“It should only take me a couple of days to deal with this and then I’ll come get you at Vincent’s. Hopefully we’ll know more about the phone by then.”
“I’m not going to Vincent’s,” I said calmly. “I’m going with you.”
“No, you aren’t.”
I’d already braced myself for the argument that I knew was coming. “Let’s fight it out in the car, Cain,” I said as I headed for the door. “But I’m telling you this,” I said as I snatched the car keys off the table. “You aren’t winning this one.” I didn’t even give him time to respond before I left the room.
Chapter 17
CAIN
I didn’t like givingor receiving the silent treatment when it came to the man next to me, but I was too wired to apologize to him like I should have. I’d ignored what he’d said about winning the argument until we were within a couple miles of Vincent’s house and he’d made a random comment about how he hoped Vincent had a couple of certain over-the-counter medications at his house, because mixing them would have interesting effects, even on such a big guy. I’d suspected he’d been bluffing, but knowing he was adamant about coming with me had made me realize he could easily do something to Vincent that would piss the man off. And while I didn’t exactlynottrust Vincent, I couldn’t say I trusted him not to do something like lock Ethan in a room or something similar in a twisted attempt to keep Ethan from getting away and following me. In truth, I couldn’t even be sure Vincent could be bothered to care about keeping Ethan from coming after me since the man had barely even agreed to let Ethan stay at the house with him.
So I’d reluctantly, and angrily, turned the car around and gotten us on the highway that would lead us west. That had been twenty minutes ago and neither of us had spoken since.
It was a far cry from the last couple of days where all we’d done was talk.
And make love.
I had no clue how many times I’d lost myself in Ethan’s beautiful body…or how many times he’d told me he loved me as he’d hung on to me. It didn’t matter if I fucked him hard and fast or slow and long, the end was always the same. Explosive orgasms that had left me shaking and wanting more at the same time. And Ethan’s words of love whispered in my ear.
If I’d had any doubt about wanting a future with Ethan, it had died a quick death after the past couple days. And any reservations I’d had about someday having the love I felt for him turn into something obsessive and wrong had been obliterated after he’d told me he loved me for the first time and said his feelings wouldn’t change even if I couldn’t change. I’d known then that I could and would change. Not just for him, but for me. I’d used things like talk of our wedding as examples of how fucked up I was, but I’d ended up planting seeds that had grown in the silence of my mind whenever I held Ethan in my arms as he slept. The idea of watching Ethan come to life as he was welcomed back into his family was exciting to me.
I didn’t even feel a shard of possessiveness at the thought of sharing him with the people who loved him. And I knew he’d make sure to give me what I needed by helping me navigate the waters with his family as I explained to them that it would take me time to let them in to the place where only Ethan currently existed. I’d also been giving lots of thought to Lucy. Ethan had mentioned that the girl had no one else. The idea that she’d be a permanent part of our lives didn’t bother me in the least. I’d probably be a lousy father figure for her, but I could learn from Ethan’s example. And if all I could ever be was an overprotective, brotherly type to her, that was just fine by me. I’d be damn good at scaring off the boys who thought she was just any old girl they could mess with.
As the car ate up the miles and miles of road that were taking me back to the house where my life had ended in more ways than one, I tried to focus on what I might find there. Ronan had calledshortly after Daisy had, but I’d ignored the call since I’d known what he wanted.
He wanted me to wait for back-up.
When he’d approached me years ago about helping me find my father, he’d told me it would be my decision whether or not my father would face the punishment the courts had decided upon or whether I would be his judge, jury and executioner.
It was a decision I still hadn’t made.
I would have thought it would come to me as I got closer and closer to the possibility of finally putting my past to rest, but I found myself too preoccupied with other thoughts. And none of them had to do with the man who’d slid a butcher knife into my gut as easily as he’d carved our Thanksgiving Day turkey with it.
No, my thoughts were one place and one place only.
I reached across the console separating us and took one of Ethan’s loosely fisted hands in mine. As soon as I laced our fingers, he tightened his grip and I heard a whoosh of air escape his lungs. He pulled my hand to his mouth and brushed a kiss over my knuckles before settling our joined hands in his lap. He held onto it for the rest of the drive, only letting go when I made the final turn of our journey and pointed out the place I’d never wanted to see again in my life.
Home.
“Don’t,”Ethan said softly as I turned away from the front door to face him.
I sighed, not surprised that he knew I was going to ask him one more time to wait in the car. We’d spent several long minutes having the same argument in the car and I’d finally given up when I’d realized he’d just follow me if I tried to force him.
Resigned, I turned my attention to the door and tried the knob. The house I’d grown up in sat on a quiet street with just a few houses that sat on larger lots. I didn’t see any people around nor were there any cars parked on the street. It was just after lunch timeso I figured most people were at work or school. The house across the street that had belonged to the older woman who’d babysat for my parents on occasion looked abandoned because the grass and bushes were horrendously overgrown.
My mother’s car wasn’t in the driveway, but that didn’t mean anything since she just as easily could have parked it in the garage. Daisy had said the withdrawal from the account had gone through just after eight this morning. I’d asked her to call the bank where my mother worked to see if she was still there but she’d gotten her voicemail and when she’d spoken to another employee, she’d been told my mother had gone home sick.
It was a promising sign, but since it had taken a couple of hours to get here, I also knew I could already be too late.
I wasn’t surprised to find the door locked when I tested the knob so I pulled out the tools I needed to pick it. It took less than a minute and then I was tucking the tools in my pocket and pulling out my gun after making sure there was no one around to see us. I used the edge of my T-shirt to wipe the knob before turning it.
To Ethan I said, “Don’t touch anything inside and stay behind me.”
I still had no idea what the plan was in terms of what I would do if and when I saw my father, but little of it would have to do with my mother. Even if I decided to pull the trigger instead of calling the cops, my mother’s presence would have nothing to do with it. Yes, she’d point the finger at me if she was ballsy enough to contact the cops and admit she’d been harboring a fugitive, but Ronan would have a rock solid alibi in place for me before I even left Kentucky.
I carefully pushed open the door and scanned the entryway before giving Ethan permission to enter. He used the sleeve of his shirt to quietly close the door behind us. The house was dark since all the curtains were drawn and I didn’t hear any voices. Ethan stayed close behind me as we worked our way through the lower level of the house. A quick glance in the garage showed that my mother’s car was indeed in the garage.
