Second on the Right (21 page)

"Whoa now! T.M.I. man. T.M.I." Patrick said,
though still grinning broadly.

James took the opportunity to show Patrick
the decal of the black circle he had received. He explained the
latest threats and the kid at the airport. Previously, they had
searched the terms 'black circle' and 'black spot'. The first
result listed
Treasure Island
and read of threats and death
for pirates.

James had thought it a ridiculous notion;
however, the more he came in contact with these symbols, the more
he began to wonder. James crossed his arms, frowning.

Patrick continued, "Hey, don't stress it,
man. Okay? I’ll figure out who’s behind all of this. I promise. Why
don't you let me worry about it, huh? You’ve much, uh, bigger
things to attend to…eh?" He gave James a nudge and a wink. "Well, I
guess we're done here." With those final words, he made a shooing
motion for James to leave.

Shortly after midnight, James arrived home.
In the kitchen he found Eileen swaying. He saw the same man, the
charity case, with his arms around Eileen’s waist. James' eyes
narrowed in suspicion at the stranger's intentions.

Who does he think he is? Coming into my
house, assaulting my fiancée. My—
James frowned at the thought.
He hadn’t had a chance to propose. He had everything: the roses,
the wine, the ring. He planned to make her dinner, tell her how
much he loved her and missed her. Now all of this was ruined by the
presence of a stranger in his home.

He’s taking advantage of her. What if I
hadn't walked in? How far would it have gone?
James’ anger
flared. He felt conflicting emotions: apologetic at his outburst,
but enraged by the stranger’s intrusion.

James rushed forward, thrusting his body
between them as he threw the force of his momentum into a left hook
at the stranger’s chin. Knocked back onto the edge of the table,
the man whipped his head back around. He rubbed a drip of blood
from his newly split lower lip.

Idiot, serves you right,
James thought
smugly.

Satisfied he had taught the ruffian a lesson,
James was about to turn to Eileen when pain seared his lower jaw.
For a split second, he couldn’t see. He realized the man had
returned the favor and hit him square in the jaw. Chest heaving,
James curled his fingers back into a fist only to have his wrist
caught in the stranger’s grasp. Pain hit him as the stranger landed
an upper cut that flattened James on his back. Blinking, James
struggled to regain his bearings. A dark looming presence hung over
him. The front of his shirt was roughly grabbed, lifting him off
the ground. With a turn and a twist, James worked his way out of
the grasp. Using all of his strength, he swept the man’s legs and
was able to knock him to the floor. James scrambled to his feet,
hoping to gain the advantage, but was thwarted by a hard kick to
the ribs. Groaning loudly, James cried out in rage.

As the grown men wrestled like two small
boys, Eileen found her voice and shouted, "Stop! Stop it this
instant!"

The two froze, each with a fistful of the
other’s clothing and matching split lips. They looked up to see an
intoxicated Eileen swaying precariously. The two released their
holds and stood.

"Eileen! I'm so sorry.” James came over to
her and lifted her chin, trying to make eye contact. Eileen’s lids
drooped half-shut. “Eileen?” He glanced at the table. "Wine, rum,
brandy? You’re mixing alcohol? How much have you had tonight?”

Eileen looked up at James and smiled. "James,
you came back," she said in a slurred whisper, gripping his arm to
keep steady. She seemed to have forgotten about the fight, blind to
the blood on his face.

"Yes, my dear, I came back. I want to
apologize for my behavior. I should’ve let you explain," he said,
but realized as the words were coming out she most likely wouldn’t
remember. He had never seen her so intoxicated. She looked
vulnerable.

"Oh, she'll be fine," Benedict said, the
sound of annoyance in his voice.

James shot him a look to keep quiet. “We’ll
have words, later.”

"It’s okay, James," Eileen said through a
yawn. "He's okay. We know each other from years ago on the ship
I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I—"

"Shhh, all right. Eileen, darling, you should
go to bed. Try and sleep this off, hmm? We'll talk in the morning,"
James said kindly, leading her stumbling upstairs. With a final
warning look at Benedict, James took Eileen up to the master
bedroom.
I trust her. I guess I can give him the benefit of the
doubt since she knows him. Still—

James led Eileen to the bed. Sitting her down
at the edge, he removed her shoes. When he looked up at her, she
had a coy smile on her face. With a pang in his heart, he leapt up
and kissed her.

James could have easily continued, and she
would not have protested. Eileen also would not have remembered.
Tempted as he was to take advantage of her amorous mood, he was a
gentleman first and foremost. He gently separated from her, pulled
the blankets and sheets back and tucked her into bed. Giving her a
final kiss on the forehead, he bid her goodnight. Changing into his
old rugby jersey from university and a pair of sweats, James
slipped into bed. He was exhausted from the flight, from the events
of that night, from all of the stress he had been carrying around
in his mind. Within seconds, he had fallen fast asleep.

Benedict had watched as Eileen disappeared
upstairs. Once again, this man, James, had interrupted and ruined
his plan. He stood in the kitchen for a moment, seething. He was
going to retire to his room, then changed his mind and headed for
the back porch. He needed some fresh air and time alone, which he
now would have plenty.

A half hour later, Benedict was surprised to
see Eileen walking out onto the back porch. She stood by the
railing, facing out towards the sound. Memories of watching her for
the first time at the rail of the
Mistral Thief
came to his
mind. For a few minutes, he remained in the dark, leaning against
the house. He carefully observed Eileen's movements. The inside of
the house remained quiet. He concluded that the other man must have
fallen asleep. With a slight smile, Benedict crept up behind
Eileen, a brief flashback from his long-ago daydream coming to
mind. He pulled the strands of her hair back and gently kissed her
neck. Running his fingers down her cheek and tracing her chin, he
turned her head so her eyes met his.

He kissed the back of her hand. Feeling her
tremble, he did his best to suppress a smile. Whatever had
inhibited Eileen from kissing him before was no longer there. He
grabbed hold of the back of her head and moved her closer. He knew
he had her now and pulled her into a passionate embrace.

The following morning, Eileen felt as if her
head had been split in two with an axe. Groaning in pain, she
rolled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. She splashed water
on her face. The coolness was wonderfully refreshing. She swallowed
a couple pills, hoping they would begin their work and rid her of
the ferocious migraine.

Eileen needed to clear her head. Starting the
shower, she stepped in once it was hot, and plunged herself under
the cascade. The water seemed to wash away part of the fog in her
mind. Her heartbeat quickened, thinking about last night. She
couldn’t recall what time James had come home, but from what she
remembered…

Eileen placed her hands on the wall of the
shower to steady herself, letting the water wash over her head and
down her back. She closed her eyes. She remembered being with James
last night. She must have passed out, but was unsure of whether
from the alcohol or the passion.

Lathering her hair with soap, Eileen felt
something gritty. She pulled out what looked like sand. Brow
furrowed, she ran her fingers through her hair, stopping on two
items that caused her mind to reel: a leaf and a twig. Taking them
out of her hair, she stared at them.

What had happened last night?

Eileen closed her eyes as she rinsed the
shampoo away. A flash of James kissing her drifted into her mind.
She smiled. As she continued her shower more memories of the
previous night came together. Her eyes flew open. In one flashback,
she was with Benedict, not James. Struggling with the confusing
image, she tried desperately to remember.

Eileen stepped out and wrapped a towel around
her. She headed out of the bathroom to gather her clothes for the
day. She stopped cold at the threshold. Another thought came to
mind: Benedict kissing her. She had returned the kiss. The image
changed back to James.

It was a dream, that’s all, s
he
thought to herself, though still unsure.

With her migraine still raging, she knew she
had had way too much alcohol last night. She equated this
particular dream to her drinking binge. After dressing, Eileen left
the bathroom. James was sleeping, facing away from her. Sitting
down next to him, she leaned over and kissed James on the
cheek.

"Good morning," she said softly.

"Yes. Indeed, it is now," he said sleepily,
rolling over.

While James showered and dressed, Eileen took
a walk around the wooded area and along the shoreline of the Sound.
The sun was out, the light winking through the dense trees
surrounding their Westport home. Standing inside a circle of
sunlight, she closed her eyes and faced the warmth of the sun. The
chattering of birds in the distance and rustling of leaves in faint
gusts of wind added to the enjoyment of her morning walk.

Taking in a deep breath, she cleansed her
mind of all worry and stress.
Today is going to be a great day,
s
he thought to herself.

Her stomach rumbled. It occurred to her she
had not eaten much in the last day. Walking back to the house, she
hoped James had made it down to the kitchen and brewed a pot of
coffee. He may have grown up in England, but due to Eileen’s
American ways, he was thoroughly corrupted and preferred drinking
coffee over tea.

Eileen heard noises in the kitchen and
smiled. She had missed him while he was away in England. The smell
of bacon, eggs and toast was heavenly. One of the many things she
loved about him was his self-sufficiency.

As Eileen imagined James at the stove
cooking, she walked into the kitchen with the plan to kiss him and
welcome him home. As she turned the corner, her eyes searched the
room until they came to rest on the breakfast nook where James was
sitting. She turned pale, frozen in mid-step. Sitting across from
James was Benedict.

Oh no—

The two Benedict men sat in silence, eating
breakfast and pointedly avoiding eye contact. At the sight of
Eileen, they appeared suddenly relieved. They stood to greet her.
James shot Benedict a scathing look before taking Eileen's
hands.