Fierce- Drake (Fierce Family Series Book 3)

by Natalie Ann

  “Tyson,” Kara said. “He is probably terrified. He’s got to be hiding somewhere.”

  “Don’t touch anything,” he said. “Wait until the police get here.”

  They were standing in her room, just looking around at the mattress that was moved to the floor, clothes all over the place, half hanging out of drawers. Her TV was missing from the wall; the one in the living room had been gone too.

  He didn’t think the TVs were worth more than a few hundred, if that.

  They heard a scratching coming from her closet, so he moved over to open it with the bottom of his shirt, Tyson pouncing out like he was a lion going after a steak after the gate was lifted, then stopping when he saw his owner, moving toward her and rubbing against Kara’s legs, meowing.

  “He’s bleeding,” she said, leaning down to pick him up. “Look at his paws.”

  Drake looked at the door to the closet. “He was fighting to get out, Kara. He’s pissed. I bet he was tossed in there on purpose. Maybe he attacked who was here.”

  “My little fighter,” she said, burying her face in the cat’s fur.

  Drake could only imagine what the cat felt because right now he wanted to attack something or someone himself.

  Such destruction and for what? A few hundred dollars’ worth of electronics.

  Then he looked at Kara’s face and saw how pale she was. Not a tear had been shed though. Yeah, she was one tough chick.

  ***

  “Do you know anyone that would have done this?” the officer asked her.

  “No. I lived in Detroit and never had this happen. I didn’t think it’d happen here. This is a good building.”

  Of course she had nothing growing up that anyone would even want.

  “It happens everywhere,” the officer said. “Did you notice anything else missing other than two TVs? Any money or jewelry?”

  “Some jewelry. I didn’t have a lot but what I did was nice and it’s gone. I had about a hundred dollars in cash, but it was right in the jewelry box on the dresser. There was no need to trash my place when the cash was right there.”

  “It seems personal to me,” Drake said.

  “You’re right,” the officer said. “It’s like he or she was looking for something specific. Or thought for sure there was more money here in a different spot.”

  When she heard the word personal, she wondered if now was the time to mention her father. “I really don’t know who it could be. The only thing that comes to my head is my father has tried to call me a few times in the past month. He’s left messages and I haven’t returned them. Just blocked the number.”

  “Your father?” the officer said.

  “I don’t have a good relationship with him. His first message a few weeks ago said he was in trouble and needed help. He wanted me to call him. I haven’t talked to him since I left home at eighteen. The last message was more of the same. Said he needed me to call him. As far as I know he doesn’t even know where I live now. I don’t even know how he got my number. I’ve moved around a few times since I left home.”

  “Running?” the officer said.

  “Not like you think. Just wanted to get away from my childhood. It’s not like I’ve got anything to hide.”

  “What about your mother?” the officer asked.

  “I talk to her. I called her the last time my father left me a message and asked if she knew what was going on. She said she hadn’t talked to him in years either. She wouldn’t tell him where I was. I’m not sure my mother even has my address.”

  There had never been any reason to give it to her. It’s not like her mother would send her any cards or gifts. She had her number and that was it. Her mother did know where she worked, but nothing else.

  “Okay. Well, let us know if you come up with any other thoughts or find something else missing,” the officer said.

  After he left, Drake turned to her. “Why didn’t you tell me your father was trying to call you?”

  “Why are you mad?” she asked. “I have no idea why he was calling me. I didn’t return his call. I blocked him.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Because from what you told me, you want nothing to do with the guy. I’m your boyfriend. I would have liked to know he was harassing you.”

  “I’m not sure harassing is the word I’d use. He probably wants money. When I told my mother he’d left me a few messages she freaked out and told me I better not help him because I’ve never helped her.”

  “Good lord,” he said. “I had no clue.”

  “I told you I didn’t have a childhood like yours.” She wasn’t sure what to tell him. How much to say. “He was a drunk. I told you that.”

  “Did he abuse you?” he asked.

  “Depends on your definition of abuse,” she said, moving to the kitchen to get a garbage bag and start to clean up the mess.

  Drake grabbed her arm and stopped her. “Did he hit you?”

  “I was shoved around a few times. Slapped across the face. Abuse isn’t always physical. I tried to stay out of the house as much as I could. Especially when his friends were over,” she said quietly and shook his arm loose to move to the kitchen.

  “What did his friends do?” Drake asked her. His voice was clipped now, but he was helping her clean up.

  “Made passes. Got in my face. I locked myself in my room or left. Nothing ever happened to me.”

  “Enough happened to you,” he said.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to clean this mess up.”

  “We’ll do it together and then you are going back to my place. No way you are staying here tonight. No arguing.”

  “What is one night going to do?” she asked, even though she knew he was right. She really didn’t want to stay here by herself.

  “Then you can move in with me.”

  “Drake. That’s crazy.”

  “No arguing or I’m carrying you out of here. One day at a time. At least give me that.”

  “Fine,” she said, knowing the tears were going to fall any minute. Not because of what happened to her place, but because for once in her life she actually had someone she could lean on.

  Duties and Responsibilities

  “You’re being ridiculous,” Drake said.

  Kara went about pouring her coffee, then sitting at the island to read the news on her tablet. “No, I’m not. You never go in this early.”

  She and Tyson had been staying at Drake’s for a week now. It’d taken almost that long to get her place all cleaned up from the break-in. But now that her apartment was back to normal and repainted, she knew she’d have to take the steps to move back in, even if she liked where she was. She wanted everything nice and clean again. No memories of that night around.

  Not that she’d admit that to Drake.

  “But I’m up,” he argued.

  “Only because I wake you up when I get up. Besides, the last thing anyone needs to do is see us arriving together.”

  They’d been driving separate cars in for the week. There was no way she wanted anyone to suspect a thing. Only Drake’s family knew her apartment was broken into. She hadn’t said a word to anyone at work and didn’t plan on it.

  “It’s only my father and uncle there this early. They know all about us and that you are staying with me.”

  “But we’d be leaving together when someone could see us. And I haven’t been staying as late as I normally do since you want to have dinner together.”

  He smiled at her, walked over and kissed her cheek. “Admit it. You like having dinner together at night. You’ve been getting work done at home after, so there is no reason for you to be in the office that late anyway.”

  She had been getting the same amount of work done at home as in the office. And the only reason she’d stayed in the office so much before Drake was that she had nothing to go home to. No one that cared if she went in early to work or stayed late.

  But now she did and now she wanted that life outs
ide of work.

  “Dinner is nice. Especially when you cook it.”

  They’d been taking turns. Sometimes he got home before her and started it. Other times she beat him home and started it. Sharing of duties and responsibilities.

  Something she always wanted in a relationship. Something she’d never seen in her house.

  Her mother did it all. Her father sat on his fat butt and drank his paycheck. If he had one.

  When her mother left, he was forced to work more, as she wasn’t sending him money home. They had no money to go to lawyers over the split, so nothing to force her mother to pay child support. Had that happened, she wondered if she would have ended up with her mother so she wouldn’t have to part with her money.

  “I was going to say the same thing. Want some eggs?” he asked, opening the fridge and taking the carton out. They’d even gone to the grocery store together last weekend. That had been a new experience for her, but Drake didn’t have some of the things she ate and if she was staying here, she wanted to feel somewhat comfortable.

  “I’m good. I’m going to get my oatmeal in a minute.”

  “Seriously? You eat that every morning? All the time?”

  “Usually when I’m home. When I’m at your place I don’t. I eat what you’ve got in the house.”

  “You could have said you wanted oatmeal. I would have gotten some before.”

  He pulled a pan out and turned the gas on, then threw two pieces of bread in the toaster oven. She got up and started to heat water in the microwave for her brown sugar and spice. Maybe next week she’d go for banana crisp. Change it up. That was her variety in life. Sad, she knew.

  “I’m pretty adaptable. It’s not a big deal.”

  He snorted at her. “So says the woman that won’t drive into work with me.”

  She rolled her eyes and made her breakfast and then sat back down. “I was thinking of going back to my place in a few days.”

  He turned sharply. “Why?”

  “Because it’s all ready to go. I can’t stay here indefinitely.”

  He seemed to hesitate while he cooked his eggs. “They still don’t know who broke in though.”

  “No. But that doesn’t mean the person will come back.”

  She was telling herself that even though she was nervous over it. The police seemed to think it was random. That was what she was going to believe.

  “Now you’re trying to scare me into staying with you.”

  “No. I’m just stating facts,” he said.

  “Regardless. I’m going to finish my breakfast and then go into work. You aren’t even dressed. I’ll see you there. Or see you at the staff meeting later today. Lunch, right?”

  “Yeah,” he said, dropping his shoulders down. “Payton is catering it.”

  “Yum. Cookies,” she said, then started to eat so she could get on with her day. The longer she stayed here, the more she didn’t want to leave. Ever.

  ***

  The minute Kara was out the door, Drake called Travis. He knew Ella and he had returned from their honeymoon yesterday and Travis would be at work. If not, he’d at least be up because Ella would be.

  “McKinley,” Travis said on the first ring.

  “Travis. Drake Fierce. Got a minute?”

  “Sure do. I heard about Kara’s break-in. Sorry about that. Especially knowing it happened when you were at our wedding.”

  “That’s why I’m calling you. The police think it’s random.”

  “But you don’t?” Travis asked.

  “No. It looked personal to me. I don’t know much about those things, but it felt it. Like someone was looking for something and they trashed the place when they couldn’t find it.”

  “What could Kara have that someone wanted?”

  “I think it might just have been money, but she isn’t the type to leave much in the house. She doesn’t have much of value sitting around as she lives a pretty simple life.”

  As much as he didn’t really think she was all that simple, to the outside world she probably was. Just personally she was more complex.

  “Do you have any idea of who it might be?”

  “It’s a long shot. She had a bad childhood. Drunk father, mother that abandoned her. She still talks to her mother, not her father. She mentioned to the police her father has left her two messages in the past month saying he was in trouble and needed her help. She didn’t call him back.”

  “That sucks,” Travis said. “You’d never know any of that by looking at her.”

  “No. She’s put whatever has happened to her in life behind her.” And it bothered him more than he cared to admit that she wouldn’t share much either.

  “Got names for me?” Travis said. “I’ll see what I can find out about them.”

  “Fred and Madeline Winslow. Kara is from Detroit, and she said she thinks her father might still be at the address she grew up in. I’ll text it to you. I put it in my phone when she was giving it to the police. Mother is in Flint somewhere last Kara knew. She didn’t have the address but gave the phone number. I’ll send that too.”

  “Okay. I’ll see what I can find out and get back to you. Kara’s at your house, right?”

  “For now. I’m trying to keep her here. She wants to go back to her place but I’m not convinced it’s safe.”

  “Go with your gut. At least keep her there until I get back to you.”

  “I’ll try,” he said, wondering how he was going to do that. He might have to enlist the help of his family.

  ***

  “How is Kara doing?” Garrett asked his son after their meeting. To the outside Kara seemed fine. Like she always seemed at work.

  “You saw her,” his son said. “What do you think?”

  “I think she is good at covering up what is really going on in her life.”

  “You’ve got her number,” Drake said.

  “No news on anything?” he asked.

  “Nope. The police have no leads and are ready to just write it off. I called Travis this morning before I got here. I knew they were back and used the time to do it with Kara out of the house.”

  “Smart move.” He was proud of his son to not let this go. None of his boys would walk away from something like this without having all the answers they could. “What does he think?”

  “He’s going to look into her parents. I sent him all the pictures I had of the apartment too. If he says there is no way her parents could be involved, then I guess I’ve got to let Kara move back to her place.”

  “Now why would you do that?” he asked and hoped his voice didn’t rise too high. Here he was all excited that the two of them were living together and hoped it’d continue. Bryce and Payton got engaged a few days ago and he was determined to make sure Drake followed suit.

  “I can’t make her stay. She’s pretty darn stubborn.”

  “Maybe you should ask her to stay for other reasons,” he threw out there and watched his son’s face turn a nice shade of red.

  “I’m not sure now is the time or if she’d believe it. It hasn’t been long.”

  “Time doesn’t mean anything when it concerns matters of the heart.”

  Drake laughed. “What are you, Dear Abby now?”

  He slapped his son on the shoulder. “If only. None of you guys ever listen to me anyway.”

  “Please. We always listen to you and Mom. I’m actually hoping you could help me find a way to keep Kara at my place. At least until I hear back from Travis. It was his suggestion, but I’d like her to not leave at all.”

  “I’ll talk to her and maybe put some guilt on her shoulders. Sounds like she didn’t have much of an upbringing from what you’ve said in the past.”

  “No. Not at all.”

  “I’m not sure if she wants any parental interference in her life now, but it wouldn’t hurt to lay the guilt on that we’d feel better if she stayed with you for a bit longer. Let me work my magic. Maybe I’ll get your mother involved.”

  “Whatever w
orks,” Drake said and left the room.

  The minute Garrett knew the coast was clear, he called Carolyn. “Drake asked for our help.”

  “With what?” she asked.

  “He’s trying to find a way to keep Kara with him and she wants to go back to her apartment.”

  “Why would she leave?” his wife screeched.

  “She’s stubborn.” He told her about Drake calling Travis and the conversation they’d just had. “So, what do you think?”

  “I think it’s time I baked some cookies and brought them to the office,” she said.

  He laughed. “Let me know how you make out.”

  There, everything was going to fall into place.

  Oddly Touched

  Kara looked up when there was a knock at her door two days later to see Carolyn Fierce standing there with a platter of cookies in her hand. “I’ve brought treats to the office.”

  “Yummy. What’s in there?”

  “Peanut butter for sure.”

  “I feel like there is a reason for this visit along with my favorite cookies.”

  She’d already gotten somewhat of a lecture from Garrett Monday afternoon about going back to her place alone. That he’d feel better if she stayed with Drake a bit longer to make sure the person that broke into her place definitely wasn’t coming back.

  She’d never had a father figure in her life, but coming from her boss and her boyfriend’s father, she felt like she couldn’t say no. And really couldn’t when Grant stopped in to say pretty much the same thing on Tuesday.

  She wanted to accuse them of conspiring to keep her at Drake’s but felt that might be out of line. They were just concerned and she was oddly touched by it.

  But now with Carolyn standing here with cookies in her hand and a big smile on her face, Kara was willing to bet that Drake asked his parents to help convince her to stay with him. Talk about sneaky!

  “How are you holding up?” Carolyn asked after she shut the door and came forward to place the cookies on Kara’s desk. There were a lot more than peanut butter on the large platter. She reached forward and took one off. Just to be polite.