Tipping Point (8 page)

C
ONFESSIONS AND
C
OMBUSTION

Mackenzie grabbed her cell, experiencing the same fluttering sensation she had earlier as she dialled Neil’s cell phone.

“Mac?” She laughed.

“Yeah, it’s me. I guess you weren’t expecting anyone else, huh? Are you at home now?”

“Sure am. I take it you’ve finally made it home for the night yourself?” Mac practically groaned in relief now that she really was done for the day and could enjoy this conversation.

“I am, thankfully. It’s been a very long, very trying day. We just got here last night from Hamilton. I didn’t get much sleep because I had to be up early enough to run errands today, and I don’t usually sleep at night. Between the psycho kid with his nefarious intentions, and having to run down to Gravenhurst to get Kirk and Leigh fuelled up, I didn’t manage to get as much done as I intended to.

“The upshot is that we now have four hands to do the work instead of two, so hopefully things will go pretty quick now.” It was weird to her that she could talk to him like this, as a kind of how-was-your-day type deal, but she felt comfortable with him for some reason.

“Fill me in on the details with Gerry. I think if I know what happened I can talk to his dad and maybe calm the situation down. His dad won’t take kindly to that sort of behaviour from his son.”

She’d already told him the highlights, but she filled him in on the rest of the details. It didn’t take long, since it had all happened so fast.

“Hence the quick attachment to your new knife,” he finished for her.

“Yup. It really is a pretty little thing. Doesn’t have the range of a firearm, but it would make an impression if needed.”

“Would I be off the mark if I guessed you were equipped to handle yourself there as well?”

“You’d be right on the mark. I can handle that kind of equipment very well.” It wasn’t until she heard the teasing humming sound from him that she realized what she’d said, and what he had inferred from it aside from firearms.

“Uh, well, that too I suppose,” she said, just to tease him back.

“I’m not sure I should run any further down that line of thought tonight. Might be more than I can handle. It’s the one kind of imagination I’ve got.” Mac laughed softly.

“Okay, I might let you off the hook if you talk about yourself for a little while. You’ve learned a lot about me already, and I hardly know you at all it seems.”

“That’s fair. Well, I’m forty-five. Just the one kid, and you’ve already met Billy. Never married, though I wasn’t afraid of it. More that I was afraid of it with the wrong woman. Worked as a machinist for a number of years, but I didn’t like working for other people.

“Billy started getting into mild trouble at school about eight years ago, and I was fed up with letting his mother get away with not doing any actual parenting. Diane kept getting married over and over, hoping someone would take care of her, instead of taking care of Billy.

“When I told her I wanted full custody, she didn’t even question it. Just told him to pack a bag. Pissed me off, to be frank. No one should be like that with their own kid. She wasn’t like that when we met, but shortly after she had Billy something happened. We lived in Vancouver for a while, and we weren’t in the best neighbourhood. Some thugs broke in while I was at work, and Diane was home with the baby. They trashed everything that wasn’t fit to sell, and stole everything that was.

“What I didn’t find out until later was that they beat her while she was tied up, to force her to tell them where we kept our non-existent valuables. Her face was fine, and she hadn’t told me or the cops that part, so I didn’t find out until I grabbed her wrist a couple days later and she freaked out.

“I guess Billy was pretty much screaming the entire time they were there, so every time she heard him cry after that she couldn’t stand to go near him. I had to put him in daycare while I worked, because it was like she hated him. I felt bad for her. It tore me up that I hadn’t been able to protect her, and at the time I loved her. The damage was done, though.

“I stayed, and tried to help her, but she’d had a very sheltered life up to that point and just didn’t have the coping mechanisms. Diane started hating me because I hadn’t been there to protect her. She said she’d never feel safe with me again, and she left. Billy was with me for a couple of years before she asked for joint custody, but she was never a real mother to him again. I tried to understand, but when you’re a parent you have to do what it takes to be there for your kid.”

“I’m so sorry. Some people never get over being violated, whatever form it takes, and it’s extremely difficult for people to watch a loved one go through it. You have to bury your own anger and pain for their sake, but from what you’ve said you did everything that could possibly be done. Her recovery was never your responsibility. She has to do that herself.”

“When you told me about Gerry, I felt pretty much the same thing. The fact that you were able to handle yourself is a big relief to me, and yet I want to go after him because I don’t think his nature is going to improve over the years. One day, if he hasn’t already, he’s going to seriously hurt someone. A woman more than likely. You said you’re going to the OPP station in Huntsville tomorrow?”

“Yeah. If I don’t talk to them now, they’re going to come looking for me, so I might as well get it over with. I probably got him fired by sending that message to his boss. I doubt she would find it acceptable for an employee to follow a customer home.” Neil gave a small chuckle.

“Probably not, no. Not real good for business. So, why don’t you tell me your life story, since I’ve told you the highlights of mine. Bet ya didn’t think you were gonna get a whole book worth when you asked,” he added.

“I’m glad you told me as much as you did. I want to hear about your life. Hard to get to know someone otherwise.” As much as she hated discussing her past, it would always come down to trust. It came a lot easier this time.

She filled him in on the family she had walked away from, and the two ex-husbands she hoped he didn’t judge her for, or worse, compare her to Billy’s mother. She told him about having her daughter when she was seventeen, and gave a glossed-over view of the mental problems of her daughter’s birth father.

She waited for his verdict.

“There’s only one thing I really want to know right now,” he said softly.

“Yes?”

“When can I see you?” Mac took all of three seconds to consider her response.

“As soon as possible...if you tell me where, and when you can be there.” She could hear him suck in his breath.

“Jesus Mac. I’ll see you right now if you want. Look, I’m south of Rosseau. I don’t know what direction you’re in, but maybe if we’re close enough...” He trailed off. This was where the real trust began, and she hadn’t even known him for half a day.

“I’m near Rosseau Falls, Neil. You’d never find my place even if I gave you the address. I’d have to give you GPS coordinates, and even then I’d have to meet you out at the damn-near-abandoned road that leads to my driveway. I’m really paranoid,” she explained with a laugh.

“Good. It’ll keep you safe. In the meantime, what do you wanna bet that we’re neighbours. Probably within walking distance.”

When he told her where he lived, she just laughed.

“I’m so glad I didn’t take that bet. I wonder if we share a property line. I’m pretty sure we’re back-to-back here, though I wouldn’t want to travel through that way in the middle of the night, not knowing exactly where I was going.”

“We’re really that close then?”

“We are. If you really want to come see me, I’ll tell you how to get here. What do you think?”

“I think I’m already there.” She gave him directions, brushed her teeth, put on her sandals, and headed out the door. She could hear Cameron calling out behind her, so she turned around.

“I’m just going to the road. Neil’s going to be here in a minute.”

“Are you kidding me? Just like that?”

“We probably would have run into him anyway. Turns out we’re neighbours.” For the second time that day, Cam’s mouth hung open. Not the most becoming expression, of course, but Mac was enjoying it. She’d been far too predictable for years now, so when the opportunity came to give her daughter a bit of a jolt, she just couldn’t resist.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I guess it’s not that surprising. We’re both into the whole prepping thing, so I’m sure he was looking for the same things that we were looking for, when he bought his property. Anyway, I have to get out there or he’s going to drive right by it. I’ll be back in a bit and you can meet him. Then you can judge for yourself if I’m crazy or not.”

“Mom, I already know you’re crazy. This is not news. I’m just wondering what happened to your lovable cynicism.” Mac smirked and stepped outside.

She made it out to the tree and leaned against it, waiting for his lights to appear so she could flag him down. When he got there, she stepped out. He stopped the car and got out. She walked straight to him. When she was a foot away his right hand came up to brush her cheek.

“Yup, still beautiful,” he said. She stepped a little closer, feeling the heat radiating from his body. His thumb just barely grazed her bottom lip, and she inched forward again.

“I think maybe you should try doing that with something else.” His left eyebrow shot up at the multiple implications.

“I guess I’ll try this for now.” His left arm slid around her waist and he lowered his head very, very slowly. Mac stood on her toes and pressed herself full length against him. He groaned hoarsely and covered her mouth with his. Mac whimpered as a spear of heat pierced her through the middle.

Within seconds she was reduced to a mass of seared nerve endings. His tongue slid against hers while his lips moulded hers with pure heat. His erection pressing against her made her writhe. Finally she remembered the cameras, and had to pull away, panting.

“We’re probably being watched right now. I’ve got night-vision cameras on the gate. We cannot keep doing this here.” Neil swallowed, nodded, and then rested his forehead against hers.

“Yeah, okay. If there’s a time and place where we
can
keep doing this, though, you gotta let me know, because I am
there
.” Mac let out a weak laugh.

“You and me both,” she said hoarsely, trying to resist the temptation to start using her mouth on his neck.

“Give me a second to get the gate open, and then you can pull your car into the driveway.” He looked around.

“Concealed, huh?”

“You know it. You’re gonna love this, cowboy.” She slid behind the tree to put her thumb on the plate, and then heard his low whistle as he watched the bushes split and swing backward. She stepped back out to his car.

“After you,” she said, gesturing to the driveway.

“You
are
good, honey. And I do mean that in every possible way.” With that he got back in his car and pulled through the gate. She followed him through and waited for them to close. This was not the time to take a chance. Well, any
more
chances, she amended mentally.

Neil stopped his car and waited for her to catch up. She leaned in his open window to talk to him for a second. Before she could speak, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her deeply once again. She was straining to get at him through the door by the time he released her mouth. It took her a moment to remember what she’d been planning to say.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to drive up, or we could walk part of the way. I was thinking it would give me a chance to catch my breath and cool down a bit, but now I’ve got serious doubts about that.”

Neil just laughed and indicated the passenger seat with his head. She sauntered around the hood of his car, and slid in beside him. She closed the door and buckled her seatbelt out of habit, which made him laugh again.

“How fast did you think I was planning to go on this driveway of yours, Mac? It’s not exactly conducive to top-fuel, funny-car racing.” She smiled at her actions.

“Habit, of course, but you never know. You’re pretty slick.” His smile slipped into a more sober expression.

“Mac, about that? I sure as hell can’t lie and say I don’t want you something fierce, but I want the whole package, not just sex.” He turned to look her directly in the eye. Her breath caught once again.

“Neil, are you having as hard a time as I am, remembering that we only met about ten hours ago?”

“Pretty much, but I don’t care either. It is what it is, and I’m not interested in pretending it’s not. The second I walked out of that room today and saw you standing there with that irritated look on your face, you snapped front and centre for me. I just wanted you to know that.”

“The way you looked at me did something to me. I’m the cautious type these days, so it’s hard for me to trust, but it seems to be a lot easier with you.”

“Okay, let’s go see your daughter before she loses her mind and thinks I’m attacking or abducting you.” Mackenzie gave a rueful chuckle and took his hand as soon as he’d shifted back into drive.

He pulled in behind the BMW a minute later, and Mac saw that he’d been right about Cameron. She was waiting in the doorway, poised like an avenging angel. Mac got out of Neil’s car and approached her.

“Jesus, Cam. You don’t have to defend my honour. Get back in the house so we can come in too.” As soon as they were all in the open space, Mackenzie turned to Neil.

“Neil, I’d like you to meet my ornery and cynical offspring, Cameron. Cameron, this is Neil, who likes to play with sharp objects.” Neil choked out a laugh and extended his hand to Cam.

“Nice to meet you, oh ornery and cynical one.” Cameron gave a reluctant smile and accepted the offer of a handshake.

“Same here. Nice to see you’re still able to shake hands with a habit as dangerous as yours.” Neil grinned at her response.

“Alright you two. You’ve met. Are we all happy? Cam?” Cameron rolled her eyes and moved further into the open space.

“I’m afraid we’re not exactly set up here yet, so things are kind of a disaster at the moment. Not that I’m any kind of neat freak or anything, but this isn’t the building we’re going to be living in. The other one isn’t up yet. Not that it’ll be any prettier from the outside, since it’s the same sort of building, but it will be a lot bigger.