KILTED DESIRE 2 - Russian Roulette

by A. B. McKINLEY

  Without a chance or time to have answered, Brooke spoke.

  “He saw me getting harassed and came to rescue me.”

  “What happened?” asked Tiffany, as she glanced smiling at Scott.

  “Just a bunch of drunken guys at the bar, it’s okay,” she replied.

  “I didn’t see anything. It’s a really good thing you were here, Scott. You didn’t hit anybody did you?” Tiffany said, still with a smile.

  “Nae at all. I just saw that Brooke may need a wee bit of help getting past those guys.”

  “Wow! I didn’t see anything either,” added Travis.

  “It’s nae big deal. It’s just kind of what I’m used tae doing. Looking oot fer people.” Scott said, knowing that Tiffany knew about Britney in Baghdad.

  “Yeah but it could have turned into a big deal if you hadn’t been paying attention and gone over there,” said Rachel.

  “I think they were just kids who had too much tae drink. It’s over now. Now what did yer all decide? Are we walking, or going in a taxi?”

  Taxi was the decision. The ride home was very short. It only took a few minutes. They all stayed up and talked for an hour or so in the living room. They all shared a couple bottles of wine. Scott was the first one to head up to bed. The bar had been quite noisy and he still suffered from headaches occasionally. This was one of those occasions. So, just after midnight, he turned in to bed.

  The next day consisted of all in the house sleeping in late. Then, they lounged around the pool, which they all enjoyed before they all flew home later in the afternoon. Everyone’s flights were scheduled to leave at around the same time, so they all shared a taxi to the airport. Scott learned that they had all flown together on a small private jet. Which was of course, was owned by Tiffany’s parents. He laughed when he heard that. ‘Is there anything they don’t own?’ he thought. Scott’s plane back to Denver was due to leave first. So when it was time to go, he said his goodbyes to Tiffany’s friends, telling them he had enjoyed meeting them. Brooke thanked him again for helping her the previous night. Scott turned to Tiffany.

  “Thanks fer inviting me oot here. I really enjoyed it.”

  “Thanks for coming. It was really great to see you again. We’ll have to do it again sometime. If, you would like to?”

  “Aye, I would. Maybe yer can come tae see me in Ohio. Although will I warn yer, my house is nae quite as luxurious as the places yer used tae.”

  “I’m sure it’s lovely.”

  Scott smiled and hugged her tightly. As he was letting go he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

  “Thanks again Tiffany. I really hope I see yer again soon.”

  “Me too, Scott. Call me. Have a safe flight home.”

  Scott walked away towards his gate. He turned around, smiled and waved. The weekend had gone well. He really hoped he would see her again, and soon.

  Chapter 10

  It now approached the end of June. Scott enjoyed the long, hot, summer days. The weather was great and he was feeling really good too. He spoke to Tiffany almost every day over the past few weeks, since their Aspen trip. They continued to learn a lot about each other. They texted each other a lot, it always made him smile when a message from her came through.

  Scott asked Tiffany to come visit him in Ohio, but as of yet, it hadn’t happened. She was very busy at work in her store. One of her best and most trusted staff members left to further her education and become a full-time student. Tiffany was sad to see her go, but also wished her well. She tried to find a good, honest replacement, but it so far proved to be difficult and took up a lot of her time. Tiffany promised him that she would come and visit him soon. Scott told her he was going to hold her to that promise. Nothing ‘physically’ had ever happened with her, and Scott didn’t know if it ever would. He did know that he really liked her and wanted to spend more time with her. He hoped she felt the same way too. He was pretty sure that she did.

  It was a very humid Thursday evening as Scott drove home from work. The roads were fairly quiet and it was a really dark night. His cell phone started to ring and he quickly answered it. He didn’t normally answer the phone when he drove; he usually let it go to voicemail. But, due to the time of the call, he thought it was Tiffany and he wanted to talk to her. He was wrong.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi Scott. It’s Katie. Please don’t hang up, I want to apologize.”

  Scott was surprised. He never expected to hear from her again. Let alone have her say she wanted to apologize.

  “What do yer want Katie?”

  “I’m sorry Scott. I really didn’t think it was you that stole my ring. I just wasn’t myself. I guess I let Keith talk me into thinking it was you.”

  “Yer ought tae have known me better than that, Katie. The guy is an idiot. Yer can do so much better.”

  “I know. It was just hard being on my own. I went for the first guy who showed any interest in me. I know it was a mistake.”

  “Aye it was. Did he make yer take drugs, too?”

  “How did you know that?” she asked, sounding surprised.

  “Katie, yer were high when yer came in tae the bar! And yer did nae look guid. Yer need tae get away from that guy and get yer life sorted oot. If nae fer yerself, then fer yer girls.”

  “I know, I told him I was going to leave him and move back in with my parents. But, he told me I wasn’t going anywhere.”

  “So, just call the police if yer want tae leave. He cannae hold yer against yer will.”

  “He’s scary Scott. He said that he’d burn down my Mom’s house; one night; if I move back there.”

  “Och, he’s all talk Katie. He did nae seem too scary when he was laying the ground asking me tae let his arm go.”

  “I know, but he scares me.”

  “Go tae the police then.”

  “I already reported that my ring was stolen. I gave them a good description.”

  “Well that’s guid. It was a custom-ring, so there is nae another one like it. Hopefully, the police will send the details tae all the local jewelers. If someone goes in and tries tae sell it, they can get it back fer yer.”

  “I hope so.”

  “So did yer tell the police aboot any of the threats he made tae yer.”

  “I haven’t yet. But, I will.”

  “Okay, guid.”

  “Scott, it isn’t just me that he is threatening. When he’s talking about burning down my parent’s house, it’s frightening. My girls sleep there. He threatened you too, when I told him I wanted to leave. He automatically decided it was because of you, and that we were getting back together. He said he was going to come after you. He knows where you live, Scott. I’m so sorry.”

  “Katie, yer have tae get the police involved. I know it will be hard as it’s just yer word against his. But, yer cannae let him intimidate yer like this. As fer him threatening me, I’m nae too worried aboot it. I’d rather avoid all the hassle. But, if he does want tae come doon and take me on again, then that’s up tae him.”

  “Just be careful if he does Scott. I don’t trust him. He plays dirty.”

  “Dinnae worry aboot me. Just take care of yerself and the girls. Thanks fer the warning. I have tae go now.”

  “Okay Scott. Bye.”

  Scott arrived home, got out of the car, and went inside his house. He was glad that Katie called, but wasn’t looking forward to the seemingly imminent conflict. He thought about going to the police himself, maybe get a restraining order. But, he had no actual proof. He was just going to have to be patient and hope things worked out.

  As the days passed and July arrived, Scott found himself to be constantly on edge when he was at home. He knew Keith had threatened him and knew where he lived. It began to bother him. It wasn’t fear, he just found he never seemed to completely relax, and always felt on-guard. At night, he never slept well either. He considered calling Katie to see if she had left Keith yet, and if she involved the police. But, he thought if she was still with him it m
ay have caused more trouble.

  It was a Sunday afternoon; about ten days after Katie called him. He never heard another thing after her last call to him. He paced in his kitchen and tried to decide what to do. After a few minutes of indecision and fingernail biting, he made the call.

  “Hello,” she answered. There was a lot of background noise. Scott couldn’t hear her very well.

  “Katie, can yer hear me?”

  “Scott, I’ll have to call you back. I’m at the police station. I tried to leave him this morning. He hit me, so I called the police. They arrested him and I have just given them a statement. I’ll call you later when I get to my Mom’s house.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  Scott was relieved; he went into his living room and sat down. He was glad she was out of the situation and gotten the police involved. Hopefully now, things would start to get back to normal.

  Later that evening, Katie called him back and explained everything. She was safely living back at her Mom’s house, and Keith was in jail. She gave the police a statement about everything he had done and all the information was being passed on to the District Attorney. Scott told her that she was brave and that she did the right thing. He wished her well, and left it at that.

  The following day, just after Scott finished his dinner, he decided to call Jim. He wanted to touch base with him personally. He hadn’t spoken to him for a while although he often asked Tiffany how her parents were doing. Plus, it was too early to call Tiffany for his daily chat with her. She would still be at work. He would do that later.

  “Hi Jim, How are yer?”

  “Hello Scott, it’s good to hear from you.”

  “Did yer manage tae get things sorted oot with Tom?”

  “Hang on a moment Scott,” there was a pause for a few seconds. Then, Jim continued.

  “Sorry Scott, I needed to step outside to the deck. Kyle is here and I don’t want to talk about this in front of him.”

  “Okay, so how are things going?”

  “It’s going well. Linda and I have spoken with Tom a few times and feel pretty good about him. I know we are probably over-reacting and being extra cautious. But, it makes us both feel a whole lot better knowing someone will be there for him.”

  “Yer cannae be ‘too careful’ nowadays, Jim. I think yer doing the reet thing.”

  “Thanks, Tom seems like a good guy. We met him at one of our casinos in Vegas a few weeks ago. He was very thorough. And he asked us a lot of questions, particularly about Kyle. We gave him a number of photos, too.”

  “That sounds guid Jim. I’ve always found Tom tae be very guid, so I’m sure he’ll do a great job fer yer.”

  “I hope so. We are going to talk with him once more before the trip. Then we can finalize a few last minute details. Linda and I are both really happy.”

  “Did Tom say he was going tae be going with Kyle on his flights. Or, is he going tae tail him from the airport after he arrives?”

  “That’s one of the things we still need to decide. But, we will talk and work it out before Kyle leaves for Russia.”

  “Okay Jim. Well, since Kyle will be leaving in a few weeks, I just wanted tae check in with yer and make sure everything was okay. It seems like yer have got everything well in hand.”

  “Yup, we’re good Scott. And thanks for all you have done.”

  “Yer welcome. Bye Jim.”

  Scott was happy that the Robinson’s seemed a lot more relaxed about their son’s trip. He was pleased and stretched out on his couch. He decided to enjoy a quiet night in. He reached for the remote and turned on baseball on TV.

  The peace and quiet didn’t last for too long. At about 7:30 p.m., his phone started ringing. He reached for it, it was Katie.

  “Scott, it’s Katie, they let him go,” she sounded scared and frantic.

  “Calm doon, what happened?”

  “They let him out on bail earlier today. Scott, he just called me. He won’t come here, the police warned him not to come near me. But, he’s coming after you. He said ‘We’re going take care of him’. I think he has got a friend with him. And, I heard another voice in the background. Scott I’m sorry, this has got nothing to do with you. I’m sorry I got you involved.”

  “It’s okay, dinnae worry. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Call the police, Scott.”

  “There’s nae much they can do until he does something. Dinnae worry Katie. I’ll be fine.”

  “Just be careful, Scott.”

  “I will. Thanks fer the warning”

  “Bye Scott.”

  Scott did not want to be found alone at his home. If he was attacked, there wouldn’t be any witnesses. He decided to head out to the Sports Bar. At least there would be people there. Plus, it would be the best way to try and avoid any trouble. He was fearful that his property could be vandalized though, if he left. But, he decided that being around people would be the best idea. After all, Keith wanted to hurt him, not his house. Scott called Katie back and told her to send a text to Keith. He wanted her to tell him there was no point going to Scott’s house, as he always went to the Sports Bar on a Monday evening. He knew Keith wasn’t the most intelligent man in the world and would believe what Katie told him.

  Within half an hour Scott was sitting on a bar stool with a bottle of beer, watching the same baseball game he began to watch at home. Sam wasn’t there, which was unusual. There was a guy behind the bar, he seemed friendly enough but Scott wasn’t in a talkative mood. He looked around and noticed that a couple of the regulars who had witnessed his last encounter with Keith were in the bar. They waved at him when he looked at them and Scott acknowledged them with a nod. Scott was annoyed, he wasn’t happy that his plans for a quiet night were spoiled. All he wanted to do was relax at home and call Tiffany. He planned to not drink a lot and his first beer lasted nearly an hour. Just as he finished the bottle, a familiar figure appeared at the bar’s entrance. The large rotund man, once again dressed in jeans, a leather jacket and a baseball cap looked around the bar and spotted him. He approached Scott, stopped about six feet away. Scott hadn’t taken his eyes off him, since he walked in the door.

  “Can we talk, outside?” Keith grunted, he didn’t seem like a very educated man at all.

  “Why cannae we talk reet here?”

  “Outside, I’ll wait for you,” he grunted again, as he turned and walked away.

  After a couple of minutes, Scott got up from his barstool. This needed to stop, one way or another, he thought. He approached the guys who witnessed his last encounter with Keith and told them what was happening. He explained to them he thought Keith had a friend waiting outside and that they planned to attack him. He also said that he didn’t want them to get involved, but he just needed witnesses if anything happened.

  The men agreed and followed Scott out of the door. The natural light outside started to fade, but there were lights in the parking lot. It was a hot, sticky humid night. He looked around and there was no sign of Keith.

  Then, Scott saw the familiar black SUV parked about fifty yards away, towards the back of the parking lot. The vehicles lights flashed four times. Scott told the guys to stay on the steps to the bar, as he started to walk towards the back of the lot. The only thing Scott was slightly nervous about was if Keith carried a gun. He was pretty confident he could handle anything else. Normally, he would do his best to avoid situations like this, but this had been forced upon him. This guy knew where he lived, and since Scott expected Tiffany to visit sometime soon, he wanted this taken care of, now.

  When Scott was about ten yards from the vehicle, the driver’s door opened and Keith stepped out. ‘Why is he wearing a leather jacket on a hot night like this,’ Scott thought. He watched him closely. He half expected him to pull out a gun, but he didn’t.

  Instead he reached back into the car, and pulled out a baseball bat. Scott smiled, he didn’t mind that. Just then, the passenger’s door opened and another man got out wielding a tire iron. The second g
uy was over 6’ tall, but not as heavy as Keith. He too was wearing a dark jacket and a baseball cap. Scott stood his ground as the two men talked to each other quietly, over the hood of the SUV.

  “So, what do yer want tae talk tae me aboot?” asked Scott, sarcastically.

  Keith didn’t say anything, he just whistled and then both rear doors of the SUV opened and two more men stepped out.

  “Right, let’s do this quickly and get out of here,” Keith shouted.

  Scott didn’t notice if the other two men had any weapons, there wasn’t time. He quickly looked around the parking lot, and started to run. He was headed towards the far corner of the lot. The men gave chase, with Keith bringing up the rear. He wasn’t built for speed. Scott heard as his pursuers shouted and chanted. They were like excited predators, which had nearly caught their prey.

  “We’ve got him!” Scott heard one of them shout as he approached the corner of the parking lot. It wasn’t far and had only taken about ten seconds or so to get there. There were six foot high fences in the corner with big trees on the other side. Scott believed the other side was someone’s back yard. He turned around and faced his attackers. They smiled and moved closer to him. The man with the tire iron was in the front.

  Little did they know, Scott wasn’t running away. He was just getting into a position where he couldn’t be surrounded or attacked from behind. The corner he stood in was actually less than a ninety degree angle, so it was highly unlikely that he could be attacked by more than one of them at a time.

  As the men moved closer, Scott raised his hands and turned side-on to the first man who closed in quickly swinging his weapon. Scott lifted his left arm quickly and blocked the man’s overhead downward swipe. Scott’s forearm hit the man’s wrist and the tire iron fell to the ground. Almost instantaneously, Scott’s right fist slammed into the man’s nose with full force. He fell backwards and lay motionless on the asphalt, blood poured from his nose.