The Game

  Determined that if he was going to die he was taking his wife’s murderer with him, he managed to grab his gun from his holster and, taking aim, he fired at the killer’s retreating back. Collapsing to the floor and losing blood fast, Kyle didn’t know whether he had hit him or not before his world went dark.

  Thirty-Five

  Sitting across from Luccio, Kat could feel her skin crawl. He was looking her up and down like she was a piece of steak he wanted to devour at any moment.

  “So, what makes you think I want to do anything to help Kyle?”

  Kat knew she had to be very careful. If she said the wrong thing, he would just clam up and then Kyle would be on his own.

  “I don’t think for a minute you’d want to do anything to help him. But I do think you’d want to help yourself.” Kat could see the calculation going on in his eyes. He was nothing if not a selfish man, and she knew that if it meant helping himself, he would sell his own grandmother.

  “What do you mean, exactly? What are you offering?”

  Kat hid her smile. Gotcha! “Well, you’re going to prison. There’s no doubt about that, but where you serve your time is not set in stone. Help me and I’ll put a word in, say you helped us. I’m sure you’d much rather serve your time in one of the nicer prisons?” Kat watched as he licked his lips, his tongue making him appear even more like a snake. Suppressing a shudder, she forced herself to keep a smile on her face.

  “Can you guarantee it?” he asked, leaning forward.

  “No, you know I can’t do that.”

  He shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “Then no deal.”

  Kat was getting pissed off with this dance now and, not even pretending to smile anymore, she leaned forward. “No, I can’t guarantee it. But, what I can guarantee is that if you don’t help me I will make it my personal mission to make sure that you go to the worst prison possible, where you will be welcomed with open arms once I let it be known how much you helped us.”

  For the first time, Luccio looked a bit nervous and she could see that she had him. “Okay, okay, but I want it noted that I cooperated, okay?”

  Kat nodded.

  “Okay. I know where Deshaun hangs out. Well, where he used to hang out, anyway. I don’t know if he still does.”

  “Okay, so spill.”

  He sighed heavily. “Okay, there’s this club on Acacia Street. A total shit hole. From what I hear, he’s there most nights, dealing.”

  Without another word Kat stood up and, with a screech, pushed the chair back from the table. As the door closed behind her she heard him shout out, “Don’t forget our deal!”

  Almost at a run, she left the jail and jumped into her car. She knew the club he was talking about. She considered calling for backup for about a second, but knew that if she did it would invite all sorts of questions about how Kyle came to know who to go after in the first place. No, this was her mess. It was down to her to sort it out. Squealing out of the parking lot, she put her foot down. She just hoped she wasn’t too late.

  Kyle opened his eyes, and for a brief second had no idea where he was. He tried to sit up, and immediately a sharp pain in his shoulder reminded him of where he was and what had happened. Remembering Deshaun, he looked around the alley and saw him lying about ten feet away, sprawled face down and not moving. He was pleased, as he’d had no idea if his shot had hit its target.

  Pulling himself over to the alley wall, he used it as leverage and managed to get himself into a sitting position. He immediately became dizzy and had to close his eyes for a few seconds until the world stopped spinning. He’d lost a lot of blood.

  Pushing his shirt out of the way, he inspected the wound. He’d been hit in the shoulder thankfully, the bullet missing any major organs. He couldn’t move that arm, though. Reaching over his shoulder and running his hand along his back, it looked like the bullet had gone straight through.

  Now what? He was going to be in a whole world of trouble unless he figured a way out of this mess. He had no idea what he had thought would happen when he confronted Deshaun, but he had to admit, this wasn’t it.

  As she pulled up outside the club, Kat saw Kyle’s car parked across the street. She could see that no one was in it. She was not looking forward to checking the club. This was one of the roughest neighborhoods in L.A., and she was a woman on her own. She was taking a hell of a risk.

  She was just walking up to the entrance, past an alley, when she heard a short cry, like a person in pain. It had come from the alley. Tentatively, with her hand on her holster, she walked into the gloom.

  “Hello? Is anybody there?”

  A voice made her jump. “Kat? Is that you?”

  She’d found him! Rushing into the depths of the alley now, what she saw made her stop in her tracks. Kyle was propped against the wall, bleeding heavily, and there was a body on the ground.

  “Oh, my God! Kyle, what have you done? Is he dead?”

  Kyle gasped in pain. “I don’t know.”

  Taking out her gun now, Kat approached the body carefully. When she was close enough, she nudged it with her foot. Nothing. With her gun aiming at his head, she slowly reached down and checked for a pulse. Nothing.

  “He’s dead.” Putting her gun away, she rushed over to Kyle. Checking his wound, she was relieved to see that it wasn’t life threatening. “Get out of here, Kat. You don’t need to be involved in this. I’m not bringing you down with me.”

  “You were my partner. Makes no difference to me that you’re not anymore. To me, you still are so there’s no way in hell I’m just leaving you here.” She looked around and spotted Kyle’s gun.

  Pointing at it she asked, “That registered to you?” Kyle shook his head. “It’s a throwaway I took with me when I left.”

  “Perfect.” She picked it up and, with the corners of her shirt, wiped it clean and put it back where it lay. “This is Compton. Robberies gone bad happen all the time here. I doubt this one will get much attention.”

  Reaching down, she helped Kyle to stand up. “Lean on me and try and look like you’re drunk. We don’t want to attract any attention.” It started to rain as they left the alley and Kat said a silent prayer of thanks. That would take care of the blood. At her car, she helped Kyle into the passenger seat and jumped behind the wheel. “I’ll take you back to your apartment and then get a cab back to pick up your car.” She was just about to start the engine when Kyle placed his hand on her arm. She paused and looked at him.

  “Thank you.”

  She nodded and started the engine.

  Thirty-Six

  He’d hardly seen Anna or her friend all day, which suited him just fine. He’d heard the thump thump of the music coming from her room, interspersed with bouts of giggles. The only time they’d come out of the bedroom had been at lunchtime, when they’d briefly emerged to grab some food from the kitchen before disappearing upstairs again.

  When they had, Sergei had caught a glimpse of Steph and found himself watching her as she walked up the stairs. A couple of years ahead of Anna at school meant she was sixteen, at the edge of what he liked. He had to admit, though, she was hot. Her short denim skirt gave him a glimpse of her panties as she walked up the stairs.

  He spent the next several hours doing paperwork and it wasn’t until he looked out the window that he realized it was getting dark. Leaving his desk, he wandered to the kitchen to find out what was for dinner.

  “Has Anna’s friend left yet?” Monika shook her head. “Okay. Go upstairs and tell her that she has to leave now. I’ve already told Anna that I don’t want her still here at dinner time.”

  Monika was just opening the door to leave the kitchen when Anna walked in.

  “Dad, can Steph stay over? She’s just had a fight with her mom on the phone. Please?”

  Sergei frowned. He didn’t like having to repeat himself. “I’ve already told you that I want us to eat together tonight.”

  “Please, Dad. It’s Sunday tomorrow, so we don’t have
to go to school. Please!”

  With a sigh, he gave in. He usually did where Anna was concerned. “Okay. But you have to promise me that next time I visit we’ll spend a day together. Deal?”

  Smiling widely, she agreed. “Deal!” He watched her as she ran off to tell her friend the good news.

  Thirty-Seven

  Tara packed her things quickly. Her flight was not until after midnight, but she could wait at the airport. She didn’t want to be here when Kyle got home. He would try to stop her, she knew, and she had to go. Her heart couldn’t bear to be away from her daughter any longer.

  She felt as if her heart was filled with lead. She’d been so sure, had never doubted for a moment that Kyle loved her as much as she did him, but it wasn’t true. It wasn’t that he’d kept what he was doing from her. To a degree, she understood. What had told her everything she needed to know was that he had decided to carry on down this path, pushing her away and dismissing her feelings. Any remaining doubt about what she had to do had disappeared then.

  When her bags were all packed and she was ready to leave, she found a sheet of paper and sat down to write him a note. He deserved an explanation. Tears streamed down her face by the time she had finished. She’d called a cab and it was waiting for her as she made her way downstairs. Rain had started to fall now, and with a last glance over her shoulder at their apartment building, she resolutely faced forward and told the driver to take her to LAX.

  ***

  They both knew that Kyle couldn’t be taken to the hospital. By law, every gunshot wound had to be reported, and if that happened it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out the connection once they found Deshaun’s body. No, the only choice was to take him back to the apartment.

  “How did you find me?” he asked as they drove.

  “Tara came to me. She knew you were going to do something stupid so she asked for my help.”

  “That doesn’t explain how you knew where to look.”

  “You can thank Luccio for that.”

  Kyle hung his head. “I’m so sorry to have dragged you into all this, Kat.”

  “Don’t apologize to me, I’ll be fine. But you do need to apologize to Tara.”

  “I know.”

  Silence fell between them then and Kyle rested his head back against his seat, the adrenaline leaving his body. It was over. Finally. Maybe now he could put this obsession behind him.

  Nothing was said for the rest of the drive and, when they arrived outside the apartment, Kat helped him out of the car and up the stairs. It was late and Tara would be in bed, so he opened the door quietly and switched on the lights.

  “Where’s your first aid kit?” Kat whispered.

  “In the kitchen, in the cupboard above the stove.” Kyle settled himself on the couch while Kat went to look. The pain was really kicking in now that the adrenaline had gone. “Did you find it?” he asked as Kat came into the living room but she didn’t answer.

  Looking up he saw that she was holding an envelope. “What’s that?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I found it on the counter. It’s addressed to you.”

  Taking the envelope from her, he held it in his hand. He didn’t know why, but he was suddenly scared. He didn’t want to open it.

  “Aren’t you going to read it?”

  With a nod, he tore it open and took out the sheet of paper inside.

  “What does it say?” Kat asked softly.

  But Kyle didn’t hear her. He wasn’t listening anymore. She had gone. Back to that monster. Oh, God, what have I done?

  ***

  The tears were drying on her cheeks as the plane climbed through the clouds after take-off. They had barely stopped since leaving the apartment, but now she needed to be strong. Needed to put it behind her as best she could. She loved Kyle, she always would, but that was over now. She was flying into the biggest fight of her life and she couldn’t afford to be weak. She was going to fight for her daughter. And she was going to win.

  Thirty-Eight

  She’d expected a welcoming committee when she’d flown into Heathrow airport, and she hadn’t been disappointed. As soon as she’d cleared customs and walked into the main terminal, she’d spotted Joey waiting for her by the barriers. She’d known that going back wasn’t going to be easy, but as soon as she saw his face, the reality of what she was doing hit home and her resolve briefly deserted her. There had been no mistaking the look on his face, which had brought to mind what she imagined a lion might look like before devouring its prey.

  Taking a deep breath and reminding herself why she was there, she followed him out of the terminal and into the dark garage where he had parked the car. Getting into the back seat with her carry-on bag, she felt his eyes on her as they left the airport.

  It felt strange to be back in London again. Looking out of the car window, the sights and sounds so familiar, she felt like a stranger, felt she had been away a lot longer than the six months she had actually been gone.

  The person who had left, who had run away from it all, was not the same person who’d flown back. That woman had appeared to be strong, to be able to cope with anything life had thrown at her. But the truth was she had built a protective wall around her core so that nothing could penetrate it. Deep within that core had been a woman who believed that she would never be loved, would never deserve more than she was getting out of life.

  The woman sitting here now, though, was strong on the inside. Being with Kyle had taught her that she could do anything, that she didn’t have to be a slave to her past. And she now knew that a life without love, without hope, was not one that was worth living. Whatever Sergei did to her, he would never be able to take that away.

  As the car rolled into the parking lot and slowed to a stop, the sight of her old flat surprised her. She had expected to be taken to see Sergei immediately and couldn’t help but wonder if he was inside waiting for her.

  Though she’d lived there for years, she felt like a stranger seeing it through new eyes as she walked up the steps and in through the front door. She’d barely made it inside before Joey grabbed her and pushed her down the hall and into her old bedroom.

  She slowly sat down on the bed, glancing around the room that now seemed so foreign to her. Her eyes strayed to the window, and she instinctively went over to it, her palm resting on the cool glass.

  “Don’t even think you’re going anywhere, Tara,” Joey growled, grabbing the purse she was still clutching tightly.

  Emptying the contents on the bed, he grabbed her cell phone and threw the empty bag on the floor.

  “Make yourself comfortable,” he said over his shoulder, closing and locking the door behind him with a laugh.

  She’d kicked and screamed until she was hoarse, to no avail, for what seemed like hours. Eventually, she’d given up. She was left completely alone. Apart from when he’d brought her food, she had not seen another soul and had not left the room since she’d arrived.

  She knew he couldn’t keep her locked up here forever. It was only a matter of time before Sergei showed his face and she needed to be prepared, needed to be ready to plead and beg, if that was what it was going to take to see her daughter. Remembering what Sergei had said, that her daughter wanted to see her, she believed he wouldn’t just kill her outright. She clung to this hope now, sustained by its comfort.

  But it had been three days now, and her imagination was driving her wild. Where was Sergei? What was he waiting for? She’d asked Joey, over and over. She’d shouted the question through the door, hoping for an answer, but he never replied. His silence was driving her mad. She knew he was out there. She could hear him moving around and the television’s low murmur in the living room.

  She had finally given up, left with nothing but her hope. So, to pass the time, she slept. And dreamt. Dreamt that she was still back in L.A. with Kyle, but in her dreams her daughter was with them.

  Thirty-Nine

  “I’m fine!” Kyle said, as Kat asked again
how he was feeling. His face flushed as he spoke. He was getting fed up. Kat had insisted on staying with him at the apartment when they’d discovered that Tara had left. She’d said it was to make sure he took care of his wound, but he didn’t believe that. He knew it was because she was worried about what he would do.

  He had just been biding his time until he was able to make a move. At least the wound was healing nicely. It was still incredibly painful and limited his arm movements, but it was not infected, which had been their big worry.

  “I wish we could have taken you to a doctor,” she said, handing him a glass of water and a pill. He threw back the pill and the water with one swallow, still glaring at her. “At least I had some meds.”

  Luckily, Kat had had some antibiotics left over from an old prescription at home, and she’d brought them from her own place and given them to him at the appointed times, making sure he took them. The problem was, she hadn’t left. She was fussing around him like a mother hen and it was driving him nuts. He needed some time to himself. He needed to decide what he was going to do.

  That he was going to do something was not in doubt. He couldn’t just let Tara walk away. If, once she was safe, she wanted to walk away from him he would have to accept it, but he loved her too much to just let her walk straight back into that monster’s arms on her own.

  “Let me look at that shoulder, will you?” She was hovering again.

  “I told you, I’m fine!”

  “I’d really like to check it before I go, Kyle. Things like that can change quickly.”

  “Please, just leave it alone,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

  She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Okay,” she said over her shoulder, heading for the door. “Well, I’m going to have to get going. I need to get to work.” She grabbed her coat off the rack, shrugging it over her shoulders. “If you hear anything, you’ll let me know?”

  “You know I will,” he shouted, as she closed the door behind her.