Blind Faith (19 page)

“I have to go,” she said in a strained voice.

“But I haven’t finished telling you…”

“
NO!
 
No more, not tonight.
 
I have to get out of here.
 
Now
.”
 

Serena started to rise from the table, fully prepared to let Rufus lead her out of there if McKinley insisted on finishing the conversation.
 
But in her haste to stand up, her legs pushed against the chair with more force than she intended, propelling it backwards where it collided with a man behind her.
 
She heard the chair topple sideways and crash to the floor, followed by a muttered oath.
 
Serena turned towards the man to apologize and was mortified to find herself pressed up against his large frame.
 
Two muscular arms caught her around the waist, pulling her closer and locking her in his embrace.

“Whoa, pretty lady, where’s the fire?”

Serena shoved against his chest, nearly choking on her fear.
 
“Let me go,” she squeaked.

“Sure,” he laughed, “for a small price.”
 

A violent tremor rippled through her body when she felt the heat of his breath against her lips, and for a moment she thought she was going to pass out.
 
He smelled of whiskey and cigarettes and something else that was so hauntingly familiar it conjured up memories of another time and place when she’d been too paralyzed with fear to defend herself.
 
A harsh sob tore from her throat as Serena wrenched her head sideways.
 
The sound of her own erratic heartbeat thundered in her ears, drowning out whatever it was the man was saying
.  D
espite the valiant effort she was making to stay conscious, her knees started to buckle.

Serena’s body went limp and she would have dropped to the floor if the man hadn’t been holding her so tight.
 
Her limbs felt like they were made of lead, and though she was still cognizant of what was going on around her, it seemed to be channeling through her senses in a foggy haze.
 
The sounds were muted, as if they were coming from someplace far away; a solemn country tune about beer and horses, the animated chatter of men and women engaged in conversations, McKinley’s voice raised a few pitches higher than normal, and above it all
…
a low, menacing growl that meant Rufus had gotten his hackles up.

“Ah, hell,” the man groaned as he hoisted Serena up into his arms.
 
“She’s stone cold drunk.”

“She is
not
drunk,” McKinley hissed.
 
“She passed out because you scared her half to death.
 
I
told
you not to touch her!”

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?
 
Just…tell me what I should do with her before her dog decides to take a bite out of my ass.”

“Follow me to my car.
 
If she comes out of it while you’re still holding her there’s no telling how she
will
react.
 
Rufus…
settle
,” McKinley ordered.

Rufus wasn’t accustomed to taking commands from other people but he was familiar with McKinley, and it was probably that more than the tone of authority that silenced him.
 
Once Rufus no longer presented a threat, the man turned and headed in the direction of the door.
 
Serena told herself there was nothing to worry about, that McKinley was right behind them with Rufus and neither of them would let the man hurt her.
 
She tried to focus on something…anything…other than the slivers of fear that prickled at her skin and put ice in her veins, but it was impossible when the friction of every movement he made raked over nerves that were already frayed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

“My car is just around the corner,” McKinley said once they were outside.

A few minutes later
,
Serena heard the car door open and then she was being lowered down into the seat.
 
Another moment of panic seized her when he leaned over her, but it was only to fasten
the
seatbelt before shutting the door.
 
Tears of shame squeezed from beneath Serena’s closed eyelids.
 
She was bitterly disappointed in herself for the way she’d reacted to a man who had obviously meant no harm.
 

Only a few minutes before, she’d been buoyed by the firm belief she could hold her own against McKinley and whatever stories she fabricated about Will.
 
And she
had
convinced herself she was capable of blocking the overwhelming fear that always consumed her when she was around men, especially those she didn’t know.
 
Now Serena realized how vulnerable she still was to the phobias her past had instilled in her.
 
Whatever strides she’d made towards conquering her fears had been destroyed by a man who
had
done nothing more threatening than put his arms around her.
 

She was a coward, imprisoned by memories that existed only in the deepest recesses of her mind.
 
Despair swept through her as the hopelessness of her situation began to sink in.
 
How could she rid herself of memories that were buried so deep she couldn’t reach them?
 
Even more disheartening was the knowledge that exhuming them wouldn’t change a thing; not if she lacked the courage to face them once they were unleashed.
 

Will
.
 
She needed to talk to Will.
 
He
would
explain away McKinley’s awful accusations and restore her faith in him…and in herself.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                     
***

Will checked his watch again.
 
“Where
is
she?”

He’d rushed home from Rose’s so he could be there to greet Serena, arriving with only fifteen minutes to spare.
 
A quick shower ate up the next ten minutes
,
then he’d hurried downstairs to wait for her.
 
That was over an hour ago.
 
It wasn’t like Serena to be this late without calling to let him know.
 
Logic told him there could be any number of reasons she wasn’t home yet, but that didn’t keep him from pacing in the front hallway while the knots in his stomach cinched tighter with each passing minute.

He’d worked himself up into quite a fit of anxiety by the time he heard a car pull into the driveway.
 
Will resisted the urge to yank the door open and barrel outside, but when several more minutes ticked by and she still hadn’t some inside, he peeked out the window to see what was keeping her.
 
A few unpleasant thoughts meandered through his mind when he recognized McKinley’s car
.  A
nd then it hit him;
she
was the reason Serena had been delayed in getting home.
 
He was out the door and halfway down the steps when McKinley’s door swung open.
 

The nervous look McKinley shot him as she climbed out and took a few tentative steps in his direction told Will she
had
assessed his mood correctly.
 
He was furious with her for conning Serena into going with her and could only imagine what lies she’d been filling Serena’s head with.
 
He had no desire to confront her, at least not with his temper as hot as it was at the moment, and he definitely didn’t want to upset Serena.
 
Will clamped his mouth shut as he headed for the passenger side of the car, determined not to speak to
McKinley
no matter how much it burned his hide to remain silent.
 
He might have succeeded too, if
she
hadn’t skirted around the fender and grabbed his arm.

“Will, wait a minute.
 
There…there’s something I need to tell you.
 
Please
,” her voice trembled, “it’s about Serena.”

Will’s eyes narrowed.
 
“If you said anything to upset her, so help me God, I’ll wring your neck.”

“No!
 
It wasn’t me, I swear.
 
You see, there was this man and…”

“
What
man?”

“I don’t know who he was, just some man at the bar…”

“You took Serena to a
bar
?
 
What the hell were you thinking?”
 
 
 

Will yanked his arm free and tried to brush past her but McKinley quickly outmaneuvered him, planting
herself
between him and the passenger side door.

“Get out of my way,” he gritted.

“Not until you listen to me.
 
Look, she was a little freaked by what happened
,
but once we were out of there she calmed down.
 
As a matter of fact, she dozed off on the way here and was still asleep when I pulled up.”
 
 
 

It irked him that McKinley was deliberately blocking his view of Serena, but she had to be telling the truth because Serena had made no attempt to get out of the car.
 
Still, it was becoming alarmingly clear that something was wrong, and his first impulse was to physically remove McKinley so he could see for himself that Serena was okay.
 
The only thing that kept him from doing it was the frantic look on her face and the obvious desperation in her voice.

“Will, please…you have to listen to me.”

Will crossed his arms, not the least bit remorseful when his intimidating stance drained the color from McKinley’s face. “Two minutes,” he growled. “I suggest you talk fast.”

“I will, I promise, only…” she looked away from his fierce gaze, flicking her tongue over her lips before continuing in a subdued
t
one.
 
“Just hear me out before you say anything.
 
I hadn’t seen Serena in a while so I took her out for a glass of wine.
 
I know, I know,” she said before he could interrupt, “it was a mistake going to a bar, but she didn’t seem nervous at all so I honestly didn’t think anything of it.”

Her eyes briefly lifted to his then turned away again, but not before Will caught the shimmer of tears.
 
It was gut wrenching to see a woman cry, and if it had been anyone but McKinley, that innate protective hormone it seemed all men possessed would have kicked in immediately.
 
But this
was
McKinley, the consummate actress who would say or do anything to get what she wanted.
 
The scowl on his faced deepened.
 
That she would go to such lengths to gain his sympathy only intensified his concern for Serena and his impatience to get to her.
 
McKinley evidently picked up on it because she started talking faster and seemed even more desperate to compact everything she could into the two minutes he’d allotted her.

“I worry about Serena a lot, and I know you don’t think you
r presence has
a negative impact on her
,
but I had to make sure for Serena’s sake…and for my own peace of mind.
 
I didn’t realize being in the bar was upsetting her until we got ready to leave,” her voice began to wobble.
 
“When she stood up, some half drunk man stumbled into her.
 
I don’t think he meant any harm but he put his arms around her and tried to kiss her.
 
Serena just came unglued.”

Will’s temper exploded.
 
“What do you mean she came unglued?
 
And why the hell didn’t you try to stop him?”