Page 28 of Shiver

“I did.”

Pain and anger erupted in a roar as Mac launched himself at Riley. Devra quickly stepped aside as the two men fell to the ground, tumbling one over the other.

“She was a good cop,” Riley gritted between grunts. “She didn’t need my protection.”

“She was my wife.” Mac landed a hard punch to Riley’s gut. The air whooshed out of his chest as a look of pain tore across his face.

“Stop it,” Devra yelled.

Mac threw another well-placed punch, then another. “You should have watched out for her. You should have stopped this from happening.”

Riley maneuvered his feet under Mac and pushed. Mac flew off him, somersaulted, then stood. Riley jumped to his feet. The two men squared off. “I couldn’t stop it from happening. Don’t you think I would have if I could have? I loved her, too!”

Mac grabbed Riley around the middle. They both fell, catapulting one another down the embankment and into the river.

“Stop it, please,” Devra screamed. This was too much. They were going to kill each other.

Riley stood up, soaking wet. He looked at her, then at Mac. “I’m sorry,” he muttered and hung his head. “I had no idea…I didn’t know what Michelle was planning. I would give anything to have her back, to spare you of this.”

Mac stepped closer to him, his eyes hard.

Devra inhaled a deep breath. “Please, no more.”

“I don’t understand how this could have happened.” Mac’s voice cracked.

Riley’s face contorted with pain. He put an arm around his brother and the two men fell into an awkward embrace, as Mac’s body shook with grief.

Tears burned Devra’s eyes. So much pain…She couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She’d never had a sibling. She didn’t understand the dynamics of their relationship, but to her, it was too emotional…too raw.

“I’m going to check on Felix,” she said as the men walked out of the water.

He nodded, a look of gratitude filling his red-rimmed eyes. He squeezed her shoulder as they passed her. She watched them disappear around the bend, both soaking wet, but neither caring. Once again, she yearned to know what it felt like to have a sibling—to have someone around who loves you and looks out for you.

Suddenly, why she was there became crystal clear.He’d rather be the dragon. Riley would do anything he could to help his brother, even if it meant defying his captain’s orders to take time off. He couldn’t go near the case, so he brought the case home with him. He broughtherhome with him. He wasn’t her friend. He wasn’t interested in helping her or protecting her. He just wanted the truth. No matter what the cost.

The sudden knowledge made her feel more alone, more at risk than ever before. She picked up the bag of food and continued down the path toward Riley’s house. Tomorrow, she would find a way out of this situation. She’d been a fool to think he could help her. To hope for even a moment that she wasn’t in this fight alone.

She ate dinner and cleaned up the dishes, then walked slowly through the small house. His bedroom and office were on one side of the living room and kitchen, the guestroom and bath on the other.

A jewel-framed snapshot on the mantel in the living room caught her attention. A pretty redhead was smiling wide with her arms wrapped around the shoulders of two little boys. The younger one had a huge happy smile and sparkling dark eyes. The other wore a gloomy rebellious look on his face. She knew instantly the boy was Riley. Time hadn’t changed much.

“Come on, Felix,” she announced. “Let’s go feed you.” She led him into the kitchen and opened a can of tuna. “See, this place isn’t so bad,” she cooed while stroking his back. She heard a ruckus, looked out the French doors beyond the kitchen table, and saw a pack of dogs running through the yard. They were huge and loud, and there were four of them.

Wide-eyed, Devra watched as the dogs cut a wide swath through the yard before disappearing around the barn. “I think we’ll be keeping you inside,” she said to the cat and patted him on the head.

As twilight gave way to darkness, she settled on the couch to watch TV. She must have dozed for when she opened her eyes, Michelle’s face flashed across the screen, the lead story on the ten o’clock news. The newscaster announced that a local policewoman had been found murdered in the Quarter.

Devra switched off the set. She didn’t want to think about Michelle’s death. Didn’t want to think about anything. She turned out the lights, then stood in front of the window, taking in the dark silhouette of the trees. Could someone be out there watching her?

As she stared into the darkness, a flicker of uneasiness made her squirm. She was safe here, she assured herself. As Riley said, no one knew where she was. She didn’t even know where she was. She turned from the window, flicked on the porch light for Riley, then took Felix with her into the guestroom.

The four-poster bed called to her. As she pulled back the sheets, she glanced out the window at the barn. Large stable lights chased away the darkness and offered small comfort. She closed the drapes, then fell into bed exhausted.

But as tired as she was, she couldn’t sleep. She lay there, listening to the groans of the house, wondering what Riley was doing and when he’d be back. She beat her pillow, then rolled over. She heard a soft click. Was that the front door? She sat up, listening intently, but didn’t hear another sound. What was she doing trying to sleep in a strange man’s house? A man she’d just met. A man she couldn’t trust.

Riley wanted answers. But if she told him what she knew, he’d lock her up and never look back. She couldn’t go through that again—the aching emptiness, the pain of abandonment. In a deep corner of her mind, she could still hear the heavy thud of a steel door closing and the suspicious, hate-filled gray eyes staring at her through the small square of glass.

“It wasn’t me,” she had cried. But no one had believed her. No one had cared. A small tear wet her cheek as she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

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