by Bradley,CD
She tried to reach Stark one last time before she went to meet Javier. She left the 15 billionth voicemail and set out to the waiting taxi cart. “To the docks por favor. Al Frio y Al Fuego.” Kira rocked back in the seat as the driver took off at full speed. Al Frio y Al Fuego was an upscale floating restaurant with a fantastic view, a pool and poolside bar that served breakfast, lunch and. Despite everything that happened in her shitty day, Kira was looking forward to the Peruvian ceviche, and fish wrapped in palm leaf. The skiff ferries diners to and from shore, five minutes away. There she and Javier could be reasonably alone.
He stood by the entrance dock waiting for her when she arrived. Damn he was beautiful. Javier was wearing white denim pants a crisp white shirt and a black dress jacket. He looked like a model for Cuban cigars. He only lacked a fedora but that would hide his glorious dark hair. He grinned as she approached.
“Bella dama! Kira that dress is lovely.” His voice was as smooth and melodious as Frank Sinatra.
“Gracias Javier. Let’s eat shall we?” Kira offered and he slipped his arm in hers to walk up the ramp and onto the boat. She was glad he liked the dress since it was the only one she had brought with her. The simple Prana dress was easy to pack and actually accentuated her curves.
Once onboard he led her to a pool side table. “I love the view from up here.” He said pulling out her chair. The perfect gentlemen.
Kira sat carefully. The last thing she wanted to do was fall in the pool. The deck was decorated with lush plants surrounding the pool. It was easy to forget that you were on a boat. “Javier” She began while they looked over the menu. “They hit my lab too when I got back. I was cataloging the samples and they took everything.”
“Shit are you ok?” He asked furrowing his brow with genuine concern.
“I am physically but I am so very pissed off. I want to know who is doing this and why? I am ready to talk to whomever it is that you know. I need answers.” Kira blurted the reason for their meeting.
“Here I thought you were just coming around to the idea of spending some time with me.” He leaned in and raised his left eyebrow, giving her a smoldering look for a few seconds. Then he winked and backed up. “I’m just kidding. Seriously though, do you understand the kind of risk that will put you in? We aren’t talking about a nice respectable businessman.
“I understand. I’m in. You said they were interested in the topic right? I want to know what they know. I need some answers Javier. I need to know what and who I am up against.
“Very well. Kira, I can arrange the meeting but I won’t be able to be there. If you go. You will be on your own.” He sat still staring at her with big brown eyes begging her to stay.
“Make the call.” Kira Riley was ready.
Chapter 19
Only the moonlight shone on the motley crew as they blazed through the desert. They rode hard until they reached the mountains. Sand and rock formations gave way to a road and pine trees. They turned off the main road on to a narrow dirt trail that Stark knew like the back of his hand. If anyone was following them they would be able to lose them here and double back to eliminate them. They wound up the treacherous switch backs to their vantage point and waited. From this angle they could see anyone approaching from the desert long before they reached the base of the mountain. Stark stopped for a moment in the trees and looked out across the canyon floor. From this vantage point, with the military grade long rang night vision bi-ocular, he was able to track back the way they had come. Vehicles scattered in all directions from the inferno in the middle of the darkness.
They parked and concealed all vehicles. After setting up a perimeter and posting men to keep watch, Stark assessed Cyrus’ shoulder. He opened the pack he had stashed in Cyrus’ truck and laid the contents out beside the reluctant patient.
“Hold fucking still.” Stark ordered as he examined the wound. Stark was no doctor but as a ranger he had battlefield training to deal with injuries including stabilizing a gunshot wound. “This isn’t either of our first rodeo let’s just get this done.”
“You hold still fucker and quit poking your damn fingers in my hole!” Cyrus laughed at his own joke but he was starting to become sweaty. Paige knelt with him supported his head on her lap. She stroked his forehead and spiky hair while Stark worked. Cyrus looked up at Paige and grinned. “Hey beautiful.”
“Looks like the bullet went clean through, you lucky bastard!” Stark marveled at Cyrus ability to keep ticking through anything. “We just need to stop the bleeding and get a dressing on it until you can see a doctor.”
“Fuck doctors. I’m not going to the hospital. I’m allergic to needles.” Cyrus spat into the dirt and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from Paige’s hand and took a long swig. “I’ve got all the medicine I need right here.” He took another swig and then doused some on his shoulder for good measure. “FUCK!” He yelled. “That shit fucking burns.”
“No shit dumbass and that’s expensive fucking whiskey don’t waste it. Isn’t like 70 percent of your body covered in ink? How the hell are you afraid of needles?” Stark retorted and grabbed the bottle taking a swig as well.
“Miss Paige has a way with pain.” He said grinning ear to ear and looked up at her.
“Anything for you baby.” She cooed and stroked his blond hair. “I was really hoping to see you tonight. I thought if I had one hope of getting out of there it was going to be seeing one of your crew at this rally. I didn’t know you were going to bring the whole fucking army.” She grinned at Cyrus and winked at Stark.
“Your boy Stark came to us.” Cyrus explained. He took another swig from the bottle. “When he said they took you we were all in. You’re our girl, Paige.”
“What?” Paige looked up at Stark big tears in her eyes and shook her head. “How did you know where to find me?”
“You had to know I would come for you Paige. I would never just let someone take you.” Stark finished cleaning and pouring clotting powder in the wound then wrapped it up tight. “I saw the video from Kira’s house and the club. I remembered when you did that fucking tattoo. I told you that guy was dangerous as shit and to stay the hell away from him.”
“I have done tattoos for a lot of dangerous men Owen.” Paige responded and motioned to him and Cyrus with a grin. “I’ve inked ¾ of the men here.”
“Well, thankfully he’s fucking dead so he won’t be bothering you anymore. After recognizing the tattoo, I went to Jayce and Cyrus and they had a pretty fucking good idea where to look. What I don’t understand is why he was following you in the first place. Have you kept in contact with him? Does he come to the club frequently? We don’t need fuckers like that at the club.” Stark couldn’t get the image of the rat bastard grabbing Kira on the stairs and taking Paige out of his head. He wished he could bring him back just to kill him again.
“Owen…God….” Paige started to talk. Her face went white. “There is so much I have to tell you.”
“What?” His voice became cold steel. Stark knew he wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear. He watched Paige take a slow deep breath. “What is it Paige?”
“I didn’t know he was ever at the club, but it makes sense now. I think he was following Kira. I don’t know for how long or exactly why but some of the things he said when he thought I was sleeping…” Paige swallowed hard. “He didn’t know I could speak Spanish. If he did would have killed me for sure. They talked about deals and the cartels. But he was working for someone else too. I think someone hired him to intimidate Kira.”
“What the fuck do you mean? Who hired him?” Stark’s nostrils flared and he wrung his hands. He wanted to reach down that fucker’s throat and pull the information out of him. That fucker died way too easily.
“I don’t know who. But he talked to someone on phone. They were pissed. He had so much information about Kira. Pictures of her. Things from her house. Owen he’s been at this for months. He had pictures of the two of you together. Someone wants to see her hurting. I think he thought h
e killed her when…” Paige shivered.
“Fuck.” The only word that Owen Stark could say. He stood up and started pacing, “The night I left. She didn’t dream any of that did she? He was in her house. He had his hands on her.” Bile started to build into a rage “He almost killed her.” God damn it. He couldn’t begin to know what she had gone through. Stark closed his eyes. The thought of her lying on the floor, naked and bleeding blasted through his brain. When he found out who was responsible for this he would hunt them to the ends of the earth and kill them with his bare hands.
“Stark.” Jayce walked up and put his hand on Stark’s shoulder. “We need to get out of here before first light. That was a fucking shit storm down there. Come morning the place is going to be crawling with feds.”
Jayce was right. They were all damn lucky to be alive. When the sun rose and the fires stopped burning the body count would be high. Stark knew that if the media got ahold of it, the story would be everywhere. He hoped that in finding enough members of the two rival cartels that authorities would assume it was just two rival gangs that blew up at a rally and all the others were just collateral damage. Wrong place. Wrong time.
“Alright. Let’s move.” Stark made sure that Cyrus and Jayce had everything they needed to go their separate ways.
“I’m gonna need those weapons back. Leave no trace right?” Cyrus collected all the weapons for disposal. Nothing worse than being caught with a hot weapon used to kill multiple people in a gang war. “I have a way of making things disappear.” Stark suspected Cyrus was about to blow some shit up.
Stark took Paige with him. They headed to his house in Aspen to recharge and leave Paige in safe hands. Since his had been destroyed he needed to get Paige to a phone. He knew a certain redhead who was going to be very excited to hear her voice. He reached around and squeezed Paige’s leg as the hauled ass down the Colorado highway. He was fucking thankful that she was ok.
Thank God in heaven that Kira was a world away from all this shit. He would do anything to protect her. Right now that meant pulling every string fucking possible to find out who could possibly want to hurt her. As much as it pained him to do so, he knew just where to start.
***
Simone sat in her high back leather chair twirling a long strand of platinum hair as she spoke on the phone. “I don’t give a fuck what you are the secretary of.” She hissed into the phone. “You have that job because of strings I pulled for you. This entire investment is not going to go up in smoke because of some nosey bitch. Do you hear me?” Simone rocked back in her chair and rolled her neck. She was used to getting exactly what she wanted, well except for Owen. But he would come around eventually. Of that she had no doubt. She traced her finger over his face in the picture of the two of them on her desk. The diamond Tiffany’s frame gleamed in the rays of sun that burst through the windows of her corner office. She glowered into space listening to the pathetic party on the other end making excuses. Business was fucking business why couldn’t people see that? There was no room in this world for weak ass people. Simone banged her hand into the desk. “I don’t give a shit what you are running for. I have pumped millions into your sorry ass campaign and you almost lost to some old fucker who talks to birds. I had to fix that shit too.” She was beginning to lose her patience. Insolence was not something she tolerated. Simone growled and lowered her voice “It’s not like you haven’t made these types of decisions before. What is the point in buying an election if you don’t get what you fucking paid for?” Simone had a death grip on the phone. “You listen to me, and you listen good. You are going to do whatever it takes to protect this investment. No compromises.” She hung up the phone and whirled around.
Owen stark stood there staring at her, lips pressed into a firm line. His shoulders were set and his breathing was slow and steady. His eyes however flashed steel and fire and he looked ready to kill. Simone jumped.
“Owen, Darling.” She started the silk jumping back into her voice. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” She smiled up at him sweetly and stood to give him a hug.
“Cut the shit Simone, who was that?” His eyes narrowed as he stared through her.
“Just one of our business partners dear. Some trade regulations on one of our overseas companies are threatening to cost us billions.” She walked around the desk toward him with open arms. “Sometimes you have to be tough to protect what’s yours.”
“I agree completely.” His voice was so cold. He stood stiff as she embraced him.
“Owen, sweetheart, what’s wrong? You’re positively frigid this morning.” She attempted to straighten his t-shirt. Ugghh and those jeans. God he smelled like he had been on an all-night bender. Why couldn’t he just grow up and behave like the billionaire he was supposed to be. No more playing Gi-Joe in the fucking dirt. “I’m guessing you didn’t come just to soak up some sunshine or finally own up to your responsibilities.” She reached toward his hair in an attempt to smooth it and he swatted her away.
“Get the fuck off me Simone. I let you stay on as acting CEO don’t make me regret that decision. I still own this company and everything that goes with it.” He pushed her away and walked around the desk
“Of course darling. We are waiting and ready for you to come back and take the helm.” Simone’s eyes gleamed. Maybe he was finally ready! With Stark as the head of this company, she could take their global empire to the next level. His strength and integrity were just the face this company needed. She resisted the urge to rub her hands together. She placed her fingers delicately on his shoulders and tried to ease him into her chair.
“That’s not why I’m here. I need to know who you hired to investigate Kira.” His tone was lethal.
Simone froze. Why the hell did he want to know that? “What?” She stalled.
“Who. Did. You. Hire.” He paced the words out slow and deliberately, staring each one of them into her soul.
“I… what does that matter? A private investigator that does some free-lance work for us.” Simone stammered. Where the hell was this going?
“Get him on the phone.” Stark stood waiting for her to comply. “Now. Simone” He bellowed and held the phone out to her.
Fuck. Simone picked up the phone and began to dial. She waited while it rang. “Sorry no answer darling. I’ll leave a voice mail. What should I say it’s about?” She paused and waited for instruction.
“Tell him to meet me or I’m coming to find him. I’ve got some questions he’s going to answer.” Stark was unwavering.
“Ok then.” She nodded to Stark and began speaking into the phone “This is Simone Preston from Anderson - Stark Enterprises. Please return this call at you’re…”
Stark grabbed the phone from her hand, “This is Owen Stark. Report to our Sacramento office by 1 pm today or I will come looking for you.” Stark hung up the phone and handed it back to Simone. “I want everything he gave you on Kira. Everything! I want to know who he talked to, what they said and who they know. Fucking everything.”
Simone took a step back. “Owen what’s going on?”
***
Owen looked her up and down. Simone actually looked concerned. Her slate gray suit made her blue eyes look stormy. He knew how quickly they could change. “Someone has been harassing Kira.” He stared into her daring her to say something condescending about Kira.
“Oh God, Owen is she ok? Has she gone to the authorities?” Simone leaned in as if she was genuinely concerned. “Maybe our teams could help. What kind of information does she have?’
“She doesn’t.” He answered eyes narrowing.
“What do you mean doesn’t? Is someone bothering her or not? Is this an attention thing like when she was in college? Owen if she is starting cause problems…” Simone’s voice reclaimed its usual silky rhythm.
“Kira hasn’t done anything. Someone was going to great lengths to harass her and I want to know why.” Stark leaned forward until his nose almost touched hers.
“Do you know wh
at he looks like? What do you mean was?” Simone’s eyes widened.
“He’s dead. But I want to know who put him up to it. I don’t think for a second that he targeted her on his own.”
“Fuck Owen! What have you done?” Simone’s voice came out in a high pitched whisper.
“Nothing compared to what I’m going to do. I want every bit of information about the guy the guy who hurt her in college. I want EVERYTHING the investigator came up with.” He sat back. “Now.”
“Owen, I can get you what I have. But I have already told you everything I know. We just did a simple back ground check. When all of that about the rape accusations popped up we reviewed the court and school documents but that’s as far as it went. The school didn’t put much stock in her story so honestly there isn’t that much on it. A heartbroken girl who tried to vilify the boy who dumped her. What more do you need to know?” Simone’s voiced dripped with pity.
“I don’t know what happened when she was in college. But what I do know is someone was working very hard to use that information to hurt or kill her. I am going to find out who it is and they are going to pay in ways they didn’t even know where possible.” Stark stood from the desk and slug the chair into the wall.
“Owen calm down. Now I know you don’t want to do something that you will regret. Let’s just calm down and talk about what information you have so far.” She reached for his arm.
Stark threw her off and stepped back toward the door. “You have no idea what I am capable of Simone. You have no fucking idea who I really am. But you are about to find out.” He walked out the door and slammed the glass so hard it cracked.
***
Simone watch him storm down the hall. “That goes both ways Mr. Stark.” She said calmly.
Her assistant came running in wearing those ridiculous cheap heels. Jesus why can’t that mess of a girl buy some decent clothes. “Mrs. Preston are you ok?”
“I’m fine. Get The Secretary on the phone. We have a situation.” Simone sat down in her leather chair and spun back toward the large windows. If Owen Stark wanted a shit storm she was prepared to give him one he would never recover from. She did not get to where she was in life by bending over backwards for every hot headed man that walked through that door.