Truth and Humility (48 page)

Mary stood dumbfounded as her daughter rambled behind her.   “
What
,” she began, her voice quaking with fury, “are you doing in our house?”

Danny’s nerves showed in her audible exhale and her eyes locked with Austin’s over her mother’s head.  “Mom…maybe you should sit down…”

“I will not sit.  I want answers, Danny.  Why would you let this Cahill boy into our home?  Into your
bedroom!
”

As long as her mother spoke so loudly, her father was sure to follow fast on llow fasher heels.  Danny’s shoulders sagged and she gently turned the woman to face her.  “He’s here to help us, Mom.  I promise you, he would never disrespect our home.  But you need to listen to me carefully.”  Mary’s eyes narrowed, Danny swallowed.  “Someone was in my room earlier.  Someone we think is trying to hurt us.”

The woman’s face sagged a fraction.  “Who?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out.  And why.  But if it hadn’t been for Austin, I would have been attacked at the river tonight.”

“The river? 
Attacked?
”

Mary looked queasy, confused as she tried to keep up.  Taking pity on her, Danny moved her to the edge of the bed, forced her off her feet.  Austin warily approached and backed Danny with his physical presence and moral support.

“I hired a P.I. to look into our accidents, Mrs. Bennett,” he said in a reassuring tone.  “We found out tonight that they were caused by a man who had attacked…” he hesitated when Danny sent him a horrified
no
over her mother’s head, “…who had a history of attacking women…”
Nice save
, her eyes told him, giving him the go-ahead.  “When I got to the river and found Danny, it was just before Mac caught him trying to puncture her tires.”

“What?”  It was more of a gasp than a question.  Then with helpless confusion, Mary asked, “How did you know to meet her there?”  And to Danny, “Have you been meeting with him behind your father’s back?”

“No!”  Damn, this was painful.  “Mom, nobody knew where I was going, it was very spontaneous.”

Austin chimed in helpfully, “And I didn’t know she’d be there, but I had just taken some medication and there was this bottle of bourb—” another wide-eyed plea for re-direction, “…I mean, a gut instinct…that told me…go to the...”

His voice trailed off.  The old woman’s stare could cow a river ox.  Austin laced his fingers behind his neck and shrugged.  “I got nothin’.”

There he is
, Danny thought with a well of pride. 
The great-big-bad Austin Cahill, taken down by the truth stare.  Welcome to the Bennett family
.

“I don’t think we should continue this up here.  Here, cover yourself.”  Mary shoved a sweater at her daughter, propelled her toward the door and trusted the man with her would follow.  “If your father wakes up and catches him in your bedroom, you’ll put him at heaven’s gates and I’m not ready to let him go yet.”

Ever watchful, Austinchful, A took up the rear as the three of them descended the stairs, moved to the kitchen.  It was by far the most awkward situation he’d ever put himself in.  But, dammit, Danny was worth it. 
Better hang on to your balls, Cahill
. 
You’re going to need them if you get up-close-and-personal with that side-by-side again.

“Herb!”  Mary ran interference when the old man stumbled out of the darkened door of the master bedroom in a rumpled knee-length bed shirt.  “Now, before you get angry…”

“Cahill!” the man boomed when he focused through the glasses.  “No way this side of Hades am I going to allow your presence in my house! 
Danielle!
”

Danny heated up beneath the sweater, threaded her fingers through her hair, closed her eyes to the man’s blazing scrutiny.  “Yeah, Pop?”

“You swore to me, girl!  Do you remember that?”

“I know, Pop…”

“And you’ve done a lot of things behind my back,” Herbs voice shook with thunder, “things I’ve tolerated in the long run.  But not this.  If you insist on seeing him, if I continue to find you with this kid, especially after what he’s done to your brother, you will
leave this family!
”

“Herb!”

“Do I make myself clear?”

Austin set his teeth and flattened a supportive hand against the small of Danny’s back.  “My reason for being here goes way beyond the feud, Mr. Bennett.  Danny is still in danger from this person who…”

“And you,” Danny interjected informatively, indicating his person with her hand.

His brow relaxed as he looked down at the top of her mussed hair.  “Okay. 
We
are being targeted by the same person who is responsible for Derek’s death.”

“
You
are responsible for my son’s death!” Herb accused with closed fists.

“Pop, just…” Danny stammered in frustration, balled her own fists, “shut-up and listen for once!”  She refused to meet her parents’ open-mouthed stares.  “While you’re held up by this stinking feud, someone very dangerous, who is a very
legitimate
threat, is trying to
kill us
.  And, thnbsp; Anough we don’t know who it is, or why she’s targeted us, we are trying to find out before she succeeds again.  Yes, I said again.  Because Derek was never her intended target, it was
me.
  It was
my
jobsite that was rigged to go down. 
Austin’s
jobsite was rigged to go down.  And no matter how many threats you toss around, it won’t dilute the fact that we need to work together on this!”

After a tumultuous moment of silence, Herb snapped his jaw closed.  “Are you telling me that’s all you’re doing with him?  Working together?”

Mary jerked her head back and fixed her husband with an appalled scowl.  “After all your daughter just said,
that’s
what you latched on to?”

The old man flinched at the anger in her tone.  He bared his teeth and ran a hand over the thick waves atop his head.  “Well, I…just that…” he grumbled humbly, shook a hand toward the two younger folks under the kitchen light.  Finally, unable to produce a justifiable comeback under the weight of his wife’s stare, he capitulated.  “Alright then.”  To his daughter, “Tell me more about this
legitimate
threat.  A woman you say?”

“She was in my room tonight, Pop.”  Danny took advantage of her father’s inability to speak.  “I saw her.  But she was gone so fast, I thought it was my imagination…at least until I realized I was being followed.”

Her parents suddenly felt the need to sit down, so they all settled around the table as she went through the details.  “If Austin and Mac hadn’t been there, I would have been attacked.  I mean, this man was literally sent to follow me, the proof was on his phone.”

Austin’s phone buzzed.  As Danny retold the events of the early morning, he reached into his pocket, checked the screen under the shadow of the table.  Mac.

“Danny,” he interrupted softly, “Mac is still waiting.  We need to tell him something.”

Her eyes closed as she remembered her friend.  Poor Mac.  Stuck in a deserted parking lot with a zip-tied assailant.  She shrugged.  “I guess call the cops.”  A glance at the clock.  “It’ll be light soon and we’re all up.  I don’t think she’ll show herself again.”

Herb and Mary listened in attentive silence as Austin gave the order then slipped the phone back in his pocket.  That the man thought to include their daughter in such a decision spoke volumes.  Along with the tender looks, the respectful solidarity, the continuous need to include one another…

Mary reached under the table and laid a hand on Herb’s thigh.

The two were obviously in love.  The Cahill boy and their only daughter had developed not just a romantic relationship, but a partnership as well.  The truth of it was as clear as a dawning sunrise.  Danny’s growing devastation over Derek’s death had given them many reasons to worry.  They all suffered their own private hell, but hers was clearly taking her toward a dangerous, desolate place...until now.  To Mary, it was apparent her daughter needed Cahill’s presence in her life.  The color was back in her cheeks, her overall wellbeing notably improved literally overnight.

To Herb, it was clear he was going to need to invest in a home defibrillator. 

As the elders sat flummoxed, Austin spoke to Danny, only slightly aware of her parent’s regard.  “We’ll just have to hand Brett’s phone over to the police.  Leave it to them.  Maybe they can analyze it, get more information.”

“And if this woman’s goon is out of the picture,” Danny surmised all business, “maybe she’ll slip up.  Get careless.  Or at least give us some time to figure her out before she finds someone else to do her dirty work.”

“You won’t be figuring anything out, girl,” Herb interjected authoritatively.  “Leave this
Brett
or this
woman
to the police.  I won’t have you putting yourself out there only to end up dead.” 
Like your brother.
  The words hung thickly in the air without being said.

“I won’t
let
her put herself out there,” Austin stated boldly, his eyes meeting the other man’s across the table.  “As long as she’s with me, she’ll be safe.”

Herb harrumphed.  “Not as long as she’s pulling your hide out of mangled factory equipment, she won’t be.”

“If it had been up to me, she would have stayed away.”

“You saying it wasn’t?”

Danny pinched the bridge of her nose.  The dreaded pissing contest.

Austin increased the pressure.  “Having raised her, you’d know she leans a bit heavily toward the stubborn side!”

Herb stood, placed his spread fingertips firmly on the tabletop.  “And you think you know her so well you can throw her habits at me like that, Cahill?  After only a few weeks, I think not!”

Now Austin stood, squared off with the old man, at least a few inches taller, just as firm.  “I know her well enough to understand what motivates her.  Danny is driven by her emotions like nobody else I’ve ever known.”

“Except you,” Danny muttered impudently from down below.

“She’s fast on her feet, sharp tongued –
especially
toward me – frustratingly independent and she likes to throw things.  Sorry, honey.”  He threw her an aside to soften the blow.

Danny bobbed her head, shrugged.  “It’s true.  I do tend to throw things.”

Honey!
  The man had just called his daughter
honey! 
Herb narrowed his eyes behind the bifocals.  “All you’re saying, boy, is that you two fight a lot.”

It seemed ludicrous to Danny whenever her father referred to Austin as a boy when he was obviously 100% pure, virile man.  Austin knew it as a continued attempt to establish authority and met the challenge with conviction.

“We’ve hashed out our share of issues,” he conceded with a calm that reeked of sympathy.  “Big ones.  But I love her.”  The old man went green.  “And, whether you like it or not, she loves me, too.  I plan to marry her very soon.”  Austin plunged deeper, clean up to the hilt.  “We’ll have babies together.  Grandchildren that you’ll have to share with my mother.”

No, anything but that
.  Herb straightened, rubbed at the indigestion in his middle.  “I can’t imagine she’d be too thrilled about that, either.”