to call the place, and no drug lords, dog-fighting toughs, or cops on a mission are going to stop me. I’ll be packing my shotgun and my pistol, and I’ll be letting everybody know.”

“Paige, damn it. Just damn it!” He gritted out his frustration.

“Bryce, this inquisition is now over.” She spoke with an adamancy that brooked no argument.

“So where is Dane?” he asked to change the subject.

“He’s in Fort Leavenworth.”

“What the hell is he doing there?”

“He hit a superior officer. He’s getting out and is being discharged next week. So I need to get the house ready.”

“Where’s Colt?”

“He’s getting discharged next week from the VA hospital in Langley. Dane’s picking him up, and they are both coming home.”

“What happened to him?”

“He got shot. It’s what happens to men who are in the military,” she said with a bite of defensiveness.

“Great, so two pissed off, ex-military guys are coming to town, with two rival gangs wanting a piece of their sister’s homestead.”

“That pretty much sums up current events, Agent.”

“Now I see why they weren’t here packing your butt up to send you somewhere safe.”

“Bryce, don’t be so sure they will. Last I recall, they are both able to use firearms, and they might think my property is worth protecting,” she said feeling smug. “A couple more guns and I think the drug dealers will be persuaded to go somewhere else.”

“Crap! I wasn’t thinking about that possibility. Christ, they’ll turn the place into the OK Corral. When can I expect them to arrive?”

“Next Tuesday would be the soonest.”

“So, I just need to keep you safe until they can come and ride herd on you. Tomorrow, I’ll come over and help. You’ll need all the help you can get to make the place ready, but I’d like to beef up your security.”

“I’ve got help. You don’t need to feel like I need a babysitter. I was already going to install security systems with motion sensor lights.”

“Yeah, well I’ll just make sure they’re up to the job. Don’t argue with me on it, Paige. Your only other option is me sticking you in witness protection for your own safety.”

“Fine, come over, but stay out of my way.” She really didn’t want to be spending any more time with him. It brought on longings she’d buried on his wedding day, and the pain of that moment seemed to keep burning. Her one-night stand fiasco helped to make the other event seem minor in comparison. When he’d come back, and they’d spent that one glorious night together, she thought...maybe this time. She should have known better.

“When are you going back to Detroit?” she asked in exasperation.