Played, p.4
Played, page 4
Dougall looks at me, answering my questioning glance. “His bairn was taken once. Got her back. He knows what to do.”
“Where has he been through all this?” I ask, almost exasperated.
“His oldest daughter got married.” Caleb replies. “He’s been back in Scotland for a month.”
I nod. “No offence, but what a fine time.”
Da rests his arm across my shoulders. “We’ll keep Peg safe, Laney. Now that we know she’s a target, and soon you will be, too.”
“If these damn cops can get hold of all these kidnappers.” Dougall growls. “But we don’t play the fool here, Laney. We will hire a private investigator specifically for this.”
“A team.” Caleb adds with emphasis. “I want the son of a bitches responsible to get fried for this.” He looks over at Peg and rubs her leg. She doesn’t stir. “I feel like I failed her.”
“Don’t be foolish, son.” Dougall reasons. “This family is always going to know trouble, just like any family with fame or fortune, or both. You got the bairn back safe, and we’ll keep her safe. That’s all that matters.”
“Yeah, she’s not physically harmed, da, but what about mentally? She's already lost her mama, been uprooted, and now this?”
Da interjects. “All that means is that she’ll grow a thick skin, Caleb. Which she’ll need in this world.”
“Exactly, Caleb.” I add. “And we’ll get her into a psychologist to make sure that she’s okay. We’ll keep her well and happy, no matter the cost.”
Caleb looks up at one of the paramedics. “When can we take her home? She needs a bath and her own bed.”
“As soon as the officers give you the say so.” He answers.
Dougall interjects. “I’ll go talk to them. There’s been no gunshots, so I take it they either didn’t get any more suspects, or they all surrendered. My bet is on the former.” He says, unimpressed.
Caleb looks at me. “Don’t let any of this sully your thoughts on the wedding, Laney. We’ll have a small one, with little attention, as you wished.”
I shake my head, brows furrowed. “Not at all, Caleb. I want to move forward with this. The sooner we’re married, the safer Peg will be, at least in the eyes of immigration and the adoption agency.”
“Aye.” He nods. “I’m glad. You’re a wise girl. That’s why I’m marrying you.”
I kiss his lips quickly, since there are so many people watching. He kisses me back, and that's when Ethan approaches. Caleb looks at him and looks away, disgusted. Ethan’s nose is swollen, and his eyes are bruised. I don’t ask. Nothing surprises me anymore. Nothing at all.
Peg wakes up and I give her a bath immediately. She slept an hour, while police questioned us, told us that the investigation is still ongoing, as they only arrested Nathan Mackenzie. As soon as Caleb was certain that Peg was settled at home with me, at my parent’s house, he left. I'll give you one guess as to where he went. Ethan followed us back, his guilt showing. Mrs. Quinn gave him an ice pack for his nose, and he sat with me, while we guarded Peg’s sleep. I look at him as he sits there, almost sulking. “Does it hurt?”
“Not as much as it looks.”
“Have you broken your nose before?”
“Aye. Once.” He answers but doesn’t elaborate. “If I knew it would cause trouble, Laney, I swear to you, I would have told Caleb.”
“Told Caleb what?”
He sighs. “Freya Stewart. The banker that Caleb called to trick the kidnappers. She and I had a thing. Only, she didn’t tell me that she and Caleb had a thing, too, before me.”
I nod. “Ah. That explains a lot.” A pause. “So, Caleb didn’t know about the two of you, and he called a broken-hearted woman for help. At your cost.”
“Aye.”
I pause and look at him contemplatively. “What happened? Why did it end?”
He shrugs. “I felt I’d been deceived. When she didn’t tell me about sleeping with my brother. Felt like I couldn’t trust her anymore.”
“Did you ever stop to think that maybe she was defending your brother’s honor, Ethan? Maybe she’s not the type to kiss and tell.”
He considers that for a moment, and then he licks his lips and continues. “It felt gross, too, like she’d dipped her pen in the company ink, so to speak. Making her rounds in the Harris clan, you know.”
“I can see that.”
“Thought maybe she was getting over Caleb by fucking me.” He looks at Peg and covers his mouth sheepishly. “Pardon the language.”
“How do you know it wasn’t just a casual thing? He did say that he’d had a business type of relationship with her. Maybe that’s all it was. I can’t speak for him, of course, but maybe this means more to you than it does to him.”
“It’s long over.” He shrugs finally.
“Is it?”
“I guess it’s not since it’s come back to bite me in the ass.”
“Is it more than that, though, Ethan?”
He scratches his lip with his thumbnail. “I think so. She hates me. I said some things that should never have been said. I was awful to her. Called her a whore. Called her so many things. She threw things at me.”
“How long ago did this happen?”
“Months. Nearly a year.”
“And yet it’s still fresh, Ethan.”
“Caleb made me feel responsible.”
“Well, he was angry, frustrated. It probably said more about her than you, Ethan. It might have been a shock to him. Her refusing to help with something so delicate, so important, over something so trivial, high-school-like.”
“Aye.”
“How’s your nose?”
He takes the ice pack off. “It’ll be better tomorrow. I’ll have shiners for a couple of days, maybe a week. Maverick will have to take my appointments, unless da wants me to lie and say I fought off the kidnappers or something.”
“Are you going to talk to Caleb?”
“What for? It’s over.”
“It seems to me like there’s been water under the bridge between you two for a while, Ethan. Maybe it’s time to bury the hatchet.”
“We’ve always been like that, lass. Caleb and I have never been close. We’ve always been brawling about something. This is typical.”
“If it’s so typical, why are you talking to me about it? Why not just let it go?”
Another shrug. I get the feeling that he uses shrugs as a way to say that he’s thinking about it. “Like I said, he made me feel responsible.”
“And you’re looking at me to get you off the hook?”
He looks at me so tenderly, so apologetically. “No, I'm not like that, Laney. I just want you to know that I love the bairn as much as everyone else in the family. I’d never see anything happen to her. At least not on purpose.”
“That’s very noble of you to say, Ethan. But I’d never think that of you or anyone in this family.”
“I’m glad. But I wanted you to know all the same.”
I touch his knee. “You should talk to Caleb. Get things out into the open. I think this is bothering you more than you care to admit.”
“Aye. Caleb’s got enough to worry about. He doesn’t want to talk about a high school crush. Like you said.”
“Once he gets back, you should. I think it’ll make you both feel better.”
He looks at Peg. “She going to be okay?”
“She’ll be fine. Your da says a private investigator will be hired, I’ll assume that’s to clean up the police work, and Caleb says we’ll put Slater and Young on the task when she starts school.”
“Aye. And you and Caleb are still carrying on with the wedding?”
I nod. “Aye. I think that’s best for Peg.”
He looks at me, head tilted. “And you?”
“What about me?”
“Are you getting married for Peg or for you, lass?”
I place my hand, palm down, on my belly. “For all of us, Ethan. I love your brother with all my heart, and nothing will make me happier.”
He smiles, pleased. “Glad to hear it. I never thought my fool brother would find a lass to hang on to. He’s always been a playboy.”
I just grin warmly.
“I should get back to work.”
“Okay, Ethan. Think about what I said.”
He kisses my cheek as he rises. “I will.”
And he does much more than just think about it, but I don’t find out for a while.
Chapter 5
Ethan
As much as I said that I’ve got work to do, I didn’t mean it in a business sense. I know where Caleb went, and as much as him and I are on the outs, I wanted to go. Pulling up to the police station, I see it’s a flurry of activity. Da’s with him, and I know that they came in da’s car, since I see it parked next to what I assume is Clyde’s cruiser. When I walk in, da sees me first. “Ethan. Peg okay?” He asks, concern on his face.
“Sleeping. Laney gave her a bath.”
He nods. “Caleb’s waiting to see Nathan Mackenzie.”
“How come you’re out here?” I ask, as we stand in a room, packed with officers, administrators, and people here to pay tickets and do other administrative things.
“Waiting for Clyde to give me a rundown on what these idiots are going to do next. I’ve already put a call in to Young. He’s on board. He’ll be back from Scotland in a couple of days.”
“Can I go inside with Caleb?”
Da looks at my face. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You look like you went on a round with Mike Tyson, son.”
I wave. “It’ll be fine, da. He got it out of his system.”
“You just be sure and never let a lass come between you and your brothers.” Da says, lifting his brows for emphasis.
“I think it’s a little late for the lecture, da.” I say, pointing to my broken nose.
He smiles and tousles my hair. “You go on in, then. He’s just inside that door.” Da gestures with his chin at the door in front of us. It’s unmarked.
I rise and go to the door, noting that nobody is stopping me. Inside is another room, with another door, and wooden benches built into the wall, for seating. The glass enclosed offices behind the wall are closed, as the lights are off. It looks like a place where perps come to get booked, and I’m guessing that’s what it is, since Caleb is waiting to see Nathan here. A light turns on and someone walks around, behind the glass, just as I walk in. The officer doesn’t even look up, like he’s trying to pretend that I’m not here. Caleb is scrolling through his phone, and he looks up, glancing at first the officer behind the glass, then at me.
“Ethan. What are you doing here.” He asks, tone slightly deflated, like he was expecting someone else, and is disappointed.
“Went to check on Peg and Laney first. Thought I’d come here and see how things were going. Da told me you were in here. He’s just waiting on Clyde.”
“Aye. I know. I’m waiting for them to finish questioning Nathan, and then I’m going to take a round out of the bastard myself.”
“Who is this Nathan to you, anyway?”
Caleb folds his hands together, parting his knees further. “He was one of Gretchen’s sponsors.” Gretchen was Peg’s mama. The one that died recently. She was a recovered drug user. “Never met the man, but Laney figured it out. The bastard.”
“And he’s from Scotland?”
He nods. “Aye. He came here to take Peg. Son of a bitch. That’s how come he knew Peg would go with him. He should burn in hell for this.”
I lower my head. “Well, I’m glad to see you’re angrier at him than at me.”
“Don’t kid yourself, brother. I’m still plenty vexed at you.”
“Caleb, to be fair, you have secrets, too.” I level with him. “You never told any of us about Gretchen and Peg. And you know as well as I do that I’d never have a child harmed. If I knew that my affair with Freya would harm anyone, you would have been the first to know, and that’s the truth.”
“A lot of good it is for you to tell me this now, Ethan. Look at the mess we’re in.”
“Caleb, you can’t, in all fairness, blame me for this. I know you don’t want to hear it, but even if Freya had fudged over the funds, Nathan jumped ship, man. She would have never been able to place the funds in Wesley Higgins’s account that fast, and from what I understand, you didn’t even record his account information to begin with, so how this is all my fault, I can’t say.”
His jaw muscles are working. I can see him grinding his teeth together in anger. “Look, Ethan, this isn’t the fucking time, man. I’m worked up over Nathan, and I’m ready to fuck him up. Unless you want to come in with me to make sure I don’t murder the bastard, you’re wasting your time.”
“If that’s what I can do to help, brother, I’ll do it.” I tell him.
The officer behind the glass, opens the little slit window, and sticks his head out. “You can go inside now. Wait for the door to buzz.” He says tersely, like just giving us instructions is taxing.
I rise and grab the door, as it buzzes, letting us in. Behind the door is a small cavity, and lining the walls are jail cells, just like in the movies. Inside one of the cells, deep in the back, is who I can only assume is Nathan Mackenzie. He’s sitting on a metal bench, against the wall, hands in his hair, looking every bit as fucked as he is. “You’re lucky the bairn is unharmed, man, because if she wasn’t, I’d fucking kill you, man.” Caleb practically growls, as Nathan lifts his head.
“Save your breath.” Nathan says, defeated.
“I don’t think so, lad. Not when you tried to kidnap my kid. You’re lucky there are bars separating us.”
He lifts a hand. “I get it.” A sigh. “Look, I’m getting extradited, anyway. Not like I was planning to stay in this shithole.”
“My heart bleeds.” Caleb sneers. His hands are at his waist. He gestures with his chin. “Why’d you do it, man. Why’d you get yourself mixed up in this shit.”
He chuckles without mirth. “Money.” A sniff. “Look, I mean no ill intent towards Gretchen, but all the money she was getting from you, she didn’t give me a dime, and I snorted everything away. I needed the money, man. You’d never understand.”
Caleb’s lips purse into a scowl. “You make me fucking sick. I’m glad she never gave you any of it.”
“I am, too, man. Believe me, I’m not proud of this. That’s why I ran. I’d had enough. After you started coming after me, I figured Wesley wasn’t paying me enough to get killed. And I told him I wasn’t laying a finger on the lass, either, so you can rest assured. As far as Wesley was concerned, she could have been thrown in a ditch, but I know her, and I knew her mama, and I made sure that she wasn’t going to get hurt.”
“What, do you want a fucking medal?” Caleb growls. “You still took her. She still could have been hurt. And you did it all for fucking money, you sick fuck.”
I interject. “And I suppose you don’t have a clue where Higgins is now, huh.”
“I know where he lives and where he conducts business, but I don’t suppose he’d be stupid enough to show up there.”
“And I suppose you already got paid, did ya.” I add.
He shakes his head. “I got paid half, but it won’t be a spit in the bucket to the legal fees I’m going to shell out now.”
“Cry me a fucking river.” Caleb sneers, lifting a finger. “You ever come near Peg again, or my family, or anyone I know, I’ll make sure you’re ended, and I mean that.” He says with so much conviction, even I’m afraid of him for a moment. Caleb takes one more step towards him. “And the sad part is, asshole, if you had come to me, knowing that you were a friend of Gretchen’s, I would have helped you, man. But as far as I’m concerned, now, you can go get hung and burn in hell.”
Nathan hangs his head, nodding, completely defeated. Caleb walks away, and I follow him. We walk out the door and I follow, looking back once at Nathan, but he doesn’t lift his head. Good. “You okay, man?” I ask my brother, and as I try to put my hand on his shoulder, he immediately recoils.
“Look, Ethan, just fuckoff, man.”
So, I do just that.
The house still looks the same. And as I pull up to it, I get a shiver. I know why I’m here, but I’m not sure if it’s for the right reason. The truth is that Freya and I could never have been together, regardless of whether or not she and Caleb fucked. Regardless of whether or not that happened before or after she and I fucked. It took me a long time to figure it out, but the real reason why Freya and I could never be together is because she’s too small time for me. Da would be wounded if I went after a girl like Freya for real. Look how he set up Caleb and Laney. She’s as big time as you can get. Aside from marrying a fucking princess or a Hollywood starlet, or even someone high up there in politics. Either way, a banker, no matter what her role is, would be an insult to da.
And that’s the real reason why I told her to fuckoff. Truth is, I was looking for a way out. Things got too real. We both said those three wicked fucking words to each other, and there was no turning back. I needed an out. And her telling me about fucking Caleb was just the thing I needed. That’s why I never told Caleb about her and I. It was a fucking embarrassment. Freya should never have been anything to me except a roll in the fucking hay, just like she was to him, but I took it too far. I let her in. I told her she’d played me, but really, I’d played her. I kept fucking her, kept telling her I loved her, whether I really did or not is irrelevant. She was a good lay. She was a good time. She was the only girl that truly wanted me for me, and that’s when she dropped the bomb and told me that she’d been with Caleb first.
But now it’s personal. Caleb knows. And she wouldn’t help my family when the chips were down. Not saying that I blame her, but I kind of do. The difference is it wouldn’t matter if someone fucked me over, if there was a kid involved, I’d help. Can’t say the same for Freya, and that’s the bone I need to pick with her today. As much as it’s making my stomach turn just being here, I’ve got something to say that needs saying, and she’s going to fucking listen, too. As soon as I’ve got up the nerve to go inside, I see another car pull into her driveway, and I lose my nerve.
