He jumped out of the SUV before it came to a complete stop and ran across the sidewalk. Sheriff Lindsey had the diner and Kari’s office next door cordoned off with caution tape, but the officers on guard knew who that billionaire casino builder was and lifted the tape for him. Alex, Priska, and Jimmy hurried into the diner. Alex, especially, wanted to see the woman responsible before they took her away.
“Look, but don’t touch,” the Forensics people warned, as Alex was allowed to look into the car. What he saw was a dead brunette, her face seemingly embedded in the steering wheel. He couldn’t see her good enough to ID her. But what he did see, he didn’t recognize.
“Where’s Miss Grant?” he asked the CSI on duty.
“The victim?” the CSI responded.
A part of Alex cringed when Kari was described as a victim. Victim meant helplessness. Victim meant at the mercy of somebody else. Victim meant he wasn’t there to protect her! “Yes,” he said. “Where’s the victim?”
“She’s being questioned next door. At Maid for Mom.”
Maid for Mom, Kari’s cleaning service company, was next door to Lucinda’s diner, and Alex hurried over there. Priska and Jimmy hurried behind him.
When they arrived inside, the sheriff was still questioning Kari. But what struck Alex was that the entire security detail he had in place to protect Kari were packed into the small, two-room building. Now they had her blanketed, he said to himself. But where were their asses when her life was in danger? He couldn’t even look at them, he was so pissed.
He, instead, was staring at Kari. She was leaned against the front of her desk, with her legs crossed at the ankle, doing more listening than talking. Sheriff Lindsey was standing beside Kari, talking as if he was the one explaining what happened, and Alex could see him take peeps down Kari’s body as he talked. Kari once told Alex how Lindsey had asked her out on a date, and she had turned him down. Alex, with Priska and Jimmy still on his tail, made his way to their side.
When Kari saw that Alex had arrived, a surge of emotion washed over her that she could not conceal. Alex saw it too, and it broke his heart. She was more shaken than he was led to believe. She looked devastated! He opened his arms, and she ran into them.
Sheriff Lindsey was at first surprised when Kari jumped up while he was in the middle of a conversation with her, but when he turned and saw that big shot Drakos had arrived, he understood why. Guys like that, with their money and their power and their good looks, always got under the skin of guys like Lindsey. They always got the girl, too, which didn’t help. And as far as Lindsey was concerned, Drakos had gotten a good one in Kari.
He looked as Kari fell into Alex’s arms as if her real protector had arrived, not those goons paid to look out for her. He saw Drakos close his eyes tightly as he held her, as if he truly cared for Kari. Lindsey was one of the few townspeople who understood why a man would fall hard for a girl like that. If he had a good woman like Kari, he’d fall hard too!
Alex pulled her back and looked at her. He knew she was physically okay. He was concerned about her emotional wellbeing.
“I’m okay,” Kari volunteered. She saw the concern in his eyes. “It happened so fast. It was just so startling, that’s all.”
“Thank God you’re alright,” said Priska. She and Kari had a very good relationship.
“Thanks, Priss,” Kari said.
“Did you know the woman who pulled this shit?” Alex asked her.
“No! Never saw her before. But she said she knew you.”
This surprised Alex. “She knew me?”
“That’s what she said,” Kari said as the sheriff and Dan Drysdale, the head of Kari’s security detail, both came over to the couple once they began talking. Both knew to wait until they were asked to respond.
“She said for me to leave you alone,” Kari continued talking to Alex. “She was warning me to stay away from you.”
Alex was floored. He looked over at Dan. “Has the perp been ID’d?” he asked.
But By-the-Book Lindsey, as he was known around town, interjected. “We aren’t at liberty to give out that information yet,” he said.
“Courtney Tyson,” said Dan Drysdale. “Her name is Courtney Tyson. She was in the database, sir.”
Lindsey was surprised. “What database?” he asked. “How did you get that information?”
But Alex was ignoring Lindsey. “Courtney Tyson?” he asked. He was racking his brain.
“You know her?” Kari asked.
“That name sounds familiar,” Alex admitted.
“Kari says that woman knew you,” said the sheriff.
Dan handed Alex his phone. “That’s a photo of her,” he said.
Although the sheriff was stunned by the quick intel Alex’s man had obtained, Kari wasn’t surprised at all. Alex ran a world-class organization. He didn’t tolerate any lapses.
Alex and Jimmy Hines both looked at the photograph. And Kari could see a change in Alex’s demeanor.
Sheriff Lindsey could too. “You remember her now?” he asked.
Alex nodded his head. “Yes.” She looked so different in that car!
“So, what’s the story on her?” Lindsey asked. “You dated her before?”
“I fucked her before,” Alex said honestly. “I wouldn’t call it dating.”
Lindsey looked at Kari with a see what kind of man you’re dealing with look. But Kari already knew what kind of man she was dealing with: an honest man.
“You may not have viewed it as dating,” Kari said. “But I think she did.”
“You know what, Boss?” Jimmy asked, still staring at that photograph.
“What?” asked Alex.
“I saw her this morning.”
Everybody, including the sheriff, looked at Jimmy. “You saw her where?” Alex asked.
“At the groundbreaking ceremony. She was there. The reason I remembered her was because she was so beautiful, for one. But also because, when I looked at her again after you went and got Kari out of the crowd and walked her up on stage with you, she looked pissed. She didn’t like it at all. I didn’t think anything of it at the time because there were many people in that arrogant crowd that didn’t like it. But I remember her.”
“She could have gotten jealous,” Lindsey said, “and decided to take her anger out, not on you because you might have been untouchable at that event, but out on Kari.”
“Maybe,” Alex said.
“Sounds logical to me,” said Lindsey. “It’s a good working theory.”
“Then work with it,” Alex responded. He didn’t work with theories, he worked with facts. “Find out everything you can on her,” he ordered Jimmy.
“Will do, sir,” Jimmy said.
Then Alex looked at Kari. “I’ll take you home,” he said.
“No,” Kari responded firmly, a fixed frown on her face. “That’s what people like her want. They want to terrorize you and make you hide behind the curtains. Not me. I have work to do and I’m going to do it. And you have work to do, too, and you need to do it. I’ll see you tonight, like we planned.”
Alex was so impressed with Kari that his eyes couldn’t conceal his relief. That was how you handled it. Don’t let that bitch steal your life! Get back to normal quickly or you might forget what normal was. Avoid new normal, was the motto. “I’ll let you get to it,” he said, and kissed her on the lips.
Then he looked at the security chief. He was not pleased at all with the level of care they had given to Kari. “Danny, let me talk to you,” he said as he, and Priska and Jimmy, made their way back outside.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Later that afternoon, after ordering Dan to assemble the entire security detail tasked with protecting Kari, Alex arrived to meet with them. Every man in that room rose to their feet when Alex, along with Jimmy Hines and Alex’s own protection staff, walked in. They were in an old office building that clandestinely headquartered his security operation in Apple Valley. Dan Drysdale, stood in the front of the group.
“The boss wants to say a few words, guys,” Dan said, “about what happened this morning.”
“I’ll be brief,” Alex said as soon as Dan stopped talking. He looked hard at the security detail. “You’re fired,” he said.
The men were shocked. Some jumped to their feet. Dan, who was leaned against the table up front, stood erect too. He was as shocked as his men. “Fired, sir?” he asked.
“Fired. Every one of you. Effective immediately. A new team will take over as Security for Miss Grant.”
“But why, sir?” Dan asked.
Alex looked at him. “Why? You’re asking me why? Miss Grant was almost killed this morning and you’re asking me why?”
“But how were we to know who that woman was?” asked Jay Michaels, one of the crew members. “She was just a random person outside of that diner talking with Miss Grant. We didn’t know--”
“Did you take a photo and run her through the database?” Alex asked before Michaels could finish his sentence.
“Well, no, sir,” Dan responded for Michaels. “But Mike’s right. We can’t run every female we see through that database.”
Alex frowned. “Why the fuck not?” he asked. “When it comes to Miss Grant’s safety, why the fuck not? I’m paying for it!”
“I realize that, sir, but--”
“You think I hired your asses, ordering you to give her blanket protection, as a joke? You think I told you I would have zero tolerance for any mistakes and didn’t mean it? She was almost killed today! Killed! This is no fucking joke! You didn’t do your jobs. You let her down. This is a leaky-ass team and I’m putting a plug in it right now!”
“I don’t believe this shit!” Michaels yelled out. “You’re firing us over her? You’re firing us over some plain, dumbass bitch like her? I don’t know what’s the big damn deal!”
The room went still. Even Dan knew his man had gone too far. “He didn’t mean it, sir,” he began saying as Alex began moving toward Michaels.
“Sir, he was just mouthing off,” Dan added as he followed Alex.
But Alex would not be deterred. He walked up to Michaels. Stood toe to toe with him. And then, as if out of nowhere, that viciousness Alex did everything in his power to keep in, came out. He grabbed Michaels, lifted him up, and threw him so hard that he slammed against the wall, and put a hole in that wall the size of Michaels’ body. Then Michaels fell to the floor.
The men, stunned, wanted to hurry over and assist him. But they were afraid of Alex.
“Do you know what the big damn deal is now?” Alex yelled at Michaels. “Motherfucker!”
Then Alex, after settling himself back down, looked at the rest of the crew. “Pack up your shit and get the fuck out of Apple Valley,” he said. “You’ll be given a severance package, but you will not work for any of my companies ever again.” He began heading for the exit. He looked at Jimmy Hines. “I want them all out, and I want them out today,” he said. “See to it.”
“Yes, sir!” Jimmy responded. He knew Alex was a man who meant business, and any man who didn’t handle his business was going to be out. Not semi-out. Not almost-out. Out. No doubt in Jimmy’s mind.
Alex, still fuming, left the building.
CHAPTER NINE
“Which one this time?” Jordan yelled from his bedroom as he broke away from his video game to hurry up front.
“What difference does it make?” Kari yelled back, heading for the front door.
“Ma!”
Kari rolled her eyes and looked out of the front window as she walked past it. “The Mercedes,” she said.
Jordan was hurrying up the hallway. “The black G-Wagon or the white S-class Maybach?”
“The Maybach,” Kari said and Jordan balled up his fist, bent his elbow, and shrieked out a “yes!” as he headed for the front door.
“Don’t be so stuck on cars, boy,” Kari said to him.
“Can’t help it. I like the finer things in life. Like Maybachs. Like Jordans you still refuse to buy me.”
“You get an allowance. Why don’t you buy them yourself?”
“It’ll take every dime I’ve saved! I wouldn’t be able to take a girl to the movies or go to the arcades for a year if I used my allowance.”
“You want a pair of Air Jordans bad, but not bad enough to sacrifice for them. But you expect me to use my hard-earned money and make that sacrifice?”
Jordan grinned. “That’s the idea, yes, ma’am.”
“Uh hun, got it. Keep waiting on those shoes, boy. Keep waiting!”
Jordan laughed, and Kari opened the front door.
Alex was stepping up on the front porch when Kari opened the door. He wore the same suit he wore that morning, and although he looked drained, he was smiling.
Jordan was smiling too. From ear to ear. He hadn’t seen Alex since he made it back in town. “Hello, Mr. Drakos,” he said excitedly as Alex made his way up to the front door. “Welcome back to Apple Valley!”
“Hello, Jordan. How are you?”
“I’m great! How are you?”
“Good.” Alex felt a surge of emotion seeing Jordan again. So much so that he wanted to reach out and hug him.
So he did. He pulled Jordan into his arms.
Jordan was elated. He had wanted to hug Alex, too, but didn’t know how to just do it. Alex, to Jordan’s ever-loving appreciation, took the awkwardness out of it. They had missed each other.
But for Kari, it was far more than just a show of affection. One of her greatest fears, one she lived when she was with Vito, was falling for a man who didn’t care for her son. But Alex not only seemed to care for Jordan, he seemed to love Jordan. For a mother like Kari, that wasn’t the icing on the cake. That was the cake!
And then Alex looked at Kari. After what happened to her earlier that day, he had been worried sick about her. But, to his relief, she looked fine. Not stressed. Not worried herself. She looked as if that craziness at Lucinda’s was just a blimp in the road. She could handle upheaval. Alex was pleased to know it.
“Hey, baby,” he said to her as he walked up to her and placed his arms around her.
“Hey,” she responded. And they kissed.
Jordan felt embarrassed when he saw them kissing, but he didn’t mind it.
But they were already giving the neighbors a peep show. Alex moved them inside, his aroused penis pressed against Kari’s thigh, as Jordan closed the door behind them. Jordan never got the chance to know his father, and his grandfather was not the kind of man Kari wanted him to know. Alex was the closest person to a father he had.
But he was cautious. He’d read about how Alex’s real son committed suicide. He had to make sure Alex wanted another kid.
They settled in the kitchen, with Alex and Jordan seated side by side at the center island while Kari, her back to them as she worked from the stove, continued to cook her Greek dish.
Alex looked at Kari. She wore a pair of short-shorts and was braless in a skin tight, Chicago Bulls t-shirt, and her thick hair was in a ponytail. She looked so adorable to him, and so damned sexy, he wanted to fuck her right then and there.
But he knew he had to wait.
“How was your day?” he asked her. “Other than this morning,” he added.
“It was okay overall. I wasn’t able to get much work done. It was just too much going on. But I gave it my best try. Lucinda called, and Benny and Faye once they heard the news. They all wanted to rush over, but I wasn’t trying to entertain anybody.”
“I’m sure they understood,” Alex said. “They’re good friends to you.”
Kari was at the stove stirring her pot, with her back to Alex and Jordan, but she turned enough to make sure he saw her nodding. “Yes, they are,” she said. “I’m really blessed to have them.”
“I heard about it in school,” Jordan said. “Some girl told me, but I didn’t believe her. A car tried to hit my mom, but ran into the diner instead? That made no sense to me! Until I called Mom, and she told me it was true.
I wanted to rush over and make sure she was okay, too. But she wouldn’t let me.”
“Your education is very important to your mother,” Alex said. “And to me,” he added, which caused Kari to do another half turn at the stove. “We handled it, Jordan,” Alex added.
“That’s what Ma said. But I was still worried. At school the kids were joking about it. ‘They call your mom Kari,’ they said to me. ‘If that car would have hit her, they would have been calling her Kari out.’”
Both Alex and Kari laughed.
“It’s not funny!” Jordan said, although he was smiling.
“We know,” Alex said. “We’re awful people, son, we know.”
But then Jordan’s look turned serious. And he looked at Alex. “We’ve got to take care of her better,” he said.
When he said it, Alex’s heart dropped and Kari’s heart squeezed with emotion. Jordan was an old man in a lot of ways, and way young in a lot of other ways. He was all feelings and emotions and heart, Kari thought.
Alex thought so, too, as he looked at Jordan. “It won’t happen again,” he said boldly.
“You promise?” Jordan asked him.
Alex nodded his head. The responsibility he felt for that young man sometimes scared him. But he felt it. “Yes,” he said. “I promise.”
Jordan smiled. Kari was equal parts shocked and elated at how easily Jordan believed everything Alex said. Even she got a drilling many times from that boy, as he questioned what she was saying. But he never questioned Alex’s word. They had a bond.
“Set the table, guys,” Kari said. “Dinner is soon to be served.”
And when Kari served that dinner, and after Alex blessed the food, all eyes were on Alex. He was the authentic Greek at the table, after all. Kari and Jordan, with their utensils at the ready, watched unblinkingly as Alex took the first bite.
Jordan was doubtful that it would be tasty. He’d never heard of Bourtheto before, and it looked like fish smushed in with tomatoes and other icky throw-up on a plate to him. But when Alex took that first bite, and smiled, he was happy for his mother. The worst thing in the world, he’d heard, was a woman who didn’t know how to cook for her man. His mother, at least, was winning that battle!
Alex Drakos 3_What They Did For Love Page 4
