Lace and Sin (Sinners Series Book 1) (16 page)

“And that is where you are wrong boy” he grins, and I
know I’m not going to like what I hear by the look on his smug, evil face.

“I never killed your father, Carter. He is alive and
well” he keeps grinning wider, like he has some inside joke he’s about to
reveal.

“I watched my father go with my own fucking eyes. I
watched you smother him until he had no breath left in him!” he almost yells.
Holy shit, he never told me that, he said he had no proof. Mikhalov looks
momentarily taken aback by that information, but he composes himself and keeps
going.

“Your father is here” Mikhalov says, now sounding serious,
no smile on his face.

“Where?”

“Here in this very room in fact” he answers, and I see
when those few little words make sense to Carter, because his eyes go wide as
he takes a step back in shock.

“That’s fucking bullshit” he says as he paces closer
to the desk, and I hear the soft intake of breath from Jimmy. Me on the other
hand? I’m silent, speechless, completely fucking destroyed at that one colossal
piece of information.

Abram Mikhalov…is Carter’s real dad.

Chapter 18

Carter

This can’t be the truth. No fucking way.

I slam my fist on the horn as a car tries to merge
into my lane, and I swerve around him instinctively. I don’t pay attention to
where I’m heading. I don’t focus on the street lights as they turn from green,
to amber, to red. I press my foot down harder on the accelerator, speeding
through the busy lanes of traffic.

This changes nothing. He is no father to me after
everything he’s done. No matter whose blood runs through my veins, I will
always know who took me in, who raised me, who loved me as their own even if in
the end I wasn’t theirs.

I saw Kayla through the crack of the door, ready to
finally get her vengeance. I didn’t care if she did it right there, in fact I
kind of wished she did, so I wouldn’t have heard the shit Mikhalov was trying
to feed me.

My hands grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles
are white, because what I’m angry about most is how Kayla will see me now. Will
she still want me knowing who I am? Will this change anything?

What I find myself realising though is that she won’t
be safe with me. He’d use her just to get me working as a pawn in his game
again.

“Fuck” I run a hand through my hair in agitation.

I drive mindlessly until I’ve calmed myself down, and
I find myself out in the suburbs, driving around pointlessly through the urban
housed area. My phone rings for the hundredth time, vibrating loudly in the
centre console. So I finally pull over and answer.

“Yeah Jimmy?” I answer defeated, exhausted, literally
lost for words - anticipating the words that will eventually slip through the
speakers, when he tells me that Kayla ran, that she doesn’t want a thing to do
with me.

“You alright Carter? Kayla’s worried as hell about
you. Where’d you go?”

“She is?” I ask, tiny ounce of hope in my voice.

“You’re insane. The lass is pacing a hole through the
floor above me and kicking the shit out of some boxing bag, and here you are
missing in action, because you think she won’t wanna talk to you because of
what you found out….I’m right, aren’t I?”

I say nothing knowing my silence is agreement enough.

“You realise this don’t change a thing. He killed
Tommy – the man I still classify as your dad, the man who raised you to be who
you are, and you’re a hell of a guy you know that?”

I try to play off his compliment and my absence, “Are
you flirting with me, Jimmy?”

“You’re fucking nuts you know that. Get your ass over
here so we can figure this shit out. I tried to calm her down and told her you
just needed some time to comprehend what that fuckwit told you.”

“Thanks man, I don’t know what I’d do without you” I
admit as I pull the car away from the curb, and start to make my way back to
Kayla’s place.

***

“I don’t want to sound pesky, but….you’re leaving?”
Kayla asks from her position on the couch, her legs pulled up against her chest
as she rests her chin on her knees.

“I don’t want him to use you against me…I know he’s
going to be watching me over the next week or so, and I don’t want him to see
you with me.”

Jimmy smirks as he adds his two cents to the conversation,
“Yeah, Carter’s so smitten, anyone would see you’re more than just someone he’s
fucking” he chuckles.

Kayla’s eyes automatically look to me, a small smile
tugging at the corner of her lips, but she says nothing in response.

“So where are you gonna take off then?” Alek asks.

“Well, considering it’s Christmas in two days we’re
gonna fly over to the UK to see my mum” Jimmy says, “Which we kind of planned
to do anyway after Jimmy’s dad…”

He doesn’t finish his sentence; instead everyone turns
to look at me as if he just committed some heinous blasphemy that I should hate
him for. I shrug and try to smile a little.

Alek and Jimmy spend the next few hours changing our
original flights over, and I have to admit I'm pretty stoked that essentially
the only family I have left has fit right in with the only other person Kayla
is close to.
 
Jimmy and Alek talk
strategically about what to do over the next few weeks, while I go in search of
Kayla. She ducked out of the room earlier without a word, and I think I heard
her in the shower. I thought she'd come back out into the living room but
there’s still no sign of her.

I cautiously step down the hallway and find her
bedroom door wide open, so I take a hesitant step inside her room. She's laying
half on the bed with her bare, smooth legs hanging over the edge. I take in her
cute little pyjama shorts and band shirt that looks like it's seen better days,
and still think she looks pretty fucking beautiful.

Her feet are moving back and forth against the soft
rug, her dark painted toes sliding through the long shaggy parts anxiously. I
walk around to the other side of the bed and lay back in the exact same
position as her, except in reverse so our heads are side by side.

I turn my head to look at her and give her a tiny kiss
on the forehead, smelling her hair in the process that's spread out around her
– still damp and smelling strongly of honey, or something as equally sweet. God
I’m such a creep, but she always smells delicious though and I find I can’t
help myself.

"You know I'm coming back, right?"

She does a little hesitant half smile and nods,
"I hope so."

"Just...wait for me okay? Don't run.”

"I won't" she says as she leans up on her
elbows, and pulls herself up a little so she's completely on the bed now. I
lean up on my elbows too which puts us face to face, so I lean over and kiss
her on the lips this time.

"Is it sad to admit I'm going to miss you...no
matter how long you're gone? I was actually looking forward to Christmas with
you. I've never been excited for Christmas before" she admits blushing a
little, and I grin at this new side of her I've never seen. It’s this shy;
almost kid like version of her that's admitting she has a crush on someone.
It's pretty fucking sweet.

"Don't worry, I'll still call you" I say,
knowing I'm going to need that probably more than she's admitting right now. I
don't think I could go too long not hearing that goddamn laugh of hers.

Chapter 19

Kayla

The first day he's officially gone I don't hear one single thing from anyone.
But then again there is about five hour’s difference, and a rough seven or so
in flying time.

I find myself constantly looking over my shoulder and stupidly getting
suspicious of everyone, even the little old lady at the supermarket who asked
me what the time was. Luckily I didn't sucker punch her out of fear when she
first moved towards me, that would have been awkward, embarrassing and not to
mention utterly wrong.

By night time that first day I'd done several different workout routines
upstairs, and beat the shit out of
 
poor
Alek when trying to practice and vent with some Taekwondo. I had a hot shower
which did jack shit to soothe my nerves, and then finally collapsed in bed at
about midnight.

I pull my phone out to find a couple missed calls and a text message from
a random number.

Unknown: Night Kay x

I automatically know it's Carter so I add his name in my phone. He must
have paid for a prepaid sim card to use internationally.

Me: I miss you...

Carter: Shouldn't you be sleeping?

Me: Can't sleep, got someone I'm thinking
about too much

After a minute or so he starts calling me.

"Hey" I say lamely.

"What time is it?" he asks, his voice sounding a little rough
and sleepy, even though it's probably around seven or eight in the evening over
there.

"Just after Midnight" I answer with a soft yawn, "I'm
always up this late anyway, you should know that by now" I joke.

"Tell me about your day Kayla" he says and I can hear some
rustling and movement, no doubt he's getting more comfortable wherever he is to
listen to my boring day.

"Nothing too exciting, I almost punched an old lady at the shops
though" I laugh a little but feel stupid for being so paranoid.

He chuckles, "Did she take the last jar of peanut butter on the
shelf?"

"Embarrassingly no. All she did was ask me for the time, but I've
been kinda jumpy and paranoid today" I admit and shrug, not that he can
see me.

"Is everything okay? It's not a bad thing to keep an eye out, you
know."

"Yeah, I know. I just don't get why before you I never cared, never
felt nervous at the thought of him finding me. I almost used to wish he would
just so it was easier to get to him in the end, but now...now I'm
worried."

"Maybe because for once you have something a little more to live for
– Kay, if something happened to you I'd seriously lose my shit. Actually, why
don't you just jump on the next flight and meet me here, spend Christmas with
me?" he asks hopeful.

"I can't, promised my uncle that Alek and I would spend it with him.
Plus, didn't you say Mikhalov might have people tailing you?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he does, they don't exactly blend in" he
says gruffly.

"Are you serious, already?"

He sighs, "Yeah…already, Kay."

"So what's it look like over there, is it snowing?" I ask to
change the subject.

“It’s fucking freezing and wet, it’s about five degrees right now” he
laughs lightly.

“Hold on a sec” I say, as I climb out of bed and go to my window. I take
a quick snap of the snow outside, dimly lit by the street lamps, and text it
through to his phone. God how I love the snow.

He laughs when he opens up the picture, “I thought for a second you might
have sent me a nude.”

I laugh in response and decide even though I look half asleep, I still
want to see his face, “You wanna video chat?” I ask because I’m missing his
cheeky grin, “But don’t laugh at me.”

“Why would I laugh?”

“Because I look like a fifteen year old gaming nerd” I scoff as I pull my
laptop onto my bed and slide on my black wide frame glasses. I don’t
essentially need them all the time but if I’m on the computer or reading I get
headaches, which I’ve already got one from today’s paranoia overload.

I switch it on and open up the chat program, tapping my blood red painted
fingers across the keyboard while I wait. Yes, I painted my nails today as well
out of boredom.

After we swap account details, I finally see the little message box
appear saying Carter is calling me. I click accept and his beautiful face fills
my entire screen, my own sitting on the bottom right corner in a separate box.
We hang up the phones and just gaze at each other on the screens silently.

“I think it’s more sexy librarian, if you ask me” he jokes, and I can’t
help but grin wide in response.

“Ah…there’s that beautiful smile.”

“So tell me about your day then.”

“Well…I’ve eaten about three family’s worth of Christmas food so far, and
my heads starting to hurt from all the British humour. Plus everyone keeps
assuming I’m Liz’s new boyfriend, which is kind of getting on my fuckin
nerves.”

“I wish I was doing Christmas with you and not, you know, Liz” I say, a
little embarrassed that I’m coming off as the jealous girlfriend. Oh God…did I
just refer to myself as a girlfriend?

“I like jealous Kayla…means you want me all for yourself” he grins. He
yawns a little and then stretches back on his bed, his laptop resting on his
legs as he leans against his headboard, in what I realise is a teenage girls
room.

“Nice boy band posters” I tease, trying to avoid admitting everything he
just said.
 
He looks around the room briefly
before his eyes return to his laptop screen, brow quirking up momentarily.

“You really don’t want to admit it do you?”

“Admit what?” I ask even though I know exactly what he’s referring to.

“Fine.”

“Fine?”

“Look Kay…I want you, just you. I haven’t been with anyone else since
I’ve met you…even before you stole my wallet I saw you around the office” he
grins.

“I never stole your wallet” I say rather too quickly.

He keeps grinning, “Sure you didn’t, babe.”

“Alright fine, I did. And …”

“And?” he urges with a boyish smirk.

“And…I want just you too. You make me actually want all that mushy, sweet
stuff, Carter” I shrug, “And if you really want to know…I think I’m falling for
you, kinda hard actually” I admit, and keep my eyes to his face on the screen.
He’s silent and completely still for a brief moment, before his lips finally
pull up into a huge, mega-watt, panting dropping kind of grin.

“I wish I was with you face-to-face when you finally admitted that.”

“Why, so you can run away from me in person?”

He chuckles again and I’m finding myself grinning at the sound. I can’t
tell you enough how much I really, really like that sound.

“I’m not running, darlin. I didn’t run when you stole my wallet, I didn’t
run when I saw you with a gun, or when we broke into a building. I didn’t run
when you told me about your past, or took me home to meet Alek. I sure as shit
didn’t wanna run when we fucked or even just made plain old vanilla love, Kay.
And I sure as hell am not running when you finally admit to me you’re falling
in love with me, because I’m right there with you, babe.”

We both grin at our laptop screens.

“You sure know how to sweet talk to a lady, Romeo” I joke.

“I aint your Romeo, he dies in the end remember?” he laughs, “I’m hoping
I get to live through all this shit long enough to get to taste you, and lick
you again all over, until you’re begging for me to slide myself between your
legs.”

I smirk, “And there’s my Carter.”

“
Your
Carter?”

“Yup…Mine."

“I like when you get all territorial…it’s kinda cute. Especially in those
sexy as fuck glasses, Kay.”

After talking for a couple hours, we finally and disappointingly said
goodbye and got to bed at about three in the morning, which is before midnight
where he is anyway. So when Alek comes bursting through my bedroom door at
around nine only a few hours later I’m highly irritable, grouchy, and half
asleep when I drag myself into the living room after him.

“This better be important Alek” I barely get out through my yawn,
stretching my arms out wide. He smirks and points to our kitchen bench, where a
small fish bowl sits with a big red bow.

“I thought we weren’t doing presents until we get to Uncle Johnny’s at
lunch today?”

“That ain’t from me Bunny” he shrugs, “Delivery guy just dropped it off
about five minutes ago.”

I hesitantly step closer to the fish bowl and see a beautiful blue
fighting fish swimming around. There are little, pearl white rocks on the
bottom, and a bright yellow plant in the centre that’s surely a fake. Next to
the big red bow is a little white card tucked away, so I slide the bow off the
bowl and grin at the little fish. I open the card to read the note.

Sorry I
couldn’t be there to give you little Romeo here in person.

Have
fun at your uncles.

YOUR
Romeo x

I end up grinning all day long when I think of the little fish, knowing
Carter remembered me telling him I cried like a baby when mine died. I grin
when Alek and I eat breakfast, I keep on grinning when I’m getting ready, and I
continue grinning like a lunatic while we eat lunch at my Uncles and open
presents. The Polish make a bigger deal about Christmas Eve, and even though
we’ve all been away for so long we still celebrate it the traditional way.

“What’s with Krysia?” Uncle Johnny asks while we’re sitting around the
table eating Pierogi. Oh how I’ve missed his cherry filled Pierogi. He got the
recipe from my grandma, and I’ll always remember my parents making them for me
as a kid.

Alek shrugs in response and just answers with, “She finally met a guy.”

After finally saying bye and heading home, we’re surprised to find another
present on our doorstep. This time it’s a big red box with another giant red
bow on top. I grin at Alek and run up the steps before he’s even parked the
car, practically kicking the door down in my hurry to get inside.

When Alek finally makes his way inside, he finds me on the lounge room
floor with red wrapping paper all around me, laughing my ass off. He steps
closer to see what’s inside and ends up laughing just as hard as me, because
Carter sent me a giant box full of peanut butter jars – another note attached
to the bow.

Something
you enjoy almost as much as I enjoy you …

Carter
x

I pull one of the jars out and dig in to the crunchy goodness with a
spoon. I take a quick picture of myself (luckily looking nice this time since
we just got home from my Uncles), and send the picture to him by text. Carter
replies almost instantly.

Carter: What I wouldn’t do
to be that peanut butter right now.

My cheeks are literally hurting from smiling all day, but like a lot of
people say, all good things must come to an end.

I start to pack up the box and throw away the shredded wrapping paper
from the floor, when there’s a hard knock on the front door. I look up at Alek,
who looks at me confused, before he makes his way to the door. Before I can
even comprehend what’s happening, the door is kicked in as Alek opens it,
sending him flying backwards. He hits the wall and slides down with a groan, as
two burly men dressed in black charge in. They give Alek a swift kick to the
gut while he’s down already, and continue their way further into the house.

I’d already somehow jumped off my stool and bolted to Alek’s room where he
keeps a steel bat. God knows why he has it, but I’m highly thankful for it this
present moment. We have guns, but I realise having them locked in a safe isn’t
very helpful when you’re in a hurry.