Aidan’s lips curved. „I guess you won’t But I don’t imagine Abe will mind filling the role.“
Her cheeks heated despite the cold air from the alleged heater. „Abe is very kind.“
Aidan glanced over his shoulder before pulling out of the parking space. „I’m going to have to give him some pointers then, if all he can conjure is ‘kind.’“ Her face must have reflected her horror because he laughed. „I’m teasing, Kristen. Number one, whatever is between you and Abe is your own business. Number two, he’d kick my ass.“
„That seems to be a common theme in your family,“ Kristen commented.
„Hell, we’re a family of boys.“
„You have two sisters,“ Kristen pointed out.
„They have three brothers,“ Aidan corrected. „It’s different.“
„I stand corrected,“ she said dryly and he chuckled.
„Now you think I’m some Neanderthal whose knuckles scrape the ground.“
Kristen pretended to study his unscraped knuckles. „No, I’d say you’ve advanced to the moderately stooped-over phase of evolution.“ She caught her breath as he made an erratic turn. „What the – “ She looked over her shoulder, then back at Aidan who was checking his rearview mirror with a satisfied expression. „Reporters?“
„One bleached-blonde bitch and her camera-toting toady. No longer tailing.“
„I really hate that woman,“ Kristen said wearily.
„I’d say the feeling is mutual.“
Kristen frowned. „But I’ve never done anything to her. Why me?“
„She has to feed off someone else’s misery and it might as well be yours.“
„Well, still,“ Kristen grumbled.
Aidan leaned over to adjust the heater. „Better?“
„It’s okay. I used to walk to school in weather colder than this.“
„In Kansas, right?“
Kristen blew out a breath. „What didn’t Abe tell you?“
Aidan just grinned wickedly and Kristen rolled her eyes. „For God’s sake,“ she muttered, knowing her face was well past ruby red. Perhaps volcano violet. And for what? A lit-tie petting, that’s all they’d done. And the promise of more, whenever she chose. She got to set the rules this time. It was enchanting. Enticing. Liberating.
„You’ll have to get used to the teasing,“ he said. „It comes with the family.“
Kristen felt a longing so strong, it was like a fist grabbing her heart. What a family to have. She felt a spear of jealousy for Debra, who’d obviously melded so effortlessly with the Reagans. „Tell me about Debra,“ she blurted and Aidan blinked, obviously taken aback.
„Debra?“
„Yeah, you know. The one I sound like. Your former sister-in-law?“
He suddenly began paying a great deal of attention to the road. „No need to get testy, Counselor. You want lunch or what? I’m starving.“
Well, that was a smooth change of subject, she thought. It would appear Aidan wasn’t comfortable discussing Debra. Or maybe he just isn’t comfortable discussing Debra around me. „Sure. We’re not too far from the diner where I normally eat.“ She gave him directions to Owen’s, then sat back to try to think of something else to talk about.
„She was Abe’s life,“ Aidan said abruptly. Kristen turned in her seat, studying his profile. His jaw was clenched hard and his knuckles were white where he clutched the steering wheel. „I thought he’d die when she was shot. I know he wanted to.“
There was a curious lack of emotion in Aidan’s voice that was more meaningful than if he’d broken down. „I’m sorry,“ she said. „I shouldn’t have asked.“
„It’s all right. I suppose you have a right to know.“ He shrugged a powerful shoulder. „I’d been on the force a few years when it happened. I thought I’d seen it all.“ He shook his head and his throat worked as he tried to swallow. „But seeing her so lifeless, for so long…“ He cleared his throat. „But I think burying the baby was the hardest part of all.“
Poleaxed, Kristen’s throat closed. „Baby?“ she managed.
Aidan shot her a quick look. „Debra was eight months pregnant when she was shot. The baby didn’t live. I thought you knew.“
She shook her head and stared out the window, barely seeing the sign for Owen’s diner when Aidan stopped the car. „No, Abe never mentioned a child.“
„Don’t let it bother you. He hasn’t mentioned the baby since the funeral, to any of us. Even to Mom and Dad. I guess it was his way of coping. But he loves kids. You only have to look at how he is around Sean’s kids. I know he wants a family of his own.“
Kristen pursed her lips to keep them from trembling. Aidan thought she was upset because Abe might not want kids. How ironic. His child was taken from him while she… How very ironic. „Was it a boy or a girl?“ she asked, unable to keep the question inside.
Aidan hesitated. „A little boy. Abe named him Kyle after Dad.“
„Poor Abe,“ Kristen murmured. „To lose it all in one day.“ And how will he feel when he learns the real truth about me? she wondered. She didn’t really want to know.
Aidan shut off the ignition and the car was quiet. „For what it’s worth,“ he said, „I haven’t seen him so happy in years than he’s been in the last week. You put a light back in his eyes.“ Again he cleared his throat. „We’re all grateful for that.“
„Thank you.“ She forced a smile and gestured at Owen’s diner. „Let’s have lunch.“ On leaden feet she moved, then frowned when she tugged on the door and it didn’t open. She peered inside where the lights were on, but every cracked vinyl seat was empty.
„The sign says they’re closed,“ Aidan said.
„They’re never closed in the middle of the day.“ Her heart started to beat harder as the possibilities struck home. „Oh, no. I should have warned him.“ She ran next door to the barber shop and stuck her head inside. „Mr. Poore, what’s happened to Owen?“
Mr. Poore looked up from the hair he was trimming, his craggy old face pained. „He’s at the hospital with Vincent, Kristen.“
„Why? What happened?“ she demanded and Mr. Poore slowly approached, wiping his hands on his white coat.
„Some thugs, they beat up Vincent in the alley behind the diner when he went to take out the trash. This used to be such a nice neighborhood. Now…“ He held his hands up in defeat. „It’s bad, Kristen. Real bad.“
„No.“ She sagged and felt Aidan’s arm go around her shoulders.
„Yes,“ Mr. Poore said soberly. „Owen, he went out to see what was the matter and they hit him, too, but not so bad. Me, I heard the yelling and called the cops and the men ran away.“ He shook his bald head. „Vincent, he didn’t look good. Not good at all. The paramedics came and took him to the hospital.“
„Do you know where they took him?“ Aidan asked. Steadily. The voice of a cop asking questions. It gave Kristen the strength to stand on her own feet.
„The cops said they were going to County.“
Aidan gave her a hard hug, pulling her upright. „Come on, Kristen. Let’s go.“
Wednesday, February 25,
2:15 P.M.
Aidan walked her into the hospital, standing silently behind her as she asked the closest nurse where she could find Vincent. He followed her to the elevator, punched the button for the surgical floor, still saying nothing. And when she walked out of the elevator and saw Owen sitting alone in the waiting room, Aidan stood to one side, watching.
She crossed the room to Owen’s side, taking the chair next to his. He looked old. Old and tired and suddenly frail. Guilt mixed with fury and fear and she wasn’t sure she could speak. „Are you hurt?“ she whispered and he shook his head.