Page 27 of Kiss Across the Universe
“No, I should. I’m her brother.” And he had resources and abilities he couldn’t exercise while Kit was dogging him. “You stay here. Fix the door. Guard the house.”
Kit took a step forward as Aran turned to leave. He held up his hand. “Youcan’tman. You’re not Canadian and you’re not set up for this thing. You just got off a goddamn plane, all you have on you is a duffel bag.”
“You have less,” Aran said coldly.
“I don’t need more than I have,” Kit said, his tone just as cold.
“I can call in my uncles. Alex and Remi and Rafe and Neven. And Sydney. She kicks ass.”
Kit’s jaw grew hard. “And I remember one of them telling me they lived in Spain. And France. You want to wait another twenty-four hours for them to get here?”
Aran seethed with frustration. He had to get Kit out of here and contained so he could go to work.
Kit stepped over the gate and over to the top of the stairs, before Aran realized he was leaving.
“No, wait, you can’t get involved, Kit,” Aran said quickly.
Kit paused, five steps down. One eye peered at Aran up through the banister railings. “Too late.” His tone was bleak. “And I’m the only one whocando this. Trust me.”
Aran shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
“Do you?”
Aran hesitated. The shape of it, he could guess. This, whatever it was, had to have something to do with time. But what it was, exactly, he couldn’t begin to guess. All the family’s known enemies had been accounted for, years ago. And he couldn’t say any of that to Kit. “I don’t know exactly…” he began, before realizing where that would lead him—into territory he couldn’t speak of. He halted, his frustration rising.
Kit’s gaze was steady. “You don’t want to be a part of this.”
Aran tried to protest, but he would not speak of family again. His parents thought highly of Kit and nothing Aran had learned of the man refuted their opinion. Telling him to butt out of family business seemed…ungrateful.
Kit gripped the down rail, his knuckles turning white. “You’ve got kids, man,” he said softly.
Aran let out a silent sigh and squeezed the stuffie in his hand.True.
Kit nodded, as if Aran had spoken aloud. “I’ve got this.”
“Kit,” Aran said quickly, as the man turned to continue down the stairs.
He looked back.
“She’s somewhere in Canmore,” Aran said flatly, not qualifying the statement in any way. Let Kit make of it what he wanted.
Kit considered him. “More twin stuff?”
“Yes,” Aran lied without a quiver.
Chapter Twelve
Kit knew his judgement wascompromised by emotion, so he drove with care down the short slope to the metal bridge across the gully. At the same time he made himself take deep, rhythmic breaths designed to flood his system with calming hormones.
The truck rattled across the bridge onto the western bank, when Kit braked sharply. He let the engine idle, while a silent voice jabbered at him.
Was there something on the bridge or by the bridge that had goosed him when he arrived? Was that the thing that had convinced him something was wrong at the house?
Kit switched off the engine and got out. Moving slowly, he cast about the area in front of the bridge. Directly in front of the bridge, the graders and shovels had flattened out the slope up to the gully. But where the man-made level fell away, there was a shallow but wide depression in the road where snow melt had gathered into a muddy puddle.
Tire tracks climbed into and out of the puddle, leaving mud that had dried into a solid record of cars coming and going.
Kit bent to examine the ground beside the puddle farthest from the bridge. Vehicles coming to the house would not leave as distinct a set of prints as cars leaving, for they would have relatively dry tires.
