Chapter Twelve

The sounds were coming from the dining room. A shout of some sort, and then a crash against the wall.

Maggie had been sitting in the parlor watching the fire fade to embers when she heard it.

She jumped and scooted to the edge of her chair.

“I’ll kill him!” a male voice boomed. “I’ll fucking kill him!”

Maggie rose and walked hesitantly toward the dining area.

“No! No, don’t tell me to calm down.” This voice was the loudest, punctuated every now and then by two others.

Slowly, she peeked around the corner to see Zane, Koda, and Ara standing there. Ara covering her mouth, Koda with one hand flattened against Zane’s chest. The men looked volatile. But something about Zane’s posture, something about the look on his face, made Maggie question being in his vicinity.

Before she could turn back around, he spotted her.

“Well, well, look who’s here,” he said.

“Stop it, Zane,” Ara said.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he continued, his voice dripping with animosity. “You should be hearing this, too. Since it’s probably your fault in the first place.”

“Zane,” Koda growled.

Leaning into Koda’s stiffened arm, Zane glared at her. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, like he hadn’t slept all night. “No. She should know. Or are we making sure she’s sheltered from all of this, Koda?”

“Shut up.”

Maggie swallowed hard before finding the courage to speak. “What happened?”

“Candi was attacked this morning. She’s in the hospital.” Ara walked over and put an arm around Maggie’s shoulders. “Don’t pay attention to him. This isn’t your fault.”

“Like hell it isn’t,” Zane snapped. “Everyone knows how this fucking town operates. Someone saw Candi talking to Nancy Drew over here and decided to shut her up.”

“That’s an awfully big assumption,” Koda said.

Zane turned on him. “Why don’t you just admit you’re protecting her? You said yourself she has no business here. You said it just a few days ago. What happened between then and now to make you change your mind?”

His black gaze settled on Maggie. “Never mind,” he said. “I can guess what happened.”

Her face burned as if someone were holding a torch to it.

“Zane,” Koda said, “if you don’t shut your mouth right now, I’m going to shut it for you.”

“Don’t bother.” Zane shoved his brother’s hand away and stalked past. “I’ll kill whoever it was,” he said over his shoulder. “Watch me.”

And then he was gone.

Ara leaned against the table. “Sweet Jesus.”

“It’s okay,” Koda said. “We’ll get whoever did this. He’s not going to kill anyone.”

Shaking her head, Ara stared at him. “What’s happening around here, Koda?”

“I don’t know. But we’re going to find out.”

The room spun, dizziness making Maggie’s stomach lurch, and she braced a hand on the wall. I don’t know. But we’re going to find out. They were the same words spoken by Alan McCay, the state trooper, the night Aimee disappeared.

I don’t know…

And they were just as scary today as they’d been a year ago. Maybe even more so. Was it her fault all these horrible events had been set in motion? Maybe Zane had a point. Maybe she was bad luck to the people of Wolfe Creek. Maybe wherever she went, pain and misery followed. After all, the road trip had been her idea. She had convinced Aimee to come along…

“I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes stinging. “I’m so sorry.”

Koda looked up. He didn’t touch her, but she could tell he wanted to. The thought of being wrapped in his arms was all consuming. He was a virtual stranger. But she wanted his comfort. Needed it.

His face was compassionate, his words soft. “This isn’t your fault. Do you understand?”

She nodded, doubtful.

“I need to see her,” Ara said, fidgeting with the tablecloth. “But I can’t go until tonight. We have guests coming, and I can’t leave until they’re checked in.”

“That’s okay. I’m going this afternoon,” Koda said. “She wasn’t conscious earlier, but I have to go back and ask her some questions. I’ll make sure she’s all right. Then I can drive you tonight if you want.”

“Jim can take me. But can you tell her I’ll be there soon?” The older woman looked close to losing it, which broke Maggie’s heart. She thought of the rugged caretaker, and the fact that he was the one Ara wanted to go with. Maybe there was something more here for Jim than just caretaking. Maggie liked the thought of that. Maybe this sweet innkeeper wasn’t alone in this big old place after all.

The room grew quiet and the memory of Zane’s words still hung in the air.

Maggie studied Koda’s profile. His wide, expressive mouth set in a firm line. She wanted to trace his narrow nose, the high forehead, and the strong jaw, peppered with new stubble.

And right then, at that very second, she was forced to recognize a longing inside herself that she wasn’t necessarily comfortable with. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But she felt it just the same.

He must have sensed her watching, because he met her gaze.

“Do you want to come, Maggie?”

Dazed, she nodded. “Yes, please.”

The long, twisting drive down the mountain had never been Koda’s favorite thing in the world. The truth was, he’d seen too many accidents on this road to feel anywhere near complacent. It was a freeway, which also meant it was a thoroughfare for semis and heavy logging trucks that crowded the slow lane, laboring down the mountain with almost as much difficulty as they had climbing it. Their brakes smelled hot and their engines ground away in the lowest gear, sounding like huge, grumpy bears just waking from hibernation.

Koda passed one now that was having a particularly hard time. Smoke billowed out the exhaust pipe, which pointed like a blackened finger to the sky. Its bright yellow hazards flashed ominously, on, off, on, off. All part of living up here. Unless you had a chopper, there was only one way down.

Switching lanes, he glanced over at Maggie, who was looking out her window. She hadn’t said more than two words since she’d climbed in. Her curly brown hair hung loose next to her face, hiding it from view.

He focused on the road again, wondering what she was thinking. Guessing he had a pretty good idea.

“He had no right to say that to you.”

“Huh?” Maggie turned, her eyes appearing larger than normal. They were round as polished, green stones.

“Zane. He shouldn’t have said that.”

She considered this for a second, before looking back out the window. “I don’t know. Maybe I deserved it,” she said. “Maybe what happened was because of me. It makes sense.”

“The only person responsible for hurting Candi was the one who broke into her apartment. Zane says a lot of things when he’s mad. He talks out his ass. It’s a well known fact, ask anyone.”

This coaxed a faint smile. “He still has a right to be angry.”

“He does. We all do. No one lays a finger on that girl without paying dearly and that’s the God’s honest truth. If I find him first, Zane’s going to have to settle for the leftovers. But he has no right to be angry with you.”

“The last thing I want is to cause problems for anyone here. That was never my intention, I hope you know that.”

She fidgeted, wringing her hands together in her lap. Her fingers were long and elegant. Sexy. He imagined them wrapping around him, stroking his—

He shifted in the seat and focused on the road again.

“When I decided to come here,” she continued, “I guess I was only thinking of myself. How things would affect me. I never considered anyone else.”

“That’s what happens when someone’s grieving a loss. They’re kind of selfish that way.”

“I guess. But I can see things more clearly now.”

He said nothing. Seeing things clearly might not be such a bad thing. He suspected that she’d been making blind, gut decisions for a while now.

“Honestly,” she said, “do you think it’s possible that someone attacked Candi because she was talking to me?”

Koda sighed. “It’s possible. Anything’s possible. But I don’t think it’s probable.”

“Who else would want to hurt her? I can’t imagine her having any enemies.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m assuming she told you what she used to do?”

Maggie nodded.

“Well, she hung with a pretty rough crowd. Lots of those guys were obsessed with her. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. I could see one or two of them pulling a stunt like this. Especially drunk.

“Wolfe Creek is a great town in a lot of ways, Maggie. There’s a reason I haven’t moved somewhere else. Somewhere bigger. The family history is one thing. But it’s more than that. Once you live here, put down roots, it has a hold on you. You don’t want to leave.”

“I can imagine,” she said, facing him now.

“But as great as it is, it can be a hard place, too. There’s a lot of poverty, a lot of ignorance. So if you’re asking if anyone else had it in for Candi, the answer’s yes. I think a number of people could have, and for no good reason, either.” He looked over then. “This doesn’t have to make sense. Sometimes people do stupid shit. Just because.”

She watched him, quiet. Then began fidgeting again.

Without thinking about it, he reached over to still her hand. But instead of letting it go right away, he held on. Her skin was smooth and pliant, warm to the touch. He looked up to see the expression on her face. There was something there that mirrored what he’d felt when he first saw her, although he’d be hard pressed to admit it. He’d felt it again last night when she’d stepped closer on the sidewalk, her arm brushing against his. And he was feeling it now. Her mouth was slightly open, her lips parted in such a way that made him want to lean over and coax them with his tongue. She tightened her fingers around the back of his hand, surprisingly strong and sure of herself, and his face grew hot in response.

A minivan passed on their right, barreling down the mountain and blasting its horn as it went. Koda pressed his foot to the gas and yanked his hand away.

The SUV lurched forward again, as if remembering it had somewhere to be.