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The Tessarae Inn |
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The Son Also Rises CHAPTER 15 Katherine tossed the gun to him then smiled when he checked the clip. It was empty. “I’m not a complete fool.” He grunted and then reached into the side pocket of his jacket and inserted a fresh clip. “Given what has happened lately, you could have fooled me.” She smiled at him. “Are you really sorry to see me, Sean-Ryan. Aren’t you a little bit glad?” “You're supposed to be dead. I paid good money to see that happen. What do you think?” She wet her lips then stepped closer to him. “I think you prayed every night that I would give that guy the slip. Every night.” “I had no choice, Katherine. What you did was stupid. Of all the men to cross, Cameron was not the one. You have to have known that.” “In hindsight, I may have been a wee bit foolish.” “Do you have the money?” “Some of it.” “How much is some of it?” “Well, after paying my expenses to get here and all. Maybe a few thousand.” “Dollars?” “Yes. Dollars.” He whistled then shook his head. “Cameron lights his cigarettes with thousand dollar bills. A few will not even make a dent in the debt.” “Don’t play me for stupid. I understand the extent of my debt.” “Do you? How much is his reputation worth, Katherine?” “It was a guaranteed deal. There was no way I was going to lose. Do you think I was stupid enough to bet unless it was a sure thing?” “Flynn said…” “Flynn! When in bloody hell are you going to understand that Flynn has a knife poised at your back? Always. He is not to be trusted.” “I don’t trust anybody. You should know that by now. I know what Flynn is thinking before he does.” “I walked up on you, Sean-Ryan. You’re getting soft. I could have killed you as easily as I cold cocked you.” “Why didn’t you? Isn’t that what you said you wanted?” She walked up to him slowly until they were almost touching. “And there’s a clip in that gun. Why don’t you pull the trigger? Or do you have to hide behind the leg of a paid assassin? You want me dead? Then do it.” He stared into her eyes and positioned the gun in his hand. He raised it slowly and pointed it at her heart. She never broke her gaze and rested her hand softly on top of his. “If I am to die,” she said, “let it be while looking in your eyes.” For a moment, he couldn’t breath. He felt the pressure of the trigger on his finger. He squeezed. She did not flinch. She stared at him without blinking. He relaxed his finger and then lowered the gun. He pushed her back and placed the gun on the night table. She followed his movements with her eyes then focused again on his face. When she recognized his expression, her eyes grew wider and she took a step back. “No,” she said softly. “Please, I don’t want this.” He gripped her arms and pulled her to him then kissed her. She felt like fire to him. He released her then pushed her back. “Take your clothes off. I want you naked.” “I don’t care what you want.” “I know, baby. I know.” “This is not going to happen.” He reached forward and unzipped her jacket. She looked away from him. He eased the jacket off her shoulders and down her arms then let it drop to the floor. She closed her eyes when he moved his hands under her sweater then forced her to lift her arms as he pulled it over her head and threw it across the room. For a moment, he stared at her body. When he looked up she was staring at him with her lips parted. He stepped back. She made love as fiercely as she did everything else but she had to show him she wanted it. Finally, she reached for him and pulled him to her. She was weeping as she kissed him and he tasted her tears. Her hands tore at his shirt with such ferocity her nails threatened to cut him. She reached for the buckle of his belt but he pulled away from her. “Let me do it.” She watched him as he unzipped his pants and then quickly she kicked off her shoes and then dropped and stepped out of her jeans. For a moment she stood in front of him bare-chested wearing only a pair of tiny lace panties. Had she planned on this happening? Did she have any idea what the sight of her did to him? What did it matter? He ripped the panties until they fell away then pulled her on top of him as they tumbled onto the bed. He rolled over then pined her down and kissed her. He broke away then rose up so he could look down at her. She was still crying and he knew why. She hated how much she wanted him. Just like he hated how much he wanted her. There was always a price to pay. Sean-Ryan sat butt naked in the chair across from the bed and stared at Katherine. The gun was still on the nightstand, within easy reach for her. She was fast and deadly but he could still probably beat her to it in one leap--if he chose to move at all. She was naked and laying on he stomach with her legs open, her gold-red hair spread around her as if caught in a breeze, and her arms above her head. She did not have a modest bone in her body. Never had. It was one of the things he liked about her. And after all these years he would admit in his heart of hearts that she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He could still picture her the first time he realized that Ethan Dawes’s little sister wasn’t so little anymore. She was fifteen and already tall. She walked toward him down Mason Street wearing the tightest jeans he had ever seen, boots, a white sweater and a scarf with her hair flying on the wind. In that moment, he knew for good or ill their destinies were locked together forever. Love or hate. Fear or longing. Desire or loss. Whatever happened to one or the other, happened to them both. But even then he knew he could not love her. His life was already spoken for. Besides what had love ever gotten him? In one angry swoop, they were all gone—his mother, his father, his sister, his… He was the only one that luck spared. In one sense, his whole life had been about sidestepping fate and in the end fate always won. Maybe he should go on and get it over with. Shoot her himself. Like his, her fate was already sealed. There was no way Cameron was going to let her live. The money was enough of an obstacle and there was no way he could get her out of that debt without Flynn knowing. It would not be allowed. And even if she could find the money, Cameron was a man of unnatural pride and vengeance. Still Cameron hated Manning. It was only by his grace that Cameron let it be over with before. Suppose Katherine brought Cameron not only the money but Manning’s head on a plate as well? Maybe that would be enough to erase the debt. Even so, there was no way he could sanction Katherine’s actions but if he didn’t know what she was planning then how could he stop her? All he had to do was pray she was smart enough to figure it out. “Hey, what are you thinking about?” He glanced over at her. She was sitting up and staring at him. “Whether or not I could get to the gun before you do.” “You always underestimated me, Sean-Ryan.” He stood up and walked to her slowly. “I doubt that.” She rose up on her knees and grabbed him around the neck and pulled him down onto her. She was the weakness in him. The only one he ever had.
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The Son Also Rises FAN FICTION SLIDESHOWS
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