Chapter Twenty-three
Maura was lost in her thoughts as she steered the ranch truck into the parking lot of Gino’s Bar.
“Willow, you stay here. This won’t take long, and then we can go home.” She wasn’t sure where home was anymore, especially now that Aidan had betrayed her. The pain in her heart solidified her resolve. She wanted answers, and she was going to get them one way or another. She owed it to the child she carried.
She stepped inside the dark bar, lit only by a few lights around the bar and over the single pool table in the corner. It took a moment or two for her eyes to adjust. And when they did, it didn’t take her long to locate her husband. It was hard to miss his bulky frame or the willowy dark-haired beauty in his arms.
Unshed tears burned her eyes. This was much worse than she could have imagined. Her husband was not only greedy and a liar, he was a cheat too.
She watched a moment longer because she couldn’t look away. It was as if she couldn’t believe what her eyes were showing her. But the man she loved, the man she had given her heart to, the man whose child she carried in her belly, was making love to another woman on the dance floor.
That was the only way she could describe what was taking place. Their bodies touched—everywhere. The woman’s hands roaming over Aidan as if he belonged to her.
It was obvious they knew each other well. And then realization struck Maura like a bolt of lightning out of the clear blue sky.
“Beth Chaplin.” She choked on the words.
She turned to leave when a familiar voice spoke to her from the darkness.
“That’s right, Maura. It’s Beth Chaplin. Aidan’s old lover. Although not so old, from the looks they are giving each other on the dance floor, wouldn’t you say?”
Maura wanted to leave before Aidan spotted her.
“Get out of my way, Tommy. This isn’t your affair.” She tried to push past him, but he blocked her path.
“Affair. What an appropriate choice of words. Who knew you were so smart? But as you can see, you hit the nail on the head. Aidan still loves Beth so I would think it’s obvious your days as his wife are numbered. Why don’t you make it easy on everyone and leave on your own accord? You can see his interests are—elsewhere.”
“Again, Tommy. None of your business. Now move out of my way before I—"
“What? Make a scene? You would have already done that if that was your intention in coming here. What were you hoping to accomplish here, Maura? Were you hoping to convince Aidan to love you?” He sneered at her.
She tried to push past him again, but he gripped her arm, preventing her from leaving without making an attention-getting commotion. And she really wanted to avoid detection.
“Maura, I thought I made it clear the other day when we talked there’s nothing that happens between you and Aidan that I don’t know. He tells me everything. And I know you and he don’t sleep together. At least not since your wedding night. Now, does that sound like a man who is in love with his wife?”
Maura’s stomach felt sick. It wasn’t the baby this time. Aidan talked about her—to Tommy? Did he talk about their lovemaking to his other friends too? Dear God, it was disgusting to even think about.
“We do sleep together, Tommy. Every single night, Aidan—"
“You know what I’m saying, Maura. I know for a fact that other than your honeymoon, and who can blame a guy for taking what’s offered, Aidan hasn’t slept with you, in the biblical sense, that is.”
Maura was beyond insulted. She was livid. “How dare you—?”
“What? Talk to you like that? Come on, Maura. You and Aidan got married because of your parents’ business arrangement. That’s it. You hate him. He hates you.”
“That’s not true. Aidan and I—” She stopped short, afraid to expose herself to this man who obviously wanted her out of the picture. But why?
“What were you going to say, Maura? That you and Aidan love each other?” Tommy barked a laugh that made her skin crawl. He gripped her arm even tighter and turned her around to watch her husband and the woman he professed to love wrapped in each other’s arms.
“You see it. You know you can’t hide from that. Make it easy on all of us and leave. The only feelings Aidan has for you is his contempt at being chained to you when he could be making love with sweet Beth Chaplin.”
Maura shot another pained glance toward the couple dancing alone in the middle of the bar. Her heart was broken. She couldn’t deny it. Aidan was still very much in love with the woman dancing in his arms.
Maura jerked her arm from Tommy’s grip, stifling a sob. Tears pooled in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Her emotions were all over the place, and the stale beer and cigarettes inside the windowless bar made her sick to her stomach. She was going to be sick.
She turned and ran out of the smoky bar and into the parking lot. To her chagrin, Tommy was right behind her.
“I tried to warn you that day in town. I was giving you a chance to leave with your pride intact. But you didn’t take it, did you? Now Aidan is going to leave you for his true love—”
“Shut up, Tommy! What do you want from me? Leave me alone.” She tried to run around the corner of the bar to get throw up, but she didn’t make it. And Tommy was a witness to it all.
“What’s wrong with you? You sick or somethin’?”
Maura finished emptying the contents of her stomach and wiped at her mouth with her sweater sleeve. “You know, Tommy, for someone who thinks they are so damned smart, you aren’t very observant, are you?”
Tommy’s arrogance slipped a bit when he heard Maura’s words. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about morning sickness, Tommy. Ever heard of it?” She couldn’t help but taunt him, but she realized what she had just given away to Aidan’s best friend. She had to get out of her before Aidan decided to leave with his tramp of a girlfriend.
The look on Tommy’s face scared Maura. He looked furious. She turned away from him and headed to the spot where she parked the truck.
“Are you telling me you are pregnant?” He screamed after her.
She kept walking hoping he’d get tired of harassing her and go back inside to tell Aidan he had done his dirty work for him.
She was almost to the truck when a hand reached out and grabbed her by her hair. “Ow, stop it! Let go of me!” She tried to pull out of Tommy’s grip, but he pulled her around to face him. Fury colored Tommy’s face an ugly shade of red and Maura feared for her safety.
“Why, you manipulating bitch. Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve screwed me out of everything!” he screamed at her.
Maura had no idea what Tommy was talking about, but right now all she wanted was to get away from him. She pulled against Tommy’s vice-like grip, but she was no match for his strength, and he pulled her off into the darkness.
Maura screamed out, but the loud music from inside the bar drowned out her pleas for help. She was certain no one was going to come to her rescue when a sudden flash of blue merle fur and bared canines flashed in the dim light of the bar’s neon sign.
“Willow!” Maura screamed. She had forgotten about her four-legged companion waiting for her in the back of the pickup truck. Willow ran at Tommy in a dead run, leaping at him with all her body’s weight. She hit him square in the chest, sending him rolling to the ground. Tommy’s grip on Maura released, his attention now focused on the fiercely loyal Australian Shepherd, doing her best to protect Maura from someone who should have been their friend.
Maura fell back against someone’s car, and she took a moment to gather her wits about her. She looked around for something to use as a weapon. There was nothing, so she screamed again, hoping someone would come to her rescue.
No one did. Desperate, she picked up a rock from the parking lot and whacked Tommy on the back of the head. All that did was piss him off.
"Why, you bitch!" He grabbed her wrist and shoved her against the car while he repeatedly kicked at Willow. He got lucky when his fancy shoe kicked her in the ribs. She yelped and went rolling to the ground. He pushed her toward his car parked at the end of the row.
"Now get in the damn car, or I'll shoot the dog."
Maura stopped struggling. "You wouldn't dare. She's Aidan's dog. You are supposed to be his friend."
"I am his friend. I'm trying to save him from the likes of you. Once you are out of the picture, Aidan can sell off his land to my investors. He'll make more money than he will ever see in his lifetime. And with my commission, I can get back to the life I was meant to live.”
Willow recovered in the few seconds Maura held Tommy's attention. She sunk her teeth into Tommy's calf. He kicked her hard this time. The forty-pound dog flew through the air. She landed on her side with a thud and rolled twice before staggering to her feet, shaking herself free of the dirt and dust from the bar's parking lot. She wasn't giving up, but Maura could tell the dog was hurt.
Maura tried to pull out of Tommy's grasp. "Let her alone, Tommy. She's hurt."
Willow limped closer, growling at him through her bared teeth.
"Get in the car, or I swear as God is my witness, I will shoot her."
Tommy picked up a gun from the floor board of his car and pointed it at Willow.
"Tommy! Don't shoot her!" Maura begged.