Kane by Jennifer Blake

Author:Jennifer Blake
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 1998-12-02T23:00:00+00:00

She lifted her chin, not taking her eyes from him for a second. It was impossible to loosen her clamped jaws enough to speak.

“What happened to you?” he went on in low concern as he dropped his hand to his knee. “Who did it, and when? And why in the name of heaven hasn’t someone helped you get over it?”

“It’s no business of yours.” She hadn’t meant to answer him; the words seemed to come by themselves.

“I think it is, since it almost caused me to do something we’d both regret.”

“It was you,” she said with a sharp, negative gesture. “Your own idea.”

“But it would never have crossed my mind, except you obviously objected to being—”

“Except you saw it as a weakness to be exploited.” She dragged air deeper into her lungs and felt her fear loosen its grip.

Tipping his head so the light moved across the blue-black waves of his hair, he avoided her gaze as he said, “I thought I could, and would, do anything to help Pops. I was wrong.”

It was both an apology and explanation, if she wanted to accept them. Did she? She wasn’t sure, though she might be forced to it if she was to stay in Turn-Coupe. At least she had been right in her feeling that he was too inherently decent for such a ploy. Which didn’t mean she had to make this easier for him. She remained silent.

In that moment of stillness, a hollow thump came from beneath the blind, vibrating through its timbers. The noise would not have been familiar an hour ago, but now Regina recognized it at once. It was the sound of a boat knocking against one of the duck blind’s pilings. That was followed by quiet, rhythmic splashes as someone paddled away. They were not alone here in the swampy back area of the lake.

Hard on that realization came the racketing roar of a motor being cranked into life, then changing as it was put into gear. Whoever had been under the blind was leaving. And he was in a hurry.

Kane sprang to his feet. Reaching the nearest wall in a single stride, he flipped the latches that held the hinged portion, then let it down. Bracing his hands on the rough-cut edges, he leaned out to search the water around them with his hard gaze. He swore in fluent virulence.

“What is it?” Regina put a hand to the wall behind her and dragged herself to her feet.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he whipped around toward the trap door, lifted it, and laid it back. Swinging into the opening, he disappeared down the ladder. She followed him to the square hole, saw him clinging to the wooden ladder while he stared around in all directions.

Regina dropped to her knees and leaned forward to search the empty expanse of water that surrounded the duck blind. As Kane looked up, she met his gaze. In stunned understanding, she said, “The boat. It’s—”

“Gone. And it didn’t come untied by itself.”

“Someone

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