by A. D. Ellis
“The least you can do is talk to her and say goodbye before she has to pack up and leave. Don’t just walk away from her; don’t leave her with no explanation of your thoughts or actions.” Kendrick was almost growling at his cousin. When Decker shifted uncomfortably, Kendrick let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh my God, what are you? Ten? I get that this is sort of awkward, but your dad and I standing here will help camouflage anything that may appear like you’re still together; talk to her, try to pretend we aren’t here.”
“Kendrick, thank you for standing up for me,” Katie reached out and placed her hand gently on his arm. “But, I’m a grown woman, I don’t need you fighting my battles.” Turning to Decker she spoke softly in case someone was listening, but her voice was laced with hurt and anger. “Decker, I’m so torn over this. One side of me gets that you’re doing this to fix things at The Center+ and to protect me from Angela; that side of me is appreciative, and I’m so hopeful this will be over soon. The other side of me is so angry at the way you’re going about this, I could just spit. You took what we supposedly had and you’ve wrecked it; you’ve wrecked me, my heart is in shambles. How are you able to be so cold toward me? How are you able to ignore me so easily? How are you so eager to get me out of town? I get that we need to keep up the appearance of a break up, but some phone calls or texts or secret meetings where you tell me it’s all going to be okay would be nice. Do I get that from you? No, I get nothing, zilch, nada. You’re mad at the situation, you’re mad because you think we were meddling where we didn’t belong, you’re mad that your ex-girlfriend is a psychotic bitch and your business and love life have been fucked up because of her…FINE! But don’t give up on what we had, don’t give up on us.” She let the tears fall from her eyes unchecked.
Decker rolled his neck to ward off the tension headache that was looming; he felt it, someone was watching. Cursing himself for what he was about to do, he spoke to the whole group, but kept his eyes on Kendrick. “I feel like someone is watching us, this needs to look like you and Katie are together; put your arm around her and lead her away.” Between gritted teeth he lowered his voice, “So help me, God, if you touch her in any way other than friendly, I’ll hand you over to her grandmother.” Ignoring Katie, not even a glance in her direction, he pretended to throw his hands up in exasperated anger, pointed his finger at both Katie and Kendrick, and shouted, “I’m done with both of you, done.” and then turned and walked away.
Angry devastation rolled off of Katie as she felt herself pulled into Kendrick’s embrace. “He’s trying to keep you safe, Katie. I know it sucks how he started this by pushing you away, and I know it sucks that we’re all having to keep up this lie, but he’s doing the best he can. We don’t have to like it, but we need to play it out.” He walked her toward his Mustang.
Decker drove off with a rev of his engine and squeal of his tires. Nate watched his son drive away and remembered his mother’s words; she was right, his son was just as stubborn as he himself was when he was younger.
When Kendrick pulled up to Katie’s house, he looked over at her; she was curled up, eyes staring unseeing out the window. “You want to talk about it?” He was pissed that Decker had hurt her like this, and he was even more pissed that Angela had brought her own brand of crazy to Torey Hope; he didn’t like his family being hurt.
“I think the thing that hurts the worst, the thing I’m the most worried about, is that he has shut me out so completely. Earlier, in the kitchen, he acted like we’d have to see where things stood between us when this was all over. If he was just pretending to push me away, if he was staying in contact with me to let me know it was hard on him and he hates it as much as me, if he was making an effort to comfort me…then I could play it off for the ploy it is and pray that we get rid of Angela sooner rather than later. But, he’s gone from pushing me away to being pissed at what I did, and now he’s talking about reassessing our relationship when this is all over. I feel like I’m losing him to that damn obsession he has for control. What happens if this all gets worked out and he decides he can’t risk letting go again? Where does that leave us? I won’t be able to work side-by-side with him after what we’ve been through; I’ll leave The Center+, I’ll lose him, the whole family. I just don’t know if I see this ending well when it all does come to an end.” Katie leaned over and kissed Kendrick on the cheek. “Thanks for bringing me home. I’m going to pack and head to my dad’s. It’s a couple hour drive, so I better get going.”
Thinking about Katie taking off by herself made Kendrick uneasy. “Wait, if Angela is watching you, it’s going to look weird if you just up and leave town. I’ll drive you to your dad’s so it looks like we’re leaving town together; maybe I’ll stay a day or two, then sneak back into town. Go ahead and go pack, I’ll be back in an hour.” He waited until she walked in the front door before driving away. He didn’t like to admit it, but he got the same feeling as Decker; they were being watched.
Chapter 28
Decker pulled his car over and sat with his head against the steering wheel. After several moments of getting himself and his emotions in check, he glanced around and realized he’d stopped near a local park. Needing a minute to clear his head, he exited the car and began to stroll the walking paths through the park.
Coming upon an ancient oak tree, he was reminded of the night he kissed Kate against an old tree. The feelings came in wave after painful wave and bombarded his heart and mind. Leaning against the tree, he laid his head back and tried to sort through this whole mess. Playing it over in his mind, he knew he reacted wrong when they first realized Angela was behind this. He should have listened to his family, but instead he pushed Kate away thinking it would keep her safe. Now he had to play through those choices, at least until the Angela problem was solved.
The part of the whole situation which was bothering him the most was Kate and Kendrick running off and confronting Angela. His mind couldn’t figure out what he was the most upset about; he didn’t like that Kate was reckless. She was usually calm, cool, and collected. He hated that Kendrick was getting to spend time with Kate; deep down he knew that he had basically pushed them together with his own actions, but it didn’t mean he had to like it. He wasn’t worried about his cousin making a move on Kate. He trusted Kendrick with his life, and Kate definitely wasn’t Kendrick’s type. But the thought of them off somewhere, without him, Kendrick consoling Kate, it wasn’t setting well with him.
His life was in turmoil. He wanted The Center+ finished and running smoothly. He wanted his family and friends safe. He wanted Kate back in his arms, but…when he closed his eyes and weighed out his options, he was torn. Kate brought color to his life, but she also threw his life into a hectic, out-of-control chaos. Thinking of the business and his family, maybe things would be better in the long run if he went back to being the black and white, cut and dry Decker. He would miss Kate terribly, but he owed it to himself, the family, the business to run things in a responsible manner.
The thought of living his life without Kate though… he didn’t know how he’d get through each day without seeing her smile and knowing she was on his side. Not to mention, he knew his family would not be happy if he cut Kate loose.
He missed the days of being able to make tough decisions without emotions being involved. Taking a deep breath, he made just one decision for that point in time; he would continue to have no contact with Kate. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things right now, but he was definitely sure that keeping her away from him and Torey Hope would be the best for her safety.
Pushing himself off the tree, deciding it was time to head to The Center+ to get some work done, Decker was startled, but not really surprised when he almost ran smack into Angela. He had known, deep down, that she was around and watching. Not really feeling in the right frame of mind to play games with her, he steeled himself for what was to come. How was she going to approach the situation?
“Decker, baby, I’m so glad to find you here.” She reached o
ut a trim, pale arm and ran her hand from his shoulder to elbow. “I saw you at the police station earlier.”
When his eyes snapped up in surprise that she would admit that, she cooed, “No worries, sweetie, nothing illegal going on. I was walking past and saw you in the parking lot. Please tell me all is okay; you looked distressed when you were talking to your cousin and that woman. Are they causing problems for you?”
Decker relaxed slightly to know she didn’t realize why he’d been at the police station; since she was claiming to have seen him by chance, he’d play along for now. He wondered to himself how soon the police would bring her in for questioning.
“Oh, no, no problems; just some issues with The Center+ that we needed to take care of.” Decker glanced nervously around. He’d spent three years of his life with this woman, but she was genuinely freaking him out now. Her eyes had a scary look, vacant, disconnected, and vengeful. He was seriously beginning to worry about how he was going to get away from her and what her next move was going to be. Scenes from psycho thriller movies were running through his head; would she drug him and drag him to her basement, keeping him prisoner until he admitted his undying love for her? Damn, he needed to get away from her.
“Decker, I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I was when I heard you’d gotten rid of that other woman; she was not the right woman for you.” Angela sidled up closer to him and pressed her bony body into his side. Had she always been this thin and sick looking, or was this a result of her obviously taking a flying leap off the deep end? “I’m sorry if the breakup has been messy with her and Kendrick hooking up right after you dumped her; but at least you got to see her true colors before it was too late.” She was almost purring in his ear at that point and his body felt the deep instinct to run.
“Thanks, Angela. Yeah, it’s always good to find out someone’s true colors before it’s too late. A lot of trouble could be avoided in the long run.” He wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying. He knew he was speaking, but his mind was playing through excuses as to why he needed to leave. He was a grown man, he should just knock her clinging body off of his and tell her he had to go; the words she had said to Uncle Nicky and the whacked-out look in her eyes prevented him from doing that.
“Decker, baby, I know you’re just coming off a breakup, but I also know that what we had never really died for either of us. I’d really like for us to get back together and see how it works out.” He swallowed hard, trying to force down his disgust.
“Angela, I’d be happy to see where things could go for us, but I’m going to have to be honest, I’ll need some time. This breakup and resulting hookup between Kate and my cousin has really done a number on me.” He looked at her, trying his best to come across interested and sincere when all he really wanted to do was smack her. “And, what about your job with Starsky Enterprises? I’m sure they wouldn’t be thrilled to let such a highly respected employee go.” He was interested to see how she would explain her work situation since she clearly didn’t work there anymore.
“Oh, work, yes. Work has given me a unique opportunity; they’ve offered me 6 months to set up three new divisions of Starsky. One will be close to Torey Hope, the other two will be in neighboring states. What a perfect setup for us to be together and still work for our respective companies.” The lie rolled easily off her tongue and Decker fought the urge to shudder.
“Wow, that’s great. I’m sure you’re really pleased with that opportunity.” He made a show of looking at his watch. As he was beginning to speak, hoping to offer a plausible sounding reason why he needed to leave, a voice came from behind him.
“What the hell, Decker? I thought you were meeting me 20 minutes ago so we could go over that paperwork before I have to meet with the new instructor?” Turning to Angela, Sawyer smiled and spoke politely. “Hi, Angela. Good to see you again. Listen, I hate to steal Deck away from you, I’m sure you have a lot to talk about, but he and I really need to get some things ironed out at work or my ass is grass.” Sawyer, not giving Angela a chance to speak, walked around her and headed toward Decker’s car. Throwing over his shoulder, he spoke to his brother, “Come on man, I had a friend drop me off here when I saw your car, I need a ride.”
Decker tried to look sheepish and regretful as he offered Angela a slight smile. “Sorry about that, but I really am late to meet him; I need to get going.” He walked around a sputtering Angela, almost laughing at the indignity of being dismissed so quickly written all over her face.
“I’ll call you, baby. We can grab a coffee and talk about what’s next for us.” She attempted to catch up with him, but her ridiculously high heels snagged in the dirt and she was forced to stop and watch as he retreated quickly.
Throwing open the door to his sleek black Camaro, he all but collapsed into the driver’s seat. Holding everything in, not even looking at Sawyer, Decker drove. He drove until the road took him around the corner from the park and then both he and Sawyer let out the breaths they’d been holding.
“Brother, I’ve never been so glad to see you in my entire life. She’d had me trapped there for what seemed like forever and I couldn’t figure out how to give her the slip. How did you know I was there? You completely saved my ass; that girl has gone from ‘not the right girl for me’ to completely insane.” Decker continued to drive, but glanced at his brother momentarily.
“I guess it was that whole ‘twin connection’ thing, I don’t know, man. I was at home and just felt the urge to walk; while I was walking, I got the strangest feeling that you were scared or upset. I kept seeing us playing on the swings when we were little and my heart told me to head to those swings. From the second I entered the park, I could feel you; I just kept walking until I saw you by that tree. I know we’ve felt those connections before, but I’d never felt it as strongly before as I did today.” Sawyer just shook his head in disbelief.
“Well, I’ll forever be grateful for that gut feeling you had.” They pulled into The Center+ and got out of the car. Slamming their doors, they both looked around uneasily. “When do you think the police are going to bring her in for questioning?” Sawyer asked as they walked into the building.
“I don’t know, but I’m calling the officer in charge of the case to let him know about our little run-in at the park. I want the whole confrontation on the record.” Decker and Sawyer stopped in to chat with Zach and Zoey as they prepared for their next fitness class. Once they had updated them on the happenings with Angela, Sawyer and Decker went their own ways, promising to meet up later.
**********
“Mr. Morgan, I’m glad I caught you in your office. May I sit down?” Officer Smitson held his cap in his hands.
“Please do; may I get you some coffee or water?” Decker shook the man’s hand and began to pour himself a coffee before fixing up a mug for the officer.
“Thank you, Mr. Morgan. I just wanted to stop by and brief you on where things stand with the Angela Ford case.” Taking a sip of the hot drink, he gently sat the cup on a coaster in front of him. “We brought Ms. Ford in for questioning a few hours ago. We had eyes on her and saw she had followed you to the park, so we went ahead and brought her to the station upon her return to the townhouse.” Another slurp of his coffee; the man was stalling, Decker didn’t like it. He nodded his head at the man in an attempt to keep him talking.
“Decker, I have to be honest with you, our psychiatrist on the force, Dr. Sai, listened in on the questioning as she does with many cases; she is very concerned about Angela’s mental well-being. Ms. Ford presented extremely aloof and professional, but her answers uncovered a very detached and vengeful nature underneath the put-together exterior. Dr. Sai believes that Angela has absolutely no connection to human emotions; she was very void of normal emotions throughout the questioning. Most people brought in for questioning are nervous or angry at what they perceive as injustice to their innocence; Ms. Ford didn’t even bat an eyelash throughout the entire procedure. Many times, our questioning will scroun
ge up old hurts or angers or wounds; Ms. Ford kept to a very scripted story and never once veered from it, she showed nothing and gave us nothing. But, for Dr. Sai, all of what she wasn’t saying was enough for the doctor to worry about her ill-intent towards Kate Turner, you, and your family.”
Decker felt sick to his stomach; he had a feeling the real gut-punch was coming next.
“All of that being said, Decker, there’s absolutely nothing in her history or the questioning that would allow us to hold her or arrest her. We had no choice but to let her go. Dr. Sai worries that Angela will now be angrier and use that anger to make plans. Plans against you and those you love. I’m really sorry to have to tell you all of this; I know you were hoping to get this thing swept under the rug sooner rather than later.” The officer finished his coffee and stood to leave. “We are going to keep additional eyes on her and do daily reports of her activity to Dr. Sai. We’ll keep you updated; for now, please let Ms. Turner know to stay away and don’t let her whereabouts be known. Call me if you need anything.” Turning to leave, the man stopped briefly, “If I were you, I wouldn’t be caught alone with that woman; this is completely off record and I’ll deny ever speaking these words, but she’s certifiably insane if you ask me. If she messes up, does something wrong, we’ll bring her in; until then, keep your eyes open.”
Decker stared at the door the officer had walked through for several moments. Fear, anger, and uncertainty coursed through his body. Picking up his stapler, fighting the urge to hurl it against the wall, Decker pictured Kate; taking deep breaths and pinching the bridge of his nose, he fought to control the deluge of emotions overtaking him. Still wanting to throw something, he forced himself to gently lay the stapler down before stalking down the hall to find Zach.