A Sea of Smoke: A Dark Romance (A War of Hearts Book 2)

by Karen Lynn

  Jake’s eyes went vacant and dreamy in contemplation of the upcoming trip. It wasn’t until he came out of it and spotted Ruby and Dominic heading his way, that he noticed the hot-looking blonde admiring one of his paintings. A sharp familiar pang hit his stomach. Nervous tension.

  “You like it?” Touching her arm lightly, he put on his charm and made a quick assessment. She wasn't his usual type—tall, lean, long, straight almost white-blonde hair falling limply around her shoulders. Very light skinned and Swedish looking, but she'd do.

  She smiled, looking him over. “Yes. I think, very much so.”

  Jake detected a slight accent, that he assumed was Scandinavian and couldn't suppress a delighted chuckle.

  “How much?” Her light eyebrows shot up, her hand brushing a lock of hair out of her face. Without meaning to, Jake’s eyes roamed along the diamonds that donned her fingers and wrist.

  He bent his head close to her ear. “Depends what you're referring to?” His liquor-glazed eyes gleamed with possibilities. A warm glow spread through him when he glimpsed Ruby watching with renewed interest.

  The woman appeared to be mature and experienced. “First the painting, then we can talk about... you.”

  With his face flushing, Jake slipped his arm around her shoulders, leading her to the far corner, away from Ruby and Dominic. A few minutes later, he carefully removed the painting from the wall, wrapped and handed it to her, a thousand dollars richer. She promised to return after one of her friends helped her bring it to her car.

  Invigorated, he returned to Ruby and Dominic, still lingering around his display. The room twirled around him now, the natural high of making quick money and his fourth glass of champagne both colliding in his head.

  “You seem to be doing really good.” Ruby clutched Dominic's arm possessively, but her eyes were glued to Jake.

  Probably scared he'll look at the gorgeous blonde. Jake smiled at the idea, hopeful she'd come back while they were still there. If Ruby wanted to pry, he'd give her enough juice to drink. “Yeah. It's been hot.” He grinned, pulling his hair back from his face.

  “We're interested in that one over there,” she said, pointing to an abstract nude of Kristen. “How much.” She stared closely at him, the passion burning in her face.

  Funny how he didn’t have to turn his head to know which one she was referring to. His mind began to wander. Should I turn her down or make more money? “That's kind of priceless.”

  “Two thousand,” Ruby blurted out. Dominic gasped, his eyes widening.

  Jake couldn't hide his shock. In an instant he regained his composure.

  “Sold!” He smiled, absorbing the curiosity that briefly sparked in Ruby’s eyes as she handed him her credit card.

  Whatever her motives, he had to think about his future. There could always be more Kristen-inspired paintings. He wrapped it up just as the blonde sauntered over to him, looping her slender arm through his. With a sigh, he swore to wipe Ruby, Kristen and everything else out of his life — at least for the next few hours.

  SUNDAY

  KRISTEN

  At last they were going to buy art supplies. Since it came as a total surprise when Logan brought it up, and she didn’t waste a second, finding a store to take advantage of it before he changed his mind. So much time had passed since she purchased oil paint, brushes, canvas, that the endless displays in the huge store were mind-boggling. The longing to call Jake, to get his opinion, to drink in his enthusiasm, made it even harder to function. Every brush, tube of paint, even the smell of turpentine reminded her of him. The only thing she was able to decide on so far was an easel and after thirty minutes of wandering around without a clue, she was close to tears.

  Logan was getting more and more irritated from following her around. When he couldn't take it anymore, he parked himself at the coffee bar to play with his phone. Kristen stared after him, her distress growing. Sometimes she had the hardest time with the smallest decisions, and his blatant disinterest only made it worse for her.

  When her phone rang, she never expected it to be Ruby and immediately seized the opportunity to break the ice with her.

  “Hey girl, how the hell are you?” Ruby acted like they'd never stopped talking.

  “Good! How are you?” Kristen stopped wandering and slumped against the wall to catch her breath.

  “Same here. So how long have you been in Florida, and why the hell didn't you call me?” Her voice was stern and she plowed on without waiting for a response. “Don't tell me you're still with Logan!”

  Here it goes.

  Kristen shuddered. Ruby hadn't changed. “Yeah, I am—”

  “—Kristen! What happened with Jake?”

  “Ruby, I'm having a baby in two weeks...”

  “Oh my God! Please tell me you at least know whose it is?”

  Kristen cringed, sure she already knew the answer. “I wish I could.” She heard Ruby's gasp and didn’t falter. “How'd you know where I was?” With a slow cautious turn, she looked around to make sure Logan was not lurking in earshot.

  “Dominic and I saw Jake at the gallery last night.”

  “Oh! How is he?” A wave of dizziness hit Kristen. It had to be fate, with so many people in NYC what were the odds? Defeated, she pressed her face to the wall, holding on for dear life.

  “He's doing really good, Kristen. You were right, he's very talented. Back on track—what are you going to do if it’s his?”

  “I have no idea, Ruby, I wanted to call you so many times. I was afraid to.”

  “After all the years we've been tight, are you serious? I know it was a fucked up meeting last time with you and Jake. I'm sorry I came on so strong, but it’s because you are so infuriating sometimes. But I'm always here to help you girl, you know that.”

  Kristen couldn't speak.

  “Are you okay?” Ruby continued, her voice tinged with concern.

  “I guess so…” It came out like a tiny squeak. She furiously brushed away the tears as they fell. If Logan comes over now I'm screwed. The restroom signs caught her eye.

  “Is he with you now?”

  “Yes, but not right next to me. Did he say anything, talk about me, was he alone, how'd he look?”

  “Slow down, girl!” Ruby laughed. “He's obviously very upset by the whole thing. He actually refused to talk about it and told me to ask you. Are you sure you made the right decision? What happened to the divorce?”

  “I'm not sure about anything. Jake was away, I found out I was pregnant. It's complicated! I can't talk about it right now! But we're not divorced, obviously.” With exhaustion setting in, suddenly all she wanted to do was go home.

  “Give me your address. Maybe I'll come and visit you. I love Miami! Is that where you're at?”

  Unable to think straight any longer, Kristen gave her the address and they ended the call. There still were art supplies to buy and Logan’s freaking out to deal with. She studied her face in the mirror, no longer surprised by the red, puffy eyes and swollen, irritated nose.

  “Kristen you are a mess!”

  Great, now I’ve resorted to talking to myself in public.

  Not in the mood for any more negative criticism, she glanced around, doused her face with cold water and pushed the door open.

  It was time to return to the real world, like it or not.

  Another shocker, no Logan. In a frenzy, she dashed around the store throwing anything she thought she'd need in a basket. When it was all over, she collapsed in a chair, closing her eyes.

  “Where were you?” He hovered over her, his face emotionless.

  “Shopping. And the bathroom. Where'd you go?” She blinked, looking up at him. Something was very wrong.

  “I looked all over for you. I was about to leave. What the fuck is going on?”

  “Nothing. I'm just having a bad day.”

  “Maybe you should've called your boyfriend to ask for his help.”

  That bitterness in his voice, coldness in his eyes—she could
n’t take it another second. She sighed deeply and covered her face. When he tired of staring curiously at her, he groaned and carried the basket and easel over to the cashier.

  “I hope you use all this shit,” he mumbled as they walked to the car.

  Once again, she had no answer for him or for herself.

  * * *

  Logan was frustrated. He wanted to go out really, really bad, but dreaded it would start another battle. His restlessness spiraled as he watched the sun sink, coloring the sky a brilliant shade of red. He paced the balcony, hoping the beer would calm him down. The beeping of his phone shattered the silence. When he glanced into the house, he didn't see Kristen.

  She’s probably playing with her paints and looking through that stupid art book.

  He grabbed his phone assuming it was Gina.

  That idiot nosey neighbor from Bay Ridge. What the hell does he want?

  “Hey Logan! Remember me? It's your neighbor, Peter.”

  Logan winced, not in the mood for stupid chit chat. “Yeah, right. What's up?”

  “Hey, sorry to bug you, but you asked me to keep an eye on your place remember?”

  “Yeah, and?”

  “Well, sorry I didn't call you sooner, I've been busy at work and with the family—”

  The guy never shuts up! “—Me too. So what's the problem?”

  “Well a few days ago—I don't really remember which one, to tell ya the truth, maybe Monday, Tuesday—whatever, anyway, the big guy that came by a long time ago with Kristen was here—”

  Logan's eyes popped open wide. “What the fuck! What'd he do?”

  “Looked like he was checking it out with a realtor, this really big, tall woman.”

  “They went inside?”

  “Yeah, looked that way. I mean, I didn't see them go in but I saw them at the door. I think they were leaving. Then I saw her real estate sign on the car. I wrote it down if you want it.”

  “No, that's alright. Wait—yeah, text it to me, okay? Thanks Paul.” Logan was too wound up to talk. He heard the hum of Peter's voice, but not a single word he said, and didn’t care to. His eyes darted to the house. He had to calm down before he confronted Kristen. He didn't want it to rocket out of control or her to get hurt again. Another trip to the emergency room would cause unwanted suspicions and questioning. In a high state of anxiety, he struggled to slow down his breathing.

  She sat curled up on the couch in one of the spare rooms set aside for her studio. Deeply engrossed in her painting book, she didn't notice him studying her at first. “This is really cool! What do you think I should paint first? Wanna pose nude for me?”

  The laughing—he wasn’t used to it. He hadn't seen her this alive for a long time. But it didn’t faze him and his dry tone showed it. “I'm glad you're happy.”

  “What's wrong?” A frown creased her forehead.

  “I got a strange call a little while ago.” He threw himself down next to her, his eyes narrowed to concentrate on her face.

  She inched away. “From who?”

  “That neighbor, what's his name. He told me Jake and some woman were snooping around the house. You wouldn't know what that was about, would you?”

  Unable to control a flinch, her eyes widened. The color drained from her face, infuriated him even more. Feeling his blood boiling, he squeezed his eyes shut. Still the voice in his head penetrated, loud and clear.

  What kind of lie will she conjure up this time?

  “Tell me about it, Kristen, before I get mad. Why was your boyfriend hanging around my house?”

  She took a deep gulp of air, desperate for more time. “Uh… I don't know, Logan, why should I?” The baby was acting up again, his wild kicking making it hard to focus.

  Logan slid closer, his eyes icy cold and dangerous. “Why don't I believe you?”

  She moved farther back. His fingers wrapped around her wrists. She looked at them, a sense of dread creeping over her. “Seriously Logan—I have no idea. Maybe, he's just lying, did you ever think of that?” Her breathing intensified. It’s all my fault if Jake gets busted.

  He exhaled, dispelling every drop of air stored in his lungs into the air. A huge grin spread across his face. He shook his head, It was not a good time for this to be happening, his doubts and insecurities at an all-time high. “Did I ever tell you about the security cameras and alarm system I installed before we left?” He paused, waiting for her reaction. She sucked in her bottom lip, her eyes widening further. He raised his eyebrows. “Hmm?”

  “No, I, I don't remember that…”

  “Obviously, or you would've warned lover boy, right?”

  Speechless, her mind went blank, the need to run growing stronger. Instead she froze.

  “Do you know his ass is in deep shit right now?”

  Silence, except for the sound of her heavy breaths.

  “So what would he possibly want in there?”

  “I said I don't know!”

  Both of his hands gripped her arms tightly now. His eyes trailed down to her stomach, then up to her face again.

  “I don't wanna hurt you, Kristen. I'm gonna go easy on you for now. But you better think about it very carefully and come up with a good answer.” He held her chin, bringing her face close to his.

  She gave him a weak nod, her rapid blinks holding back the tears. Her mind catapulted with jumbled thoughts that she was too scared to rationalize.

  If he knows, he must have proof! How can I deny it?

  “I told him, Logan! He forgot something of his that he really needed when we were there, it's my fault, I gave him the idea, I told him to go and get it... I'm sorry.” Covering her face with her hands, she burst into tears. She felt him jerk away and jump up.

  Filled with mounting anguish and rage, he paced, his eyes wild. “Why were you even talking to him? I don't get it!”

  “He called me about it, he was desperate—”

  “—Desperate? I don’t give a shit!”

  She cringed. He rarely yelled, even on the infrequent occasions when he got really mad, his anger had always been more passive aggressive in nature. Terrified, she glanced at his reddened face, instinctively hovering over to protect her stomach. He glared at her, then took a deep, pained breath, gripped his head, and stormed out of the room.

  A few minutes later he returned. “I'm outta here,” he muttered heading towards the door.

  “Where are you going? What if I go into labor?”

  “Call Jake!”

  The door slammed behind him.

  SUNDAY

  JAKE

  Lost in a dream, Jake tossed and turned on the couch. Somewhere, off in the distance, beeps pierced the silence. It wouldn't stop. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, trying to focus. It dawned on him, his phone. 7 p.m. Where the hell had the day gone? The second surprise, it was Kristen.

  “Jake! He knows! I'm sorry, I didn't think about that neighbor—”

  “—Whoa, slow down, Kristen! Who knows what? Logan?”

  “Yes, that guy called him—he told him about you, and the security camera! I swear, I never thought about it, I never knew he put one in!”

  She’s hysterical! This is not the way I like to be woken up! Shit! “What did you tell him—he asked you, I’m guessing, right?”

  “I told him I sent you, I told you to pick up something you left there—last time—you know, when we went. I didn't know what to say!”

  “Kristen, chill out a minute! That's okay, that's good, don't worry about it, you did good.” His efforts to stay calm, keep his mind from flying all over the place were failing miserably.

  “I did? I didn't expect him to find out, he knows you went with a realtor too. It's my fault, Jake, I'm so sorry.”

  “Don't be, all that money is really gonna help me—us, maybe. How could you know I'd get busted?” He paused, remembering his surprise when Heather mentioned the alarm. He repressed a frustrated chuckle. “Listen, it's all legit since Heather was with me. He can't press charges or anything. I
wasn't breaking in.”

  “No, I mean, right, you weren't breaking in, and I sent you! But did you see any cameras? Do you think he saw you getting the money?”

  Jake hesitated, thinking back carefully. “I don't know. I didn't even think to look around. Shit! Well too late now. What the fuck?” Another fuck up, Jake. Good work!

  She was quiet.

  “Where is he now?”

  “I don't know.” Her voice was dull. “I don't know if he's lying about the camera. Maybe he wants to trick me. I just don't want you getting hurt!”

  “Hurt me? Right! Is he coming here to track me down?” He burst out laughing, the sound almost delirious. “First of all, I'm not in the club anymore, remember? But let me know, ’cause I'll meet that motherfucker anywhere he wants!”

  “No! That's the last thing I want! I just want to have my baby and get away from him!”

  “I know, I know, baby, calm down. Are you listening?” He thought he heard a whispered yes. “Did he threaten you? Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. Did he hurt you?”

  “No. I don't think he threatened me, I don't remember! I freaked out, I'm sorry, I didn't expect this.”

  He couldn’t let her crying distract him. Not this time.

  “Did he say what he planned to do?”

  “No. He ran out. But what if he sees you with the money?”

  “Just tell him you gave it to me…it was your money, not his, okay?”

  “Ok, ok, but if he mentions anything or shows me anything, I'll tell you. I promise.”

  “Yeah, good, but remember, don't mention the safe. Don't say it was his money!” He paused, then as an afterthought, “Kristen, you never gave me your address. What if he does something, what if he takes your phone? How can I get to you?”

  She heard the door and panicked. “I gave it to Ruby. You have her number, right? I have to go.”

  Before Jake could answer, she hung up. Stunned, he thought back in time and picked up his wallet. As soon as he found Ruby's card, he entered her number in his phone. What Kristen revealed to him weighed heavily on his mind. If Logan acted on it there could be trouble for him, including the possibility that he'd be arrested. $25,000.00 that technically didn't belong to him was in his possession. Trusting Kristen could've been another serious mistake. There was nothing he could do about it but wait and see how it played out, his future definitely in her hands. She had to continue vouching for him or he was screwed.