The front door slammed, snapping her out of her reverie, and she turned away from the window as Kyle entered the apartment. She still got that rush of feeling when she saw him, that shiver of anticipation that ran down her spine and made the breath catch in her throat.
He’d just finished work and was still wearing the uniform of the security firm he was working for. Dark blue trousers molded themselves to his strong thighs, and the white shirt was stretched taut across his chest. Tara felt that familiar warmth spread between her legs as she looked at him, and marveled at the fact that this man had such a strong impact on her.
Seeing her, the furrow that had been between his eyes as he walked through the door vanished, and a wide smile spread across his face. He opened his arms to her. She happily went to him and he held her close. Breathing in his scent and feeling his strong arms around her, Tara smiled. This was where she was meant to be.
She would tell him about the message later.
Twenty-Two
Kyle felt tired as he let himself in to the apartment. It had been another long nightshift working as security at the local mall. He didn’t like his job, and the hours were antisocial, but it served a purpose. He couldn’t go back to the LAPD, and private security hadn’t worked out so well so, after talking it through with Tara, they had decided that he should become a private investigator. He had the experience and the knowledge, so dealing with horny husbands wouldn’t be too difficult. It wouldn’t happen overnight, though. There were rules and procedures to follow, and he would need to obtain a license. All that would take time.
That had left him with a dilemma as to what to do until his license came through, so he had taken the security job as a way of earning some money while he waited. Tara had been adamant that he didn’t need to work right away, that they had enough from the sale of her jewelry to support them for now but that was something he wouldn’t even consider. There was no way he was going to live off Tara. The money he made was not much, little more than minimum wage, but it allowed him to feel as if he was contributing. That was very important to him. He had his pride, after all.
One of the first things he had done when they’d arrived back in L.A. was go to the police. Luccio may well have helped Kyle get Tara back, though not willingly, but Kyle’s conscience wouldn’t let him off the hook. Taking all the evidence he had kept about the girls and Luccio’s criminal activities, he had handed it all over to the LAPD. He did not feel even a flicker of guilt. The only thing he felt was shame that he had worked for Luccio for so long, and helped cover up all the terrible things he had done.
He’d had some tough questions to answer but, ultimately, they had been very receptive. Luccio had been under surveillance for a long time, and they had been waiting for an opportunity to bring him down. He hadn’t told them about Tara. There had been no reason to, and his history with the department meant that he wouldn’t face any charges for his part. He had a feeling, though, that he had just called in his last favor from them, and that if he got into trouble again, he would be on his own.
Tara was standing by the window as he walked in and, in the brief moment before she turned to face him, he saw the sadness etched on her face, cutting him to the core. He loved this woman with every fiber of his being and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, but he couldn’t help her get her daughter back. They’d sat down and talked about it. Over and over. But whichever way they turned it, there was nothing they could do. They knew nothing about her, not even where she lived, and there was no way they were equipped to go up against Sergei and his goons. They’d managed it once, but it would tempt fate far too much to try and do it again.
Beyond that, did this girl even know who Tara was? She was a teenager now, so they couldn’t just walk in and grab her, could they? So, reluctantly, they had agreed that, for now, they had no option but to let it go and to move on with their lives.
At first, they’d been very careful, constantly feeling as if they were being watched. As time had gone on and nothing had happened, they had become more open and relaxed in their new life together, though the shadow of Tara’s pain was never far away.
As soon as Tara had noticed him, she’d walked into his arms. “I missed you last night,” she murmured into his chest.
“I missed you, too. Everything okay here?” He felt her nod.
“Shall I make you some breakfast?”
He realized at the question that he was starving. “Yeah, that would be great. Let me just take a quick shower and freshen up first.” He felt grimy from all the less than savory people he’d come into contact with during his shift.
Before he could head to the bathroom, the buzzing of his phone in his pants pocket stopped him.
“Long time, stranger.” He recognized the voice at the other end of the phone.
“Kat?”
“None other.”
“Gosh, how long’s it been?” He smiled at Tara as she indicated she was going to use the bathroom.
“Since you left the department. Thanks for keeping in touch, by the way,” she said, a hint of irritation in her voice. He immediately felt a stab of guilt.
“I’m sorry. It was just hard, you know?” It had been hard. Kat was his old partner from his LAPD days. They’d been partners for years, from before he’d met and married Lori.
“I know, but damn, I was worried about you!” There was nothing he could say to that. He had only cheated on Lori once, in the very early days of their relationship, and it had been with Kat. He couldn’t explain to her now that the guilt he had felt after she had died had almost killed him, and there was no way he could bring himself to see her.
Changing the subject, he asked, “So, what can I do for you? And how did you get this number?”
“Well, you would have known this if you’d stayed in touch, but I’m in narcotics now.” Kyle was not surprised. That had always been her goal. “And you left your number when you reported your old boss.”
“That’s great. I’m happy for you, really I am. But I still don’t see where this is going,” he said, walking through to the bedroom.
“I’ve been working on the Luccio Magotti case. We’ve been running an operation for the past few months and it culminated last night. We have him in custody on drug charges. Lots of them.”
Kyle felt a sense of relief. It was good to know that the bastard was off the streets. “That’s great news, Kat. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Keep in touch, okay?”
“Wait a minute, Kyle. I’m not done.” Wondering what more there could be, Kyle waited. “He wants to do a deal with the D.A. “
“What kind of deal?” Kyle said, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He did not like where this was going.
He heard Kat take a deep breath at the other end of the phone. “Kyle, he says he has information about who killed Lori.”
Kyle felt all the air escape from him as he thudded down on the bed. He hadn’t seen that coming.
“The D.A.decided to do the deal. I thought you deserved to know.” Kyle realized that Kat was still talking, though her voice now sounded far away. “Has he given you a name?”
“They’re just doing the paperwork now, and then he will be re-interviewed. As soon as there is any news, I will let you know. Okay, buddy?”
Kyle ended the call in a daze. It wasn’t that he had forgotten about Lori. He couldn’t have, but it had been such a long time he’d almost given up hope. Then he’d met Tara, and it had somehow been pushed aside. Not forgotten, but not all encompassing. He still grieved, but it was no longer what he thought about every minute of every day.
He looked up as Tara came out of the bathroom and felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. What kind of a man was he? His wife and unborn child were murdered and he didn’t think about them all the time. Here he was, getting on with his life as if they had never existed. He had to get out of there, had to get some air.
Brushing off the hand she had placed on his shoulder, he ignored the hurt
and confused look on her face and got dressed. It was not Tara’s fault, but if he hadn’t met her he wouldn’t be moving on with his life. In some way that he didn’t understand, that made him angry with her, an anger that had come out of nowhere. He had no idea how to deal with the different feelings that were now assaulting his mind, but he knew he needed to be alone right now.
Unable to look her in the eye, or even speak to her, he brushed past her and walked out of the apartment without a word.
***
Tara heard Kyle finish his phone call as she was coming out of the bathroom. She found him sitting on the bed, clutching the phone in his hand, looking as if his world had just come crashing down.
The look on his face told her that something was wrong and, the smile slipping from her face, she instinctively put her hand on his shoulder. She was shocked when he brushed her hand away and got dressed. “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer, instead walking out the bedroom door and then the apartment itself without a word.
Tara was bewildered. What had just happened? He’d obviously had bad news, but why would he just leave? What was going on? He had never shown her anything but love, and this display of what could only be described as, well, dislike, shook her to her very foundation and she had to sit down on the bed.
She had planned on letting him sleep after his night shift and then bring up the subject of her daughter. She needed to tell him about the messages. She’d been unable to stop herself replying to the last one, and knew she’d been foolish. She needed to share the burden with him, needed him to know what was going on so that they could deal with it together. After what had just happened, though, there was no question that it would have to wait, and that she would need to keep her secret for a while longer.
Twenty -Three
It had been hours since Kyle had left the apartment, and she hadn’t heard a word from him. All her attempts to call him had gone straight to voicemail. At first, she’d left a couple of messages, but when they went unanswered, she decided she would just have to wait until he was ready to talk to her. She’d run through the events of the morning in her mind until she’d made herself dizzy, and still she was no closer to understanding what had happened.
To keep herself busy, she’d gone to the store and stocked up on groceries, which she enjoyed as it was one of the rare opportunities she got to leave the apartment. She had done all the laundry, which was now washed, dried, ironed and put away. Now that she’d stopped and sat down, though, she found that the hurt and confusion had faded and left in its place an angry knot that was growing bigger the longer he stayed away. Whatever that phone call had been about did not give him the right to treat her like this.
She jumped at the buzzing of her phone as it skittered across the coffee table. She grabbed it, thinking it would be Kyle. As soon as she saw who it was, her heart started pounding.
The text was from Sergei. Opening the attachment, she saw the photo she had come to expect and her heart clenched. There she was, her beautiful baby. Except she wasn’t a baby any more, she was fourteen. As with every other message she had received, the feelings that came over her left her reeling as if from a punch in the stomach.
She was still coming to terms with the fact that her daughter was still alive, and every time a message arrived, it brought all her emotions into sharp focus. All those years she had grieved for her child, for the future she would never have, and it had all been a lie. Now, she grieved for all those years of not being there for her first steps, her first words and her first day at school.
After that first message in Geneva, the photos had started arriving every month. The second time, they were still trying to get settled in L.A. Kyle was being interviewed by the LAPD over his evidence against Luccio and looking for a job, so she hadn’t wanted to bother him. After that, as the messages kept arriving, there had never seemed like a good time.
Now it was too late. She could no more stop receiving these messages than she could rip out her own heart. Touching the screen of the phone with her finger, she traced the contours of her daughter’s face. There was no doubt who she was: the shape of her face, her mouth and her nose were identical to Tara’s. Her eyes flashed the same green, though her hair was brown and not the black of her mother’s hair.
A message had been included this time and, dragging her eyes away from the photo, she read the words. I’ve told her all about you. She wants to meet you.
Tara clutched the phone to her chest. She couldn’t go back. There was not a shadow of a doubt in her mind that Sergei would never let her leave again, yet she didn’t know how she was going to stay away.
Feeling like she was being torn in two, Tara curled up on the couch and cried. Trying Kyle’s number once more, it just went to voicemail. She needed him right now. She’d been self-reliant for so long, it had taken a lot for her to let down her defenses and trust and confide in Kyle. Now she had come to rely on him. Where was he when she needed him most?
Twenty-Four
Kyle hadn’t known where he was headed when he’d left the apartment, he’d just needed to get out. He’d been walking aimlessly, and was surprised when he looked up and saw that he was standing outside the police precinct. He stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. Luccio was in that building somewhere, and he had information that could change his life. Deciding he had no choice, he walked up the front steps to the big glass double doors and went inside.
Announcing himself to the officer at the front desk, Kyle told him who he wanted to see. He waited, taking a seat on one of the scratched and dirty plastic chairs that littered the waiting area. He didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later, the locked door to the side front desk swung open and there she was.
Kat hadn’t changed a bit. Her shoulder-length, dark brown hair was held back in a ponytail and her beautiful violet eyes wore only minimal make-up. She was wearing stonewashed blue jeans and a white blouse that did nothing to hide a fantastic figure.
Despite her looks, what Kyle had always found most attractive about her was the aura of competence she exuded. Nothing fazed her, and he’d seen her single-handedly take down a 6-foot bad guy brandishing a gun. This woman was tough. She didn’t seem to be thrilled to see him, though, judging by the frown on her face as she walked towards him.
“Kyle, what on earth are you doing here?”
He stood up. “You know why I’m here, Kat. You didn’t honestly expect me to stay away after your call, did you?”
Putting her hands in her pants pockets, she raised her eyebrow. “And what do you think you can do? Have you forgotten that you’re not LAPD anymore?”
“Of course I haven’t,” he replied. “Look, I know there’s nothing I can do, but I have to be here. You understand that, don’t you?”
Kat nodded. She’d been the one who had broken the news to him when Lori had been killed, and he knew he didn’t have to remind her what that had done to him. “Yes, of course I understand, but what are you going to do? Sit out here until we’ve interviewed him? Even if you do, I won’t be able to tell you anything. You know that.”
Kyle did, but he was hoping that he would be able to twist her arm. “I’m not asking to sit in on the interview or anything. Just observe. Please?” He let out a breath when Kat, after a long pause and a very hard look, reluctantly nodded her agreement.
“Okay. But you do exactly as you’re told. It’s my ass on the line if anyone sees you.”
“Absolutely.”
Twenty-Five
He hadn’t given up. He had no intention of giving up. Nobody had ever walked away from him before, and they weren’t about to start now. In the six months since Tara had gone, Sergei had been busy carrying out damage control. Some of the girls started complaining about their working conditions and threatening to leave, and he had come down hard on them, making an example of them.
The players hadn’t been happy, either. Tara had been one of his most popular prizes, and participation in the games
had noticeably dropped off once word had got out that she was no longer available. If she’d done the right thing, paid the 250k to buy herself out, he would have let her go. He liked to think he was quite honorable like that. But to just run out on him? Leave him with a very unhappy client and embarrass him? No. She was going to pay for that.
For the time being, though, now that a few of the girls had been disciplined, he had a few vacancies that needed to be filled. He was interviewing the last of the replacement girls today and then he’d be able to give Tara his full attention and decide what he was going to do. A knock on his office door signaled that the girl had arrived, and he turned his thoughts to the matter at hand.
His office was located above his most successful London casino, and this is where he had been holding interviews. As his flagship casino, no expense had been spared in the décor, and this applied to his own private office as well. It was huge, and the floor was covered with thick, black carpet. The walls were stark white in contrast, covered in black and white prints of famous fifties movie stars.
A large black leather couch was set against one wall, and across from the couch sat a black glass desk. The only nod to color of any kind was the green blinds on the windows behind the desk, which filled the entire wall. A door led from the office to a private bathroom, complete with a floor-to-ceiling shower, the walls lined with imported Italian stone.
“Come in,” he said now, and Joey, one of his aides, walked in, followed by a girl of about twenty. As she came to stand in front of his desk, he looked her up and down and liked what he saw. Her short blue dress showed off her long legs nicely. Her blonde hair was piled high on top of her head, exposing the long curve of her neck. He needed to see more, though. This was an audition, after all.