Killing Lucas (7 page)

Chapter Seven

“Get a room.”—Trenton to Lucas and Kiloran

F
ocus
. How many times could she say it and before it actually happened? It didn’t matter today. One hundred, one thousand—hell, make it a billion—focus wasn’t going to happen. Everyone at the set knew it. They all knew someone had broken into her rental last night. The news broadcasts were using the story as their headlines. Police analysts talked circles around the situation. Events were escalating. How could Ms. O’Conner cope?

She couldn’t.

Waking up in Lucas’s arms had been both a dream come true and a nightmare. How she had wanted to—itched to—kiss his lips, to climb over him and make love to him until they both fell in exhaustion. Last night the threats had become personal and blatant. No mysterious e-mail or letter, nothing delivered to the house by someone else. This came from
them
. This sent the message that they were right around the corner and nothing was going to stop them.

Her safety and beliefs had been smashed into a million pieces last night and she’d begged him to hold her. Begged him not to leave. In the cold light of day what would that change? Nothing. He would hate her more for the weakness she had shown, and he’d bit her head off this morning. When Kiloran had returned to the room with coffee, not only had he been dressed, he was packed up and ready to go. He couldn’t get out of there quick enough.

When she tried to talk to him at the set, he was short with her and, although he did give her a quick kiss for public appearance, he held no warmth in his eyes. So much for being able to fool anyone. She must have looked as distraught as she felt because everyone around her seemed to notice.

“He’s just worried about you,” Nancy said, handing her the day’s script changes. “We all are.”

“Thanks, Nance.”

“Perhaps he just needs an outlet for his anger.”

“What do you mean?”

Nicki, one of the makeup artists, stopped for a second and looked up from her pallet of colors. “Does he work out, play video games, run? Get him something he can beat up or kill.”

“Nicki’s right, you know.”

Thinking for a moment, Kiloran remembered someone telling her he had picked up kickboxing right after they had split. He’d always been big on working out. “He does mixed martial arts.”

“Get him a kicking bag or something. My cousin owns a sports shop. I bet he could deliver it here today with some other equipment if you want.”

Kiloran looked at Nancy, who nodded. Hopefully this would help Lucas deal with his anger at both the situation and her. Now she just needed to wait for Lucas’s reaction. Buying gifts for him had always been tricky when he loved her; now it was frightening.

Not that he was ever ungrateful, just picky about what he liked and didn’t. “Nancy, can you do me a favor and call one of Lucas’s brothers and find out if he likes a specific brand?”

“Can I pick which brother? I could listen to that Tony’s voice all day long.”

“By all means, call Tony.” Standing up, Kiloran took one last sip of water and headed out the makeup trailer toward the old estate house they were filming in. If only her brain could shut down, stop flashing images of Luc and his finely chiseled torso at her.

“Can I walk you to set?” Lucas startled her out of her musing as he wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing her cheek.

“Better mood?”

“Much. I talked to Agent Vassar. He gave me the new code for the house. Only the security company, Vassar, me, and you have the code. Only we know it’s been changed, and he suggested we stick to that.”

“Whatever you both think is the right way to go about this.”

“This might tip their hand. I know you’re expected on set, but please don’t wander off alone right now. Wait for me to come and get you.”

“I’m fine. Nothing has happened to me personally or been directed at my person.”

“Until last night. That wasn’t a warning for me. That was a warning for you. And it was definitely personal. Don’t kid yourself.”

“Where’s Fenway?”

Lucas nodded toward the open field on the other side of the parking area. “His name is not Fenway.”

“Then pick a better name.”

“You’re confusing him.”

“I’m confusing him? You’re the one that won’t give the poor thing a name.”

“Wow you two bicker like my wife and I do,” one of the director’s assistants said with a chuckle. “They should be ready for you in fifteen, Ms. O’Connor.”

“Thank you.” Turning back to Lucas, she repeated, “Where is Fenway?”

“One of children asked if they could play with him as they were between scenes.”

“Now was that so hard?” Kissing his cheek, she moved away. “You have a present arriving this afternoon.”

“Oh, Kil. What did you buy this time?”

“Wait and see.”

“Kiloran! I hate surprises.” He growled her name between clenched teeth.

She walked into the building with a smile and a wave, letting herself pretend this banter between them was normal. She didn’t want to think about it. She just wanted everything to be as it was before, when he used to come to the set and watch her work on weekend and nights after he got out of his lab.

The rest of day played out with no issues short of being yelled at when they broke for lunch. Lucas had been less than pleased to find her walking alone and coming out her trailer.

“I was just getting our lunch,” she said, holding up a basket of food that had been delivered earlier in the day. Nancy had placed the basket in there shortly before she’d run out to get the few items Nikki’s cousin didn’t have in his shop.

They headed for the big tree in the field. He grabbed the basket, and she grabbed the puppy, and there was such a sense of family in the little maneuver, her heart ached. There were moments like this where the old Lucas was here with her. Then there were moments where this new man full of so much anger and hostility stood before her, and Kiloran couldn’t find a single sign of the man she had once known.

She could see Lucas fighting his own internal battle. Each of them was doing what they could to remain sane. He held on to anger like a life raft and she didn’t blame him. As they reached the tree, she placed Fenway down and he romped for a second before he plopped down like a lump to watch them.

“There’s a blanket in there.”

“Well prepared.”

“I was an Irish Girl Guide.” She spread the thin picnic blanket on the ground.

“So I remember.”

She looked up expecting to see a hint of anger, a glimmer of rage. But he looked at her with a smile. Truce established. Maybe they were on their way to, if not a friendship, being able to deal with each other. “I remember too.”

“I wanted to apologize for being short with you this morning. That wasn’t your fault. I let my frustration build and didn’t have my usual outlets. But you didn’t deserve my outburst.”

“It’s okay. You know I understand.”

He grabbed her arm and pulled her up to look at him. “No, it’s not all right. No one deserves to be abused, least of all by me.”

Placing a hand on his cheek, she said as gently as she could, “You didn’t abuse me, verbally or otherwise.”

For a brief moment he just stared at her and she at him, into those deep ocean-blue eyes. Kiloran couldn’t breathe. Her entire system focused on his. It was as if everything she was depended on what he was about to do. And so she took control; she lifted on tiptoes and kissed him lightly. She hadn’t expected much, but the arm wrapping around her and pulling her against his chest was the last on her list.

She melted into him, opening her lips to his as his tongue danced with hers, forcing her to kiss him back. Nerves knotted in her stomach as Kiloran pushed closer to Lucas. Her nipples beaded to hard nubs against his chest and if he asked, she would have let him make love to her here in the open where anyone could see them, much less photograph them.

Pulling back, she looked up at Lucas. Doubt filled her and she wondered if he had done it to see if they were being watched. Had he kissed her like he used to just to get a rise out of the hidden villain in their life? But when she looked at him, all she saw was the passion in his eyes from so long ago. She was leaning in for a second kiss when a familiar voice stopped them both.

“Get a room.”

“How the hell did you get past security?” Lucas didn’t release her or even look at anything but Kiloran’s face, frustration etched on every inch of his handsome face.

“It must have been my Sherman charm.” Trenton picked up the yelping puppy at his feet. “Did I interrupt something?”

“You damned well know you did. What are you doing here?”

“Tony thought you might need my truck.”

“Why would I need your truck?”

“For—”

“Trent!” Kiloran shook her head frantically. “It’s a
surprise
.”

“Oops.” Trent sounded as concerned as he was contrite—which was not at all. Instead he sat down and started digging through the basket. “Is there any normal, nongirlie, non-frou-frou food in here? I’m starving.”

“If our mother wasn’t the same woman, I would ask you if you’d been taught any manners.” Lucas slapped Trent’s hand away from the food, picked up the basket, and handed it to Kiloran. “So Tony said I might need your truck, and you drove four hours—”

“Three.”

“My mistake.
Three
hours on the off chance I might need your assistance?”

Trenton continued to stare at the basket. Taking pity on him, Kiloran pulled out a ham-and-cheese sandwich from the basket. “Thank you, Kil. And yes, I did just come on the off chance.” He finished with a mouth full of food. “By the way, good to see you again.”

Kiloran giggled and threw a napkin at him. “Goodness. You haven’t changed a bit, Trent.”

“You didn’t have to feed him.”

“I know, but he’s like a small child; always better to keep them fed.”

Trent stopped midbite and looked at them. “I can hear you two.”

Kiloran handed him a bottle of water, then handed Lucas a sandwich before digging out the salad she had ordered for herself. Settling next to Lucas she smiled. “There’s plenty of food. I wasn’t sure what you would want, so I ordered a few sandwiches.”

“Oh I think I love you,” Trenton mumbled crushing up the paper from the first sandwich and going in for another. “So you two are really back together? Have to admit, I had my doubts but after walking up on that little bit of PDA, they’ve all been wiped away. If only the images of you two making out were so easy to get rid of.”

Lucas glared at his brother. “Call next time.”

“I would if you ever carried your damned phone.”

“I have it right…” He touched his front pocket then his back. “Damn it.”

“See?”

“So does Mutt here have a name yet?”

“Fenway,” Kiloran put in as quick as she could.

“No,” Lucas said at the same time. Trenton howled in laughter and jibed his brother about being whipped, while Lucas grumbled back something equally rude.

Trent and Lucas fell into brotherly banter, Lucas playing the annoyed older to Trent’s annoying younger brother. Watching them made Kiloran miss her family in Ireland. It had been years since she’d returned home, for the same reasons she’d pushed Lucas away. A glimmer of hope grew; just maybe she would finally be able to go home and see her family again without fear for their safety.

Lunch passed too quickly for her taste. Kiloran needed this nice bubble not to burst, a small bit of crazy normalcy in a sea of chaos. For thirty minutes she didn’t think about anything other than listening to the two brothers, laughing while she stroked the sleepy puppy next to her. It was wonderful.

Trenton roused Fenway, chasing him until the puppy decided he’d had enough and splayed out where he stood, refusing to move. “This is not going to be cute when you’re fifty pounds, Fenway.”

“His name is not Fenway, Trent, and stop telling people it is.”

Snatching the dog up from the ground, Lucas stomped ahead, leaving Kiloran and Trent laughing in his wake. Trent stage-whispered. “It’s going to be Fenway.”

“I know, but don’t tell him that.”

At what point should he just give in and call the dog Fenway? Lucas had no idea. What he didn’t want to see was the smug look in their eyes. And he knew if he gave in right now he would never hear the end of it. As he entered the parking area, Lucas stopped dead in front of a tarp-covered mound of stuff in the middle of the dirt lot.

“This wouldn’t be why I’d need Trent’s truck, would it?”

“Oh. I might have overdone it.”

“Ya think? Did you buy out the whole store?” Trent sneaked a peak underneath. “Why didn’t you just have them deliver it to the house?”

“It’s better you had it delivered here,” Lucas said. The last thing they needed were more people in their house.
Their house
? Had he just said that, even to himself? Lucas looked under the tarp and stopped dead. “Jeez, Kil, did you buy me an entire gym?”

“I heard you liked kickboxing now. I thought you could set this up in the basement and work out.”

“It’s just a hobby; a punching bag would have been just fine.” Lucas looked over the boxes of equipment that would fill a small studio. There were pads and dummy, mats, targets, a punching bag, a punching ball, a weight set, some gloves, and some body pads. “Just. Wow, hun.”

“I overdid it. I can send it back. I just thought you…”

Lucas turned and saw the tears forming in Kiloran’s eyes. He was being an ass; she had gone out of her way to do something nice for him, not because she was scoring points but because she wanted him to have something to do, something he liked. Releasing the tarp, he rounded the pile and pulled her into his arms, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “No, don’t. It’s perfect, thank you, and once you’re back on set, Trent and I can get it loaded into his truck. I guess Tony is smarter than I thought. I did need Trenton here today. See? Miracles do happen.”

“Just don’t tell Tony that; it’ll go to his head,” Trent mumbled as he looked at the mound of stuff and then at his truck and back again.

Kiloran’s shoulders straightened and cheer reentered her eyes. “I just want you happy.”

Lucas could only believe her. He was about to kiss her again when a scream pierced the air coming from the direction of the trailers. Not even thinking, he dashed toward the sound. He didn’t stop as the screams built. Lucas knew where they were coming from.

Kiloran’s trailer.

Running up, he saw the outer trailer door was open but the screen door was shut, Nancy shrieking desperately as if she were being attacked. Each scream was filled with more terror and pain than the one before. Bolting inside, Lucas came into full view of her attackers. Hundreds of wasps swarmed in the air, the buzz in the room nearly deafening as they circled and attacked as Nancy crouched in the corner trying in vain to protect her face. He took in the room for only a second, noting the hive sitting on Kiloran’s makeup table. Everything else blurred before him. His only focus was the woman needing help. As the first wasp attacked him, Lucas headed into the black, flying curtain.