Killing Lucas Read online

  Kiloran hadn’t seen Hunter in about six years. They’d dated for a few weeks, he’d escorted her to a few premiers and she’d accompanied him to dinners when he’d needed arm candy. And when things had begun to heat up, she’d landed a role in a movie filming in Alaska. They’d said they would get together when she was back in town, but neither was very good at keeping in touch. And while she’d been on location, the stalking had begun. Nothing serious, and nothing that had hinted to what would happen later. A few fan letters, flowers sent to set, and some Photoshop art of Kiloran. Not only had she not been concerned, she hadn’t linked all the items to one person at the time.

  She didn’t deal with most of her mail by then, Nancy did. So Kiloran had only seen the few items Nancy had brought to her. The vague responses Nancy had created for her to sign, including generic thank-you notes and cards to sick children. When she’d first got in the business, Kiloran had said she would answer each fan mail personally with a handwritten letter. That soon had become a pipe dream she couldn’t fulfill.

  But when the same thank-you letter was sent more than once, the messages grew in frequency and anger. The first major event happened the night Kiloran had come home from Alaska. After two months of being in close quarters with everyone on the set, including Nancy, it had been a relief to close the doors and be alone for a few days. But that morning she had woken up to find her house and yard vandalized.

  The police had said they would look into it, but never really did. With so many big cases, some toilet paper on the lawn and spray paint on her garage and car was child’s play. Hunter had pulled up to take her to lunch as Kiloran started cleaning up the mess.

  “I totally forgot we had a date,” she’d said, looking up from where she was scrubbing the red word fake off her house.

  “I can see why.” He had rolled up his sleeves. “You called the cops?”

  “I did, not that it matters. Give me a second I’ll go change.”

  “Nonsense. If you have another brush I’ll help you scrub this off. It will bring back memories of my misspent youth. Cleaning up your house might help me with my karma”

  They’d scrubbed the house, then ate pizza for dinner. Hunter had been the perfect gentlemen. He’d caught his flight the next day, and though they’d kept in touch and managed to meet up in New York City a few months later for dinner, nothing more had come of it. Wrong place, wrong time and, in a few years Kiloran would realize, wrong person. Because, in her heart, she knew she had been waiting for Lucas.

  “You okay, Kiloran?”

  “Huh?”

  “You were a million miles away.” Lucas had an amused look on his face, which could only mean he had been trying to get her attention for a while. “I said, why don’t we go get a shower and let them set the table?”

  “That would be rude.”

  “They invited themselves over for breakfast. Now who’s rude?”

  “Go! I’ll get you some coffee.”

  Lucas took three steps up the staircase and stopped. “Let me know if any of them are in the least bit disrespectful to you.”

  “Stop worrying. I can handle your brothers. I’ve dealt with worse.”

  “I haven’t.”

  Kiloran smiled as she watched him ascend the stairs and disappear down the hallway. He must care about her at least a little, to worry about how his brothers would treat her. And that was progress. A week ago he would have thrown her to the lions. She wasn’t a fool to believe the physical side of their relationship resuming meant his emotions were involved, but he did seem to be thawing.

  Balling her hands into fists to steady herself, she walked into the kitchen. All conversation stopped. Even Fenway seemed to know something was going on. He quit yelping and sat down and looked at Trenton, and then back at her. Only as she came in the room did she see they had another visitor. Hunter leaned in the corner of the kitchen closest to where Tony was cooking.

  “Hello, Kil.” Hunter pushed himself away from the counter and approached her.

  “Hunter.” She smiled and embraced him. It was always great to see Hunter. And something about his presence both warmed and comforted her. If no one else, he would not judge her. Pulling back she looked at her old friend and frowned. It looked as if someone had taken a broken beer bottle down the side of his face. Though no less handsome, it look to have been very painful. “What happened?”

  Hunter’s fingers rubbed the rough edge of the ugly scar on his cheek. “I had a run in with a stalker too.”

  Feeling like she was about to vomit, Kiloran reached for the counter for support but Hunters strong arms lead her to one of the kitchen chairs. “Not yours.”

  “Oh.” Breathing came a little easier, but not much.

  “Sorry. It didn’t occur to me you would think I was one of your stalker’s victims.” He crouched before her. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m not usually so wimpy. This whole situation has me on edge.”

  Hunter stood and walked into the kitchen pulled out some juice and a glass. Pouring it, he then handed it over. “Drink this. Anyway, my stalker was my wife’s ex-husband.”

  A chorus of “bastard” echoed from every Sherman in the room.

  “So you caught him?”

  “Agent Vassar did,” Hunter said with a strained smile. “He’ll catch yours, too.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears. I just hope they catch him before anyone else gets hurt.” She sipped the juice and filled her lungs in an effort to calm down. Whatever Tony was cooking smelled wonderful and her stomach rumbled in protest.

  “I never meant to worry you last night,” Trenton finally said from the corner.

  Laughing, she shook her head. “You didn’t worry me. All I knew was Lucas was heading outside to kill his brothers. I was more concerned that he had actually succeeded.” She paused and looked at each of the brothers: Tony was cooking and humming as he did—how he looked masculine wearing a frilly apron, she would never know. Trenton looked a bit more relieved as he placed the puppy on the floor, though still looked uncomfortable. Hunter, though not a Sherman by birth, had become one through marriage, and he fit right in. Even with his scar he had a rugged handsomeness that no one could deny. He walked back into the kitchen and spoke quietly to Tony.

  Tony paused only for a second before moving on to chop a tomato. Spencer kept his eyes directed at his hands on the table. Kiloran knew he and Tony weren’t speaking from the little Lucas had said, but she didn’t know why. Then there was the invisible elephant in the room.

  Her breakup with their brother.

  “Can I say something to all of you before Lucas comes back down?”

  Tony put down the knife and focused his attention on her, as the rest of the brothers with the exception of Spencer who still managed to look anywhere but at her, did the same. Fenway butted her leg with his head, so she reached down, picked up the pup, and focused on what she needed to say.

  “Please know I never wanted to hurt Luc in anyway. I love him, I have always loved him.” She politely ignored Spencer’s growl. “If there had been a better way to keep him safe, I would have done it I’m not asking you to forgive the pain I caused. I’m not even asking you to understand. I just wanted you to know.”

  The silence seemed to go on forever. Silence reigned and Kiloran was sure no one would break it. “They know.”

  Turning, she saw Lucas standing in the doorway. Hair wet, wearing a T-shirt and jeans that looked molded to his body, he made her mouth water to look at him. “They know?”

  “They read your letter.”

  Shocked, she looked to Tony for confirmation. “I thought for sure you destroyed that.”

  “Oh, I threw it away. Barbara saved it.”

  “Your secretary?”

  “Yes, but don’t let her hear you call h
er that.” Tony winked and placed a plate full of food in front of her. “Eat.”

  Spencer spoke next. “It’s going to take a while for us to come to terms with what’s been going on. We have spent too many years hating you for what we thought you did.”

  “I understand that.”

  “I don’t know what I feel now, but hate isn’t one of them. Anger, confusion, and I am so thankful that my brother is still here.” Spencer rubbed the back of his neck in frustration, but offered her a weak smile that said without words he was working through it, all he needed was time. He grabbed the plate Tony handed him, but as the fork lifted to his mouth he paused. “Did you spit in this?”

  “No, but I can if you want me to.”

  “It’s so nice to see that no matter what, brothers are the same the world over,” Kiloran said and lifted the eggs to her lips. She had no more to say after that because the food was so good she couldn’t talk.

  Tony left with a couple of plates of food for the agents outside. The room fell silent with the exception of silverware hitting dishes. Kiloran wondered how much of the family knew this arrangement was for show. Then she wondered if the letter would make any difference in the end.

  “Can you call the hospital and find out if Nancy is able to see anyone today?” She pushed away the plate and looked at Lucas.

  “All taken care of. I talked to Agent Vassar at the crack of dawn.”

  Hunter looked up and between bites added, “That man never sleeps, you know.”

  “I think you’re right. Anyway, he said she was awake last night and should be up for visitors this afternoon. They were sedating her again so she would be comfortable.”

  “I hate she got hurt.”

  “I know, now go take your shower and when you’re ready we can go see her.”

  Guilt ripped through her, this was the same as when the police had told her Mel’s death looked suspicious. She’d known then he had been killed because of her. And now her assistant had gotten in the line of fire. Someone else could die soon if they didn’t so something about it. Standing, she thanked Tony and put her dish in the sink before heading up the stairs. Maybe a hot shower would ease the ache in her soul, though she doubted it.

  Lucas could see the weight of the world on her small shoulders as Kiloran walked away. But there wasn’t anything he could do, and the feeling of impotence made him crazy. When something wasn’t right, Lucas was supposed to be the one to come up with the solution. He solved problems. That’s what he did.

  Now all he could do was sit and wait for someone else to make a move. And hope that that someone made a mistake.

  “How long do you think she can keep this up?” Hunter broke the silence, getting right to the heart of the matter.

  “Not much longer is my guess,” Tony answered. “The strain is starting to show. She might want to just get away, disappear for a while.”

  “She does,” Lucas admitted. “She’s building a place in the middle of nowhere, completely off the grid. I don’t even know where it is. I think once it’s done she will do just that. Just disappear.”

  “And will you disappear too?” Spencer asked.

  “Are you asking as my boss or my brother?”

  “Maybe both.”

  “Who knows right now?” If she were pregnant, would he follow her? He didn’t know. He knew only that he would be active in his child’s life. Too much had happened too quickly and all the emotions were coming at him too fast.

  “What kind of answer is that?”

  “It’s the only one I have, so it’s the only one you’ll get. Has my work suffered since I‘ve been gone? Granted, I haven’t been in the lab but I have enough other things to keep me working remotely for years. So get off my back.”

  “Well, look who decided to come out and play: it’s Angry Lucas,” Tony said as he gathered the empty plates.

  “If you don’t like who I am, you know where the door is.”

  Tony smiled. “Ah, you can’t get rid of me that easy.”

  “Trust me I know,” Hunter, Trenton, Spencer, and Lucas all said in unison.

  “It’s part of my charm.”

  “Charm my ass.” Lucas stood, picked up the puppy, and went outside. He needed some air and wasn’t likely to get it inside with a room full of insane Shermans. Between the stalker, the brothers, the FBI, and Kiloran, he was ready to run for the hills. Family was great but could be smothering. He set Fenway on the ground…and groaned. The damn dog had a name. He hadn’t even been able to handle that.

  Two hours later, they were piled into Tony’s SUV, Tony and Hunter in the front seat, and Lucas and Kiloran sitting in the back. Trenton and Spencer had opted to stay behind. Trent needed a nap and Spencer had some work to do. It was unfortunate Lucas couldn’t convince Hunter and Tony they didn’t need to come either. Both had empathically said they wanted to come and, to Lucas’s annoyance, had played dumb and innocent to his heavy-handed insinuations. He needed a few minutes alone with Kiloran to talk about the letter. Perhaps the car wasn’t the greatest place, but he could have pulled over somewhere so they could have chatted. A diner, a coffee shop, hell the damned side of the road would have worked. After a week of telling her he didn’t want to hear what she had to say, damned silly in retrospect, he was now chomping at the bit to know.

  “Are you okay?” Kiloran asked placing a hand on his arm.

  “Fine.”

  “You don’t look fine.”

  “Kil, its nothing.” A blatant lie, but he wasn’t going to open up with the two bozos in the front seat.

  She bit her lip. “It’s the letter isn’t it?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now.” He shot a pointed look at the front seat but he covered her hand with his. “It’s not a I don’t want to hear, it’s a now is not the right time. Don’t worry, we’ll talk. I’ve waited this long I can wait a few more hours.”

  She smiled, though it wobbled at the edges. She looked so tired.

  “When will your house be done?”

  She looked surprised. “I don’t know. A few more weeks.”

  “I think you might want to think about having them work overtime and get it done as soon as possible. You need to get away.”

  She looked out the window and nodded. He wanted to pull her into his arms but if he did so she would shatter in to a million pieces. The rest of the trip they stayed silent. He listened to Tony and Hunter chatting aimlessly. At least for a few minutes he could find out about his nieces and sister. When this was all over, he needed to be a better uncle and see Zoe more often.

  He resolved to be a better brother too. He could no longer let anger drive him. And just like that a small amount of peace come over him. The anger that had helped him survive wasn’t needed anymore and although the fury had been slowly ebbing for the past several months. Only dregs of resentment remained. He had been unable to get past feeling he had been made a fool of. But she hadn’t done that. And although he didn’t agree with why or how she had broken up with him, she hadn’t cheated.

  Just knowing she hadn’t wanted someone else was a balm to his soul.

  “Lucas?” Tony looked at him through the rearview mirror, concern in his eyes.

  Lucas looked as his brother and smiled. He could feel the smile reach his eyes for the first time in years. “I’m fine.”

  Tony smiled back and nodded. “Welcome back.”

  Lucas shook his head and took a deep breath. When he turned to look at Kiloran he found her staring at him. He smiled at her and the sadness always present in her eyes these days eased a little. Whatever Tony saw she must have too. Maybe it was time to get his life back.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I never wanted anyone to get hurt.”—Kiloran to Lucas

  Getting out of the SUV in the parking lot of th
e small hospital, Lucas took Kiloran’s hand. He cursed when he saw the crowd of reporters and fans standing in the entrance of the hospital. He turned to find both Hunter and Tony on their cell phones. Tony calling in for hospital security to meet them outside, while Hunter yelled at Agent Vassar about whomever had tipped off the press.

  Kiloran gasped and put a hand to her mouth to prevent a giggle from escaping. “I can’t believe Hunter is yelling at the FBI.”

  Lucas just shook his head. “I seem to remember him yelling at Vassar on more than one occasion, to be honest.”

  “Security is right inside the doors,” Tony said. They’re coming out to meet us. And apparently when Vassar called to check about Kiloran coming to visit, one of the nurses tipped of the press. They’re trying to find out who now. You two go ahead. I’ll make a statement on behalf of the family and Kiloran.”

  “What are you going to say?” Kiloran asked, looking at the large group.

  “I’ll make it up as I go along. Now get in there before the mob gets larger.”

  “Thanks.” Lucas placed his hand on the small of Kiloran’s back to better protect her. Hunter moved to her other side to do the same, leaving Tony to take up the rear and deal with the press.

  As they approached the revolving doors that led the lobby, the noise became increased to a roar and the crowd pushed past the unprepared security. Kiloran put her head down and the ten feet to the doors was the longest ten feet Lucas had ever seen. Each step was harder and harder as photographers shoved flashing cameras in their faces and microphones seemed to come from nowhere. Even Tony’s assurance that all their questions would be answered if they would just let them through did little to appease the bloodthirsty horde.

  As he was mere steps from the entrance and thought they were in the clear, Lucas saw a sudden movement through the crowd. He didn’t know why, with all the other pushing and screaming, this one movement caught his attention but it did. Something in his gut, deep in his subconscious, told him this meant danger Lucas had barely enough time to push Kiloran into Hunter and turn to face the assailant, determined to take the man down when he went for Kiloran.