Lie to Me (15 page)

Casey watched Sam and Alex with interest.

“Sure you’ll be all right?” Sam asked.

“Lemme sleep or else, no.”

Sam grabbed his shoulder and shook it gently. “This shouldn’t have happened. Not to you.”

Casey quickly glanced up at Damian, who looked on with interest equal to hers. As the two of them left together, Damian guided her to the elevator with tense features. “Sam must feel guilty,” he muttered to her as they waited for the elevator to land.

“No, idiot. Concerned.”

They both whirled around and Sam and Michael stood there. Sam’s eyes smoldered and Michael said, “Damian, cut that crap.”

The elevator landed and nobody spoke as the four of them stepped inside, and then rode it to the lobby. When they got out, Michael did turn to Damian to say good-bye. Sam turned too, but he didn’t say anything. He and Damian locked in a stare that chilled Casey to the bone.

Hastily, she grabbed Damian’s arm and dragged him away, relieved when he stopped staring at Sam over his shoulder.

Damian had fallen asleep on the drive home. When the two of them finally reached Casey’s apartment, he didn’t even care that Eleanor Riske, Casey’s mother, gave him a frosty stare and ignored him.

He stumbled to the sofa and waited for Casey to finish talking to her mother, his mind and body numb. When Casey finally came over and sat beside him, he wanted to reach for her, but the effort to move seemed too much.

She took his hand in hers and rested his rough palm against her cheek. “Lay your head in my lap, love.”

He did, grateful for the warm comfort that she offered him. He had to bend his knees to fit on the sofa and his rebellious leg ached, but he ignored it.

“Alex will be all right.” She sounded like soft velvet. “He was lucky.”

“I know.” The first words he’d uttered since leaving the hospital. He relished the feel of her palms glazing his face, as if he were a valued jewel. She could almost make him forget that Alex had had his head bashed in tonight.

“Damian?”

“Hmmm?”

“You won’t leave Wisconsin because of that letter, will you?”

“I don’t know.” He’d been thinking about it, since trouble seemed to follow him.

“Miles will be devastated if you leave so soon.” She brushed back his hair. “Miles needs to get to know you better. No matter who wrote that letter and-and harmed Alex—we’re all aware of the danger now. We can take precautions.”

“If I stay, I’ll move my things into your apartment. Babe, I won’t allow you to be alone here while nutcases who hate the Ballantines are threatening us.” It was solid reasoning that just happened to give him an excuse to spend more time with Casey and Miles until he left for home.

“So you can’t leave,” she said, with a triumphant grin.

He smiled at her, in spite of the grinding inside of him. “I can leave and tell Alex to stay here until they catch who’s doing this. But, since I want to figure out who did this, I’ll hang around a while. So I’m moving in to protect you and Miles.”

Her eyes brightened. “I don’t mind at all. Not that I need protecting.”

“Of course not.”
Silly woman. Always way too brave.
He sobered, thinking of other things he’d have to do, things not pleasant. Losing himself, he mumbled his thoughts out loud. “Don’t trust the cops. Gotta do my own investigating.”

“Your own investigating? How?”

“I have ideas. Tell you later.” He tensed as he thought about finding Alex lying in his own blood.

“You’re tired.” She again brushed his hair back gently, and stared down at him with loving eyes.

He needed that from her tonight. They lapsed into a long silence as he time-traveled back to his own accident, much more serious and devastating than Alex’s. He’d handled that all wrong and suddenly felt bathed in guilt. He lowered his lashes so he didn’t have to meet Casey’s eyes while he tormented himself about his actions.

“The wheels in your head are spinning,” Casey finally said, after a lapse of around ten minutes. “What’s on your mind? You know you can talk to me.” Casey sank her fingers into his hair and combed it. He knew he didn’t deserve her tender gaze.

Damian reached up and ran a finger down her snub nose, as he caught her worried gaze. No words could erase what he’d done to her, but he had to try “I was such an idiot.”

She looked puzzled.

“Not tonight, after my own accident. I should have let everyone see me. If I couldn’t have seen Alex in the hospital tonight, it would have killed me.” He stared at her widened eyes, feeling that his apology had been inadequate.

He saw her throat working hard before she spoke. “It hurt so much to be kept away from you. I won’t cushion how awful it was for everyone who loved you.”

The sad look in her eyes tormented him. He grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips, feeling like the world’s biggest jerk. “I did believe that I was doing the right thing. Alex wasn’t supposed to tell you I was hurt.”

“That was dumb. I’m glad he did.”

Damian remembered how angry he’d been at Alex when he’d found out. “Once I knew he’d told you, I should have let you come see me. I meant well,” he added hastily.

“I never doubted that.” She placed a palm over his abdomen and looked down at him with undeserved tenderness.

“Can you ever forgive me?”

“Of course.” Casey’s voice was soft and her touch tender. “I’m glad you finally get it.”

“Finally.” He laughed at his own stupidity. “After Miles said he thought I was dead and with what happened to Alex tonight, I get it. If Alex hadn’t allowed me to see that he was all right, I would have lost my mind.”

She gave him a throaty laugh. “I almost lost mine.”

“It was torture for me too.” Suddenly he fell back to the past. He shut his eyes and saw the bland hospital room, felt his pain, hopelessness, and shaking from alcohol withdrawal. Relived, for just a moment, how he’d wished for death. “I knew I’d hurt people, especially you, and it tore me up inside. All I wanted was to have your arms around me, but—I thought I was no good.”

She brushed light fingers over his lips and shook her head. “You were foolish. What about Alex? Why did you make him leave Alabama?”

Her question tired his mind. “Alex—needed to go on with his life—not put it on hold for me—”

“He was devastated too.”

Damian took a deep breath and shut his eyes. He was just awake enough to feel like a complete loser. “Never meant to hurt anyone. Honest.” He wondered if she could hear his soft voice.

“I know you didn’t,” she said. “Rest.”

“I’ll try.” He turned his head toward her, eyes shut, and snuggled his face into her warm abdomen. After the horror of the night, he needed her. Close. “I’m glad I’m with you.” He was in the twilight zone, between wakefulness and sleep.

“You don’t miss Reese?”

He detected a little jealousy in her voice, even while almost unconscious. It couldn’t be missed. “When you touch me, you’re the only woman on earth.” In his mind, he carried her naked body to a large mattress with a silk sheet, both of them unclothed and full of desire. He entered her while she moaned and shuddered against him.

“You’re the only man who ever existed for me. I think we need to talk.”

His foggy mind half absorbed her words. “Talk?” He wrapped an arm around her delicate back.

“Not now, you’re not up to it.” He thought he heard her warm voice saying. Was she speaking to him or was this part of a dream?

“Hmmmm. What ya need?”

“Tomorrow I’ll tell you. Maybe, if the time is right.”

He breathed in Casey’s feminine, flowery scent and pressed the side of his face into the warm denim covering her soft lap. He could feel her flesh sizzling through the material of her clothing. “I wish you could sleep in my arms.” It was the last thing he either said or tried to say before falling asleep.

When he next opened his eyes, he found himself alone on the sofa, having slept in his clothing. Casey must have thrown a fleece blanket over him. He lifted to an elbow, hair spilling into his eyes. The clock on the wall read five forty-five a.m. He hadn’t slept very long.

He could still smell Casey’s scent on the sofa and, when he lifted his palm, he could smell the lingering effects on that as well. Groaning, he turned to his back and stared at the ceiling. If only they could have slept together, but Miles couldn’t see that.

He found himself gazing at a ceiling fan as he thought about Alex, his heart lurching a little.
Who had hurt him? Why? Of all the Ballantines to attack, why the hell Alex? He didn’t work at the mill; had never worked at the mill.
He’d have to watch his twin’s back more carefully from now on and he’d try to find the culprits. He’d try real hard.

“Hi.”

He turned his head. Casey stood there in a plush powder blue robe and matching slippers, her eyes shining down on him. Her long hair spilled over her breasts and teased him.

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “What a sight for sore eyes.”

“Are you all right?”

“Wonderful, with you here.” He smiled.

Casey flashed him one of her prettiest grins, her dark eyes lighting like two luminous candles.
Who else looked this good first thing in the morning? Nobody.

“Do you want to join me for a cup of coffee before Miles wakes up?”

He smiled, let her pull him up, and sparks ignited between them as he drew her into his embrace. This reminded him of their married days; coffee every morning with general chitchat.

But on certain mornings, they had postponed the coffee. “We can always do coffee a little later.”

“Are you thinking of an early morning shower, before Miles wakes up?” Casey grinned. “Like the good old days?”

In spite of an aching head and heavy eyes, he was always in the mood for Casey. “That could be arranged,” he said, and he lowered his head to kiss her inviting, pink lips.

Chapter Nine

Damian stepped beside Alex as they walked along the edge of Weipeka Park. As he watched his brother, anger and irritation welled up inside him. Alex strode ahead, as if nothing had happened to him the night before. He’d only taken Tylenol for pain.

“Alex, you’re supposed to go home and rest in bed.” Damian finally erupted. “You have a concussion, and you’re lucky it’s not a fractured skull.”

Casey, on the other side of Alex, looked calm. Damian was ticked off at both of them. Casey seemed to be taking his brother’s side. In a fit of frustration, Damian tried to grab the sketchpad from under his brother’s arm.

Alex pulled it away from his grasp and stopped walking. “I think you need a psychiatrist,” he said. He gestured at two men walking ahead of him. “Why did you have to get Bruce and Henry to come with me?”

“Miles,” Damian said.  “If you don’t want me to protect
you
—”

“I don’t.”

“Well, I have to protect my son. Bruce and Henry are good bodyguards, a cop and a professional wrestler. Since you insist on not taking it easy—”

“I’m going to be taking it easy. I’ll be sketching.” Alex shot a dark look at the two men Damian had paid to watch over himself and Miles. Damian felt he’d assured the safety of his son and also his brother. Bruce had gone all out after hearing about the note.  He had on his cop’s uniform and his gun was prominent. Henry stood six foot seven and weighed over three fifty. Plus they were in broad daylight in a crowded park.

“You don’t look happy, Daddy,” Miles said as he skipped alongside him. “Are you still scared?”

“No, I’m not scared at all. Annoyed.”

Miles had stayed home from school after hearing about Alex’s injury, and they’d all gone together to pick up Alex from the hospital. Alex seemed alert, but still looked ghastly. His cap, pulled low over his forehead, didn’t completely cover the thick white gauze above his ear or mask his swollen eye. Today the entire side of his face looked distorted, but he’d refused to go to his condo and follow doctor’s orders.

“Casey,” Damian said, desperately, “shouldn’t Alex go home instead of sketching out here?”

Casey shrugged. “He won’t be overdoing it, and since you paid Bruce and Henry to watch him and Miles, I think it’s fine.”

“Casey has so much more common sense than you, bro,” Alex said. “I like the outdoors, you know that. Drawing relaxes me.” He patted Miles on the head. “Miles will sketch next to me and make sure I don’t overwork myself, right, Miles?” He winked at his nephew, and then gazed at Damian again. “Why don’t you run along with Casey and leave me alone? You’re getting on my nerves.” He shot another scowl over at the two extra men who were talking and laughing to each other as they strode along. “Bad enough I’m stuck with
them
.”

Damian waffled. The idea of being alone with Casey appealed to him, as it always did. He seemed to be more upset about Alex’s concussion than Alex was.

“You and Mom can go,” Miles said, holding up a cell phone. “If Uncle Alex needs anything I’ll call one of you. Promise.”

“How do you feel?” Damian demanded.

“Woozy and spacey,” Alex said, with a smirk. “And lying in bed won’t change that. Leave me alone.”

Casey put her hand around his Damian’s forearm. “The C-T scan and x-rays didn’t show anything,” she reminded him. “He’s not running the marathon; he’s sketching.”