Deadly Lover (30 page)

Brian looked over to Lily. “When’s the last time you slept?”

“There’ll be time to sleep after we catch this bastard.”

The argument she sensed brewing was cut short when the door slid open. Brian blanked the displays as a gasp brought everyone’s attention to the woman standing in the doorway.

Lily pushed back from the table and stood. She had to swallow and focus on her breathing, but she managed to get out a single steady word.

“Mother.”

Logically, she’d known Brian had brought their mother, but somehow she’d managed to push it from her mind.

Bradley scrambled to his feet. He straightened his clothes as he went to Lily’s mother. He pulled her into his arms. “Karen, thanks for getting here so quickly.”

She acknowledged him, but quickly shifted her attention to Lily—her features both watery and hard. She turned in a slow circle, taking in the space and staring Sean and Sara down in turn. “Well, the room has certainly come up a notch from the days when your fathers used to hide in here, drinking beer, and pinning grotesque photos to the walls.”

“And solving crimes, Aunt Karen.” Sara stood, the tips of her fingers touching the table. “They saved lives and put away grifters, rapists, and killers. Don’t forget that part.”

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten a thing.” Tears ran down Karen’s face as she spoke. “They did great things for other people’s families. But once again it’s
my
family paying the price.”

Brian got to his feet and pulled their mother into his arms. “You’re upset. Maybe this isn’t a good time to talk about this.”

“Oh, Brian, how long do we have to stay here? I want you away from this. I can’t lose you too.”

Pent up sorrow, hurt, and anger churned in Lily’s stomach as she watched her mother worry over Brian. She couldn’t look away from them, longing to be included, afraid to see pity in the eyes of her cousins.

Brian drew back to look their mother in the face. “I’m sorry, Mom, but I need to be here, right now. If you want to go back to DC, I can make the arrangements.”

She clung to Brian. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Karen’s tear-soaked voice sputtered and broke as she tried to speak her outrage. “I suppose you’ll get what you’ve always wanted now.” Being the object of her mother’s venom didn’t surprised Lily. It did catch her off guard when Bradley spoke up to defend her.

“It isn’t like that, Karen. Lily didn’t betray Rose. What was between Lily and I was over a long time ago. I just didn’t know how to make Rose see that.” Bradley moved back to her mother and took her hands in his. “Rose and I would have worked things out. I’m sure of it.”

Lily carefully reined in her reaction. It had been the right thing to say for her mother at that moment, even if it did contradict everything he’d been telling her.

Her mother nodded, tears running down her cheeks.

Brian interrupted. “Brad, could you take Mom into the kitchen. I’m sure Aunt Jane will have tea and scones. Mom could use something in her stomach about now.” His face was kind, generous, as he spoke to them. It turned deadly serious the moment they stepped out of the room. “Sean, Sara, could you give us a minute.”

Sara opened her mouth to speak, but Sean put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her from the room.

Brian opened his arms and wrapped Lily in warmth. She wanted to burrow into his embrace and take the comfort he offered, but she was very afraid she’d shatter if she allowed any crack in her emotional armor.

Brian moved back enough to look her in the eye comfortably. “Lil, you can’t do this all by yourself.” Layers of meaning complicated the simple statement.
This
being all manner of things. The investigation. Dealing with her grief. Dealing with her mother.

“I’m fine.” Lily shrugged. “And I don’t intend to investigate alone.” She held her hands out to indicate the room. “That’s what all this is about. Working together.”

Brian bit back the need to shake her. Despite her words, the inches between them became miles. She left everything important unsaid. He knew he had to find a way to get through to her. He reached out and captured one of her hands, breaking the illusion that she was out of his reach. “I know we haven’t been as close the last few years, but I know you. You’re about to bolt. Being here, this house, Mom, Bradley, even me. It terrifies you.”

Brian could see the anxiety in his only remaining sister’s eyes. She didn’t squirm in her discomfort but the knowledge that he could read her so well had only thinned the veneer she hid behind.

“It isn’t that,” she said. “It’s just that I need to follow up on Sara’s lead. I need to talk to Tie LeRoue and find out which clinic he went to with Jennifer Richardson.”

Brian watched her closely. The signs of her distress were minute and well hidden. “Since I can’t find any record of either girl getting those scars removed, I guess we’ll have to do it your way.”

“You should stay with Mom.” She met his eyes and her jaw was tight.

She was trying to chase him away because she was afraid. He knew, but it still felt like she didn’t need him, didn’t want him in her life. That’s the way it had felt when she’d joined Deepwater. It hadn’t been him she’d been running from then either. But still it had hurt. He shook his head. “Are you going to break your promise?”

“Promise?”

She paled at the word. He knew what he was about to do would disturb her, make her even more uncomfortable, but he would do anything to keep her safe. With a thought, he activated the vid-wall and displayed a street vid that showed her talking to the Ormney Law Keeper in front of her apartment building that morning. There was no audio, but her words were clear on her lips. She’d promised the Ormney she would stick with her family. Brian was both grateful and annoyed. It was a vow no one had won from her since their father had died. So much had changed that day. What had this man done to hold such sway over her?

“No,” she said. “I won’t break my promise. Not if I can help it. I’ll talk Sean into going.” She watched the vid intently. “Your Snow dig this up?”

He knew she must be wondering what else Snow had found. Snow was just as amazing with satellites and surveillance vids, but Brian hadn’t needed Snow’s help to find the rooftop video. He’d been keeping an eye on Lily for weeks. Not spying. Not really. But he knew her
accident
had left her unstable and when he’d realized how much time she’d been spending high above the street he’d been compelled to keep an eye on her. The video most likely on Lily’s mind had nothing to do with her safety so he saw no reason for a confrontation.

He popped another vid up on the wall. This one was far more important to both of them. It showed a stocky human approaching Lily’s building the evening Rose was killed. “Snow thinks this is the guy that killed our sister.”

Lily jerked straighter, face intense. “Is there a better angle?”

“No, and he never looks up.”

Lily’s hands balled into fists. “Have you cross referenced principal characteristics with the other attacks?”

“Yeah, but we didn’t find anything significant. Based on the way he moves, odds are he took measures to obscure his identity. Padding, maybe prosthetics.” The vid jumped forward and the man exited the building. “He was ready. He knew we’d try to track him. He used a scrambler in your building and another when he made it into a high traffic rail station. We lost him there.”

Watching the killer walk across the vid display, Lily flushed even paler. Damn. She was going to lose it and Brian knew she wasn’t ready to let him help her. He hesitated for a fraction of a second then with a thought he used his neural implant to send out a general broadcast com to The Zone:
Law Keeper Jolaj—immediate contact requested
. As Lily went for the door with long, ground-eating strides, the Law Keeper responded to his com:
Jolaj—awaiting message.
Brian flashed a silent text request.
Lily Rowan needs your assistance at the O’Leary residence.
He followed it with a locator bulletin.

He wasn’t sure how quickly the Law Keeper would arrive. He’d stall her somehow.

Lily made it into the hall when she came face to face with their mother.

“What are you plotting now? You won’t put Brian at risk too!” Their mom pulled away from Aunt Jane’s hands. “It shouldn’t have been Rose!”

At that everyone else seemed to start talking at once. Everyone but Lily. She went from pale to colorless—ready to bolt any second.

The pounding on the door silenced the room. Then the Ormney was there, inside,
slipping
to
in-sync
in a hazy blur. Lily pushed past their mother, Bradley, and even Sean, flying into the Law Keeper’s arms.

The big Ormney male bent over her head and whispered something into her ear as he stroked her back. Brian had known they were lovers, but somehow the tenderness between them still managed to surprise him. Give him hope for his tough but damaged sister.

He looked around at the shocked faces and decided it would be better to avoid the barrage of questions poised to explode into the crowded hallway. Why wasn’t the man wearing his uniform? Brian strode forward, edged past Lily and Jolaj and opened the front door. “If everyone will excuse us, the Law Keeper is going to help Lily and me follow up on a lead.”

The Law Keeper’s head lifted and he met Brian’s eyes. They studied each other long enough to get each other’s measure then headed to the door as if there had never been any doubt.

Lily leaned against the jet-hop parked at the curb and took a deep breath then shivered as the after effects of the panic worked its way out of her system. Lily had needed air and the autumn breeze provided that. She’d also need to be away from her mother’s eyes and the pain of her accusation. Her brother and Jolaj had provided that. Gotten her out before her heart exploded in her chest.

She met Jolaj’s gaze. He stood close. There if she needed him again. Her brother had turned his back to give her privacy. God, she was thankful for the two of them. Guilt hovered over her shoulder, reminding her that, because of her, her sister had lost her life. It was no time to be finding her own. But every time she was near Jolaj she felt a little more alive. And her brother—he’d been trying to wake her up for months. Finally, she understood. Too late to make amends with her sister. Too late for them all to fit and be a family again.

The sky overhead was gray, promising stormy weather. It was mid-day, so the children were still in school and the street was quiet. Lily rubbed her hands on her thighs then realized her shivers just might be from the cooler temperature. Jolaj stepped closer and pulled her back into his arms. Sharing his body heat.

He rubbed a hand up and down her back. “You’re cold.”

She leaned into him and contemplated whether she might be able to stick close enough to him to stay warm through the coming storm. “I left my coat inside.”

“I’ll get it for you, but I may need your pulser to keep your family at bay.” She allowed her lips to curve at the ridiculous picture in her head. She fisted her hands in his tunic and held him tight. “No, you won’t.

She felt almost strong enough to head back inside herself when the door swung open and Bradley stepped out, her coat in his hand. Lily and Jolaj eased apart and Brian turned back around as Bradley approached. He squinted against the wind, drawing her attention to the red swollen rings that rimmed the dense network of angry blood vessels in his eyes.

“Thought you’d need this.” He lifted her jacket and held it out for her. Lily took it and slipped her arms into the soft leather as he stepped back.

“Lily,” rumbled Jolaj. “We need to talk.”

It was an excuse to get rid of Bradley. But she didn’t hate Bradley enough to send him back inside so quickly. He’d be facing some real heat from her mom and she couldn’t wish that on anyone.

She reached for Jolaj and slipped her hand in his. For a moment she savored the peace that came with his touch and praised God there was no panic. Not for now. She squeezed his hand in silent signal. “It’s okay. Give me a minute.”

He frowned but left her side to stand nearer to Brian.

“Thanks,” said Bradley.

She couldn’t give him whatever he was looking for from her, but she owed him a moment for the coat. Unlike her family, he’d always understood her need to keep her father’s things, her need to have something more tangible than memories to hold on to. As teenagers, they’d talked for hours about everything under the sun. He listened to her talk about Dad endlessly, without complaint.

She wished she could feel comforted that he’d noticed she’d stepped outside without the coat, that he’d braved the others’ censure to bring it out to her, but she just wished he hadn’t done it. Her mother would see it as further evidence that she was to blame for her sister’s troubled marriage.

She wrapped the old leather more tightly around herself. “Thanks for bringing it out.”

He nodded, face full of pain. He had to be running through the what-ifs in his head. What if he’d been home? What if he’d been a better husband. Some small part of her wanted to use his obvious failures as a reason to blame him for Rose’s death, but she couldn’t. Her own guilt wouldn’t allow it.

She could only blame herself and the killer. The damn image of Rose lying dead on the floor of her apartment had been burned into her brain. The horrible, sickening image... and the sound of her father’s favorite jazz playing on the music cube in Rose’s hand.

“Bradley, did Rose have a music cube with some of Dad’s tunes?”

He didn’t even have to consider her question. His eyebrows drew together, wrinkling his forehead as he answered, “No. You know she didn’t hang on to any of your dad’s things.”

Still chilled, Lily rubbed her hands against her arms. “She started doing things differently after the two of you got married. I wasn’t sure...”

His confusion turned to a full-out frown. “You mean because she started spending holidays with the O’Learys?”

“Yeah,” said Lily.

Bradley looked away, suddenly finding the grassy yard more interesting.