Mike's face reddened as he looked at her with chagrin. Sera met his gaze with a slightly amused smile. For all his bluff and bluster, Mike was more like a giant teddy bear.
"I don't think I want to know the circumstances surrounding that."
He snorted as he smiled. "No, you don't, but my point is he's my best friend, and he threatened to kill me if I hurt you."
Sera gasped loudly.
Mike laughed harshly, released her hand, and leaned back. "That was my reaction too. He won't let you go, Sera, but his life is going to be a lot longer than yours."
"So, what are you saying?"
"I don't know exactly. Look, most of this is none of my business, but some of it is. I like you, Sera, and I trust you to do the right thing. I think you will."
"And what would the right thing be?"
"You'll figure it out in time. Just don't take too long."
"I won't."
"Good."
She felt extremely uncomfortable in the following silence. "How did everything go last night?" she asked.
He frowned as he ran a hand through his hair. "Good. It's all taken care of; there's nothing to worry about."
"Where—"
"It's taken care of."
Sera knew he wouldn't tell her more. "Trying to make the moves on my girl?"
She smiled as Liam slid into the booth beside her and draped his arm around the back. Doug and Jack slid in beside Mike, shoving him against the wall. He scowled ferociously at them. Sera's heartbeat picked up as she realized she was surrounded by four men who could easily kill her.
She instinctively moved closer to Liam. He cast a curious glance at her before draping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. "Hey, guys!" Kathleen cried as she bounded eagerly up to the table. Danielle looked a little breathless as she came up behind her. "I'm glad I found you!"
"So am I," Danielle muttered.
Sera stifled a laugh as Danielle slumped into the booth beside Liam. She knew how difficult it could be to keep up with Kathleen when she was in a mood. Kathleen chose to ignore Danielle as she grabbed an empty chair and pulled it over to sit down. "What do you guys have planned for tonight and tomorrow?"
"Classes," Sera answered instantly, not liking the way this conversation started.
"Nothing much, why?" Mike asked.
Kathleen grinned cheerfully as she practically hopped up and down in her chair. "I have an idea."
"That doesn't sound good," Mike said with a grin.
"Oh, it's an excellent plan. If you're willing to miss a couple of classes." Kathleen gave Sera a pointed glance. "You want to have fun, relax, and get away."
"So far it does sound like a good plan."
Sera groaned.
Chapter Twelve
"Turn right up here," Kathleen directed from the backseat.
Liam turned the car onto a small dirt road beginning to get slick from the wet snow accumulating on it. "Are we going to get snowed in?" Doug asked.
"Nah," Kathleen answered. "My dad leaves a plow truck here. There are a few snowmobiles too, so we'll be able to get around no matter what."
They bounced along the road over potholes and rocks. Sera's head pounded with every rut they hit. She closed her eyes and forced herself to picture the cabin at the end of the road. She had come here with Kathleen once during their freshman year and loved it. When Kathleen suggested coming up now, she instantly jumped at the chance to go, despite her reservations about missing classes.
She had fallen behind already; she didn't need to fall behind any further. But the idea of spending a couple of days at the cabin, with Liam, was too tempting to refuse. She could do some studying and crack down when they got back. So what if she didn't get straight A's this semester, in the grand scheme of things it didn't seem that important anymore.
The cabin was at the top of a steep hill and set back in a grove of trees surrounding it on three sides. Snow was beginning to cover it, and old snow had been plowed into a big pile at the end of the road. Behind the large cabin, mountains loomed high against the night sky. Kathleen's family stayed here through the summer and visited it often in the winter.
Liam pulled the car up and turned the engine off. "Thank God," Jack said, throwing his door open. "My legs are killing me."
They piled out of the car, and Sera took a deep breath of the crisp air. Snow filtered down the back of her parka and caused a chill to run down her spine. When they left Massachusetts the weather forecast had predicted a chance of snow showers in Vermont. When they reached Vermont, they’d begun to predict at least six inches.
The wind howled around them, and Sera pulled her parka closer around her. "We'll get the stuff," Mike said. "You guys go inside and get the heat turned on."
"No problem," Kathleen said as she eagerly rubbed her bare hands together.
She bounded through the snow toward the cabin with Sera and Danielle following more cautiously behind. They huddled together on the huge, wraparound porch as Kathleen dug the keys from her pocket and threw the door open.
Kathleen flicked a switch, and the lights came on. The living room on their right had a large, cathedral ceiling with old wooden beams running across the top. The beams were the same dark mahogany as the floor, while the walls were a light, oak color. A large stone chimney took up the farthest wall, tapering as it went to the ceiling. Two large, creamy white couches furnished the room along with a forest green recliner, and a glass coffee table in the middle of the room. A long bar took up the far back wall. A green bumper ran around the edge of it. The wall
