Chapter 43
Sheesh, why was him going all stern like that a complete turn-on? Her clit was throbbing, and she squeezed her thighs together, shifting around.
“Are you turned on? Because now really isn’t the time for that. We have a man down there who’s been trussed up like a turkey. And a steer who is probably plotting his next move.”
“Oh shoot! Chuck Roast.” She turned to look over the side just as she heard a crash.
“What the fuck?” Harvey said as he slid them over so he could look over the side. “That damn steer knocked the ladder over.”
“You wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it with your own eyes, right?” she said.
“What I can’t believe is that we’re stuck up here, while that asshole is down there, and there’s no one else around.”
“Have you got your phone on you?” she asked.
“It’s in my car,” he said.
“Well, I wouldn’t stress too much. It’s not like we can do anything about it.”
She sensed him staring at her and turned her head to look up at him with a smile. “I’ve learned not to let things get to me too much since I’ve been here. There’s been something really cathartic about living here, helping with the animals, and just being with my sister, you know?”
“I can see it in how relaxed you are,” he said. “You really like it here?”
“I do, at least to visit. I’m not sure I’d want to live here full time. I miss things about the city. But I will be sad to be so far away from Clem.”
“I can’t leave Boston and my family,” he said. “Not with the family business, but we can visit a lot.”
“I understand,” she said. “I just want to be with you, although I don’t think your family likes me very much.”
“You can’t base that just on what you overheard Fiadh say. She seemed to have some crazy idea that I was going to fall in love with her friend. She didn’t mean that about you. It doesn’t mean that she won’t love you.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” she said. “And I haven’t met your other sister yet.”
“No, but my brothers like you.”
“They do?” she asked.
“Baby, honestly, I think they like you better than me. Ronan’s been messaging me every half hour to see whether I have you, whether you’re safe, and if we’re on our way home.”
Amazement filled her. “He’s only met me once.”
“And he thinks you’re extremely brave.”
“I don’t think I’m brave. I think I’m a mess.”
“Well, you think wrong.”
Typical, Harvey. She rolled her eyes with a smile, he always thought he was right.
She kind of liked that about him, though.
“What if the rest of your family doesn’t like me, though? Your sisters, your grandfather?”
“My grandfather likes you. You never told me that you met him.”
“Oh he told you that?” she asked.
“Yeah, he did.”
“Didn’t seem to like me very much,” she told him.
“He did. He had lots of nice things to say about you, and he doesn’t have very many people that he says nice things about.
I should have introduced you earlier to my sisters. I just wanted to give you some time to get used to living in a new place with me. And to give you some space, because once you meet my sisters, they’re probably going to be all up in your business. That’s just the way they are.”
She wasn’t so sure about that, but she nodded. She’d try her best to get on with his sisters for Harvey’s sake. He was close to his family, so she needed to get used to that.
But she would probably try to visit Clem as often as she could.
A truck started up the driveway just as she spotted Jaret heading their way on his horse.
Clem was going to be in a lot of trouble once Jaret got there.
She glanced down at the man who was trussed up like a turkey.
He looked like he was just starting to stir. Clem brought the truck to a stop right next to the body, and then she jumped out, looking at the man who was tied up, up at them on the roof of the barn, and then over at Jaret, who’d just gotten off his horse.
Then she raised her hands. “This has nothing to do with me, I swear. I wasn’t even here.”
Jaret took off his hat and scowled at her. Well, Lily couldn’t see his face, but that’s what she imagined he was doing.
“No, you went into town and got the feed that you knew I was going to get. You better not have lifted that onto the truck yourself, Clementine Malone, or you’re in big trouble.”
“Of course I didn’t,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I had Gary at the shop do it.”
“I’ll be calling him to check.”
“Sheesh. It’s a poor thing when your own husband doesn’t believe you.”
“I have reasons not to believe you.”
“Are the two of you going to ask about the guy trussed up like a turkey, and why we’re stuck up here? Oh, and you both remember Harvey, right?” Lily said.
“Yeah. Hey, Harvey.” Clem waved at him. “Well, my best guess is this guy came here to threaten you for some reason. You climbed up on the barn. Harvey got here, knocked him out, trussed him up like a turkey and went up onto the roof to rescue you, and then someone knocked over the ladder.”
Lily nodded. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
Jaret sighed. “Let me get the ladder, and then we’ll sort this all out. I’m really not in the mood to deal with the sheriff today.”
“No Malone ever is,” Clem said. “So, you two look like you could use a drink.”
They really could. Jaret fixed the ladder and then Harvey started down, making her come after him so he could catch her if he needed to. No idea how he planned to do that, but she humored him.
They all stood and stared down at the guy who was desperately moving around on the ground. Harvey had wrapped one of the guy’s own socks over his mouth, tying it at the back of his head so he couldn’t talk.
“So, who is he?” Jaret asked. “And what exactly happened?”
Lily told them everything, including the bits she hadn’t yet had a chance to tell Harvey.
“Fuck. Piggy Wiggy.” Jaret disappeared into the house, appearing with the guinea pig in his arms. She looked like she’d died and gone to heaven.
“This guy was paying for videos of you?” Harvey asked. “And he tracked down Doctor Wallace, got your name, and then killed him?”
Lily nodded. “Not sure how he found me here, but yeah, that seems to be what happened.”
Harvey walked over and drew his leg back, slamming his foot into the guy’s side. Then he pulled the sock away from his mouth.
“How did you find Lily?”
“Fuck you,” the guy snarled just as another truck came up the driveway.
Harvey grabbed the guy by his ponytail, pulling his head back so his neck was at an unusual angle.
“No, fuck you, asshole. You think I’m going to let you get away with watching my girl being drugged and touched inappropriately?
I’m not. Bet you paid through the nose for that, didn’t you?
Bet you thought she belonged to you. And then you were mad because the videos stopped coming.
But she doesn’t belong to you, she belongs to me.
You need to forget that she exists, because you do not get to say her name, you do not look her way ever again, and you will not talk about her. ”
A shiver went through her at the threat in Harvey’s voice, but she also couldn’t help the thrill of delight. She liked when Harvey got all possessive and threatening over her. Maybe it wasn’t a healthy reaction, but hey, it wasn’t like these circumstances were normal ones, right?
“How did you find her?” Harvey snarled.
“Through the property,” the guy said. “Found out she had a sister. Sister inherited this property. Took a guess and came here. Been watching for my chance to grab her.”
“Ooh, trussed up like a turkey. Quite fond of turkey, I am.”
Lily glanced over to see Beau strolling toward them. Behind him was Tanner. And the last Malone brother to get out of the truck was Alec.
Jaret sighed. “Really? You had to bring them with you?”
That must have been aimed at Alec, because he shot Jaret a look. “Couldn’t help it. They were with me when I got your call.”
“If you’re going to get your kicks in, do it now,” Tanner suggested. “The sheriff doesn’t like it very much when you smack around his prisoners.” He looked at Harvey as he said that.
Harvey stared at Tanner in surprise. Then he smiled. “Good to know.” Standing, he landed another kick against the guy’s ribs.
Lily flinched, jumping slightly.
Harvey glanced over at her. “Baby, why don’t you go in with your sister? Sit down. Put your feet up. We’ll be in as soon as the sheriff has come.”
“They just want to beat on him a bit without us around,” Clem said.
Yeah, that’s what Lily had figured.
“You can’t do that,” she said to Harvey. “You’re going to get into trouble.”
“Not my fault he got beaten up a bit by a steer.”
“I can’t believe this douchebag really threatened a guinea pig in order to get you to do what he wanted.” Beau shook his head as he stared down at him. “He deserves a few kicks to the ribs. Wish Chuck Roast had given him a real going over.”
“Chuck, you’re getting a good meal tonight,” Tanner said with a nod.
Jaret had obviously told them everything over the phone.
“I’ve got a question for you, Clem, while we’re waiting,” Harvey said.
“Ooh, Clem, sounds like you’re in trouble,” Tanner sang.
“How can I be in trouble? This has nothing to do with me.” Clem waved a hand down at the guy on the ground.
“It’s not about this situation,” Harvey said. “After I discovered Lily was gone, I called you and asked you to contact me if she turned up at your place.”
“And I did,” Clem said.
“Five days later,” Harvey said.
Jaret turned to Clem. “What? That isn’t what you told me. You said you called him the day after Lily arrived.”
“Technically, I believe I said I messaged him.”
“I never received a message,” Harvey told her.
“Well, that’s your fault, isn’t it? For not understanding telepathy,” Clem huffed.
“Really, Clem? Telepathy?” Jaret said with a frown. “You told me that Harvey said he couldn’t come for a few days. I’ve been calling him all sorts of names in my head.”
“Someone isn’t going to sit well tomorrow,” Tanner sang.
“Who? You?” Clem asked.
“No, you,” Jaret told her before turning to Harvey. “Look, I’m sorry about that. You must have been really worried about Lily. But the truth is, Clem’s heart was in the right place because she and Lily needed this time together.”
Harvey glanced over at Lily. “I can see that they did and I’m not angry. It was just a long five nights.”
“Sheriff’s coming,” Alec said as another truck made its way down the driveway. Suddenly Rump Roast appeared out of nowhere, moving in front of it and stopping the sheriff from getting any further up the driveway.
Jaret sighed. “There are some days when I question my choices in life.”
“You’re not questioning your choice to be with me though, right?” Clem asked.
Jaret gave her a fierce look. “Never. I’d never question that, Clem,” he said as he, Tanner, and Beau walked over to move Rump Roast.
“So, does this mean you’re going back with Harvey?” Clem asked Lily, as Harvey wrapped his arm around her.
“Yeah, I am,” Lily said. “But I’m really going to miss you, Clem.”
Clem nodded. “Yeah, I’ll miss you too. So will Crackling.”
“Yeah, about Crackling . . .”