Page 72 of Prohibited

“Who are you calling a miscreant?” Alex said, climbing out of the car.

“You, little boss man,” said the big man. It was hard to make out his features in the dark, but Evie could see the outline of a beard and a head of what looked like wild, curly hair. He tipped his head down to greet Ryan, who took his hand. “Cousin, nice to see you–” He stopped, looking across the car at Evelyn, who couldn’t help but try to shrink into the shadows. “And who is this lovely thing you’ve got all cooped up in the back of this car?”

“That’s Evie,” said Lindsay. His head appeared in the window next to the big man, and though she couldn’t make out his face either, she could see the gleam of his teeth as he smiled.

“Evie now, is it?” Alex said with a snort.

“Evie,” said Mal. “Which one of these low lifes are you hanging around with?”

Oh, he thought she was someone’s girlfriend. Which annoyed her and also made her feel absurdly normal for a moment.

“None of them,” she said, straightening up. “I’m a nurse.” And why not? It was as good as any identity to assume now that she had the freedom to.

The men all laughed.

“Nice to make your acquaintance,” Mal said, a chuckle ringing through his voice. “Welcome, welcome.”

“I feel faint,” one of the men said behind Malcolm.

“A crick in my back–” another one said.

“I think I have a fever coming on–” another one offered.

“Shut up, all of you,” Mal said over his shoulder.

She had the hysterical urge to giggle, but stopped herself. How strange to feel normal. This normal was so far from what she’d been experiencing these last days or weeks that it felt bizarre. Even frightening. And all the while, she waited for Ryan to make a correction, to tell them that she was a prisoner and not a guest. That they should take her at once to the storm cellar. That he’d changed his mind about her.

But none of that happened. The men all shuffled back as Ryan opened the car door and stepped out. He turned and waved for Evie to follow him. Awkwardly, she scooted across the leather seat. Then, she tried to find her footing out of the car and nearly fell face first onto the gravel.

She would have, if Ryan hadn’t caught her. It was all over in a flurry and a flash, but for one single moment, they were eye to eye. His body was as still as her, his breath caged inside of his chest just like hers.

Then he was releasing her and a couple of the other men came forward, proclaiming their concern, asking her if she was okay. Lindsay waved them off and they gave her some room with some rude gestures and some taunts.

Lindsay just chuckled weakly and put his good hand on her elbow. “Watch your step.”

“A little late for that.” Though he likely couldn’t see her expression too well, she scowled at him. “Let’s get you up to bed. You’re faint as a daisy.”

“If you insist, Nurse Evie.” The gentle tease in his voice made her stomach flutter, filled her with a warmth that made her feel silly and giddy all at once. It was a different feeling than Ryan gave her, but one that was just as pleasurable and just as intense. It just had a softer quality to it. Something she wanted to curl herself around and warm herself by. The touch of his gentle fingers at the back of her arm gave her a very distinct tingle of pleasure that made her bite down on her lower lip to keep herself from smiling.

“How’s our patient, Nurse Dolly?” Alex was suddenly on the other side of Lindsay.

She licked her lower lip. “He’s fine, but he’d be doing better if we could get him up to–”

“Got you good, didn’t they?” Malcolm planted his feet and folded his arms, blocking the way of their progress.

“Just a little bite,” Lindsay said, voice tired.

“Don’t worry, we’ll give them a big bite,” Malcolm said, gruffly. And though Malcolm’s voice was distinctly deeper, there was still a similarity in the way they spoke, the pattern of speech.

“This, Evie, is my oldest brother, Malcolm.” Lindsay nodded toward the huge man. Though Evie couldn’t very wellmake out his features in the low light, she had no trouble believing this was the case.

Malcolm clasped her small hand in his huge one, totally engulfing it, before he turned and led the way up to the cabin.

Though she couldn’t see him, she could hear the heavy crunch of Ryan’s boots against the ground just behind her. The urge to turn her head and look at him nearly throttled her, but she bit her lip and kept on walking.

The very strange and unsettling thought occurred to her as they walked up to the house that Tommy should be where she was. If not for his death, she wouldn’t be here. He would be the fourth in this motley crew. The four men would be going about their business as usual. But he was dead, and now they had to settle for her. The thought put an ache in her throat, and she swallowed it down like a rock, hard and angled. The shadowy sketch of him hovered at the edge of her mind and she resisted the urge to look behind her. This time, not to look for Ryan, but to look for his lost brother, a specter in the dark.

A tingle passed down the back of her neck and she reprimanded herself. Ghosts weren’t real. And even if they were, she would promise that ghost that she would do what she already planned to do–help them take their revenge on Walter Stanley.