Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

A s soon as the Wellfleet police finished asking their questions, Kyle had sent Conor along with Finn to the hospital to be checked out, knowing Maeve would want her brother to receive the best care possible. Conor would bring Finn back to the house after the doctors there cleared him. Once the two assailants were carted off in the back of two ambulances, both handcuffed and arrested, he and Tim had quickly cleaned up the mess left behind. As much as it pained him to wait a minute longer to go to Maeve, Kyle knew better than to let Sibby and the rest of the family out of the safe room until they cleaned up the bloody mess on the floor, knowing that if she found it, they'd all have to hide out in that safe room for the rest of their lives. Plus, there was no real need for his nephews to see the aftermath of the shooting. They were young and impressionable, and he didn't want them to be afraid to be in their family's beach home because of what had happened here today. Finally, when there was not a drop of blood left on the floor, Kyle raced back up the stairs to Maeve.

Once he got to the bedroom, he took a long, deep breath and then knocked, saying the password out loud repeatedly. "Wellfleet, Wellfleet, Wellfleet." Then there she was, on the other side of the now open door, still holding Daisy, eyes welling over with tears.

"Kyle. I heard the shots. What happened? Are you hurt?"

He watched as her eyes scanned his body.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Are you okay?"

"Me?" she asked, eyes wide. "Aside from almost having a heart attack at the thought that those men had come for Daisy, I am. I heard sirens. Are they gone?"

"Yes," he said, bringing her over to the rocking chair in the room and sitting her down. Then he took the baby from her and was rewarded with a gummy smile from the little girl. That one innocent gesture from the baby made the trauma of the day fade just a bit.

"Finn was the real hero, Maeve. He jumped one of the guys with a kitchen knife and that gave me an opening to disarm them."

"What? Did he stab someone? Is he in trouble?"

She tried to stand but he could see how shaky she was with this news. "No, he's not in trouble," he said attempting to reassure her. "But he did get injured. He'll be fine, Conor's with him at the hospital. They should be home soon."

"Hospital?" she asked softly.

"The second perp fired his weapon, and a bullet grazed your brother's thigh. It could have been much, much worse. As it is, I had to fire my gun as well."

"Kyle…" she whispered. "I'm so sorry. Are you sure you're alright? That must have been difficult after everything…"

"I would have thought that, too. But when your life and Daisy's were on the line, there was never any doubt that I would take out anyone who threatened either of you. Instinct kicked in, I guess. I'm happy it did. Now I know that I'll be fine if I go back to work."

"What do you mean ‘if'?"

"Let's not talk about that now, Maeve. In view of what just happened, let's just take a break for a bit. Besides," he reached into the back pocket of his jeans with his free hand and pulled out the slim, white envelope that had been delivered during all the chaos. "I think this is the news you've been waiting for."

She looked up at him and then back down at the mail in his outstretched hand. She shook her head. "I know what it's going to tell us. You open it."

"Are you sure?"

Maeve nodded.

He handed Daisy back to her mother and slowly peeled back the flap. Then he lifted out the paper and reviewed the information. With a smile, he said, "The truth was never in doubt. You are most certainly Daisy's mother. As far as paternity goes, here's the proof to her lineage. She's 99.9% linked to Anglican bloodlines reaching far back in time, with ties with the royal family. Here it is, printed as plain as day. You have your proof."

"And my insurance policy. I can scan a copy of this to my contact at ‘The Daily Mail.'"

He watched as her face quickly went from relief to resignation. She sighed and said, "I don't think you can truly comprehend the blow-back on me once this news gets out, Kyle. That's why I need to take Daisy and leave. I've been enough of an intrusion on you, on your family. Finn and I will be fine. We'll find a place to lay low for a bit."

"Maeve, I still don't think you understand that where you go, so do I. I'm confident that whatever the tabloids say, it won't matter. I know you, the real you. That's all that matters.'

She stood up and let him take her and Daisy into his arms. The little girl cooed with glee as she was fully enveloped in their embrace. "If only it were that easy, Kyle. I love you too. That's why I must leave." She stepped back and walked over to the dresser, opening the top drawer and pulling out the contents with one hand, making neat, colorful stacks of the clothing she planned to take with her.

"Will you at least agree to hold off on the packing until Finn comes back? Give me a chance. We can discuss this with the entire family first. Maybe if they tell you how they feel, you'll reconsider." He took a pile of onesies out of her hand and put them on the dresser's smooth surface. "Please, Maeve? How about it?"

She stilled then, and he could feel her indecision. Finally, she lifted her eyes to his and said, "You drive a hard bargain, detective."

All he felt was relief. He'd bought himself some more time.

By late afternoon's sunset, they were seated at the kitchen table. Both a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of tequila, along with several shot glasses were laid out down the center of the smooth surface. The adults were discussing the events of the day, and the children had been allowed to go outside and play in the swirling snowstorm that had blown in off the ocean while no one had been paying attention to the weather. Warned from straying from the deck outside the kitchen, the boys were content to throw snowballs at one another before coming together to build a fort from the rapidly falling white stuff. It was piling up quickly, and for Kyle, it was a literal sign from the heavens that he was right – Maeve should not leave. Looking out at the ocean, almost invisible against the whiteness of the sudden storm, she had agreed.

"Before the likes of you get too drunk to know better, I'm going to pull out yesterday's leftovers for tonight's dinner. We could all use a meal right about now. I don't think anyone's eaten since breakfast," Sibby declared.

For Maeve, it was hard to believe that Thanksgiving had been just one day before. It felt like a lifetime had passed between last night's holiday dinner and all that had happened since. She knew that at any moment, her news would hit the airwaves and the peace and quiet of the Cape Cod setting would forever be changed for her.

"Let me help you, Sibby," she said, standing up a little too quickly and feeling the effects of the shot of tequila she'd downed.

"Are you alright?" Kyle asked.

"Yes. I'm fine," she replied with a smile. "I guess it was the tequila. Looks like Daisy's drinking formula tonight."

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Good."

The look he gave her then told Maeve everything she needed to know about his plans for her later and her stomach flipped. Despite her resolve to go, she was grateful for the storm and the opportunity to spend another night in his bed. Selfishly, it was the only place she truly wanted to be, and she'd soak in every minute while she could.

She, Colleen, and Sibby were arranging the leftovers, putting everything in bowls and on platters when Conor and Finn returned from the hospital, quickly opening and then closing the front door against the intensifying snowfall.

"If it wasn't a stressful enough day," Conor began as he helped Finn into the kitchen. "That ride home from Hyannis almost put me over the edge. The roads are nearly impassable."

"I missed it," Finn admitted. "The pain pills they gave me are brilliant. I slept the entire time."

"Yeah. And I white-knuckled it," Conor added. Seeing the open bottles on the table, quickly settled Finn into a chair and reached for a shot glass. "I'm going to need a few of these," he said as he downed his first drink.

"Go slow, brother," Sibby said. "Dinner will be up in a minute. You can drink all you want after you put some food in your stomach."

Maeve finished putting the remaining dinner rolls on a tray and slid them into the oven to warm before turning to Finn. She walked over to where he sat and kneeled in front of him. "Thank you," she whispered. "I know you did this for me," she said, lightly touching his leg, not wanting to disturb the bandage she could see under the outline of the fabric of his pants.

"Pish posh," he said, mimicking the words she'd recognize as something their mother used to say to them when they were children. "'Tis nothing."

"It's something, alright," she replied.

"Maeve, you know I've got your back. Always."

She kissed the top of his head. "And I've got yours."

Sibby interrupted the moment between them with a simple statement. "Come and get it, people. Dinner is ready."

Maeve stepped back and made a plate for her brother and placed it in front of him. Then she went into the pantry to find the powdered formula she'd brought along from Boston for a situation exactly like this one. When she came back into the kitchen, she could feel Kyle's eyes on her. She looked up to find him across the room, holding two plates – one for him and one for her. Suddenly, she realized just how hungry she was, but not for food. She was hungry for his touch, his kisses, the strength of his body as he covered her own. And with one glance, she could tell that he felt the same.