Drake Sisters 02 - The Twilight Before Christmas

to go home right now.”

Chapter
4
    A wreath of holly meant to greet
    Looks much b etter tossed in the street
    MATT SAT IN HIS CAR WITH THE HEATER RUNNING and his favorite CD playing low. Joley Drake’s unique, sultry voice had taken her up the charts fast. He loved this particular col ection, usual y finding it soothing, but it wasn’t doing him any good now. He gripped the steering wheel and stared up at the blazing lights of the Christmas tree in front of the cliff house. The fog was beginning to rol in off the sea, stretching white fingers toward land and the house he was watching. There were no electric lights in the windows, yet he could see the flicker of candlelight and an occasional shadow as one of the Drake sisters moved past the glass.
    The passenger door jerked open, and Jonas Harrington slid into the seat beside Matt, shutting the door against the cold.
    “Dammit, Jonas, you scared the hel out of me!” Matt snapped. He hadn’t realized just how jumpy he was until Jonas had pul ed the door open.
    “Sorry about that.” Jonas sounded as pleasant as ever. Too pleasant. Matt turned his head to look at his childhood friend. “What are you doing out here? It’s cold, and the fog’s coming in. You aren’t stalking our Kate, are you?”
    Matt studied his friend’s face. He was smiling, looking amicable, but his eyes were ice-cold. “Of course I’m stalking Kate. Do you think I’ve lost my mind? That woman belongs with me.” He grinned to relieve the tension gathering between them. “I just have to figure out how to convince her of that. What are you doing here? And why didn’t I see the headlights of your car?” He glanced in the rearview mirror and noted Jonas had cruised silently up behind him.
    “I ran without headlights, didn’t want to scare you away. What happened tonight? Why are they al upset?” There was no obvious accusation in the voice, but Matt had been around Jonas his entire life, and he recognized the underlying note of suspicion.
    “What the hel are you trying to say, Jonas? Spit it out and quit beating around the bush.” Temper was beginning to flare. “I’ve had a hel of an evening, and you aren’t helping.”
    Jonas shrugged. “I did just spit it out. They’re upset. I can feel it. Al of them, every single sister. Does it have something to do with you and Kate?”
    “What kind of question is that? Hel , yes, I want Kate. And yes, I’d do just about anything to get her, but I sure wouldn’t lay a finger on her if she didn’t want me to, and I wouldn’t ever hurt her. Is that what you want to know?”
    Jonas nodded. “That’s about what I was looking for. I’d hate to have to kick your ass, but if you hurt that girl, I’d have to do it.”
    “As if you could.” Matt tapped his finger against the steering wheel, frowning while his temper settled. “What do you mean, you can feel they’re al upset?”
    “I’ve always been able to feel when something’s wrong with the Drakes. And right now, something’s very wrong.” Jonas continued to look at him with cool, assessing eyes.
    Matt shook his head. “It wasn’t me, Jonas. Something weird happened at the old mil , and Kate was very distressed. She asked me to take her home, and I did.” He raked his fingers through his hair, not once, but twice. “I didn’t even have a chance to ask her out again. I was just sitting here, trying to figure out whether I should go up to the house and ask her what happened, or go back to the mil and try to figure it out.”
    “There they are!” Jonas muttered an ugly word beneath his breath. “What the hel do they think they’re doing going out in the middle of the night with the fog rol ing in?”
    Matt could just make out the three Drake sisters swirling dark, hooded cloaks around them as they hurried down the steps. The fog was heavy and thick, an invasion of white mist that hid the women effectively as they rushed down the worn pathway that wound down the hil toward the road. Matt leaped out of his car, losing sight of them in the curtain of fog. He was aware of Jonas swearing under his breath, keeping pace as they angled to cut off the Drakes before they could reach the highway.
    Jonas beat him to the women, catching Hannah’s arm and yanking her around to face him. “Are you out of your mind?”
    Kate’s expression went from startled to troubled when she caught sight of them. “Matthew, I thought you went home.” She looked uneasily around her at the