Read Desire & Ice: A MacKenzie Family Novella (The MacKenzie Family) Online

Authors: Christopher Rice

Tags: #Christopher RIce, #MacKenzie Family, #Liliana Hart

Desire & Ice: A MacKenzie Family Novella (The MacKenzie Family) (3 page)

BOOK: Desire & Ice: A MacKenzie Family Novella (The MacKenzie Family)
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One second, she screamed.

In another second, she saw Danny Patterson standing just a few feet away, blocking out the house behind him.

In another, she lost her grip on the shovel mid-strike and the blade flew up toward her face before she threw her hands out to stop it.

The heat and bite of a serious wound pulsed underneath the glove on her right hand. She went to tear it off. Danny crouched down next to her, stopping her, his own bare fingers gently pulling the glove off her hand, while he whispered, "Hey now. Hey now. Easy, Miss Brightwell."

"You can stop calling me that, you know," she said. "I'm not your teacher anymore. I haven't been anyone's teacher for a very long time."

The deep line in her right palm was filling with blood.

"Yeah," he said, but it sounded like he was studying the wound. "And what would you like me to call you?"

Sucker. Dummy. Divorced. Cliché.

"Eliza's fine."

"All right, Eliza. Well, we need to get you to a first aid kit. I've got one down in my—"

"No," she said, shooting to her feet. "I have to ––I just have to get this done before the storm starts."

She closed her injured palm. It made the wound hurt twice as much and sent blood dribbling through both sides of her fist.

"Get what done?" he asked.

And that's when it hit her; Danny Patterson was a
cop
now. Not just a former student. Not just a stunningly handsome and caring former student. He was a cop who had just caught her trying to dig up money on her ex-husband's property.

Whatever expression these thoughts left on her face, it made Danny cock his head to one side.

Snow fell all around them. The house had become a hazy apparition in the near distance. The once expansive view of the valley beyond was now lost to a wintry veil.

A thought occurred to her, fast as a rattlesnake strike and just as venomous.

Danny had always had a crush on her, hadn't he? It had seemed harmless back in the day. At the time she'd been more concerned with the darkness that had threatened to take hold of him after his father walked out on his family.

Could she use some of those old feelings to her advantage now? Long enough to distract him, at least.

Lord, it wasn't like it would be a chore. He'd certainly grown up to be a looker.

Oh, who was she kidding? He'd find her way too old now, for sure. Four years spent working three jobs to support her husband's bad investments didn't leave a lot of time for the gym. Nothing close to the Southern California minimum of three visits a week.

But maybe the fantasy alone, the prospect of going to bed with one of his old teachers, would be enough to stall the guy for the time being. And it's not like it would be hard for her to act the part.

Not with him. Not now.

Some parts of him looked the same, which was a little creepy. Same bright, inquisitive eyes, the same adorable baby face. But his brown bowl-cut was gone, replaced by a military grade buzz cut that accentuated his powerful neck muscles. And he was taller, much taller, and packing some serious muscle. He stood his ground now with absolute confidence, his leather fur-lined coat flapping in icy winds that didn't seem to faze him in the slightest.

No, it wouldn't be hard. It wouldn't be hard at all. Maybe plant a little kiss on that cheek. Run her fingers gently along that hard jawline as she made a date for later that night. After she had unearthed and hidden the money underfoot. And then maybe—

What the
hell
was she thinking?

Teasing, deceiving, using her body as a weapon and bait? This wasn't her!

This was what Lance Laughlin had turned her into by sending her out here.

"Eliza," Danny said quietly.

"Danny…just. I need you to go so I can work. I'll be fine, really."

"And by work you mean dig, I take it. Not sure you're going to do much more digging with your hand like that," he said.

"I can manage."

"You can manage once we get it bandaged up, maybe."

"Danny, seriously. I need to finish before the storm hits."

"Storm's already here, Miss Bri—Eliza."

"Still, just…"

"Just what?"

"You always did ask too many questions, you know that?"

"Second time you told me that today," he said with an easy smile. "Here's another question. You planning to bury yourself in the ground once you're done? 'Cause there's much easier ways to protect yourself during a blizzard. Like making sure your house is stocked and the heater's working, for starters. So…"

"The heater's working," she said. "I've got two fireplaces going too."

"Provisions?"

"Some."

"Some. Okay. Well, if
some
isn't
enough
, then I've got orders from Sheriff MacKenzie to bring you down to the station so we can—"

"That's just not an option, okay? Now,
please,
just—"

"Eliza, tell me what's really going on before you freeze to death out here!"

Snowflakes laced the freshly dug hole. Fear made the snow hitting her face feel even colder than it was.

In her mind's eye, she saw the hole filled with snow, then ice. Saw herself trying to dig another hole, hoping to hit treasure. And then another, her hands bloody, the shovel threatening to break in the frozen ground.

Fear turned to terror turned to panic and all she could manage to say was, "Danny…" But it came out of her sounding like a plea. When she hit the snowy ground knees first, the first sob ripped from her chest.

"Hey, now," Danny whispered.

He sank down next to her and curved an arm around her back. He hoisted her to her feet. There was something more than warmth radiating from him—something strong and steady and reliable. And then there were his gentle whispers, warmer even than his touch.

"Let's go down to the house, Eliza. Let's get you out of this cold."

 

3

"I think it's cars," Eliza said once she stopped crying.

Danny had just finished bandaging her hand. Even though he was still a man of many words, he'd known better than to ask her questions while she wept. They were somewhat warmer, but the kitchen had no dishes, an empty fridge, and none of the provisions she'd claimed to have when Danny questioned her.

The walls of the old house creaked like the hull of a ship tossed on an angry sea. The place was empty enough inside to feel haunted, the only furniture the grimy breakfast table where they were sitting and a plastic covered sofa in the living room. Danny had draped his leather coat across the back of his chair. It was the only soft surface in sight and she longed to curl up inside of it.

"Cars?" Danny said.

"It started right as we were getting divorced," she said. "Before that it was some kind of disposable cell phone business. Before that, herbal supplements that supposedly added ten years to your life. But the cars…that's when everything changed."

"And how'd they change?"

"He didn't fight me for much in the divorce. He let me have our condo and our savings. It wasn't much, but he saved me from having to hire a lawyer. Then he bought a townhome he shouldn't have been able to afford."

"So money started coming in right as you were leaving?"

"Yeah, and if I'd wanted some of it, I could have stayed, I guess. The divorce was my idea, not his."

"What about the inheritance? He sure sold off plenty of the land around this place. That probably gave him a bunch of cash."

"Oh, he blew through that in no time and buried the rest of it here on the property apparently. Which I didn't know until yesterday."

"So…cars?"

"Really expensive cars. I overheard these late night phone calls about Lamborghinis, Porsches, Bentleys. And he mentioned the ports. Both of 'em, LA and Long Beach. Last time I checked a new car salesman didn't deal directly with the ports. They work on lots and most of those are in the Valley."

"The San Fernando Valley?"

"That's the one. Anyway, I asked a few questions. But he was evasive so I didn't push. I was on my way out anyway. Right around then there was this big
LA Times
article about this scam the Russian mafia was running through the port. They'd buy temporary visas off people just as they were about to expire. Then they'd use them to lease luxury cars. Then they'd turn right around and put the car on a container ship for Asia where they could sell it for three times what it was worth here. By the time the dealership realizes the car's in the wind, the visa's expired and the visa holder's either left the country or been deported."

"So you think Lance ran afoul of port security?" Danny said.

"No. Port security's not very good, apparently. You can lie on the manifest for a container, just say it's old furniture, and no one looks inside. Also, I don't think port security sends guys to your house asking for one hundred thousand in cash."

"That's some good thinking, Eliza."

"I'm an idiot," she said before she could stop herself. "I'm an
idiot
for letting him use my storage unit. Only things I had in there were some old speakers and a trunk full of videotapes, and he was using it to store stolen cars. I just know it!"

"Do you still love him?"

"That's a complicated question, Danny."

"You know me. I ask a lot of questions."

"No," she said. "Sometimes you fall out of love with people over time, I guess. And sometimes it dies in one moment. Sometimes they kill it. When I found out he'd forged my name on some bank documents, he killed it. That's when I realized the Lance I'd wanted to believe in was a fantasy and I was a fool for believing in it as long as I did."

"Want to know the thing I liked about you most as a teacher?" he asked.

"Sure."

"These words you're using on yourself now. Words like
fool
and
idiot
. You never used them on us, not once. Not even when you lost your patience."

"I think I understand what you're trying to say, Danny, and that's sweet. Really. It is."

"But?"

"But I was an id—"

"Nope. I won't hear it again, Miss Brightwell. I won't let you call yourself those names."

"Fine. Then call me Eliza."

"Eliza," he said.

His bright eyes sparkled when he smiled. Maybe it was a trick of the overhead light. Or maybe it was the flirty, electric energy coursing through him now.

Yes, he still looked somewhat like the boy she'd taught for years, but the intention behind that smile was all grown up, for sure. It was all man, too.

"I used to worry about you, Danny," she said.

"When?"

"When I was your teacher," she said.

Maybe it was her tone that made him flinch. Or maybe it was fine for him to bring up their old relationship, but not her. Either way, it suggested his feelings for her were as complicated as his questions.

"I remember that thing you said to me once," Danny said.

"Lord, which thing? I did have a tendency to go on. Especially when I was talking about
The Old Man and the Sea
."

"You did love that one. That's for sure."

"No shame in being a fan of Hemmingway. He's one of the greats."

"But no, it wasn't about a book. It was about…life."

"Yours or mine?"

"Well, you were giving me advice on mine. But I always hoped you were also talking about yours in some way, even if it was small. I just liked that idea."

"What idea?"

"The idea that you were sharing something with me you didn't share with the other kids."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, there was a better way to phrase that. Sorry. That was…"

"A little creepy, but I get your meaning."

"Do you? Okay. Good."

He blushed when he laughed. And that smile. God, if she could bottle his smile, she'd sip it every morning for the rest of her life.

Now he was hesitant to speak, hesitant to recite the words she'd shared with him that day. That's when she realized it might not just be some old crush after all. A man as talkative as Danny Patterson didn't get a case of clamp mouth over silly old crushes or a reminder of some fantasy from his youth. That was the only thing that could silence a guy like Danny this quickly––real feelings.

"I remember being very worried when your father left," she said. "Everyone was."

"Well, my father was a crook so it's a good thing he left when he did. Otherwise, we might have had members of the del Fuego cartel stopping by for Christmas."

"Might have made for some interesting gifts," she said.

"You got that right. Merry Christmas, Danny. Here's a kilo of cocaine. Hold on to it for me for a while, okay?"

By the time they were finished laughing, at least three or four out of the three-dozen knots of tensions in her chest seemed to have eased.

"Still," she said. "Learning that someone's not who they say they are. It's rough. I know from experience."

"Right. But I didn't let it take me down, I guess."

But he did look away from her quickly when he said the words, even chewed lightly on his lower lip. Maybe he didn't discuss this part of his life often. Or maybe he never discussed it with women, which meant she was...

She cleared her throat and sat up straight before her crazy, delusional thoughts got the better of her

"No, you didn't. But it did change you. I remember. A bit of the light went out of you. For a little while, at least."

"Maybe so," he said quietly. "But it's back now, isn't it?"

"It sure is," she said, and only once the words left her mouth, once she found herself staring into his eyes as she said them, did she realize she was saying a lot more.

"You kinda brought it back, Eliza."

"What do you mean, Danny?"

She expected him not to answer, to look away again and blush and chew his lower lip a little, none of which would have done anything other than fuel her sudden desire for him. But it didn't matter because he did none of those things. Instead, he stared straight into her eyes with a level intensity that made her sit back an inch and swallow.

BOOK: Desire & Ice: A MacKenzie Family Novella (The MacKenzie Family)
9.54Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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