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“I don’t take after our father, the same as you and Brett,” he snapped. Casey had been a notorious womanizer, the younger the better, regardless of their marital status, if he wanted them. To this day, he didn’t know how their mother stayed with him for ten years.
“Don’t get bent out of shape. I didn’t say you acted on your feelings, did I? But she’s free now.”
Recalling the change in Lily when speaking with the woman in the Cinderella costume, he couldn’t help thinking John’s philandering was once again causing her grief. If so, she wasn’t free of the past at all.
“Some hurts you can never set aside.” Dropping his arms, he started toward the ladder, tossing over his shoulder, “You have experience with that.”
Thirty minutes later, Reed fell into bed vowing to leave Lily alone and find someone else to fixate on, or a new member of their private group to get better acquainted with. But, first thing tomorrow, he planned to have a little chat with Allie.
****
Lily still shook withripples of pleasure and her uncharacteristic behavior that led to that off-the-charts orgasm when she turned to go inside, her thoughts staggered by the realization of who had gifted her with that much-needed release. She remembered stopping Reed from revealing his identity in the greeting line, so she couldn’t blame him for keeping quiet then. And they both had participated in exchanging silent, pulse-jumping moments separated by the crowd throughout the evening, a new experience for her on top of succumbing to a stranger for the first time. She didn’t understand why he kept his identity secret when he joined her outside but was oddly grateful he had. Knowing who she’d been drawn to all night and aware of his dominant sexual practices, not to mention his close relationship with her husband and their marital issues, she likely would not have let go like that. She couldn’t bring herself to regret the encounter yet, even if she doubted the rendezvous was anything new for Reed.
John used to tease her about joining the Kincaids’ private group of friends who were into the alternative sexual practices she’d heard and read a lot about. She never thought anything of Reed’s personal life, at first, too crazy about John and, later, too hurt and disillusioned to reflect on any man or care about his sexual proclivities. But now, after her rash behavior led to experiencing Reed’s touch, his controlling hold, and the benefits of both, she couldn’t think about anything else. His identity helped her reconcile why she had trusted him as a stranger, figuring a part of her recognized the man who had stood for her against his friend and partner. She wasn’t miffed at the deception, too grateful at the moment for the euphoric experience and ensuing pleasant mellowness replacing her earlier disheartenment.
Hoping no one noticed her short absence while the guests were leaving, Lily slipped back inside and tried to concentrate on finishing her job. The food caterers wasted no time packing their van and leaving, and, once the custodians took over, she followed the last of the venue’s staff out to the parking lot.
“Good night,” she called out to the two women getting into the only other car in the lot as she went down the front steps.
“Night, Lily.”
Lily watched their taillights as she strolled to her Mazda, the click of her heels on the pavement echoing in the shadowy silence now encompassing the empty space. A frisson of unease skated down her spine as she pressed the unlock button on the car fob and reached for the door handle. A masked, cloaked figure charged at her out of nowhere, both arms raised, hands gripping a baseball bat. Startled, her heart jumping to her throat, and she screeched and ducked, the assailant’s swing bouncing the bat off her shoulder before smashing through the car door window.
A genderless chuckle reached her ears from behind the grotesque face covering at the same moment the venue’s security guard shouted, “Halt right there!”
Fast-running, hard-pounding footfalls resonated through the roaring of fear in her head, and Lily managed to straighten her trembling legs. She glimpsed the flying tails of the long cloak as her attacker dashed around the end of the building, unable to make out enough to describe to the police.
“Are you all right?” the guard asked, eyeing her with concern.
“Yes, just...whew!” She brushed the back of her hand across her damp forehead. “A bit unnerved.”
“Well, I’m more than a bit. I’m so sorry. I headed this way as soon as I saw the custodians arrive. Police are on their way. Here.” He opened her car door and took her elbow. “Sit down until they...there they are now.”
Lily sank onto the seat, the sirens dwindling when the police pulled into the lot. She didn’t get a good look at the disguised mugger and hadn’t been able to tell if the brief snicker she heard was male or female. Exhaustion pressed down on her, her shoulder throbbed, and all she wanted was to go home and bury herself under her grandmother’s quilt but doubted she would sleep after that unexpected scare.
Squeezing her hands together, Lily drew a deep breath to help steady her nerves, wishing now Reed had stuck around a little longer. His calming, supportive presence would be worth a little embarrassment. There was always time later to question his motives behind remaining incognito.
“Ms. Regan, are you up to giving a statement?”
Nodding at the police officer, Lily stood, determined to put this behind her as fast as possible and not allow one random incident to affect her life.
Lily’s assailant crouched behind the wheel, filled with glee watching the Mazda pull out of the lot. Spooking the woman who was responsible for screwing up her perfect life was as much fun as plotting new ways to torment her. If not for her, John would still be alive, and she would pay for causing his death...and pay...and pay...
****
Reed awoke with a piss-poor attitude that was more Slade on a bad day than himself at his worst. With the temperature forecasted in the low seventies and few chores waiting, he should be looking forward to a ride with his brothers before heading to their mom’s for Sunday dinner. Instead, the restless night plagued with worrying about Lily beating herself up for letting go with a stranger left him edgy and irritable. He dressed and downed coffee, working at improving his mood before confronting Allie. It wouldn’t do for him to alienate Brett by going off on the woman he had prodded his brother into taking a chance on.
Before he reached Brett’s house, he came across him scowling at the flat tires of his truck. He stopped and got out, nudging his Stetson up to eye the deflated front tires. “Two at the same time?” he asked, understanding Brett’s thunderous expression. “What happened?”
Brett, standing next to the opened driver’s side door, pointed downward. “Take a look.”
Peeking under the vehicle, he saw a strip of nails, the sharp points facing upward, lying across the main drive that connected to all three of their homes and the barns. “There’s no way that was left by accident.” Infuriating. The heavy-duty, oversized tires needed to drive the trucks over rough terrain weren’t cheap.
Fists planted on his hips, Brett drawled sarcastically, “No kidding.”
“Don’t get cranky with me. I’m already annoyed with your fiancée.”
Brett’s face switching from aggravated to surprised to suspicious. “What’d she do?”
