If Ever I Fall: Book 3 of The Six Series (7 page)

Grant snorted, flipping his wallet open as if showing me his badge. “Like that, is it?”

I caught myself before I could shrug. “You might want to look at the corner of the house. He fired from the tree line back there, and it hit right there,” I said, pointing at the splintered wood on the corner of the house and then towards the backyard.

“Walk me through it,” Grant said, moving towards the backyard.

When we got enough distance between us and the house, I told him what happened.

“So Brenda asked you to pick up Airen and drop her off at her mother’s. When you arrived, Robert de Fleur was standing at the front door, but there was no car in the driveway. You’re sure it was him?”

Facing the back of the house, I saw where the bullet had hit and ran my hand down over my face. Close. It had been very close. I nodded at Grant’s last question; there was no doubt in my mind who it had been. I’d studied every photo we had on him, could pick him out of a crowd, even if he tried disguising himself. There was no mistaking his face, not with the almond-shaped eyes and the pointed slope of his nose. In all the photos we had of him, his hair had been a dark reddish brown, which told me he didn’t go through any lengths to hide it. Besides all of that, there was a way he always carried himself. A telling trait that was noticeable from the front or back, because his left shoulder sat lower than his right.

“He took off as soon as he heard the car, heading for cover back here.” I lifted my hand, gesturing at the thin line of birch trees.

There weren’t very many of them between Brenda’s backyard and the house behind her, but just enough to give you the feeling you were in the country. “I got out of the car, thinking I might be able to run him down, but he’s fast. Faster than a man of his age should be.”

Grant snorted at that. “He’s two years younger than me, and a damn criminal with good reason to be fast.”

I covered my mouth to keep my smile hidden. “Yeah, well, I could probably beat you in a foot race too. Anyway, I made it halfway across the yard when he stepped out from where he was hiding, and I saw the gun. That brought me to a quick halt, I’ll tell ya.”

Grant made a noise of approval as I continued on. “I hauled ass back towards the house and hit the ground about the same time as the corner of the house exploded where my head had been. I came rolling around the porch. When I got by the car, he’d made it along the trees this way.” I pointed to my left between Brenda’s yard and the other neighbor. “And Airen yelled at me from the porch. As far as I can tell, he stuck to the tree line all the way up to the front of the driveway, where he fired again at where I was hiding on the driver’s side of the car. Why is everything so damn backwards here anyway?” I added, not really looking for an answer.

“That was when I pulled my gun. I didn’t want to, but he left me no other option. Airen was an open target on the front porch. I fired two rounds, pretty sure I winged him, heard a police siren, and used that to my advantage by getting us inside before he returned fire.”

Grant made note of what I said, stopping only to look at the various spots in the yard that I pointed at. “Since we intercepted the call, Nadia’s been making inquiries at local clinics to see if anyone’s showed up with a bleeding wound.”

He saw my eyebrow quirk at the injury description and added, “Can’t really ask if someone’s come in with a gunshot wound. It would raise too many red flags.”

I nodded in agreement.

“You’re sure it was him?” Grant asked again as we made our way back to the porch.

“Positive. Even with his homeless look, I know it was him. Do you think he’s looking for family to help him?” I asked.

Grant slowed his steps, moving his hands as if we spoke of something else. “I doubt they’d help him. From what intelligence we’ve gathered, the family wants nothing to do with him.”

A flicker of relief bloomed within me. I liked Brenda and her niece. It would suck if they were tied to Robert de Fleur in the wrong way.

But there was something wrong, something happening with Airen. I could tell, but I didn’t dare speak of it with Grant until I could get to the bottom of it myself. That thought reminded me of the phone call Airen received from her mother before I came outside. I needed to tell Grant about it, because if it was what I thought it was, Airen and her aunt weren’t the only two in danger of Robert de Fleur’s presence.

“Airen got a phone call from her mom before I came out. I’m not sure what happened, but Airen was supposed to go over to her house, and now her mother’s coming over later after she runs some errands.”

“So you think he left Brenda’s and showed up at Airen’s mother’s house?” Grant asked.

“I don’t know. I mean, he could have, right? It seems odd that Airen’s mother would put off seeing her this morning after being angry with her for not coming to see her when she arrived yesterday,” I answered, realizing it had been less than twenty-four hours since I first met Airen.

Grant sighed, nodding as we came to a stop at the corner of the house, pulling out his knife, and the evidence bag. “I’ll make note of it and add her mom’s house to the list of places he’s visited or will be visiting.”

“Why is he all of a sudden interested in family? I mean, he has all these contacts around the world, but he chose to come home. It doesn’t make any sense,” I said, keeping my voice low enough so if Airen were listening, she wouldn’t hear me.

The misshapen bullet landed in the see-through bag with a plop. Grant closed it, stuck it back in his jacket, and said, “My guess is he’s pissed off someone he shouldn’t have, namely us, but maybe even someone else. Now he’s scrambling to find a spot to lay low. Coming home puts his family in danger, but I don’t think he cares much either.” Grant shrugged as he squinted across the yard towards the road. “It makes him a very dangerous man though.”

I walked Grant to his car, knowing we’d recap everything we’d talked about later when I got to the church. “He’ll be back. You know he will.”

Grant pulled the car keys from his pocket and looked at me over his shoulder before getting behind the wheel. “I know. Which is why you’ll need to stick close to Airen and Brenda without blowing your cover. I’ll work on getting surveillance in place, but you need to stay here tonight.”

He was halfway down the driveway when Airen opened the front door and pushed a vintage-looking vacuum cleaner in front of her to the edge of the top porch step.

“Well?” she asked, fumbling with the end of the plug. “What did your American have to say?”

I lifted the vacuum from the step and nearly dropped it, not expecting it to weigh as much as it did. “
My
American?”

She smirked. “Aye, yer American,” she said, disappearing back inside the house.

I hefted the old vacuum over to the car, grumbling at the mess of glass fragments that littered the inside, wishing I could pick the car up and shake it all out instead of the hours of cleanup it would take.

“Yer all plugged in,” Airen called out as she came down the stairs with another vacuum, one that didn’t look like it came out of a Victorian Renaissance catalog. “You take that side and I’ll get this side, aye?”

A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER, the car was clean, but it was still missing the passenger side window. “Is there a body shop close by?”

Her head snapped up, looking at me in an odd way. “Oh, aye. There’s a place no far from here.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on her face. “What did you think I meant?”

She rolled her eyes. “Grab that and I’ll lock up.”

Avoiding my question, she turned around and went in the house, leaving me to carry both vacuums back inside.

“That’s all right; I’ll get both of them,” I muttered at her back.

I had no idea where to put them, so I left them against the wall in the living room and walked back outside, wishing I was on the hunt for Robert de Fleur instead of on my way to get Brenda’s shattered window replaced.

It grated against me that I was being used as a babysitter for Brenda and Airen, but there wasn’t anyone else they could depend on.

There was one thought that niggled at the back of my mind though, and that was the fact that Robert de Fleur was set on contacting his family. If he had no idea I was sticking close, I might be able to catch him when he tried contacting them again.

Wouldn’t he get the shock of his life when I put my 9MM in his face and threatened to pull the trigger? Sadly, I wouldn’t be able to do that either. I’d have to settle on getting him under custody and back to Grant and Nadia.

I slid in behind the wheel as Airen closed the front door and wiggled the handle, double checking that it was firmly closed and locked before she made her way to the car and got in.

Before we could even leave the driveway, the sky turned from bright and clear to a dismal gray as the clouds rolled in, threatening to rain down on us.

Airen leaned forward to look out the windshield and made a huffed sort of noise. “We better get going before the rain starts.”

Cold air with the sharp tang of rain howled through the open window as Airen directed me between squeaks of warning, followed by clutching at everything, including my leg at one point, throughout the entire ride. The half-moon marks she’d surely left behind throbbed, but not from pain.

After the second time she fired off a warning, making me swerve and almost taking out the car next to me, I got mad. “Sit back and stop freaking out, damn it, before you get us in an accident!”

Her eyes narrowed when she looked over at me. “I’m no the one driving. And ye’ve taken years off my life with the way yer doing it!”

“
Me?
” I snapped out at her. “You’re the one over there carrying on.”

“Make a right at the next street.” She stopped giving me a hard time only to direct me. “Ye have no business driving, Aiden. Yer terrible at it!”

I clutched the wheel in my hand, making the turn, and felt the need to shove my foot on the accelerator and show her how ‘terrible’ I was at driving. I kept myself from doing it. Barely.

I couldn’t let her goad me into forgetting what I should be doing, and that was keeping eyes on everything from the rearview mirror to everything else in front of and beside me.

Thankfully, the garage wasn’t too far away. Getting the window fixed would be the next problem. The shop owner wanted to ask a million questions, starting with what had happened to the old window and ending with asking Airen if she needed a ride somewhere as he cut a menacing look my way.

I cut one right back at him, handed over my credit card, wrapped my arm around Airen, and told him to fuck off with my eyes, while politely asking if there was any place we could rent a car until Brenda’s was fixed.

With the receipt in hand for the window, I led Airen out of the parking lot and we set out on foot to a used car dealership.

I
WASN'T SURE HOW HE
did it, but within an hour, Aiden had keys in hand and we were on our way to The Grounded Bean.

The car, much bigger than Aunt Brenda’s, seemed to fit Aiden. It also put a little more space between us, so that our shoulders didn’t bump the entire drive.

Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back and blew out a long sigh. I could already hear Aunt Brenda when we told her about what had transpired that morning. Not to mention what she’d say about the call from Mum. That had been a very weird conversation to say the least.

My stomach knotted, and I swallowed hard against the tightness in my throat. I knew deep down that it had to have been Uncle Robert that had shown up on Aunt Brenda’s doorstep, and then at Mum’s not long after that.

She hadn’t said it, but the tremor in her voice did. When I’d asked her what was wrong, she’d claimed she had some errands to run, and that she hoped I wouldn’t be too upset if she put off our visit until later. When I pushed her, she seemed to get angry, but she tried keeping her tone neutral as she told me she’d be round to Aunt Brenda’s later to see me.

Her excuse didn’t sit well with me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling deep in my bones that he’d shown up at her house too.

The question remained—what did he want? And why was he coming round after all the years he’d been gone?

“Penny for your thoughts?” Aiden’s syrupy voice asked.

I rolled my head along the seat back and cracked one eye open, looking at him. “A what…? Oh, just trying to figure out how to tell Aunt Brenda about what happened without over-worrying her.”

He looked relaxed behind the wheel of his own car, damn him, with one arm draped along the window ledge and the other arm stretched out along his leg as he held the steering wheel at the bottom. He flicked a glance at me and then back at the road as we rolled to a stop at the traffic light two blocks from The Grounded Bean.

“It’ll be all right, Airen. I told you that Agent Jackson assured me that they’d have patrols set up in case whoever it was tried to come back.”

He’d told me before at the car dealership too as we waited for whatever forms he’d filled out to be processed. It didn’t help how I felt though. It didn’t stop Robert Anderson from being family. And it damn sure wouldn’t stop him from trying to find ways to get at us. Aiden might have a gun, but that didn’t mean he was in any way ready to take on someone like Uncle Robert.

Something else that bothered me was that Aiden had danced around the fact that he carried a gun, never really coming right out and saying why.

What if Aiden was somehow connected to Uncle Robert? Did I dare ask that question while sitting beside him in a moving car? He could just keep on driving. And if he was linked with Uncle Robert, he could drive me right to him and drop me off. No one would be the wiser.

By the time Aiden pulled to a stop behind The Grounded Bean, I was shaking so hard that I could barely get out of the car.

Aiden opened his door and moved to get out. When he noticed I hadn’t budged, he turned in his seat, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you, your mom, or your aunt. You’re safe, Airen.”

I jerked away from his touch, scrambling out of the seat.

Aiden’s door closed with a soft thud, but he made no move to come around it, leaning instead on the cab as he watched me.

Indecision locked me in place, and I squared off with him. “How do I know that? How do I know I’m safe, that any of us are safe, with you? Why was there a gunman at Aunt Brenda’s house? He wasn’t the only one with a gun either. What about you? How do you fit in with all of this?” I couldn’t stop the questions from tumbling out of my mouth. Each one hissed past my teeth like venom, striking at him the only way I knew how.

Aiden didn’t try to stem off the words as he waited for me to run out of questions, or maybe he was just waiting for me to run out of air.

I could feel my chest heaving and knew I was on the verge of rage, or tears. Either could have erupted at that point. And still he waited, looking deep into my eyes with questions of his own. I could see them floating there.

The back door of the coffee shop opened as Aunt Brenda poked her head out. “I’ve just had the most disturbing phone call come from Annie Kirkpatrick across the way,” she said, waving her hand at us to come inside, wavering when she noticed the car.

Busybody Annie Kirkpatrick was what she should have called her. Aunt Brenda’s nosy neighbor and friend—when they weren’t fighting.

“I’m sure you did,” I mumbled, closing the car door and flicking a glance at Aiden that told him we’d continue our conversation later.

Aunt Brenda stopped me just as I passed by her, tugging me by the shoulder and running her hands over my back as she made grumbling noises with a spattering of words.

I stepped away from her wandering hands, asking, “What are ye doing?”

Aiden’s shadow crossed the doorway as Aunt Brenda answered, “Looking for holes, I dare say. Annie said—”

“Ye shouldn’t believe everything that woman says, Auntie,” I huffed.

Her eyebrow kicked up. Her lips pulled into a thin line as she turned away from me and grabbed Aiden’s arm, making him turn in a full circle in front of her. “Well, at least the only holes in the two of ye are betwixt yer ears.”

Aiden’s hand came up as if to touch his chest, but thought better of it, least he gave away what was under his shirt.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Yeah well, about that…”

AUNT BRENDA LEANED FORWARD IN the chair behind the desk with her head in her hands, rubbing tight circles at her temples. “I don’t understand. Why would someone come to my house and fire a gun at ye?”

“We’re not sure. Agent Jackson did assure me they have people looking into it though. As far as your car, I’ve taken it in to have the window replaced, but it won’t be ready for a couple of days,” Aiden told her, stretching as he stood. “Agent Jackson did ask something of me. He wants me to stay at your house tonight. I’ll need to get a change of clothes though. Will you excuse me for a little bit while I go get my things?”

He didn’t wait for either of us to answer as he walked out at a brisk clip, closing the back door with a hard tug.

I blew out a deep breath, making my lips pop like a baby blowing raspberries, minus the humor of it.

Aunt Brenda rose from her desk and pulled me to my feet, hugging me against her chest with a shudder. “I’m that sorry, Airen. Yer mum called just before Annie did and told me something. Something you need to know.” She released me, looking more worried than I’d ever seen her.

She went to speak, stopped, walked over to the door, peeking down the hallway in both directions before closing the door, and then came back over to stand in front of me. Her hands trembled when she clasped mine and held them tightly.

“It was Uncle Robert. He showed up at Mum’s when he was chased away from yer house, didn’t he?” I asked, watching her face pale as her mouth moved, but no words came out until I made her sit in the chair Aiden had recently vacated.

“I… I never thought. Oh, lass, ye should go. Get away before his filth can harm ye. He’s no a good man, Airen,” she said, hands clutching at the arm of her chair. Her fingers turned a mottled shade of red and white.

“Aye, Auntie, I ken who and what he is. But I’ll no leave ye here and run away,” I said, reaching over to pry her hand from the chair and clutched it in my own as I continued, “I’d do anything ye asked, but not that. Never that.”

“Airen, whatever reason he’s come back, canna be a good one. Yer mum’s right scared and looking at leaving herself for a while,” Aunt Brenda said, steadying herself enough to look at me with pleading eyes.

“Where would she go?” I asked, curious as to why Mum would pick up and flee instead of helping to put her brother away. Maybe she didn’t know that Agent Jackson was heading up the case. It was possible she’d change her mind if she did know.

“Family on yer Da’s side has a house in Edinburgh. It’s been in the family for generations, and she thinks Robert doesn’t know about it,” Aunt Brenda answered.

“Okay, well, that’s great for her, but what about you? Will ye go with her then?” I asked, silently praying she’d say yes.

“Nay, I willna run from the likes of that man. Besides, I have a business to run!” Her voice rose as the color returned to her face.

Aunt Brenda’s office door flew open, banging against the wall with a thud as Mum barreled in like a hurricane bent on destruction.

She was slightly out of breath and clutching the hat on her head to keep it from flying off. “Och, and can ye believe the likes o’ that man a’thinkin’ he’s going to show up on my doorstep demanding such…” Her words stalled out when she realized I was there, hanging on to every one of them. “Airen! Oh, lass, it’s good to see ye. I’ve missed ye so. How was yer trip?”

It took everything in me not to roll my eyes, forcing myself to bite my tongue instead.

Aunt Brenda squeezed my fingers until the bones crunched together, reminding me to behave and say a proper hello.

I rose from my seat and walked over to my mother, giving her a peck on the cheek and a quick hug. “Hello, Mum. It’s good to see you too.”

I refused to enlighten her on my ‘trip,’ since it had been somewhat of a sore spot between the two of us.

Moving over, I gestured to the chair I’d sat in beside Aunt Brenda. “Please, sit. I’ll just go get some tea, shall I?”

Aunt Brenda gave me a brief smile and I left her office as fast as my feet could carry me, for surely I’d miss something important being hissed between the two of them before I could return.

I should have stayed instead of finding a reason to flee, but it was a common thing for me when it came to dealing with Mum. Too common… and it shouldn’t be that way.

I really needed to find a way to deal with my resentment and put it behind me before it was too late.

I pulled a serving tray from its rack, hurrying as quickly as I could in order to get back to them and find out why Uncle Robert had decided to pay a call to both of his sisters. I knew Mum wouldn’t come right out and say it, not with me standing there, but she’d spill her guts to Aunt Brenda, and Aunt Brenda wouldn’t keep it from me. At least, I hoped she wouldn’t.

Kirsten, manning the front counter, offered me a warm smile when she saw me.

“How’s the bairn?” I asked, pulling down three cups from the cabinet.

“He’s well. Teething and biting everything in sight, that one,” she replied, handing me over three diffusers, tea already inside ready to be used.

“Thanks,” I said, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the worn-down look about her. “How are you doing?”

She blinked rapidly at my question, as if not understanding my meaning, then snorted with a roll of her eyes. “Aye, I’m that tired though. He has his days and nights mixed up right now, and the constant fever doesn’t help. Most nights, I get snatches of sleep here and there. I’ll be glad when this part is over.”

I gave her an understanding smile, even though I knew nothing of what she meant. Babies were a mystery to me from never having any around as I grew up.

Kirsten’s eyes looked past me as I filled each cup with hot water. From the corner of my eye, I could see Aunt Brenda making her way over to where I stood.