by D. L. Raver
We finally arrived at the house—more a Spanish-style mansion than a house—which was nestled on a bluff between the Pacific Ocean and Santa Ynez Mountains. My body twitched with excitement; I was beyond ready to get started.
A pretty brunette woman, not much older than me, greeted us as we exited the vehicle.
“Hello. I’m Katrina Wright. You must be Kenna Campbell.” She held out a hand for me to shake, and when I did, I was surprised at her firm, almost painful grip.
“Hi. This place is beautiful.” I took in a deep breath loving the smell of the ocean air and sweet scent of the many wild flowers growing naturally on the property.
“Katrina,” Charlie said happily and pulled her into a quick hug.
Hmm. Maybe Charlie was a hugger after all.
“So good to see you, Charlie. How long will you be with us? Please tell me you’ll be here at least a few days.” Her bee stung lips pouted, and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
“A few days at least,” Charlie said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Katrina gave him a half smile. “Good. And you Kenna? Your stay is open ended?”
“Yeah. Open ended.”
“Good. Let me show you to your room so you can get settled.” She snapped her fingers and a young man—perhaps seventeenish, outfitted in khaki shorts and a white polo with the Laochara logo—appeared at her side.
“Sam, take Ms. Campbell’s luggage to the Calypso suite. We’ll be there shortly. Then take Charlie’s to the Coral suite. Thank you.”
The blonde boy nodded and disappeared with our luggage on a bell cart.
“I took the liberty and had chef prepare a light brunch for you. I didn’t know how hungry you’d be.”
“Thank you. I’m actually hungrier than I thought I would be.” The entire flight here I had been nervous and fidgeting. Now that I was here, I felt more settled and ready to get on with whatever this place had in store for me.
As we followed behind Katrina, Charlie leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Don’t let the resort-like surrounding fool you. While you’re here, you’ll work hard. You will be tested on every front, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Each night, you’ll be asleep by the time your head hits the pillow and six a.m. will come all too soon.”
“Okay,” I said with a confidence I didn’t really possess. “I can handle it.”
Oh God, can I handle it?
“You’ll find yourself here, and by the time you leave, you’ll find answers for everything you questioned.”
I cocked my head wondering how Charlie could make me such a promise, but the sureness in his voice, and the fact he’d never lead me astray before, had me believing his words.
“Good,” I said with the same confidence. “I’m ready.”
“I know you are.” Charlie squeezed my hand.
“As you can see, we dress comfortably. I typically wear yoga gear.” She gave me a discerning once over. “Your maxi dress is cute enough, but you won’t find much use for it here.”
“Oh.” I tugged at the skirt of my purple designer maxi dress. It was one of my favorites. Irelyn and I had bought it the last time we went to Vegas for her birthday.
“Kieran will be personally in charge of your training,” she continued and I swear I heard a touch of distain in her voice.
“He’s given me a list of your activities, and I’ll arrange to have appropriate clothing ready for you each day. Make sure to fill out the clothing questionnaire as soon as you get to your room so I can get started finding the right sizes,” Katrina said, looking back at me.
“I did bring workout clothes, though maybe not enough.” I shrugged. “And who’s Kieran again?”
Her blue eyes narrowed into a slightly disapproving expression. I was beginning to wonder if Katrina and I would become enemies or friends by the time my stay here ended.
“Kieran McCarthy owns the Laochra Retreat and Training Center. You must be very special for him to have agreed to supervise your training. I can’t remember the last time he did that. The LRTC is staffed with some of the world’s most celebrated athletes and former military personnel. You should feel honored to be receiving such special treatment.”
Katrina turned and smiled at me over her shoulder again, but this time there was spite in her eyes. I couldn’t help but flinch a little.
Enemies for sure. Sigh.
I didn’t have a blessed clue who this Kieran was, and I certainly didn’t want to get involved in some kind of triangle between him and Katrina. I had left the man I loved in Scottsdale, and, besides the abortion, that had been the hardest thing I had ever done. All I wanted to do was get my shit together so I could go home to him. Besides, Kieran was probably some bald, over muscled, steroid rager.
Charlie and I sat in a lovely dining room with a magnificent view of the ocean. The décor was simple but elegant with white oak furniture on terracotta tiles.
While we ate our brunch in a bothersome silence, I wanted to ask Charlie a million questions, but I feared Katrina might be listening. I didn’t need to add fuel to whatever flame she seemed to have burning.
“Don’t worry about Katrina. She’s mostly bark with little bite,” Charlie said as we finished our meal. He leaned in and said conspiratorially. “Plus, you could take her if it came down to it. Watch her though, she doesn’t fight fair.”
“What?” I asked and almost choked on my orange juice. “I don’t want to take her at all. That’s not why I’m here.”
Charlie smiled at me and flipped his dark ponytail over his shoulder. The wickedness in his eyes caught me off guard, and I suddenly wondered what the hell I had gotten myself into.
“Charlie, this is just a training and retreat center, right? I’m starting to feel like I’ve stumbled into some kind of competition.”
“It’s exactly what you make of it, Kenna.”
Before I could question my instructor further, a tall man—maybe six foot six—walked in. Suddenly, all the air left the room, replaced by his powerful presence. Sloan had a similar effect on a room, but whoever this man was, he had Sloan beat hands down.
My mouth fell open as the man smiling at me from across the room walked my way. He had a sexy shadow of a beard and a dazzling, all-teeth smile. Charisma dripped from him, and it was almost too much—he was almost too much.
I had to admit he was maybe the most beautiful man I had ever seen. His short, dark blonde hair was perfectly styled—the kind of hair any woman would kill to run her fingers through. The black designer suit hugged his muscular body, and I wondered what he would look like out of it.
I shook those thoughts from my head and collected myself, but not before an audible sigh broke from my lips. My cheeks warmed, and I imagined I’d turned a thousand shades of red.
Kieran took it in stride and winked a perfect pale blue eye at me.
Holy hell!
“Ms. Campbell, I presume. I’m so glad you could come. I hope your journey was pleasant? Charlie, so good to see you again,” he said and clapped Charlie on the shoulder.
I stood and reached out to shake his hand, but instead of shaking it, he lightly kissed it. An unbidden shiver traveled up my hand and arm and down my spine.
“I-I,” I stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence while my hand remained held by his. Sloan was the only man to ever elicit a physical response from me. It bugged me a man I just met could affect me this way.
I pulled my hand back and dropped my attention to my feet.
Damn, I really should have gotten a pedicure before coming here. I bet he likes a woman with red toenails.
“Our flight was fine, Kieran,” Charlie said with a little more mirth in his voice than I would have liked. “Kenna, this is Kieran McCarthy.”
“Hi,” I said, reluctantly lifting my gaze to his.
Kieran’s pale blue gaze transfixed me. With flecks of dark blue and gold, his eyes had an unnerving warmth to them, and I felt drawn to him on a disturbing level.
“A
nd please, call me Kenna. Thank you for your generous offer. I really appreciate it. Of course, I’d like to reimburse you,” I said when my mental faculties returned.
God, I really am an idiot, I thought with a mental facepalm.
“Think nothing of it, ainm ceana.” Kieran waved his large hand, dismissing my offer to pay. I watched its movement transfixed. “And Kenna it is.”
He squeezed my shoulder with his hand, and I sucked in a breath. His touch, combined with his Irish accent, had my toes curling much the same way Sloan’s always did. But it was the use of the Gaelic term of endearment for dear or sweetheart, “ainm ceana,” that reminded me of Sloan when he called me his M’fhíorghrá: his true love.
Sloan.
His face flashed in my mind, and my heart ached with the memory of last night and leaving him without saying goodbye.
Suddenly, Kieran’s touch felt intrusive, and I shrugged my shoulders, causing his hand to fall away. I had an overwhelming feeling Sloan would not be happy about this, and I wondered if I had made a gigantic, life-altering mistake by coming here.
I glanced up at Kieran through my lashes in time to see his broad shoulders bunch with displeasure. Maybe he wasn’t used to having a woman brush him off. I didn’t know and really didn’t care.
“Unfortunately, I have business to attend to today. Please take the day to familiarize yourself with the property, relax and enjoy your day. We will start at six a.m. sharp tomorrow morning. Katrina will advise you on how I structure my training sessions. I’ll warn you now Kenna, I don’t appreciate tardiness, and I will accept nothing less than your complete and absolute attention and commitment. Use today to set aside any distractions that might have followed you here.”
I nodded, and tried to ignore the way my cheeks heated with his reprimand.
“Until tomorrow then.” Kieran put his hands in his pockets and strode from the room.
I’ll admit I enjoyed the sight of him going as much as I had enjoyed it coming. Kieran McCarthy was a panty-melter to be sure, and I’m sure women fell at his feet all the time.
However, my agenda did not include prostrating myself at his feet. Whatever attraction I had to Kieran would fade, and the quicker I fixed my shit, the quicker I got home to Sloan. I just hoped it wouldn’t be too late when I finally found my way back.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sloan
BRODY FINISHED STITCHING my arm while Irelyn and Zolt sat with me, staring at me dumbfounded. My impromptu visit had turned their kitchen into a makeshift surgery suite.
“I can’t believe she left like that, Sloan.” Irelyn twisted a strand of her golden blonde hair around her finger, and I immediately recognized it as her nervous tick.
“Can you call her parents and find out if she told them where she’s going?” I asked, wincing as Brody put in the last stitch.
“Yeah. Surely, Kenna wouldn’t leave without telling them? I can’t imagine her being so cruel after everything that’s happened.” Irelyn’s gaze darted to Zolt’s, and he shrugged.
“What?” I asked, trying not to sound irritated. I needed to stay calm so when I dropped my bomb I’d be able to weather the fallout.
I was going to rock Irelyn’s world; it was time to come clean.
“Kenna visited with Delaney yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her before she left, but from what Delaney said, Kenna was determined. To what end, I don’t know.”
“Kenna doing something completely against character does not surprise me.” Brody placed a bandage over the stitches on my wrist. “She’s hurting and doesn’t know how to fix it.”
“I know that now. It’s why I found her at the Bad Idea Bar and Grill the other night with some scumbag’s hands all over her.” I growled with the memory and our subsequent argument.
“What?” Zolt and Irelyn said simultaneously; Brody just shook his head.
“Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “We broke up a week ago, then last night…. She didn’t seem confused. Honestly, for the first time since she came back, I felt like she had a handle on things. I really thought…” I sighed, leaving my thought unfinished.
“You thought what,” Zolt asked, running his hand over his scarred leg. If twisting hair was Irelyn’s nervous tell, rubbing the leg Joe Franklin had crushed was Zolt’s.
“Last night we were together. Really together. It felt like we’d turned a corner and were finally on the right path. Now, I wonder if I totally misread the entire thing.”
I stood up and started to pace, unable to sit still any more.
“The more I think about it, the more I think she came to say goodbye to me.” I shook my head. “I don’t like this. Something is wrong. I can feel it. Joe Franklin is still out there somewhere. If he found her alone…. Fuck! No, this was intentional. Kenna made a conscious choice to leave.”
“Let me call Celia and find out.” Irelyn grabbed her phone and dialed the number.
“Hi Celia. I have Sloan, Zolt, and Brody here. Do you mind if I put you on speaker?”
I didn’t hear Celia’s response but when Irelyn put the phone on the table, I figured she must have agreed.
“Hello Zolt. Sloan. Brody.” Celia’s voice sounded strained, but without knowing her I had nothing to base that on.
“I suppose you’re wondering about Kenna’s decision to go to some kind of retreat with her Tae Kwon Do instructor, Charlie Denton? I don’t know much only what she said in the video we received earlier today. I’m so worried about her. I just don’t know what she’s thinking. She’s just not herself anymore.”
My mouth dropped open, and I felt my eyes widen.
“Uh,” Irelyn said, the twisting of her hair growing frantic until Zolt’s hand on hers stilled her actions.
“I can forward it to you if you’d like.” Celia’s voice broke.
“Yes please, Celia. I’d appreciate that. Did the video say where she was going?” Irelyn asked.
“Somewhere in California. The only thing Peter and I can do is trust Charlie has her best interest at heart. She’s known him for so many years, and he was Chris’ instructor as well. We’ve tried calling both Kenna and Charlie but both are going straight to voicemail. I just don’t understand.”
I stopped my pacing and stared at Zolt, who returned a sympathetic look.
This entire situation made my hackles rise. I didn’t trust for a moment that her instructor had her best interest at heart. To take a student who’d gone through what Kenna had to another fucking state without first talking with her family didn’t sit well with me.
Sure, Kenna was an adult and could make her own decisions, but something about this stunk to high heaven.
My hands clenched and unclenched with the need to hit something. I glanced down at the bandage on my wrist and remembered how well that decision had played out for me.
“Thanks Celia,” Irelyn said, bringing me out of my musings.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like T-bone to have his men look at the video,” Zolt added. “He can also dig around in Charlie’s background and see if he can find out anything that might help us find her.”
“Yes. Her father and I would appreciate it.” Celia sighed.
“We’ll stay in touch. Try not to worry. We’ll figure this out. I’m sure Kenna will be fine.”
“Thank you, Irelyn,” Celia said and disconnected the call.
Irelyn’s phone beeped with an incoming message I hoped was from Celia.
“It’s the video. Let me bring it up on my tablet so we can see it better.”
We all gathered around Irelyn’s chair and waited for the video to play on the tablet.
Kenna’s beautiful face came on screen and my breath caught. Every time I saw her, my heart skipped a beat. Seeing her now with a peaceful expression sent an ache through me, the likes of which I hadn’t felt before.
“Hi Mom and Dad,” Kenna began. “I know you probably won’t understand this, and I’m not sure I can really explain other than to say my l
eaving is what’s best for me.
The last weeks have been difficult. I’ve tried my hardest to fix myself, to put the pieces back together, but the more I tried, the further away from myself I seemed to slip.”
Kenna chewed on her nail like she did whenever her nerves got the better of her. She paused as if considering her next words. The same pain I’d seen last night flashed in her eyes.
“Knowing everyone in my life had moved on with their own their lives while I was gone has been hard for me. It’s not that I blame anyone for that. Nobody knew if, or when, I’d come home. I missed so much. Irelyn and Zolt got married. She lost her parents because of Marcus. Cory and Rachel got engaged. Everyone continued to move forward while I stood still, fading away.”
She blinked several times and tears glistened in her eyes, and I felt my own tears rush forward. My M’fhíorghrá hurt in a way I couldn’t fix. I hated the sense of impotency surging through me.
“There are things you all don’t know about—things I can’t tell you. Sloan did his best to make it good for me so please don’t blame him. Anyway.” She straightened, resolve smoothing out her stressed features, and she was once again the beautiful woman I loved.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be in California, but I’m in good hands. I trust Charlie. I don’t think he would take me somewhere that wasn’t in my best interest. He says this is the best place for me to get my power back; to put behind me, everything that happened. I hope you can understand that and know I’m not doing this to hurt you. I love you, and I’m sure I’ll be home soon. Sloan will call you. Be nice to him, okay? This isn’t his fault.”
“Bye,” she said with a sad smile and the video faded to black.
“It is my fault,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose to stop the flood of tears. “I should have seen this coming. I don’t know who this Charlie is but I don’t trust him. This is fucked up. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach. To Kenna, this may have appeared like a good idea on the face of it, but it’s not.”
“How do you know, Sloan?” Zolt asked while he rubbed Irelyn’s back, trying to soothe his visibly upset wife. “Maybe it is exactly what Kenna said it is.”