Iris Johansen - Dark Rider

She wanted to believe him, she realized with disgust. He had hated her father, and yet she still loved Jared and wanted to trust in him. It sickened her that even after Papa's death she continued to betray him.

"Go away." She ran past Bradford to where Lani sat in the window seat.

Lani's eyes were glittering with tears, and she held out her arms to Cassie. Cassie went into them, giving comfort for comfort. Lani had loved her father. Lani understood the pain.

She heard Bradford's soft voice above her. "He's telling the truth, Cassie."

But Bradford loved Jared and therefore could not be trusted either.

"We'll come back in the morning," Jared said. "I hope by then you'll have had time to realize I wouldn't lie to you." He paused. "Don't worry about your safety. Guillaume will be on guard outside the pension tonight in case Cambre returns. He's a short man, with a potbelly. If anyone of any other description approaches you, run to Guillaume."

When Cassie didn't reply, Jared muttered something beneath his breath before calling, "Come on, Bradford."

"Wait," Lani said. "Where are you going?"

Jared didn't answer immediately. "Guillaume will provide us beds in his pension."

"But you won't use them. You're going to kill Cambre," Lani said. "Not tonight. No more death tonight. We have enough to bear."

Jared remained silent.

"Do you hear me? No more horror. No more violence. Let us have this night to mourn."

"Very well," Jared finally agreed. "But I make no promises after tonight."

"If this beast killed Charles, I'll not ask you to hold your hand. Now, leave us."

"Lani, I'll stay if you need me," Bradford said.

"We don't need you," Lani said coldly. "You do not mourn."

Bradford sighed, and then Cassie heard his heavy footsteps cross the room. The door closed behind the two men.

"Lani…" Cassie whispered.

"Shh… I know." Lani's arms tightened around her. "First we will weep for our loss, and then we will remember Charles."

"Remember?" How could she think of anyone else at this moment?

"No, that's not what I meant. We will talk of times we loved him the most." Lani kissed her forehead. "It will help us heal."

"I don't-I can't talk right now."

"Yes, you can. I'll start and you'll follow." Her tears were falling now and her voice trembled. "But not now. I cannot speak now."

It was not until several hours later that the tears ceased and Lani's words began to flow. "Did you know I met Charles on the beach the day after my father and mother died?"

"No." Cassie had never questioned the circumstances of Lani's arrival in her life. First she had been too filled with resentment, and later it was as if Lani had always been there. "Your parents died together?"

"They were killed in the great storm when a tree branch fell on our dwelling. We were very loving together, and I was filled with sorrow, as we are now." She gazed unseeingly out of the window. "Charles had heard of their deaths, and he came to me. He didn't know me or my parents, but he could see I was mourning. He stayed with me all day and spoke gently and held my hand in comfort. Clara always said he wanted only my body, but that was not true. Later passion came to him, but that day he wanted to give kindness. He came every day for the next month and gradually I healed. I've always been grateful to him for giving me those days." She smiled reminiscently. "So I decided to give him something in return. He was shocked and filled with shame when I seduced him. He kept mumbling about my being a mere child. He was the child. He needed care and loving." She ended simply, "He needed me."

"Yes, he did… always."

"He was kind to you also," Lani prompted.

Cassie no longer needed encouragement; she suddenly realized she did want to talk about Papa. Yet there was no single incident, as Lani had related. Just bits and pieces of care and kindness, the little presents he had given her, the many times he had hidden her from Clara's wrath. "He gave me Kapu. Do you remember that night, Lani? They were going to kill him, but I would never have let it happen. I was planning on stealing him and running away. Papa tried to comfort me, but I couldn't stop crying. He was very upset when he left the cottage." She paused, thinking of his return. "But when he came back, he had Kapu. He had given the king four of his favorite paintings and paid six of Kamehameha's warriors to rope and lead Kapu up the hills and put him in the stable." It was all coming back to her now. "And there was the morning Mama died. You weren't there then, but I think you would have liked Mama. She was always gentle and sweet, and she loved Papa more than anything. Papa cried when she died, but he came to me later and held me and told me she was with the angels. I believed him because she was like an angel herself…"

The reminiscences flowed in an endless stream for both of them as the hours passed. When there finally seemed no more to say, they undressed and lay down in the big four-poster bed, exhausted.

"Do you feel better?" Lani asked after a long silence.

Cassie felt weary, drained, but perhaps that was the beginning of healing. "Yes."

"You were very cruel to Jared tonight."

"I don't want to talk about Jared."

"Do you truly doubt him?"

She had to doubt him. She wanted too desperately to believe him. Now that the first tearing pain had lessened, she could remind herself that Jared didn't lie, but what if this was the exception? "There's no proof he didn't kill my father."

"There's no proof he did. Perhaps tomorrow we will know more." Lani closed her eyes, and her words were beginning to slur. "It's all very strange… It's not fair to judge without…"

Lani was asleep.

Cassie stared into the darkness. She had thought she was exhausted enough to sleep, but she was still wide-awake.

There's no proof.

No proof Jared was not a murderer, no proof Cambre had done the deed, not even proof of her father's death. A man died and was thrown into the river like a piece of garbage, and vanished as if he had never lived. The thought brought the tears stinging again, and she willed them back. The time for weeping was past. Tears would not bring her father to life or avenge his death.

Vengeance.

The thought came out of nowhere, and yet it brought no surprise. Her father had been murdered, his life carelessly tossed away. She felt a sudden flare of rage, and for the first time, she fully understood Jared's quest for retribution. A wave of unbearable pain washed over her, mixing with the anger, as she wondered if that very quest had taken her father's life.

But there was no proof. Jared could have been telling the truth. It could have been Cambre.

But if Jared killed Cambre, she would never know.

She stiffened as she realized there was no doubt Jared would kill Raoul Cambre tomorrow. He had searched and found and would now execute. She would be forced to sit here and wait as he destroyed both Cambre and any hope she had of knowing what had occurred that night by the Seine.

She could not allow him to do it. She had to talk to Cambre first. She had to confront him, accuse him and watch his response. Perhaps then she would be certain of his guilt.

If he was guilty, such a meeting would be very dangerous.

Why was she hesitating? The risk was minimal compared to the prospect of living her life forever unsure if Jared had killed her father.

She glanced at Lani before carefully edging across the bed and from beneath the covers.

Lani did not stir.

Silently, Cassie dressed in her riding trousers, shirt, and jacket, but Lani was in such a deep sleep, she doubted if she would have heard her anyway. She started toward the window, then stopped and retraced her steps to the portmanteau.