Chapter 15

After lunch, Kyra returned Tommy’s call. She hoped to control the tone and content of the conversation. She hadn’t bothered calling back yesterday. It was small of her, but she wanted him to suffer the way he had made her suffer. She sipped her coffee while the phone rang. No answer after three rings. She debated whether to leave a message or not when he answered.

“Kyra?”

Shit. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you return my calls?”

Demanding? Sorry, Tommy, you don’t have the right. “I had plans.”

“Plans? Now, you’re too busy for me? What if it was about Trevor?”

Don’t play me. “Well, Tommy—” Wasn’t it about time she started addressing him as if he was a man and not a kid? “If it was about Trevor, I’d hope you’d be smart enough to leave a message.”

“Where were you?”

The jackass doesn’t get it. “Out.”

“Out where?” he yelled. Kyra pulled the phone from her ear.

“None of your business, Tom, you’re not entitled to that information.”

“Now I’m Tom?”

“Yes, it’s time we both grew up and moved on.”

Steam pushed through the phone—she was surprised her hand didn’t burn. That’ll teach him to sit outside my house.

“You want to play hardball, Kyra? You haven’t a clue who you’re dealing with.”

“I’m not playing anything, you are. You’re the one who sat outside my house in the middle of the night. It’s called stalking. You’re the one who kept calling yesterday. That’s called harassment. And let me remind you, you’re the one who filed for divorce and took my son away from me. Now, why were you outside my house Saturday night?” Her temper rose. Her hands trembled as her face burned with hate. She inhaled to try to calm down. Nope, didn’t work.

“I’m sorry. I miss you. It got me crazy you being with another man,” he whispered.

Changing tactics, oh, such a Tommy move. “I can’t help you. It’s over, Tom, remember it was your choice.” Her voice hardened.

“No forgiveness, Kyra?”

She didn’t respond right away. Kyra tried to control her emotions. She prayed her voice didn’t crack. “I’m giving you the same amount of forgiveness you gave me.”

An echo vibrated through her ear when he slammed down the receiver on his end. Tears streamed from her eyes, blinding her as the realization smacked her square in the brain. This conversation ended any hope of reconciliation. Her stomach clenched as she doubled over, her muscles cramping. The door squeaked open. Kyra didn’t bother to look up.

“I’m sorry. I overheard everything. Are you okay?”

Dina walked over and hugged her. rubbing her back as unstoppable tears flowed along with the sharp pain that was jabbing her in the heart. She leaned her head against Dina’s stomach. Nine years of love turned to bitter hate. How did people survive? Dina wiped the tears from Kyra’s eyes as she held her.

“I’m sor…sorry, Dina.” She hiccupped.

“Oh, Kyra, let it out, honey. I locked the front door. We won’t be disturbed.”

Dina continued to rub her back. “I don’t understand why I’m crying.”

“This happens when you accept it’s over.”

Her head jerked up and off of Dina as someone pounded on the front door. “Can you get it? I’ll be in the bathroom.”

Her legs wobbled like rubber bands when she tried standing. Forced to sit back down, she watched Dina shut her door as she headed into the main office. After a few minutes, she got up and headed to the bathroom.

In the mirror, puffy eyes greeted her. She wiped the tears falling down her face and repaired her makeup before she went back out. Work wasn’t the place for this to happen. She rinsed her face with cold water then took a couple of deep, calming breaths.

She paced the small bathroom. I should cancel Phil for this evening and reschedule. “Yeah, right, like he’s a man you can reschedule. Wise up. Phil can make your life a living hell.” She realized she was speaking out loud. Everything echoed in this place. She made a decision. After work, she’d go to the casino, then to Phil’s. Hopefully, it’d calm her down before she had to deal with him.

* * * *

Restless all day, Phil decided he wanted to see Kyra for dinner. He reached for the phone. Started to dial her number. Stopped. He had set the time to inconvenience her, but it backfired on him. He was the one who needed to see her. He finished dialing her number.

The minute she answered, he started right in, not giving her a chance to speak. “It’s Phil.”

“What can I do for you?”

Ah, businesslike, but her voice is off. “Are you crying?”

“No.”

Why had she lied? It was something he’d pursue tonight. “Let’s meet for dinner instead. My plans have changed.”

“What time did you have in mind?”

Agreeable, good. “Why don’t we do six thirty here? That way we can talk without being interrupted.”

“I’ll see you then.”

Interesting. Kyra’s mood had changed since the last time he’d spoken to her. Why? Did she have a fight with her cop?

* * * *

“Jake, it’s Kyra.”

“What’s wrong?”

“My ex is following me. My God, I can’t pry my fingers off the steering wheel. He’s upset with me. I can’t figure out why he’s doing this.”

“You sure it’s him?”

“Yes, we had it out today. I’m heading into the Hartford area. Every time I change lanes he does too. It’s as if he’s glued to my bumper. Hold on.”

“Kyra, don’t put down the phone,” Jake yelled to no avail. Kyra didn’t answer him back.

He strained, listening for any unusual noise. Tires squealed. Kyra swore. Helpless. His pulse raced. “Kyra!”

“It’s my ex. Wait, I have to switch lanes. I hope I don’t get killed. Traffic’s heavy. I’m going to put the phone down again but I’ll keep it on speaker. If anything happens to me I want you to arrest Tommy for chasing me.”

When Kyra let out a string of words a truck driver would’ve been proud of, he reached for his keys on his desk. He’d use the sirens to get to her if she’d tell him where the hell she was.

“Listen, shout out your location. I’m on my way.”

“I’m doing eighty-five and he’s still on my tail. Wait, I can squeeze between him and an eighteen-wheeler and make it off this exit. He won’t be able to follow.”

“Tell me where you are. I’ll call the state police,” Jake said.

Edgy, his nerves pinged in the silence.

“Take that, you bastard,” Kyra shouted through the phone.

The tension stretched in her voice, Jake relaxed when she came back on. “I’m okay, I outfoxed him.”

“Why don’t I come over with dinner and you can tell me what happened.”

“Thanks, but I’m on my way to meet a friend for dinner.”

“I’m working late tonight. I’ll swing by when I’m through. If you’re home I’ll stop in for coffee if that’s all right with you.”

“I might be late.”

“Not a problem. Now tell me what happened. I want to document the incident on the record.”

“I don’t want it on the record this time. It’s out of character for him. If it happens again—I will.”

“Kyra, you need to document this incident. As you said, it’s out of character. That’s the part that scares me. It’s for your safety.”

“Yes…traffic’s heavy. I weaved. If I went three lanes over, that car did too. I recognized Tom when he made the mistake of pulling up too close to me. He matched me move for move. No matter how fast or how slow I went he stuck with me. When I saw an opening for one car between two trucks I slipped between them when a car cut him off. As he passed I drove off the exit. He’s never acted this way before.”

“Acted what way?”

“He was waiting for me Saturday night when I got home. And he went ballistic on me after I told him I’m dating. He’s the one who asked for the divorce.”

“It doesn’t matter who requested it. This kind of behavior doesn’t lead to anything good, Kyra. Call me if there’s another incident.”

“Thanks, I will.”

* * * *

Her phone call with Jake smoothed her nerves. Bizarre, how she went from talking to a cop to visiting with a mob boss. She’d be amazed if she got out of this alive.

Kyra pulled into Phil’s driveway at six thirty. The guard at the gate waved her through. After a quick scan she pinpointed the guards on the hill. Phil loved his security. The front door opened before her fist made contact with the door.

“Hey, Kyra, follow me,” Angelo greeted her.

Always business. No problem that’s the way she liked it. “Okay.”

Angelo led the way. At Phil’s office, Kyra turned toward the door. What’s he grinning about?

“This way.” He pointed farther down the hall. “You’ll be eating in the dining room.”

Kyra turned to follow him to a part of the house she hadn’t seen before. A formal, spacious room done in burgundy and beige, nevertheless inviting. Whoever picked the art knew what they were doing. She appreciated the artist’s vision. but it was the chandelier that captivated her. Exquisite Swarovski crystal, if she wasn’t mistaken. Her gaze continued to move around the room. The huge dining table sat fifty. At the head of it sat Phil. A king surveying his kingdom. He stood as she approached.

“Good to see you.” He extended both his hands to her. Awkwardly, she raised her hands to his.

“Phil, this is a lovely room.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

So formal. “How have you been?” Lame.

“Good. You?”

“Fine.” At a loss for words, Kyra disengaged her hands to stroll around the room, looking at the artwork.

“You seem nervous, Kyra. Why?”

“I guess I am.” Desperate to get this part of the evening over, she continued, “It’s awkward.”

“Why?”

Not giving her an inch, she pressed on. “You seemed upset at the beach yesterday.”

“I am. Or I was,” he corrected.

“Sounds like you still are.” She held up her hand to stop his reply. “I didn’t have plans to see Jake again, as I told you Saturday night, but I like him. When he called on Sunday, I was happy to hear from him. While I was in the shower getting ready, you called.” A little lie.

“Ah, I missed out by minutes,” he snarled.

“No.” She needed to be honest. “I enjoyed your company Saturday night, but you’re my boss. I don’t mix business and pleasure.” She stopped pacing the room to look at him.

“So ours is a business relationship, nothing more?”

His blank face was unreadable. Not one iota of emotion showing. She cringed inside. “I’d like to believe we have a friendship developing.”

“A friendship. How insulting, Kyra.”

Oh boy, I’m screwed now. “Phil, it’s not my intention to insult you. I like you, but I work for you. You made that clear on Saturday night when I arrived for our date.”

“I did.”

She studied him, paced some more.

“Please sit down. We can’t have a conversation with you moving around the room. It’s distracting.”

“Sorry.” She walked to the table, sat in the first chair on his right.

“Now, as I explained on Saturday, it was a date, nothing more. I knew you weren’t attracted to me from the lack of passion in your kiss.”

“Oh.” She dropped her head.

“But it bothers me you’re dating a cop.”

“It has nothing to do with us or our business deal.” She lifted her head, stared into his eyes and fought all the nerves trying to flinch under his gaze.

“You can’t be that naïve. I’m not comfortable with you dating him. And, as I explained last week, I own you. And I’m forbidding you from seeing him again.”

Kyra didn’t break eye contact with Phil as she gave great care to her answer before she replied. She got up and started pacing the room again.

“You’re quite restless, Kyra.”

“I’m thinking,” she shot over her shoulder.

Phil started to laugh. She jerked away, before marching to her chair. Kyra threw herself into it. “I’m glad I amuse you. It’d be unwise for me to dump Jake too fast. He’d question me on the why. It’d be best to let this burn out on its own.”

“Explain.”

“Jake and I hit it off right away, but he’s still in love with the last woman he dated. I don’t see this getting serious.”

“Then why continue to date him?”

“He’s good company. We have a lot in common.”

“I can see that—you’re a criminal and he’s a cop.”

The sarcasm wasn’t lost on her. She refrained from shooting her own nasty quip back at him. Phil’s jealousy floored her. Kyra didn’t have to be told how stupid it was to date Jake, but for the first time in her life she was alive with excitement. Was it worth the risk, the thrill?

A tray filled with fruit and cheese sat in front of her. She grabbed a piece of apple with a slice of cheese, stuffed them both into her mouth.

“Stalling, Kyra?”

“No, I didn’t see where that required a reply.” She chose another piece of cheese.

Phil stood. It was his turn to pace. At the window he stopped with his back to her. After a long silence, he spoke.

“I like you. I can’t explain what it is about you that makes you different from the other women I date, but you’re special. I’m sorry we didn’t connect and I accept your decision. Who knows, sometime in the future…”

She released the breath she had been holding. “Thank you.”

“I want to make this clearer than I did before, no matter what, if you tell the lieutenant, or sic him on me, you’re dead. Do you understand?”

Kyra started choking on the slice of cheese she’d swallowed. She grabbed her glass of water and drank.

“Yes, I’ve understood that since the beginning. I can’t see any reason for discussing our business with Jake.”

“Good. Let’s eat. I want to discuss this funeral director out of Bridgeport.”

“Okay. How many more bodies should I expect this month?” God, she hoped he spaced them out. If Phil kept up this pace, it’d bite them both in the ass.