Bennett (Bourbon & Blood #1) (3 page)

CHAPTER THREE

“
Was she with him?
”

Clayton Darcy met his father
’
s gaze across the empty hospital waiting room and wondered, not for the first time, how cold the bastard really was.
“
Does it matter?
”

Samuel Darcy narrowed his eyes at him.
“
Yes. I
’
ve told her
…
warned her a dozen times about associating with the likes of him. All of the Hayes family is nothing but trouble, the lot of them!
”

Clayton didn
’
t bother to argue. He
’
d learned long ago that it did not a damn bit of good.
“
No. From what the sheriff told me, as best as it can be pieced together until Mia wakes up; she was driving on Fall Lick Road, rounded a bend, lost control of the vehicle and wound up in the creek. With the rain, it was deep enough to pull the car completely under. If he hadn
’
t been there, we
’
d be at the morgue and not here.
”

“
And a Hayes just happened to be right behind her?
”
Samuel summed up. His dubious tone clearly indicated how unlikely he found the tale.

“
He does live on that road,
”
Clayton pointed out.
“
Less than two miles from your house.
”

Samuel grimaced.
“
I
’
m well aware of that! I tolerated his grandmother because it was the decent thing to do, but if I
’
d known she was going to leave that house to him I might not have been so generous! I think he stayed here out of spite.
”

Probably, Clayton thought. Not for the first time, he enjoyed the notion. Bennett Hayes had made himself a thorn in Samuel Darcy
’
s side and Clayton was ever so quietly cheering him on.

The conversation, if it could be called that, went no further. The doctor appeared, wearing scrubs and a white coat, a mask hanging around his neck.

“
Mr. Darcy?
”

“
Yes,
”
Samuel said.
“
How is my daughter?
”

“
Very lucky,
”
the doctor stated.
“
She escaped a pretty catastrophic accident and her worst injury was a broken wrist. I
’
d say that borders on miraculous. We
’
ve set the bone and casted it. She
’
s got a couple of stitches and she
’
s still pretty out of it from the sedative we gave her. We
’
ll be keeping her overnight but most likely she
’
ll go home in the morning.
”

“
Will she be scarred?
”
Samuel demanded.
“
We
’
ll need a plastic surgeon consulted immediately, if that’s likely.
”

The doctor blinked at him for a moment, and when he spoke again, his tone was perceptibly cooler.
“
The stitches are along the line of her eyebrow. Any scarring will be minimal, if not nonexistent. A few minor cuts and some very ugly bruises, but there
’
s nothing she shouldn
’
t make a full and unmarred recovery from.
”

Clayton rose.
“
Thank you, doctor. When can we see her?
”

The doctor spared another hard look for Samuel.
“
Assuming she wants to see you? Once they
’
ve transported her from recovery to her room, you
’
ll be able to visit with her.
”

Samuel sighed when he left.
“
At least she won
’
t need surgery. Thank God.
”

Quentin snorted in disgust.
“
How about,
‘
thank God, she
’
s all right
’
or
‘
thank God, that bastard came along and fished her out of the creek before she drowned
’
? I don
’
t like him any better than you do, but if he hadn
’
t been there, she would have died
…
and you
’
re worried about her fucking looks?
”

Samuel gifted his younger son with a cool look.
“
I am relieved that she will recover, of course. But that doesn
’
t change the fact that Mia is the face of the distillery in many ways. She is in charge of our PR and marketing. How well do you think that would go if she were no longer beautiful? I suppose Erica could take over for her if it becomes necessary.
”

Clayton
’
s temper flared. No one got under his skin quite like Samuel did.
“
Erica will not take over anything. In case you
’
ve forgotten, our agreement makes you little more than a figurehead at Fire Creek and your own recklessness has made you a financial liability. You don
’
t make those kinds of decisions!
”

“
I am still your father, boy! You won
’
t speak to me like that!
”
Samuel shouted. His voice was loud enough that several people in the hallway looked up in shock. Deciding on a different tactic, he turned the cajoling manipulation that was typically his first choice.
“
Just think what it would do to Mia if she had to see a scarred face in the mirror every day! Would you really want that for her?
”

Disgusted with him, Clayton stated,
“
Mia will always be beautiful
…
because it has nothing to do with her looks. Now that you know she
’
s okay, you should go. Quentin and I will stay with her.
”

“
She
’
s my daughter!
”
Samuel
’
s reply was emphatic, but there wasn
’
t a great deal of emotion behind it. With him, it was always a show.

“
Really?
”
Clayton shot back.
“
Because from here it sounded more like you were talking about a corporate asset. You don
’
t give a damn about any of us, and while Quentin and I are okay with that, she
’
s still got a heart for you to break. So just go, old man.
”

Samuel pointed one finger at Clayton,
“
You
’
re not in charge of the distillery just yet. Nothing is set in stone, boy! Mia will always side with me
…
and without her that leaves you all at a paltry forty percent share.
”

Quentin rose then, getting up in his father
’
s face.
“
Then take the damn distillery and stop holding it over our heads
…
You can
’
t run the thing without us, anyway! You haven
’
t put in an honest-to-God day
’
s work in more than a decade and wouldn
’
t know what to do even if we did step down. You
’
ve been too busy running around with two-bit whores half your age
…
Hell, some of
‘
em are half my age!
”

Samuel turned then to walk away, but as he reached the door to the small waiting area, he turned back to them.
“
You don
’
t like me, you don
’
t like the way I run things
…
You don
’
t have to be around to witness it! I
’
ll buy you out anytime.
”

“
With what?
”
Clayton demanded.
“
We
’
re keeping you afloat, in case you
’
ve forgotten! You
’
ve wasted the money you married Mama for!
”

“
Watch what you say to me, son,
”
Samuel admonished.
“
And watch what you say about your mother!
”

“
All of a sudden you
’
re the devoted husband? How long has it been since you even saw her?
”
Clayton demanded.
“
You
’
ve left Mia to rot in that house, wasting her life and her youth taking care of the woman you broke!
”

Samuel lunged at him then, grasping Clayton
’
s shirt collar. They were face to face, the older man breathing hard and Clayton with his fists clenched.

Quentin stepped between them.
“
Do not do this here. I
’
m not any happier with him than you are, Clay, but this kind of scene would be the last thing Mia
…
or Mama, would want!
”

“
Talk to me that way again, boy,
”
Samuel warned.
“
Old as I am, I can still teach you a lesson.
”

“
Any day,” In spite of Clayton's deceptively calm facial expression, there was an edge to his voice that let no doubt he would relish the opportunity.
“
Any time.
”

Samuel shoved him away and turned toward the door.

Standing there, watching him walk away, Quentin turned to Clayton,
“
Did that really just happen? You, Mr. Always Cool, started a fucking screaming match with the old man in public?
”

Clayton nodded.
“
Yep. I wish I
’
d hit him.
”

“
You
’
d kill him. And while I don
’
t have much use for him,
”
Quentin added,
“
None of us want that. But since you put it all out there in the open, his financial woes and all, what the hell do we do now?
”

“
We go to work on Monday like always. Now let
’
s go see our baby sister and figure out what the hell happened, then I
’
ll head over to the house. Someone needs to stay with Mama tonight because it sure as hell won
’
t be the philandering asshole she
’
s married to.
”

*~*~*

“
What the hell were you thinking?
”

The voice on the phone was low and angry. The defensive response was automatic.
“
We needed her out of the way. Now she is.
”

“
Out of the way does not equate attempted murder! Do I have to do everything my own damn self? Invite her out for a drink, be nice! Make friends! My lord, how did I raise someone so dumb? There were ways to get her out of that house that didn
’
t involve trying to kill her.
”

The speaker’s shrill voice prompted a wince. Nervously picking at her manicured nails, she snapped back,
“
Well, it
’
s done now. And we might not get another opportunity, so you better find it and find it fast.
”

“
On the contrary, even though you pulled an idiotic stunt, you did manage to do one thing right
…
There is no bigger distraction for Mia Darcy than Bennett Hayes. If her focus is on him, you could let off a stick of dynamite beside her and she wouldn
’
t even notice!
”

Her jaw dropped.
“
So, you
’
re pissed at me for the accident even though it created just the kind of distraction you needed? That makes perfect fucking sense!
”

Her mother
’
s words, when she replied, were so clearly being uttered between clenched teeth that picturing her disapproving expression was easy.
“
Listen to me
…
No more going off script. No more winging it. When I give you an order, you will follow it. Right now, your job is to make Bennett Hayes believe that girl is in danger. As long as he does, he
’
ll never leave her alone. That boy has a white knight complex if ever I
’
ve seen one. And, as for Mia
…
well, who can resist a handsome man who wants to play the hero? Especially one that’s forbidden. If people get hurt, then the police get involved. Neither one of us can afford that. Understood?
”

The mention of police brought home just how disastrously wrong things could have gone. She was not cut out for prison.
“
Yes. I understand. Scare her. But don
’
t hurt her. Send her running into his waiting arms. Right?
”

“
That about does it
…
and if you fuck this up, even though you are my only remaining child, I will hang you out to dry. You hear me?
”

She smiled bitterly. Having never been her mother
’
s favored child, she knew all too well how fleeting the woman
’
s affections could be.
“
I never expected anything less from you, Mother.
”

CHAPTER FOUR

It was just after midnight when Bennett parked his truck and strode purposefully toward the hospital
’
s entrance. The electronic doors under the red
“
Emergency Room
”
sign opened with a soft swoosh. The girl working behind the desk looked up, and recognizing him as the local lovelorn idiot, offered him a polite smile as she returned to her paperwork. He could feel the side-eye as he walked past and he wasn
’
t even out of ear shot when she started whispering to her coworker.

There was no denying that it was probably a huge mistake to come back. Clayton had called his aunt
’
s house and left a message on her answering machine that Mia was okay, but that wasn
’
t good enough. Bennett needed more than just okay.

He took the stairs up to the second floor. There were only two floors for the whole hospital and all of the patient rooms were up. At the nurse
’
s station was a girl both he and Mia had gone to high school with.

“
Hey, Stace,
”
he greeted her.
“
I wanted to check on Mia.
”

She glanced up at him, clearly surprised and more than a little worried.
“
Bennett, I don
’
t think that
’
s a good idea.
”

“
I pulled her out of that creek, Stacy. I ought to be able to find out how the hell she
’
s doing,
”
he replied, trying to keep his tone reasonable.

She bit her lip and gave a sideways glance at the other nurses who were on duty, all of whom pretended to be blissfully unaware of what was going on.
“
I can
’
t tell you anything about her condition, but her family did sign a release to acknowledge that she
’
s here and to allow visitors
…
Visiting hours are technically over, but if you wanted to come back tomorrow and see her, she
’
s in room two-twenty-eight. It
’
s just around the corner.
”

Bennett smiled at her.
“
You
’
re a lifesaver, Stacy. Thank you.
”

“
Don
’
t thank me! Make your sister give me a big discount the next time I go to her store!
”

He chuckled as he walked away.
“
Will do.
”

Around the corner and just out of sight of the nurse
’
s station, he opened the door to Mia
’
s room softly. He wanted to see her, to make certain for himself that she was okay, but if she was asleep, he
’
d leave her be.

The room was dark, save for the small amount of light that filtered in from the hallway. Approaching the bed, Bennett noted the bruises that marred her pale skin. They
’
d bloomed furiously in the hours since the accident, but he didn
’
t doubt that over the next few days they
’
d get worse.

More tired than he
’
d been in a very long time, the events of the day finally catching up to him, he sank down onto the chair beside her bed.

It shouldn
’
t have mattered so much. She should have been out of his system ages ago. But she wasn
’
t, and he very much feared that she never would be. She
’
d dug in deep and there was no getting her out.

He cursed softly, but in the silence of the room, it was still enough to wake her. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up, confused, disoriented, and then her gaze settled on him.

“
Bennett?
”

“
I just came to make sure you were all right,
”
he said.
“
Are you in pain?
”

“
A little, but I think it
’
s more of a hangover than anything else,
”
she replied, her speech slightly slurred.

He smiled.
“
I think driving your car over an embankment and into a creek might be contributing to that as much as the pain meds.
”

“
I didn
’
t,
”
she said.

The hot clutch of fear was back.
“
Don
’
t you remember?
”

She gave him a look that clearly stated he was a moron.
“
Of course I remember
…
But there was another car there, Bennett. I swerved to miss them and when my car stopped, the back wheels were right there on the edge.
”

“
So how
’
d you wind up in the creek then?
”

“
They pushed me,
”
she replied calmly.
“
They drove their car right up to mine and pushed me over the edge.
”

The statement was made so matter-of-factly, that even as insane as it sounded, Bennett didn
’
t dismiss it outright.
“
Are you sure about that?
”

“
Yes
…
I
’
m sure. Didn
’
t you see them driving away?
”

“
No,
”
he answered. The truth was that his attention had been on a break in the trees on the opposite side of the creek bank, just across the bridge. Anytime he was behind her on that road, he
’
d watch to see her driving around those hair pin turns at a speed that made him sweat. When he hadn
’
t seen it, he
’
d known something was horribly wrong.
“
I just saw all the debris and the churned up mud. I got out to look and saw your car sinking.
”

She shivered.

Noting her reaction, he offered.
“
Let
’
s not talk about this now
…
I
’
ll look into it.
”

“
Swear to me
…
Don
’
t just placate me because you think I
’
m drugged out of my mind!
”
she insisted.

“
I promise.
”

A sad smile curved her lips.
“
And you always keep your promises.
”

“
I didn
’
t mean it like that,
”
he said.
“
All that was a long time ago.
”

“
Sometimes it feels like a lifetime.
”

He hadn
’
t meant to bring up the past, though it was always present between them, a hovering ghost that gave neither of them any peace. Changing the subject, he focused on the here and now.
“
What kind of car was it?
”

She frowned.
“
Big. Dark color. SUV. I don
’
t know. I can
’
t really think right now.
”

Bennett rose to his feet. On impulse he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It was an innocent gesture, utterly lacking in any carnal thought or intent. Even then, it was still electric. Touching her, being so close to her, it was salt in the wound.

“
I
’
ll let you know what I find.
”
He stepped back from the hospital bed and headed for the door and the looming shadow of Clayton Darcy.

“
I told you I
’
d let you know how she was,
”
Clayton reminded him coolly.

Not in the mood to be taken to task, Bennett cocked an eyebrow at him.
“
Because a Darcy is as good as their word, right?
”

“
This is trouble
—
you are trouble for her.
”
Clayton made the statement dispassionately, as if matters were always that simple, that black and white.

“
I
’
m not here for trouble
…
I needed to know she was okay and a second hand account wasn
’
t good enough. Just because I haven
’
t knocked the shit out of you, doesn
’
t mean I won
’
t. I
’
m not a scrawny kid anymore and any advantage you had a decade ago is long gone now,
”
Bennett replied firmly. He wasn
’
t going to be bullied by them. The Darcy money and the Darcy name had kept him from the one thing he wanted most in life and he was done with it.

“
I
’
m not threatening you, Bennett.
”
Clayton kept his cool. His voice never rose and his expression remained calm.
“
I
’
m just stating the obvious. I know you loved her. I know she loved you. But neither one of you could have handled the shit storm that would have rained down on you if you
’
d been allowed to go through with your harebrained plan.
”

“
We
’
ll never know. You and your worthless asshole of a father made sure of that.
”

“I asked you to leave that night,” Clayton said, “and when you wouldn't, I made you leave. If I hadn't, Samuel would have put a bullet in you. Mia didn't need that. She'd lost enough already.”

Bennett sneered at him. “Am I supposed to thank you for that?”

Clayton moved toward him.
“
You were kids who thought you could live on love. You had no job, no prospects, no way to support her
…
Mia
’
s never known poverty. Did you really want to be the dickhead who not only introduced her to it but forced her to live in it?
”

That statement echoed the doubts and recriminations that Bennett had battled for the last ten years. He met Clayton
’
s questioning gaze directly, his jaw clenched and fists tight. He hated having the smug fucker in his head.
“
Is there a point to this conversation or are you just gonna keep wasting my time?
”

Clayton cocked his head to one side and then said simply,
“
You
’
re not a broke kid anymore, and Mia
’
s not a wide eyed little girl. So what the hell is stopping you now?
”

Bennett didn
’
t have an answer for that. Habit. Fear. Resignation. There were a dozen excuses, but not a one of them was
enough
.
“
You and I both know Samuel would never let it stand.
”

Clayton shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.
“
If you want her, go after her
…
and leave Samuel to me.
”

“
What kind of game are you playing?
”
Bennett demanded. The swirling mix of anger and hope inside him left him reeling, unsteady. It wasn
’
t a feeling he liked.

“
No games
…
I
’
ve only ever done what I thought was best for her. That
’
ll never change.
”

Bennett didn
’
t say anything else as Clayton moved past him and into Mia
’
s hospital room. Of course, he didn
’
t need to. Clayton had dropped the bomb and walked away.

“
Goddamn the Darcys,
”
he muttered as he made his way toward the stairs. He needed out, he needed to think, and above all, he needed to figure out if he was willing to take the risk of letting Mia rip his heart out again.

As Bennett left the hospital, his mind was preoccupied with the conversation that had just taken place with Clayton, and honestly, with Mia. She was always taking up space in his mind, whether he wanted to admit it or not. He didn
’
t believe in ghosts, but he sure as hell believed in hauntings. There was no other way to describe how she made him feel.

Focused on her, on the turmoil that was churning inside him and eating him up, he didn
’
t notice the dark SUV parked at the back of the parking lot, partially in shadow and all but invisible in the night.

Climbing behind the wheel of his truck, Bennett headed for his house the lonely solace of the big bed he
’
d be sleeping in alone. Except for Slick, he thought with a smile. The dog would be there, snoring and farting all night, whether he liked it or not.

Easing the truck onto the road, he was nearly at the end of the street before the black SUV pulled out of the hospital parking lot and followed him at a distance.