In the Arms of the Wind (17 page)

“I have always been loyal to my family, Mr. Xavier. I am Irish too,” she replied.

“You wouldn’t be sitting there if you weren’t,” Xavier told her. He snaked out a hand to grab hers. “That ain’t what I asked. I asked if you could stand beside your man, uphold his decisions and keep his secrets to yourself.”

The iron grip on her hand was punishing but Kaycee didn’t flinch. She nodded. “Yes sir. I can do that.”

“You swear it?”

She nodded again, her mouth dry. “Yes sir. I swear.”

“Good. Good,” Xavier said, and released her. “You remember your oath now.”

He struggled to get out of the chair, pulling heavily on his cane. Kaycee rose to her feet, thought of helping him then realized he would not appreciate it. Instead, she stepped back—ready to lend a hand should he need it.

“Good girl,” Xavier pronounced, his eyes showing his feelings about her decision not to treat him as an invalid. “Now take an old man’s arm and escort him to his dinner table before he wastes away.”

“I doubt there’s any imminent danger of that happening,” she said with a smile, hooking her arm through his.

“You haven’t seen what passes for food they set before me,” he grumbled, leaning heavily on his cane.

“They honor you by taking care of you, Mr. Xavier,” she said. “If they didn’t care and didn’t want you to be around a long time, I’m sure they’d let you have whatever you want.”

Xavier stopped, turning his head to look at her. He smiled for the first time and even though it was a sinister smile, it seemed genuine. “You’re going to give Daniel a run for his money, aren’t you?” he asked.

“We’ll see,” she said, patting his arm.

Danny was standing behind his chair—as was everyone else—and looked anxiously to Kaycee as she came in with his grandfather. He watched her walk the old man to his chair and then come around the table to join him.

“Everything all right?” he asked quietly.

“Of course everything’s all right!” Xavier declared. “She’s all in one piece, ain’t she?”

Danny flinched at the old man’s words and Kaycee reached down to thread her fingers through his. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

“Monsignor, will you grace us with the blessing?” Maeve Gallagher asked. She stood at the far end of the table as hostess, her father-in-law at the other with the Monsignor on his right and Uncle Mike on his left.

Monsignor Liam nodded graciously. He made the Sign of the Cross. “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit let us pray.” He waited until everyone had joined hands then continued. “Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord, amen.”

Those at the table released the hands they held then made the Sign of the Cross again.

“In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen,” Monsignor Liam finished. “Be seated everyone and let us enjoy this hearty repast.”

Johnny Gallagher sat to his mother’s right with his wife beside him. Father Sean sat on his mother’s left with Danny beside him—which meant Danny was directly across from Moirrey. Kaycee knew the precise moment at which Moirrey ran her foot along Danny’s leg and put out her own foot to kick her. Moirrey jumped, her eyes flying to Kaycee.

“Oh I’m sorry,” Kaycee said sweetly. “I didn’t know your foot was there. I didn’t mean to kick you, Moirrey.”

Danny half snorted, casting Kaycee a humorous look, but it was Johnny who spoke up, his tone dry and filled with reprimand.

“Keep your feet where they belong, Moirrey,” he said then looked at Kaycee. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Johnny.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kaycee said as she returned the smile extended to her.

“Welcome to the family,” Johnny said then switched his attention to his youngest brother. “Looks like Dan-o did something right for a change.”

“It’s about time,” his mother quipped.

The meal was sumptuous and served silently by a duo of maids who moved gracefully and efficiently to serve each course. By the time the dessert was placed before each guest, Kaycee was feeling at ease though Danny had said little throughout the meal—speaking only when spoken to. Around him the conversation had flowed noisily and it seemed to Kaycee without regard for the youngest son. At times she saw Danny’s shoulders slump, watched him bow his head, cringe when they discussed him as though he weren’t even there, and wondered how he had survived a family like this one. When the diners were finished and were pushing back their chairs to adjourn to the parlor, Danny leaned over to speak quietly to her.

“Would you mind if we left early?”

“Not at all,” she replied, feeling his need to get away from his family.

“I’ll make our excuses then,” he said, and she heard the relief in his voice.

It was on the drive home with his quiet, obviously having plunged into a depressed mood that she reached across the console and put her hand on his thigh, not in the least surprised to find it as taut as a steel cable.

“They get to you, don’t they?” she asked.

“More than you can possibly know,” he replied. He glanced behind them at a pair of headlights that seemed to speed up and slow down as they did. When she twisted around to see what had caught his attention, he told her not to worry. It was one of his grandfather’s men following them home.

“How do you know?”

“I just know,” he replied.

She turned back around, tried to relax, although having someone following them was unnerving.

“I made an enemy of Moirrey,” she said.

He grunted. “You don’t have to worry about her. She’s not important.”

Rampart Villas wasn’t all that far from Xavier Gallagher’s mansion and when Danny pulled up to the security kiosk, the uniformed rent-a-cop stepped outside to wave them through. The car that had been following them kept on going.

Riding up in the elevator, Danny took possession of her hand when they exited on his floor then he pulled her into his arms.

“Thank you,” he said against her temple.

“For what?”

“For making it easy for me to endure the meal,” he said. He eased her away from him just enough to look down into her face. “With you at my side, I feel I can take anything they have to dish out.”

It hurt her heart to see the pain in his eyes.

“Does it bother you that much?” she asked, her brow creasing.

“Oh yeah.”

“Why?”

“Don’t let them fool you, Kaycee. They were relatively nice to me tonight,” he said. “Normally they go out of their way to ignore me.” He lifted one shoulder. “But you were who they wanted to see, to meet, to judge.”

She put a hand to his cheek. “How’d I do?”

“You charmed the pants off them,” he said. “They’ll leave you alone.”

There was years of dejection in his tone and in his still face she caught traces of the boy he had been—a bewildered child reaching out for comfort from a family who withheld it for reasons he would never understand. It tore at her soul and she put her arms around him, held him to her.

“I’m all you need,” she said. “And I’ll always be here for you.”

“I hope so.”

Kaycee knew there was only one way to get his mind off his family and she rubbed against him in an attempt to distract him as he had distracted her about the meal.

“I’m going to do what your mother suggested,” she whispered in his ear.

He grinned. “And what was that?”

She slid her hand to his growing erection.

“I’m going to put some meat on your bone.”

Chapter Seven

Standing at the window, Danny watched her as she slept. Lying on her side facing him, her hands were tucked beneath her pillow, one bare leg crooked atop the covers and the other stretched toward his side of the bed. She looked so peaceful, so at peace that he made a vow it would always be that way for her. No matter what it took, he would keep her safe, healthy and at peace. In a short period of time she had become the other part of his soul and he doubted he could survive if she were taken from him.

He had no intention of allowing that to happen.

Unable to keep looking at her innocent prettiness, he turned back to the window to gaze out over the ocean. The day was dark with storm clouds brewing far out to sea. The darkness of the day matched the darkness in his soul. Self-doubt was closing in on him again and he was already tamping down his feelings, suppressing his emotions. It wouldn’t do for anyone to see how unsure he was of his ability to cope with life—especially not the woman he was beginning to love more than life itself. He had to be strong for her if for no other reason.

Watching a lone jogger as the man followed the encroaching surf, he thought of Rosemary Adams and the way the antiques dealer had died. Her death made no sense to him, her torture even less. What could she have known that would bring about such weighty retribution, and who would have taken matters so far if it hadn’t been Malone? What other client could she had angered so deeply that such pain would be visited upon her?

He and Barnes had done the job at the Gerring place and that hit had been primarily to quash any possible trouble the Gallaghers might have with anyone else thinking to double-dip, to play both ends against the middle. Gerring’s demise had been a warning to others, so what had Adams’ death been?

“Nothing on the tapes from the stores around the Adams’ place,” Barnes had said. “There was some footage of her going into the shop but none of any visitors either coming or leaving.”

“So they must have come in and went out through the back room,” Danny surmised.

“Looks that way.”

“She knew her killer.”

“That would be my guess,” Barnes agreed.

In the great room, Danny heard the trill of Kaycee’s phone and hurried to answer it. She was sleeping so soundly, he didn’t want her disturbed. Grabbing her purse, he opened it and withdrew her cell.

“Gallagher,” he answered automatically then hissed beneath his breath.

“Ah, I think I have the wrong number,” a man said on the other end.

“Are you looking for Kaycee?” Danny asked.

“Ah yes,” came the slow answer. “This is her brother-in-law. Who’s this?”

“Her fiancé,” Danny answered then could have kicked himself. Maybe Kaycee wasn’t ready for her family to know.

“All right,” the man said, the two words drawn out even more. “Is she where I can speak to her?”

“She’s sleeping. Is this about Jonee? Are you her husband?”

“Yes. I’d really rather talk to Kaycee Bree if you don’t mind.”

It was on the tip of Danny’s tongue to tell the man he did mind. Instead he told him to wait. He went into the bedroom and gently shook Kaycee.

“Kace?” he whispered. “Baby?”

Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked up at him with a slow smile.

“Hey, stud.”

“It’s your brother-in-law,” he said, holding out the phone.

Kaycee sat straight up in the bed and took the phone. “Drake?” she queried. Her brows drew together then her smile was beatific. “All right! Congratulations again, Papa!” She looked up at Danny. “I have a new nephew! Nine pounds, eleven ounces, twenty-one inches long.”

“Congratulations,” Danny said, and moved away from the bed to stand at the window again.

“They named him Drake Junior,” she called out.

Danny nodded. He’d never wanted children of his own—had remedied that situation long ago though he kept the information to himself—and other peoples’ made him acutely uncomfortable. Folding his arms, he leaned against the window frame and stared at the waves that had become angrier in the last few minutes.

“I’ll be up around noontime then,” he heard Kaycee telling her sister’s husband. “Tell Jay-Jay I love her!”

Flinging the covers aside, Kaycee came over to where he stood and slipped her arms around his waist.

“Black hair and blue eyes like his daddy’s,” she said. “A true Black Irishman.”

“That’s great,” he said, moving one hand down to cup hers where they were joined around his middle.

“How long you been up?” she asked.

He turned, looping his arms around her. “Not long. You want some breakfast?”

“You gonna cook?”

He winced. “Believe me when I tell you that should never be an option.”

“Then I’ll cook,” she said. “Whatcha got in the fridge?”

“Other than the stuff of yours we brought over? Water, beer, hotdogs and Bailey’s Irish Cream.”

She frowned. “Diner?” she asked.

“Diner,” he agreed.

She stood on her tiptoes, kissed him then turned to the bathroom, tossing over her shoulder a declaration that they would be stopping at the grocery store on the way back.

* * * * *

“Have you ever seen anything so adorable?” she asked as she cradled her nephew.

Danny stood beside her with his hands jammed into the pockets of his slacks, staring down into the red and wrinkled face of the sleeping infant. He shrugged noncommittally. “He’s a regular little rug muncher,” he agreed.