Pawned Virtue - #wattys2015 BK4 TPBS - Completed 1st draft

-17-

Not edited.

"Maggie" she started with clenched teeth "I need an alibi."

The older woman looked at her amused "What for dear?"

"I'm going to kill Lucas!"

"That's nice dear. I'll cover for you."

"Thank you!"

Maggie laughed to herself as Tara limped her way out of the kitchen. Ever since Tara got home from hospital a month ago Lucas had been even more protective of her whenever she was out of the house.

Tara had the bandages removed three days earlier and Lucas had been worse than a mother hen and panicking about Tara's leg giving out on her if she tired it too much.

Today was obviously another example. Tara had gone to meet with her friends at the local mall for lunch. He hadn't wanted her to go and when Maggie relayed the mesaage Tara called him and told him off. He argued with her for half an hour before finally giving in.

She won... or so she thought.

Jones walked through the kitchen door with a massive grin on his face and Maggie looked at him expectantly.

"What did he do now?" she asked him.

"Turned up and bought lunch for everyone and wanted to carry Tara over to the counter to choose what she wanted."

"He didn't?!" Maggie was horrified.

"He did." Adam walked in and grabbed a mug from the cupboard.

"What did Tara do?"

Adam and Jones looked at one another and burst out laughing.

"Poured her coke all over him so he'd leave."

Maggie put her hand to her mouth and giggled "And?"

"He stayed."

"Really?"

"Yep. Completely soaked and acted like it never happened."

All three laughed like there was no tomorrow before the laughs died down and they were left catching their breaths.

"He loves her" Maggie said without the hint of any other possibility.

"That he does" Jones agreed.

"Tara's still nervous around him" Adam piped in.

Maggie and Jones both nodded.

"As to be expected" Maggie started "he can't expect anything else."

"Do you think they'll make it Maggie?" Jones asked.

"I really don't know. After everything... well I just don't know.She has a forgiving heart but something like that..."

"I'd kill anyone who did that to my sister." Adam said solemnly.

"Hell, I'd kill Lucas if he ever tried it again with Tara!" Jones spoke gruffly "poor kid doesn't need any more shit in her life."

The three were all lect nodding as the implicatios of the words spoken made full impact on them all.

"Tara's nothing like any of the other women he's known. If it's meant to be then it will be. Even Maria wasn't perfect, she wasn't oblivious to the money he has."

"Tara hates when he throws money around" Adam said observedly.

"Yes she does and he's not used to that. He's only ever trusted his brothers and poor Julia for that reason. He was blind to Maria's faults."

"Do you think they would have made it Maria lived?"

"No." Maggies answer was firm and sure.

"Really?" Adam sounded shocked.

"There was more to Maria than many people knew. Lucas found out some things after she died but he chooses to ignore them and remember her the way she was."

"Like what?"

Maggie shook her head "Not my place to say. Just know that our girl upstairs is far better than Maria ever was."

"She definitely has a spark of her own" Jones said in an amused voice.

"Hell yes. Lucas doesn't how to handle when she's angry."

"Well boys, none of us know what the future holds for them. No matter what happens there's a lot of healing that needs to happen. We just have to hope that neither of them are hurt again in the process."

Too late.

Tara thought to herself as she stood at the bottom of the stairs  where she stopped after hearing her name.

Maggie said he found out things about her that he ignored... he hurt me because of her.

Why?