Turning Point (The Kathleen Turner Series)

by Snow, Tiffany

  “Stop with the innocent act,” the senator interrupted with a disdainful snort. “I’ve known what you were all along. I just hated having to tell Blane the truth.”

  I turned back to Blane, panic and dread clawing at my chest. “Blane, it’s not true,” I protested. “Please believe me! I haven’t had an affair with Kade!”

  “The evidence doesn’t lie,” the senator intoned.

  “What evidence?” I cried. “I haven’t done anything!”

  Blane abruptly stood, the fury on his face, which marked every inch of his body, sparking fear in me. I took a step back.

  “Uncle, please give us a moment,” Blane said. It wasn’t a request.

  The senator rose and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

  “You’re lying,” Blane accused, once the door had shut. He grabbed a sheaf of papers from his desk. “This is my proof.” He tossed the stack at me.

  I threw my hands up to protect my face from the flying papers, a cry of fear strangling in my throat. The papers settled to the floor and I glanced down at them.

  Pictures of Kade and me stared back. We were in Denver, inside Bar Sinister. Kade had his hands on my hips as I stood between his spread thighs. My borrowed clothes were even worse captured in color and printed on glossy 8x10. A second photo showed him leaning close, as though about to kiss me. Another was a close-up of his hands on the backs of my thighs, sliding up under my skirt.

  Horrified, I looked at Blane. “Blane, it… it wasn’t like that,” I stammered. “We were on a case—”

  “You shared the same fucking hotel room!”

  I flinched. “Nothing happened—”

  “Maybe I could have forgiven that,” Blane interrupted, his voice calm now but still filled with fury. “Maybe. But now? In my own home?”

  “What—”

  “Tell me Kade wasn’t there last night. Tell me he didn’t come by when I wasn’t there.”

  I just stared at him, horrified. He had it all wrong. Kade had come by, but I hadn’t slept with him. Looking at Blane, at the rage and betrayal on his face, I knew he wouldn’t believe me. The photos at my feet mocked me.

  My silence was telling. Some of the anger on Blane’s face faded away, replaced by a cold nothingness.

  “I saw you two,” he said. “The morning after we rescued those women at Xtreme. I looked in to check on you, make sure you were okay.”

  He paused and I knew with painful certainty what was coming next.

  “I saw you, wrapped in each other’s arms,” Blane said. “I tried to believe it was innocent, that you wouldn’t do that to me. That Kade wouldn’t do that to me, my own brother. But I was wrong. Wrong to trust either of you.”

  “No, Blane,” I protested, tears coming to my eyes. “I swear. I told you I care about Kade, but it’s not like that! Not like what you think!”

  “I opened up to you,” Blane said quietly. The pain in his voice made me wince. “Told you how hard it was for me to care about someone, love someone. Did that mean nothing to you?”

  “Blane… I didn’t… I swear… you have to believe me,” I stammered. “I’d never do that to you.” I didn’t know what to say, how to make him believe that I hadn’t slept with Kade.

  His smile was cold and devoid of humor. “You know, that’s how I know a client is lying. They say things like ‘I’d never do that,’ and ‘You have to believe me.’ Well, I don’t have to do anything. And I’m certainly not going to marry you. Not now. Not Kade. I can’t forgive you this—”

  Blane’s voice broke and he abruptly turned away, as though he couldn’t bear the sight of me any longer. He stared out the window, arms crossed over his chest.

  I stared at him in shocked horror. He was like a different person, his rage and pain a steel wall between us.

  Stepping forward, I slid the engagement ring off my finger and set it on his desk. The sound of the metal hitting the wood made Blane turn, but he made no move to pick it up.

  “Good-bye, Blane,” I said. I swallowed hard, holding back the sob I could feel rising in my chest.

  My last glimpse of Blane would stay with me for a long time. His face was like granite, unreadable and devoid of emotion. But his eyes—his eyes were filled with the pain of my supposed betrayal.

  Darkness and despair filled the pit of my stomach until the pain was nearly unbearable and I thought I was going to be sick.

  Turning away before I lost control, I left his office. My eyes caught again on the senator, silently watching me from where he stood by Clarice’s desk.

  “Congratulations,” I bit out. “You won.”

  And I didn’t cry. I couldn’t. It seemed once I’d left Blane’s office, my emotions had shut down and I operated on autopilot.

  I drove to The Drop, smiling mechanically at my old friends as they greeted me. I was in luck. My old boss, Romeo, was there. I didn’t have to grovel too much to get my job back. I guess he’d had a tough time replacing me. He gave me my schedule and a new uniform and I drove home.

  Gerard was waiting for me when I arrived at my apartment. Tigger was in a pet carrier at his feet.

  “Thanks for bringing him by,” I said, unsure if Blane had spread the lies he believed to Mona and Gerard.

  “Mona’s going to miss him,” he replied with a sigh, “and you. We both are.”

  His eyes were kind and I couldn’t resist giving him a hug. “I’ll miss you, too.”

  Gerard’s eyes were watery when we parted. He cleared his throat. “Here,” he said gruffly, handing me a paper bag. “Mona cooked dinner for you. Didn’t want it to go to waste. Said you need to eat more, get some meat back on those bones.”

  Now my eyes got teary. “Tell her thank you for me,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”

  Gerard gave a small nod and smile, blinking rapidly as he turned to go. I watched him walk down the stairs before I went inside.

  Tigger meowed loudly, disgruntled at being in the pet carrier, and I hurriedly let him out before going into the kitchen to refill his food and water bowls. I put Mona’s food into the refrigerator. My stomach was churning too much to consider eating at the moment.

  Going into my bedroom was hard, with memories of Blane assaulting me. I steeled myself and lay down on my bed, curled into a ball on my side, and pulled the blankets up over me.

  I slept.

  When I woke, I used the bathroom, kicked off my shoes, climbed back into bed, and slept some more.

  I lost count of the hours, the sun streaming through my window, darkness falling again. And still I slept.

  I didn’t know when I would have gotten out of bed if not for the incessant knocking that came the next day. I tried to just turn over and ignore it, but whoever was out there was persistent. Finally, I crawled out from under the covers and went to the door. Peeking through the peephole, I saw that it was Alisha.

  She took one look at me, said, “Aw, honey,” and folded me in her arms. That’s when I began to cry.

  Alisha sat with me, letting me cry on her shoulder, not asking any questions. When I had no more tears, I just sat there, her arms around me. She smoothed my hair, a comforting gesture, reminding me of how my mom used to hold me when I cried.

  In a halting voice, I told her everything. Blane proposing, my being taken, my rescue, Kade’s visit and fury over my engagement, and finally the blowup in Blane’s office. She was quiet when I was finished, taking it all in.

  “Considering what happened with Kandi,” she finally said, “Blane has some nerve accusing you of cheating on him.”

  I couldn’t disagree.

  “I know it hurts terribly,” she said, “but if he doesn’t believe you now, when will he? Five years and two kids down the road?” She shook her head. “Better to have your eyes opened now than wait until kids are in the middle of everything and you have much more to lose.”

  It felt like a knife twisting in my gut to hear her say those words, but I knew deep down I agreed with her.

  I s
at up, grabbed a tissue, and blew my nose.

  “Feel better?” Alisha asked.

  I gave her a wan smile. It felt good to not be alone.

  “I’m hungry,” she said. “Got anything to eat?”

  “Mona made something a couple of days ago,” I replied. “I put it in the fridge.”

  “Okay, I’ll scrounge us up some food while you go clean up,” she ordered. “You look like you haven’t seen the inside of a shower in days. Smell like it, too.” She winked and I couldn’t help the embarrassed huff of laughter that came out of my mouth.

  I obeyed, taking a long shower and changing into clean clothes. I brushed my teeth and combed out my hair. When I came out of the bathroom, Alisha had set the table, and two plates of steaming food were waiting for us.

  “Manicotti,” Alisha said with a sigh. “I do love Mona.”

  “She’s fantastic,” I agreed. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stomach more than a couple of bites, but I managed to eat half of what Alisha had piled on my plate.

  “So what are your plans now?” Alisha asked, sitting back in her chair and groaning. “Sheesh, I ate too much.”

  “I got my job back at The Drop,” I said. “I start again on Friday.” I paused, thinking. “Wait, what’s today?”

  “Thursday.”

  “Good,” I said with relief. “That would’ve been bad if I got my job back then didn’t show up for work. How’d your Valentine’s date with Lewis go?”

  Alisha tried to hide a smile. “Really well. We’ve gone out a few more times since then. I really like him. But let’s not talk about it.”

  “It’s okay to talk about your love life,” I said. “Don’t be silly.”

  “I don’t want to upset you,” she protested.

  “What kind of friend would I be if I demanded you not be happy just because I’m not?”

  Alisha frowned at my rhetorical question. “I wish you were happy. How do you feel?”

  I thought about it. “Sad. Depressed.” I hesitated, staring over Alisha’s shoulder at nothing, my concentration directed inward. “And angry. Really, really angry.” Those words surprised me and I realized they were true.

  “I’m angry at the cops who were supposed to protect me. I’m angry at the men who took me, who took all those other women and treated them like cattle. I’m angry at the senator for interfering and lying to Blane. I’m angry at Kade for making me doubt my feelings for Blane. And I’m really angry at Blane, for not believing in me, in us. For offering me a future with him, then snatching it away.”

  It occurred to me then that I’d had enough. Though I’d told Blane I was tired of being buffeted by the winds of my life, I’d succumbed once again, playing the victim to other people’s machinations. I’d been nothing but collateral damage, as had my relationship with Blane. If I was ever going to be happy, it was up to me to make it happen. A family might not be in the cards right now, but someday I’d meet a man who loved me and believed in me.

  “I think I’m going to go back to school,” I said slowly.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Alisha enthused.

  “I’ll go to school during the day and work nights at The Drop,” I said, making my decision on the spot. Yes, it would put me back in debt, but it was an investment in my future, my happiness, my life.

  “What will you study?” Alisha asked.

  There was really only one answer to that, and it sprang easily from my lips.

  “Criminal justice.”

  EPILOGUE

  It was late when Kade pulled into Blane’s driveway. He’d wanted to leave town, meant to leave town, but he hadn’t made it very far before he found himself circling back around to Indy. Now he sat in the car, engine silent, staring at the dark house.

  He’d lost her last night.

  Maybe he’d known all along. She was beyond him. So far above him, it felt almost a sin to look at her, touch her. Never before did he have a moment’s hesitation or qualm about the life he’d chosen. Not even Blane’s disapproval had dissuaded Kade from his path.

  She had changed all that.

  Now regret was a constant companion, the “what ifs” enough to drive him mad if he thought about them too long. What if he’d stayed, talked to her, maybe taken her to dinner those many months ago when she’d fought off her courthouse attacker? He’d felt the pull, even then, without even knowing her name. She’d looked up at him with those clear blue eyes, her cheeks pale, her long blonde hair the color of the sunrise, and it was like an electric shock had gone through him.

  Now it was too late. She belonged to someone else. And not just anyone else.

  His brother.

  Kade had waited too long for Blane to find someone to be happy with, to really be happy with, to begrudge him it now. Blane was a good man. He’d take care of her. The words Kade had said earlier to Kathleen had been a product of his own anger and despair. Despite all Kade’s futile hopes to the contrary, Blane loved her, was going to marry her.

  Kade just had to find a way to live with that.

  With a heavy sigh, he got out of the car. He’d apologize to Kathleen, congratulate Blane, then get the hell out of town until he had to be back.

  To watch her walk down the aisle… into another man’s arms. Piece of cake.

  Right.

  Kade went in through the back door into the kitchen. His steps were silent without any conscious effort. It was second nature to be a shadow inside the shadows.

  Kathleen was probably asleep, but a light filtered from under the library door, so Blane must still be up. Kade turned his footsteps that direction and eased open the door.

  Still in his work clothes, minus the jacket and tie, Blane was sitting on the couch in front of the cold fireplace, leaning his elbows on his knees. One hand held a crystal glass with amber liquid, the other was resting on the back of his neck as he stared at the floor. The only sound was that of the grandfather clock ticking in the corner.

  Kade frowned. Attuned to his brother’s moods, he knew this wasn’t a pose in which Blane often appeared. A nearly empty decanter sat on the table at his side, and Kade’s brows climbed. Blane drank, yes, but it had been years since Kade had seen Blane allow himself to get drunk.

  Without warning, Blane suddenly flung his glass into the fireplace, the crystal shattering against the stone.

  All Kade’s alarms were going off inside his head now. This wasn’t like Blane.

  “You keep doing that, Mona’s going to kick your ass. That’s Mom’s crystal,” Kade said.

  Before he’d even finished speaking, Blane was on his feet, gun in hand and pointed directly at Kade.

  Kade wasn’t surprised at Blane’s reaction; it had been a common one when Blane had first returned from deployment. What did surprise him was the fact that the gun remained pointed at him.

  “Really?” he finally said, cocking an eyebrow at Blane.

  Blane stared at him, unblinking, before finally lowering the gun and tossing it onto the couch. “Get the fuck out,” he said. He turned away, going to retrieve another glass from the sideboard.

  Kade stood for a moment, uncertain of what was going on. “Worn out my welcome already? It usually takes at least a week to do that,” he joked.

  Blane ignored him, which only made Kade more concerned. Walking over to the sideboard himself, he poured a shot of bourbon into a glass.

  “Bad day at work?”

  Blane didn’t look at him as he said, “I’m not kidding. We’re through. Get out.”

  They were words Kade had hoped never to hear but had never been able to convince himself wouldn’t come, no matter what Blane said to the contrary. He could feel it. The old fear curled in the pit of his stomach. The dead certainty that the brother he’d idolized since he first set eyes on him at the age of ten would eventually realize that Kade wasn’t worth it. Wasn’t worth wasting his time or his affection.

  Those words were harder to take after the years of endless waiting.

  K
ade tossed back the liquor, embracing the burning path it left in its wake. Physical pain was always a welcome respite to the agony he felt inside.

  “Right,” he said tonelessly, setting the glass back on the table. Blane had yet to look at him.

  Steeling himself, Kade asked, “Where’s Kathleen?” He’d like to see her, to say good-bye, one last time.

  Kade wasn’t prepared for the onslaught that question unleashed. In seconds, Blane had him shoved against the wall, his fists gripping the front of Kade’s jacket as he snarled, “Don’t you even say her fucking name to me, you son of a bitch.”

  “What the fuck, Blane?” Kade yelled in surprise and anger.

  “I opened my home to you.” Blane’s face was a mask of rage and betrayal. “Gave you everything I could. Tried to make up for the old man leaving you to rot. I trusted you.” His face contorted in pain. “And this is how you repay me?”

  Kade shoved Blane, twisting away so he was out of reach. Blane’s words struck a deep chord of guilt. “I never asked you for anything! I didn’t tell you to come find me! I didn’t ask to come here!” He paused, his breath coming hard as he stared at his brother. “How the fuck am I supposed to repay you that?”

  It was a question that kept Kade awake nights. How could he possible repay Blane for everything he’d given? It was impossible. He’d spent the last eighteen years trying.

  Blane’s eyes grew hard. “I certainly wouldn’t have chosen to fuck my fiancée.”

  Kade’s blood ran cold. “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t bullshit me.” Blane’s voice was like ice. “I’ve seen. I know. I trusted you. I trusted her. And you both betrayed me.”

  “Blane, I swear, it’s not what you think—”

  “Don’t fucking lie to me!” Blane exploded, coming after Kade. He threw a punch, catching Kade off guard.

  Kade blocked the next blow, twisting Blane’s arm around behind him and grabbing him in a headlock.

  “Listen to me,” Kade demanded, “nothing happened—”

  Blane struck back at Kade, who was forced to release him. They fought, though Kade pulled his punches, not wanting to hurt his shit-for-brains brother.