Love Most Inconvenient Read online

  “I’m a doctor,” Mark said hastily as they propelled the dead weight forward. His brother opened the back door of his car and shoved the man in.

  “He’s sick, passed out in the kitchen,” Frankie called. He crawled in with the body and told Mark to get into the car.

  Once Mark got behind the wheel and closed the door, he broke out in a sweat. “Oh God, oh God, oh God.”

  The cook yelled out something about the police again.

  The man in the parking lot threw away his cigarette and raced to his truck.

  “Oh my God, oh my God,” Mark tried to put the key in the ignition, but his hand was shaking too much. “Did we kill him?”

  “No, and will you stop saying, oh God, oh God? Just drive. I’ll tie his wrists in case he wakes up. You take him out to the camp.”

  “Me? Me take him to the camp?”

  “Yeah, you. I can’t. If he presses charges, I could do time. He won’t press charges against you.”

  “Why in the hell not?”

  “You’re a doctor. Doctors don’t go to jail.”

  “I’m not a fucking doctor. I’m a vet, damn it! What do you expect me to do with him at the lake, drown him?”

  “Of course not, just talk to him.”

  “You know, I really resent this,” Mark bellowed, punching the steering wheel. “You set me up. You intended this all along.”

  “You’re the levelheaded one, the one with the fancy education. You can talk to him. He’ll listen to you. He thinks I’m an uneducated hick. Now drive, will you?”

  Mark finally managed to turn the key in the ignition and put his foot on the gas. He drove away from the curb, his eyes on the rear mirror. “What in hell did you have to hit him for?”

  “How were we going to get him out of there?”

  “You said we were just going to talk to him.”

  “I lied.”

  “What did you give him? What did you have in that syringe?”

  “Something to knock him out, that’s all.”

  “Do you even know what it is? You stole it, didn’t you? It’s illegal.”

  “Don’t stress. They’ll never miss it.”

  “Is he bleeding?”

  “A little. He’s going to have one hell of a headache when he wakes up, but he’ll be fine.”

  “What is that drug exactly? Are there any side effects? Could he have a concussion, go into a coma, or…?”

  “Mark, stop asking so many damn questions? He’ll live.”

  “Well, I want to know what to tell the judge before they pass sentence.”

  “Stop it, you won’t be telling the judge anything. He’s not going to go to the police. He’s the guilty party. You’ll talk to him, get him to do the right thing by our sister, and then let him go.”

  “And what if he wakes up … or worse, doesn’t wake up at all?”

  “He’ll wake up in a few hours. Stop feeling guilty. I gave him plenty of chances. When Julie called this guy and told him she was pregnant, he said some horrible things to her, basically told her she was on her own. And I called him three times on the phone and left messages. He never returned any of them. Once he did answer, he told me where to get off when he knew it was me, and he hung up on me. Now, the minute he saw us, he tried to attack us.”

  “I don’t deny that he’s a creep, Frankie. I … I don’t think this is the way to…”

  “Trust me. It will work out.”

  “Did you tie him up good?” Mark asked nervously.

  “Yes, and if you don’t want him running off on you, you better tie him up damn good and tight once you get there, because this guy is big. He’s like six foot three, and all muscle, and from the size of that bump on his head, he’s going to be pissed. Okay, pull over,” Frankie told him. “Let me off here.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To the pool hall.”

  “Great.” Mark pulled over suddenly. “You play pool while I kidnap someone.”

  “Make sure he gets the message. I’m depending on you to do this right, Mark,” Frankie said. “It’s for Julie.”

  His head was spinning. “Okay. I’ll try to talk some sense into this guy over the weekend, and hope to God he’s not into pressing charges.”

  Frankie got out of the car. “I told you, he won’t press charges.”

  When Mark was alone on the highway, he tried not to give in to that nagging little voice asking what in hell he was doing. He switched it off and tried to justify what he was doing. He thought about his sister. She was important to him. She didn’t deserve to be treated like this. This guy in the back seat had told her he loved her, slept with her, then when he found out she was pregnant, told her he never wanted to see her again. And to add insult to injury, he’d fired her. He had to try to get this guy to listen to reason, not only for Julie’s sake, but for Frankie’s. It was better he did this, than Frankie, who could lose his temper completely and do something crazy. Maybe Christopher Hawkins was as scared as Julie was. A baby was a big responsibility; or maybe he was just an irresponsible prick. Whichever he was, at the very least, he should be made to acknowledge his responsibility.

  “It will all be okay,” Mark told himself. When this guy found out why he’d done what he did, he’d understand. He’d probably do the same thing for his own sister. It wasn’t as if he intended to hurt him. He just wished Frankie hadn’t gotten so carried away. If he had stayed calm, maybe they could have talked to this guy at the diner and then left.

  A half hour later, Mark was opening the back door of Frankie’s car in front of his parents’ cottage. He pulled the unconscious man from the car, and half dragged him inside. He was heaving from the exertion when he finally managed to get him onto the bed. He pulled the man’s legs apart and tied his ankles tightly to the bedposts, then lifted his arms and tied each wrist securely. “There, you won’t get away until you hear what I have to say,” he muttered, separating the dark hair and checking the gash on his head. It was still bleeding a little. He went to the bathroom and got a wet washcloth. He applied a bit of pressure on the wound. He wasn’t sure which had done the worse damage, the brass knuckles or the door.

  Satisfied that the wound was going to be okay, he stood back and looked at him, trying to calm the trembling in his gut. This man wasn’t at all the kind of man he would have pictured Julie with. She usually went for those skinny kids with their pants below their underwear and their hair streaked orange. This was no skinny kid. He had a gorgeous face, square jaw, one of those dark shadows that was always a turn-on, and the way he was lying there shirtless was pretty provocative; great chest, well-muscled and sculpted, muscular biceps, and not exactly poverty-stricken when it came to the equipment between the thighs. He seemed way too much man for his sister.

  When the sun went down, Mark took the bag of supplies he’d brought with him out of the car trunk, and made himself some supper. He’d been writing down various versions of what he would say to Christopher Hawkins when he was conscious. When he heard a deep groan, he froze. Dear God, he was waking up. His hands started to shake.

  Mark stood up and walked slowly to the bedroom. He tried to tell himself he had to play tough. He’d even put a bit of scare into him if he had to. He cleared his voice and walked into the room, squaring his jaw.

  “What in the fuck!” The man on the bed pulled furiously against his constraints, glaring at him. “Untie me right now.”

  “You … you won’t get loose,” Mark said hesitantly, keeping his distance. “I’m pretty good at tying knots.”

  “Who in the hell are you? Why did you hit me? What did you stick me with?”

  “I don’t think it was anything that will leave any permanent damage, although it wouldn’t hurt for guys like you with your lack of morals to be impotent.”

  “Impotent!” His eyes widened. “What did you give me again?”

  “Don’t worry about that. We need to talk.”

  “Answer my question, who in the fuck are you? Who do you
work for?”

  “I’m a veterinarian. You must know who I am now?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Why in the fuck would I? I don’t even have a cat.”

  “There’s no need to be hostile, to swear at me like that.”

  “What are you, some kind of crazy missionary?”

  “I just want to talk to you about Julie.”

  “Who in the hell is Julie?” He pulled against the ropes again.

  Mark took a step backwards. He could see the muscles straining across his chest, in his biceps. He was really pissed. He hoped to hell he would calm down. “You’re wasting your strength. I’ll release you eventually when you’re prepared to listen to reason.”

  “Reason? What reason? This defies all reason. I’m going to kick your ass.”

  “Let’s say it was your sister,” Mark said, trying to keep his voice controlled, swallowing the fear.

  “I don’t have a sister,” he growled. “And your sister isn’t going to have a brother when I get done with you. What in hell do you want? Do you have any fucking idea how much trouble you’re in?”

  “I’m sure you’ll forget all about this after we talk.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it.”

  “There are consequences to having sex.” Mark walked over and looked down at him. You told her you loved her. She’s heartbroken. And there’s the baby. What do you intend on doing about the baby?”

  “Baby?” he mouthed. “I don’t know this Julie, and I certainly don’t know anything about a baby. You got the wrong guy.”

  Mark sighed and shook his head. “I expected a lot of things, but I never thought you’d sink this low. Now you’re saying you don’t even know her? She worked for you.”

  “She never worked for me. I work by myself. Who in the hell do you think I am?” He winced. “Shit, my head hurts. What did you hit me with?”

  “You hit yourself with the door and … there were some brass knuckles. I didn’t hit you, my brother did, and you’re lucky he’s not here right now. He wouldn’t have used them if you hadn’t tried to attack us. As soon as you saw us, you knew who we were, and—”

  “I’ve never seen you before in my life, you or that other hothead.”

  “I’m sure Julie showed you pictures.”

  “Julie didn’t show me fuck all nothing. Hell, I don’t even know a Julie!”

  “You’re getting hostile again. I’m not going to talk to you if you don’t talk nice.”

  “Nice?”

  “I’ll put some ice on your head, and—”

  “Don’t touch me. You’re nuts. Listen,” he said, looking like he was trying to get ahold of his temper, “just let me go. I won’t kill you, and I won’t haul your ass to jail, okay?”

  “Your jaw is clenched.”

  “Fuck,” he growled. “Come on, guy, please.” He pulled against the constraints again. “I really got to go. I was just in the middle of … something important.”

  “The diner will wait. This is more important.”

  He sighed. “The diner? I don’t work at the diner.”

  “Another story, Christopher?”

  “Dane. My name is Dane.”

  “So, Dane,” Mark mocked, “what other names do you use to seduce poor, unsuspecting young women? You know, the more I know about you, the less I like you.”

  “The feeling is mutual, believe me. And I don’t seduce poor, unsuspecting young women.”

  “So, just for the sake of allowing you to weave your fairy tales, what were you doing then, if not managing the restaurant?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Here, let’s prove who you are. Where’s your driver’s license?” Mark patted the pockets of his pants.

  “I don’t have any ID on me, and watch the hands.”

  “Why don’t you have ID?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “You are a bad liar, Christopher.”

  “My name is not Christopher. I told you, it’s Dane. Do I look like a Christopher to you?”

  “You don’t look like the kind of man my sister would go for either, but miraculously, she’s pregnant.”

  “Yes, it is a miracle. And if I don’t look like the kind of guy your sister would go for, why in the hell do you think I’m this Christopher guy?”

  “The waitress told me. And you have dark hair.”

  “Oh, well then,” he sneered, “there you go. I have dark hair. That’s certainly enough evidence to convict me.”

  “I can’t talk to you this way. And believe me,” Mark pointed at him, “we are going to talk. I’m pretty pissed at you, you know.”

  “Apparently so, and do you want a news flash, I’m pretty pissed at you too.”

  Mark sighed. “I’ll get something for your head. Wait here.”

  “Is that a joke? Where in hell do you think I’m going to go? And don’t bother. I told you, I don’t want you touching me.”

  “Try to be nice,” Mark said, going into the bathroom and coming back with a damp cloth.

  “Be nice? Be nice?” he mocked. “You have me tied up here like a Thanksgiving turkey, calling me by some strange name and going on about some girl I never heard of, and you want me to be nice?”

  “You’re yelling. There is no reason to yell. All I want is for you to accept your responsibility. My sister is pregnant.”

  He sighed. “If I do accept this responsibility, will you untie me?”

  “When I say all I have to say, and if you’re sincere.”

  “What are you, a preacher?”

  “I’ll ignore that comment. Look, even if you don’t want to marry her, you could at least offer to help with the baby.”

  “Fine, I’ll send a baby gift, will that make you happy?”

  “Don’t you care? It’s your son, or daughter. It could be twins.”

  “Holy Christ, now they’re twins. Look, just call your sister. Get her over here … where in hell are we anyway?”

  “She doesn’t know I took you out here. She wouldn’t approve.”

  “What a shocker. Most people don’t approve of kidnapping and assault.”

  “I’m not kidnapping you, and you weren’t assaulted.”

  “This bump on my God damned head says different.”

  “It was self-defense. And you are not a prisoner. When I find that I’ve touched some degree of sentiment in your soul, I’ll release you.”

  The man on the bed closed his eyes. “My soul now? Okay, you’ve touched my soul. I didn’t mean it. I’ll, ah … do anything … say anything … just, untie me, let me go. I was so close. I almost had what I wanted and then you…”

  “You have to learn to think of others sometimes. Not everything is all about you and what’s between your legs. I’m going to leave you alone to think about that for awhile.”

  “No, don’t. Don’t leave me. Listen, tell me more about Julie … please. Ah, does she want to keep the baby?”

  “I don’t know. A lot of that will depend on you. Are you willing to help her? It’s a big sacrifice on her part.?”

  “Right. Okay. I’ll write a check but you have to untie me.”

  “You think throwing money at this will solve the problem?”

  “Yes. No … I…” He sighed heavily. “I don’t know. What’s your name?”

  “You know my name.”

  “Remind me. I’m forgetful.”

  “Mark.”

  “Mark, please, listen to me. I am not this guy. I am not this insensitive ingrate who knocked up your sister and then pretended not to know her.”

  “There,” Mark said, smiling. “We’re getting somewhere. Go on.”

  “That’s it. I’m not him. I’d never do that for a variety of reasons. I’m the last guy who—”

  “Back to that. Fine. I have all night, all weekend.” He shook his head. “Frankie was right. You’re pathetic.”

  Chapter Three

  A string of curses rang off of Dane’s tongue as he watched that crazy guy leave the room.
How unlucky could he get? He pulled again on the ropes which encircled his wrists and ankles, and swore in frustration. It was no use. Unless he could convince this guy to release him, he was stuck here, and any chance he would have of looking in those crates was getting scarcer by the minute.

  He told himself to calm down. He was so angry he was afraid he was going to explode, and he needed to think. He was helpless to do anything tied up like this, and this Mark guy was so gung ho on getting the irresponsible jerk that had victimized his sister, he wasn’t even thinking straight. The only positive thing in this whole disaster was that he didn’t sense any malice from Mark. Dane truly believed that eventually he’d set him free, but he had to try to convince him to do that now. His best strategy, then, was to play along, to lie and admit that he was this Christopher and … Christopher Hawkins? Shit. Now that he’d calmed down a bit, he recognized that name. He was the manager of the restaurant. He was the buyer. So, it looked like good old Christopher was more than just a no-good Romeo; he was one of the guys he was looking to nail.

  “Are you hungry?” Mark asked him, walking back into the room a few minutes later.

  Dane looked at him. He did look like the reluctant abductor. He wondered who had put him up to this. Obviously the other guy, but where in hell was he? Not to mention that he was really cute, about five-ten, nice body, slender but toned, sandy blond hair, eyes were dark blue … maybe even greenish. Too bad Mark was such a lunatic, and on Dane’s “to beat the crap out of” list. “I’m fine. Look, I’ve been thinking about what you said. I shouldn’t have lied to you about Julie. I’m ashamed.” He turned his face to the side.

  “Do you love her?” Mark asked.

  “I don’t love any of those women,” he said. That wasn’t that far from the truth. Change the sex, and he was describing himself. God knows how many men he’d slept with, and he couldn’t honestly say that he had loved any of them.

  “Then you lied to her?”

  “I did. I wanted to have sex.” He looked at him.

  Mark looked as if he might hit him. He marched around the room. “That was low. She loves you. You broke her heart. I don’t understand. You are a good-looking man. Why do you have to lie to get laid?”