Chesapeake Blue
Page 76
"The woman." Dru stiffened, rubbed suddenly chilled arms. "Harrow, she said. Glo Harrow."
"It's DeLauter. I think Harrow's a family name. She knows about your family. The money, the connections, the political implications. She's added that to the mix. She'll do her best to hurt you, the way she'll do whatever she can to hurt my family if I don't give her what she's after."
"It's just another form of blackmail. I know something about this kind of blackmail, the kind that uses your feelings to squeeze you dry. She's using your love as a weapon." A chill danced over his skin at the phrase, and he heard the echo of Stella's voice in his mind. "What did you say?"
"I said she's using your love as a weapon, and you're handing it to her. It has to stop. You have to tell your family. Now."
"Jesus, Dru, I haven't figured out if telling them's the right thing to do. Much less telling them at two in the morning."
"You know very well it's the right thing, the only thing to do. Do you think what time it is matters to them?"
She crossed to the workbench where he'd tossed his phone. "I'd say Anna would be the one to call first, and she can contact the others." She held out the phone. "Do you want to call her and tell her we're on our way, or shall I?"
"You're awful damn bossy all of a sudden."
"Because you need to be bossed just at the moment. Do you think I'm going to stand by and let her do this to you? Do you think any of us will?"
"The point is, she's the monkey on my back. I don't want her taking swipes at you, my family. I need to protect you from that."
"Protect me? You're lucky I don't knock you senseless with this phone. Your solution was to let me go. Do you think I want some self-sacrificing white knight?"
He nearly smiled. "Would that be the same thing as a martyr?"
"Close enough."
He held out his hand. "Don't hit me. Just give me the phone."
Chapter Eighteen
THE KITCHEN HAD ALWAYS been the place for family meetings. Discussions, small celebrations were held there; decisions and plans were made there. Punishments were meted out and praise was given most often at the old kitchen table no one had ever considered replacing.
It was there they gathered now, with coffee on the stove and the lights bright enough to push away the dark. It seemed to Dru there were too many of them to fit in that limited space. But they made room for one another. They made room for her.
They had all come without hesitation, dragging themselves and their sleeping kids out of bed. They had to be alarmed, but no one peppered Seth with questions. She could feel the tension quivering in the sluggish, middle-of-the-night air.
The younger ones were shuffled upstairs and back to any available bed, with Emily in charge. Dru imagined there was quite a bit of whispered speculation going on up there by anyone who'd managed to stay awake.
"I'm sorry about this," Seth began.
"You drag us all out of bed at two in the morning, you've got a reason." Phillip closed his hand over Sybill's. "You kill somebody? Because if we've got to dispose of a body this time of night, we'd better get started."
Grateful for the attempt to lighten the mood, Seth shook his head. "Not this time. Might be easier all around if I had."
"Spit it out, Seth," Cam told him. "The sooner you tell us what's wrong, the sooner we can do something about it."
"I met with Gloria tonight."
There was silence, one long beat. Seth looked at Sybill, understanding she'd be the most upset. "I'm sorry. I was going to try to find a way not to tell you, but there isn't one."
"Why wouldn't you tell us?" There was strain in Sybill's voice, and her hand tightened visibly on Phillip's.
"If she's in the area and bothering you, we need to know."
"It's not the first time."
"It's going to be the last." Fury snapped into Cam's voice. "What the hell is this, Seth? She's been back around before and you didn't mention it?"
"I didn't see the point in getting everyone worked up—the way you're going to be worked up now."
"Fuck that. When? When did she start coming back around you?"
"Cam—"
"If you're going to tell me to calm down," he said to Anna, "you're wasting your breath. I asked you a question, Seth."
"Since I was about fourteen."
"Son of a bitch." Cam shoved back from the table. Across from him, Dru jumped. She'd never seen that kind of rage, the kind with a ready violence that threatened to smash everything in its path.
"She's been coming around you all this time, for years, and you don't say a goddamn word?"
"No point yelling at him yet." Ethan leaned on the table, and though his voice was calm, there was something in his eyes that warned Dru his manner of fury would be every bit as lethal as his brother's.
"She get money from you?"
Seth started to speak, then just shrugged.
"Now you can yell at him," Ethan muttered.
"You paid her? You've been paying her?" Shock vibrated as Cam stared at Seth. "What the hell's the matter with you? We'd've booted her greedy ass to Nebraska if you'd said one goddamn word about it. We took all the legal steps to keep her away from you. Why the hell did you let her bleed you?"
"I'd've done anything to keep her from touching any one of you. It was just money. For Christ's sake, what do I care about that as long as she went away again?"
"But she didn't stay away," Anna said quietly. Quietly because her own temper was simmering under the surface. If it boiled over, it would make Cam's seem like a little boy's tantrum. "Did she?"
"No, but—"
"You should've trusted us. You had to know we'd be there for you."
"Oh God, Anna, I knew that."
"This isn't the way to show it," Cam snapped.
"I gave her money." Seth held out his hands. "Just money. It was all I knew how to do, to protect you. I needed to do something, anything I could to pay you back."
"Pay us back? For what?"
"You saved me." Emotions swelled in Seth's voice and the almost desperate flood of them silenced the room. "You gave me everything I've ever had that was decent, that was clean, that was f**king normal. You changed your lives for me, and you did it when I was nothing to you. You made me family. Goddamn it. Goddamn it, Cam, you made me."
"It's DeLauter. I think Harrow's a family name. She knows about your family. The money, the connections, the political implications. She's added that to the mix. She'll do her best to hurt you, the way she'll do whatever she can to hurt my family if I don't give her what she's after."
"It's just another form of blackmail. I know something about this kind of blackmail, the kind that uses your feelings to squeeze you dry. She's using your love as a weapon." A chill danced over his skin at the phrase, and he heard the echo of Stella's voice in his mind. "What did you say?"
"I said she's using your love as a weapon, and you're handing it to her. It has to stop. You have to tell your family. Now."
"Jesus, Dru, I haven't figured out if telling them's the right thing to do. Much less telling them at two in the morning."
"You know very well it's the right thing, the only thing to do. Do you think what time it is matters to them?"
She crossed to the workbench where he'd tossed his phone. "I'd say Anna would be the one to call first, and she can contact the others." She held out the phone. "Do you want to call her and tell her we're on our way, or shall I?"
"You're awful damn bossy all of a sudden."
"Because you need to be bossed just at the moment. Do you think I'm going to stand by and let her do this to you? Do you think any of us will?"
"The point is, she's the monkey on my back. I don't want her taking swipes at you, my family. I need to protect you from that."
"Protect me? You're lucky I don't knock you senseless with this phone. Your solution was to let me go. Do you think I want some self-sacrificing white knight?"
He nearly smiled. "Would that be the same thing as a martyr?"
"Close enough."
He held out his hand. "Don't hit me. Just give me the phone."
Chapter Eighteen
THE KITCHEN HAD ALWAYS been the place for family meetings. Discussions, small celebrations were held there; decisions and plans were made there. Punishments were meted out and praise was given most often at the old kitchen table no one had ever considered replacing.
It was there they gathered now, with coffee on the stove and the lights bright enough to push away the dark. It seemed to Dru there were too many of them to fit in that limited space. But they made room for one another. They made room for her.
They had all come without hesitation, dragging themselves and their sleeping kids out of bed. They had to be alarmed, but no one peppered Seth with questions. She could feel the tension quivering in the sluggish, middle-of-the-night air.
The younger ones were shuffled upstairs and back to any available bed, with Emily in charge. Dru imagined there was quite a bit of whispered speculation going on up there by anyone who'd managed to stay awake.
"I'm sorry about this," Seth began.
"You drag us all out of bed at two in the morning, you've got a reason." Phillip closed his hand over Sybill's. "You kill somebody? Because if we've got to dispose of a body this time of night, we'd better get started."
Grateful for the attempt to lighten the mood, Seth shook his head. "Not this time. Might be easier all around if I had."
"Spit it out, Seth," Cam told him. "The sooner you tell us what's wrong, the sooner we can do something about it."
"I met with Gloria tonight."
There was silence, one long beat. Seth looked at Sybill, understanding she'd be the most upset. "I'm sorry. I was going to try to find a way not to tell you, but there isn't one."
"Why wouldn't you tell us?" There was strain in Sybill's voice, and her hand tightened visibly on Phillip's.
"If she's in the area and bothering you, we need to know."
"It's not the first time."
"It's going to be the last." Fury snapped into Cam's voice. "What the hell is this, Seth? She's been back around before and you didn't mention it?"
"I didn't see the point in getting everyone worked up—the way you're going to be worked up now."
"Fuck that. When? When did she start coming back around you?"
"Cam—"
"If you're going to tell me to calm down," he said to Anna, "you're wasting your breath. I asked you a question, Seth."
"Since I was about fourteen."
"Son of a bitch." Cam shoved back from the table. Across from him, Dru jumped. She'd never seen that kind of rage, the kind with a ready violence that threatened to smash everything in its path.
"She's been coming around you all this time, for years, and you don't say a goddamn word?"
"No point yelling at him yet." Ethan leaned on the table, and though his voice was calm, there was something in his eyes that warned Dru his manner of fury would be every bit as lethal as his brother's.
"She get money from you?"
Seth started to speak, then just shrugged.
"Now you can yell at him," Ethan muttered.
"You paid her? You've been paying her?" Shock vibrated as Cam stared at Seth. "What the hell's the matter with you? We'd've booted her greedy ass to Nebraska if you'd said one goddamn word about it. We took all the legal steps to keep her away from you. Why the hell did you let her bleed you?"
"I'd've done anything to keep her from touching any one of you. It was just money. For Christ's sake, what do I care about that as long as she went away again?"
"But she didn't stay away," Anna said quietly. Quietly because her own temper was simmering under the surface. If it boiled over, it would make Cam's seem like a little boy's tantrum. "Did she?"
"No, but—"
"You should've trusted us. You had to know we'd be there for you."
"Oh God, Anna, I knew that."
"This isn't the way to show it," Cam snapped.
"I gave her money." Seth held out his hands. "Just money. It was all I knew how to do, to protect you. I needed to do something, anything I could to pay you back."
"Pay us back? For what?"
"You saved me." Emotions swelled in Seth's voice and the almost desperate flood of them silenced the room. "You gave me everything I've ever had that was decent, that was clean, that was f**king normal. You changed your lives for me, and you did it when I was nothing to you. You made me family. Goddamn it. Goddamn it, Cam, you made me."
