Liabilities (Balance Sheet 2) Page 13

  Although his pace had picked up, I was in need of something fast and hard. I met his thrust trying to force his pace when he finally broke and gave me what I wanted. He stroked me with purpose, hard and deep, hard and deep, his eyes colored in the amber light from the fire that danced along beside us. I came again, and it seemed to last a lifetime. Just when the waves that crested over me began to subside, he came in a guttural trust.

  When he went limp on top of me, it was only a moment before he rolled so we lay side by side. Still inside me, he kissed me with a sweetness that didn’t match the furious love making seconds before. In his arms, I found peace enough to fall asleep.

  When I woke, he was on his back. I was tucked in on the side of him. We were still naked and the fire had burned down to nearly embers. It was getting chilly. I got up to get a blanket from the room. I put on his shirt not wanting to walk around naked, and I needed to check on my sister. I draped the blanket over him before heading towards her room.

  She was still asleep. I had no idea if she’d woken in the night and found us. One thing was sure, Mike hadn’t come. I felt okay thinking that they’d probably found him and locked him up as promised.

  So I crept back into the room and stared down at the man who had loved me in ways I would never forget that night. I took off his shirt, which was still damp. I put back on my bra and panties, then my dress. I put another log on the fire and added more kindling.

  Then I picked up his clothes and draped them over the side of a chair near the fire to dry out. He still lay sleeping.

  I walked out the back. The rain had ended sometime in the night. It was a bit chilly out, but the cold was the reality I needed. The rain burned off any heat from the past day. The sun was just making an appearance on the horizon. I thought about the man inside and my tears burned hot paths down my face. I also cried for the other man I loved who would never forgive when he found out. I knew what I had done. I wanted so badly to stay in this moment and not face the music.

  Tears couldn’t cover that I’d done the only thing I could do. The need he’d come to me with was one I had to answer. And any choice I made would have killed me, so I let him make the choice for me. I had to hope I’d be able to live with that decision. There was no forgiveness for this transgression.

  I stood and walked forward as the gentle breeze moved the cornfield to sway as if in a dance. The sounds that played through the stalks were its own melody. It sang of love and loss, no right or wrong.

  When the rays of the day fully emerged from its slumbering across the fields, I turned to go face the song of betrayal that awaited me.

  A swishing sound had me looking back.

  Chapter Seventeen ~ Kalen

  Everything was wet. The rain had come before we’d made it back. My knuckles burned from the wallop I’d given that Mike dolt. The laddie, Turner, ended up agreeing with me on this one. The Brewsters didn’t even try to help the wanker when we dragged him back. The scunner was limping because Turner had given him a well-placed kick when he moved to blindside me.

  I’d owe the lad one for that.

  After we caged up Mike in a makeshift cell with actual metal bars, I found myself impressed.

  Turner grinned. “I know you thought we were backwoods folks, but we’re always thinking ahead.”

  I didn’t bother to tell him my own origins were much more like what they had here. We may have had electricity and indoor plumbing, but they had more than what I had with food and family.

  “I’m a little surprised,” I said. “You don’t have a police force but you have a jail.”

  He sighed. “We get all kinds. People want to know about us or hide here. And I suspected Mike was hiding here. I knew something was off about the guy. I’m going to have them relook into Mr. Fisher’s death. The guy may have been old, but he was strong. I’d always assumed he’d outlive me.”

  The way the guy had bruised his wife and most likely been the one to start the fire, I drew the same conclusion. I nodded my agreement.

  Turner continued “And some people get out of hand. The jail isn’t used often. Still, it’s important to have.”

  I gave him another quick nod. I didn’t want to like this guy. Bailey still hadn’t made her choice between us. He was my competition to her heart, not a friend. As it was I was giving him the benefit of the doubt that he hadn’t touched her even though I’d witnessed his possessiveness that first night.

  Once we made it back to his house, we found it was dark. We were both wet and confused.

  “Weren’t they supposed to be here?” I asked him.

  My memory of the events at the jail with Turner broke off, bringing me back to the present, as I opened the door to Violet’s house. It too looked almost dark, although I could see the low-burning fire inside the hearth.

  Turner had assured me that the girls were coming back to his house. He may have been my competition, but I hadn’t read the guy as a liar.

  The door seemed to have its own mind when it broke free of my hand, and it banged open when I stepped inside. Then I saw the figure lying down.

  Before I approached, I caught sight of one empty room on the right before heading to the other on the left. Bailey’s sister Violet was still asleep. I could just make out the rising and falling of her chest. I let the door close behind me before I moved back to the figure.

  Once I was close, I announced in a volume to wake the dead, “Where is she?”

  Turner rolled over, and I caught site of bare shoulder. “Huh,” he said and wiped his eyes like his vision needed clearing.

  My mind raced with possibilities I didn’t want to consider. I checked my rage and said again, “Where is Bailey?’

  Had it been any other guy, I might have thought him gloating when he looked to the side of himself as if to say she was just there.

  “I don’t know?” he uttered sounding puzzled.

  Had he said, she was just here, I might have pummeled him. His clothes spread out on a chair, the extra room seemingly untouched didn’t leave very many possibilities for how Bailey spent her night.

  Not ever being in love before, the tightness in my chest first made me think heart attack. It may have been out of the norm for someone my age, but not impossible. I had to face the facts. She’d chosen him instead of me.

  The scuddie guy sat up and thankfully had the decency to keep his crotch covered. I walked to the back of the house thinking Bailey might be out there. She hadn’t been anywhere at the front. I wasn’t sure what I would do if I found her in the outside shower washing away the evidence of their lovemaking.

  She wasn’t there nor was she in the outhouse. By the time I made it back to the steps, he came out. “Have you found her?”

  “What do you think?” I asked wondering at the calmness of my voice.

  “Look,” he began.

  I held up a hand not wanting him to speak. “Just let her tell me.”

  He nodded. “It’s early but maybe she went to help with morning chores at her parents’ house.”

  I shook my head. “No, she knew we had to leave this morning.” Then a thought struck. “She ran.” I whispered the words, but he’d heard them anyway.

  “No, she promised she wouldn’t,” he said but didn’t look convinced.

  “But that’s what she does,” I said with disbelief. “She ran from you, she ran from Scott, and then she ran from me.”

  I watched him as he put the pieces together. “We need to check if her car is still here.” He had hope that I’d lost when it was with him she’d spent her night.

  He looked at the house. I spoke the answer to the question he hadn’t asked. “I checked her sister. She’s still sleep.”

  No other words were needed. We didn’t bother going through the house, we ran around the side and down to the security station. My daily morning and evening workout sessions had paid off. I was barely breathing heavy when we came to the brick building to find my sports car and another.

  “That’s her ca
r.” He looked over at mine. “You know she’d not impressed by money,” he declared before heading inside the building that was the only halfway modern-looking one in this whole compound. I followed after I patted my side to find I’d left my bag at Turner’s.

  My thoughts traveled back over last night. After we made it to his place with no sign of Bailey, Turner said he’d check her father’s house. I’d offered to go, but he said one of us should stay in case they showed up. Wanting to get out of the wet clothes, I’d agreed. I only had one other set of the required uniform and it had been hard to come by. Turner was leaner than I was, and he had to borrow from someone else to find something that fit.

  So, I’d stripped to the bare and dried off with a towel that had been left for my use. Dressed in dry clothing, I taken a moment to sit and think. I was worried about this crazy person who was after Bailey. I was sure the person would track her here. It was important that the leak to the gossip column about her being in Texas hit the news quick.

  The last couple of days had been hell. And I hadn’t gotten much sleep. But even before the break-in news, the loss of Bailey with me at night made sleep fitfully. I had gotten to a point where I was planning on contacting a doctor for a prescription sleep aid. Too many sleepless night and running in the rain had overwhelmed me, and I’d drifted off waiting for Turner to come back with the girls.

  When I awoke hours later, I checked the house to find it empty. I left knowing what I might find and went to the only place I thought she might be.

  In the security station Turned asked the guard, “You haven’t seen her?” The question brought me out of my thoughts of last night. I’d missed whatever else had been said between the two men.

  “No,” came from a heavy accented voice. It was Southern, I think they called it here in the States. “And no she didn’t call a cab,” the voice continued.

  Turner looked on the verge of leaving. I wasn’t sure if this question had been asked but I said it anyway. “No cars came down this path at all today?”

  I viewed the bank of monitors in front of the guy. Based on comments I’d heard, this security was to protect the compound from the curious, not the crazy.

  “Yeah a car showed up, drove down and turned back without stopping. But that’s not unusual,” the guy said defensively. “People accidently turn on that road and ignore the private sign all the time.”

  “How often does that happen?” I queried.

  “Once or twice a month.”

  Gritting my teeth, I continued on. “And what time did this happen that.”

  “Oh, about an hour or two ago.”

  On the verge of hitting someone, I ignored him and focused on Turner.

  Beating me to the punch, he said, “I still think she could have gone home.”

  “Is there a problem?” the guy asked. He looked as if we’d woken him from a nap. His blonde hair was muddled every which way. “Should I contact Mr. Glicks.”

  “No,” Turner said. “I’m heading over there now.

  We exited the building and our brisk walk turned into a jog.

  After giving the story to Bailey’s mother, we all three headed back to Violet’s, checking first to make sure Mike was still locked up tight. After we made it back, Bailey’s mother tended to Violet’s wounds once we convinced her that we would continue to search for Bailey. Not wanting to scare her, we suggested the possibility that Bailey had probably gone for a walk.

  Out back, I hoped it was just that. Then my eye caught sight of something not right. “Look over there.”

  Turner’s eyes followed the direction of my finger. He was about to shrug it off when he really got a look at the disturbance in the stalks. “Where does this go?”

  We started walking forward; neither of us wanting to believe what may be true. “This is our natural barrier to the public road that is about a half a mile straight ahead. And the stalks run about a mile parallel to the road. It keeps people from wandering in here. The stalks are tall, and it’s easy to get lost.”

  The stalks were tall, taller than me. They blended in like a forest of tan. When we reached the spot, it was easy to see a trail of broken stalks someone left in their wake. The width of the path suggested that someone was probably carrying something while trampling through.

  We traded looks before we took off. It was easy to navigate with the path already made for us.

  In a couple of minutes, we’d made it to the road. What I saw chilled me. Tire tracks were left in the mud on the side of the road. It appeared someone had been parked here. And most likely they had Bailey with them.

  I saw fear in Turner’s eyes that mirrored my own. That fear was laced with the loss of a loved one.

  “Whoever it was could be anywhere now, most likely on a highway headed out of state,” he declared.

  “There have to be cameras that may have spotted something.”

  His response to me was, “We don’t even know what kind of car it was.”

  My answer was to look at the tire tracks knowing he was smart enough to get it. Tires were manufactured to fit only specific vehicles. We could narrow the possibilities down considerably given the right forensic tools.

  Out of my pocket, I pulled my Sat phone. I caught Turner eying the device before he spoke. “I guess there are things you can do for her that I can’t. Are you calling a team of professionals to find her?” His voice was laced with bitterness. Fear had a way of letting one’s true emotions show through.

  Matching my tone with his, I said, “You aren’t the only one that loves her.”

  He rolled his eyes and swept the street instead of looking at me. I dialed a number. With dawn only recently coming to pass, I glimmered a bit of satisfaction when a groggy voice answered. It was the small things that kept one sane in times of crisis.

  “What?”

  “It’s Kalen.” I kept it to the point.

  There was a pause before the voice said, “Bailey’s Kalen?” There could have been pleasure gained in that question if it was true.

  “Yes.” I answered in the affirmative. No need for clarification at this point.

  “Why are you calling at this ungodly hour?”

  Not wanting to waste time, I kept it simple. “You remember that audit issue she found.”

  “What now, you want me to help locate the people who did it?” I could hear amusement in the voice that said I would need his help.

  “No, I want you to help located Bailey… Mike, she’s been taken.”

  BONUS POV from Assets (Kalen)

  copyright 2013 - Shannon Dermott

  Cornered in the back of the back of the conference by a leggy brunette, I gave her a questioning glance. In answer, he hand rested on my shoulder and she leaned in as if to whisper something to me. Her stance at this point was only slightly inappropriate for the audience of meeting attendees still lingering nearby.

  When her hand slid down my back to land on my ass, I quirked an eyebrow.

  "Are you coming over later?" she breathed trying to come off suggestive. Several months ago, it might have been. There certainly was no mistake what she wanted from me. If there was any doubt, when her body shifted to face me and her hand rounded my side to cup my dick, I had no need to wonder at all. Not that I had.

  I quickly hit a semi hard state. I grabbed her wrist prepared to move it. My arousal had nothing to do with the attractive woman in front of me. Been there, done that. Her hand had done nothing more than create a memory of my redhead and her fingers wrapped around my cock while I filled her mouth.

  I pulled the leech free from me. Her pout was meant to be sexy. I found it anything but.

  "Is there someone else you’re taking home tonight?" she asked casually glancing around the room.

  "No." Not that it was any of her business. "But there is someone else." That really wasn't any of her business. However, I didn't want her to continue her pursuit of me.

  Her mouth gaped wide. And she could open that mouth very wide. That I could attes
t to. This time, she held no interest for me. "You sound like you’re attached to someone."

  "Don't sound so shocked." I should have ended the conversation then. It was headed nowhere good if she continued her inquisition.

  "You told me you didn't play for keeps." She looked offended. Maybe I should care. Somehow I didn't. I'd never been but honest with her about my intentions.

  "I don't. Not with you at least." I muttered that last bit, not at all bothered that I may have hurt her feelings. She'd pissed me off by grabbing me in public like she had a right too. Hopefully I'd ticked her off enough she'd leave me alone the rest of the time I was in town.

  As I walked away from her, I checked my watch. It was still early. But halfway around the world, it wasn't. I gave my excuses to leave. The next meeting wouldn't start for another hour or so. I had time.

  In my hotel room, I dialed the number.

  A sexy sleepy voice picked up. "Hello."

  "Lass." My voice sounded all growly but that receptionist had stirred something that could only be sated by my redhead.

  "Kalen," she sounded surprised to hear from me. I'd called her every night I'd been away so far. I was astonished she hadn't picked up my school boy with a crush behavior.

  Quickly, I got to business. "Do you have a camera on your laptop?"

  "Yes," she answered sounding confused.

  "Have you ever used Skype?"

  "No," she replied on a yawn. "Why?"