Banshee Song
Book Two

Chapter Nineteen

"Oh, Rhianna, I can't tell ye how relieved I am that ye weren't hurt."

Rhianna smiled as she looked up from her papers. "Thank ye, Brian. Aye, I was very fortunate."

Brian walked over to her, his eyes filled with pain. He took her hand in his. "Fortunate? It was a miracle ye weren't killed. Rhianna, when I think of what almost happened."

Rhianna placed her hand on Brian's strong shoulder. "Don't think about it Brian. It's over and I'm okay. I was wondering though, where were ye?"

Brian closed his eyes, his guilt and shame visible on his features. "I had decided to run errands during my lunch break. I was gone longer than I had planned and when I came back the factory had been shut down and there was no one here. I didn't find out what happened until that evening. It tore me apart, Rhianna. I should have been here. Ye were almost killed while I was about town." He gazed into her eyes and caressed her cheek. "Thank the sweet Lord Sheamus was there."

Rhianna's face soured. She sighed heavily. "He saved my life, no doubt about that. Unfortunately, I had to let him go."

"What? Again? Why?" Brian asked, secretly thrilled. What could have happened to cause Rhianna to fire Sheamus?

Rhianna slumped into her chair. "I found out that he had been stealing money from the company. He admitted it. He apparently had been taking money to help his ailing mother. As sad as it was, I had to let him go."

Brian was stunned, albeit pleased at the turn of events. No doubt his boss would be pleased. Maybe he would forgive Brian for his failure the other day. {How was I supposed to know Sheamus would let someone else run his machine?} But in any case now that Sheamus was out of the picture, he could breathe easier. "It must have been very hard for ye. I know ye cared for his mother deeply. But ye did the right thing. It's what's best for the company's health."

Rhianna smiled. "I know. And speaking of our company's health, this week is vitally important. We were out an entire week replacing the machines. That's a week of lost sales and unhappy customers. We HAVE to make this week's shipment. It has to be perfect and on time or all of our customers will leave us. If that happens, I will have no choice but to give up and marry Mr. Dimera. So ye understand how crucial this week is?"

Brian smiled darkly. "I understand perfectly."

It was night and the building was enveloped by darkness. A dark figure crept up to the factory's back door and quietly opened it. Once inside he lit a small lamp and walked stealthily across the factory floor. He stopped in front of a large machine. The flickering lamplight cast evil shadows on his face.

He opened the machine's side panel and peered at the complex parts. "She's a beauty, that's for sure," he said, admiring the new machine's sleek contours and shiny metal. "Tis almost a shame to wreck it. Almost." With an evil smile, he got to work.

"A little late for repairs, isn't it?" a voice said loudly in the room.

The factory's lights came on, illuminating the dark scene. Brian stood in front of a half dismantled machine blinking against the bright light. Brian froze. He watched as Rhianna stepped forward. He saw the hurt betrayal in her eyes and knew he'd been caught.

"I didn't want to believe it was ye," she said. "Not even when the truth was right in front of me."

Brian swallowed as his mind raced, searching for an explanation.

Rhianna continued. "How long ago was it, Brian? How long ago did Dimera buy ye? Or were ye always his, a spy from the very beginning?"

"Rhianna," he soothed, "what are ye talking about? Tis obvious something has ye upset. Let's talk about it." He reached forward to caress her hair.

She stepped back and Brian could see the cold fire that blazed in her green eyes. "I'm sorry, but your sweet words aren't going to work on me anymore. My eyes have been opened to what ye really are. You've been working for Dimera all this time, working to bring down my company from within. It was ye all this time. The damaged parts, damaged machines, missing money - all you. That's how I discovered ye, by the way. You've been moving money through the petty cash account. A dollar here, five dollars there - all adding up to thousands of dollars you've embezzled from my company.

Well, I must admit, ye had me fooled. I never would have believed ye capable of something so.low, so evil," she said coldly.

"Like ye have any right to judge me!" he cried. "Rhianna Cassidy, the little princess with her castles and servants and family fortune. Ye don't know what it's like to have to work and slave all your life - even as a child - to provide for a family of eight! I was desperate for the money and I would have done anything to get it."

Rhianna looked at him sadly. "Well, I hope Dimera made it worth your while, because ye are going to be in jail for a long time."

Brian's eyes darkened and he took a menacing step toward her. "Not if no one finds out." He pulled out a sharp, deadly looking knife. "It's just you and me, all alone."

"Not quite." A third voice, male, said behind him. Brian spun to find Sheamus behind him, his face deadly calm.

Brian shrieked with rage and attacked Sheamus with the knife. Sheamus sidestepped the attack and knocked the knife out of his hand. Rhianna watched horrified as the two exchanged blows. Soon though, Brian lay on the ground looking up as Sheamus advanced on him. Sheamus's knuckles were white with a murderous fury.

"Ye bastard!" he yelled. "Rhianna almost died because of you!"

Rhianna laid a restraining hand on his arm. "Aye, but I didn't die, thanks to ye. It's okay, Sheamus, the police will be here soon."

In fact they were already there. Rhianna turned as two officers entered the factory.

"Lady Cassidy," they greeted her with a touch of their caps. "How can we help ye?"

Rhianna pointed to Brian, who was angrily wiping the blood from his mouth. "This man has been embezzling from my company and has recklessly endangered the lives of my workers. We just caught him trying to sabotage our machines."

The policemen led Brian away amid his protests of innocence. Rhianna watched silently as they left. She didn't want to believe him guilty. Not even as he was tearing apart her brand new machine. "He lied to me," she murmured, feeling sadness and betrayal wash over her. She had trusted him, cared for him and he lied to her.

Sheamus watched her, wondering what was going through her mind. He knew she and Brian had been close. {Did she love him?} he wondered.

"He lied to me," she said again as her eyes filled with tears of pain and betrayal.

Sheamus wrapped his arms around Rhianna's stiff body. He stroked her hair and gently rubbed her shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Rhianna looked up at his face. She smiled. "No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't see through his façade earlier. Ye were almost seriously hurt because of him." She reached up and gently traced the light scar on his temple.

Sheamus inhaled a sharp breath at her feather light touch. His eyes darkened to liquid pools of cobalt. His breath quickened and his blood raced. He unconsciously licked his lips.

Rhianna continued her gentle caress, spellbound by the man in front of her. Her fingers began to dance, just a little, in his wavy blond locks. She stared into his eyes, fascinated by the intense shimmery blue. Her eyes darted to his lips, now wet with moisture.

Rhianna inhaled a shaky breath. What was happening to her? Her blood ran both icy cold and fiery hot. Brian had never made her feel this way - so dangerous, wanton. She was sure it must be wrong. Wasn't that what the church had always taught her?

She didn't move when Sheamus's lips moved forward with a will of their own. She was held in place, captivated by the strange sensation. His lips slowly moved toward hers and she stared wide-eyed into his smoldering eyes. Closer now, and her lips parted. Closer.

{No!} she thought and pulled away from him, her heart beating wildly. {No, this is wrong.} She struggled to regain her composure while Sheamus did the same.

Rhianna looked at Sheamus, carefully avoiding his eyes. "So, I'll se ye tomorrow then. Goodnight." And she turned and walked out of the building.

Sheamus watched her leave with disappointed eyes. He thought about their intense exchange, their almost kiss. "Damn!" he muttered.

"Brian?! Ye mean the foreman - he's the saboteur?"

Rhianna nodded. "He's been working for Dimera the whole time."

"Dimera? He's been behind the problems at Cassidy's? Ye mean, he was behind the accident with the machines, the accident that nearly took your life?" Sean shuddered. "I knew that man was evil, but this." He wrapped his arms around his sister. "Oh, Ree, I'm so sorry about Brian. I know ye really cared for him."

Rhianna smiled and broke out of their embrace. "I'll be okay. I'm more ashamed than anything else right now. I really trusted him, Sean, and he was lying to me the entire time. I believed his loving words and gentle caresses. And he was just.playing a game with me. I don't know that I can ever trust another man again."

"What about Sheamus? Do ye trust him?"

Rhianna considered it. "Aye. Especially now that I know Brian was behind everything. He's a good hard worker - I can depend on him."

"Is that it?"

"Is that what?"

"Is that the extent of your feelings for Sheamus? Do ye care for him?" Sean probed.

She turned away from her brother as if to shield her secret thoughts. Memories from just earlier that night flooded her mind. She was in Sheamus's arms, caressing his face, playing with his hair. And then that wonderful chaotic feeling when his lips moved to meet hers. It had felt so good she was sure it must be wrong, so she pulled away before he could kiss her, cursing herself as she did so.

"Rhianna?" Sean prompted.

"I.care," she answered softly.

"Ree," Sean sighed and shook his head.

Rhianna whirled around to meet him. She had heard the disappointment in his voice. "What? Sean, he saved my business more times than I can count. He saved my life!"

Sean paled, remembering the horror of learning of Rhianna's close call with the machines. He had come so close to losing his sister and the thought of that still shook him to his core. "I know and for that I can never repay him. Look, I like Sheamus. It's just.not too long ago ye cared for Brian. Is it possible you're just putting all these old feelings onto Sheamus? Anyway, none of that matters now. What we have to focus on is breaking this ridiculous engagement to Dimera."

"Breaking the engagement - but what about the money we need?"

"Cassidy Industries doesn't need money now. It's making a profit, right? You're getting ready to expand and it's on the brink of become the huge success it once was, and more."

"Aye, but what about the estate? What about the repairs and restoration ye wanted to do?"

"Don't worry about the estate - I'll get the money. Ye cannot marry that man, Ree."

Rhianna nodded. "I'll talk to Father Thomas and see what steps we need to take to annul the betrothal."

Sean watched his sister leave, a fresh determination surging through him. "I'm sorry, Beth. But there's no way I can let Ree marry Dimera now. I can't be with ye, no matter what my heart says."