Chapter Fifteen

Kara shot bolt upright in her bed, her heart racing. Sunlight filtered in through the curtains, it was early morning. The peace surrounding her was a stark contrast to the racing of her heart and her labored breath.

A trembling hand threw back the covers as she looked around her room. Had she been dreaming? Had there really been a strange shadow outside her window last night? Her eyes drifted towards the windows, the curtains stood undisturbed and behind them was nothing. No man, no shadow. It must have been a dream.

With a calming breath, she threw off the covers and got out of bed.

A loud clattering noise made Kara freeze. She looked down at the floor and there lay a long shiny knife. Her knife.

The one she kept in-between the bed mattresses for... for protection. A sinking feeling gathered in the pits of her belly and Kara sunk onto the bed, eyes fixated on the knife lying on the floor. She'd pulled it out last night. The shadow. It had really been there, she hadn't been dreaming.

Kara felt her throat go dry. No. They couldn't have found her so quickly. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees and forced herself to think. She couldn't stay here for much longer. If Markov found her, there was no sugar coating it. He would kill her. He can never risk one of his girls getting out and blabbing to everybody about what goes on back there. He couldn't risk the cops sniffing around and shutting his operations down.

She stood and rubbed her hands down her thighs. Even if that girl was his daughter.

Kara had long since forced herself to stop seeing Markov as her father. The first thing he'd done when she arrived, wasn't to shower her with fatherly love, it was to stick her into a waitressing position at that Rein bar to replace one of his other girls. But she should have been grateful. That place had been the least horrid compared to the things he had her doing after that. She meant nothing to him. Just another helpless girl he could make money from. Kara's fists tightened. He was crazy if he thought she'd let him drag her back there. She'd sooner stick a knife in her own foot than go back.

With a huff, Kara set about making her bed. This was it. She couldn't sit around doing nothing any longer. She needed to get away and today was the day she'd start on her plan. Everyone, besides the ranch hands, was still asleep. She would hurry down to the stables, get a few chores in, when the main house woke up, she'd go and complete her duties there too.

If she couldn't tell Celeste the truth about herself, she'd at least do what they're paying her for. Every single one of those chores would be completed by midday.

Then she would paint. Kara quickly hopped in the shower.

She loved to paint. Fell in love with it in pre-school and carried the love all through to high school. Even if she had no friends and was the target of gossip, she didn't care. Give her a brush, paint and paper and she would be in a different world. A more beautiful world where her frayed clothes and empty belly didn't exist. Where she put her heart on a paper in the most exquisite combination of colors that anybody had ever seen. It kept her alive all those years.

Until she came to France.

There was nothing she missed more.

It was twenty minutes later, bathed, fed and dressed, that Kara stepped out of her cottage and pulled the door closed behind her.

The black jeans she wore fit her snugly and she'd paired it of with a woolen top and a pair of black boots. Her breath puffed out of her mouth in little clouds of vapor as she gazed at the stretch of green land beyond her cottage. Damn, François owned a piece of heaven.

Celeste had told her that there was a river that ran down towards the east of the land which was just a little distance down the green field. Kara promised herself a trip there.

Toward the east. Kara stopped and thought. That was the direction that her bedroom window faced. With a glance behind her, he slowly made her way around her cottage.

Her heart took on a faster beat when she approached her large bedroom windows, the bathroom ones just beside it.

She studied the ground not really knowing what she was looking for. There were some leaves there and a few twigs and all the stuff you found on green grass outside. Nothing unusual.

With a resigned shrug, she backed away and headed to the stables.

Kara found Frederick there, muttering in complaint.

"Bonjour, Fred," she called with a smile. Frederick turned around.

"Aah, mademoiselle Karen. Are you, uh well this morning?"

Kara grinned. She had never heard a French accent more endearing.

"I'm well, thank you. Is everything all right?"

She pulled on a pair of gloves as Fred complained that Gordon, one of the ranch hands, just didn't know how to properly muck out the stables. The lad made a mess of everything and now Fred had to make sure that there wasn't horse poop splattered everywhere.

Kara laughed expressed her sympathy.

Fred shook his head as she got to work. The ranch hands began to trickle back in to perform duties in the horse stables and each greeted Kara respectfully, one of them even removing his hat and bowing. She blushed. They were all so sweet and friendly. The stable floors where littered with wind-blown straw and pieces of horse muck. The place didn't smell terrific, but it was a earthy smell. A combination of soil, horses and hard work.

With the broom in her hand, Kara swept across the vast stable floors. Most of the horses where out on the terrain now. Only Étoile remained along with her young colt.

Kai, one of the cuter ranch hands, was taking care of them. He sat in the straw besides Étoile and carefully brushed her coat with a hand brush. Kara knelt by his side and the colt nuzzled her cheek making her giggle.

"She likes you," Kai said to her with a smile.

Kara petted the colt. "I like her too," she said. "What's her name?"
"Lune," he said. "Her mother is the stars and she is the moon."

Kara smiled at him. His gaze rested on the horse before him as he brushed.

"You absolutely love horses, don't you?"

Kai grinned and nodded, his light brown eyes glowing with his love for horses. "I want to own a ranch like this one day. François is a great inspiration for me."

He pulled off the brush and laid it aside. "You are made for a ranch, you know?" he said. Kara frowned quizzically.

"What do you mean?"

Kai rested his muscled arms on his crossed legs and stared at her for a second.

"You have this air about you. You are... how do you say, uh... I don't know how to explain. But you are open and friendly. Easy to love. Caring and gentle. As fresh as the air of the countryside. That is why Lune likes you. Animals can tell a beautiful soul when they see one."

Kara stared at him. His compliment had so many different aspects to it, she didn't know which one to focus on, but still she was flattered.

"Thank you, Kai," she whispered. She couldn't really raise her voice high enough. She was a whole twenty-three years old and this was the first time a cute man actually genuinely complimented her. Kara didn't know whether to cry or laugh. So she just smiled at him.

"Is this what you get paid for?" demanded a deep voice. Kara jerked away from Kai and turned to the unit door. Lucas stood there looking absolutely breathtaking. And angry.

Kara felt herself turn a little mad as well. She ignored him, touched Kai's shoulder in a goodbye and walked out of Étoile's unit.

Lucas was behind her.

"Kara."

She whirled around. "Shhh! Stop calling me that," she pleaded throwing a glance around. Everybody was busy filling water trenches, carrying stuff and she sighed in relief. Besides, the ranch workers, especially the older ones like Frederick, were very wary of Lucas. They stayed clear out of his way, Kara wondered why.

"It's your name," he murmured. Kara squinted at him.

"Yeah, but nobody knows that! I'd like to keep it that way!"

Lucas lifted a brow at her tone and Kara shrunk back.

"Watch the way you speak to me," he said in a calm voice. Kara looked up at him through thick lashes. God, she was so sick of being threatened by men! He was just like the rest of them. All he wanted was to scare her and make her do whatever he said. Well, to hell with him.

She brought her hands to her hips. "What do you want? This is me working to pay you your money back so why disturb me?"

He shrugged, looking away from her. His hair was damp, she noticed when he ran a hand through it.

"Wanted to apologize," Lucas muttered.

He missed the shock on Kara's face as he watched an old man lead some ugly horse away. He never liked the things.

"Oh. W-what for?"

He looked back at her now. Studying how soft the skin on her face looked. How innocent and beautiful she looked as she stared up at him with those wide green eyes that he was drowning in. She reeled him in so effortlessly and she didn't even know it.

"For last night. I was a little... drunk. Said what I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

Kara watched as he actually flinched. You'd swear apologizing to somebody was equivalent to sticking a fish hook in your throat, the way he looked so uncomfortable.

"Did Isabelle make you do this?" she asked with a reluctant smile.

He grimaced. "She damn well nearly nagged my ear off."

Kara let out a laugh. Lucas looked deeply at her when she laughed and wished he could do so all day.

"She knows?" Kara then asked tentatively as she leaned on her broom.

Lucas nodded. "Raphaël too."

Kara felt her spirits sink. Great, now they would always think of her as a a thief.

Luc saw the disappointment on her face. "They don't think badly of you. Isabelle adores you rather. She wants to help you."

Kara brightened at that, but kept her expression sober. "She can't help me. Nobody can."

With that she began sweeping again, taking her frustrations out on the pieces of straw lying across the floor.

"Maybe she can't. But, I can," Luc said. Kara stopped. How tempted she was to let go. To take this heavy burden that sat on her shoulders and pass it onto Luc. Let him take care of everything. But no. She couldn't.

This was her mess and she would sort it out herself, she wouldn't sit back and let a man handle everything for her. That's what her mother did, look where it got her.

She resumed sweeping. "Nobody can help me."

Lucas took hold of her arm and turned her to face him. "What are you running away from, Kara? What's coming after you?"

She stared up into his eyes, annoyed to find that she really wanted to tell him. To get it off her chest and ask for help. He wrapped his other hand around her shoulder.

"Look at me." Kara looked up, her lip caught between her teeth. "I can help you."

Kara scoffed. Markov Vilmont was a monster. There was no way she would get anybody else involved in this.

With a shake of her head, she shrugged out of his hold and continued sweeping. Lucas took a step towards her turned back, then quickly stopped himself. What the hell was he doing? Whatever this girl had in her life was none of his business. All he had to do was get his money back to teach her a lesson and then he could disappear from her life.

He watched her sweep, frustrated. With an annoyed growl, he stalked out of the stables, having had enough of the stink anyway.

Kara didn't watch him leave. She continued sweeping until there was not a straw on the clean stable floor.

"He is troubling you?" Fred asked as he approached. Kara looked up and shook her head.

"Oh, no. He wasn't"

Fred nodded, eyeing the wide open stable doors. "He was always a trouble, that one. All through his days as a boy."

Kara pursed her lips, saying nothing. With a sigh, Fred went back to work.

Kara moved onto the Barn and made quick work of the floor, cleaning it in minutes.

Soon she was headed back to the house to finish up there.

She walked through the kitchen doors and was greeted by laughter. A little human ran into her legs laughing hysterically, nearly toppling Kara over.

With an amused laugh, she bent over and hoisted up Isabelle's little son.

"Hello!" she greeted. "My, you're heavy." He gasped.

"You were at the mall!" Kara nodded. "What's your name?"

"I'm Kara, what's yours?"

"My name is Zavier and I am four years old."

Kara told him that was a nice name and how grown he was as she slowly carried him out of the kitchen towards the large dinner table where everyone sat having breakfast.

"Hey!" Isabelle called. "Good morning, Karen."

Lucas looked up immediately and their gazes met before he looked away.

Everyone greeted and Kara responded with a smile. She had never met more welcoming people in her life. Zavier wriggled around and Kara set him on his feet.

He immediately darted away into the house.

"Zavier! Come back here! You're going to finish your food!" Isabelle scolded. The only response she got was excited giggles as he made his escape.

She sighed, bouncing Luna on her lap. Raphaël carried Liana and Kara stared at the twins' beauty.

"They're stunning," she said, watching Liana tug on her dad's collar.

"Raphaël grinned in response. "Thank you. Their mother has stunning genes." Isabelle blushed and grinned at her husband.

"Please join us," Celeste said. Kara shook her head.

"No, I really have to start working. I've got a ton of laundry to get through from yesterday."

Celeste rolled her eyes. "You're boring," she pouted. Kara chuckled.

"No, I get paid. So I need to work."

Then she caught the eye of the other young boy seated at the table. She remembered Celeste calling him Rayan. He sat besides Raphaël and glanced at her nervously once or twice.

"Hello, there," Kara greeted with a smile.

His eyes became a little guarded, but he gave her a small smile. "Hello."

Isabelle chuckled. Rayan had a tiny crush on Kara. She'd noticed him looking around, trying to spot her when they arrived yesterday. And his disappointment when he didn't.

She thought it was adorable and incredibly amusing.

"All your children are such stunners," Kara stated, shaking her head at a blushing Rayan. His dark blue eyes were absolutely breathtaking.

Isabelle laughed. "I'm absolutely in love with them, even if they drive me up the wall."

Kara smiled. She hadn't seen François all day. He was probably busy on the fruit and vineyard part of the farm.

"I'll get going then."

"Don't tire yourself out. Please," Celeste warned with motherly eyes.

Kara smiled and nodded.

She hurried up two flights of stairs and straight into the laundry room near the attic entrance. She loved this house. So big and homey.

With the determination only a fugitive could have, she sorted quickly through the clothes and set them washing in the two large washing machines. While that ran, she began cleaning from the top floor, working her way downward. It was when she was making the bed in Celeste's nine year old's bedroom that she felt it behind her.

A presence and Kara immediately turned. Lucas stood, feet apart and arms crossed, like he was braced for battle.

He looked at her with narrowed eyes and Kara felt her skin prickle. God, what did he want? The bedroom suddenly felt small with him standing there.

"You going to tell me?" he murmured. Lucas had to know. He'd cursed himself a million times when he'd gone looking for her around the house once everyone went out to see the horses, but he couldn't resist. Somebody was after her. She was scared, he saw it in her eyes. And it made his blood boil.

She was so delicate. So soft. And someone wanted to hurt her.

Kara raised her chin, edging back against the bed.

"Tell you what?" she asked, hating that she was always so consumed by his presence. He couldn't just be in the same room with her, no, Lucas also had to dominate her entire mind, fill her thoughts and be felt on each of her senses.

He closed the distance between them.

"Somebody's after you, Kara. I want to know who."

She forced herself to hold his gaze. To not trail it over his chest, covered by a white V-neck t-shirt. How much worse could this get? Not only was Lucas turning into one of the complications in her life, but he was now also finding out about the other complication! The one that was supposed to be a secret.

She shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Kara turned back around to carry on, but Lucas grabbed her arm, whirling her back around. Kara gasped as she felt her chest touch his upper abs.

"Don't lie to me," he murmured down at her.

Kara wasn't afraid in his arms, but her natural fugitive's instincts made her struggle slightly. Lucas held her tighter.

"Why do you even care?!" she demanded. Damn him, he had to let her go. Her body was turning hot, feeling him pressed so hard against her. His strong hands holding her. It was casting a spell and Kara refused to be bewitched.

Lucas narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe I don't! Maybe I just want to make sure you're alive to pay me my damn money!"

Kara's eyes blazed. "You'll get your damn money, I told you! Now let me go!"

He growled. "Make me."

Then his mouth was on hers. Kara froze, feeling nothing but his lips. Lucas' mouth. On hers. She couldn't believe it. It felt better than in her dream. He kissed her so hard, so hungrily and Kara trembled in his arms as his mouth moved erotically over hers.

His arms slipped around her and he finally, finally held her soft body. Groaning into her hot little mouth, he pulled her closer. Kara couldn't think. Her hands were on his chest and her fingers clutched fistfuls of his shirt as he ravaged her mouth. He tasted so addictive.

Lucas felt her mouth open and he groaned at the feeling of her tongue on his. What the hell had she done to him? Why does he want her so much?

Little running feet had them springing apart like two priests caught gossiping. Kara's cheeks were as rosy as ripe chillies when the door swung open and Zavier's face beamed up at them.

"Horses!" he said breathlessly, a delighted grin on his face. Too caught up in his happiness to notice the awkwardness in the room, he plunged under the bed to retrieve the shoes he'd left there when playing hide and seek.

Rayan appeared at the door. He took one look at Kara's rosy cheeks, her mouth and the stormy look in Luc's eyes and he knew.

Kara saw the cold glare the child settled on Lucas and was slightly taken aback. He walked into the room and took Zavier's shoes from his hand.

"Come on, Zav," he muttered and led his little brother out, glaring at Lucas still.

Kara swallowed when they were alone in the room again. She risked a little glance up at Lucas and saw him watching her. The way he stared at her, had her taking a step back.

Oh my God.