„You’ll pay for that, Hillman,“ he vowed. „Just like you’ll pay for everything else.“
Hillman’s brow glistened. „But what have I done?“
He cut a piece of duct tape to cover Hillman’s mouth. „Leah Broderick.“
Hillman’s eyes registered no recognition and that made him even more coldly furious. „You don’t remember her, but you will. Before this is all over, you all will.“ He pressed the tape to Hillman’s mouth, making sure to cover his pencil-thin mustache. It would hurt when he yanked the tape later. Such a small thing, some might call it petty.
But it had just been that kind of day.
Wednesday, February 25,
6:30 p.m.
Abe heard the pounding as soon as he got out of his SUV. He parked on the street as Aidan’s Camaro filled Kristen’s driveway. Abe stopped at the cruiser, back in position at the curb, and Mclntyre rolled down the window.
„Anything new?“ Abe asked and Mclntyre shrugged.
„Nobody came close with any boxes. She had a visit from the man who lives two doors down, but she didn’t let him inside. Your brother brought her home from the hospital a few hours ago. I did check on her when the pounding started, but your brother said she’s all right, just working out some stress. I guess she’s got a right.“
Abe agreed. Spinnelli had told him about her friends, the men who ran the diner. He could only imagine what she was going through. „Thanks.“ Abe jogged up the driveway, slowing when he came to the carport. Behind the rental car was a pile of smashed cabinets and her ancient oven, turned on its side. Cautiously, he opened the kitchen door and saw Aidan pulling on her equally ancient refrigerator. Aidan caught his eye, breathing heavily.
„Damn thing doesn’t have casters,“ Aidan grumbled. „Weighs a fucking ton. Close the door. You’re going to give us pneumonia.“
Abe obeyed, then blinked as the pounding stilled. A layer of white dust covered the kitchen and everything in it, including Aidan and Kristen, who stood at the far wall with a hammer in her hand. He could see part of the old parlor through the major hole in the wall.
Kristen turned around, her pinned-up hair no longer red, but white. Streams of sweat streaked her face, red from exertion, and her breasts rose and fell under a thin tank top. Under a very thin tank top. And a sports bra. And very tight biker shorts. In the space of two heartbeats the very thin tank top revealed how glad she was to see him. With an effort he jerked his eyes from her clearly visible nipples back up to her face. Her eyes were clear, green, and hot. Slowly she lowered the hammer, holding it limply at her side.
Aidan cleared his throat. „I’ll be going to work now. Bye.“
Abe just looked at Aidan as he backed out the kitchen door, noticing Aidan carefully averting his eyes from Kristen’s very thin tank top. „See you. Call me if you need… anything.“ The last was uttered on a cough that Abe was quite certain muffled a laugh. The door closed behind Aidan and he and Kristen were alone in the wreck of her kitchen.
Abe wasn’t sure what to say. He opened his mouth, closed it, then gave up and let his eyes drop back to her breasts.
„What did you find?“ she asked, huskily.
Again he jerked his eyes back up to her face. „We found his target range, but he wasn’t there.“ She absorbed this in silence, not moving a muscle. Awkwardly he gestured to the mess. „What is this?“
He watched her lips tremble, then she firmly controlled them, pursing them hard. Without answering she turned back to the wall, raised her hammer and the pounding began again. For a minute he watched her, then shrugged out of his overcoat, his suit jacket. He let them fall to the floor since they were destined to be covered in white plaster dust wherever he put them. He took off his tie, then his shirt. A crowbar lay on the table and he picked it up and began pulling the drywall from the hole she’d already started.
For ten minutes they worked together without speaking.
She pounded and he cleared away the debris. Then she stopped and once again there was silence.
„Vincent’s in ICU,“ she whispered, and the hammer slid out of her hand to the floor. „Conti’s men beat him up.“
Abe blindly put the crowbar on the table behind him and reached for her. She came willingly, clenching her fists against his chest. He closed his arms around her and laid his cheek against the top of her head. „I know, honey. I’m so sorry.“
She pounded her fist against him, once. A restrained blow. „He had a stroke on the operating table. Aidan had just brought me home and Owen called me. The doctors say he probably won’t make it. Dammit to hell, Abe. Conti hurt him because of me.“ Her shoulders heaved, but she didn’t cry. „Vincent’s a good man. Gentle. He never hurt anyone.“
He rocked her gently and her fists opened and closed against his chest. „This isn’t your fault, Kristen. You know this.“
Again she pounded, harder this time. „And then I came inside and Aidan closed the door…“ Her tears were flowing now and he had no idea what to do, so he just held her. „And somebody knocked on the front door and I was afraid. Afraid to open my own damn door.“ She swallowed a sob, a horrible choking sound. „But it was just the man who does the neighborhood association. They signed a petition. All of them. They say I’m bad for the neighborhood. They want me to move. They want to throw me out of my own house.“
Her shoulders heaved again and Abe wanted to find the neighbors and throttle them all. „They can’t make you move, honey,“ he soothed. „We’ll take care of that later.“
„So I ripped up the petition and threw it in his face,“ she said, as if he hadn’t even spoken. „Then I told him to go to hell and take his association with him.“
He smiled against her plaster-covered hair. „Good for you,“ he murmured.
She pulled back, her face wet but her eyes clear. „Then I changed my clothes. I’ll wear whatever the hell I want to wear in my own damn house. And I got a hammer and put that hole in the wall.“ She looked around with a frown. „And then the cats ran and hid.“
He wiped her face with his thumb. „They’ll come out when they get hungry.“
„I know. Your brother asked me what I wanted him to do and I told him to get rid of the cabinets. And the appliances. They’re old and ugly.“
„They are.“ He felt for the pins in her hair and pulled them out one by one, freeing her curls. „But you’re beautiful.“
Her agitation seemed to dissipate before his eyes. „You really think so, don’t you?“
„I know so.“
She swallowed hard and his heart stuttered. „You make me feel beautiful.“ It was a husky whisper, as if she was afraid for anyone to hear. „And…“
He brushed her lips with his. „And desirable?“
Her eyes heated. „No one ever has before.“
„Their loss, my gain,“ he muttered, pulling her back against him and taking possession of her mouth the way he’d been thinking about since sending her to bed last night alone. Her hands flattened against his chest, her fingers raking through his hair, then moving back and forth, pleasuring him as he’d taught her to do. His hands moved down her back, itching to catch her from behind and pull her into him. To thrust against her. To feel her writhe against him. But his mind regained control at the last moment and his hands detoured to anchor at her hips. He groaned against her lips and pulled away. „I don’t want to push you.“
She was breathing as hard as he was. „You’re not.“ She stood on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts against him. „You came to my room last night,“ she breathed into his mouth, then kissed him softly. „Why?“
His mouth went dry as dust. „I was checking on you.“
She shook her head, every movement grazing his lips with hers. „Try again.“
He closed his eyes and his fingers stretched, half-touching her round rear end. The tight biker shorts showed off every curve. „I was hoping you’d ask me to stay.“