The person he was going to see lived in Compton, one of the most dangerous areas of L.A. Kyle decided not to take any chances and slipped on his shoulder holster, carefully checking that his gun was loaded and that the safety was on. The gun was a throw-away that he’d kept from his time on the force. Unregistered and with no serial number, it could never be traced back to him.
Compton was not a place you went asking questions, unprepared to defend yourself. Unfortunately, a lot of the people Luccio dealt with lived or hung out down there. The person he was going to see was Jimmy (JJ) Jonson. Jimmy headed up Luccio’s local distribution network. Somehow, and Kyle hadn’t wanted to ask and invite questions, he had avoided the round up when Luccio was arrested. If anyone knew anything, it was going to be him. He was just slipping on his jacket when the bedroom door opened.
One look at her face told him that she’d seen the holster. She knew he had a gun. They’d talked about it and she had agreed that it was a good idea to keep it at the moment, for safety reasons, but she’d never seen him wear it.
“What’s that for?” she asked, her eyes glued to the gun.
“I need to go out again, see some people. It’s nothing to worry about,” he told her as he zipped up his jacket.
“What things? And what do you need a gun for?”
Turning to her, he took her face in his hands. “It’s just a couple of things that need sorting out. I promise you, it’s nothing for you to worry about.”
She shook her face free angrily. “How can I not worry when you won’t tell me what’s going on?”
“There’s nothing going on!” He watched as she angrily turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. He was only trying to protect her, he told himself, as he opened the door and followed her out.
She was standing in the living room with her back turned. “I don’t know what you’re getting so upset about!”
She turned to look at him and gestured around the apartment. “You don’t know?” Her tone was one of disbelief. “I’m in a strange country with a man I hardly know. One I love, no doubt, but let’s face it. I hardly know you. And you suddenly start disappearing without telling me where you’re going. You don’t think that’s enough to get upset about?”
He could see that she was really upset. She was trying to be angry, but she appeared close to tears. “Why can’t you just trust me? I promise you, it’ll be over soon.”
Tara turned her face away as he came to kiss her goodbye and, with a shrug, he left. What will be over soon? Tara had no idea, but she knew that whatever it was, it was threatening to tear them apart.
Twenty-Nine
After he had gone, Tara sat staring aimlessly at the apartment walls. Had she made a huge mistake? After all, what did she really know about this man? She knew what her feelings told her, but she knew nothing about him. That he was hiding something was obvious. She just didn’t know what.
Of course, she was glad to be rid of Sergei and far away from the men who had used her in so many different ways. It just wasn’t turning out the way she had expected. In fact, she wasn’t sure what she had expected. She hadn’t given it much thought. She’d just been happy that she was with Kyle and away from Sergei.
A knock on the door made her jump. No one ever knocked on their door. Remembering what Kyle had taught her, she didn’t get too close to the door before shouting, “Who’s there?”
“Kat McKay,” came the answer.
Keeping the chain on, Tara cautiously opened the door a crack. What she saw left her rooted to the spot and momentarily speechless. It was the woman she’d seen with Kyle!
“Hi, is Kyle in?” The woman was looking at her strangely, and Tara realized that she hadn’t moved or said anything since opening the door.
“I’m sorry,” she managed to force out, “he’s not here right now.”
“Right. And, sorry, you are?” the woman asked.
Great, Kyle hasn’t even told her about me! “Tara” she said, looking for some reaction in the woman’s eyes. Nothing.
“Okay. Well, could you ask Kyle to call me when he gets back? He’s got my number.”
“Tell him yourself!” Tara regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth when she saw the other woman’s eyes narrow.
“Okay, we appear to have gotten off on the wrong foot here.”
“What? I’m supposed to be happy that Kyle’s other woman turns up on my doorstep?” Tara jutted out her chin, trying to display a confidence she didn’t feel.
“What? What on earth are you talking about?” The woman’s face was a picture of disbelief, and Tara started to feel a bit less sure of herself. “Look, can I come in?” Tara hesitated, so the woman continued. “I really think we need to clear this up, don’t you?”
Reluctantly, Tara opened the door to allow the other woman in. Taking a deep breath, she followed her into the living room.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” she said as she looked around.
“Thanks. We like it.” It appeared that the point was not lost on the woman as she raised an eyebrow.
“Okay if I sit?” She gestured towards the couch.
“Sure.”
After sitting in the chair opposite the couch, taking longer than necessary to give herself time to settle herself, Tara looked at Kat properly for the first time. She could see what he saw in her. She was attractive. Okay, here goes! she thought.
“I saw you with Kyle yesterday. At the coffee shop.”
The woman nodded. “Yes. Kyle asked me to meet him there.”
Tara’s jaw clenched.
“To discuss the case.”
Now Tara was confused. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. What case?”
“His wife’s murder. Surely he told you?” Not wanting to appear stupid, Tara nodded.
“Yes, of course he told me about the murder, but I don’t see what that’s got to do with you.”
It was Kat’s turn to look confused now. “I’m a detective on the case. I used to be Kyle’s partner before he left the job.”
Suddenly all the pieces were clicking together in her brain. She needed a bit of time to regroup. “Look, I’ll go and make us some coffee, okay?”
Not waiting for an answer Tara jumped to her feet and went to the kitchen. She needed a bit of time to process. Why didn’t Kyle tell her? It was not as if she didn’t know about the investigation, so why was he being so secretive, unless there was something else going on that he wasn’t telling her about.
Feeling suddenly like she was living with a man she didn’t know, Tara couldn’t help but wonder what this would do to their relationship and whether it would survive it. Taking the coffee back to the living room, she listened as Kat brought her up to date and told her that basically there had been no developments. She explained that she would have called Kyle to let him know, but she was nearby dealing with another matter so had decided to pop in.
After chatting for another few minutes about nothing in particular, Kat stood up to leave and Tara saw her out. Closing the door to the apartment behind her as she left, Tara leaned her head against the cool wood. The relief she felt was intense. She admitted to herself that she had been convinced he was having an affair, and finding out that he wasn’t left her feeling emotionally drained. He was still holding something back but, as long as it wasn’t that, there was hope.
Thirty
He’d been waiting for over three hours and hadn’t seen a sign of him. He’d been to JJ’s apartment before, back when he worked for Luccio. It wasn’t much of an apartment, more like a few filthy rooms joined together. The last time Kyle had visited him there, he’d felt like he needed a shower as soon as he’d left.
The problem with JJ was that though he’d been paid a decent wage most of it went up his nose or in his arm. He’d managed to stay on top of his problem, though, which is how he’d managed to keep his job. He’d climbed the filthy stairs to his fifth floor apartment when he first arrived, but there ha
d been no answer to his knock. So, determined to speak to him, he’d settled himself in his car to wait for him.
His mind drifted to thoughts of Tara as he waited. They’d not heard from Sergei for several months, so it looked like Tara’s fears were unfounded. She’d been sure that he would come after her, and the stories she had told him about others who tried to leave his employ had convinced him she was right. They mustn’t get cocky, though. Just because they hadn’t had any reason to fear so far didn’t mean that it would stay that way.
He was more concerned about what finding out about her daughter was doing to her. He had tried to talk about it with her several times during the last few months, but she had shut him down pretty quickly. He so desperately wanted her to be happy in their new life together, but he was not naïve enough to believe that her past would be easy to forget. And he didn’t want her to forget her daughter.
Knowing how he felt when he lost his unborn son, the pain he had felt, he could only imagine what she felt now. To know his son was out there and that he could do nothing to save him would kill him. He had no idea how Tara was keeping it together so well. Maybe this was her way of coping, and he just had to let her deal with it in whatever way she could and be there for her when she needed him.
A movement to his right brought his attention back to the job at hand. Looking over, he saw JJ walking towards his apartment, head down and shoulders hunched. He decided to give him a couple of minutes to get upstairs before following him up, so that he was contained. The last thing he wanted was for him to see him and run.
Locking his car, he discreetly patted his holster to reassure himself it was still there and walked over.
“Who’s there?” was the reply to his knock on the door. Knowing it was unlikely he would open the door if he knew it was him, he stayed silent and instead knocked again. This time the door was thrown open angrily.
“Who’s there, motherfucker?” JJ had time to say before Kyle grabbed him by the neck and pushed him back into the apartment, shoving the door shut with his foot. Still holding on tightly, he slammed him into one of the grimy walls.
“Hello, JJ. Long time.” He released JJ’s throat just enough that he could breath and speak.
“Kyle! My man!” He wasn’t even bothering to struggle. He knew better. He was all of about 5’ 5” and as skinny as a greyhound. Kyle could have held him against that wall all day long and not broken a sweat.
He didn’t waste time with pleasantries; he was here for one thing, and one thing only. Information.
“Where’s Deshaun?” he demanded.
JJ looked confused “Who? Don’t know no Deshaun.”
Kyle took a deep breath to stop himself breaking JJ’s neck. “Deshaun Ali. Don’t play games with me. I know you used to run him.”
“What you wanna find him for?”
Kyle gripped tighter. “Because he murdered my wife. Now tell me where he is before I snap your neck like a twig.”
JJ squirmed under his grip. “Dude don’t work for me no more. Yeah, he used to be one of my runners, but got a bit too fond of the product, know what I’m sayin’?”
Kyle hissed, “Just tell me where the fuck he is!”
“How the hell do I know?”
Kyle was close to losing his cool now. “Because this is your turf, shithead! You know everything that goes on here. Now, where is he?”
Maybe it was something in Kyle’s face that told him he was serious but, whatever the reason, JJ seemed to give up all pretense at hiding anything. “During the day, I don’t know, man, but at night he hangs around a club on Acacia Street.”
Letting him down with a thud, Kyle gave him a last warning. “If I find out you’re lying, or if you warn him I’m coming, I will come back and I will snap your neck.” He meant it. Without another word he turned and left.
There was nothing more he could do until tonight, so he headed home to get some rest and check in with Tara.
Thirty-One
After Kat left, Tara had cleaned the apartment, done the washing, done everything she could to keep herself busy and her mind occupied. She’d tried to call Kyle on his cell, but it had gone to voicemail each time, something she was getting used to. The sound of a key in the front door told her Kyle was home.
Her feelings were confused. Yes, she was mad that he hadn’t told her about what was going on, but then she was keeping a secret from him, so she couldn’t really judge. The fact that they were both keeping secrets from each other was not lost on her. What kind of relationship were they having?
She knew the time had come to come clean. Their relationship needed to be one built on honesty and openness. Her past was littered with lies and secrets. She would not, could not, allow her future to be, too.
“I think we need to talk,” she told him as he removed his jacket.
“Look, I’m sorry about dashing off,” he said, hanging his coat on the hook.
She took a deep breath. “You had a visitor today.”
“Who?” he asked as he turned away from the coat hook.
“Kat.”
His whole body stilled. “Oh. What did she tell you?”
Tara sighed. “Everything.”
“She had no right!” he shouted.
“Kyle, she had to! I thought you were having an affair!”
That had the effect of a slap and he looked at her stunned. “An affair? What are you talking about?”
Tara walked to the living room and sat on the couch. “I saw you yesterday, at the coffee shop. I’ll admit, I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”
Kyle came and knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. “You thought I was having an affair? Why didn’t you just ask me?”
Irritated, Tara pulled her hands away from his. “Because the last couple of days, you’ve been so secretive! You wouldn’t tell me where you were going or what you were doing. What was I supposed to think?” Tara could see she had hit a nerve.
Kyle sat on the couch next to her and dropped his head into his hands. “God. I’m so sorry. I never meant for you to get caught up in all this.”
That was exactly what worried her. Did he not trust her enough to share everything in his life with her? “Well, I am, and I want to be. Kyle, I want to help you through this. I know you had a life before me, a love before me, of course you want to get justice for them. How could you think I wouldn’t understand that?”
Kyle shook his head. “I don’t know. I think I didn’t want it to taint what we have.”
“It won’t, if we’re honest with each other and let the police do their job.” She saw Kyle stiffen at that.
“The police aren’t doing their job, though, are they? They’re no closer to finding this guy than they were before Luccio came clean.”
“No, but they will find him. It just may take a bit of time.”
It was Kyle’s turn to be get cross. “Time? They’ve had all the time in the world! No, this time I’m not counting on them.”
Tara was getting worried now. “What do you mean, Kyle? What have you done?”
Kyle stood up and started pacing. “Nothing really, yet.”
Tara had a sinking feeling in her stomach now. “What do you mean?”
“I know where he is. The man who shot them.”
“I won’t ask how you got it, but that’s great news. Have you called Kat yet?”
Kyle strode off into the kitchen. Not giving up, Tara followed him. “Well, have you?”
“No, okay? No, I haven’t told Kat.”
“Why on earth not?”
“Because there’s nothing they can do. They don’t have enough to arrest him. This is something I have to do.”
Tara’s blood ran cold. “What can you do that they can’t?” She could see Kyle was getting really angry now, and he pushed past her and stalked off into the bedroom. “I need some sleep.”
Not letting it go, Tara followed him. “Tell me!”
“Just leave it!” He shouted at her this time, going
into the bathroom and slamming the door shut.
Tara stood still, stunned. What on earth was he up to? She had a horrible feeling she knew. One thing she did know, her problems would have to wait. There was no way she could tell him about the texts from Sergei now.
Thirty-Two
Sergei didn’t like to think of himself as a monster, but the truth was that he rarely felt anything for any of the people he surrounded himself with.
Brought up by Russian immigrant parents, he hadn’t had an easy childhood. Regularly beaten by his father and watching his mother being shared around with his father’s friends had, he acknowledged, probably had more than a little to do with the way he was today. That was fine with him. It was that attitude that had allowed him to take what was a small gambling business and build it up into the huge network it was now. A network that had made him a very, very rich man.
Rich enough to maintain several homes, one of which was on the outskirts of Blandford in Dorset, where he was heading now. This home was different than the others. This one was kept very separate from his business interests, and none of his people knew about it.
This is where his daughter lived. She was fourteen now, and attended the prestigious Bryanston School nearby. Anna had no idea about what he did for a living, and he kept the two areas of his life very separate. One day, he hoped that she would take over for him, but right now she was too young to understand.
He tried to get down to see her as often as he could which, admittedly, probably wasn’t as often as he should, especially now that she was a teenager. She was becoming more and more of a handful. There was a full-time staff of six people at the house, including the two nannies that had been with her since the day she was born.
He felt no remorse at all about taking her away from her mother. What future would she have had, for God’s sake, being raised by a hooker? So, as soon as she was old enough to understand, he had told her that her mother had died during childbirth.
He hadn’t expected to have any true feelings for this child when she’d been born and he wasn’t sure that the feelings he had for her now could be described as love. She did belong to him though and he had grown quite fond of her over the years.