A Private Affair

by Dara Girard

  “That’s a really nice speech,” Carissa said, sounding bored. “But it doesn’t help me.”

  “I’ll telling you to let this go. Your brother didn’t kill anyone.”

  “I just need to verify—”

  “Why? What does it have to do with you? So some rich girl died because she had nothing better to do, it happens all the time.”

  “I know her brother.”

  “So why isn’t he here talking to me?” James glanced at her handbag. “You’ve got his balls in your purse or something?”

  “I told him not to come.”

  “So he’s letting you go after crap like Cracker to get the answers for him?”

  “No, I told him—”

  James’ eyes widened. “And he listened to you? There’s no way a real man would let his woman….” He paused then started to grin. “You didn’t tell him what you were going to do, did you?” He winked. “I guess I did have a little influence over you? What does he think you’re up to?”

  “Just tell me where Cracker is or I’ll find him myself.” She stood, her plastic chair scraping along the concrete floor.

  “You said he’s one of the Rivertons?” He gave a low whistle. “You do aim your sights high. Let me guess, he’s the mean one.” He laughed at her expression. “Do you think information stops flowing because I’m in here?”

  “All I want is a name.”

  “I want to meet him.”

  “That’s not going to happen. If you won’t help me, I’ll find him myself.”

  “You think it’ll be that easy? You think you can just do a search online?” he said miming typing on a keyboard. “That name’s too common.” He tapped the table. “If he’s not man enough to come here, he doesn’t deserve the truth.”

  She didn’t want Kenric there. She didn’t want him to meet James. But she knew he knew the major players and that could help Kenric. However, letting James know he was the one in control was always a bad move. She needed a different strategy.

  He flashed a nasty grin. “And keeping secrets makes you no better than me.”

  What he said hurt her. He was right. She was doing to Kenric what James had done to her. Charming him with lies, manipulating him with tears. Didn’t he deserve to know the truth too, no matter what the consequences? She should leave. She didn’t want to be there. She glanced down at her stockings and then remembered the last part of the Black Stockings Society oath. I will never settle for less.

  No, she wouldn’t settle for James winning again, for her brother making her feel that Kenric was out of reach, or feel that she’d never leave her past behind. She looked at James with new eyes. He looked too cocky and assured of himself. She wasn’t going to expose Kenric to him. James was her problem and she’d take care of him. She saw him clearly and knew who she was dealing with. He hated anyone who did well and she knew it was only a power move to have Kenric come to him. To have him on his territory. She wouldn’t allow him that victory. Fortunately she knew he had weak spot.

  “Heard your son’s doing well,” she said.

  The cocky light in his eyes dimmed. “No need to mention him.”

  “Be a shame if he got caught with anything illegal.”

  “You leave my son—”

  “Give me a name and address.”

  “I’m just trying to protect you.”

  “You never tried to protect anyone unless you got a payout. Now give me a name.”

  “It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t use that name anymore,” James said, then told her what she wanted.

  ***

  Carissa drove away from the jail, her hands shaking as she gripped the steering wheel. She’d survived and felt vindicated. James wanted to tear her down, but instead, she felt free. She knew the truth and she wouldn’t be ashamed of her past anymore or her brother’s. She looked at herself in the mirror and didn’t mind what she saw. Now she could face the Rivertons. She couldn’t before, when she had so many questions and she questioned her worth. It wasn’t until this moment that she realized how much she’d hated being herself. How long she’d wanted to get away from her name. She’d married young so she could distance herself from it. Yorks weren’t any good. Seeing her brother succeed had given her some pride back. Then to hear the truth ripped it away. Before, she couldn’t feel Kenric’s love for her, no matter how many times he said it. But now she could.

  Because she was no longer ashamed of who she was and where she came from. Her brother’s choices weren’t hers. She had been able to face James, but knew there was one more person.

  ***

  It was so unfair, Lina thought as she slammed her car trunk closed and carried three bags of groceries towards the apartment’s entrance. She saw a man ahead of her go inside the apartment complex and close the door behind him. She silently called him a foul name. When she was pregnant it was so much better, people were a lot more considerate. She struggled to open the door then headed to the elevators, seething and feeling sweaty. Even though the calendar said autumn the day still felt like summer. Right now she wished she could be at the pool.

  She wouldn’t even have to do this if Carissa hadn’t changed. Carissa was supposed to be helping her with her duties as a new mother. She couldn’t believe nobody wanted to help her. Her mother had lasted a week, her mother-in-law two. Was it her fault that Jeremy was a miserable baby? That he cried the moment he woke up and hardly stopped until he was asleep? Was it her fault that her nerves were always on edge? Even Glenn hadn’t been his carefree self. If Carissa hadn’t been so selfish none of this would have happened. She’d made the right decision to keep her out of their lives.

  It wasn’t fair, she fought back tears as she unpacked her bags in the kitchen. She missed Carissa. She missed how much she took care of her. Why had she abandoned her at her greatest time of need? It was Kenric’s fault. Kenric had changed her.

  Glenn came into the kitchen as she put the final item away. “Do you need help?”

  Lina looked at him annoyed and closed a cupboard. “I wish you’d asked me that five minutes ago.”

  He kissed her on the cheek. “I’m sorry.” He looked around the kitchen. “Where’s Jeremy? Is he taking a nap?”

  Stark terror descended as a horrible realization struck her. Lina grabbed her keys and raced to the door.

  “Where are you going?” Glenn called after her.

  But she couldn’t voice her shame—she’d left her baby in the car.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Screams. He’d hoped never to hear screams like that again in his life, but he did—piercing, heartbreaking screams from somewhere in the parking lot. He’d planned to stay away from Carissa, but after a week, he couldn’t. He’d come to her apartment to talk to her. As he got out of his car he heard the screams. Kenric scanned the area trying to assess the source and the danger.

  Then he saw Lina holding a limp baby in her arms; Glenn running up behind her.

  He ran over to them. “What happened?”

  Lina continued to scream and Glenn stood looking helpless. “She left him in the car.”

  Kenric could tell he was in shock and she was hysterical. He knew he had to take the lead. “Call 911,” he told Glenn then addressed Lina. “Give the baby to me.”

  “He’s dead!” she cried out.

  “He’s not dead, he’s suffered heatstroke but we can save him. Give him to me!” When she hesitated, he snatched the infant from her, knowing the risk he was taking if anything went wrong, but not caring. He darted inside and called out to the concierge at the front desk. “Where’s your break room? I need to get the baby cooled down.”

  The guard led them to a back room where Kenric stripped the baby out of his clothes and cooled him down with a damp towel.

  Lina stood a few feet away whimpering. “This is all my fault. I can’t believe I let this happen.”

  “Grab something to fan him,” Kenric said.

  “What?”

  “I need you to fan him.” He look
ed around the room then saw a calendar on the wall. “Use that.”

  Lina grabbed the calendar off the wall and used it to fan the baby.

  “That’s it,” Kenric said in an encouraging voice as he continued to gently wipe down the baby. “Keep it up.”

  “Tell Carissa, I’m sorry,” Lina said in a choked voice. “I’m sorry about everything.”

  “You’ll get a chance to tell her yourself.”

  “She’ll never want to see me again after this.”

  Kenric didn’t get a chance to reply because the EMTs rushed in and took over. They seemed impressed by Kenric’s quick thinking. “This baby is very lucky,” one said. “A couple minutes more and we would have been looking at brain damage or death, but he’s recovering well. We’ll still take him to the hospital to monitor him.”

  Lina went with them in the ambulance. Glenn planned to follow in his car. But instead Kenric found him staring at the ambulance as it drove away. He made no move to follow as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

  “What are you doing?” Kenric demanded.

  He didn’t look at him, his gaze focused on something in the distance. “Why did you save my son?” he asked in a low voice.

  Kenric stiffened. “What?’

  Glenn finally turned to him and Kenric saw a different man. Not the arrogant ambitious man from the past or the condescending one from a few weeks ago. He was a man who’d been humbled. “You didn’t have to. Wouldn’t that have been justice? An eye for an eye and all that?”

  Kenric shoved his hands in his pockets and took a deep sigh. Glenn was right. He could have enacted a great revenge. But holding the limp infant in his arms made him realize something he wasn’t ready to share yet. Something he knew he needed to tell his brother so that he could accept Carissa as part of their family. “You’re right,” he said. “But we’re going to be family soon.”

  “I didn’t kill your sister,” Glenn said, not deceived by Kenric’s nonchalant tone. “I swear it. I did a lot of things in my past that I’m ashamed of, but murder wasn’t one of them. Understand?”

  Kenric nodded.

  “So tell me why. Why did you save my son?”

  Kenric took his hands out of his pockets, knowing there was no point in hiding how he felt. “Because I love your sister more than I hate you,” he said, then turned and walked away.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Joshua was not a happy man when he opened the door and found Carissa York standing there. She was the second unexpected visitor he’d had that evening and he hadn’t gotten rid of the first. He already had a headache and the sight of her didn’t improve it.

  “I’m not in the mood,” he said starting to close the door.

  “He’s dead.”

  He paused, gripping the door. Damn, she got his interest and she knew it. He couldn’t make her leave now. Not after a statement like that. He opened the door wider and turned away. He didn’t need to ask her who, he knew she’d fill in the blanks for him. He sat down and waited.

  He could tell that she was nervous as she walked to the seat facing him, but she tried to appear nonchalant. He admired her for the effort, even though she failed miserably. She looked out of her depths, her gaze quickly surveying the surroundings and seeing the opulence most of his guest didn’t notice because it was expected, like seeing a gorgeous woman at a car show. His brief admiration annoyed him. He didn’t want to trust her and still hated the control she seemed to have over his brother. He looked at her once again wondering what magic she’d spun to capture his brother so completely.

  His brother. The thought of him made him grit his teeth. To think that Kenric still wanted to marry her. That he had the arrogance to say that he loved her. Loved! This woman who could offer him nothing. Through half closed lids he watched her sit down, resting her handbag on her lap with the primness of a nun caught in a strip club. He yawned, hoping that would give her a hint to start talking or he was going to sleep.

  She took a deep breath then said, “The monster who killed your sister was called Cracker. He had a few other names, but that doesn’t matter. He was a pathetic excuse for a human being who sold bad product. Unfortunately, your sister was one of his last clients.”

  “According to your sources?” he said with a note of sarcasm. It was a good shield against the quiet rage in her voice. A simmering rage that echoed how he felt. He didn’t want her to understand, he didn’t want her to sympathize with him. He wanted—needed—to see her as the enemy.

  “Yes. They’re reliable.”

  He sighed then rubbed his forehead. “If my head didn’t hurt, I’d laugh.”

  “I can give you names of people to talk to if you’re interested, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

  “Why not? Afraid your story might unravel?”

  Her gaze didn’t waver and it was at that moment he realized he’d been tricked. She wasn’t as afraid as she pretended to be. “You might become a target,” she said in a cool voice. But not too cool. It wasn’t cold, but rather like the feel of a cool breeze on a summer day. Inviting and chilling at the same time. He had to watch himself.

  “Why are you here?”

  “I just thought you should know.”

  “That he’s dead?”

  She nodded. “He tried to expand into the wrong territory and got his head blown off.”

  “I didn’t ask.”

  “But I knew you were curious.”

  Damn she was smart. Worse still, he was starting to see her allure. He could see it in that steady chocolate gaze, the beautifully shaped mouth. She wasn’t even his type—he’d only tried to play her to annoy his brother, but now he was truly interested to know what she was really about. He could see why his brother had fallen for her. That was never a good thing.

  “At least you know that Glenn didn’t trick your brother.”

  He nodded, able to put his emotional shield back in place. This was why she was here. She had her own agenda. “I see. You wanted to clear your brother’s name.”

  “No, I wanted to clear mine.” She set her handbag on the ground and crossed her legs in the best power move a woman could make with a man like him. He’d noticed her legs—he always did a quick inventory of a woman, out of habit—but she brought them more into focus. She’d worn a pair of chocolate colored fishnet stockings. He lifted his gaze to her face. Her expression hadn’t changed, but the air between them certainly had and he knew why. He had to tread very carefully. He couldn’t underestimate her or what the evening would turn into.

  ***

  Carissa steadied her breath. She couldn’t believe she’d been able to hold Joshua’s attention this long. She had been careful with her words and her movements because she knew he could throw her out at any moment. Although his tone was combative and surly, she could tell that he was listening and that’s all she needed. She found that she could face his distrust and disgust and not wither under it.

  “I know you don’t think I’m worthy of your brother and you once questioned if I really loved him,” she said. “And you were right. At that moment, I didn’t love him as much as I needed to. Many people talk about if you love something let it go, but there’s also a flip side to that statement. Sometimes letting go is the easy way out and it takes courage to hang on. Before this moment I was willing to let him go, because I was scared to try to keep him.”

  “You’re wasting your time telling me these things because it doesn’t change anything.”

  “I thought you should know why I won’t take your money.”

  Joshua suddenly seemed wide awake. He sat up and swore. “Look, you don’t need to mention that.”

  “Didn’t you say you wanted me to come up with a figure next time?”

  He glanced over his shoulder then covered his eyes. “You misunderstood.” He stood. “You made your point.”

  “You don’t believe me,” she said, stunned by his sudden change. “You can sit and listen to me talk about Glenn, but the moment I mention how I feel
about your brother you want me to leave?”

  “It’s not—”

  “We’re meant for each other, he saw it first and was willing to fight for me and now I am too. I got lost in the details and didn’t see the big picture but he always did. And I hope he will take me back and—” Her voice died away when she saw a familiar figure come from around the corner. She wanted to run into his arms, but she felt frozen in place because there was so much she wanted to say.

  “How much did he offer you?” he asked.

  “It was a misunderstanding,” Joshua said.

  Kenric casually rested his hand on his brother’s shoulder and forced him back in his seat, his gaze never leaving Carissa’s. “Well?”

  “I don’t remember,” she said, her mouth dry. He was so close yet felt so far, his face unreadable. She couldn’t tell how much he’d heard or what effect what she’d said had had on him. Did he think she was a liar like his brother did? But seeing him made everything else fall to the background. Nothing else mattered. She didn’t care if he didn’t believe her, she would try her best to convince him. “I knew that no amount of money would ever be enough.” When he didn’t reply and the silence stretched between them, panic gripped her. Maybe he didn’t want her anymore. Maybe she’d given him enough time to reconsider his feelings. Suddenly, all triumph left her. Standing up to James, confronting Joshua and finding out the truth about her brother wouldn’t mean anything if she lost him in the end. She took a halting step forward then stopped herself, wishing she could see pass the shades of the henchman that was clear in his gaze. She took a deep breath and said, “Did you hear what I said about my brother? He—”

  “I don’t care about your brother right now,” Kenric interrupted in a low tone that sent shivers through her. “I only want to know one thing.”

  She desperately searched her mind for possibilities eager to remove the hard mask on his face and see the man who’d once said he’d loved her. “Do you want to know if I have more information?”