Silent Heart (The Vlasov Bratva #5)

Chapter 7 – Harley

C oming out of the Piggly Wiggly, I hurried to where my grandma waited in her car. A wet spot from my freshly washed hair formed between my shoulder blades, but it would dry halfway through the church service.

Hopping nimbly from the driver’s seat, my grandma jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “So that’s the man you’ve been seeing.”

I choked on my inhale as the thoughts of how to sneak a still-warm doughnut from the box I carried instantly evaporated. “Swimming lessons, Grandma. Just a work thing. Strictly business.”

My grandmother held open the back door of her sedan, gaze swiveling between me and the man putting diesel in his truck over at the Stop and Go.

“And how did you know that is him?” I drawled, straightening.

“We’ve seen him around town.” Whatever else she was going to say cut off when she glanced at the boxes. “Where is the sheet cake? Harley? What’d you do?”

I looked at the boxes of sugar. “This was what they had waiting on the shelf for Redeemer Lutheran this morning.”

“There’s supposed to be a cake. We’re having a baptism this morning!” Grandma turned on her heel and marched inside.

One could only hope that the cake was somewhere. Or that they had another ready that icing script could be written on. If they didn’t, they were about to have an earful.

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, wondering how much time I had. Not enough to stand here waiting. Jumping into action, I tore the sticker seal and plucked two fresh doughnuts from the box.

By the time I sprinted across the parking lot to the gas station, Kole was replacing the nozzle. His gaze swept over me, taking in my Sunday best.

A tight, fast reaction I very much wanted to be hunger flashed through his eyes.

There were more clothes covering me than an hour ago when he’d seen me in my swimsuit. Yet, now there was that unguarded moment where he seemed to slip and let the inner feelings show. They were always gone before I could be sure what I’d seen.

“Carbs!” I held out the doughnut. “We had quite the workout this morning.”

No sooner were the words out of my mouth than I wanted to bite my tongue off.

Kole’s dark brow twitched, but he didn’t comment on the innuendo I’d just left myself wide open for teasing about. He accepted the pastry without comment.

“Yeah, so I’m off to church. Grandma was on refreshment duty this morning, which is why we stopped to pick up the doughnuts. But they’re better now, fresh and warm, than after service,” I rambled, filling the moment.

Kole’s tongue darted out to lick the glaze about to drip off the pastry. It was broad and firm. The stroke was long, lingering, and swept a path through the sticky sugar. He tasted the glaze, hummed, and then went back for a second lick.

My insides melted.

Oh, good lord.

I didn’t need to see that. Especially not before church! It was the only thing I’d be thinking about, probably enough to make me squirm in my seat.

“Thank you,” he murmured and took a large bite from the doughnut.

“Welcome! Have a good morning,” I stammered, before turning and fleeing.

And like most of our encounters, that was it. It wasn’t weird, per se, that I babbled and hurried away. It was par for the course. What was I hoping would happen? We’d talk? Flirt? Kole wasn’t like that. I kept doing little things like bring him a treat and not getting anywhere.

I stopped beside the car just as my grandma was hustling from the store, pushing a cart so she didn’t have to carry the cake box. “Hariet Cora, did you sneak a doughnut!”

“Oh!” I looked at the crumpled thing in my hand. “I was hungry.”

Flashing my grandmother a sheepish look, I slid into the passenger seat. The only silver lining of the situation was that she would think my discomfort was due to being caught red-handed and not terribly turned on from the world’s smallest exchange.

***

Tugging the covers higher on my shoulder, I flopped to my left side. Above, the fan whomped against the air as it raced around in frantic circles. Normally, the noise helped lull me to sleep, and the constant breeze made me burrow deeper under the covers. Tonight, my mind raced in a frantic chase.

And the spot between my legs ached with an intensity too strong to be ignored.

My toys wouldn’t relieve the feelings. I’d tried. No, the damn things needed charging and my body was sweaty and unsatisfied. It wanted the real thing. A fire blazed in my veins.

Grinding my teeth, I fisted the pillow. Two weeks. Two whole weeks! I saw Kole every morning for a lesson and swim, and like clockwork, he came to the Landing for a burger, fries, and beer every night. Nothing more had been said about fishing in the dark, but my lame attempt from a few days ago to hang out with him hadn’t deterred Kole from continuing to invade my life. The frenzied energy between us simmered hot and bright, with no relief in sight!

Jonathan wasn’t the only coworker talking. In fact, news circulated, and my grandma now knew that my swimming pupil ate dinner in my section. The questions were impossible to escape. The person asking the loudest, however, was me.

Was there something there? And if it was, should I act on it?

“Go. To. Sleep.” I flopped onto my back.

Sunrise would start yet another long day of work in a matter of hours and here I was, tossing and turning in desperate need of relief. The moment I opened myself up to the idea of a fling, it became the only thing I could think of. I was horny. It had been too long since my last relationship. Not that that counted. That date hadn’t been anything to brag about, nor had the ones with boyfriends before him.

But Kole? If I could cross whatever barrier still seemed to keep us apart, he would be different. I don’t know how I knew, but I did. He would be worth the chase.

I reached for my water only to find it empty. With a groan, I crawled out of bed and crept to the kitchen fridge. When the glass was full, I wandered to the window to look out at the lake. Moonlight blazed across the navy surface. Lights from the docks winked but couldn’t overpower the sheer force of nature. My body itched to go out onto the water. Just a short swim to put me to sleep. As if summoned by that invisible pull, I glanced through the trees toward the mansion across from us.

Every light shone.

The force of the glare had me shaking my head. If the ancient red oak wasn’t in the way, it would be possible to tell what the heck was going on!

I couldn’t say what tiny voice had me grabbing the boat key from the junk drawer. But I did before slipping through the front door and picking my way around the side of the house. The sloped path led down the hill to the lower level. As I tiptoed across the lower patio, I shot a careful glance into the boys’ area, but they were asleep.

The aluminum stairs were slick with dew, and could use pressure washing. I picked my way carefully down the steep descent. Sure enough, as I burst onto the dock, leaping off the last steps, I saw the lights. Kole’s house shimmered.

It was after midnight and every light on the property glared in defiance of the moon.

“He’s going to have the Lake Owner’s Association banging on his door for disturbing the natural beauty and serenity of the community,” I muttered.

I shouldn’t care. Whatever Kole was doing was his business.

So why did I clutch the squishy float attached to the boat key? My left foot took a step toward the speedboat.

This is madness.

I argued with the mental voice. “I’m just going to creep over there and see if it’s a party.”

The skin on the inside of my wrist flickered with heat.

I refused to acknowledge the real reason I climbed into the boat, using a paddle to navigate away from the dock before turning on the trolling motor to putter away. I might be a thirty-something woman but sneaking out of the house silently was ingrained in every fiber of my being.

It wasn’t until I inched closer to the mansion that I paused. A dark shape stood on the end of the dock, staring at the lake. The shadows were too heavy to see the features properly. But there was no mistaking the person. We might be of an overwhelming Germanic and Scandinavian heritage here in the upper Midwest, but that man was built differently.

The speedboat crept closer.

I swallowed hard. The phantasmal spot on my wrist sizzled, shooting a deadly concoction of desire and daring through my body.

Kole looked…good.

“Screw it,” I muttered. Why shouldn’t I have a little fun? Granted, accomplishing my goals was a journey, but every path had detours. So long as I hopped back on track by the end, I should be enjoying the ride.

So many metaphors. I rolled my eyes at myself.

An unconvincing excuse about night fishing ready on the tip of my tongue, I angled the prow and closed the distance. Kole stood unmoving as I pulled the boat alongside the dock.

“Hi there, neighbor,” I beamed. “You wouldn’t happen to be interested in a little fishing, would you? The walleyes are biting.”

Silence pulsed.

I frowned. Even when he didn’t say much, Kole wasn’t this stony. Unable to read his face from the boat, I clambered onto the dock, tugging the fishing pole. I held it out to him, but he didn’t make a move.

If it wasn’t for the steady rise and fall of his chest, he might actually be a gargoyle he stood so still.

“Kole? Are you okay?” I asked gently.

His rigid posture was answer enough. Something was off.

I moved closer, realizing with growing horror that he was in a kind of trance. While his eyes roved about, clearly tracking me, it was as if they didn’t see me.

“Kole? Can you hear me?” I pressed, reaching out to him, but then thinking better of it. My hand dropped to my side. “Kole?”

There was no response.

If I had any sense, I would have turned around, jumped in the boat, and sped away. Hell, if I had sense, I wouldn’t be here in the first place, so I shook off the niggling of warning.

My tone dropped to the soft, lyrical cadence I used when dealing with animals. “I’m going to touch you, is that alright?”

Slowly, I made my intentions clear. His wary gaze never left me as I reached out and laid my fingers on his wrist. A moment packed with uncertainty passed. Kole didn’t jerk away, and I let out the breath I’d been holding.

“There we go.” I smiled. “Why don’t we go inside, yeah?”

He didn’t protest as I drew him along. A list of potential reasons as to what would make such a large creature this docile ticked through my mind. It could be some kind of shift in mental state. There was no smell of alcohol, and he didn’t swagger or sway. Each step was sure and carried the full weight of his body with precise balance. So it wasn’t something he’d consumed. No, it had to be mental. It was possible he had a traumatic brain injury that led to periods of lost consciousness. Or maybe a chronic illness? But the range of possible ailments in a human weren’t things I was familiar with.

Either way, I was here, and I didn’t feel unsafe. He needed help. If he couldn’t swim….

I winced. What was he doing by the water? If he jumped into the lake, if he tripped and fell, he could have drowned!

At the door, I paused. “Anyone in there?”

Kole continued to watch me.

Carefully, I set the fishing poles by the sliding door before tugging it open. He didn’t protest when I led him over the threshold. A sigh of relief whispered from my lungs when I was able to safely close the door and prevent his rushing back to the water.

“Wow!” I gasped, looking around.

Everyone in Moosehorn, Wisconsin knew the McTavish place. One of the biggest houses on the upper lake, it also had a lot of property—not like our farm, but still a lot. While we all knew the place, few of us locals had been inside.

No one would believe it if I told them. It was as if someone loaded hundreds of thousands of dollars into a machine that spewed out gorgeous décor, accented trims, and luxurious furniture.

“This place is amazing.” I smiled at my silent host. Regret flickered instantly in my belly at the loss of contact.

But like any wild creature, I needed to give him space to see what he would do.

Trailing deeper into the interior, I divided my glances between the opulence around me and the man who didn’t seem to fit in here anymore than I did. Kole padded after me. Here, under the harsh glare of the lights, his eyes were definitely glazed. While the focus remained, I didn’t see the same underlying expressions in those depths that I normally did. Sadness panged in my chest. He was here, but he wasn’t really here.

Where are you, big guy?

When the rush of curiosity ebbed, the startling realization hit me that we were successfully inside, but any further steps seemed fraught with complications. Kole couldn’t be left alone. I had work at eight. Taking him home with me in the middle of the night was a terrible idea. I was good with animals—found the stray ones safe spaces in the barn. But that wouldn’t work with this one. While I wasn’t a human doctor, I felt duty bound to sit with him and make sure he didn’t come to harm.

Which left the only option of staying awake and alert.

The TV in the living room called my name, offering a solution.

“Let’s shut off the lights down here, okay?” I moved away, not putting my back to him, but twisting to reach for the panel on the wall.

Kole followed noiselessly.

I stopped. He stopped.

A tentative smile pulled up the corners of my mouth. Sure, go into the dark with the psychotic stranger.

I pushed the ungenerous thought away. While it was sad to see him like this, Kole was currently like any other large animal who’d somehow injured itself and was alone and scared. A deep, primal need rose inside me to stay with him, to help him—to protect him.

Two steps, and the wall was close enough for me to flick the lights off. When the brightness was extinguished, I paused. Kole didn’t react. My heart thundered in my chest as I waited to see what he would do. I took a tentative step toward the kitchen.

Kole mirrored the motion.

“I’m shutting this one off too,” I said with a smile.

The overheads in the kitchen blinked out, leaving only the single bulb over the sink on.

Kole kept a few feet away, watching the darkness unfold. I wandered back to the living room. Through the dimness, I found a remote in the basket and began to click at the huge flatscreen on the wall.

“How about a movie?” I suggested.

Kole only sank onto the sofa after I did. His movements were stiff and disjointed.

“This wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend more time with you,” I admitted, because it was highly probable he wouldn’t remember any of this. “I was hoping to be a lot closer. But…I guess this is intimate in a way.”

Tugging the blanket from the back of the couch, I snuggled under it. Well, shoot. It wasn’t large enough to go on him. So I scooted closer, watching him carefully from the corner of my eye. Whatever was happening to him, he took my movements without becoming jumpy.

I flopped some blankets on him.

Kole didn’t react.

I burrowed into the warmth, realizing that it mostly came from the furnace of living flesh next to me. Wow. What would a winter night snuggled next to him be like? I yawned. A rom-com filled the screen. As the meet-cute began, my eyelids drooped. I blinked rapidly, shifting to sit upright. By the time the first date was done, right before the characters became enemies, I found myself leaning toward the hot, solid wall of masculine flesh. Jerking upright, I winced. Sudden movements weren’t the best course of action around someone who could easily be spooked.

Thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case here.

Because I felt the exhaustion coming on strong, I leaned the opposite way, reaching out for a stylized throw pillow. I reasoned that lying down would mean I didn’t flop suddenly on him and startle him. The last thoughts I had were directed at Kole as I watched that dark face fade away.