The Crusader ("The Crusader" Prequel to "Kingdom Come") (31 page)

"Well?"
she asked softly. "What do you think?"

Bud
released a slow sigh, tearing his eyes away from the enormous man and gazing to
his enthralled colleague. "I think your Sir Kieran is a gifted
storyteller," he said quietly. "And I think I need to go back to the
hotel and ponder all of this for awhile."

"But...,"
Rory's eyes were wide with surprise."What about the fact that you were
right about the Muslim forces extending the crown as a peace offering? I never
said anything to Kieran about your theory, so how would he know what you
speculated? Doesn't that mean anything?"

Bud's
ice-blue eyes were steady. "He's an intelligent man, Rory. I'm sure he
took the things you told him and pieced together a logical, if not somewhat
involved, story."

Rory
rose to her feet, her expression sorrowful. "Oh, Bud... how can you still
not believe?"

Bud
stood up from the chair, his attention on Rory as Kieran rose from the bed.
"Look," he said softly. "You can't honestly expect me to believe
this guy has risen from the dead. Whoever he is, he's the most gifted actor
I've ever seen and I'll give him credit. But you... Rory, you were infatuated
with the knight from the very moment you saw him and you want him to come alive
so badly so he can help you find your crown that you've somehow fallen prey to
this... this opportunist. Honey, why can't you see the situation for what it
is?"

"Why
can't you?" she shot back, feeling abandoned and hurt by the man she had
come to depend on so terribly. But her reasons for her dependence were
different from his, one person in love with another who did not return the
feelings. Bud somehow symbolized a strength and support she had never known,
while he wanted to be the husband she would grow old with. It was a painful
paradox for the both of them.

"Because
it's not what you want it to be, no matter how hard you wish it was," he
said earnestly, ignoring Kieran's massive presence lingering behind him.
"This isn't a fantasy, Rory, or a movie. This is real life."

Focus on
what's real in this life. Rory heard the strains of her mother's words echoed
in Bud's voice and her soft demeanor, her pleading manner, vanished.  So he
considered her outlandish and bizarre, too. Just like her mother did. For Rory
to be trying to  convince Bud that Sir Kieran was real was like calling Wolf;
she had tried to convince him that the crown was real and she had failed to
prove her point. And now he wasn't willing to believe the verity of her words a
second time around. He wasn't about to be made a fool of twice.

"Fine,"
she turned away from him. "Go back to the hotel, Bud. I'm not going to
bang my head against the wall any longer. If you don't believe me, then that's
your problem."

"No,
it's
our
problem," he said with growing irritation. "You stole
an ancient corpse and I should have stopped you. And until you tell me where
you've hidden it...."

"I
didn't hide it!" she practically shouted, jabbing a finger at Kieran.
"It's right there, big as life! Good Lord, Bud, if I've ever needed you to
believe me, it's now. I'm not making this up!"

Bud eyed
the knight, shaking his head after a moment. "No more, Rory. Come on;
you're coming with me."

She
balked stubbornly. "I'm a big girl, Bud. I can do what I want, when I
want, or where I want. And I don't want to go back to the hotel with you."

Bud's
cheeks mottled a faint pink. "So you're going to stay here with...
him?"

She
nodded, turning away. "Since I can't count on you to help us, I guess I'll
have to figure this out by myself."

Bud's
jaw ticked. "You've committed a crime, Rory. If I let you stay here, then
I'm an accessory. I can't leave you...."

There
was a gentle knock on the door then. Before Kieran could stop him, Bud opened
the panel in a fit of irritation. Steven Corbin's piercing blue eyes filled the
room.

Before another
breath was drawn, Kieran was moving for the doorway like a madman. Rory gasped
with fright as Corbin's two goons pushed the lawyer out of the way, propelling
themselves into the room and taking out Bud with a swift blow to the jaw.

Kieran
grabbed the man who had struck Bud, sending him to the floor in a burst of
blood and fists. Corbin himself had moved into the room, heading for Rory, who
immediately scampered away from his advance in search of a weapon. In her
panic, the only thing she was able to locate was the small lamp beside the bed
and she grabbed it, swinging it at Corbin with all her strength.

He
grunted as she caught him in the shoulder, but it wasn't enough to deter him.
The bed was behind her, a considerable obstacle that she was unable to overcome
before Corbin capture her like a cornered mouse.

"Well,
well, Dr. Osgrove," he grunted with exertion as she fought furiously.
"We meet again under far less pleasant circumstances."

"Let
me go!" she brought up her knee, catching him in the thigh and trying to
shoving her open palm into his nose.

But
Corbin would not be dissuaded. He tightened his grip, holding her obscenely
close as she wrestled with surprising strength. "Not until you tell me
where Sir Kieran is. And you will furthermore tell me why he seems to interest
you so."

She had
no idea what he meant by the last statement and chose to ignore both questions
entirely. She was still fighting him, but he was far stronger than she was and
her exhaustion was rapidly growing. Just as she thought she might actually have
to give up her struggle for the moment, a booming voice shook the very walls of
the room.

"Simon!"
Kieran roared. "Release her if you value your life!"

Chestnut
hair askew, she turned in time to see Kieran stepping over the bodies of
Corbin's two cohorts. Bud was twitching somewhat, trying to push himself up as
Kieran's blazing eyes focused on Corbin. But the lawyer merely cast him an
unwavering glance.

"I
don't know who you are, but this is a legal matter and you will refrain from
interfering," he turned back to Rory, flushed and panting in his grasp.
"Once again, Dr. Osgrove, you will tell me what you did with Sir Kieran's
body. The Hage family's patience is sorely tested with your maverick
actions."

She
didn't say anything, her wide-open gaze on Kieran as he approached. Kieran met
her eyes momentarily, if only to soften for a brief moment at her expression of
fear and anger. But just as swiftly, his gaze returned to Corbin.

"I
told you to release her," he demanded hoarsely. "You came for me and
I shall turn myself over to you completely. But you will let her go
first."

Again,
Corbin looked at him strangely. "I most certainly did not come for you.
But you'll vacate this room if you know what's good for you."

Kieran
sized the man up. Aye, he looked like Simon. And he spoke like Simon, too. But
there was something in his harsh expression that indicated lack of recognition
and Kieran was puzzled. The Simon he had once known would have dropped the
woman and had a dagger to his neck by now.

But this
Simon did not have any weapons and the men who had accompanied him were not the
usual cast of characters. Aye, even though the man holding Rory bore the same
features of the man he had once loved and then grown to hate, there was a
distinct difference that was difficult to isolate.

Nonetheless,
he sensed nothing but danger from the man and quickly decided to act; reaching
out, he grasped Corbin by the neck, causing him to release his grip on his
quarry. As Rory fell away, Kieran tossed Corbin against the wall like a macabre
rag doll.

Rory
gasped as Corbin hit the wall with a thud, knocking over the bed stand. Kieran
immediately went to her, placing his big body protectively between the dazed
lawyer and the frightened lady. Gaze hard as stone and body tense, he continued
to watch Corbin as the man shook his head in an attempt to regain his senses.

"You
stupid bastard," Corbin finally hissed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Now you add assault to the list of charges."

"He
was protecting me!" Rory fired back, her hands on Kieran's thick forearm.
"You've got a lot of nerve breaking in here like this and beating people
up!"

"And
you, Dr. Osgrove, are in deep trouble for stealing what does not belong to
you," he snarled, eyeing the massive man in front of her. "And
your... your bodyguard here cannot protect you from jail time."

Before Rory
could respond, Kieran delved into the conversation. "Damnation, Simon, how
did you find me?"

Corbin's
brow furrowed in puzzlement and irritation. "I told you to stay out of
this. And as for...."

"Do
not play games with me," Kieran's expression darkened. "I realize
it's been a long time, but surely you cannot take me for such a fool. I asked
how you found me and you will do me the courtesy of answering."

Corbin
sighed heavily. "I have no idea what you're talking about. This matter is
between the doctor and myself and I cannot believe I'm debating this with
you."

"We
are not debating. In fact, we are scarcely communicating. But know this; even
as you resort to trickery and brutality to gain your wants, I will tell you now
that I do not have in my possession what you seek. You have followed me a very
long way for nothing, old friend."

Corbin
was thoroughly perplexed not to mention greatly annoyed. "What in the hell
are you talking about? You have nothing to do with..."

His
words were abruptly cut off by a loud shattering of glass and metal and wire. Rory
shrieked with surprise as Bud brought a fine porcelain lamp down on Corbin's
neck and head, having managed to sneak up behind the man as Kieran kept him
occupied. The lawyer fell like stone, sprawled out on the floor as Rory removed
herself from behind Kieran and rushed to her pale, shaken associate.

"Bud!"
she cried softly, jumping aide when he tossed the base of the lamp still in his
grip. "Are you all right?"

He
nodded weakly, massaging the back of his neck. "I think so," he
mumbled, looking about the carnage of the room. "But we'd better get out
of here before these guys come around."

Kieran
knelt beside Simon, looking him over intently. "God's Blood," he
muttered, rising to his feet. "Through eight centuries, he has actually
found me. Strange how he didn't outright kill me, but rather resorted to covert
actions to...."

"Enough,"
Bud reached out and grabbed Rory by the arm. His head was swimming and his
stomach lurching and he simply wanted to get the hell out of there. "Come
on. We'll figure out what to do next after we've collected our luggage."

"But
Kieran...," Rory turned to the knight as Bud pulled her by the arm.
"Hurry and get your duffle bag, Kieran. We've got to go!"

Bud
didn't protest as Rory beckoned the big man to follow; he was desperate to
leave and had no intention of lingering a moment longer to argue the point with
his smitten colleague. There was little doubt, however, that he would get rid
of the imposter at a later time. With Rory in tow, Bud stepped over the bodies
of Corbin's colleagues, noticing that one man was beginning to stir.

Outside
in the corridor, Rory pulled her hand free of Bud's grasp and in turn took
Kieran's hand. Bud cast them both a long glance, feeling the embers of jealousy
burn bright once again but  he put his turbulent emotions aside. The had to get
out of that hotel before Corbin and his men grew lucid. Ignoring the fearful
looks of the people still in the sitting area who had heard the commotion
upstairs, the three of them spilled out into the late afternoon sunshine.

As Rory
pondered what the total of the damaged room would come to on her already
maxed-out American Express card, Bud noticed the black Mercedes parked at the
curb. He recognized it as Corbin's and went to the window, peering inside.
Suddenly, he jerked the door open.

"The
keys are in it," he motioned for Rory and Kieran to get in. "Come on;
hurry!"

Rory
jumped in as Kieran fumbled around with the door latch.  With a grunt of
frustration, she leapt out of the car, opened the door for him, and practically
shoved him inside. Plopping back into the passenger seat, Bud turned on the
engine and threw it into gear as Rory took the cigarette lighter away from
Kieran in the back seat. Whipping a wild U-turn, they took off in the direction
of Hyde Park.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

Bud
checked out of the Parkwood so fast that the landlady thought she had done
something to offend him. He assured her that everything had been wonderful and
thanked her for a lovely stay even as Kieran and Rory grabbed the luggage and
threw it haphazardly into Corbin's car. Certainly not the activities of
well-satisfied guests, but Bud continued to smile as he paid the bill. The poor
landlady made every effort to believe him even if actions spoke louder than
words.

Bud
finally emerged from the hotel only to find Kieran in the passenger seat
examining the dashboard as Rory explained the panel's function. Had he not been
so eager to put distance between them and the hotel, he would have had little
patience for the man's play-acting and Rory's willingness to go along.