Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Dammit! I'll kill that bastard, Seamus! If that son of a bitch lays a single hand on my Little Cass I'll fuckin' kill him myself!"

Seamus swallowed hard and tried to think of something comforting to say but no words would come. He and Calvin had been in their room when Finnegan had come bursting in moments before and shoved Morgan's note into Seamus' chest. Comforting his younger brother wasn't something Seamus had any practice doing and honestly he was too full of anger and worry for Cassandra to be any help to Finnegan.

Calvin gasped and Seamus' eyes widened when Finnegan sent his fist plowing through the plaster wall. Never had Seamus seen Finnegan like this. Even at his angriest, Finnegan had still always kept that annoying wit and sense of humor--both those things seemed to have vanished just now.

"Shite! That hurt!" Finnegan grumbled as he shook his bleeding hand.

"Finnegan, will Morgan hurt her?" Seamus demanded, his blood running cold at the thought.

Finnegan sat down hard on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands. "I don't know. I just don't know."

Seamus wasn't used to his brother being this way. Punching walls, yelling, cursing and now appearing broken. "Finnegan, we'll figure this out..." Seamus offered, knowing his words would hold real no comfort. He felt Calvin's hand on his back and leaned into the other man's touch, thankful that he had him in his life.

Finnegan looked up at Seamus and Seamus swallowed hard. Finnegan was... broken. His brown eyes were dead and red rimmed, his face was pale, his lips thin and dry. The light that had always been inside him, the good nature that had always drawn people in, was gone.

"I did this, Seamus," Finnegan's voice cracked as he spoke. "Because of me Cassandra is alone with a man who plans on forcin' her just to get back at me.." Finnegan buried his face once again in his hands and his shoulders heaved as he sobbed.

"I'll go find the law in this town and tell them what's going on," Calvin offered. Seamus nodded and Calvin kissed his brow tenderly before leaving the room.

Seamus walked to the bed and sat down beside his crying brother. "Finnegan, Cassandra is tough, you know that. I'm sure she'll be able to figure something out..."

"She shouldn't have to!" Finnegan bellowed as he stood. Seamus sat there in a state of shock as Finnegan's rage and sorrow boiled over. The man quite simply seemed to lose it. Nothing in the room was safe from his rampage. The pictures, the water pitcher, the clock, the vase full of wild flowers; it wasn't until Finnegan's fist slammed into the bed post with a crunching of bone that he stopped and fell to his knees upon the floor.

Seamus wanted to help him so he moved to stand but Finnegan held up the hand that was not swelling and covered in blood, "My Little Cass and our unborn babe are in the hands of a monster and it's because of me. Ya were right, Dear Seamus, her papa was right. Cassandra was a million times a fool to fall for a man like me. I don't deserve that lass."

Seamus shook his head. "No, you don't!" he snapped. "Not acting like this. Now, dammit, you're Finnegan Callahan. You are the wiliest bastard I know. How many tight spots have you gotten yourself out of? Hell I've tried to kill you more than a few times and you've always found a way out of it. I'm sure you've outsmarted this Morgan character more than a time or two as well and you'll do it again. You just have to pull your self together and figure this out, Finnegan."

Finnegan blinked several times as he stared at him. Seamus wondered what was going on in Finnegan's mind. Seamus himself was pissed. He was pissed that Finnegan's past had caused this to happen to Cassandra, he was pissed that this Morgan had ridden in and taken her from right under their noses and he was pissed that once again Finnegan was making him say nice things about him.

"They couldn't have gotten too far, right?" Finnegan questioned.

Seamus nodded. "That's right. They had to have taken her sometime between you leaving for breakfast and coming back so they can't be too far away."

"Morgan always was a jackass," Finnegan sniffed and wiped his tear streaked face on his shirt sleeve. "He may even still be in town thinkin' he's too smart to get caught."

Seamus stood up and held out his hand, taking Finnegan's good hand and helping him stand. "We'll find her, Finnegan. And if he's touched her...."

"I'll kill him." Finnegan's voice was cold, detached and deadly serious.

Seamus frowned doubtfully. "Have you ever killed anyone, Finnegan?"

"No," Finnegan replied honestly. "But there is a first time for everythin', Dear Seamus, and I'll end his life if he's hurt my wife or child."

Seamus nodded, knowing that he would have his brother's back if it came to that. How strange. Two brothers, so very different, and at odds with one another their entire lives so far, suddenly united and almost....friends. If he weren't so worried about Cassandra, Seamus might have taken the time to ponder just how unlikely and unnatural that was.

"Seamus?"

"What?"

"My hand hurts."

Seamus looked down at Finnegan's hand which was bleeding quite badly from the knuckles and covered in lacerations from his rampage against every glass and ceramic object the room had to offer. It was already swelling quite badly and Seamus knew that Finnegan wasn't lying. It had to hurt something fierce.

"Let's get you to the doc, get it tended to and then find our Cassandra."

***

"I'm sorry, but we've searched the town. This man and woman you're after aren't here," the town deputy, a thin, watery-eyed man with balding hair, stated as he slid his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "They must have done left town."

Seamus fought the urge to grab the man up by the collar because honestly he wasn't that good of a fighter. He had the temper but not the talent. Finnegan was the brother with a talent for fighting however he didn't usually have the temper or the urge.... After Finnegan's display in the bedroom this morning, Seamus didn't think that would be a problem when it came to Morgan.

"He can't have gotten too far," Seamus urged. "Can't you..."

"My jurisdiction ends at the edge of town," the deputy quickly spoke up. "I don't have the authority to chase him down."

Seamus was glad that Finnegan was still gone in a search of the town, having chosen not to give up when the deputy had. If Finnegan were here the deputies lack of interest in Cassandra's welfare would have probably ended with his younger brother in jail.

"Is there anyone else around who might have a bit more authority than you?"

The deputy shrugged and scratched at his jaw. "We don't have much law out here. There's a U.S. Marshall that makes it through here every couple of months."

"And when was he here last?" Seamus ground out between clenched jaws.

"He just rode out about a week ago. I'm real sorry about your woman but I have other duties to be getting to and we've done looked everywhere...."

"Then get to them. We'll have to muddle through without your immense support and assistance."

The deputy walked away and Seamus glanced up and down the road. Damn this! If Finnegan hadn't been such a worthless jackass all those years..... Seamus shook his head. It wouldn't do Cassandra any good to have him and Finnegan fighting over Finnegan's past. What's done was done and all that could be done about it now was to work together to try to find her before it was too late.

***

Finnegan had never felt so helpless in his life. His Little Cass was gone. He had searched this small town from top to bottom. He had barged into homes, scared old women, nearly gotten himself shot and searched every cellar, attic and room of every single building in and just outside of town.

Darkness was falling and she was not here. He had lost an entire day. Morgan had had his wife for nearly twelve hours. Finnegan hated himself. He hated what he had been because if he hadn't been that person his Cassandra would be safe, sound and here with him now.

He clenched his hand tightly, the one that wasn't broken and cut into lots of bloody ribbons. The doctor had let him know what a fool he'd been for attacking the hotel room with his fist. Finnegan didn't care, all he cared about was now in Morgan's hands.

Finnegan wanted to leave town and go chasing after Morgan but he had no idea where the other man had gone or which direction to go in to find him. Seamus had been right when he'd said that Finnegan had gotten away from Morgan plenty of times but that has always been more dumb luck than cunning, and it didn't seem like luck was going to be on his side for this one. Damn whoever had claimed there was such a thing as 'luck of the Irish' straight to hell!

As if to further Finnegan's belief that the situation was hopeless the darkening sky suddenly let loose in a steady downpour of cold, fat raindrops and thunder rumbled in the distance.

Finnegan tried hard to dig up that fear of storms he'd had since he'd been a child but all he was able to dig up was the sound of Cassandra's voice teasing him mercilessly over the fear and his heart broke anew.

Finnegan didn't like feeling this way. It was a completely new and unpleasant way to live with all this fear, anger and helplessness swirling inside of him.

"Finnegan, come on in out of the rain," Calvin called from the boardwalk that connected the hotel, diner and a few stores. Finnegan shook his head. He wanted to keep looking. To stop now seemed as if he were giving up.

Seamus shook his head. "Dammit, Finnegan, get in out of that rain! Cassandra isn't in town and we can't leave to go looking for her with no idea where they took her. All that's left to do is wait until Morgan sends word just like he said he would."

"Shite, Seamus!" Finnegan exclaimed as he shoved his hand through his wet hair and blinked the cold droplets of rain from his eyes. "What am I to do 'til then? Sit and twiddle my thumbs a bit? Perhaps watch a bit of grass grow?"

Seamus yanked off his hat and growled impatiently. "Finnegan, I'm not any more happy about all this than you are but staying out there and getting struck by lightning isn't gonna solve a damn thing."

Thunder banged and a bolt of lightning struck very near to where Finnegan was standing as the wind kicked up and the raindrops fell with more urgency.

Ahh, there was the fear he remembered. With the threat of imminent death hanging over him Finnegan found himself running for shelter. Seamus and Calvin attempted to get him to come to the diner for food but how could he eat when he didn't know if Cassandra was going hungry?

He denied their invitation and then their offer to provide him company for a while. All Finnegan wanted was to be alone. He stepped into the hotel and requested a new room. He didn't want to be forced to stay in the room he'd shared with Little Cass; the room she'd been in before she'd been stolen away from him.

He settled himself on the edge of his new bed and stared at the storm raging outside the window. He was safe from the storm and soon he would be dry but he would never again be okay or that fun loving man he'd been before unless Cassandra made it back to him unscathed. His hands shook and his throat burned with the thirst for whiskey. Just a few shots and he knew that at least some of his worry and hurt would fade. Just one little bottle would make everything seem a little better.... But it would be nothing but lies and Finnegan would not give in to that temptation of weakness. Whiskey had helped cause this and he'd be damned before he let another drop of that damned venom pass over his lips again.

Another bolt of lightning lit up the dark sky and Finnegan prayed that wherever Cassandra was tonight she was warm and she was safe. Dear Lord please let her be safe and untouched; or better yet let him awaken and learn that today had been nothing but a dream.