Point of No Return (23 page)

“I killed those people so I wouldn’t have to feel anymore!”

Kade’s shouting interrupted my tirade. His hands were in fists, his jaw clenched as he stared at me.

“I don’t understand—”

“I couldn’t handle the pain of giving you up,” he said, his voice much quieter. “And I didn’t want to be the person that I am without you. So I came back to Indy to say goodbye. That’s when Blane told me you’d disappeared.”

There was a lot of information in those few sentences and I struggled to process it.

Kade turned away, using the roller to cover the last few inches of the wall that needed paint, then he turned again and picked up the pan.

“I’m going to wash these out,” he said, brushing past me and out the door.

“Giving you up.”

Those words gave me hope. So he had wanted me. Kade hadn’t been lying when he’d said we’d go away together. Now just to figure out a way to convince him we could be together. He didn’t have to say goodbye to anyone, least of all me.

That thought snapped me out of my shock-induced stupor, and I hurried down the stairs, the steps creaking like crazy beneath me.

Rounding the corner, I glimpsed Kade through the window, using the hose out back to clean the brushes. I took a step forward, then was yanked backward.

I spun around in surprise, only to see a strange man in my house. He smiled.

“Oy there, lovey,” he said. “Be still now and this’ll be quick.”

C
HAPTER
E
LEVEN

I
screamed. His hand went to my throat, grabbing me and lifting me to my toes. I didn’t bother trying to pull his arm away—I knew I wouldn’t be able to. His hand squeezed.

My hands were free, so I cupped both my palms and slammed them over his ears. I got him good and he howled in pain, releasing me. I dropped back down to my feet and stumbled. I scrambled, turning to run, but he grabbed the neck of my shirt and yanked me off my feet. I landed hard on my back on the floor and the force of it knocked the wind out of me.

He must’ve decided he didn’t care about the noise a gunshot would make, because that’s when he pulled out a gun. He pointed it right at me and I froze, terror icing my veins. There was nowhere I could go, nothing I could do—

Kade came out of nowhere, hurtling into the guy, and they both crashed to the floor. I watched in horror as they grappled. The gun went skittering across the floor and I crawled to it, then picked it up. I pointed it but couldn’t fire. I wasn’t a good enough shot that I was sure I wouldn’t hit Kade.

They fought dirty and I saw up close and personal how deadly Kade could be. His face was terrifying, cold fury blazing in his eyes. The guy didn’t have a chance, something that became immediately apparent. I heard the crack of breaking bone and the guy cried out, then Kade’s knife was in his hand. A split second later, Kade had slit his throat.

I was still on my ass on the floor, my eyes wide as I tried to breathe. Kade was straddling the now motionless body and he glanced my way, getting to his feet and moving toward me.

The gun I held shook like a leaf in my hands, my eyes glued to the blood seeping from the man’s sliced throat onto my wooden floor.

“Hey,” Kade said softly, crouching down. He reached out and slowly wrapped his hand around the barrel of the gun. “It’s okay now. Give me the gun, sweetheart.” But my fingers wouldn’t move, as though they’d been dipped in ice. Kade gently pried my hand loose and took the gun from me, tucking it in the back of his jeans.

“He’s
. . .
dead,” I croaked.

“Yes, and you aren’t,” Kade said.

I broke my stare and turned to Kade. He pulled me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest. My fingers clutched at his shirt, but my eyes were dry. It seemed I had no tears to shed for people who tried to kill me and ended up dead instead.

If Kade hadn’t been there, I’d be dead now and so would our baby. A shudder went through me.

“It’s all right. I’ve got you,” he murmured soothingly in my ear.

After a few minutes, I felt strong enough to pull away and stand. I looked at the dead man on the floor.

“Now what?” I asked.

“Now you find me an old sheet that you don’t want to see again, and a trash bag.”

I left, returning quickly with the items he’d requested. Kade wrapped the head and throat in the sheet, then tied the trash bag around that. Pulling the dead man by the arms, he hoisted the body in a fireman’s carry.

“Grab a shovel and follow me,” he said.

I ran to the garage and found an old shovel, then followed Kade as he trekked into the woods. We went some distance, then Kade dropped the body and held a hand out for the shovel.

“At least there’s a bright side to you living in the middle of fucking nowhere,” he said. “Plenty of places to bury a body.”

It took a while for Kade to dig a hole deep enough, but finally the body was buried and the dirt replaced. Kade was drenched in sweat and had discarded his shirt some time ago, but hadn’t shown any sign of fatigue until he was through. He leaned on the shovel for a few minutes. I stayed quiet and watched him.

After we got back to the house, he had me get a bottle of bleach and we cleaned the blood off the floor. Well, Kade did. I started dry heaving, so he ordered me into the kitchen to wait until he was done.

I had time to think while I waited, which probably wasn’t a good thing. Keaston had sent someone after me, just like Kade had said he would. What was I going to do? Just wait for the next killer? I’d be a sitting duck.

Kade came back into the kitchen carrying another garbage bag. “We’ll burn this one,” he said, heading to the sink. “No one’s going to come looking for that guy anyway. It’s the nature of the business.”

As he washed the dirt and blood from his hands, sweat still shone on his skin from the hard work he’d done digging in the warm sunshine. I’d need to wash his jeans. They were dirty from the digging.

“Thank you,” I said. “For being here. If you hadn’t—”

“Let’s not discuss what might’ve happened,” Kade interrupted, drying his hands on a dish towel. “I’m going to take a shower.”

I nodded, glancing at the clock. “Okay. My shift starts soon.”

“You’re going into work?” Kade asked.

I looked at him strangely. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I would think being attacked and having to bury a body might make you see sense,” Kade retorted. “The sooner you hightail it back to Blane’s the safer you’ll be.”

“The only place I’m going is into work,” I shot back. It stung every time he brought up the idea of me going to Blane, as if I were a burden to be shoved off onto somebody else.

Turning away, I headed upstairs, leaving him to fend for himself.

Going to my bedside table, I retrieved my gun from the top drawer. I checked to make sure it was loaded, then set it by the door so I wouldn’t forget to put it in my purse.

The uniforms at O’Sullivan’s were a lot less revealing than the ones at The Drop, just jeans and a T-shirt with the pub’s logo printed across the chest. The shirts came in black, white, and green, and tonight I put on a green one before doing my makeup. At least my jeans still fit, though they were more snug than I was used to. I heard the shower start in the bathroom across the hall.

I sat on my bed, thinking. I wanted two things—for me and my baby to be safe, and I wanted Kade. Now I just had to figure out the best way to go about getting them.

After a few minutes, I grabbed the gun and opened my bedroom door just as Kade came out of the bathroom.

I froze. Kade was naked save for a white towel wrapped low around his hips. He had another towel he was using to dry his hair, so he hadn’t seen me yet. My gaze drank in his damp chest, following the thin line of hair that started below his navel and disappeared beneath the towel. My hands itched to reach forward. It would just take a little tug to pull the towel loose. It would drop to the floor and I would drop to my knees—

I think I made a little sound, kind of like a whimper, because Kade suddenly stopped drying his hair. He may have looked at me—I didn’t know. I was still eyeing the towel and trying to figure out if I could grab it faster than he could stop me.

“Kathleen?”

“Mmm?” Maybe if I took off my shirt, distracted him—

“Everything all right? You okay?”

I sighed a little, making my eyes lift to his. “Fine. It’s just that being pregnant
. . .
Well, let’s just say I haven’t been this horny since
. . .
” I thought about it. “Ever.” Huh.

Kade’s face looked pained. “I don’t think sleeping together
would be a good idea.”

“Really?” I asked. It sounded pretty damn good to me. “I didn’t realize you’d taken up chastity.” I sidled a little closer. Men were all the same. I could probably change his mind if I could get my hands on his—

But Kade caught my wrist just as I reached out to snag the towel. He yanked me forward and my breasts brushed his chest. I bit back a moan at the contact.

He was so close, his mouth inches away.

“I just killed a man,” Kade said in disbelief. “In your living room. And you want to have sex with me?”

Well, when he put it like that
. . .
Nope, still didn’t kill my mood.

A droplet of water trailed from the ends of his hair down his neck and over his collarbone, then started a slow path down his chest. It tantalized me, practically screaming “Lick me! Lick me!” so I obligingly leaned forward
. . .
only to have Kade jerk back, out of my reach.

I frowned at him. This was getting irritating. “You’re playing awfully hard to get,” I complained.

“It’s for your own good.”

Now
that
killed my mood. I stepped closer, getting in his face.

“You’re starting to sound a lot like Blane,” I hissed. I jerked my wrist out of his grip, turned around, and flounced downstairs. I knew I was in a snit, but I just didn’t care.

There was a knock on the front door and I froze. Carefully, I checked my gun to make sure the safety was off before I went to the door. I peeked out the side window
. . .
and my jaw gaped.

Pulling open the door, I said, “What in the world are you doing here?”

Blane reached up and took off his sunglasses, eyeing me. “Hello to you, too,” he said wryly.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “I’m just
. . .
surprised. Come in.” I stepped aside so Blane could enter. He was dressed casually in jeans and a white button-down shirt he wore untucked, the cuffs turned back several times.

Blane glanced around the house with interest, taking in the bedding on the couch where Kade had slept before his gaze landed on me again.

“I’m glad to see you’re all right,” he said roughly, hooking his sunglasses on his shirt. “A phone call would’ve been nice.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized again. “I just thought
. . .
you and me
. . .
we needed some time.”

“How’re you feeling?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Okay.” It was super awkward to talk about being pregnant with Blane, so I moved on pretty quick. “How about you?”

His lips twitched. “I’m fine, but I’m not the one who’s having a baby.”

So much for not talking about it. “So, uh, how’d you find me?”

“I called him,” Kade said.

He had come downstairs, again without making a sound. I was really going to have to make him show me how he did that. Then I processed what he’d said.

“
You
called him?” I asked, facing off with Kade. I could feel my temper flaring.

“Don’t get upset,” he warned.

“Then don’t do things that
make
me upset,” I ground out.

“Thought you might want to know how Lewis was doing,” Blane interrupted.

I glanced around to him, confused. “Lewis? Alisha’s Lewis?” At his nod, I asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

“Kade shot him.”

I whipped my head back toward Kade, who was glaring at Blane. “What?” I screeched. “You
shot
him? What the hell for?”

“Really?” Kade said to Blane. “I tell you where she is and
that’s
the bomb you wanna drop? Asshole.”

“I’m not the asshole in this situation, and Lewis is fine, thanks for asking,” Blane said.

“I already knew he was fine,” Kade retorted in disgust. “I know where I shot him.”

“So you did shoot him?” I asked, interrupting their argument.

Kade’s gaze swiveled to mine. “Alisha wouldn’t tell me where you’d gone,” he said simply, as though that was justification enough for shooting Lewis.

“Oh my God,” I moaned, grasping the sides of my head. “Alisha’s going to hate me! And poor Lewis!” It’s not like being shot was any fun. Even if he was going to be all right, it wasn’t okay that Kade had done that.

“Alisha’s not going to hate you,” Kade said.

I jerked my head up and got in Kade’s space. “You’re right,” I said. “She’ll hate you!” I poked his chest hard to emphasize my point.

Kade’s eyes narrowed. “May I remind you of what would’ve happened this morning if I
hadn’t
been here?”

I swallowed, some of my anger leaching away.

“What happened this morning?” Blane broke in.

“Do you want to tell him about the body now buried in your backyard or shall I?” Kade asked.

“A body?”

I ignored Blane. “You didn’t have to threaten Alisha,” I argued. “I’m sure she would have said where I was if she knew I was in danger. You could’ve just told her that. You certainly didn’t have to shoot Lewis!”

“I’ll keep that in mind for the next time you disappear and someone has a contract out to kill you,” Kade sneered, not at all apologetic.

“Let’s talk about that,” Blane interrupted again. “Kade, what’s going on? Who’s after Kathleen? And what body’s in the backyard? And last but not least”—he held his arms out, palms up—“why am I here?”

“Yeah, I’ll let you two figure it out,” I groused. “I’ve got to get to work.”

“You’re not going to work,” Kade said.

“Watch me.” I grabbed my purse, stuffed my gun into it, and headed outside.

“Come on,” I heard Kade say to Blane, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t have both Blane and Kade following me in their separate cars into town.