“Come on, this gives you a chance to get changed,” Kai suggests, and she quickly picks up the overalls and returns to the feed room as my brother and I exchange a look.
“I don't care if you’re interested, but I’m not stepping away,” he tells me quickly, and I acknowledge his statement with a quick nod of my head.
And it seems the time to decide is now. Better to throw my hat in the ring than miss my chance, right?
“Agreed,” I tell him, feeling nervous for the first time in a long while. My gut says she doesn’t have any ulterior motives, but it’s not so sure that I’m ready to handle her. My head says I need to man up, be brave, and just commit myself to the chance. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of taking my time. Wait too long, and she could be stolen away by the others, not knowing that she needs to leave some room in that heart for me. Against all odds, this might be the most dangerous thing I’ve done in a while. Before we can talk about this in any real depth, she returns, ending our opportunity to speak.
“Come on, let's go,” he says to her, but she stops in front of me, her long legs directly in my line of sight, making me wonder what they would feel like wrapped around my waist as I pounded into her from above.
“Can I bring you a coffee or something?” she asks, jolting me out of my dirty fantasies, and it’s all I can do to slowly sit up in the hope of hiding the raging boner now tenting my pants.
“Yeah, that would be great, thank you.” Giving her a smile, I hope it doesn't seem too predatory.
Kai directs Harlow back toward the house, leaving the stables silent once again but for the snuffling and snorting of the horses. Quickly getting up from the bale of hay, I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and start taking photos with the camera. It might not tell us much, but at least it's something I can give the PI.
Once I've taken the photos, I head into the feed room to raid the medical supplies. Grabbing a pair of latex gloves, I quickly pull them on before returning to the mannequin. I shudder at the sight of it wearing my sister's dress and shoes, the wig a perfect match for her hair. It’s no wonder they thought it was Jacinta at first. Moving toward the head, I crouch down and carefully lift it up, trying to see an exit wound out of the back of the mannequin's head or if the bullet is still lodged inside. But no, there’s an exit wound on the other side of the head and no bullet that I can see. Damn it, I was hoping there would be one for evidence to compare to other crimes.
Still crouching, I blow out a disappointed breath as my eyes search the rest of the empty stable. The floor is covered in straw, and it would take too long to search it before the police get here, but out of the corner of my eye, I see something glinting in the dim light. Lodged into the corner where the two sides meet is something metallic. Standing up, I move over to it, crouching down again and finding a bullet casing. Picking it up with my latex glove-covered hand, it looks to be a 9mm. That doesn't really help, but it’s something more than I had to go on before. Dropping it back exactly as I found it, I stand back up, stretching out my back. There's nothing else to see, so I step around the dummy.
Backing out of the stable, I move to the other one with the animals in it. Harlow's donkey makes a noise and moves over to nudge at the hand I placed on the half door. It would be easy enough to coat this one in paint, but the mini is a whole other story. She comes charging at the door, ears flat back, teeth bared. I don't flinch, and when she gets to me, I put my hand out and grab her by the scruff of her mane, growling at her and showing no fear. At the sound, her ears come forward and she nudges the donkey out the way so she can get closer to me. She’s not quite tall enough to stick her head over the door, but it doesn’t stop her from trying. A smile crosses my face at her antics, but it shows me something else. Either the person who covered them in paint knew what they were doing when it came to horses, or they’re possibly walking around with an injury. I’ll have to keep an eye out on the employees and people around Harlow.
Pulling off the latex gloves, I throw them into a bin in the feed room before settling back down on the hay bale. The police won’t be long, hopefully, and I’ve investigated all I can for now.
* * *
Afew hours later, the police have left and Dad and the girls have gone off to bed. The six of us have gathered once again on the back patio to have the beers we would’ve cracked open had we not heard Harlow’s scream. Holden has a joint lit and ready, and for the first time all evening my body loosens into a state of relaxation. The tension started with all the predatory women at the gala, and it only worsened when we saw the scene in the barn. I know I can hide that better than the others, but on the inside, I was a bit rattled. The slight discomfort in my shoulders tells me I was holding the stress there.
“This is fucked.” Oh, Jaxon. Poor guy has been fidgeting all night. The threat against Jacinta has him worked up into a frenzy. “I wish Harlow had never come.” When he feels like there’s nothing he can do, nothing he can fix for Jacinta, he tends to lash out with his words. He needs to get some of that tension out of his body somehow to avoid later implosion. Listening carefully, I think there’s less venom in the words than there would have been before. I think it’s fear and helplessness that’s driving him right now, but Kai’s not as quick to pick up on that.
“Hang on a second. That’s not fucking fair! This isnother fault.”
Jaxon accepts the joint Declan passes to him and takes a big hit. I watch as the animosity leaks out of him and he deflates. He hands the joint to Oliver and runs a hand through his hair, heaving a sigh before turning to Kai with a frown on his face. “No, I know. I just need someone to blame. You don't know what it did to me, seeing that dummy laying there.”
Holden snorts, but it’s not in amusement. That’s the sound he makes when he’s out of patience. No idea what the fuck has him so pent up tonight. Normally he lasts longer than that. Then again, aside from Declan, Jaxon’s always had a little chip on his shoulder as Jacinta’s only “real” brother, feeling like that gives him more right to worry about her or protect her than the rest of us have. “Fuck yes, we do. She may not be our biological sister, but we still love her as much as you do.”
I can see that they all need a more logical head to take over, so I step in before it turns into a fight. “I think we’re in agreement that Harlow is not to blame and the only person responsible is the psycho that’s stalking her. Right?”
All around the table their mumbles and nods of assent assure me we are on the same page. “Good. What we need to do now is lay off any of the petty shit that was going on with Harlow.” I look toward Declan and Jaxon. Jaxon nods enthusiastically, and although Declan mimics the motion, he’s a bit more reserved. “Our main focus now is making sure the two of them are never alone until whoever is doing this is caught. I’m sure with the six of us we can manage that around all of our commitments. Declan, you’re going to deliver the horses with Harlow, right?”
“Yeah, we’re bringing them to the set on Thursday since we’re all going on that ‘totally natural and not at all forced’ family ride tomorrow.”
“Good, that will be one less reason for her to be distracted. We need to find a way to monopolize her time after that. Dad would be heartbroken if he lost her before he’s gotten a chance to really know her, and right now, she’s more of a wild card than Jacinta.”
“I’m taking her to Hawaii this weekend, and Jaxon’s coming too. We’ve both got plenty of business we can involve her in, and then it should be easy enough for the two of us to keep an eye on her during the off time too,” Kai assures us.
“I have an idea for the days following that but I need to run it past Dad,” I tell them, and Declan frowns, crossing his arms.
“Care to share?” Of course my big brother doesn’t like to be kept out of the loop. I might be the most paranoid of us all, but he’s the most anal. I like to have information, but Declan likes to have control.
“Well, we need to inspect that new airline we just purchased in Europe. I thought we could make it a family trip. The likelihood that the stalker could get to them is slim, especially if we’re changing locations so quickly from LA to Hawaii and then abroad with only a quick stop back home.”
“That’s a good idea, but it’s still not helping us figure out who’s doing this.” Oliver’s concern is not hard to miss and Declan leans forward, his beer resting on the table between his hands.
He turns to Oliver, replying, “I’m going to ask my PI to change his focus and look into the mother’s background, and maybe the people who her mother associated with. Through her own admissions, we know they weren't the savory sort. Maybe that will turn something up.”
“Okay, so we have a plan.” Holden stands up, his eyeliner smeared and his stance looking a little shaky. “I’m going to have a shower and go to bed. I’m wrecked. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Hang on! Sit down,” Oliver calls out, and Holden flinches at his tone but sits nonetheless. “Has Nana had a conversation with any of you regarding Harlow?” I can tell by the bewildered looks on my brother's faces that she hasn’t. With a sigh, I nod my head.
