his testimony.
He looked around the sparse bathroom. Everything had been packed away and boxed up to be shipped home, except for a couple of suitcases filled with the basic things he’d need. Ryan opened the glass shower door and turned the knob to cold. Standing under the chilly spray, he let the water pummel the dream away. He didn’t have time for cryptic messages and devilishly witchy dream women who sucked his sleeping mind into subconscious role plays.
He’d sold the house to a young couple just starting their family, people who would appreciate the space and history his house had to offer. When he got home and settled a bit, he’d find a new one. Maybe one that needed fixing up. That would give him something to do while he figured out where to go from here.
Chapter 2
Ireland
Kate jumped at the shrilling phone on her desk. Unknown was the only clue her caller ID gave. No, not again. I don’t have any more to give you. Damn Mick to his immortal flaming hell! She took a deep breath and picked up the receiver.
“O’Connell Clinic.”
“Where’s the rest of my money?”
Always that hate-filled growl demanding more money.
“I’ve given you the last penny you’ll see from me. I don’t owe you anything.”
“Your beloved Da owes us another fifty-thousand dollars. He’s dead. That leaves his whelp, Doctor.”
She heard the scraping sound of something gritty on metal. Was he sharpening a knife? Was he just trying to mess with her mind? Leave me alone, please, just leave me alone.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Kate tried to bite back the raw fear running rampant through her thoughts. “I don’t have any more. That’s the last penny.” God, she hated the way her voice shook.
“Maybe I should pay your daughter’s class a visit. I wonder what Allaina’s screams will sound like when I start peeling the skin off her fingers. One at a time.”
“Leave my daughter out of this. I can’t get more money until I sell the house. I can’t–”
“Two days or I’ll leave her brains splattered all over the classroom walls.”
The line went dead. Kate placed the receiver on the hook and walked to a small sink in the corner of her office. Turning the water on cold, she wet a paper towel from the dispenser and bathed her neck with it. Those calls always made her feel sick to her stomach. Dear old ‘Dad’ had managed to accrue sixty-thousand dollars in gambling debts to a loan shark named Seamus Milligan. Horse races were the one thing he spent money on other than alcohol, and he always bet a losing game.
She’d already given them ten thousand dollars of her start-up funds, depleting the cushion she’d saved for the tough start ahead until the clinic brought in an income. If they hadn’t threatened to hurt Allaina, she’d have told them to kiss off. She would never put her daughter at risk. Not if she could help it.
There had to be something she could do about the threat, but if she went to the police Allie would be killed. She could find Ryan. Show up on his doorstep and demand he help her protect their daughter. A daughter he didn’t know existed. Or she could turn to his powerful cousin, Devin, who would scare the Bejesus out of them with his magic. If she told him about it, but she had wanted to handle this herself. Too late for that. There was no other choice, even though she hated asking anyone–especially a man, even one she loved as family–for help.
The appearance of Ryan’s cousin shortly before Liv and Jack married altered her way of seeing the world. Science was only a sliver of hope compared to the wonders she’d seen him accomplish. Devin McLoch, a former jewel thief, now gentle wizard turned his crafty nature towards teaching Allie how not only to control her magical abilities, but twist and use them to help those in need.
Kate stepped out into the hall and locked her office door before going to the front desk. “What do the afternoon appointments look
He looked around the sparse bathroom. Everything had been packed away and boxed up to be shipped home, except for a couple of suitcases filled with the basic things he’d need. Ryan opened the glass shower door and turned the knob to cold. Standing under the chilly spray, he let the water pummel the dream away. He didn’t have time for cryptic messages and devilishly witchy dream women who sucked his sleeping mind into subconscious role plays.
He’d sold the house to a young couple just starting their family, people who would appreciate the space and history his house had to offer. When he got home and settled a bit, he’d find a new one. Maybe one that needed fixing up. That would give him something to do while he figured out where to go from here.
Chapter 2
Ireland
Kate jumped at the shrilling phone on her desk. Unknown was the only clue her caller ID gave. No, not again. I don’t have any more to give you. Damn Mick to his immortal flaming hell! She took a deep breath and picked up the receiver.
“O’Connell Clinic.”
“Where’s the rest of my money?”
Always that hate-filled growl demanding more money.
“I’ve given you the last penny you’ll see from me. I don’t owe you anything.”
“Your beloved Da owes us another fifty-thousand dollars. He’s dead. That leaves his whelp, Doctor.”
She heard the scraping sound of something gritty on metal. Was he sharpening a knife? Was he just trying to mess with her mind? Leave me alone, please, just leave me alone.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Kate tried to bite back the raw fear running rampant through her thoughts. “I don’t have any more. That’s the last penny.” God, she hated the way her voice shook.
“Maybe I should pay your daughter’s class a visit. I wonder what Allaina’s screams will sound like when I start peeling the skin off her fingers. One at a time.”
“Leave my daughter out of this. I can’t get more money until I sell the house. I can’t–”
“Two days or I’ll leave her brains splattered all over the classroom walls.”
The line went dead. Kate placed the receiver on the hook and walked to a small sink in the corner of her office. Turning the water on cold, she wet a paper towel from the dispenser and bathed her neck with it. Those calls always made her feel sick to her stomach. Dear old ‘Dad’ had managed to accrue sixty-thousand dollars in gambling debts to a loan shark named Seamus Milligan. Horse races were the one thing he spent money on other than alcohol, and he always bet a losing game.
She’d already given them ten thousand dollars of her start-up funds, depleting the cushion she’d saved for the tough start ahead until the clinic brought in an income. If they hadn’t threatened to hurt Allaina, she’d have told them to kiss off. She would never put her daughter at risk. Not if she could help it.
There had to be something she could do about the threat, but if she went to the police Allie would be killed. She could find Ryan. Show up on his doorstep and demand he help her protect their daughter. A daughter he didn’t know existed. Or she could turn to his powerful cousin, Devin, who would scare the Bejesus out of them with his magic. If she told him about it, but she had wanted to handle this herself. Too late for that. There was no other choice, even though she hated asking anyone–especially a man, even one she loved as family–for help.
The appearance of Ryan’s cousin shortly before Liv and Jack married altered her way of seeing the world. Science was only a sliver of hope compared to the wonders she’d seen him accomplish. Devin McLoch, a former jewel thief, now gentle wizard turned his crafty nature towards teaching Allie how not only to control her magical abilities, but twist and use them to help those in need.
Kate stepped out into the hall and locked her office door before going to the front desk. “What do the afternoon appointments look
Similar Books
