Reunited (14 page)

A sudden realization struck her like a slap to the face. Maybe Rafe already knew. But if he suspected her father of murder, then why hadn't he said something that night when she'd told him her reasons for coming to Boston? Her mind spun back to that moment and Keely tried to remember his reaction. Rafe had been a bit distant at times since then, but she'd written that off as a bad mood.

For all she knew, Rafe had no idea of the connection between his father's death and the Quinn family. She drew a ragged breath. But what if he did know? Another realization hit her. Keely groaned softly and covered her mouth with her hand. Had Rafe known who she was all along? Even from that very first night on the street in front of the pub? Was their meeting a part of some plan?

"No," she murmured. She was reading way too much into the situation. She pressed the heels of her hands to her temples. The only way she'd know the truth was to confront Rafe.

Keely turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face, then dabbed it dry with a paper towel. Before she walked out the door, she ran her fingers through her hair and pasted a smile on her face.

Her brothers were still in the same spot, still involved in their discussion, when she walked back behind the bar. Sean joined her and opened the cash register. "Liam explained to you what is going on, right? Rather than wait for your paycheck, I'll just pay you in cash. I'm sorry we can't keep you on, Keely. You were a good waitress."

"That's all right. I understand. You all seem so worried--I wish there was something I could do."

"It'll be fine," he replied. "It's just a family thing."

Tears of frustration pressed at the corners of her eyes and she fought them back. She was tired of hearing it was a family thing!
She
was family and
she
wanted to help. But with all that had happened to them today, she couldn't possibly reveal the news now.

Maybe she didn't deserve to be a part of the Quinn family. After all, she'd been sleeping with Rafe Kendrick. But was Rafe the enemy? Did he have anything to do with this whole thing? God, she couldn't think! Her mind was a mess of doubt and speculation. "I think I'm going to go home, if that's all right with you."

"No problem," Sean replied. "Not much to do around here." He handed her the cash and she tucked it in her pocket. "Good luck with everything, Keely."

"Thanks. Good luck to you. And give Seamus my best wishes." Her voiced trembled slightly and when she turned to grab her purse and jacket, she had to bite her lip to keep from crying.

"Bye, Keely," Liam shouted. The rest of her brothers added their farewells, and she turned and gave them a wave, then opened the door. When she reached the street, Keely yanked her jacket more tightly around her to still the tremors that racked her body.

The cold winter air cleared her head and she tried to sort out all she'd heard. But her initial suspicion kept coming back to plague her. Rafe had to be involved. Why had he been hanging out at the pub? And why, during all of their discussions, hadn't he told her about his father? Why was that such a big secret?

Keely glanced up and down the street, wondering how to get back to the bed-and-breakfast. There had to be a bus stop or a subway stop close by. She'd just have to walk around until she found one. And while she searched, she'd decide exactly how to handle her next encounter with Rafe.

One thing she did know--Keely Quinn wouldn't be falling into bed with Rafe Kendrick anytime soon.

K
EELY SAT
in the dark living room of Rafe's apartment, staring at an elaborate flower arrangement on the cherry coffee table in front of her. The doorman had happily let her in as he'd done a number of times since Christmas Eve. She shivered, then rubbed her arms through the sleeves of her jacket, trying to conquer the apprehension she felt.

The moment he walked in the door, Keely knew she had to confront him, so determined was she to have an explanation for his deceit. As she waited, she had thought about opening a bottle of wine, but then decided against it, certain that she'd need all her wits about her. Besides, with the level of her anger, the wine bottle could be used as a weapon.

The words were difficult to plan. She only knew how she felt--betrayed, confused, hurt. Funny, she'd thought she was immune to those emotions. If she didn't allow herself to fall in love with Rafe, then he couldn't possibly hurt her. So what did this mean? Was she in love with him or had the shock of the situation simply overwhelmed her?

The sound of his key in the lock startled her out of her thoughts. She didn't speak the moment he walked in, choosing instead to observe him from the shadows. He looked tired and tense as he threw his keys on a table and dropped his briefcase on the floor. And try as she might, she couldn't see him as the enemy. When he reached out for the light switch, Keely held her breath.

Rafe saw her immediately. "Keely! Christ, what are you doing here?"

"Where did you expect me to be?"

"I--I thought you were going to spend the night at your place. Shouldn't you be at work?"

She swallowed hard, unsure if she'd even be able to form a coherent sentence. "The pub's been closed. Does that come as a surprise to you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" He raked his hand through his hair, then slowly approached. "Are you angry about something?"

"Should I be?"

"Damn it, Keely, if you're going to answer every question I pose with another question, we'll just quit talking. But if you have a problem, tell me what it is and we'll discuss it. I'm not going to play games with you."

She laughed derisively. "Oh,
you're
not going to play games? Tell me, what have you been doing from the moment we met? No, don't answer that. First, tell me, what were you doing at Quinn's the night we met?" She paused for a long moment, long enough for her to see the answer in his eyes. "You did this, didn't you? All this trouble for Seamus. You're the one who made it happen."

"Keely, I--"

Her heart ached a little more with every word she said. Suspecting him of such an act was one thing, but seeing the confirmation of it in his eyes was another. "You think Seamus had something to do with your father's death. I heard my brothers talking about it and when they mentioned your name--Kendrick--I couldn't believe it. But then it all fell into place. After all, what would a sophisticated, wealthy downtown guy like you be doing in a working-class pub in South Boston? Unless you had some reason for hanging out there."

He grabbed her hand and held on to it so tightly that she couldn't pull it away. "Just listen for a few seconds and I'll explain."

Keely jumped up from beside him, tearing her fingers from his grasp. "Tell me you didn't have anything to do with calling down the cops on my father. Tell me you didn't do something to bring the building inspectors out to the pub." She clutched her fists at her side, fighting the urge to punch him. "Tell me."

Rafe slowly leaned back into the sofa. "I can't," he murmured. "I won't. Everything you suspect is true. I found the witness against Seamus Quinn and I convinced him to go to the authorities. I called a friend I have in the inspector's office and asked him to take a look at Quinn's Pub. And when Seamus tries to find an asbestos contractor to take care of his problem, he won't find a single contractor in the greater Boston area who will take the job. Oh, and I now hold the mortgage on the pub, so if he defaults, the place belongs to me."

His cavalier attitude was like a punch to the stomach, stealing the breath from her lungs and making it impossible to draw another. She opened her mouth, but no words would come. How could the man she'd been so intimate with now be so hateful?

"Before you tell me how much you detest me, maybe you should consider one point, Keely. What if it's true? What if your father really is responsible for the death of my father?"

"It--it can't be true," she said, her voice trembling.

"I think it is. All the evidence points that way, Keely."

She walked to the window, then braced her hands on the sill, gripping it with white knuckles. "What about me? Was I all a part of this scheme? Were you going to use me against my own family?"

Rafe stood up, but she backed away as he approached, unwilling to allow him to touch her again. "That night in front of the pub, I didn't know who you were. Imagine my surprise when you told me you were really a Quinn."

"And you didn't have any second thoughts about what you were doing? Even after you knew I was Seamus's daughter?"

"Why would I?"

Keely spun on him, then made to slap him across the face. But he caught her hand just in time and she slowly let it drop. "No, I guess you wouldn't," she murmured. "I was just the woman you were sleeping with. Well, that's the end of it then. You've chosen your side and I've chosen mine." She drew a ragged breath. "You're not going to win, you know. I'll do everything I can to make sure you don't hurt my family."

"That's not going to happen."

His voice was so coldly confident it sent a shiver down her spine. "Try me," Keely dared.

With a low curse, Rafe stepped forward and grabbed her by the arm, then pulled her toward the door. At first she thought he simply meant to throw her out of his apartment. But then he picked up his keys on the way out and punched the button for the elevator. No, he meant to embarrass her by throwing her out on the street.

"Let go of me," Keely demanded.

"No," Rafe said. The elevator descended, but it didn't stop in the lobby of his building. Instead, it went down to the parking level. "You and I are going to talk this out. And after you hear my side of the story, you're welcome to go running to the Quinns. But you are going to listen."

Twisting and turning, she tried to pull out of his grasp. "I don't want to listen to anything you have to say. It's all lies." But as she fought him, Keely secretly prayed that he did have an explanation for his behavior. Or that somehow, between the two of them, they'd figure out that this was all just a big misunderstanding.

He yanked open the car door. "Get in."

"No," she muttered.

"Get in," he repeated, his frustration tightly checked.

"If you want to talk, we can talk right here."

"No, we can't." He paused. "I need to show you something." He took her arm and gently pushed her into the car. Keely knew she should have fought him, knew that he'd suddenly become the enemy. But she also knew Rafe and he wasn't the kind of man to accuse someone of murder lightly. Did he have some kind of proof to show her?

Keely reluctantly slid into the passenger seat. She wasn't abandoning her family by going with him. She simply needed to know all the facts. But even that reassurance didn't make her feel any better. In truth, it made her ashamed. Her feelings for Rafe had overwhelmed her loyalty for her family. She was treading on thin ice and if she wasn't careful, she'd fall through.

"Where are we going?" she asked as Rafe got inside.

"Someplace where we can talk." He turned the ignition, then locked all the doors with a flick of a button. A few minutes later, they were out on the street, speeding through late-afternoon traffic. But when Rafe steered the car onto the northbound interstate, Keely frowned. "Where are you taking me?" she demanded.

He didn't answer her this time. Instead, he punched a number into his car phone, then picked it up. "Hi, it's Rafe. I'm on my way up to Aspen Lake. Make sure the kitchen is stocked and the heat is turned on. We'll be staying for a few days at the least." Rafe hung up the phone, then turned his full attention back to the road.

Keely's stomach tightened. She'd never seen Rafe in such a black mood, so filled with anger he was ready to explode. "Where the hell is Aspen Lake?"

"It's in Vermont," Rafe replied.

"Vermont?" she cried. "
Vermont?
I don't want to go to Vermont."

"I don't care. That's where we're going." His voice was cold and emotionless.

"You don't have anything to show me, do you? You lied to me to get me in this car."

"You wouldn't have gotten in if I hadn't."

"Are you kidnapping me? Kidnapping is against the law. If I don't want to go to Vermont, then this is kidnapping. I could have you arrested."

Rafe shrugged. "I suppose you could. But then, since I'm kidnapping you, I'm not exactly going to let you run to the police."

Keely crossed her arms over her chest. "Take me back to Boston right now."

"No."

She reached out and grabbed the wheel and the car swerved wildly. Rafe cursed as he brought it back under control, along with his temper. "You and I are going to Vermont. Now you can either waste the next three hours shouting at me or trying to kill us both, or you can enjoy the ride. I'd prefer to enjoy the ride." He reached out and pushed a CD into the player. The sound of classical music filled the car.

Just as quickly, Keely reached out and shut it off. "What do you think you're going to accomplish with this?"

"I don't know yet."

"You can talk at me all you want and it's not going to change my mind. I'm still not going to believe my father capable of murder. Or do you think you'll gain an advantage by kidnapping me, that my family will somehow suffer because of it?"

Rafe glanced her way, then chuckled. "Your family doesn't know you exist. It might be hard to collect a ransom on a daughter Seamus Quinn doesn't even know he has. Besides, I'm not after ransom. I have plenty of money."

"Then what?"

"Time," Rafe said. He reached over and turned up the volume on the CD player.

But Keely was far from done with him. She pressed the Eject button on the CD player and when the CD popped out, she tossed it into the back seat. "I'm not going to let you get away with this. The first time this car stops, I'm going to jump out. And then I'm going to call the police and have you arrested."

He glanced over his shoulder as he changed lanes, the car accelerating smoothly. "The one thing I required when I decided on vacation property was that it had to be quick to get to. You'll find it interesting that there isn't a single stop sign between here and my place on Aspen Lake. Really quite amazing, don't you think?"

Keely gritted her teeth and then growled in frustration. He had an answer for everything. God, why hadn't she noticed before what a smug bastard he really was? She eyed the car phone and wondered if she might dial 911 before he had a chance to take it from her.

But Rafe saw what she was looking at and grabbed the phone. He unhooked the cord with one hand, then rolled down the window and tossed it out. "You can add littering to that charge of kidnapping," he said.

Keely slouched down in the seat. She wasn't going to win this round. But she had three hours to plot her escape. Once she did that, she'd capitalize on the first opportunity that presented itself. And in the process, she'd make Rafe Kendrick pay for everything he'd done to her. For those long, deep kisses and those earth-shattering orgasms. For those quiet conversations over dinner and for the fun and games in the shower. For making her doubt her loyalty to the Quinns. For everything he made her...feel.

But as she thought about her own revenge, Keely wondered if she'd be the one paying the greatest price. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had fallen in love with Rafe Kendrick. And that could be the most costly mistake she'd ever made.

B
Y THE TIME
they reached the cabin, Rafe was ready to unlock the doors and let Keely jump out of the speeding car of her own free will. She'd been nothing but a shrew and a harpy and a royal pain in the ass the entire way to Aspen Lake and he seriously wondered at his decision to bring her to his weekend getaway. But all her demands for an explanation and threats of retribution didn't seem to quell his desire to strip her naked and make wild, uninhibited love to her.

In truth, the reason he hadn't answered her questions was that he didn't have answers yet. He wasn't sure why he'd decided to kidnap her, only that he was certain if he let her out of his sight again, something disastrous might happen. And trying to keep Keely locked in his apartment until he pleaded his case with her would be damn near impossible. At Aspen Lake they'd have the peace and quiet to sort everything out. And when he was satisfied that she understood his side of the story, they'd return to Boston.

The driveway into the cabin was difficult to find during the summer months, but in the dark of a winter night, it was nearly impossible. He slowed the car as they were getting close then spotted the wooden sign tacked up on a tree. "Kendrick" was all it said. Rafe carefully maneuvered the car between the snowbanks, then down a long hill to the cabin, which was set on the shore of the lake.

He glanced over at Keely to find her studying the surroundings carefully--no doubt planning her escape. But Kencor owned all the property around the lake as well as the lake itself. "The nearest neighbors are at least two miles away," he said. "And they're summer residents. You've got a four-mile walk into town, if you can find your way."

The cabin hadn't been opened since Labor Day. Snow crusted the roof and icicles hung from the eaves, but the caretaker had managed to plow the drive and shovel the porch since Rafe's call. The porch light beamed brightly, welcoming them and reflecting the snowflakes that had begun to fall.

Rafe parked the car, then reached over and opened the glove compartment. He pulled out a flashlight. "We're here." He pushed open his door and stepped outside.