Abducted Heart (Z-Series) (12 page)

“Why should I have allowed my father to be happy when he...” Brent shook his head. “This has nothing to do with anything. Just leave me alone.”

Lynch leaned back in the seat and studied Brent. “Do you think I could let you get away with what you did?”

Brent shrugged. “Why not? I think you owe me.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I don't owe you shit.” The guy had some nerve suggesting he owed him anything—especially getting away with attempted murder.

“You fucked my wife. Do you deny that?”

Lynch smiled. “How would you know that since you were out of town?”

The man had clearly already forgotten the lie.

Brent shifted.

“So, now that we've established that you were in town, did you enjoy watching me with Casey?”

His eyes darkened. “I don't give a shit. Casey is a bitch. She always was. I only married her for what she could bring me. Frigid whore.”

Lynch wanted to reach across the table and wrap his hands around the man's throat but thought better of it.

“You know she's not the sweet little thing you think she is. She's kept a secret from you for ten years.”

The psychic's words again
. What the hell were they all trying to tell him? Lynch was almost afraid to find out.

“Look, this isn't about Casey, Brent. It's about what you did.”

“So you don't want to know what your lover is keeping from you?”

Lynch did, but he didn't want to give his step-brother the satisfaction of telling him. He was positive he'd enjoy it, and to hell with that.

“Speaking of secrets, what are you hiding, Brent? Something made you the sociopath you are today. Care to share that story?”

“No. I don't care to share anything with you. But then again, we did both fuck Casey, didn't we? Worst damned sex I ever had. She just laid there like the broken woman she was. Once I discovered Janette, well, you know those type of women will do anything for money. I no longer cared if Casey gave out or not—which she rarely ever did.”

“Really,” Lynch said, holding on to his anger. “She seemed to enjoy our night together.”

“Maybe, but she also knows you. How you left her and never looked back.”

“What the hell are you talking about? She ended things with us.”

The look Brent gave Lynch had him wondering what the hell happened all those years ago.

“What? Casey told you I broke it off with her?” Lynch had to know the truth.

“I assumed so.”

Anger surged through him. Not only had she told him goodbye, she'd lied to everyone about it.

Would he be able to face her knowing this? He just didn't know. What he did need to figure out was what to do with Brent.

Airport security walked by, and Lynch reacted. “What are you going to do with that gun?” he said loud enough for the police to hear, then tossed his Glock in Brent's lap.

Next thing he knew, guards swarmed them and took Brent away in handcuffs. Let him try to explain his way out of this. By the time he did, he'd have other charges brought against him for conspiracy to commit murder, not to mention fraud for stealing from his company.

Brent would have a lot of time to think about what he'd done. Lynch, on the other hand, had his own thinking to do and no way could he do it here in New Orleans, so close to Casey.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Casey refused to sleep. She had to know Lynch was all right first. He'd been gone for hours and she was starting to wonder if something bad had happened to him.

“You need to stop pacing. You're driving me crazy.”

Casey stopped to look out the window. “Where is he, Zack? Shouldn't he have been back by now?”

“That's hard to say.”

Casey turned to Lynch's friend. “You and I both know he should have been here. You're as worried as I am, but refuse to show it.”

“What good is that going to do? Either he shows up or he doesn't. I tried calling his cell. It went straight to voicemail.”

“That doesn't make me feel any better. What if Brent got the jump on him, and he's lying somewhere hurt?”

Zack laughed. “Lynch would never let that happen.”

He was right of course, yet that still didn't make Casey feel any better. Where was Lynch?

Zack's phone went off. He took it out of his shirt pocket and looked at the screen. “It's a text from Lynch.”

Casey released a breath. “What does it say?”

“Brent's been arrested. He wants me to take you to your parents, then meet him somewhere.”

“What? Why isn't he coming back here?”

“I don't know, Casey. Maybe you should throw a bag together, and I'll take you.”

“I'm not going anywhere. You can tell him that for me.”

“Don't make me say that, Casey.”

“I'm not going anywhere. If he wants me to go to my parents then he's going to have to tell me himself. In person. I'm not going to let him walk away without a word, like he did ten years ago.”

Zack's phone buzzed again. Casey's heart hurt. Lynch was trying to leave again without saying goodbye. The man had some nerve.

“Well?” she asked, wanting to know who the text was from.

“He wants me to meet him back at the cemetery.”

Casey felt the blood drain from her face. Had Brent told him? Was that why he was going there?

“I'm going with you. I have to explain things to Lynch.”

“Explain what?”

“I need to talk to him. Please take me with you, Zack.” Casey prayed he'd listen. She couldn't let Lynch make his own conclusions as to what happened. She had to finally face her demons— and Lynch.

He looked about to refuse, but then said, “All right, but if Lynch beats me within an inch of my life, you'll be to blame.”

On the way to the cemetery, Casey mulled everything she planned to say over in her head. She'd kept the secret to herself for so long she wasn't sure how it'd affect her once it was said. Right after it happened, she blocked it all out. Her family had reassured her that it'd all been for the best. At the time, she couldn't see that. She still couldn't, but she'd finally managed to push it from her mind. Year after year passed, and she threw herself into her career. But her pain was always lying dormant. Now she was going to have to face it all again—with Lynch.

Zack pulled into the parking area and killed the engine. “Maybe you should wait here until I talk to him.”

“Okay. But I need to speak with him, Zack.”

Zack nodded, then opened the door and got out.

Casey watched as he disappeared through the gate and released a ragged breath. Was Lynch standing in front of the headstone? Was he angry that she didn't tell him? Would he be able to forgive her for not doing so?

*

Lynch stared at the name on the headstone and the date, too confused to think straight.

He turned when he heard leaves crunching behind him.

“Hey,” he said to Zack, then turned back to the stone.

“So what's going on, Lynch? Why'd you come back here?”

Lynch pointed to the granite monument.

Zack studied it for a moment, then shrugged. “Whose baby was it?”

“I believe it was mine.”

His friend frowned.

“You're right,” Casey said, drawing both men's attention to her.

Lynch scowled at Zack. “I told you to take her to her parents.”

“I told her that you wanted me to meet you here, and she insisted she had to talk to you. Looks like she was right. I'll go for a walk so you two can do that.”

Zack walked away and Lynch refused to look at Casey. How could she have kept something this important from him?

“He came too early,” she said, her voice rough with emotion. “He had tubes and wires everywhere. He just wasn't strong enough. He died when he was six days old.”

“Why didn't you tell me we were having a child? Did you know about the pregnancy when you sent me that letter?”

Her eyes widened. “What letter? I never sent you any letter.”

“Sure you did. You know, the one where you told me you were moving on and that I should do the same?”

She shook her head. “I wrote no such letter. When I didn't hear anything from you, I just assumed you'd decided we were over and you were too chicken to tell me face to face.”

Lynch cleared his throat. “No. I didn’t feel that way at all. When did you know you were pregnant?”

“Around that same time. I didn’t want to force you to come home because of a child, Lynch. I didn’t want that to be the only reason for us to be together. Month after agonizing month went by. I wanted to tell you so badly, but I figured you wouldn’t care. The doctors couldn’t tell me why he came early--too early. I blame myself. I wasn’t worthy to be his mother. That’s why when Brent asked for the tenth time to marry him, I said yes. I
never
loved him. I didn’t think I deserved love. I figured if I couldn’t have you then why not make your step-brother happy? Apparently, that worked
really
well. I only stayed with Brent because he threatened to tell you.”

Lynch threaded his hands through his hair. “So, if you didn't write that letter then...”

“Oh my God. Daddy.” Casey looked at Lynch with horror.

Lynch let all he'd learned sink in. Casey's father sent him that letter, which cost him more than the man had a right to. He could have had those six days with his son. Could have been with the only woman he'd ever loved. Maybe their child wouldn't have come early if they had been together. Who knows? But Daniel Wheaton had a hell of a lot to atone for with his daughter. That was, if she even talked to him again.

“Jesus, Casey,” Lynch said staring hard at her. She had loved him all those years ago—had pushed what she thought as his betrayal aside and came to him. He reached out to touch her arm, only to have her rush into his.

He wrapped his arms around her, intense emotion taking hold. “I'm so sorry,” she whispered in his ear. “I wish...”

Lynch placed a finger to her mouth. “We'll have the rest of our lives to come to terms with this, Casey. Will you consider coming to Virginia with me after we sort out everything with Brent?”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears.

Was she going to turn him down? What would he do if she did?

“Yes, Lynch, I'll come with you anywhere you want me to.”

Lynch leaned down and kissed her hard on the mouth, feeling whole for the first time in ten years. Casey had suffered so much that he planned to make up for that loss if it took him the rest of his life.

“So, everything is good now,” Zack said from behind Lynch.

Lynch pulled away from Casey and smiled at his friend.

“Not exactly.” Casey's eyes darkened.

Now what
?

“I need to have a little talk with Brent, then my father. They're both going to pay for what they've done to me.”

Lynch had to smile. He loved this Casey. She reminded him of the woman he met, the woman who came to the wrong side of town to find trouble, and what she found instead was love.

“Can you take me?” she asked Lynch, lacing her fingers through his.

“Are you sure you want to do that tonight? You could wait until morning,” he said then winked at her.

“I’ll wait to talk to Daddy. But, I want to make a deal with Brent tonight. He needs to sign something stating he’ll give me a quickie divorce and I’ll forget that he was planning to kill me.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?”

“It’s not for him. I’m doing this for Alex and Patricia. Having an embezzling son in prison is much better than an attempted murderer.”

“Okay.” Lynch pulled at Casey's hand. “Come on. Let's get this over with, so we can put it all behind us once and for all.”

*

Casey looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, nervous and anxious to be with Lynch now that they had no secrets between them.

She’d gone to see Brent in jail and he’d reluctantly agreed to her terms while Lynch contacted Alex to let them know everything. She was glad that was out of the way, yet she still had to deal with her father.

To think that he had deliberately broken her heart was a lot to take in. She knew he'd never liked Lynch, but to keep them apart even after he knew about her pregnancy made his betrayal so much worse.

Betrayal.

Wait a minute
. Was that what the psychic was referring to? Here she thought it was Brent and what he'd done, yet now she wasn't sure. She needed to see the woman again. Find out who she was talking about.

What had she said? To forgive him? She couldn't remember. Could she ever get over this? Ten years of her life had been taken away—ten years of just going through the motions. She'd married a man she never loved because she couldn't have the man she did—a man she'd yearned for every day since he'd left.

But he was here now, and he was hers.

One last glance at the mirror, Casey opened the door and turned off the light.

Lynch was lying on the bed, wearing nothing but a smile. No man had a right to look that good.

As her eyes took in every golden inch of him, Casey's breath caught in her chest.

“Come here,” he said in a husky voice that caused a spasm in her belly. Everything about this man made her crave him.

On shaky legs, Casey walked to the edge of the bed, her eyes connecting to his.

She loved Lynch more than words and now she knew he felt the same.

He reached out and pulled her onto the bed, rolling her to her back, covering her mouth with his. Kiss after passionate kiss had Casey's head swimming, her body wound tight.

His hands roamed over her hips, sliding the thin nightgown up to her collarbone, his lips leaving hers to skim the sensitive skin at her shoulders, then moving lower. He cupped her breasts and kissed her nipples, causing Casey to buck. His mouth sucked one drawn up breast into his mouth, the heat of his tongue making her wet and wanting more.

No one had ever made her feel so out of control, and she loved every minute of her lapse in restraint. That was how she managed to cope the past ten years—how she got through every day. Now, she could let that all go and allow herself to feel again—to enjoy the sensations that only Lynch could evoke.