Turn To Me (32 page)

The solid crack of Blane's fist hitting Kade's jaw made me shriek.  Kade must have been as shocked as I was because it took him a few precious seconds to defend himself.  They grappled, Kade landing a return hit in Blane's gut.  Blane was bigger than Kade, but Kade was slightly faster, making it an even match.

I watched with dismay, uncertain what to do or how to stop them.  This was not what I wanted.  Together, they were all the other had.  I couldn't let them rip each other apart. 

“Stop!” I cried.  “Stop it!  Both of you!”

They ignored me.  I winced at the sound of knuckles hitting bone again.  Tossing aside caution and all good sense, I ran forward. 

There was a space between them and I threw myself into it just as Blane's fist came flying toward Kade – only I now stood in front of Kade.  I cringed and squeezed my eyes shut, flinching away from the blow.  I expected to feel pain exploding through me at any second, but when nothing happened, I carefully opened my eyes.

Blane's fist was a hair's breadth from my cheek.  I'd seen the force with which he'd thrown that punch, and it would surely have shattered my cheekbone had he not pulled it back at the last possible second.

No one moved or spoke, the only sound that of their breathing, which I could barely hear over the pounding of my heart.  My eyes slowly lifted from Blane's fist to his face.

For an instant, there was naked fear written on his face, before it faded into a mask of anger.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he snapped out, jerking backward.  “Do you know how close I came to hitting you?”

“Well, if you hadn't been fighting, you wouldn't have almost hit me!” I yelled back.  My hands were shaking so I clenched them into fists.  “Why would you do that anyway?  Why would you hit your brother?”  Anger filled my veins, burning away the sorrow and heartbreak.

Blane's expression didn’t change and he didn't answer me. 

“I didn't sleep with her,” Kade said flatly, crossing to the freezer and taking out an ice pack which he laid alongside his jaw.

“Is that what you think?” I said to Blane, my voice dangerously quiet.  “That I'd screw your brother to get back at you?  That's the sort of person you think I am?”  An insistent little voice in the back of my head reminded me about kissing Kade last night.  I ignored it.

“Like you have any room to talk, brother,” Kade said mockingly.  “Or are you the only one allowed to fuck around?”

“Kathleen, I-” Blane started.

“Save it,” I snapped.  Turning on my heel, I went back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind me.  Only when I was alone in the bathroom, safe from prying eyes and ears, did I allow the tears to fall.

Seeing Blane, without any warning at all, had been as though someone had shoved a hot knife into my chest.  Then for him to automatically assume the very worst...I'd thought he knew me better than that.  Of course, he could just have assumed I’d cheat the same as he had.  What’s good for the goose and all.

As I stood in front of the mirror, with nowhere to hide and no one to see, I thought about whether or not I would have stopped Kade last night if he'd wanted more from me than just a kiss.  I hoped I would have, but the reality was that I didn't know.  I'd been reeling from Blane's betrayal, terrified that I'd nearly been killed, and loneliness had sapped whatever remaining willpower I'd possessed.  If Kade had pushed the issue...well, I should probably not fault Blane for thinking the worst.  I'm no hypocrite, though perhaps I'd skirted the edges a little this morning. 

I sighed.  What was done was done.  I'd just have to be more careful around Kade from now on.  The memory of last night came back to me and I shivered.  There had been an energy between Kade and me, an attraction and chemistry that was both compelling and dangerous.  If this morning had shown me anything, it was that I had the power to come between Blane and Kade, and I had no desire to do so.  Some women might get off on that, but not me.  I had no family left – I wasn't about to be responsible for separating two brothers.

I took a shower, wrapping myself up in a towel before exiting the bathroom.  Kade had left a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved t-shirt on the bed, which I gratefully pulled on.  Both were way too big and I had to roll the waist of the pants down and the legs up just so I could walk.

I cautiously entered the kitchen.  To my relief, Blane had left.

“How's your jaw?” I asked Kade as I poured myself a cup of coffee and climbed onto the bar stool next to him. 

“I'll live,” he said shortly, turning toward me.  His eyes narrowed.  “You have a bruise,” he said, his fingers brushing my cheek.  “Are you going to tell me who hit you?”

“And what will you do if I tell you?” I asked.

“Kill him.”

I smiled at his matter-of-fact answer, though I wasn't one hundred percent sure he was joking.  “Well, I'm not going to say, so just forget about it.  It doesn't matter anyway.”

“You need to take a self-defense course or something,” Kade replied.  “You're too little to take chances.”

I snorted.  “Little?  Please.”  He obviously had not seen me from the back.

Kade's eyes narrowed.  “You're five foot nothing, have bones I could break with my bare hands, and no doubt weigh about a buck ten.  You couldn't stop an overgrown fifth-grader from pushing you around.”

“I'll have you know, I'm five foot one and three-quarters,” I said archly.  No way was I commenting on his weight guess.

“Exactly.”

“Like a self-defense course would have stopped Blane this morning?” My tone was sarcastic, but I didn't think it was a bad idea.  On the contrary, it would be nice to be able to defend myself in some way. 

“I didn’t say it would make you smarter,” Kade said dryly.  “Interfering was a bad idea.”

“I had to do something,” I said.  “I couldn’t just watch you two kill each other.”

“Next time, leave it alone.”

I really hoped there wouldn’t be a next time.

“I'll set up the class,” Kade said.  “The firm will pick up the cost.”  He smirked at me, adding, “It's cheaper than a hospital bill.”

“How pragmatic of you,” I said dryly, then changed the subject.  “I went to visit Adriana Waters yesterday.” 

His eyes sharpened, focusing on me.  “And?”

“And she’s working with whoever is doing this,” I said.  “I broke into her hotel room and-”

“You what?” Kade broke in, interrupting my story.  “You broke into her room?  How?”

“Well, I got a maid to let me in, so I guess that's not really breaking in.  Anyway,” I continued, “she came back with a man.  I didn't get to see who he was, but they talked about getting Blane to lose this case.  I think they’re behind the threats that made Ron Freeman change his testimony.”

“Did they say anything else?”

I shook my head.

“Blane wants me to find Bowers,” Kade said.  “He thinks Bowers might have been threatened as well into changing his story, but decided to go into hiding rather than betray Kyle.”

I agreed.  “Do we know anything about him?  What his hobbies are?  His friends?  Maybe he's hiding out with a girlfriend.”

“I'm going to do some digging today,” Kade said.

“What about me?”

“You are going to chill here, relax, and stay safe.”

“I can't just sit around all day and do nothing,” I protested.

“Of course you can,” Kade said lightly, getting up and tucking his gun into its holster at his belt.  “You've had a rough couple of days.  Take it easy today.”  He shrugged into his leather jacket and turned away.

“Kade,” I said urgently, sliding off the stool. 

He paused and turned.  I stopped awkwardly in front of him.

“Want a kiss goodbye?” he smirked.

I forced a smile.  “I just wanted...just...be careful today, okay?”

His brow furrowed for a moment at my tone which was tinged with desperation.

“No worries,” he reassured me, leaning down to brush his lips against my forehead.  Then he was gone.

I swayed on my feet, overwhelmed with what I just remembered, right before Kade had walked out the door.  Because tonight was the night I had to go meet James.  With Kade gone and Blane now with Kandi, I had no one to save me except myself.

My stomach rolled and I barely made it to the bathroom in time.

Chapter Twelve

I needed to go home.  I understood Kade's wanting to keep me here, keep me safe, but I just couldn't stay.  What if Blane came back?  I didn't think I could face him again so soon.  Not to mention that I had to get home and take care of Tigger.

Lack of transportation was a problem.  I'd have to call a cab.  With that thought, I remembered Frankie giving me his number, in case I ever needed another ride.  Considering how I was dressed, it would help to have someone I knew pick me up rather than a complete stranger.

Digging Frankie's number out of my purse, I called it, relieved when he answered.

“Frankie?” I asked.  “This is Kathleen.”

“Hi, K-K-Kathleen,” he said, sounding surprised to hear from me.

“I hope you don't mind, but I've run into some car...trouble,” I hedged, not sure how to explain that my car had been blown to bits.  “Could I possibly ask you for a ride home?”

“Sure.  Where are y-you?”

Good question.  I had no idea.  “Um, just a sec.”  Going back to the bedrooms, I opened the second bedroom door, hoping it was an office.  I was in luck – the room held a massive cherry wood desk, with a computer and four flat screen monitors.  Although I hated to go through Kade's things, I saw a small stack of envelopes and picked them up.  As I'd hoped, they had an address printed on them, which I read off to Frankie.  Located on Meridian, Kade lived only a few blocks from Monument Circle.  I didn't want to think about how much this place cost a month.

Frankie said he'd be there in a few minutes and I hung up.  Glancing around, I remembered how Kade used to work for the FBI in Cyber Crimes.  There was a lot of computer equipment in here, and his computer itself looked state-of-the-art. 

Some file folders lay to the other side of his desk, and I looked at them for a long moment, trying to decide if I should snoop.  It would be extremely tacky and rude of me to go through Kade's things, but the temptation to know more about him was strong.  I sidled a little closer, looking over my shoulder as if Kade would appear at any moment.

Casually, I reached out and flicked open the cover of the file on top.  My jaw dropped in shock.

My own face stared up at me from the folder – a candid shot of me walking on the street that I knew had been taken without my permission.  I snatched up the folder, flipping through it, my stomach churning with each turn of the page.

Everything there was to know about me was right there in black and white.  My high school and college transcripts, my bank account records and current balance, credit report, obituaries of both my mom and dad, the deed of sale for my home, medical bills I still owed for my mom, everything.

Not only had Kade lied to me when he'd said he knew nothing about me, apparently he'd done his own background check, though this was more thorough than a mere background check.  He'd dug into my personal history, photos of me in high school and college were documented as well as a short list of my friends from home and an even shorter list of past boyfriends.  Good God, did he have video of when I'd lost my virginity as well?

Furious, I hurled the folder across the room, watching as the papers flew everywhere.  Rage and betrayal sang through my veins.  Apparently, Blane and Kade weren't as different as they seemed.  I'd fallen for both their lies, believing they could be trusted.  Kade had never gotten over his distrust of me and the proof lay scattered all over the floor.

Grabbing my purse, I jabbed at the button for the loft elevator in the corner of the living room, stepping inside when the doors slid open.  Once inside, I realized Kade lived in the penthouse.  Of course he did.  Bitterly, I punched the button for the bottom floor.

A doorman whose nametag read “Paul” opened the door for me and I returned his smile with a forced one of my own.  To my relief, Frankie's taxi was already waiting for me, and I quickly climbed inside.

“Thank you so much for coming to get me, Frankie,” I said, trying to quell my anger.  After all, it wasn't Frankie's problem Blane and Kade were such jerks.

“It's n-not a p-p-problem,” he replied, giving me a shy smile.

“How are you doing?” I asked.

“Aw, fine.  J-just wor-working, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”  Speaking of which, I didn't know how I was going to get to the hotel tonight.  Well, one obstacle at a time.

We pulled up in front of my building and I dug out some money to pay Frankie, who again protested.

“Not this t-time,” he said firmly.  “Th-this one's on m-m-me.”

Before I could say anything, he had driven away.  I was grateful for his kindness, though he could ill afford it, and I shoved the money back in my purse.

I was nearly to the top of the stairs when I saw a man step out from the shadows by my door.  I froze in my tracks, staring stupidly at him. 

He was huge, his massive shoulders were encased in a black jacket and seemed to fill the entire landing.  In three strides, he stood in front of me as I hesitated on the stairs.

“Kathleen Turner?” he asked, his voice a deep rumble in his chest.

I nodded uncertainly.  “Who are you?”

His smile sent chills down my spine.

“Simone sent me,” he said.  “She thought you might need a little reminder about tonight.”

Alarmed, I tried to retreat backward down the stairs, but was abruptly stopped when he grabbed my shirt, fisting the cloth around my neck.  He yanked me forward, and I stumbled, abruptly realizing I'd lost my grip on the banister and now stood with only the tips of my toes touching the stairs.  I clutched at his arm, terrified he was going to let go and send me tumbling down the concrete steps.

“It'd be too bad if you had an accident,” he sneered at me.  “So just remember - if you don't go tonight, I'll be payin' you another visit tomorrow.”