He rolls his shoulders back and doesn’t say anything.
“No comment, I see. Avoiding me as usual then.”
“Carter, it’s not what you think.” His voice is soft.
“And what exactly do I think, Kestrel? Tell me, because I’m interested in knowing.”
Before I can process, he grabs my wrist again, pulls me against the steel hardness of his chest and his lips crush mine. For a moment I don’t react. But then anger soars into me, firing my blood, and I sink my teeth into his lip. When he gasps, I wedge my palms between us, shove him away with all my might, and then take a swing at him.
He ducks and avoids my arm. “What the fuck! You bit me!”
I glare at him and seethe. “You don’t have the right to kiss me. You walked out of my life and fucking abandoned me.” My chest heaves with emotion as we stare at each other.
I’m so angry I want to hit him again, but he sees it coming and grabs my arm. I jerk it out of his grasp.
His voice is raised as he answers back, “It was for a damn good reason!”
“You don’t get to make my life’s decisions. Only I get to do that.”
Now we’re both panting like two dogs as we have a stare down. Then he reaches for my wrist again, but I evade him. Gesturing toward the sitting area in the corner, he says, “Sit.”
Not a please. Just a sit.
I stand there staring at him, toe tapping on the thick carpet. Like everywhere else that touches his life, Kestrel’s office is opulent, filled with pricey things.
He points to the sofa and says again, “Sit.”
“I am not a fucking dog.”
Now he rubs his forehead and sighs. “I never thought you were. Please, Carter, take a seat.”
Marching to the sofa, I sit. “Happy now?”
“No. Happiness is not possible for me. Not until the killer or killers are caught.”
“Yeah, so that’s why I tried to text you, then call. I wanted to know if they caught them. I got freaked out. But I couldn’t fucking reach you.” I’m shaking I’m so angry.
He tilts his head and says urgently, “Why were you freaked? Did something happen?”
“No! It’s just that those guys are at the house and I wanted to know.”
“No. They haven’t caught them. When they do, you’ll be the first to know.”
I dip my head and play with an imaginary thread on my pants leg.
“So how are you feeling? Are you all healed up?”
“Do you even care?” I ask.
“Of course I fucking care, dammit. I love you.”
“You have a strange way of showing it.”
“Your safety is most important. That’s why …” His voice trails off but he continues to stare at me. “Please don’t hate me, Carter. Just don’t hate me for what I’m doing.”
“I’m trying, but you’re not making it very easy. I don’t understand why we can’t be together. Why we can’t be …” I shake my head.
“Because if they’re after me, I don’t want you to get caught in the crossfire … to be collateral damage.”
“So, how long? A month? Six? A year?”
“As long as it takes to catch them.”
“I see. So until then, you’ll continue to decide my life for me. Is that it?” Reaching into my handbag, I pull out a piece of paper and hand it to him as I get up to leave.
He looks at it. All it says is August 14, 2015.
“What’s this? Ells’ birthday?”
“Not exactly. Irony is a bitch, Daddy.” And I walk out of his office.
Twenty-Six — Kestrel
Everything comes to a screeching halt. August 14, 2015. “Irony is a bitch, Daddy.” Oh my fucking shit. Carter is pregnant. She suspected she might be. But in all the melee, I’d forgotten. And I left her. Alone. To deal with this by herself. So how does that make me feel? Like a fucking piece of dirt.
I explode out of my chair and tear through the office as though my ass is on fire. When I hit the parking lot, she’s backing out of the space.
“Wait! Carter!” I run toward her car, arms flailing in the air trying to get her attention. She hits the brakes and I sprint to her door. Opening it up I try to pull her out, but she’s belted in. Dropping to my knees, I lay my head on her lap and hug her.
When I’m finally composed enough to speak, I look up at her and she wipes my cheeks. “Jesus, I’m so sorry I left you. It was for your safety, but I didn’t know. I talked with everyone and they felt if I was the cause it would be best for you.” My rapid-fire speech has her head moving back and forth in an effort to keep up, I imagine.
I go on and on with my explanation and she finally says, “Hey, do you think I should move my car?”
Shifting my body back on my ass, I look around and decide that’s probably a pretty good idea. The guys from DWI probably think I’m an idiot.
“Not only that, I need to get you back inside.” I move to allow her to park again, and then I help her out. When we walk back in, everyone is spying on us, though they try to act like they’re not looking at us at all. As we’re walking inside my office, I tell Shayla we are not to be disturbed.
Once the door is closed, I take Carter in my arms and kiss her. It reminds me of how much I missed her. “Promise not to bite me?”
“Yeah.” Her fingers touch my cheek.
“Tell me you missed this as much as I. I dreamed of you next to me in bed every night. I wanted you so much at times, it hurt.”
“I hated you for leaving me. I couldn’t understand why you did it.”
“I discussed it with Drex. I didn’t want to do it. It was the hardest thing I ever did.”
“Who’s Drex?”
“He’s the private investigator I hired. He’s based in Denver. He’s the best and he thought it might be best. If the killers intended to kill me, then you would be safer. It worries me that you still could be hurt. And the baby. When did you find out?”
“In the hospital before surgery. I didn’t want to tell you in the hospital because you had too much going on as it was. I was going to tell you when I got out, but you left before I had the chance.”
“Jesus. I’m so sorry, angel.” I kiss her again. “And after I told you I would have your back on that. You must’ve thought I was the biggest ass.”
“Yep. Mostly because you didn’t let me decide what I wanted. You chose for me. I want to make my own life’s decisions.”
Shit. Now I have to worry about this as well.
“What is it?”
“We need to get you out of town.”
“What?” She pushes me away.
“Listen, angel. Someone wants me dead. Bad enough to shoot the hell out of the house. And here’s what’s worse. The police tried to cover some of it up.”
“What?” Her faces pales.
“After I hired Drex Wolfe, I flew to Denver and he began his investigation. Very little of the evidence they collected was recorded. So he started looking into it and now he thinks someone in the police department is covering it up.”
Carter’s phone buzzes as I’m telling her this. She looks at it and it’s a message from John.
“Oh no!”
“What?” I ask.
“There’s been an explosion at the hospital.”
“An explosion?”
“Yes! John said that he was in the parking garage when it happened.”
“What?”
She calls him. But all he can tell her is that he was in the garage when the alarms started going off. He exited the building and when he got to the street, they said an explosion occurred in the research building. He just found out it was in their lab.
“They won’t know what happened until they can get in to investigate.”
“I’m calling Drex.”
My conversation with Drex convinces us it’s more than just a coincidence. He asks if John left early. Carter checks the time and says she thinks he must have. Then Drex asks if she did.
“Well, yeah, but I’m only working part time this week.”
Drex decides to pull Dane and Heath out of the shadows.
“Who are Dane and Heath?” Carter wants to know.
“You’ll find out in a few minutes.”
I tell Shayla to let Dane in when he gets here. A few minutes later, there’s a knock and in walks a tall, muscular guy with a military look about him. His dark hair is cropped short and he’s wearing jeans and a camo jacket.
“You must be Dane,” I say.
“That’s right, sir.”
“Nice to meet you. This is Carter.”
“I am aware, sir.” He nods at Carter. “I am to escort Dr. Drayton everywhere. Heath and I will work, as we have been, except now we’ll be visible to her.”
“What do you mean?” Carter asks.
“Uh, yeah, so Dane and Heath have been your shadows for the last few weeks. To keep you safe. Everywhere you’ve been, they’ve been with you. They are experts in what they do, angel.”
“You really think this is necessary?”
“Of course I do!” I yell. “If that explosion in your lab was a bomb meant to kill you, then they’re after you, not me!”
“A bomb! Who said anything about a bomb?”
Dane stands with his feet spread, hands folded, silent.
“Angel, what kinds of things could cause an explosion in your lab?”
She doesn’t respond.
I ask, “Do you work with flammables in your research?”
She purses her lips as she thinks. But she slowly swings her head to and fro. “No. Nothing I can think of.”
“What else can cause an explosion? Gas? Do you use any kind of gas burners?”
“No, we don’t in our lab.”
“So, what could cause an explosion? Any kind of chemical reaction?”
“No. Again, not in our lab.”
“So, back to my point. That explosion may have been meant for you. Dane is here to protect you.”
“How can he do that?”
I look at Dane and he says, “Ma’am, I was Special Ops. I’m trained in a lot of things. I can keep you safe. You have to put your trust in me. And if I tell you to do something, you have to do it.”
Carter’s phone rings. She answers it. I pull Dane aside and tell him she knows everything now.
When Carter’s done, she says, “That was Winston Miles from StrongMeds. The police say it may have been a bomb. John told him the same.”
“Okay. That does it. We’re getting you out of Charleston,” I say.
“No,” Carter protests. “Where would I go?”
“Manhattan. To Gabby and Kolson’s. Dane and Heath can go with you. Carter, you have to think of the baby.”
“What about you?”
“I don’t think they’re after me. Now I’m convinced it’s you they want.”
“I have to agree, ma’am,” Dane says.
“Quit calling me ma’am. I’m younger than you are!” Carter says in frustration.
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry ma’am. Old habits are difficult to break.”
“Oh, hell!” Carter starts to pace.
“I’ll call to have them get a plane ready.”
“Kestrel, come with me. Just for a night. I don’t have any clothes.”
“We can take care of that, ma’am,” Dane says. He makes a call and that’s that.
Carter pulls me aside. “So what. I have strange men going through my lingerie and packing my bags?”
“It’s for a good reason.”
“Come with me. I want to sleep with you.”
I laugh. “That’s quite an invite. Very subtle, angel.”
“Well, what do you expect? I’m not being subtle. I’m frightened.”
“Hang on.” I walk to the door and call Shayla in. When she enters, I give her instructions to cancel everything on my Charleston calendar because I’m leaving for Manhattan in an hour. Her brows shoot skyward, but she only nods.
“Yes, Mr. Hart. Anything else?”
“Yes. After you’re finished, go home and pack a bag. Plan on being gone for two weeks. Tell your husband he can come up this weekend. I’ll send a corporate jet for him. You’re joining me tomorrow.”
A grin spreads across her face. “Yes, sir.”
“Oh, and Shayla. Make sure the staff knows we’ll be gone, but don’t tell them where we’ll be. Just let them know we can be reached by phone.”
“Yes, sir.”
Shayla leaves and I call Turk to tell him to go and pack a bag for me.
“Who’s Turk?” Carter asks.
“He’s my version of Dane.”
Carter’s phone buzzes and it’s John. He tells her the police want to talk to her. I grab her phone.
“Hi John, this is Kestrel Hart. Tell them if they want to speak with her, they’ll have to do it at HTS or in New York.”
“New York?”
“Yes. We’re leaving in about an hour. Since that bomb obviously targeted Carter, I’m getting her out of here. It’s not safe for her in Charleston. Two attempts on her life and that’s enough. The police haven’t done enough to catch the ones who killed my mother and nearly killed Carter the first go round. I’m not taking any chances. You can tell them that.”
“I see.”
“And John, be careful.”
“Thanks. I will.”
As expected, the phone at HTS rings and Shayla tells me a Detective Brunson is on the line and wants to speak with Carter. I take the call for her.
“Detective Brunson. Kestrel Hart here. Dr. Drayton is unavailable. Looks like the killers struck again. You guys are doing an amazing job there.”
“Mr. Hart. We need to talk to Dr. Drayton.”
“Yeah, about that. One, she doesn’t know anything. Two, you can talk to her when she’s available. In New York. Where her life isn’t in danger. Where people aren’t trying to shoot her or bomb her lab. Now go and catch the fuckers.” I hang up on him.
Carter says, “Are you sure that was wise?”
“He’s covering up shit.”
My cell buzzes. It’s Turk. “I have everything packed and I’m on the way to the airport.”
“We’ll meet you there.”
I look at Dane and ask, “Any word from Heath yet?”
“No, sir.”
“Call him and see how much longer before he’s on his way.”
“Yes, sir.”
Carter asks, “Is there a plane ready?”
“Yeah, there’s always one on standby.”
Dane says, “Sir, Heath will be on the way in about ten minutes.”
“Good. That means we can leave here in about ten.”
In the meantime, I call Kolson to give him a heads up that he and Gabby will be having company for the next week or so. Then we leave.
Dane tells us to sit in the back and we take the back road to the airport. It’s only about a seven minute ride, which is one of the reasons why we chose this location for our offices. As we’re driving, Dane announces that Heath has pulled up behind us. I turn to look and see him. Carter does the same.
At exactly that moment, another black SUV T-bones us on the driver’s side at a high rate of speed, pushing our car against a concrete embankment. Carter screams, I yell, and so does Dane. Everything happens so fast, I can’t recount it all, other than airbags deploy and I’m thrown into Carter, but she’s simultaneously smashed into me.
The noise is horrific. Glass shattering, metal crunching, tires squealing, and screaming. The screaming. It reverberates in my ears.
Then I hear the distinct sound of gunfire. I know that sound. It’s imprinted in my brain like nothing else. Bing, bing, bing, bing. Over and over it goes.
Then an eerie silence descends. I’m trapped under part of the door and can’t move. Carter? Where is Carter? I want to speak but I can’t. Why can’t I speak? I blink my eyes, trying to focus, but everything is blurred. Then it grays out.
“Mr. Hart? Mr. Hart?”
&nbs
p; I open my eyes and see Heath.
“Don’t move. EMS is coming. Stay still.”
“Carter?” I ask
“She’s next to you.”
“Carter, can you hear me?” my voice is weak. I get no response.
Heath says, “I can’t reach her because the car is against the wall. Just don’t move.”
I hear sirens in the distance.
“Did you see them?” I ask.
“I shot them,” he says.
“Mr. Hart, hang in there.” It’s Turk talking now.
“Did you see them, Turk?”
“I got here right as Heath was shooting.”
“Dane?”
“Everything’s gonna be cool,” Turk says.
I close my eyes, but Turk says, “Hey, Mr. Hart, stay with me, man.”
“I’m here.”
I hear the sirens getting closer.
“I can’t feel anything.”
“Don’t try to move. Let the experts get you out, man.”
“How many were there?”
“Two.”
I stare at the crunched up ceiling of the Tahoe. How the hell did this happen? And what did they want from Carter? Why her? She’s the sweetest thing in the world. Who would want to harm that beautiful human being? Tears fall freely down my face because I can’t for the life of me see the reason in this. Me, yes. I’m an SOB. I’ve done a shit ton of things when I worked for my father that I should pay for. But Carter? Never.
The firemen arrive and go to work. I insist they get her out before me. I grab the first one’s collar and say, “Listen to me. You have to save her. You have to save her. Do you hear me? Forget about me. Get her.”
He nods.
“No. I mean it. Me, I’m nothing. She—she’s going to cure cancer one day. She’s an angel and I don’t care if you have to sacrifice my life in order to save hers. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
My hand grips his so hard he finally looks at me and says, “I understand.”
“One other thing, she’s pregnant.”
“Okay.”
He backs out and starts yelling out orders. They hook up equipment to the SUV and move it out so they can access the other side. Then they go to work on both of us. He talks to me the whole time and by some huge miracle, I never lose consciousness. Hydraulic tools and giant airbags are deployed to pull apart the vehicle and extract me. Immobilizers are placed on my neck, spine, and legs. They don’t give me any information on Carter, which has me so anxious that they inject me with something to calm me down. I’m transported by ambulance, but a helicopter arrives and I’m not sure if it’s for Dane or Carter. They won’t tell me. All I know is I’m taken to the University Medical Center of Charleston Trauma unit.
The Hart Brothers Series Box Set (Including the bonus book Sabin: A Seven Novel): Freeing Her, Freeing Him, Kestrel, The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart, Sabin: A Seven Novel Page 82