Turning Point (The Kathleen Turner Series)

by Snow, Tiffany

  “Yeah, they’re fine, and my cover’s not blown, thank God,” he answered. “Hey, I could use your help today, if you’ve got time.”

  I thought Kade would leave, but he remained in the room watching me as water dripped from his body onto the carpet. The towel concealed little, especially when damp and wrapped so low around his hips. I was surprised it hadn’t yet fallen off. My face heated at the thought and I quickly turned away, focusing on Chance’s voice in my ear.

  “Sure. What do you need?”

  “A babysitter.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I scooted past Kade and headed to the other bedroom. I needed clothes if I was going to babysit Lucy’s son for a few hours today. Chance hadn’t told me why they’d needed me and I hadn’t asked. If I could help, I would.

  “What did he want?” Kade asked, and I realized he’d followed me.

  “I’m trying to get dressed,” I said crossly. “Do you mind?”

  “Not a bit,” he drawled, crossing his arms over his bare chest and leaning against the wall.

  I rolled my eyes and stepped inside the walk-in closet, pulling the door closed behind me.

  “You were telling me what he wanted,” Kade said loud enough for me to hear him through the door.

  I shrugged out of the robe, dropping it to the floor, then abruptly realized there were no underthings in the closet. Well, damn it.

  “He, uh, wants me to babysit today,” I answered, cracking the door a smidge. “Hey, get me some…” I faltered. “You know. Out of the drawer. Behind you.”

  My cheeks turned hot at his smirk and I glared at him until he turned to rummage through the bureau.

  “Whose kid are you watching?” He alternatively held up scraps of satin and lace before discarding them.

  “One of the dancers—her name is Lucy—she has a little boy,” I explained, impatiently waiting as he perused the choices. “Will you just pick something?”

  “Got it,” he said, returning to stand much too close to the door. “Open up.”

  “Just give them to me,” I said, exasperated.

  He huffed an exaggerated sigh and pushed his hand through the opening. I snatched the fabric dangling from his finger.

  “Thank you,” I said, then immediately reconsidered the sentiment in light of what he’d given me—a tiny lace thong in the palest of pinks with a matching bra. Nice.

  Whatever. I had to get moving. I pulled on the underwear that barely deserved the name, as well as a pair of jeans and black turtleneck. I left my locket on under my shirt. The pearls I wore on the outside. When I stepped out of the closet, Kade had dressed—he was wearing a pair of jeans and a shirt, though neither was buttoned.

  I was taming my hair into a French braid when I caught sight of Kade standing in the bathroom doorway, watching me.

  Several minutes went by while I brushed and braided. “What?” I finally asked. He was making me nervous.

  He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

  The expression on his face was similar to one he’d worn last night, and when I’d fastened my braid, I turned to him. “Tell me.”

  I almost thought he was going to answer me, then one corner of his mouth lifted in a humorless smile. “Some other time, princess.”

  I was still going to pursue it when he asked, “Need a ride?”

  “Actually, yeah.”

  A few minutes later, we were heading to my apartment. I squinted in the sunlight, envying Kade his dark sunglasses.

  Kade drove in silence, and I didn’t break it. Things felt tenuous between Kade and me, like I was walking a tightrope. I couldn’t read him, couldn’t tell what the status of our friendship really was.

  “Nice pearls,” he said, out of the blue.

  “Um, thanks.” My fingers instinctively moved to touch the smooth stones at my neck. “Blane gave them to me. For Valentine’s Day, I guess.”

  “They were his mother’s.”

  I stared at him. Blane’s mother? He’d given me her pearls? I didn’t know what to say.

  “So what are you going to do about a job?” he asked a few minutes later.

  I looked at him. His face was unreadable and I couldn’t see his eyes under the glasses. I shrugged. “I guess I’ll go back to The Drop.”

  “And then what?”

  “I don’t know.” I was getting irritated. “I had this new job, but got fired all of a sudden like.” Kade sent me a look that had me rethinking getting lippy with him.

  “What are you doing today?” I asked.

  “I have a contract I need to fill.”

  My blood went cold as I stared at him. He couldn’t possibly mean what I thought he meant, that he was going to kill someone today?

  “What kind of contract?” I asked.

  He spared me a glance. “What kind do you think?” The wry tone of the words gave me a sick feeling in my stomach.

  “You don’t have to… it’s not right… just don’t—”

  “Relax,” Kade interrupted. “It’s a hack, not a hit.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief, the sick feeling in my gut easing. So he was hacking into something today and not killing someone. Then it occurred to me that the last time he’d told me he’d hacked something, it had been a government agency. The nausea was back.

  “How are you going to do that with all your stuff gone?”

  “I’ve got my laptop,” Kade replied with a shrug. “Nothing’s irreplaceable.” He paused, then added, “Well, almost nothing.”

  We pulled into an empty space in my parking lot. Kade left the engine idling while I grabbed my things. My hand reached for the door handle, but I hesitated.

  “Are we”—I searched for the right word—“still friends?”

  “Is that what you want?”

  I nodded. “I’m sorry for what I said the other night. I didn’t mean it.”

  He studied me and I wished again that I could see his eyes.

  “Sure you did,” he said finally, the corner of his mouth twisting. “But we’re good. So go. I’m sure Barney’s waiting for you.”

  The reminder of Chance stopped me from saying anything else, knowing this wasn’t the time or place to continue the conversation.

  “Thanks for the ride,” I said, climbing out and shutting the door behind me.

  The window rolled down. “Be careful,” Kade said. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  I bent down to look in the window. “I’m babysitting,” I explained. “Not skydiving.”

  Kade smirked. “Only you could turn babysitting into a life-threatening endeavor.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Hey, when do you want me to bring the SUV back to the firm?”

  I’d have to get a new car eventually, though I was hoping they’d let me have a couple of weeks to find one I could afford. No doubt it would be a huge step down from the luxurious Lexus I now drove, but it was what it was.

  “Keep it,” Kade replied with a wave of his hand.

  I was taken aback. “I can’t keep it,” I protested. “The firm owns it.”

  “No they don’t. I lied.”

  I stared at him, jaw agape. He’d lied about the firm buying the car?

  “Why?” I asked. Why had he bought it? And why had he lied?

  Kade shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. And you needed it.”

  I couldn’t think what to say, my mind reeling. He’d spent thousands of dollars buying me a car just because he’d seen how much I’d needed it.

  “Why would you spend that much money on me?”

  Kade slid his glasses down, peering at me over the top. “Who else do I have to spend it on?”

  I didn’t speak, caught by the look in his eyes, which contrasted starkly with the matter-of-fact way in which he spoke.

  “Catch you later, princess.”

  Then he was gone and I was left staring after the Mercedes receding in the distance.

  Chance arrived not thirty seconds after I stepped into my apartment, Bi
lly in tow.

  “Lucy’s in the car,” he said, handing me Billy’s Spider-Man backpack. “This is just for a few hours.”

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I asked.

  “Lucy’s been with Summers for years,” Chance said in an undertone, pulling me aside. Billy and Tigger were eyeing each other with mutual suspicion. “She’s seen everything, knows everything. In return for protection, she’s going to be a witness against him.

  “Just keep Billy occupied for a few hours,” he said. “I’ll call when we’re on our way back.”

  A few moments later, it was just Billy, me, and Tigger, who seemed to have gotten over his momentary aversion and was now curled half on, half off Billy’s lap, purring loudly as Billy scratched his ears.

  I surveyed Billy. He was playing with the same action figures he had the other night.

  “Hey, Billy,” I said, “what do you say to doing some shopping today?”

  He looked at me dubiously. “What kind of shopping?”

  “For toys. Would you like that?”

  I didn’t have to ask him twice.

  We spent the next several hours shopping for the latest and greatest Batman action figures. Since I was a Superman fan, I convinced him he also needed the Man of Steel. It wasn’t until we were eating at a pizza joint that my cell rang. The caller ID said it was Blane.

  “Having fun?” he asked.

  “I am,” I replied as Billy reached for another slice of pizza. Batman and Superman stood as a sentinels on the corner of the table, their various archenemies trapped by Spidey’s web inside the backpack.

  “My credit card company called,” he said.

  Uh-oh. I started to panic, adding up how much I’d spent in my head. It wasn’t terribly much.

  “They were inquiring as to whether my card had been lost or stolen, because I have never in my life purchased anything from an establishment devoted to children’s toys.”

  I laughed, relaxing.

  “Is there something you want to tell me?” Blane asked.

  I flushed, remembering how we’d thought perhaps I might be pregnant a few weeks ago, which had turned out to be a false alarm. “I’m babysitting,” I explained. “The little guy needed some things, and I didn’t, so I shopped for him instead. Is that okay?”

  “It’s fine,” he replied. “And why am I not surprised that you’d find someone else to spend money on instead of yourself?”

  I squirmed uncomfortably. It wasn’t like I was Mother Teresa. I just didn’t see what was fun about blowing money on things I didn’t need. It seemed like a waste.

  “Are we still on for tonight?” I asked, wanting to change the subject.

  “Absolutely,” he replied. “It will be the best part of my day.”

  “Me, too.”

  A bowling alley nearby provided the afternoon’s entertainment, and if I’d cared, I would have been embarrassed at the fact that I needed the bumpers as much as Billy did to get the ball down to the pins. By the time four o’clock rolled around, I was ready to call it a day.

  Billy seemed worn out, too, falling asleep in the back of my car on the drive back to my apartment. I got him upstairs, where he promptly curled up on my sofa.

  A short while later, Chance showed up.

  “Everything okay?” I asked as he collected Billy’s things.

  “Yeah. I may need you to do this again,” he replied. “Is that all right?”

  “Sure. Anytime.”

  After he left, I hurried to get dressed for my date with Blane. I was supposed to be ready by seven o’clock. I took a shower, blew my hair dry, then stood in front of my closet in bra and underwear, trying to figure out what to wear.

  Blane had said we’d be meeting his friends tonight, and I couldn’t imagine them meeting somewhere superfancy. Probably more like a bar and grill. So jeans then. But what about my shirt? I wanted to look nice, make a good impression. I wavered in indecision before finally settling on a silky aqua-blue blouse with transparent sleeves, the neckline a deep V that showed a respectable amount of cleavage. Not the warmest of picks, but it looked nice with my hair and eyes. I added makeup and the pearls.

  After a moment’s hesitation, I slipped on the peacock-blue stilettos that I’d bought with the money Kade had given me. I thought again about what he’d said the night he’d seen me wearing them. I pushed the uncomfortable memory aside.

  A knock at the door heralded Blane’s arrival. I was greeted with a dozen white roses.

  “Thank you,” I said, burying my nose in their fragrant depths. I stepped aside so Blane could come in. I was glad about what I’d chosen to wear. He was similarly clad in jeans and a deep navy-blue long-sleeved Henley, his black leather jacket topping it off.

  “You look fantastic,” he said with a pleased smile, giving me a quick kiss before we left.

  As he drove, Blane assured me that the place we were going was one he knew well, a locals bar in Indy often frequented by military guys.

  “So whose kid were you watching?” he asked.

  “The son of one of the girls I work with,” I said. “Lucy is her name. She’s the one Matt raped that night. Her boy’s name is Billy. Chance was taking Lucy with him for a few hours. I guess she’s going to be a witness.”

  “His name is Billy?” Blane asked, a strange expression crossing his face.

  I nodded. “I bought him some new toys. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “That’s fine,” he said, his expression smoothing. “I just wanted you to have a good time today.”

  “I did,” I assured him.

  “Then mission accomplished.” Blane smiled at me, a real smile that warmed me from the inside out. “I was thinking,” he said, “wondering if you’d considered going back to school.”

  I was taken aback. “Um, I don’t know. I’m still in debt from my mom’s medical bills. Going back to school seems… unwise.”

  And completely out of my budget. The last thing I wanted to do was incur more debt. The twenty grand I’d received from the TecSol case had gone a long way to paying off what I owed, and now that freedom was within reach, I was loath to become indebted again.

  The senator’s offer came to mind, and I briefly contemplated telling Blane about it. But I was hesitant to bring up something that would no doubt upset him, right before we were to meet his friends, especially after what he’d said this morning. I’d have to find a time later to figure out how to tell him.

  “What if you didn’t have to worry about the cost?” Blane asked.

  I stared at him. He stared at the road, sending only a quick glance my way.

  “What does that mean?” I asked, afraid of what his response would be.

  “Before you say anything,” he began, “hear me out. I love you. I want the best for you. I want you to be happy. I know you’re upset about the investigator thing not working out”—I glared, but he continued—“so I want you to go back to school. Get a degree for what you want to do. I’ll pay the bill.”

  I didn’t know what to say. His offer contrasted starkly with the senator’s. Blane’s was offered out of love, the senator’s out of a desire to get me out of Blane’s life. Suddenly, it seemed like the time to tell Blane, even if it was going to upset him.

  “Blane, I need to tell you—”

  His cell phone rang.

  After glancing at his phone, Blane put the call on speaker.

  “Yeah?”

  “Sorry to interrupt your date, brother.” Kade’s insolent tone came through over the speakers. “But I got a hit on that text you sent me.”

  “Can you document it?”

  “For legal use or leverage?”

  “Leverage.”

  “You bet.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem. You kiddos have fun.”

  Kade ended the call.

  “What was that about?” I asked.

  Blane’s smile was tight-lipped this time. “Let’s talk about it later, okay? We’re h
ere.”

  “Here” was a bar I would have been hard-pressed to ever choose to enter, whether I was with a man or not. A sign proclaimed it to be The Dive, and I couldn’t disagree. A large contingent of motorcycles out front had alarm bells going off inside my head, but I followed Blane inside.

  I would never have pegged this as a place Blane would frequent. It seemed clean enough, but it was old and showing its age. In one corner stood a well-worn pool table, its faded green surface dotted with balls as four rough-around-the-edges guys played a game. Bottles of beer sweated on the pool table’s wooden sides, the men taking swigs in between shots.

  Music played from a jukebox, surely an antique, and I recognized the tune as an old Guns N’ Roses number. Taking my hand, Blane led me to a far corner table populated by five men. I nearly put the brakes on right there, my eyebrows flying upward, but Blane pulled me relentlessly forward.

  The men were all a decent size, though only a couple of them were as tall as Blane, but they all had the look of someone you didn’t want to meet in a dark alley. It wasn’t their muscles, although several seemed as though they spent a lot of time at the gym. It was the aura they gave off—the way they held their bodies, and how their eyes moved constantly and missed nothing, no matter the smiles they wore or beers they held.

  When they saw us coming, they stood, reaching out to slap Blane on the shoulder or back while eyeing me.

  “Well, if it isn’t the Captain!” one of the men exclaimed with a grin. “’Bout time you showed up.” Shorter and squatter than Blane, the man carried himself with confidence, grasping Blane’s hand in a firm grip.

  “Todd! Good to see you.” Blane’s smile was full-on, his demeanor more relaxed than I usually ever saw him in company. Turning, he greeted the other four men. One was Eric Sanchez, who gave me a nod.

  “This is Kathleen,” Blane said, resting his arm across my shoulders. I automatically smiled, even though my insides were twisting nervously at being the center of male attention, especially from these men. “Kathleen, this is Todd, Sammy, Rico, Joe, and Eric.”

  I struggled to memorize their names and hoped there wouldn’t be a quiz.

  “Nice to meet you all,” I said.

  “Nice to meet you, little lady,” the guy I thought Blane had called Joe said. He pulled out a nearby chair. “Don’t let that bumbling idiot keep you standing all night. Have a seat.”