Page 65 of Irish Rose
So he’d come back, to pace the parlor, haunt the bedroom and ignore the coffee that Travis poured for him. For the past hour he’d sat unmoving, staring at the phone.
He’d told Travis to go, to get some sleep, and had been ignored. It reminded him that there had only been one other person in his life who had stuck by him. If he lost her... He couldn’t think of that. He knew that luck could change, could turn cruel like a change in the wind. But not with Erin.
She hadn’t had her chance yet, not a real one, to see everything there was. Maybe he’d been wrong to lock her in so quickly, to bind her to him. But she still had so much life, so much energy. Why was it he couldn’t get past that one sick thought that whatever was happening to her now was because of him?
When the phone rang, he grabbed the receiver with both hands. “Logan.” The voice in his ear was thick with liquor, but he understood. And his heart began to thud. “Where is she?”
“I don’t want no trouble. Spiking the horse was one thing, but I don’t want no trouble.”
“Fine. Tell me where she is.” He glanced up to see Travis beside him, waiting.
“I didn’t want no part of it. He’ll kill me if he finds out I’m talking to you.”
“Just tell me where she is and I’ll take care of it.”
“Kept her at the track, in the van. I don’t know what he’s going to do. Kill her, maybe.”
“What van? What van, damn it?”
“I ain’t having no part in murder.”
When the phone went dead, Burke simply dropped it and rose. “She’s at the track. They’re holding her in a van.”
“I’ll call the police and be right behind you.”
He drove like a maniac, ignoring red lights and speed limits.Kill her, maybe.Those three words drummed in his head over and over so that he didn’t notice the speedometer hovering at a hundred and ten. The streets were deserted. People were asleep, anticipating the race tomorrow. Some would already be camped on the infield grass.
He prayed that Erin was asleep as well. And when she woke he would be there.
Gravel spit from under the tires as he braked behind the stables. Vans were parked there for trainers, for owners who preferred to stay close to their horses, for grooms and hands who could afford a little luxury.
He only needed to find one.
He started across the lot when he heard steps behind him. Fists clenched and murder on his mind, he whirled.
“Easy, lad,” Paddy told him. “Travis called me.”
He nodded briefly, though in the moonlight he could see that the old man hadn’t slept, either. “Durnam’s van. Which is it?”
“Durnam? Travis said you didn’t know which.”
“Call it a hunch. Which one is Durnam’s?”
“The big black one there.” Paddy turned as he heard the whine of sirens. “The police are coming.” But Burke was already racing to the black van.
“Erin!” The door held fast. For a moment he thought he could tear it off with his bare hands.
“Use this.” Paddy handed him a crowbar. “When Travis called and filled me in, I thought we’d have use for it.”
Without hesitation, Burke began to pry the door open, all the time calling to her. He wanted her to know it was him. He couldn’t stand the thought of her having one more instant of fear. The metal groaned, fought back, then gave. Burke gripped the crowbar like a weapon as he jumped inside. He shoved away the plywood partition that separated the back of the van from the cab.
“Erin?” There was no answer, no sound. What if he was too late? Burke turned the crowbar in his hands, wiping sweat on metal. “Erin, it’s all right. I’ve come to take you out of here.” He cursed the lack of light and dropped to his hands and knees. He saw her then, curled in a corner in the rear.
He was with her in an instant, but he was almost afraid to touch her. His hand went to her cheek first. So cold, so still. “Erin.” In a fit of rage, he tore the gag away. When her eyes fluttered open, he nearly wept with relief. “Erin, it’s all right.”
But when he reached for her she cringed, making small sounds in her throat.
“It’s all right,” he murmured. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. It’s Burke, darling, it’s okay now.”
