“Hell if I know.” He kissed Hannah’s head. “Sorry, little girl.” He settled more deeply in the sofa and sighed. “If I had to guess, I would say that Sasha is going to head to Los Angeles. There is no way he’s coming back to South Salmon. Stephen told me he was going to finish college. I guess I’m going to have to be happy with one of them getting through school.”
Before she could point out that he had a fifty percent success rate, the scene shifted to Stephen and Aurelia. They were locked in what looked like a very passionate embrace. This wasn’t fake, Dakota thought, feeling her mouth drop open. This was hot and sexy and very real.
“Oh, my,” she murmured. “I didn’t know Aurelia had it in her.”
Finn sprang to his feet. She had to give him credit—he held Hannah so securely, the baby didn’t even stir. But Dakota saw the fury in his eyes.
“She lied. She made it sound like all she was interested in was getting Stephen back to school. He lied to me, too. Damn him, he never said a word about this.” He turned to Dakota. “I’m going to kill them both.”
FINN DIDN’T CARE about breaking the law. He knew it was wrong to kill anyone, especially a woman. He knew he would go to jail, and he accepted that. He wasn’t sure how this had happened, but he was going to make sure it stopped. And while he was out ravaging the countryside, he was going to find Geoff and put a fist through his face.
In the back of his mind, he acknowledged that for the second time in as many months, he was contemplating murder. In his normal life, the one he liked back in South Salmon, he never had those kinds of feelings. He simply went about his day, fat, dumb and happy. Well, not fat or dumb, but still. He didn’t think about crushing another human being.
It wasn’t him, he told himself. It was this damn town.
Dakota took Hannah from him. The baby stirred and murmured a protest before falling back asleep. For a second, staring at her sweet face, he felt himself grow more calm. Rational thought took over. Then he looked at the television screen where his brother was making out with some cougar, and the rage returned.
“Don’t go out there mad,” Dakota told him. “I know you’re not happy about this.”
“Not happy?”
He did his best to keep his voice level, more for the sleeping baby than because he didn’t want to shout. Right now yelling sounded pretty damn good. As did throwing something or maybe putting his fist through a wall. Of course, if he put his fist through a wall, he ran the risk of breaking something and right now the only thing he wanted to break was Geoff’s face.
“If I can’t imagine hating her, how am I going to kill her?”
“Are you talking about Aurelia?” Dakota’s eyes widened. “You can’t kill anyone. Not only is it wrong, it’s not in your nature.”
“It could be. I’m very capable of protecting my own. I knew she was a cougar. I knew it and I should have done something right away. She was so sweet the last time I talked to her, pretending she cared about Stephen going back to college. It was all an act.”
“You’re going to protect your brother from the woman he’s probably in love with? That makes sense. Finn, sit down. Take a breath. This isn’t the end of the world.”
“She’s nearly ten years older than him. Her life is established. What is she doing with my baby brother?”
“I’m sure she’s asking herself the same question. I don’t know Aurelia well, but I’ve met her several times. I saw her in school. She’s not aggressive. She has a horrible mother and lives a very small life. I’m sure she’s as upset about this as you are.”
He deliberately looked at the television screen where the couple in question was still kissing. “Yeah. I can see she’s really broken up about it.”
Dakota shifted the baby in her arms. “Maybe she’s not upset right now, but I’m sure…”
“She wants something from him. Whatever it is, she’s not going to get it. She’s using him. She’s probably been planning this from the beginning.”
Dakota didn’t look convinced. “Don’t do anything rash.”
He ignored her request. “Are you going to tell me where she lives?”
“No. And you shouldn’t go looking for her or your brother until you’ve calmed down.”
“That’s not going to be for a very long time.” He started for the door, then turned around and came back. He kissed Dakota on the cheek and Hannah on the top of her head, then stalked out.
Once outside of Dakota’s house, he paused, not sure which way to go. He had no idea where Aurelia lived. He’d have to start with Stephen.
He moved toward the center of town. His brothers shared a room in a small motel opposite the park, just off the lake. Fifteen minutes later, he was knocking on the door to the motel room, but no one answered. No doubt Stephen was hiding from him. A smart move, considering Finn’s mood.
He started back across the parking lot, only to see Stephen and Aurelia approaching. The couple was holding hands and came to a stop when they saw him.
He stood his ground, waiting.