A Life Earthbound (33 page)

“What? How?” Thea demanded, eyeing Rhiannon, fear in her eyes. “Damnit, let her go, Burke, you’re hurting her. And put away your gun.”

Rhiannon felt her body weakening from little oxygen, and knew her neck would be bruised. But perhaps she deserved this; perhaps she had earned this miniscule punishment for even one moment feeling relieved over Michael’s death.

Burke’s chest was heaving with fury, but he wasn’t insane. Taking a deep, cleansing breath to clear the red from his vision, he released Rhiannon, pushing her away from him as he slid the gun into the holster at his waist.

Rhiannon stumbled as her knees gave out, clutching her throat and gasping. Without a second’s hesitation, Liam rushed forward and grabbed her, pulling her out of Burke’s reach. He stopped just inside the gate, letting her sit on the cobblestones so she could catch her breath. He instinctively shielded her, his heart pounding with fear and indignation.

Rohan was at her side in an instant, pale white with shock and fear. “Rhiannon, dear God,” he murmured, unsure if he should even touch her. He met Liam’s eyes helplessly.

“I’ll take care of her. Make sure the bastard doesn’t try this again,” Liam said between clenched teeth, fighting to push aside his own fury over what Burke had done so he could help her.

Nodding, Rohan glanced back down at Rhiannon, who was clutching Liam’s shirt to steady herself, her face burrowed against him as her breathing began to finally settle. Following the younger man’s advice, Rohan rose to his feet and went straight to where Burke was now arguing heatedly with Thea and Sebastian, and where Serendipity was standing, wide eyed and tearful.

“What are you saying, Burke? That one of my own did this?” Thea demanded, her eyes filled with anger at the thought. Sebastian had his hand on her shoulder supportively, but even he looked incensed.

“There is no other explanation, Thea,” Burke snarled, his hands clenched into fists at his side as he glared out at the field where the Furies were wrapping up his son’s body in cloth. “Those two, and Murphy, and that one, back there.” He shifted around and pointed in Liam’s direction, eyes flashing with cold understanding. “They were all trying to force him out to prevent our arrangement. One of them must have killed Michael to keep him away from your whore daughter.”

“What?” Rohan managed, looking shell shocked and deeply offended. “How dare you make such a claim? Maybe it was your son’s own doing that got him killed. Don’t unfairly accuse them without any proof!”

“My son’s word is enough proof for me.” Burke got in Rohan’s face, glaring at him. “And he told me those heathens assaulted him, and that they seemed to have some kind of allegiance to your daughter.”

“So that makes them murderers?” Thea cried, not believing what she was hearing. “Burke, you are out of line!”

“No, he’s not!” Serendipity said suddenly, wide eyed and skittish as she looked back and forth from her husband and Burke, Thea and Sebastian. “Burke confirmed with me the actions those men took against Michael just last week. And I can speak on behalf of Rhiannon that she did not want this marriage, and it would not surprise me if she convinced one of those men to make Michael go away, whatever the cost.”

“Serendipity!” Rohan gaped at her, alarmed. “How could you think for one second that Rhiannon did this?”

“Because I’m not blind to what she is, Rohan, unlike you,” Serendipity replied coldly, staring at her husband. “I am inclined to believe that Michael’s death has to do with our arrangement, and therefore the killer was likely acting on Rhiannon’s behalf, whether she ordered the killing or not. But the responsibility still lies on her shoulders.”

Thea and Sebastian were staring at Serendipity in shock, and Burke was nodding his head fervently, gulping down Serendipity’s cold explanation like water.

“See, it all makes sense. I want to speak with these four men immediately. One of them did it and I’m going to find out which one.” Burke turned to Thea, as if daring her to object. Instead, she took a deep breath and eyed him as coolly as she could muster under the circumstances. Someone had to be reasonable, after all.

“Alright, Burke, you may question them. But I will be present and if you lay one hand on them in haste I will have your badge. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes,” he grunted, hands clenching again at his sides.

“Good. Sebastian, gather Rian, Brogan, Jax and Liam and meet me and Burke in the garden room. So help me God, we’re going to settle this in a civil manner.”

She stood in the field of golden barley with the wind swirling all around her, sending her dark hair flying into the fading blue sky. Doubt and fear and uncertainty plagued her, raising questions she had never dreamed she’d have the occasion to ask.

Michael was dead, murdered…had one of them...Liam, Brogan, Rian or Jax wielded the knife? Had one of them taken it upon themselves to rid her of this burden, once and for all?

Burke was interrogating them all at that very moment…asking each of them in turn that same question. She hadn’t had it in her to watch, had needed time to clear her head, to prepare for what could only be an onslaught of more destruction, doubt and vile anger back home. For she knew, as well as she knew her own name, that Burke would not rest until he found out who had killed his son. And it was very likely that once he did know, he might very well take it upon himself to provide swift, effective justice.

Feeling her throat tighten at the thought, she wrapped her arms around herself and took a deep, steadying breath. If it had been Liam…but no, he couldn’t…

And then she remembered his last words to Michael, and a dizzying jolt of horror shot through her system, stunning the breath from her.

I’ll kill you!

Good God…what had he done?

When she came
home, her father took her aside before the others could get to her. They went for a walk out into the forest, heading out toward the cliff’s edge and the bench that was there, ready and waiting.

Rhiannon sat down warily, unsure what is was her father wanted to say to her. But for a few moments, he simply sat beside her in silence, gathering his thoughts and staring out at the ocean. When he did speak, he sounded a little ashamed, and very uncertain.

“Rhiannon, I brought you out here because I wanted to ask you something, in private,” he began, his hands folded in his lap and his back ramrod straight. He kept his eyes on the horizon, knowing if he looked at her he might lose what it was he was trying to say. “Is it true that you didn’t want to marry Michael?”

Rhiannon sighed, the guilt rising within her. “Yes.”

He only nodded, having his assumptions confirmed. “So you were going along with it solely because you knew it pleased your mother and I?”

“Yes,” she admitted, her hands clenching together in her lap uncomfortably.

“You always have been an obedient child.” His lips curved sadly, his eyes softening. “I’m sorry you were put in this situation, Rhiannon. I assumed this would be what you wanted; a good, successful husband to start a family with. But this past week I’ve noticed something very strange and I’ll admit it’s worried me greatly.” He tilted his head to look at her, taking in his quietly serious daughter with fresh, opened eyes. “There’s someone else that you want, isn’t there?”

Rhiannon’s eyes widened slightly, but she kept the rest of her face carefully blank. “No, there’s no one.”

“You’re lying to me.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Obedient enough to marry the man I tell you to, but so quick to lie to me about this. Why?”

Because she could feel her hands shaking, she kept them firmly together and willed her body to stay still. She didn’t want to lie to him, it was just that she had been lying about this particular subject for so long that it seemed odd to admit it to even herself, let alone to him. But from the look in his eyes, he wasn’t going to let her go without the truth.

“You know, I never told you this, and I don’t know if Lucian ever said anything about it…but do you know what the first word you ever spoke was?” There was a light in his eyes now, and she held on to it, captivated.

Shaking her head, she stared at him, wondering what it was about this moment or this conversation that had him opening up to her more than he ever had in her entire life.

“Your first word was his name, Rhiannon.” Rohan smiled at her, the memory sweet to him. “You said ‘Liam,’ clear as day. And something about that has stuck with me all these years, even today, with everything that’s happened.”

Rhiannon blinked, startled at the revelation that her first word had been Liam’s name and just how odd that was. Surely it was more normal for a baby to say ‘mama’ or ‘dada’ or something more traditional…why had she picked his name?

But maybe that was just it. Maybe this was a sign that she had been meant for him, all along.

“I’ve seen how you look at him, how he looks at you. I’m not blind, Rhiannon.” He chuckled again, looking out to the sea with a sigh. “I don’t know what is happening right now between the two of you, but I know in my heart that you’re not responsible for this. It remains to be seen if Liam is, though I find it hard to believe. But I want you to know that I’m going to stand by you. I owe it to you, after all the times I neglected to see you, or hear you. It’s time I opened my eyes.”

She gaped at him, startled. “What brought all this on?”

A shadow passed over his face, his eyes darkening with bitterness. “What your mother so carelessly said today alarmed me. That she would be so quick to assume her own daughter capable of this horrific act shows who she really is. I’ve been a fool for so long, Rhiannon, groveling at her feet, and for what? So she could tarnish our marriage, abuse my love for her? So she could turn me into her puppet, hurting my own friends to please her inflated sense of superiority over them? No, I won’t have it anymore, and I hope you have it in you to forgive me for all the years I chose her over you. God knows I don’t deserve it.”

Humbled and utterly speechless, Rhiannon reached out for his hand, holding it in her own.

At last…he was free. Now, hopefully, it was her turn.