The Broken Road (The Broken Series)

by Ruff, K. S.

  Kadyn nodded. His face was completely unreadable. The Sprite was now sitting on the table in front of him, untouched.

  I fidgeted nervously under his continued gaze. The heel of my boot slipped from the lower rung of my stool, and I was suddenly thrown off balance.

  Kadyn’s hand was wrapped around my bicep before I even saw him move. “You okay?”

  My face was practically buried in his well-chiseled chest. I tore my gaze off his chest and slowly looked up at him.

  He was towering over me. Heat rolled off his body in waves.

  Suddenly, the rest of the room just fell away… the noise… the people… everything. I was definitely not okay. “Uh… yes. Thank you.” I could tell my face had turned a brilliant shade of red because I could feel the heat in my cheeks. I did an internal eye roll. Way to go, Kri.

  Kadyn removed his hand from my arm, but he remained standing by my side.

  The proximity of his body to mine completely short circuited my brain. I suddenly found it very difficult to think… and breathe. I tore my eyes from his and stole a glance at Mickey. I was quite certain I had that deer-in-the-headlights look on my face.

  Mickey studied us curiously. A Cheshire cat size smile spread slowly across her face.

  My heart did a flip. Mickey looked entirely too pleased. Had she purposely set us up? I glanced around the bar. Where were the rest of the tenants? I tried to ignore the fact that Kadyn was standing next to me. I wasn’t about to look at him again, especially when he was standing so close. So I studied my margarita like it was my job.

  “Kadyn works at the Pentagon,” Mickey offered in an effort to get our conversation back on track.

  I risked a sidelong glance at him. “Really? What do you do there?”

  He reached for his Sprite. “I manage secure travel communications for the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

  I abandoned the margarita. “What exactly does that entail?”

  Kadyn smiled politely. “Most of what I do is considered a matter of national security, so I can’t really talk about it.”

  I immediately snapped an imaginary band against my wrist. “I will not date. I will not date. I will not date,” I muttered under my breath. I risked another glance at Kadyn. “Are you in the military?”

  “Yes. I'm in the Air Force.”

  “He’s an officer in the Air Force,” Mickey interjected, as if I wasn’t already impressed enough. “Hey, maybe Kadyn can help you with your stalker problem.”

  I groaned as I buried my face in my hands. I was completely mortified that Mickey would air out my dirty laundry in front of someone who quite obviously had his poop in a scoop.

  “You have a stalker?” Kadyn asked drily.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” I mumbled into my hands.

  Mickey laughed. “I do! This here is a picture of the guy.” She pulled the picture out of her purse and handed it to Kadyn. “Although, I can’t say that I would mind him stalking me.”

  Kadyn studied the picture. He looked at me and raised a single eyebrow, evidently waiting for some sort of explanation.

  I shrugged.

  Kadyn glanced at Mickey.

  I pasted an innocent look on my face, reached for my margarita, and kicked her stool.

  She laughed, then locked her mouth with an imaginary key.

  Kadyn set the picture on the table. His eyes narrowed as he turned toward me. “Do you like to work out?”

  I peered warily over the top of my margarita glass. “Yes, why?”

  His face remained completely unreadable. “Have you joined a gym yet?”

  I studied Kadyn, admittedly curious about his new line of questioning. “Yes. I joined a gym in DC for federal employees. I usually go right after work, while I wait for traffic to die down. It’s a very small gym, similar to the one at our apartment complex.”

  Kadyn nodded. “I have some free guest passes for Gold’s Gym, which is where I work out. It’s just up the street from here. They have a good size gym, and their rates are very reasonable. You should come check it out.”

  I set my margarita glass down and shoved it aside. “It would be nice to have a decent size gym to work out in on the weekends. There’s usually a long line of people waiting to get on the equipment at the apartment complex, and they don’t have a lot of free weights.”

  “We're working on that,” Mickey mumbled around the straw in her margarita.

  Kadyn pulled a business card out of his wallet. “Do you have a pen?”

  I dug through my purse, then handed him a pen.

  He wrote his cell phone number on the back of the business card and handed it to me. “Give me a call when you’re free, and I’ll show you around the gym. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to do but aren’t comfortable exploring alone. I’ve gotten to know this area pretty well.”

  “Thanks.” I tucked the business card into my purse. I wasn’t sure whether Kadyn was asking me out or just trying to help.

  Kadyn glanced at Mickey. “Are you ladies ready to leave?”

  “Yes,” Mickey and I replied in unison.

  Kadyn helped Mickey from her stool as the three of us paid for our drinks. Then he shifted his attention to me. “I’ll walk you out.”

  I glanced up at him and smiled as I tucked my wallet back inside my purse. “Thanks, Kadyn.”

  He reached for my arm as I slid off the stool. His hand slid to the small of my back as we made our way through the crowded bar. His hand fell to his side when we reached Mickey’s car. “Kri,” was all he said as his eyes searched mine. Then he turned and walked away.

  There was something about the way he said my name. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I was left with the distinct impression that Kadyn had just laid claim to my heart.

  * * * * * *

  I was flipping Kadyn’s business card in my hand for about the fiftieth time. I was still in my pajamas, curled up next to Cade on the couch. I wanted to call him, but I was too scared. I didn’t have the best track record with men, and there was no one around to pick up the pieces if something went wrong. Besides, I had issued a moratorium on dating. “It wouldn’t be dating if he was just showing me around. I could always drive my own car,” I commented to Cade.

  Cade didn’t look convinced.

  “Well, either way, I’m not flying in blind.” I tossed the business card on my coffee table and picked up my cell phone. I glanced at the clock. It was noon, which meant it was ten o’clock in Montana. I scrolled through my list of contacts. My thumb paused over the top of Kimme’s name. I hit send, then counted the rings. One… two…

  “Hi stranger.”

  “Hey, Kimme! I hope I didn’t call too early.”

  “Nope. I’m on my third cup of coffee already. Besides, you know you can call us any time. Dan told me about Michael’s postcard. Are you okay?”

  I reached for my coffee cup. I frowned when I realized it was empty. “Yes. Dan schooled me on a few things. I’m being very careful, and I’m feeling a little safer.”

  “Good. Dan’s still trying to track Michael down. He’s been holed up in his bat cave for the past two days, but I think he’s dug something up on Michael. He's standing here glaring at me, like that ever works. Evidently, he wants to talk to you.”

  I could hear Kimme and Dan scuffle over the phone. Kimme was giggling in the background. Then Dan’s voice came over the line. “Hi, darlin'. Did you get my package?”

  I shuffled out to the kitchen to refill my coffee cup. “Yes. Thanks, Dan.”

  “The mace is meant to be carried on your key chain so you’ll remember to take it with you whenever you go out.”

  I set the coffee pot down. “I promise I’ll carry it with me.”

  “Good. So, look… I haven’t located Garcia yet, but I did learn a few interesting things about him. Did you know he's wanted by the authorities in Portugal?”

  My heart skipped at least three beats. I was almost too afraid to a
sk, but curiosity got the best of me. “Wanted… for what?”

  “Insider trading, money laundering, and tax evasion. Portugal has a warrant out for him. There’s no way he’s going back to that country unless he wants to do time. There’s some speculation among their news media that suggests he may be connected to an Eastern European terrorist group, although I haven’t been able to confirm that connection. I have no idea how he got into the United States, but I doubt he’s here legally. He must have some very good connections.”

  I sank onto my couch. “Or a lot of money,” I murmured as I reflected on Michael’s hand tailored suits, his Cartier watch, and his Saab convertible.

  “Or both,” Dan countered.

  “Well, I guess I should be relieved he isn’t wanted for being a serial killer,” I remarked jokingly. Still, it was disturbing to know the guy was a criminal.

  “The guy is either dumb as a box of rocks, or he’s confident in his ability to buy off the U.S. authorities. He didn’t bother changing his name, and he risked being deported when he violated that restraining order you had against him.”

  I warmed my hands on my coffee cup. “So, why didn’t the police in Montana arrest him?”

  “Hard telling. My guess is they didn’t look beyond their own criminal databases when you reported the incident and filed for the restraining order. Don’t worry. I’ll find him, and I’ll make sure the authorities get a hold of him. Now, enough said about that. You called us. Were you checking in with Kimme, or did you have some news for me?”

  I took another sip of coffee. “Well, actually, I was calling to talk to you. I met this guy…”

  Dan groaned. “Stop right there. You what? When? Where? Why?”

  I rolled my eyes at the phone. “Calm down, Dan. It’s not what you think. I went for drinks with my lease officer after work last night. She invited some other tenants, but this guy was the only one who showed up. He seems nice enough, but it’s not like I can trust my judgment in men. And, just for the record, I am not planning to date him. I’m not dating anyone while I'm here, but he offered to show me around. I’ve been too scared to go out by myself, so I really could use some help learning my way around.”

  “I don’t like it,” Dan growled.

  “He’s Air Force,” I elaborated. Dan was Navy, so I wasn’t quite sure how favorably he’d view that piece of information. For me, serving in the military was an admirable quality. For Dan, it depended on which branch you served in.

  “Oh, God. Please don’t tell me he’s a fly boy.” I could practically hear Dan slam his hand against his forehead.

  I shook my head. “No. I don’t think he is. He’s an officer, but it sounds like he manages communications for the Secretary of Defense.”

  “Are you sure his story is legit?” For Dan, trust didn’t come easy.

  “I have his business card,” I suggested optimistically.

  “Sweetheart, anyone can make up a business card. Did you Google him?”

  “No. Now why didn’t I think of that?” I responded irritably.

  Dan sighed. “What’s his name?”

  I picked up the business card and read the name. “Kadyn Shawn Rand.”

  “Hang on.” I heard Dan clicking away on a keyboard. He must have wandered back into the bat cave. The bat cave, as Kimme and I fondly referred to it, was simply a back room in Dan’s house that was strictly off limits to women. Every once in a while, Kimme managed to slip in undetected. Apparently, Dan had quite the computer set up, a police scanner, some weapons, and God only knew what else stashed away back there. “I found him.”

  I set my coffee on the table. “Really? That fast?”

  “Looks like he played football for the Air Force Academy.” Dan paused for a few minutes while he read. “Star running back,” he murmured. Then there was silence.

  I looked at Cade and shrugged.

  “God, Kri! He’s four years younger than you. You are robbing the cradle old lady.”

  “I am not old! I’m only twenty-eight. I didn’t know he was that young. He doesn’t look that young. Besides, I’m not going to be dating the guy. I just want to know if I can trust him enough to show me around.”

  “Yeah, right,” Dan snorted.

  “Well?” I asked, mildly annoyed.

  “Well, what?”

  I sighed heavily. I knew Dan was toying with me. I could tell by the tone of his voice. “Can I trust the guy?”

  Silence.

  “Dan? Are you still there?”

  “Yes.”

  I growled in total exasperation. “Yes, you’re still there… or yes, I can trust this guy?”

  “Yes. You can trust this guy. He’s not Navy… but at least he’s not a jarhead.”

  I raked my hand down my face. “Dan! Both of my brothers were Marines!”

  The line went silent as Dan grappled with his response. Finally, he answered. “Yes, darlin’, I think you can trust the guy to show you around. He’s got to have a very high security clearance in a job like that. He’s squeaky clean if he’s working with the Secretary of Defense.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay. Good. Thanks, Dan.”

  “You’re welcome. We done here?”

  I reached for my coffee. “Yes, I think so.”

  “Stay safe… and keep that mace on you.”

  “Yes, dad!”

  Dan laughed as he hung up the phone.

  I looked down at Cade.

  His head popped up when he felt my attention shift toward him.

  I ruffled the fur on his head. “Looks like he’s one of the good guys. I’ll give him a call tomorrow.” As tempted as I was, there was no way I was calling Kadyn within the first twenty-four hours. I pulled a gray hoodie from my closet and tugged it over the top of my pajamas. I shoved my feet into my running shoes, hooked Cade to his leash, grabbed my keys, and headed out for a walk.

  * * * * * *

  By noon on Sunday, I had dialed Kadyn’s number and hung up at least ten times. I wasn’t trying to hang up on him. I just couldn’t bring myself to type in all of the numbers. My nerves kept getting twisted, like I was planning a date. Finally, I managed to dial all ten numbers and let it ring through.

  He answered the phone on the third ring. “Hello?”

  “Hi. Kadyn? This is Kri, from TGI Fridays.”

  “Hi, Kri. How are you?”

  I shook my head. His voice was as unreadable as his face. “Good. How are you?”

  “Fine.”

  I took a deep breath and forged through. “I need to run some errands later this afternoon. I know this is very last minute, but I was wondering if you were free to join me. I need to track down a few places that I haven’t been before, and I don’t want to end up driving into the wrong neighborhood. I hit a detour last week and ended up getting lost in Anacostia, in an area where all the windows were secured with heavy metal bars.” I shuddered as I recalled how terrified I’d been to pull over and program the GPS.

  “You had good reason to be concerned about Anacostia. I’m free this afternoon. What time do you want to go?”

  I fist bumped Cade’s paw. “Okay. Great. Does one o’clock work for you?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll drive. I need to get a better handle on driving around here, and I’m more likely to remember how to get to these places if I have to drive the route.”

  “Okay. I’m in building thirteen. I’ll meet you out front at one.”

  “Sounds good. See you soon!” I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I disconnected the call. I hadn’t realized how much I’d been dreading going out alone. I took Cade for a long walk, swiped on some lip gloss, ran a brush through my hair, and walked to my jeep. I had a designated parking spot in the garage underneath the building across from mine.

  Kadyn was standing outside his building by the time I pulled my jeep around. He was wearing a Chicago Bears hoodie, navy blue warm-up pants, and sneakers.

  I turned down my music as Kadyn folded his massive f
rame into the jeep. “Hey. Thanks for tagging along.”

  Kadyn smiled. “No problem. Where do you need to go?”

  I reached for my Garmin. “I need to find a Verizon store so I can purchase a new cell phone. My current phone seems to have a mind of its own. I also need to find Target and PetSmart.”

  “You won’t need your GPS. I know where all three of those stores are located. There's a PetSmart next to Target on Route 1. The Verizon store is on the way.” Kadyn turned up the volume on my stereo. “Are you listening to 2Pac?” A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  I glanced at him as I pulled away from the curb. “Yes. I like 2Pac. Why? Don’t you?”

  Kadyn looked entirely too amused. “Yes, but I didn’t peg you for a 2Pac kind of girl.”

  I raised a single eyebrow. “Really? What kind of girl did you peg me for?”

  “A country girl. Don’t they listen to country music in Montana?”

  My eyes narrowed. “How do you know I’m from Montana?”

  “Turn right at the light,” Kadyn instructed. He leaned back in his seat, then added, “I Googled you.”

  I turned to look at him. “You Googled me? Wait. There’s information about me on Google?”

  Kadyn looked surprised. “Haven’t you ever Googled yourself?”

  I shook my head. “No. Should I?”

  Kadyn just smiled.

  I tried not to wreck the jeep. He had a really great smile.

  “Take the exit for I-395 North, like you're driving to work, then take the Glebe Road exit.”

  I merged onto the exit ramp. “What does Google have to say about me?”

  “My search pulled up a number of press releases about you being awarded the fellowship. There were a few agendas that listed you as a key note speaker. You published some reports as an elder rights advocate for the State of Montana, and you apparently hosted a television show called Aging Horizons.”

  I stared at Kadyn. His expression was completely unreadable. I couldn’t tell if he was amused, impressed, or bored stiff with what he had learned. “I had no idea there was anything about me to Google.”