Chapter 5
Kate
The make up on my face was so thick I could scrape it off with the tip of my finger. Yet it did what it needed to do. It hid the worst of the bruises, but I was still swollen. There was nothing I could do about that. I was hoping Conner either wouldn’t pay too much attention to me or would believe the stung by a bee story I had concocted.
Who was I kidding? Conner was worried. I didn’t take time off work, ever. And I hadn’t spent the day locked in my room since I was a teenager. Not even when my husband had died and my life had imploded. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had even had a lay in. Of course he would have noticed and he would’ve guessed why, no doubt.
Glancing at myself in the bathroom mirror to make sure I looked presentable, I headed towards the kitchen. I needed to cook us a meal. Act like everything was normal.
What I really wanted to do was crawl back into my bed and sleep until the aches went away.
The front door opened and shut. Glancing up at the kitchen clock, I frowned. Conner was late. Which wasn’t particularly unusual. But for some reason, it grated on me today. If he had been fighting again, I would…
The thought trailed off. Conner hadn’t been fighting any more than I had. You didn’t fight against the Hunter brothers.
“Hey,” I called out. “What do you say about us having a takeaway tonight?”
“Sure.” Conner appeared in the doorway. His school tie was at half mast and behind him was the familiar and very unwelcome figure of Elliot.
“What the hell is going on here?” My eyes went from Conner to Elliot and back again in rapid succession. “Conner, what are you playing at?”
“He was worried about you.” Elliot’s voice was soothing. Deep and almost gravelly. I didn’t remember it being so rough, but then again, I had never paid attention to it before. But his presence in my kitchen today of all days was scrambling my brain. I couldn’t seem to gather my thoughts into coherent words, so my mouth just opened and closed without me actually saying anything. “And with good reason, it seems.”
Swinging my eyes to him, I scowled. “Conner, go to your room. I will deal with you later.” I didn’t take my eyes off Elliot or Legacy or whatever he was calling himself these days.
For once in his young life, Conner didn’t argue with me. The sound of his door clicking shut was loud in the thick silence.
“Leave.”
“Not going to happen, Kate.” Taking a step forward, he reached out a hand. I scooted back before he could touch me. Once upon a time, we had all been close. He had been the sometimes awkward third wheel in my marriage, but that day had ended when he abandoned us when we needed him the most.
“You hurt bad?” His eyes scanned my face and the more he looked, the thinner his lips became until they had almost disappeared completely. “You don’t need to answer that. I can see. What the hell were you thinking going there and confronting them?”
The anger in his voice surprised me, and I recoiled back. But just as quickly as fear had hit me, anger replaced it. Straightening my spine, I eyed him coldly. “I was protecting my family. I did what needed to be done to keep Conner safe, and I don’t expect you to understand that Legacy.”
His eyes went wide. “Since when do you call me Legacy?”
I shrugged. “You aren’t Elliot. You stopped being him when you deserted us.” Turning my back to him, I reached for the kettle, but my hand was shaking so hard that I had to put it down again.
“I’m here now.” His voice was quiet. “It’s been ten years. We need to start living our lives again. It doesn’t mean we don’t miss him.” His voice broke. “I miss him every single day too, Kate, but it’s time to move on.”
I whirled on him, letting out a small croak to find him so close that I had to steady myself with my hands on his chest. What felt like electricity flowed through me, jolting me back.
“Move on?” I hissed, tilting my face up to meet his eyes. Why did he have to be so tall? So imposing? It was hard to be fierce when he was so menacing without even trying.
“You haven’t moved on Legacy. You still send the flowers every year. You’re the one stuck in the past, not me. I had no choice but to live. No one else would have been there for Conner.”
A shadow passed across his face. Ruffling his hair with his hand, he blew out a breath. “I know Kate. I just wanted you to know that I was thinking of you, that”s all. That I hadn’t forgotten.”
“We would have preferred you were here in person,” I whispered.
The shadow that darkened his face was replaced by pain. “I know. But I’m here now.”
I stared at him. “I don’t think there’s anything you can do, Legacy. I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do.”
I didn’t mean to sound weak and teary all of a sudden, but I couldn’t help it. It was easier to keep a hold of the tears when I was angry. But it was impossible to stay angry with him. Mostly because I knew why he hadn’t come around after the funeral. It was too painful. It would have been painful for me as well. If I could have run away, I would have.
“I won’t let them get their claws into Conner.”
Legacy stared at me for a second, almost like he was thinking over his options. He didn’t realise yet that he didn’t have any options. This was my life. Mine and Conner’s. He didn’t have a say in it.
“I’ll deal with it,” he said finally. “And I’ll keep an eye on the pair of you until the problem is resolved.”
“You don”t even know what’s gone on.”
What was with this guy? He couldn’t seem to grasp that he couldn’t just come waltzing back into our lives and take over.
“Conner filled me in on what he knew.” Legacy’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And I know the Hunter’s reputation. I know how they operate.” For a second, he closed his eyes, only to snap them open and spear me into place. “So I’ll ask again, how hurt are you?” His chest heaved, and his voice was strong, but there was something behind it, the slightest tremble. “Do you need to go to the hospital to get checked out?”
“I’m not badly hurt, Legacy. I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“The club can get a doctor for you, if…if you…” He cleared his throat.
He was asking if I’d been raped, but he didn’t want to say the actual words. Without meaning to, I reached out and pressed my hand to his chest. The leather of his cut was warm under my fingers.
“It didn’t go that far, Legacy. I’m fine.”
Emotions warred across his face before settling on something I couldn”t quite read. It looked a lot like guilt. “Not that far? So he did something, didn”t he?”
“It doesn’t matter; I fought back. Look, I don’t want you to go running off starting wars for me. I’ll manage this, somehow.”
A smile twitched the corners of his mouth. “What do you know about war, Kate?”
Deadpan, I stared at him. “Other than my husband died in one?”
His grin disappeared totally. “I guess I deserved that.” Suddenly, his arm was around me, pulling me in for a hug that crushed my already bruised ribs. I winced, but it felt good to be held. Hesitating only a second, I curled my arms around his waist.
“I’ve missed you, Kate. I’ve missed Conner as well.” Legacy’s lips pressed to the top of my hair.
“Kate?”
Untangling myself from Legacy’s arms, I turned to Conner. There was no accusation in the boy”s eyes, but I felt guilty anyway. Even if the hug was totally innocent.
“It’s okay.” I reached out my hand to him, and he took it instantly. I pulled him in for a hug of his own. Something he rarely allowed me to do these days. “I’m not mad anymore.”
Conner bit his lip, looking sheepish. “Is the offer for a takeaway still there? I’m starving.”
I couldn’t help laughing. Side eyeing Legacy, I shook my head. Of course, he was still hungry. Teenage boys were always hungry. Not even a life and death situation would stop that.
Reaching out, Legacy ruffled Conner’s hair. “My treat. You just let me know what you want and I’ll go and get it.”
“I can’t ask you to pay for our dinner.”
Legacy’s eyes crinkled. “I said my treat, Kate. And anyway, I have to buy you dinner. I want you to cook your famous roast lamb for me on Sunday.”
He winked.