A Thin Line (53 page)

“It might help.”

“The damage is already done.”

“Gabe, you make it sound as if it is the end of the world as we know it.
 
What happened?” Derek interjected, beginning to sound distraught.

“Your sister lost our child,” Gabe accused harshly.

Derek stood there a moment digesting this information.
 
“Damn, Gabe, I’m sorry about that.
 
I can’t even imagine what you and Kala must be going through.”

“Dru miscarried with her first pregnancy.
 
The midwife said that often times it was nature’s way of taking care of physical problems beyond our control.”

“She had climbed a damn gorge the same day.
 
In typical Mikala fashion she was reckless and inconsiderate.
 
Never thinks about anyone but herself, and because of that, she lost our child.”

“You didn’t tell her that, did you?”
 
The eeriness in Derek’s voice should have warned Gabe, but he was too wrapped up in his own emotions to notice.

“Someone had to.”
 
Gabe did not duck in time to miss the fist coming at his jaw.
 
The two men grappled, punched, and wrestled until they were worn out.
 
Richard remained in the corner, ready to jump in if it looked as if either were in dire straits of fatally injuring each other.
 
As it was, both were fairly matched, and they tired before they actually hurt one another or ripped open Gabe’s wound.

Within minutes, both men were laying on the floor, panting.
 
“You’re...an ass,” Derek informed Gabe.

“Yes...I am,” he replied.
 
“Kala...must...hate me.”

“Probably,” Derek said, his breathing slowly returned to normal.
 
“I’m too old for this.”

“Me, too.
 
I should apologize to your sister.”

“How could you even think that of her?”

“I was angry and hurt.
 
I was thinking with emotions, not my head.
 
She had left me,” he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, hands fisted by his hips.
 
“When I found her, she was in the throes of the miscarriage.
 
It was only later I found out she had been climbing at the gorge the day before.
 
How did I not know she wanted to get rid of a child associated with me as well?”

“That girl loves you,” Richard broke into the conversation.
 
“Dru told me she has loved you for years.
 
Does that sound like someone who would do something drastic?”

“She said she wasn’t ready for children.”

“Not that she didn’t want them some day,” Derek argued.
 
“And you’re not ready either.
 
Not emotionally and not until you and she are out of danger.
 
Imagine what someone could do if they had your child to hold over you.”

“Mikala was right, Hawke,” Richard interjected.

“I have been stupid and blind, and all along she has been the wise one,” he muttered.
 

“And then after your Christmas visit, Dru also shared with me about your impending fatherhood.”

“She knew?”

“Who would have Mikala gone to for advice?
 
Did you know that she is scared to death of being a mother?
 
She’s afraid she hasn’t got what it takes.”

“And I confirmed it, making her see her weakness even more clearly.”

“Yes.”
 

A pounding at the door startled the men.
 
Gabe pushed himself off the floor and crossed the room to answer the door.
 
Tommy Fisher stood on the other side of the door, red-faced and bent over trying to catch his breath.
 
“Tommy, what’s wrong.”

“Miss...Kala.
 
Man.
 
Gorge,” he got out haltingly.

***

“Kala’s in her room, Tommy.”

“No.
 
Me and Nate saw her.
 
She climbed into our secret cave in the gorge and a man followed her.”
 
Gabe left the boy standing at the door while he went and checked Kala’s room.
 
He pushed open the door to find it empty and the curtains were billowing in the breeze from the open window.

“Damn,” he hit the doorframe with the palm of his hand.
 
He returned to the open front rooms and saw Tommy greedily drinking water.
 

“Well?” Derek asked.

“She’s gone.
 
Snuck out the window.”

“Isn’t she a little too old for that?” Derek teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Gabe gave him a look that spoke volumes before turning to Tommy.
 
“Can you take us to where you saw them?”

“Yeah,” he said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
 
“Nate’s watching for them until I bring you back.”

“Good.
 
Come on men.”

They stepped outside just as Mack rode up on his horse.
 
“Dewhurst has Mikala.”

“Tommy just told us.”

“It took me a while to figure it out.
 
She’s wearing men’s clothes.”

“Aye!” The boy said excitedly.
 
“That is what she wore when she went with us to the gorge.”
 

“Well, I guess one thing good has come from this,” Derek said as they left the house.

“What’s that?”

“We know your grandmother’s premonitions are real now.”
 
Gabe ignored Derek and continued to follow Tommy.

Chapter 39

Kala leaned back against a boulder in the back room of the first cave that Tommy and Nate had taken her to.
 
The sun filtered warmly down through the hole in the roof of the cave. Combined with the heat emanating from the water, she stripped off Gabe’s coat.
 
The sunlight sparkled on the water, making it look like shimmering sapphires and diamonds.
 
How would their marriage ever work now that Gabe thought she had intentionally lost the child, especially when she half-believed it herself.
 
She was a horrible person.

The sound of loose gravel being scattered interrupted her thoughts.
 
“Is anyone there?” she called out.
 
No answer.
 
She stood and pulled off her boots, wanting to dangle her feet in the warm water.
 
She heard the noise again and stood straight as a man entered into her sight.
 
“Who’s there?”

“Good afternoon, Mikala.
 
It’s wonderful that you have your sight back.
 
I always wanted to know that it was me you were seeing when I finally made you mine.”

“Dewhurst?”

“Yes, my dear.”
 
He fully entered the room, the sun shining on his golden, Byronesque curls.
 
A malevolent look crossed his face.
 
“Perhaps what they say about this part of the country is true.”

“And what is that?” She asked stepping back.
 
Her hands frantically searched the wall behind her looking for a weapon, but found nothing.
 
No one knew where she was.
 
She stiffened her resolve, refusing to die at the hands of this man.

“It is magical, or hadn’t you heard?”
 
She shook her head in the negative, stalling for time.
 
“This is supposed to be the land of King Arthur.
 
I could be Arthur, and you could be my Guinevere.”

“Arthur dies.”

“True, then perhaps I’m Lancelot, and your husband was Arthur.”
 
Kala didn’t miss the reference to Gabe in the past tense.
 
No, he had to be all right.
 
There was no way he could have followed her so quickly and had time to dispatch of Gabe, as well.
 
“And I have the item to prove that I have the power.”
 
He reached into a bag strapped across his chest that rested at his hip.
 
Slowly, Dewhurst pulled out a plain looking wine cup.
 
It was made of wood and had intricate carvings on the outside.

“What is that?”

“If my history is correct, I believe I am holding the Holy Grail.”

“You are out of your mind.”

“No, I don’t think I am.
 
You see, this area is steeped in Arthurian legend.”

“I know that.”

“I had your husband followed here, and knew I had to bide my time until I could get to you.
 
For my friend may want the grail, but I want you.”
 

“What makes you believe that is the Grail?”

“I’ve been doing some studying for my dear friend, Napoleon.
 
You know, we went to school together, until my British father found out he had a bastard son.
 
Then he had me brought to England, but my school chum and I never lost contact with one another.
 
Then father sent me on my grand tour and Napoleon and I met once more.
 
He told me of his grand plans, and he promised me great power and wealth if I would help him.”

“He wanted you to find him the Grail?”

“This is just a little gift to congratulate him on his successes so far.
 
A little token of my gratitude.”

“Bribe, you mean.
 
You hope that if you give him that, he will move you high up within his ranks.”

“I always knew you were clever.
 
Too bad you had to choose Hawkescliffe.
 
The French would have loved you, especially Bonaparte.”

“I’m very happy here, thank you.
 
You know, when it comes down to it, the Holy Grail is just a cup.
 
It isn’t as if it holds a magic spell that will grant you instant power.
 
It is merely a cup that a man drank from.”

“Oh, ye of little faith.”

“I have faith, just not in inanimate objects.”

“Mikala, it hurts that you doubt me.”
 
He walked closer to her blocking her into the corner.
 
He had replaced the cup in the pouch.
 
Dewhurst reached up to touch her cheek.
 
His fingers felt cold against her skin.
 
She slapped his hand away.
 
“Do not push me away,” he said angrily.
 
He grabbed one of her wrists and twisted her arm behind her back, immobilizing her and pressing her against him at the same time.
 
He locked his other hand in her hair, twisting her head at the angle he wanted.
 
Dewhurst leaned down and captured her lips.
 
“Open your eyes when I kiss you,” he hissed.

She fought against his hold. “I would rather you kill me than touch me.”

“Unfortunately, it will have to be both,” he said, before capturing her lips once more.
 
They were so close, she could feel his physical reaction to her.
 
She felt nauseated thinking that he might take her against her will.
 
Kala could not imagine any man touching her as Gabe had.
 
Unwilling to give in without a fight, she reached up and raked her fingernails down his face and across one of his eyes.
 
The scratches were deep enough to draw blood.

Unsteady, she pushed him backwards, but he still had a hold of her arm and he pulled her with him into the placid pool.
 
They both came up for air, but Dewhurst fought the water.

“Help! I can’t swim,” he cried out.
 
Kala remembered what the boys told her about the underground river and saw her chance for escape.
 
She took a deep breath before diving underwater and swimming to the side of the pool.
 
Quickly finding the tunnel, she levered herself head-first into it and let the current carry her with minimal help.
 
Before long, she flew through the air and into another pool of water.
 
She broke the surface, gasping for air, her heart pounding.

She treaded the water to catch her breath and then swam to the side of the pool.
 
She pulled herself onto shore and lay there.
 
The cool air on her wet body, made her shiver.
 
She closed her eyes to rest for a moment.

***

“She should still be in there,” Nate pointed out to the men.
 
“I’ll help you get over there.
 
There is a back room to the cave that she really liked.
 
It has a pool of water.
 
Tommy, stay here.”

“I’ll stay with the lad and keep an eye out,” Richard said.

Gabe merely nodded and followed the boy, the two other men following as well.
 
Time seemed to pass slowly as they made their way to the cave.
 
“Nate, I want you to go back to your brother and take him home.”