The Tower (The Tarot Series Book 1)

by Rhylee Davidson

  “I will do that, Katrina.”

  “Good. I’m sorry you have to go through this alone, Mom. I wish I could be there to help you through it. Maybe…”

  “I appreciate it sweetheart, but no. Stay put. I will not allow my baby to be pulled into this mess. I’m a big girl and I can handle this. Please do not think about coming up here. Your father does not handle the loss of what he deems his well, you know that. He also does not do alone well Katrina, which is why now, more than ever, you have to watch yourself. The minute he gets served those divorce papers, he will step up his campaign to find you. He’ll be redoubling his efforts and putting more people on the payroll, mark my words. So you redouble yours to stay hidden. Promise me, Katrina. I fear if finds you, he will send someone to bring you back by force, if you will not go willingly.”

  “I promise, Mom. I will stay put for now, but if you need me, I’ll be there. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Katrina. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  “By prepaid cell, right?”

  “Correct. That will be my next stop. Take care honey. Good-bye.”

  “Bye, Mom.”

  Placing the phone down, Kat walks over to Tony. “I guess you heard all of that, huh?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

  “No. Just hold me okay?” Tony answers by wrapping his arms tightly around her and pulling her close against his chest.

  “She says she’s having my dad served with divorce papers soon and since he doesn’t do loss or alone well, I should redouble my efforts to stay hidden because he’ll be beefing up his search efforts to find me.”

  “So what’s your plan?”

  “I’m not really sure right now. I suppose to just keep a low profile as much as possible. I’m trained in martial arts and maybe it’s time to start stockpiling some weapons. Hire some bodyguards? God, I’m starting to feel like a caged animal. The way I did back in New York. Maybe I should just leave and change my name again. Stay on the run. But I don’t want to leave here. Oh hell, I don’t know! I think I’ll sleep on it since I really didn’t get any sleep last night. After some rest, I’ll be able to think more clearly and figure out what my next move should be.”

  “I have an idea. Why don’t we call a truce for now and take a rain check on the angry sex, which I can’t believe I’m suggesting right now because I know it will be awesome.” Kat smiles at him and nods in agreement. “Come on, we’ll take Seas the Day out for a few hours. You can relax. We’ll come back and I’ll fix an early dinner. Something light. Maybe some steamed seafood. Shrimp, crab legs, and a salad? After that you can go to bed early, get some sleep.”

  “Sounds like a great plan. Thanks Tony, for always seeming to know just what I need. I’ll run upstairs and change.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  10:00 pm

  Sitting straight up in bed, Katrina awakens out of a deep sleep. Breathing heavily, she feels a sense of panic, but isn’t quite sure why. “Think, Katrina, think. What’s wrong?” she whispers to herself. Gage. Get to Gage. There’s something wrong, you’ve got to get to Gage!

  Climbing out of bed, she is overcome by a wave of nausea. She sits back down on the edge of the bed, placing her head in her hands. “Oh god, I feel sick. What the hell is wrong with me?” Taking a few deep breaths, her nausea starts to subside. “’I’d better get something in my system. Maybe a cool drink and a few crackers with cheese will help.”

  You need to get to Gage!

  Standing once more, Kat makes her way downstairs. Picking up her phone off the counter, she flips to G in her contacts and presses the little green phone receiver symbol next to Gage’s name. The phone rings once, twice, three times, “Come on, pick up,” four, five, voicemail. “Damn it!” She hits redial and the same thing happens. This time she leaves a message. “Gage, it’s Kat. When you get this, please call me right away. I’m on my way to the club. Please be careful, I think you’re in danger.” Still feeling sick, Kat hurriedly pops some food in her mouth and downs a glass of juice. That’s better.

  Feeling more like herself, she runs upstairs to change from panties and a t-shirt into regular clothes. She reaches into her closet and grabs the closest thing to her. She ends up with a pair of Ed Hardy low rise jeans with skulls embroidered on the back pockets, and a matching Ed Hardy white studded skull t-shirt. Running into the bathroom, she quickly runs a brush through

  her hair and touches up her makeup. Walking back into her closet, she picks up her purse and steps into a pair of four-inch heals before exiting. In total it’s been fifteen minutes since she left Gage a message. Checking her phone, still nothing, she heads down the stairs and doesn’t stop until she steps into the garage.

  Turning to her left, she presses the button on the automatic door opener while removing her keys. Walking over to the Porsche, she opens the door and climbs inside. Inserting the key into the ignition, she starts the car, thinking about how much she’s missed driving it. Since arriving in town, she hadn’t driven it, being unable to think of a reasonable way to re-title and tag the car without her father’s goons tracing it. Thankfully, traffic is light and Kat finds herself arriving at The Pit in record time.

  Searching the crowd from across the room, Taylor stops when she observes Gage standing at the back of the club, looking as hot as ever in his form-fitting, low-waisted black jeans, a tight, white ribbed shirt, a pair of black biker boots with metal buckles, and a black studded belt. Throw in dark hair that hangs two inches above his shoulders, muscular frame, and emerald green eyes, and you’ve got a lethal combination no woman can resist.

  Removing his phone from his pocket, Gage notices he has two missed calls and a voicemail message. Checking the number, he realizes the calls were from Kat. Damn, I missed Kat’s call. I’ll bet that message is from her, too. I’ll have to wait until the band stops playing before I can duck into my office to listen to it. Tucking the phone back into his pocket, Gage looks up to see Taylor standing in front of him.

  “Hi. I’m Taylor. Remember me from the track the other night?”

  Thinking back…Nice run. I’m Taylor, then a kiss. “I remember.” Coughing, Gage covers his mouth.

  “Are you alright?’

  “I’m fine. I’m uh, just allergic to perfume and it appears you’re wearing some.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll have to remember that for next time.”

  “So, are you having a good time?”

  Invading his personal space, she bats her long lashes at him and seductively drawls, “I am now,” while running her finger across his left pec.

  Smiling at her, he offers, “Would you like a drink?”

  “Only if you’ll join me.”

  Motioning across the room for a waitress, Gage asks, “What would you like?”

  Leaning into him so they are chest to chest, Taylor flicks out her tongue, licks his earlobe and whispers, “You!” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she places feather light kisses down the side of his face until she hits the corner of his mouth. Their lips meet and she opens to him, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, savoring, twirling, and sliding her tongue against his.

  Gage lifts both hands to her face, holding it in place as he gently pulls away, ending the kiss. Looking Taylor in the eye he says, “I’m flattered babe, I really am. And you are beautiful, but I’m working for several more hours.” Catching a familiar scent, his gaze shifts to the door where he spots Katrina entering the club and walking across the bar. “And my girlfriend just arrived.”

  “Girlfriend — I wasn’t aware you had one. Lucky girl. Sorry about that. I wouldn’t want to come between the two of you.”

  “No problem. If you head over to the bar, Lissa will make sure you get whatever you want to drink. Nice seeing you again, Taylor” Gage states absentmindedly as he walks away.

  Taylor smiles at Gage, then turns away and heads over to the bar, furious. He turned me down…again! Blew me off for little miss perfect. Well Gage, that is
absolutely the last time you turn me down for her! Once there she quickly orders a drink and turns in the direction he was heading just in time to see an embrace and passionate kiss between them. Girlfriend! Are you fucking kidding me? He’s calling little miss unfaithful his girlfriend now? Downing the drink, she orders another.

  Once Gage sees Kat, he makes a beeline to her. As if he has tunnel vision, he sees and hears nothing in his periphery. When she enters a room, for him, there is no one else.

  Kat spots Gage striding towards her from across the room and moves to him. Panicked, she runs into his waiting arms. Like a magnet attracted to a piece of metal, they cling to each other. Overcome with a fierce need to taste him, Katrina puts her lips to his as he sinks his fingers into her long, blonde hair. Taking the hair at the nape of her neck and tilting her face up to his, he crushes his lips down on hers in a kiss that he pours all his desire into. Drinking one another in, passion flares out of control like a five-alarm fire, leaving Kat weak in the knees.

  Rocking back on his heels, Gage stares at Katrina. “God you’re beautiful. I wasn’t expecting you tonight, but I’m so happy you’re here.”

  “I’m glad to see you, too,” she stammers. As the lust that is rocketing through her body starts to subside, she remembers the reason for her unexpected visit. “Didn’t you receive my message?”

  “No, I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet. Why?”

  “Gage, you’re in danger.”

  “What do you mean, I’m in danger? In danger from what?”

  Looking nervous, Kat bites her bottom lip and begins to fidget, placing her right thumb in the front pocket of her jeans as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. “I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I don’t know. I just know you are.”

  Smiling down at her, Gage kisses the top of her head for reassurance. “I’m fine baby, don’t worry. No danger here except the usual idiot who has too much to drink. I can handle that.”

  Kat shakes her head, “No you don’t understand.”

  Taking his finger and lifting her chin so they are eye to eye, he shushes her, “Shh Baby, I’m fine. See.” Holding out his hands, he rolls them from front to back. “No broken limbs, no bloody lips, I’m still in one piece. Don’t worry.”

  “I see that, but I had this dream.”

  Seductively he asks, “And what did you dream?”

  Kat blushes and looks into his deep emerald eyes. Eyes that are as deep and beautiful as the lushest forest. Eyes she could get lost in forever. Mesmerized, she stands on her tiptoes, leans in, and kisses him like her life depended on it. Gage feels her urgent need and meets it with his own. When he finally ends the kiss, he whispers in her ear, “We’d better take this somewhere else before I do you right here in front of everyone.” Kat nods her head in agreement.

  “Come on. Let’s find a place to sit down until the band gets off the stage. After that we can head upstairs. Taking her hand, Gage starts leading her through the crowd. “Now, what were you saying about a dream?”

  Her senses finally return and Kat tugs on Gage’s arm, pulling him to a stop. “Well that’s just it, I don’t really remember. All I know is that when I woke up, I was panicked and worried about you. I just knew that you were in danger. That you are in danger. That’s why I called you. That’s why I had to warn you. Something inside screamed at me that you were in danger and something terrible was about to happen. I know it sounds crazy, but I had to warn you. I’ve never felt like this before. I’ve never done this before. I just know that whatever it is, it’s real Gage.”

  Turning, Gage puts his arm around Kat and ushers her towards the bar. “Here, let’s get you a drink. You look like you could use one. Then we’ll head to my office and talk, okay?”

  “Yes, alright.” Letting Gage lead her, she walks beside him. Two steps from the bar, someone brushes by her and she goes down. Gage catches Kat in his arms before she hits the floor.

  “Hey, hey, I’ve got you.” She doesn’t respond. Gently rolling her head from side to side he croons, “Kat…wake up sweetie… come on, Kaaat.” Blinking, she tries to open her eyes.

  “Hey baby, are you alright?”

  She tries to focus as she whispers, “What happened?”

  “I don’t know, one minute you were standing beside me, the next you were passed out cold. Have you eaten today? Maybe your blood sugar’s low?”

  “I’ve eaten.”

  “Can you stand?”

  Taking her by the arm, Gage tries to help her up. Her legs begin to give way again. “No.”

  Catching her in his arms, he lifts her to him. “Put your arms around my neck and hold on tight okay?”

  She nods and does as instructed.

  Holding her to him, he carries her to the back of the bar, up a flight of stairs and into his office, placing her down on the couch. Turning, he heads to the mini-fridge. Grabbing a bottle of water and twisting the top off, he holds it to her lips. “Here baby, take a sip. Let’s get you hydrated.” She drinks from it. “Better?”

  “Yes, thank you.” Looking Gage in the eye, she apologizes, “I’m really sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. One minute I felt fine, the next I was weak and lightheaded.”

  “Has this ever happened to you before?”

  Kat tilts her head, thinking about it. “Well, yes. A few weeks ago, I had the boat out. After being out on the water and in the sun most of the day, I docked at Marina Jack and had something to eat. When I was walking down the dock to board the boat and head home, I sort of…hit the deck.”

  “God, Kat. Were you hurt?”

  “No, I was fine.”

  “How did you navigate the boat back in this condition?”

  Not feeling up to a fight, she looks down at her hands before answering. “I didn’t. Tony did.”

  Pissed, but having enough common sense to not want to upset her, he nods and says, “Well, I’m glad you weren’t alone when that happened. Is that the only other time you’ve felt like this?”

  “To this extent, yes. But the night I had that weird dream at your house, when I thought I was standing over my own body at the bottom of the bed, thought I saw the animal in your room, I felt weak then. And tonight, after I woke up from the dream. Knowing you were in danger. I felt weak and nauseated. I had to sit back down on the bed. Once I got some food into my system, I felt much better. Then I left to come here.”

  Heading to his desk, he rifles through a drawer and returns with something in his hand. Tearing the wrapper off the item, he holds it out to her. “Here, it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do on short notice. Eat this. It’s a protein bar. You like peanut butter, don’t you?”

  “Yes. Chocolate peanut butter is my favorite. Thanks.” Nibbling at the bar, Kat looks around the room they are in. It’s an office. There’s a large wooden desk with one matching chair behind it and two smaller chairs in front of it. A laptop computer sits on top with a calculator to one side of the desk. A file cabinet rests against the wall to the right of the desk, and a combination copy, fax, scanner sits on top. Opposite the desk is the couch Kat is currently occupying, with the mini fridge stacked beside it.

  Starting to feel a bit freaked out, Kat mumbles, “Talk about déjà vu.”

  “What?”

  Nervously shaking her right foot back and forth she answers, “I’ve been here before.”

  “You’ve been where before?”

  “Uhmm…here…in your office,” she says weakly.

  “No, I’ve never brought you up here before tonight.”

  “I know, but I’ve seen the inside of this room before, Gage. I don’t know when or how, but I have.”

  Knitting his brow together he takes her hand, brushes his lips against the knuckles and looks down at her. “That’s not possible.” Worried for her, he sits beside her, brushing his fingers through her hair in a calming motion. “I think you need some rest, baby.”

  “Gage, I know how this sounds, but I’m not crazy.
I know I’ve been in here before. I can prove it to you.”

  A concerned expression creeps across his face. “Okay I’m game. How are you going to prove it?”

  With her mind racing she blurts out, “That wall to my left, the one with the picture of the classic Corvette,” she pauses, “there’s a wall safe behind it, isn’t there?”

  With a shocked expression on his face he asks, “How do you know that Kat?”

  “I don’t know! I just do.”

  Knowing he has never had her in his office before, yet unable to explain how she knew about the safe, he searches his subconscious for a reasonable explanation. How could she know? This doesn’t make any sense. There has to be a logical explanation for this. Think…okay, it’s a club, of course there’s going to be a safe. Anyone can deduce that. And behind a picture on the wall is the most common place for it to be. It was nothing more than a lucky guess.

  “What else? Is there anything else you know?”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know, you tell me. Can you tell me the combination of the safe or what’s inside?”

  Placing her finger to her mouth and biting her nail she answers, “No. I can’t tell you the combination, although I do think I know what’s inside…money, some brown folders like the one you have with my information in it, a cell phone, and a large gun.”

  Suspicious of her, he bluntly asks, “And you say you’ve never been in my safe?”

  “Not that I know of. It’s not like I’m a thief or anything. I wouldn’t know how to crack a safe anymore than I know how to pick a lock.” Noticing the strange expression on his face, she begins to get weary. Feeling uncomfortable she asks, “So am I right?”

  Not willing to confirm or deny, Gage says, “Why don’t you tell me.”

  Offended, Kat stands and huffs, “Fine!” Walking over to the wall with the safe, she demands, “Remove the picture.”

  Gage comes over to her and takes the picture off the wall, leaning it against the desk to keep it out of the way. “I thought you couldn’t tell me the combination.”