Epiphany (Legacy of Payne) (20 page)

I nodded and experienced shame all over again, heard the accusations in my head. Joe’s warm and familiar eyes had gone cold like a stranger’s. “He didn’t believe me.” A fact I still had trouble reconciling. After all the years we’d known each other, how could he think I’d lie to him? Especially about something so serious.

“What an idiot.” Aidan tightened his arms around me. “I’m so sorry.”

It still hurt. Time apart hadn’t erased the memory of Joe turning away when I’d needed him most. “We grew up together,” I said, finding comfort in his embrace.

“But he took his father’s side?”

“He couldn’t believe his dad would do something like that. He thought I made it up.”

“He really didn’t know you, did he?”

I raised my eyes and noticed a hint of sorrow and anger in his. “I thought he did.”

“You’re honest, Mackenzie. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that.”

The phone went off again, and Aidan hesitated before handing it to me. “You should rip him a new one, though I’d be glad to do it for you.”

I let out a breath. “It’s not him. It’s my mom.”

“Oh.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across mine. “I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”

I watched him go, already needing him more than he realized. My mom’s call couldn’t be a coincidence. She’d always had a soft spot for Joe.

“Hi, Mom.”

“How come you haven’t been answering your phone?”

“Joe called you, I take it?”

“That boy is a mess, Kenz.”

“I can’t believe you gave him my number.”

“Whatever issues you have with him, you need to set them aside right now.” She huffed in a way that only my mom could. “Some girl accused his father of rape. They arrested him yesterday.”

I almost dropped the phone. “Th-they did?”

“Yes!” she said, loud enough to make my ear ache. “Can you believe it? Of course the little bitch is lying. Professor Keely would never . . .”

I closed my eyes and tightened my fist, and her voice became a muffled screech. I couldn’t deal with this now. Not with everything going on.

“Mom,” I interrupted her, mid-tirade, “I’ve gotta go.”

“What? Have you listened to a word I’ve said?”

“Yes, I’ve just . . . got an appointment I’m late for.”

“I can tell when you’re lying.”

“That makes one of us,” I snapped. If lying was a skill, then she’d mastered it.

“You’ll never let it go, will you?”

I was 
not
 having this conversation with her now. “I’ll call him.”

“I’ve never seen him this way. Just talk to him, okay?”

“I will.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

“Good, I . . .” Her voice wavered. “Everyone’s gathering here for Thanksgiving. I . . . 
we
 . . . were hoping you could make it.”

“I don’t know, Mom.”

“How long are you going to punish me? What about your family, Mackenzie? How long are you going to let this drive you away?”

“I’ll think about it.”

A sigh drifted through the receiver. “We’ll save a spot for you.”

“Save two,” I said suddenly.

“Oh? Is this a male friend?”

“
Mom
,” I groaned and rolled my eyes. “I’ve really gotta go. I’ll talk to you soon.” I hung up before she could object and joined Aidan in the living room. He stood in front of the windows looking at the overcast sky with a frown.

“She wants me to go home for Thanksgiving.”

“What about Joe’s call?”

“She said his father was arrested yesterday.” I wandered to his side. “Another girl came forward.”

He reached for my hand. “But you never did, did you?”

I shook my head. “He’s a popular professor at the university. I figured if my own boyfriend didn’t believe me, who would?”

“I believe you.”

“I know, and that means everything to me.”

“Are you gonna go?” he asked.

I studied him from the corner of my eye, getting the feeling he wasn’t referring to Thanksgiving. “You think I should come forward too, don’t you?”

“Yes, I think you should. Maybe this isn’t what you want to hear, but you have a chance to help put this guy away so he can’t hurt anyone else.” He tugged me against him. “He should pay for what he did to you.”

“Will you go with me?”

“Of course I will. Where else would I go?”

I could have throttled Mike. In an effort to bring in more customers, he’d hired a KJ. Karaoke was supposed to be fun, he’d said, though he hadn’t been able to keep a straight face as he uttered those words. I winced as Christie hit a particularly high note. She demanded attention by screeching her wrath with the appropriately named song “I Hate Everything About You.” Judd was absent, but I’d wager he was the recipient of her public rant.

“I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side,” a guy at the bar said. Ignoring his comment, I set a rum and Coke in front of him. Kevin was his name. I recalled his argument with Six the morning after masquerade night.

He tore his eyes from Christie. “So you’re the chic Brad can’t stop talking about,” he said with a smirk. “He’s never been able to stay away from the ones he can’t have.”

“Tell him if he comes back, my . . .” My
what,
exactly? Was Aidan my boyfriend? A friend . . . with benefits? I didn’t like that idea, even if the benefits were damn good. “My coworker will toss him out on his ass,” I finally finished.

Kevin chuckled. “Chill out. Brad’s harmless. Besides, I’m pretty sure he got the clue last time.”

I wasn’t so sure Brad was harmless, but hopefully his friend was right about the last part. Christie stepped down from the stage as someone else took her place. She hopped onto the stool next to Kevin and aimed a flirty smile his way. “Haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been, Kevin?”

I tuned out their chatter. Mike had three women captivated by his juggling talent at the other end of the counter. His smile disappeared when the sheriff strolled in. McFayden towered over most in the bar; in fact, his height rivaled Aidan’s. He moved in an easy gait toward Mike, whose expression was less than welcoming. They exchanged a few words before the two of them disappeared into the back.

My gut tingled with an ominous sensation, and as ten minutes bled into thirty, the feeling intensified. Something was up.

“Something bugging you?” Christie’s voice intruded upon my inner turmoil. I considered thanking her for the distraction until I noticed her poisonous gaze. Kevin had disappeared. “Did you finally bore that sexy coworker of yours into quitting?” she asked.

“No, he’s here.” I gave her the sweetest smile I could muster. “He’s in the back doing the beer order. Now that I think of it, he disappeared about the time you walked in.”

She scowled. “Ooh, clever. I bet you practiced that one.” She got up and stumbled in typical Christie fashion. “Tell him I said ‘hi.’”

I clenched my teeth. The woman had a way of getting under my skin. The thought of shoving a certain viper up her ass gave me more pleasure than it should. Without another word, she stomped over and joined two men playing pool.

The backdoors flung open and McFayden strode toward the exit, his face a blank mask. I was still trying to figure out what that was all about when Mike entered a few minutes later.

“Tony’s on his way.” He set a tray of clean glasses on the counter. “I’m taking off. Go ahead and take your break—I’ll cover the front until he gets here.” He popped a piece of gum into his mouth, but the mint didn’t mask the scent of tobacco. Six had once told me that he’d quit smoking a few years ago.

“What’s going on, Mike?”

He slammed a glass onto the counter. “I don’t want to talk about it.” The edge in his tone warned me to tread carefully.

“Is Aidan finished with the beer order yet?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

Mike’s tight expression was still bothering me when I found Aidan in the cooler. I crossed my arms to ward off the chill from the controlled temperature.

“I take it the sheriff left?” he asked.

“Yeah, and Mike is 
not
 happy. I think he’s about to lose it. He called Tony in to cover.”

Aidan set aside the clipboard. “Come here,” he said, opening his arms. “You’ll freeze in here without a jacket.”

“We don’t have to stay in the cooler, you know,” I teased as his arms came around me. I gladly snuggled into his warmth. “We can take a five-minute break elsewhere.”

“I want to talk to you, and I’d rather not be overheard.”

“Sounds serious.”

“Did I ever tell you that breaking and entering isn’t my only talent?”

I tilted my head and grinned at him. “You’re preaching to the choir. You’re a man of many talents. Especially with your hands.”

He tickled the nape of my neck. “My hands just happen to like you.”

“As much as I love snuggling with you instead of working, it is kinda cold in here. What did you wanna talk about?”

“I overheard the sheriff’s conversation with Mike.”

My eyes widened. “You 
are
 handy to have around.”

His mouth twitched at the corners, but he didn’t smile. “I found out what Brad and Six were arguing about that night. Or rather
who
.”

“Mike?”

He nodded. “Turns out they were involved. He interrupted Brad and Six, and apparently, there was a huge blow-up. They pulled Mike in for questioning a couple of days ago.” He paused long enough to give me a careful look. “He submitted to a DNA test.”

“You’re not saying . . .”

“The semen they collected matched Mike’s.”

I shook my head, unable to grasp it. “But that doesn’t mean he killed her.”

“No, but it does mean that Brad might not have been the last one to see her alive.”

I thought about my manager and tried to picture him doing unthinkable things to Six, pictured him hanging her. My head told me it was possible, but my gut insisted otherwise. “He couldn’t have done this.”

“I agree, especially since the Hangman doesn’t leave a trail of DNA. You gotta admit though, things aren’t looking good for Mike.”

“Six never told me.” I shivered and nuzzled even closer to Aidan.

“Makes sense they’d keep it secret. Sleeping with the boss is taboo.” He settled his mouth over mine, which did a lot to warm me up all on its own. I could have stood there for another hour kissing him.

“I’m almost finished here,” he murmured. “You should go before you lose your toes.”

“Don’t take too long.” I nibbled on his lower lip before backing toward the door. From out of nowhere, spots flickered in my vision. A dozen miniature camera flashes exploded, and I was no longer in the cooler—instead I stood high above the ocean on a rocky ledge. Watcher’s Island darkened the horizon, and the dancing spots coalesced into a blinding beam; every few seconds it cut through the blackness.

My knees buckled, and I slumped to the floor.

I came to in Aidan’s arms, his fingers tapping a Morse code rhythm against my cheeks. “Shit, you scared me. Are you okay?”

I blinked a few times and looked up at him once my vision cleared. “That’s never happened before.”

“You mean you don’t faint every day?” Underneath the sarcasm, I sensed how shaken he was; it was evident in the firm set of his jaw, in the way he tightened his hold on me.

“No, I meant I was awake this time.”

“You had a vision?” His eyes widened. “What did you see?”

“I’m not sure. It was freezing . . . there was a light . . .” I gasped. “The lighthouse!”

Aidan pulled me to my feet. “Come on, you’re gonna turn into a popsicle in here.” He ushered me into Mike’s office, where he rubbed some warmth into my arms. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I nodded, but then I gave up the facade as another wave of dizziness set the room spinning. I collapsed into a chair just as the bright beam hit me in the face again. “Wherever he’s going to hang her, the lighthouse is close by.”

“I’m taking you home.” Aidan crouched in front of me, looking worried enough to drag me to the hospital, and equally determined to do it by force if he thought it was necessary.

“No, I’m okay. I probably got too cold.”

“Don’t bullshit me.” He brushed his knuckles against my cheek. “I’m tempted to say something dirty just to put some color back in your cheeks.”

That got a smile out of me. “I’m tempted to let you.” I pulled him close and planted a kiss on his lips. “I’m okay. The dizziness is gone.”

His brows narrowed over eyes sharp enough to slice through the BS of the best of liars—which I was most definitely not. “You’re way past dizzy—you fainted. Sit tight. I’m gonna see if Tony’s here yet. Maybe he can close without us.”

“That’s not necces—”

“Yes, it is.” He moved toward the door. “I’m serious, stay put for a second.”

Resigned, I leaned my head against the chair and waited. I wouldn’t admit it to Aidan, but having a vision like that had shaken me. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my jeans and counted to ten, but my heart still stuttered. A heavy, sick feeling turned in my stomach. By classifying the visions as dreams, I’d been able to sidestep the word “psychic” to some extent, if only to myself. Now I wondered what had changed. Why was this happening to me?

Aidan re-entered the room. “Mike’s gone, but Tony said he can close on his own since the karaoke is winding down. Come on.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Despite my moaning and groaning, he drove me home and immediately tucked me into bed, and the only thing that pacified me was the fact that he tucked himself in beside me, sans-clothing.

* * *
 

Aidan and I had a colossal disagreement the following morning. The fact that we did so in bed, wearing nothing but each other, would have been amusing if he weren’t so damn stubborn.

“You can’t go back to your apartment,” he said. “Besides, staying here makes more sense. Bigger bed.” He flashed a grin as he teased a certain erogenous region of my body—an area he’d spent a significant amount of time discovering. He was an expert at fighting dirty, as if lying on top of him, our legs tangled beneath the blankets, wasn’t disarming enough.