Rory (Hope City #7) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,34

her head. Too tired to deal with washing her hair tonight, she scrubbed her body, hoping she could scrub images of the past from her mind as well.

She dried with a thick towel, moisturized her face, then caught a glance of her reflection in the mirror as she reached up to turn off the light. Staring, her gaze roamed over her face. She knew she’d been blessed with looks, both accepting the curses and benefits of attractiveness.

As a teenager, she’d been so foolish, thrilled to be the cheerleader the high school athletes wanted to date. Raised to be a polite lady, she’d never fallen into the trap of being a mean girl, but she still used her looks to full advantage when getting the most handsome boy to ask her to prom.

College hadn’t been much better. She dressed well and went to class in full makeup, knowing the appreciative glances from some of her professors probably helped her grades. Parties where she laughed and danced, drank and chatted, sure that everyone she met was friendly. She winced and flipped off the light, moving directly to bed. Under the covers, she sipped her wine, her book lying unopened on her nightstand as darker memories crept from the edges of her mind to the forefront.

She closed her eyes and could see the face of the woman from the Celtic Cock, expression slack and words slurring. Staring at that face, it morphed into her own. One from the past. A vision she couldn’t seem to escape. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she was barely aware of the tear that dripped off her cheek.

11

Rory pulled into the driveway of his parents’ house, staring up at the huge, two-story brick home that he was raised in—and had recently moved out of again. Glancing to the side, he spied the Kings’ house, and untold memories of the two families growing up together filled his mind. His mom still fixed a large Sunday noon meal and loved nothing more than having all or as many of her children who could make it around the table. He recognized several of the cars already parked in the driveway, so he knew he wouldn’t be the only one at the meal.

Stepping through the front door, talking and laughter came from the back where the large kitchen that led into the family room was located.

“Uncle Rory!”

He scooped up his niece, Colleen, offering her a hug and kiss. Placing her feet back onto the floor, she scampered off and he bent to kiss Colleen’s mother, his sister, Tara, before shaking hands with Tara’s husband, Carter. Sean came down the hall toward him and the two brothers greeted each other with handshakes and backslaps. “Did Harper come today?”

“Yeah, she’s in the kitchen with Mom.” Sean held his gaze before glancing around to see that they were alone, then dropped his voice. “Heard you were at the Cock the other night. You okay?”

“Yeah. I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything, have you?” Sean was an arson detective, but their brother, Kyle, and Carter were detectives with the narcotics division.

“No, but I’ve given Harper strict orders not to go back.”

“And how did she take that?”

Sean grimaced. “Okay, let’s say that ‘orders’ didn’t go over so well. But we agreed that she’d only go when in the company of others, and they’d never leave their drinks unwatched.”

Carter stepped forward into their huddle and shook his head. “It’s not my case, but I heard they haven’t made any headway. All they had was a generic description, and the guy made sure to not face any of the security cameras.” He glanced around as well. “Tara’s concerned about Caitlyn and Bekki King being there a lot, too.”

“Rory, I didn’t know you’d come in,” his mother said, gently elbowing the other men to the side to offer a warm hug, ending their conversation. She leaned back and smiled. “I’m so glad you got to come today.”

Her brown hair had silvered, cut in a style that swung just above her shoulders. Her smile was easy, readily given, just as her hugs were. “Are Kyle and Kimberly coming?” he asked.

“They’re coming later. They hope to make it by dessert.”

“Hey, Rory!” Caitlyn walked from the kitchen, a platter of rolls in her hand, grinning at him as she made her way into the dining room.

“Hey, stranger,” came a soft voice from behind. Turning, he saw Erin smiling at him. Wrapping his arms around her, they hugged tightly. Sharon clapped her hands, calling the