Shoulder the Skye (Skye Druids #2)(8)
Author: Donna Grant
Bronwyn shifted uncomfortably as the woman went into the post office side of the business and disappeared through a doorway. Thankfully, she returned quickly with the box.
“Thanks,” Bronwyn said as she took it and turned to leave.
“I’m sorry.”
She halted and looked over her shoulder at Kirsi. The cashier was a few years younger than her. Pretty and popular, Kirsi had never wanted for friends. Bronwyn was trying to figure out why she was apologizing. The box seemed intact.
“About yesterday.” Kirsi swallowed nervously. “With Sarah.”
Bronwyn was taken aback. She shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. “It is what it is.”
“You’re not the only one on Skye.”
The community that always touted being there for everyone had stopped speaking to her after her father’s funeral—or, rather, after she’d altered her life irrevocably.
Maybe Kirsi was being nice, but Bronwyn didn’t trust that. They hadn’t been more than passing acquaintances before. They certainly weren’t friends now. Bronwyn wondered how everyone would react if they knew all the details. Would they continue judging her so harshly?
Maybe they would condemn her more severely.
“I’m still sorry,” Kirsi said in a soft voice.
Bronwyn nodded and walked away, heading outside. She blinked against the bright sunlight and was nearly to her vehicle when someone stepped in front of her. Her stomach dropped like a rock when she found herself staring into familiar cold brown eyes. Dead eyes. Sydney Russell.
His too-perfect face split into a smile. “Hello, Bron.”
“Don’t call me that.” She despised when he shortened her name.
He chuckled and moved closer as if there weren’t deep hatred between them. It took everything she had to hold her ground. All she wanted to do was back away and run to the safety of her home.
“Still the same old Bronwyn,” he said in a soft voice, the one he’d used to woo her. One she used to love. He tsked as his gaze raked over her. “I bet you thought I wouldna find you.”
“I haven’t been hiding.”
The wind ruffled his dark hair. “You look good.”
He tried to touch her face, but she batted his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”
“You used to like my touch, babe.”
She nearly gagged at the hated babe. “I don’t want any part of you anymore. You know that.”
He chuckled and turned his head slightly to the side, never taking his eyes off her. “Did you hear that, gang?”
The sound of laughter joined his. Bronwyn’s stomach roiled violently. She should’ve known he wouldn’t be alone. Sydney always had an entourage. They stoked his already inflated ego. How had she ever found that attractive?
Then again, she had been looking for trouble. And she’d found it in spades with Sydney.
“Leave,” she ordered him.
Sydney’s smile died as he leaned close enough that their noses nearly touched. “Babe, you know no one tells me what to do. What you will do is tell me where I can find Beth.”
“My cousin is somewhere you’ll never find her.” Bronwyn was proud of how clear and steady her voice sounded when she was quaking inside.
Sydney’s nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’ve been looking for Beth. I know you know where she is.”
“Do you really think I’d have that kind of information? I knew you’d come here searching. I have nothing for you.”
“Oh, you do,” he said after a moment, his gaze intense. “You’ll tell me, Bron. Mark my words. You will tell me,” he threatened, his voice promising danger.
She didn’t look away.
She didn’t fidget.
She didn’t flinch.
Bronwyn stood her ground against Sydney but ran to a bush and vomited the minute he walked away and out of sight. She’d known this day would come. Had prepared for it. But she hadn’t expected to be caught away from the house. Now that Sydney was on Skye, she would have to be extra careful.
Bronwyn wiped her mouth and hurried to her vehicle, climbing inside. Her days of feeling even a modicum of safety were over. But she had prepared for what was to come. Sydney had won against her once.
He wouldn’t be victorious a second time.
CHAPTER FIVE
Elias’s gaze had been riveted on Bronwyn from the moment she walked out of the building with a package under her arm. He’d spotted the group of five before she did. When the tall, slender man had stepped into her path, Elias had reached for his door handle to get out. Only Sabryn’s hand on his arm kept him inside the vehicle.
“Well,” Sabryn said. “I’ll give it to her. She’s got style.”
Elias swallowed and forced his body to relax against the driver’s seat. The male and his friends were gone now, but given the exchange, things were far from over between him and Bronwyn.
“Did you see how she didn’t back down from that asshole?” Sabryn asked.
Elias released the door handle one finger at a time. “Aye.”
“There’s some history between those two—and not the good kind.”
Elias took a deep breath and then slowly released it. “Why did you stop me from helping her?”
“Because you don’t need to bring more attention to yourself. Besides, I had a feeling she didn’t need it.”
“Didna need it?” he barked, his head swinging to the side so he could gape at Sabryn. “She went behind the bushes and got sick. I’d say she needed it.”
Sabryn crossed one leg over the other and silently regarded him. “You’ve got a penis, so I’ll forgive you for that outburst. Obviously, you’ve never had to endure the things a woman has. For all the shouts of equality in the world, there is still a vast expanse between what men and women go through, and I won’t even touch on skin color and other factors. The truth, Elias, is that men have always assumed they can intimidate. Sometimes, it’s trivial things like staring at our boobs instead of looking into our eyes. Annoying, yes, but it immediately puts women on the defensive—not to mention angers us. Men get away with it because, well, they’re men. Then there are the not-so-minor instances of leaning over us to make us feel inferior. The threats and power they use that seem forever at their disposal.”