Blood Haze (14 page)

He
listened with half an ear to the minister as he droned on and on about the
hereafter and God not putting more on a person than they could bear. He scoffed
to himself. He wondered how humans could believe all that drivel. An image of
Arabella’s face when he’d first seen her today crossed his mind. He was sure
she’d had more than she could bear, yet her God had not intervened. Celeste in
a bloodied tub of water, floating lifeless, next filled his vision. She’d
proven
she’d received more than she’d
been able to bear.

~X~

Lynx
stood, leaning against his black sedan, with his ankles crossed, waiting
impatiently for Karmyl and Arabella. How he’d gotten roped into driving them to
Arabella’s for the repast was beyond him. He raised the cuff of his suit jacket
and glanced once more at his thin, gold watch. He’d been standing here for what
felt like an eternity, but was actually only thirty-five minutes. He watched as
a chauffeur helped Drew Larkin into a car before driving off.
Good riddance
, he thought.

There
were several people gathered on the sidewalk outside of the church, waiting to
pay their respects to Arabella, he assumed. He straightened when he finally saw
Karmyl emerge from the church, her arm draped over Arabella’s small frame.
Arabella was looking down as Karmyl said something into her ear. Arabella
nodded at whatever had been said.

They’d
just stepped off of the last step onto the sidewalk when an older woman moved
quickly toward them. As Lynx watched, the woman drew back her hand and slapped
Arabella sharply across the face. Arabella’s head jerked back and Karmyl
stepped in between the two women. Anger burned hot in his veins and he moved
quickly to the gathering crowd.

“…
where’s the justice for my Maggie?” he heard the woman shriek. Arabella laid a
restraining hand on Karmyl’s arm as Karmyl made to speak.

“I’m
terribly sorry for your loss,” Arabella murmured to the shrieking woman.

“You
being sorry isn’t going to bring back my Maggie. She was wonderful. And your
family killed her. She’s dead because of your idiot brother!”

The
woman once again drew back, and while Arabella tensed to accept the blow, Lynx
had had enough, and stepped in between the two women. He placed an arm around
Arabella’s waist and moved her and Karmyl swiftly away from the group. He
guided them across the street to his sedan, opened the back door, and ushered
the two women inside. He cast one more disdainful look toward the woman who was
now screaming obscenities.

He
glanced at Arabella’s bowed head as fury rolled through him. This was
definitely more than she could bear, which just once again, proved his point.
Smoothly, he slid behind the wheel, and glanced into the rearview mirror at
Karmyl, who met his gaze, her lips thinned. “Bitch,” she mouthed to him.

He
found his gaze, more often than not, flickering up into the rearview mirror to
glance at the very still Arabella. She sat staring out of the window, dry-eyed.
He saw her slowly shake her head and heard her whisper, “No justice.”

That
she assumed the blame for her brother was obvious. His lips tightened. He
wondered what had happened in her life to make her feel she had to accept the
responsibility of the world.

As
they pulled into the driveway of her family-home, Arabella heaved a silent sigh.
She was tired and wanted the day over, but there was still so much to do.

“Thanks
for driving me home, Mr. Rogan,” she said, dismissing him from any duty of
staying. Turning to Karmyl, she said, “Thanks for everything. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Karmyl
laid a hand on her arm. “We’ll come in and help for a little while.”

“That’s
not necessary,” Arabella said with a tight smile.

“I
know,” Karmyl said kindly.

Arabella
glanced at the back of Lynx’s head. “At least let your brother go. I’m sure he
has plenty of things that require his attention,” she said.

“Nonsense.
He’s happy to help as well,” Karmyl said.

Arabella
saw other cars pulling up along the curb. Not having time to argue, she just
nodded and said, “Thank you.”

When
all was said and done, Arabella was thankful for both Karmyl’s and Lynx’s
assistance. They helped put out food and ensured the platters stayed filled.
Lynx walked around like a waiter and made sure everyone who wanted a drink had
one.

She’d
been surprised at the number of people who’d shown up. People she’d catered
for; those she saw everyday on her run; people from the club; and, of course,
Drew. He’d sat in his wheelchair looking forlorn. She wanted to feel sorry for
him, but her sympathy was all used up.

As
she glanced about the house filled with people who’d come to help her grieve
over Ian, she’d never felt more alone… alone and claustrophobic. Needing to get
away, she grabbed a plastic cup filled with wine from the counter and slid the
glass-doors, which led to her backyard, open and slipped outside. Once she’d
closed the door, she became aware at how loud the noise had been on the inside.

She
slipped her high-heeled shoes off and walked barefoot to the old, high-backed,
wicker swing, which hung from the mammoth oak-tree. She’d just come around to
the front of the swing, when she realized someone was already sitting on the
swing. And not just someone, an intimidating someone… Lynx Rogan.

“Oh,
I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone was out here,” she said as she turned to
head back to the house.

“Wait.
Have a seat. You look like you could use one,” he said smoothly.

She
flinched a little at his words. He was just so put together, while she was far
from her best, and it made her self-conscious. She wavered. She glanced at the
crowd of people in the house and knew she wasn’t ready to go back in there yet.
She glanced back and he patted the seat next to him.

Slowly,
she returned to the swing and sat down, her body sighing in sweet relief of relaxation…
even next to this man.

They
sat side by side, silently, drinking from their little plastic cups.

“It’s
nice out here,” he finally said.

“Thanks.”

“How
long have you lived here?” he asked.

“Most
of my life.”

He
nodded at her answer. “How long were you with…” he gave a nudge of his head in
the direction of where Drew sat.

She
took a drink and allowed it to swirl around in her mouth, delaying her
answering. “Most of my life,” she answered, a hard edge coloring her words this
time.

She
felt him studying her, but she resolutely watched the condensation roll down
her cup. “What will you do now?” he asked.

Her
brows furrowed at his question. “Do?”

“Will
you stay here?”

She
blinked at the question and paused as she considered. “Where else would I go?”
she finally answered quietly. The poignancy of the fact that she was well and
truly alone hit her in the gut. The house was the only thing she had left of
her family. Her hand began to tremble and the emotion she’d suppressed all day
long was threatening to bubble up. She lifted a shaky hand to her face. “I… I
need to…” she began.

Lynx
laid a cool hand against the hand on her face. “You need to stay right where
you are,” he said calmly.

She
looked up into his eyes and his gaze held her immobile, and almost immediately,
she felt her body calm and strengthen. He grasped her hand and moved it from
her face. In an unhurried fashion, he leaned into her and brushed his cool
cheek and against hers. She inhaled deeply at the seemingly intimate touch.

He
wrapped a hand in her hair before pressing his lips against her neck. She
gasped at the silky touch. He brushed across her cheek until he finally landed
on her parted lips. As with the last time he’d kissed her, something jolted her
on the inside and she felt once again oddly… complete. Letting go of her hand,
he lifted his and cupped her face more fully as he gently slipped into her
mouth. He growled at the touch of their tongues stroking against each other.
She buried her hands in his hair, tugging against the roots as aggression,
need, and desire seemed to explode within her.

He
broke away from her, panting against her ear. And she frantically tried to
reach his lips, but he held her firmly against his cheek. She jerked at his
tone when he questioned irritably, “Karmyl?”

Heat
flashed over her as embarrassment flooded her. She’d not even heard the other
woman approach. She attempted to pull away, but he once again held her tightly
against his face.

“I’m
sorry to interrupt,” Karmyl said in a tone which belied her words, “but the
minister is about to leave and wanted to speak to Arabella.”

“She’ll
be right in,” Lynx answered.

Arabella
heard the retreating steps, then the swoosh of the door, sliding open, then
closing. How had she’d missed hearing that. Color flooded her face at the
people in house - people here for her brother’s repast – seeing her basically
making out on the swing like a teenager. What kind of person was she?

“Don’t!”
he demanded.

“What?”
she said, trying to snatch herself back from him.

Pulling
back to look down into her face, he once again cupped her cheek in one hand.
“Don’t worry about those people. You did nothing wrong. It’s been a long day
and you needed some comfort.”

She
broke his gaze and closed her eyes before leaning into his hand for just an
instant, before mentally and physically pulling back. She exhaled slowly and
deeply before giving a small nod of her head. “I need to get back in there
nonetheless.” With those words, she rose and stepped away from the swing. She
turned back and gave him a sad smile. “Thanks, Lynx. For...,” she gave a small
wave of her hand, “for today.”

“You’re
welcome.”

Without
another word, she turned toward the house and straightened her shoulders,
mentally preparing herself to finish the day.

Arabella
was standing at the sink washing up the last of the dishes. Exhaustion rolled
off her shoulders in waves. It’d been a long day, but finally all the guests,
including Drew, had departed, leaving only her, Karmyl and Lynx. Karmyl was
quickly helping her finish tidying up the house before she needed to get to the
club. Arabella was thankful she had nothing more to do than crash. In the
living room, she could the low sounds of a ball game of some sort being played
out as Lynx lounged on the couch.

“Arabella!”
Karmyl said sternly.

Her
head snapped in Karmyl’s direction at her sharp tone. “What?” she asked
hesitantly.

“Why
are you sleeping in the closet?” she asked accusatorily.

Her
face flamed. “I… I…” she broke off when she caught Lynx paying close attention
to her words. “I’ve just been a little afraid since the attack. That’s all,”
she said with as much rationality as she could muster.

Compassion
filled Karmyl’s dark eyes. “Are you getting any sleep at all?”

From
the corner of her eye, she once again saw Lynx’s head turn toward her. “Of
course. I’m fine. It’s no big deal, really.”

Karmyl
studied her for a long moment. “I have to get to the club. But Lynx can stay
here with you tonight,” she stated.

“Oh,
that’s really not necessary,” Arabella quickly assured her.

She
held up a hand. “You can stop right there, because you’ll not dissuade me.
Besides, he has nothing better to do. Do you, Lynx,” she said cutting her eyes
over to her brother.

He
glanced between the two women and simply shrugged.

“Please…
I’ll be fine. You don’t have stay,” Arabella said imploringly to Lynx. Her tone
begging him to reconsider and not stay.

Lynx
gave her an apologetic grin. “Have you met Karmyl? She’ll have her way. I’ve
found over the years, it’s just easier to give in.”

“That’s
for sure.” Karmyl replied with a sassy smile. “All you’ll have to do is give
him a blanket and a pillow and he’ll sleep on the couch. Then maybe you’ll get
some sleep… in your bed, I hope.”

Arabella
stared between the two siblings but sagged in defeat. “Okay,” she sighed.

Karmyl
beamed in satisfaction. “I really do need to go. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she
said, pressing a kiss to Arabella’s cheek.

Arabella
turned back to the sink and rinsed the sink before drying her hands on a
dishtowel. She heard the siblings talking in low voices in the next room,
probably about her. She heaved a sigh. She had to pull it together. She was a
grown woman and had been taking care of herself for a long time.

“Bye,
Arabella!” she heard Karmyl singsong before the front door closed.

Exhaustion
made her muscles sag. She rolled her shoulders and walked into the living room
to find Lynx still watching the television. He’d taken off his suit-jacket and
tie earlier in the afternoon. His shirt was starkly white against the darkness
of his hair which hit against the collar. He’d rolled the cuffs up to
mid-forearm, a look she found oddly sexy. He made her feel gauche in
comparison.