by Fiona Murphy
Shrugging, she leaned back in the seat. “Of course, but I’ve done it for so long and I’m good at it. I also don’t know of many things that would pay as well without a degree that I would enjoy as much. The property I worked at in Austin, I’d been there for eight years. I practically managed it on my own, the manager, Tracy, was never there. Tracy was content to let me run it and only show up when the owner came by.”
“Why was she so lax in her responsibilities?”
“She had no idea what she was doing, how to run the reports or close the books for the month end. Tracy had never even worked as a leasing agent on a property before. She was the niece of someone who worked in the corporate office. When my old boss left to come to Dallas for her husband’s job Tracy was just supposed to fill in. Then when she asked for my help and I handled everything the owner asked her to stay. So she kept the job without knowing what she was doing. She was thankful for what I did without ratting on her. Which wouldn’t have happened because they wouldn’t have done anything about it. Although, it did work out for me. She kept giving me raises I wouldn’t have gotten any other way. When I left she promised she would give me a good reference when she got a call.”
“What do you mean they wouldn’t have done anything about it?”
“It was very much a, they don’t know or care what happens on the properties as long as leases are being signed. I’d never had any issues I thought needed to be reported before but I worked with other leasing agents that tried complaining about on site issues and they were patted on the head and ignored. If I had complained or let them know what was going on they would have at best ignored it or at worse replaced me with someone who was willing to do her work without complaint.
A few times I’ve thought about maybe getting my real estate license. Only there’s no security with it and after finding out how quickly my savings went in Austin, I just can’t make the jump without a net.”
“So the company you were with in Austin doesn’t have any properties in Dallas?”
“No, they’re mainly in Austin, a few in Corpus and several in Houston. I considered Houston except I’ve always hated the heat and humidity of Houston and didn’t want to go back.”
He followed directions easily and it felt like far too quickly he pulled into her drive way. As she went to get out of the car, he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Let me handle them. I want to warn you now I’m not going to go easy on them and I need your support. They are going to hate the both of us for a little while, I need you to stand firm. In the end, I believe it is the best thing for them.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. As hard as it was to give up control, the truth was she had failed already. Maybe Rafael wouldn’t.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Waiting for her to reach him, his arm was back around her, guiding her up the steps ahead of him. It wasn’t a large landing, and it felt like he took it all up. Handing her the keys, it took a minute to find the right one. Unlocking the door, she pushed open the door. Scanning the living room Nelly, the next door neighbor who was supposed to be watching the twins, was nowhere in sight. The twins were in front of the television playing games on the gaming console she knew she had locked in her room.
“Where the hell is Nelly? What the hell do you two think you’re doing? I locked those damn games up, you’re breaking into my room now?”
Elliot, always the smartass, “They belong to us, we didn’t break in, we have a key. Nelly, is laying down in my bedroom. She had a headache and Riley gave her the headache nighttime medicine by accident.”
Her head swam with the urge to lose it completely, there was no guilt on either of their faces. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind they had given Nelly the wrong pills on purpose. “You drugged Nelly? I cannot fucking believe you two. I’m done, I’m so done. I can’t do this anymore. Maybe you two do belong in juvenile detention.”
Riley threw down his controller, until now he had barely looked at her. “Damn it, Carrie, you made me lose my game because you want to act like dramatic cow. Who gives a shit? We aren’t going to juvie, you fucking wish. If we did end up there it would be three months or whatever max. We’re only kids without adult supervision because you’re never fucking home. It wasn’t our fault we weren’t raised right by our bitch of a sister. We’re just kids who’ve had a hard life because our mom died when we were little. Even a bad lawyer will get us off.”
Rafael squeezed her shoulder as he led her shaking to the couch, pressing her firmly down. “I wasn’t wrong in the least about you two. One, you are not kids you are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong and understand there are repercussions for your actions, yet you chose to do the wrong thing. Two, your sister won’t be paying for a lawyer as she doesn’t have a cent to throw good money away at a lost cause like you two. Three, you think you’re smart but you have got to be the stupidest fourteen year olds in the state of Texas to piss me off. You don’t know who I am so I’ll tell you. I run the fourth largest construction company in the U.S. and the biggest in Texas. I employ over ten thousand people in the state of Texas and more than sixty thousand in the U.S. and I am extremely wealthy. Being that wealthy, things have a way of going exactly the way I want them to. So if I go to the judge and tell them I want you to be sentenced to the maximum of three years then you’ll both be there for three years.
Now that your sister is thinking the way I want her to, I’m pressing charges. I’ll ask the judge to give you the maximum. You two deserve it, your sister deserves a break from running herself ragged trying to keep a roof over your heads while giving you as good of a life as she can. Maybe now she can take some time to take care of herself instead of two ungrateful brats.”
Running her hand through her hair she nodded, she didn’t see any other options. She had tried so hard and it hadn’t been enough. Maybe this was the best thing to do.
“Carrie, what the fuck?! You’re going to let him throw us in juvie?” Elliot was shocked. Riley had finally given up his full attention to the large man, taking in the suit and tie that he’d never encountered before. The court appointed attorney hadn’t worn a suit that looked as good as what the man wore.
Riley saw the slumped shoulders and the tired look on his sister’s face he’d never seen before and knew she was done. “Carrie, hey, come on.” When she shook her head without looking at him, fear kicked him in the stomach. “Sis, don’t be like this. I’m sorry okay, look we’ll do the job thing you want us to do, right Elliot?” His twin had the same expression of shock he knew he was wearing. They had never seen their sister anything other than confident and maybe angry. A few times she looked tired when she worked both jobs, she always smiled and shrugged. She would go off to her room and say a hot bath would do wonders.
Elliot nodded and Riley smacked him, “Yeah, Carrie, I’m sorry. Please, don’t do this, we’ll be good. We promise, you can’t let us go to juvie.”
Letting loose a shaky breath, she looked at Elliot. His stomach dropped as the pain and disappointment she had yelled at them about when the cops had brought them home was clear in her eyes.
“I’m not letting anything happen. You guys fucked up, this is on you two. I’ve done all I can for you, it wasn’t enough. I tried to sit down and talk to you like the adults you keep telling me you are. Then you do things like little kids, acting without thinking about the consequences. Three hundred thousand dollars in damages was what you cost this man. I don’t care how wealthy he is, costs like that cut into his company’s bottom line.
I’ve tried grounding you off video games, you break into my room and steal it. You drugged a nice, sweet woman and I’m tired, I’m so tired of trying. I try and it’s not getting you guys anywhere, I’m done now.” Rubbing her eyes, from the tears as they began to fall, she felt the beginnings of a migraine forming at the back of her head. “Great, now I’m getting a migraine.” Standing, she swayed. Immediately, Rafael’s hand was around her arm to steady her.
�
��I think you need to rest. Go lie down.” He spoke firmly and softly as he gave her a light push.
“Carrie!” Both twins in unison pleaded, she ignored them. Shaking her head she kept walking. She went into her room off the living room, closing the door. Leaning against the door she fought back tears and laid down on the bed, kicking off her shoes. Leaving the lights off, she buried her face in her pillow. Taking deep breaths, she tried to keep the tears at bay, they would only make the migraine worse.
Chapter Two
Watching Carrie walk unsteadily into her room, fighting tears Rafael fought the urge to be violent. Glaring at the two young teens, they looked worried but not nearly enough as far as he was concerned.
“You two, in your room now.” To give them credit, they didn’t even argue. Simply turned and went to their room.
Pulling his phone from his pocket he dialed his little brother. He picked up on the second ring. “Hey, Rafe what’s up?”
“How do I stop a migraine from going full blown?” Not bothering with small talk, as a doctor Matteo was used to being bothered with medical questions.
“You’re having migraines, Rafe?” Concern was clear.
“No, not me. How do I stop it?”
“Have the person drop meds immediately if they have them. If not, caffeine is the best thing they can take, coffee or a Coke have them drink it down fast at least twelve ounces if they can take it. Aspirin is the best over the counter for it. Most migraines are from stress, a hot cloth on the back of the neck and cool on their forehead.”
“Thanks, Matteo. I gotta go.” Hanging up he went into the small kitchen and flinched at the worn linoleum and the appliances. Fuck, he had to get her out of here. Opening the refrigerator he found a can of Coke and popped the lid. He dialed again, this time it was answered on the first ring.
“Mr. Castillo, how can I help you, sir?”
“Rick, I need you to run a background and employment check on a Carrie Whitney.” He sat down the drink on the beat up coffee table and opened her purse. Finding her wallet he read off her drivers license number and address from Austin. He saw her given name was Caroline, the formal name didn’t fit the soft and sweet woman. Stop it, he told himself as he shook his head, not now damn it. The sight of her social security card had him tensing all over again, keeping her social security card in her wallet was a huge risk, her purse could easily be stolen and her identity with it.
“Will do, I can get it to you by close of day tomorrow.”
“I need it two hours ago.”
Rick knew not to argue, hesitating for only a moment. “I’ll scan and email everything I can get within the next hour.”
“Good.”
“I just want to say thank you for allowing me to continue to serve you and your company. I did the background check on Celeste Handley myself and I saw nothing that indicated the issues that have come up.”
For once, Rafael had no idea what the man was talking about. “What issues about Celeste?”
“Benito didn’t tell you?”
“No, when and what happened?” Anger throbbed at Benito’s hiding of a major issue. Celeste Handley was the manager for the building he lived in.
“Last week it came to light she had been leasing out condos without permission, off the books and has been keeping the money herself. Benito has me doing background checks on two people he’s thinking of hiring in her place once he fires her.”
“Drop the checks, from now on if Benito calls you, you hang up and call me to tell me what was discussed. He has known since last week and the damn woman is still there, I just saw her this morning. Never mind all that for now, do my check asap.”
Hanging up, he called his head of security. “Dennis, call in the police. Take them around to my building and have them arrest Celeste Handley for theft. I want her held without bond until I can find out how much she’s gotten away with.”
Running his hand over his face he thought about calling and ripping a strip off Benito. The sight of Carrie’s closed door pushed Benito to the backburner. The memory of seeing Carrie in pain had his own shoulders clenching painfully in stress. Stopping her migraine before it got worse was the most important thing for now. Fuck, he went still. This was not happening. It was guilt for upsetting her that was all he was feeling. Her life was too complicated for him and he didn’t do long term. Carrie would need long term before he could even get her into his bed. His bed was the only place he allowed a woman into his life, the only place he wanted them.
She was an intoxicating mix of girl and woman who wouldn’t understand his sexual needs were to be satisfied as simply physical hunger. She looked like a woman there was no doubt of that, from her license he knew she was twenty six. But her blushes, shivers, and obvious confusion over the desire she felt for him told him she was trapped in the teenage mind and emotions when she first became responsible for two small children. Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if she was a virgin. Fuck, why did the idea make him hard? He’d never had a virgin before, steered clear of them, not wanting the messy emotions he would have to deal with. The idea of being the first man to introduce her to pleasure filled him with satisfaction. It was possible she wasn’t, however her bitter words about learning from her mother made it highly unlikely.
Hell, getting past her bitterness would take longer than he knew he would have the patience for. Her temper had taken him by surprise, he’d loved when she yelled at him, no one had dared to yell at him in years. The thrill of her breathing fire at him had stirred feelings he’d long thought buried. Then he’d opened his mouth and snuffed out the fire inside her. Until he saw it again he couldn’t forgive himself for what he’d done.
He was only trying to help out someone who so obviously needed and deserved it. It wasn’t her fault she’d tried and failed, he’d known men who would have run from the situation. She hadn’t run, she hadn’t turned her back on two small children who needed her. She’d done everything she could to raise them as well as she could. All he was doing was throwing her a bone he had within his power to give her. That was all, nothing more.
Even as he crossed the room his straining cock called him a liar. Forcing his body under control he opened the door to the weak voice answering his knock. She was curled into a little ball on the bed. Seeing her in distress made him soft so fast it made him weak for a moment.
Settling on the edge of the bed, a hand went over her forehead. Her soft sight of pleasure from his touch had him growing hard all over again. “Carrie, do you have any medication for your migraine?” Eyes still closed, she shook her head. “Okay, sit up, mi dulce. I want you to drink this down as much as you can. Do you have any aspirin? In your purse, you can do it.”
She moaned as a look of pain shot across her face and Rafael felt his chest clench, along with his hands. The coldness of the drink warned him and he set it on the bedside table. Carefully, he picked her up and sat her across his lap. She went willingly into his arms melting into him. Her soft curves felt even better than they had in his office and now he was on the edge of a bed with her in his arms. A little sigh escaped her and he wanted to hear his name come out of her just like that. Fuck, get your mind out of the gutter Castillo, he warned himself as he looked down at her furrowed brow.
Picking up the can, he carried it to her lips and urged her to drink, she wrinkled her nose but did as he bid. A few swallows and she pulled away, he allowed her a moment before he put against her mouth again. They repeated the action again and the drink was almost gone. “One more time.” He urged and she drank it down and rested against him.
It was heaven and hell to hold her, he didn’t want it to end. She was so soft and smelled so sweet, his body was screaming to take her. He was dying to know the taste of her mouth and if her skin was as sweet as it smelled. Knowing he should lay her back on the bed, letting her go wasn’t something he could do. He held her close for as long as he dared. When she began to stir he let her go and settled her on the bed.
“I�
�m going to go get the aspirin and a glass of water, I’ll be right back.”
Rummaging in her purse, he found the bottle and shook out two. He filled the glass with water, back in her room he found her sitting up against the headboard looking dazed. At least she didn’t look like she was in pain.
“Here take these.”
“Did I fall asleep?”
“Maybe for a few minutes. I sent the boys to their room, I’ll talk to them in a minute. I wanted to check on you first. Feeling any better?”
“Yes, actually. I didn’t know a Coke would help. I would have tried it before. I don’t usually drink soda, it’s for the twins. Thank you.” She murmured as she took the pills and water and swallowed the pills. Setting the full glass of water on the bedside table she leaned back again. He picked up the glass and handed it back to her. He knew from Matteo’s lectures the caffeine could dehydrate her and dehydration could cause headaches. Making a face she didn’t argue and simply drank deeply until it was gone.
“I am sorry to be such a bother. This really isn’t like me, I promise. I’m not sure what’s the matter with me today.”
“Do not apologize to me. As I am sure I am the cause of your out of character behavior is because of how rude I was to you. You have had a hard time for the last few months, then the boys did what they did. No doubt under stress already you try to come to me and defend them. Where I tell you that you have done a bad job by them. Basically saying out loud what you have been feeling for a while. Now you are feeling vulnerable and scared of making more mistakes. I should be apologizing to you and I am, very sincerely. I want you to know things are going to be all right. You do not have to worry because I was wrong and so were you. Now that I have met them I can see I was wrong. The only thing I would say you are guilty of is spoiling them and as it’s something many parents do to overcompensate for not being available I would say you have done no worse than any other parent has done. I am sure in your case it was due to the loss of their mother. I can clearly see their clothes are new and name brand, yet something tells me that you haven’t had anything new or name brand in quite some time.
