“Kira. It’s nice to meet you. I got a DUI in my friend’s car. At least I thought she was my friend,” said and winced. She put her hand to her aching temple. She had stolen Paige’s car and then been pulled over! What a mess.
Neveah moaned and sat up. She had rolled around and drooled while sleeping so that one of her faux eyebrows had completely wiped off on the mattress. She sat up and looked at them, her expression still sleepy and unamused except for one still very surprised eyebrow. Simultaneously Kira and Sam busted out laughing. “What?” Neveah sounded less amused than she looked.
“Captain Riley.” An authoritative voice called from the hallway. Kira cringed and turned around sharply. Shit this is it. “Captain Kira Riley?” The voice repeated.
“Yes, ma’am. That’s me.” Kira did her best to stand at respectful attention in her orange garb and straggly hair. A blond woman stood in a Class A uniform at the door. Oh shit, I am in so much trouble.
“Captain Riley. You need to come with me.” The guard accompanying the officer opened the door and motioned for Kira to follow. Kira cast one glance back at Sam and Neveah as she left. The worried expression on their faces sent a chill down Kira’s spine. She followed the blond officer to an interview room. “Captain Riley, I am Captain Brindell, United States Army Military police. Do you want to explain why I am down here at 0900 on a Saturday?”
“Captain, I am terribly sorry,” Kira started. She stopped and looked at the woman. Something about her was strikingly familiar. “I…. was with friends….. I got really upset and went to drive home. I shouldn’t have driven. I know I am in a lot of trouble.” Kira didn’t even try to get out of it. She knew she was in for a world of penalties. She may even be court marshalled.
“Captain, are you familiar with the Uniformed Code of Military Justice?” The woman’s stern voice offered no consolation.
“Vaguely,” Kira managed to say. Shit. I am so screwed.
“Captain Riley, you are being released by this court into our custody. Punishment for your crimes will be determined under Article 15 of the UCMJ. You will report back to base with me immediately. The officer will help you retrieve your things. After you change we will go directly back to base to meet with your commanding officer and Major Jennings.
Oh Fuck Me! “Um, may I stay in the jumpsuit Mam?” Kira asked hopefully. The idea facing her commanding officer and the Major dressed in that shred of whore fabric made Kira want to cry. The bitterness of rising vomit burned the back of her throat. “My, um, clothes are not exactly…”
Kira stammered trying to think of a way to express what the officer was about to see.
“Not exactly fitting for an officer?” The woman snapped. “Perhaps you should have thought of that last night. Now get dressed. We are on a deadline and I don’t have all day to sit around for your fashion show.”
With a heavy heart, Kira took her clothes and went into the small restroom to change. She never dreamed she would be sorry to give up the orange jumpsuit. She slowly unrolled the fishnets onto her legs and donned the two-dollar stripper get up. Kira zipped up the stilettos and handed over the orange jumpsuit. After collecting the small bag of personal possessions, minus her dignity, which must have gotten lost in the shuffle, she followed the captain to the waiting car. As they stepped into the blinding daylight, Kira caught sight of her reflection in the tall glass windows of the jail. Starring back at her was the trash bin hooker, dead in the alley at the start of every episode of CSI Las Vegas. Kira slid into the back of the government sedan and buckled her seat belt. Captain Brindell came around the other side and slipped into the drivers seat. Without saying a word she fastened her belt and started the engine. Kira was too afraid to speak and decided to wait to be spoken to.
Kira looked out the window and watched the jail fade behind her. She thought about the night before. She thought of her arrest. Holt. Liam Holt had shown up out of nowhere. She still couldn’t understand what he had been doing there. She thought about Stark. She hated to admit she was heartbroken. All those women. She struggled to remember the details of the club. The officer in the front seat was quietly humming some tune. Kira knew it but couldn’t quiet place it. The tapping of the officer’s fingers on the seat was distracting her from her thoughts. She struggled to remember more of the night. She thought of running up stairs, the couple on the first chair…then the blond lady in latex…then Lila and everything got fuzzy after that…then….Wait! Then suddenly it came back to her like a slap in the face. Kira looked up and her eyes met the reflection of the officer’s gaze in the rearview mirror. A smile crept across the blond woman’s face. Kira had finally made the connection.
CHAPTER 22
“Owen Stark!” Simone’s shrill voice filled his bedroom and aching head like a jackhammer.
“Don’t you ever knock?” he growled as he buttoned his crisp white shirt. He stood facing the mirror in just a shirt and boxers as Simone entered the room.
“My, my you look absolutely yummy,” Simone purred. She came up behind him and trailed her fingers across his collar. “Want me to fix your tie for you?”
“Not unless you want me to vomit on your shoes. Aren’t you supposed to be in mourning?” he asked dryly. Looking up he saw her sultry expression turn into a venomous frown.
“You’re a real piece of work Owen. Do you not care about your family and your responsibilities at all? How can you be so cruel after all I have been through?” Simone lamented like a southern belle whose honor had been wounded.
“You’re just bitter because you know you’re not in the will. All that whoring with my idiot father for nothing. You are not my family, nor my responsibility. I don’t owe you shit. Now get out so I can be alone with the few memories of my father and my family that don’t involve you.” His voice was like ice. They locked stares for a moment, neither one wanting to budge, but finally it was Simone who turned and strode from the room. She almost knocked over Rosalea as she brought coffee and toast.
Rosalea entered muttering a string of profanities in Spanish under her breath. “Serpiente venenosa!” she finished, shook her head, and spat.
Owen laughed loudly. “Oh, Rosalea, don’t hold anything back. Please let it all out.” He loved Rosalea. She had been his and Maggie’s nurse but had stayed on to care for his father after the plane crash. Rosalea had mourned as deeply as Owen. She had always hated Simone and didn’t bother to hide it.
“She would like to have rid of me. But your father, bless his soul,” she made the sign of the cross. She was dressed in black and had her rosary around her neck. “He wouldn’t let her. At least he stood up to her once and a while. She has been trying to take your grandfathers company for years. Ha but the joke is on her, yes. Your father never even owned his pantelones. Your ma ma, she was a smart, smart girl. Or at least your abuelo was an incredible man. He made sure your ma ma’s inheritance passed to you, not your father. Your father was simply the caretaker until you were ready. I guess no one expected you to find your way to the army.”
“Life has a way of changing your direction.” Stark said softly as he hugged Rosalea. “The company will be in good hands. I have a board meeting next week to announce the new C.E.O. and co-directors, to take my father’s place running the company. Well, we better get this over with. This funeral is going to feel more like a circus with all the sharks and clowns in their monkey suits clamoring for a piece of the money. Everybody wants to make a good impression. Insincere condolences, empty wishes. I remember them all from when mom and Maggie passed.” Stark was tired and his voiced trembled a little as he spoke. He was thankful Rosalea was there. It meant a lot to have one person sincerely in your corner.
“I’ll go down and call for the car. You hang in there,” Rosalea said before she turned and walked quickly from the room. Stark could hear her sniffling. He knew she would miss his father. He made a mental note to secure her future when he spoke to the lawyer after the reading of the will.
Stark reached into his bag
and grabbed his phone. No missed calls. He picked it up and tried Kira. The sound of her voicemail again made him curse under his breath. He hadn’t been able to reach her since the day before. What the hell? Where was she? He was mad, but he missed Kira and couldn’t wait to get home to her. He couldn’t stop worrying about her. He wanted to hold her. Today was going to be incredibly hard but her voice, her touch would make it bearable. More than anything, he wished she were there with him. He picked up the phone and tried her cell again. Hearing her voicemail, he tossed it on the bed not bothering to hang up. He sat down dejected, wondering how he was going to make it through the next few hours.
“Owen, darling, are you ready yet?” Simone’s slick voice slithered into the room. “Wow, I do say I’m not sure which is better, with the pants or without.”
“What do you want Simone?” Starks flat tone left nothing to the imagination.
“I was just thinking about your little fraternization problem and how your enlistment will be up very soon. Seems to me problem solved.” Her soft seductive tone curled around his body like a python setting a trap.
“Dammit Simone! I have told you, I am married to the military first. That is my life. I’m not leaving it for you or Kira or anyone else. What does it take to get you to understand that?” Stark jumped up and started out of the room shaking his head. That woman has no boundaries.
Simone caught him by the arm. “Oh now, what would your little captain say if she heard that? Think about it, darling, you could have your little tramp if you simply don’t re-enlist. Stay out here awhile, run the company, take your birth right.” She looked up at him eyes beaming.
“What’s your angle Simone? How does that even help you?”
“Help me? Why, darling, I’m not thinking of me. O’ love I’m thinking of you and that poor girl. What happens to her if her superiors find out she’s been fucking around with an enlisted boy? And that tattooed creature you live with—where is she, by the way?”
“Shut up, Simone. I am dead serious, you will leave Kira alone. That’s not a request.”
“Hmmm…We’ll see…All this jail business…. My goodness.”
“What are you talking about? You will not mess with her.” Stark was yelling now. “Do you hear me? I am very serious. I will take everything you have. Nothing will protect you if you get her into trouble.” He stood, fists clenched tightly, wishing it was OK to hit a girl. She was no girl.
“I think she’s doing a good job of that all by herself,” Simone triumphantly announced. She brushed imaginary dust from his shoulder and left the room laughing.
Stark stood shaking his head. What the hell was she talking about? Why couldn’t Simone be a normal human for one day? This was going to be hard enough without having to worry about Simone or Kira. He picked his father’s gold pocket watch up from the dresser and opened it. Inside were pictures of his mom and sister. The fact that he had kept this all these years, Owen knew some spark of goodness had remained until the end.
The limo came to a stop in front of a beautiful mausoleum. He wished Kira were there. He imagined her giving his hand a squeeze as he stepped out of the car. On the grounds perfect flowers and marble statues dotted the landscape. Walking toward the rows of white chairs, he wondered what her father’s funeral had been like. The landscape less grand, likely, the patrons weary. He imagined a tired, thin woman with three children mourning the loss of all they knew.
Rows of beautifully dressed people stood waiting to pay their respects. Simone walked out to the crowd as if she were on the red carpet. Owen rolled his eyes. And the academy award for most over dramatic goes to… Despite Simone’s show boat performance, the loss in the air was heavy. A beautiful, vibrant soul, taken far too soon. Stark heard the speaker begin, describing a hero, a friend, a husband, a father. He brought joy and honor to all he met. Stark heard them speak of the man he was and the life he lived. He loved his father but wanted to stand up and say that he was no hero. He had seen real heroes. He had watched the light fade from their eyes as they gave all. Stark looked at the plastic world around him and felt more alone than ever. Simone was sitting beside him and began tapping her foot impatiently. She’s fucking bored! Owen resisted the urge to sweep kick her chair out from under her. The image of her mussed up dress covered in dirt and the scowl on her embarrassed face would perhaps make this day tolerable.
Stark stood listening to strangers talk about his father. He sadly knew that many of them knew him far better than he would ever have a chance to. The loss was too great for words. He felt the great emptiness of a house long since abandoned. Pieces of his heart and soul were like vacant rooms holding echoes of a life once lived. The service ended and everyone began to file slowly back to the vehicles. Stark remained, staring out across the cemetery. He knew that this was it. Once they walked away he would leave his father behind. Where are you, Kira?
* * *
The sound of breaking glass awoke Kira from a dead sleep. She sat bolt upright in the bed and looked around. The room was pitch black except for a sliver of moonlight coming through the window. She listened intently. Nothing. She knew it had been glass. It wasn’t her imagination…was it? Kira had been having the nightmares again. Ever since her night at The Apex Club, she had been having dreams of her attacker. Though she knew it was crazy, she even thought she saw him twice around the base. Then when she would look closer it wasn’t at all. She strained to listen harder. Nothing. All seemed quiet, but Maggie was awake too. She sat curled up at the end of the bed by Kira’s feet, ears perked up listening. The silence in the room felt like a weight pressing down on her, holding her to the bed. Suddenly Maggie’s head snapped up and she jumped up to attention. She did not bark but was alert and ready. She must hear something I can’t. Kira carefully and quietly retrieved her Beretta 9mm from the stand bedside stand. Training took over. She disengaged the safety and pulled the slide back to load a bullet into the chamber. She grabbed her cell phone and carefully eased out of bed. Silently she slipped into the bathroom bringing Maggie with her. Maggie’s muscles were taught and her head remained erect, listening. They positioned themselves behind a wall that allowed her to see the door but not be seen as she was in the shadows. Kira switched her cell phone to silent and listened for movement, for anything. She dialed 911 but did not hit send. Flashbacks of irritated policeman from multiple fruitless calls during her undergrad years prevented her from calling. She had to be sure. She couldn’t bear the humiliation again.
Suddenly Maggie stiffened. Her hair bristled and she let out a low steady growl and moved a step in front of Kira. Kira’s heart pounded. She held the gun in one hand and the cell phone in the other, her thumb hovering over the send button. An eternity passed. She thought perhaps she had imagined the whole thing and then the door to the bedroom began to open very slowly. Maggie’s growl became louder. “Stop,” Kira yelled in a loud authoritative voice. “I have a gun and I will shoot.” The door instantly stopped moving. Kira waited. Her line of sight was perfect. If the door opened a fraction of an inch more, she would shoot. She waited. She struggled to listen for movement over the rapid pounding of her heart. The silence and the darkness crowded in around her and threatened to squeeze the breath from her lungs. Suddenly from downstairs there was a crash and the TV came on blaring some infomercial. Kira jumped and called 911.
“911 what’s your emergency.” A much-too-calm voice asked over the phone.
“My name is Kira Riley. I’m house sitting for a friend and I believe someone may be in the house.” Kira whispered sounding much calmer than she felt.
“What’s your address?” The robotic woman asked. Her monotone response was completely unaffected by Kira’s predicament.
“1708 Stanaford Drive, Colorado Springs.” Kira managed to get out. She was very shaken and afraid who ever it was, may still be in the house.
As the monotone woman told her to stay put, that help was on its way, Kira’s phone beeped in with another call. It was Paige. Paige wasn’t
exactly her bestie at the moment but she had managed to get Kira out of jail and out of trouble. Kira still couldn’t believe that the MP officer was a member of the club. She wondered just how far reaching their little group was. Kira put the 911 operator on hold and answered the call. Maybe it was just Paige or Zoe in the house.
“Hello,” she whispered into the phone.
“Kira is that you? You’re so quiet are you OK?” Paige’s voice strained over the booming techno music of The Apex Club. “The alarm was disabled at Owen’s house. They called me. Is everything OK? I think they are sending a squad over.” She sounded out of breath and worried.
“I think there may be someone in the house,” Kira said, her voice slightly higher pitched. If the alarm has been disabled someone is here! “I’ve got my gun. If they come in I’ll shoot.”
“Hold on there, Rambo! Stay put. Zoe and I are on the way. Do what you have to do to protect yourself but the last thing you need is to have to explain why you shot and killed an intruder in a sergeant’s house! One brush with the law is enough this week.” Paige stopped talking to Kira for a moment and yelled to Zoe in the noisy club. Kira could hear the muffled sounds of them talking and then Paige returned to the phone. “We’re on the way. Be there in 15 minutes. Stark is already pissed as hell at me. If I let something happen to you, well….”
Kira switched back over to the 911 operator who surprisingly was still there. “Another friend was called by the alarm company and said the alarm system was disarmed,” Kira blurted into the phone. Her anxiety was becoming harder to hide.
“We’ve already dispatched a unit and we have spoken with the alarm company. They called to dispatch a unit.” The monotone woman was yet to be effected by the situation.
Kira was becoming increasingly irritated at the woman’s complacency. I wonder if this is how patients’ families feel when we tell them we did our best and there is nothing more we can do? “Can you tell the officers that I’m armed? I’m in the upstairs master bedroom. The door to the bedroom started to open but when I announced that I was armed the door stopped. Then I heard a TV downstairs come on. Now the only thing I can hear is that TV blaring.” Kira was talking fast, blurting out every detail quickly into the phone as if somehow that would bring the police faster.
Stark September (Stark Trilogy Book 1) Page 29
