Stark September (Stark Trilogy Book 1)

by C. D. Bradley

  Minutes that seemed like hours passed and finally Kira heard a car pulling up in the driveway. She could see the red and blue lights flashing in the window. The 911 operator had remained on the phone with her. “The police are there. Stay put and let them come to you.” Now the woman’s calm monotone was reassuring.

  Kira obeyed. Her phone began beeping repeatedly. It was Stark. Kira didn’t answer. She wanted to be on the phone when the police came to the door so she would know when to put down her gun. She hit ignore. Almost immediately it began beeping in again. Kira could hear the police downstairs clearing the house. “They are coming upstairs,” the woman said. “Stay on the phone and stay put until they give you an all clear.”

  Maggie began barking loudly and snarling. She stood at attention, positioning herself between Kira and the door. Kira heard footsteps outside the door. She froze listening. Waiting.

  “Ma’am, this is the Colorado Springs police department. Put your weapon on the floor and step away,” a booming male voice said from the other side of the door.

  “It’s the police,” the dispatcher said. “Follow his instructions. You are safe now.”

  Kira followed orders and put her weapon on the floor. She stepped back. “OK.” She said as low as she could muster. “It’s on the floor.” She stood and backed up.

  The door flew all the way open and two armed officers entered and turned on the light. They searched the room and inspected Kira.

  “Ma’am are you hurt?” The shorter officer asked. His curly, dark hair framed his round face. He was stocky but strong, like more of a CrossFit junkie than Dunkin Doughnuts patron.

  In the bright light Kira was suddenly aware that she was wearing only Stark’s T-shirt and a pair of panties. She was immediately embarrassed and her cheeks flushed bright red. Just then there was a commotion of voices downstairs.

  “Kira! Kira! Where are you?” Paige’s voice could be heard increasingly louder as she mounted the stairs. “Are you OK?” She gasped, out of breath, with a red-faced, panting Zoe right behind her. Kira watched Paige’s expression change as she entered the room and saw the two strapping officers. Her eyes twinkled and the grimace was replaced with a slow playful smile. “Well, well, if this is what you get when you call 911 in the middle of the night, I may have to put it on speed dial,” she mused. Then, turning to Kira, she became serious. “Are you ok? There is a broken window down stairs!”

  “Who are you?” The taller officer asked. His brow furrowed in frustration. Kira could see that he was young and nervous. His hands gripped the 9mm a little too tightly. He glanced back and forth from Kira in her T-shirt to the two scantily dressed tattooed club hoppers. Kira almost giggled trying to imagine what he must be thinking.

  “I’m Paige and this is Zoe. We were called by the security company. We are close personal friends of the owner and were here to check things out.” She said confidently. Her voice flowed like silk across her lips and grasped the young officer more effectively than if she had done it with one of her long acrylic nails.

  Oh jeez! Kira rolled her eyes. “So about the house,” she said, trying to bring everyone’s attention to why they were here at two thirty in the morning. “Someone broke in….,” she prompted when no one responded.

  “Oh y-yes ma’am,” the shorter officer responded as if suddenly remembering he was on duty. “We’ll need to get statements from all of you. We will need you to come downstairs and check to see if anything is missing. It does look as if someone broke in. The alarm system was cut which set off the silent alarms and the glass in the kitchen door was broken. The door was standing open when we arrived.”

  There had been someone there. Not ten feet from her. Someone had been in the house. At once Kira felt sick. The room spun and everyone sounded far away. He was in here! Someone was in here! Kira stumbled back and Paige grabbed a chair for her.

  “Is she alright?” the officer asked, alarmed.

  “Yeah, she’s just a little shaken up, that’s all. Zoe will you get her some sweats and a sweat shirt,” Paige directed. They all jumped as Kira’s phone started buzzing like crazy across the floor. As Kira pressed her head in her hands, she heard Zoe answer the phone.

  “She’s OK.” By the tone of Zoe’s voice, Kira could tell it was Stark and he wasn’t happy. “Owen, she’s OK, just a little shaken up, that’s all. What do you mean all our fault? We weren’t even here.”

  Paige strode in and took the phone from Zoe. “Calm yourself down. She’s fine. The police are here. They’ve checked everything out. Looks like someone tried to break in but Zena the Warrior Princess here scared them off with her beretta.” She helped Kira stand up and gave her a glass of water from the sink. “Yes, you can talk to her give her just a minute.”

  Kira waved her away. She still hadn’t brought herself to talk to Stark after the incident at the club, seeing him in that way with all those women. Kira had only stayed at his house due to fear. Fear of what she wasn’t even sure anymore. The nightmares had to be her mind just playing tricks on her. And clearly this house wasn’t any safer than her own apartment.

  “Kira, you have to talk to him eventually. He’s going to find out about everything. You two need to talk about it.” Paige handed her the phone and turned to take the officers back down stairs.

  Kira sat looking at the phone in her hand. She wasn’t ready to face or hear anything he had to say. But here she was sitting in his bedroom, wearing his shirt. “Hello,” Kira squeaked out trying to sound braver than she felt.

  “God, Kira are you OK?” Stark’s voice sounded panicked. “I’ve been trying and trying to call your cell for a week! Why the hell didn’t you answer?”

  “I was on the phone with the dispatcher. I didn’t want to hang up with her until the police were in here. I’m OK.” Kira steadied her voice. She knew he had enough on his plate dealing with his father’s death and squaring things up in California. She couldn’t put him or herself through this conversation now.

  “For the last week? What have you been up to? I can’t get a hold of you and I’m going crazy. I am trying to take care of things here and I am worried sick that you are dead by the road somewhere. Then I get this call from the alarm company. Tell me what the hell happened!” The helpless frustration was coming through clearly over the miles.

  “I woke up and it sounded like someone was in the house. Maggie heard it, too. I took my beretta and Maggie and I went into the bathroom and called 911. It may have all been a big mistake,” Kira explained. She left out the details of seeing the door move and the broken door downstairs. She knew he would learn these things soon enough but she didn’t want to stress him anymore with everything he had going on.

  “I’m flying home,” he said forcefully, as if he was making the decision right that second.

  “You can’t! What about your father’s company? You have things to take care of in California. I’m fine. It will be fine,” she answered quickly.

  “The hell you will. You don’t answer my calls. Now someone’s trying to break in and kill you!” he yelled into the phone.

  “First of all, no one tried to kill me. I handled myself just fine. If I’m lonely I guess I could always go hang out again at The Apex Club. And you can’t be around every second to protect me. F.Y.I. next week when you’re off fighting terrorists in the desert or the jungle I’ll still be here, a Captain in the United States Army taking care of myself.” She regretted the words as quickly as they escaped her mouth. The silence on the other end spoke volumes.

  “The what?” he asked very quietly.

  “I don’t need you or anyone else to stay with me,” she protested, angry at being treated like a little girl.

  “What do you know about The Apex Club?” His voice was deadly cold.

  Kira hesitated. “I don’t want to go into this right now. We can talk later when you get back. You have enough on your plate right now.”

  “The hell I do. Tell me. Now.” Kira recognized the dominate tone of voice. B
ut it wasn’t going to work this time.

  “I know all about your fun little club. But don’t you worry, I can handle myself,” Kira spouted defiantly.

  “I don’t know what is going on there. I’m sending in my team to stay with you until we can revamp security on the house. Kira, promise me you will stay away from that club.”

  She had no intention of playing hostess to tattoo queens or a frat pack of soldiers. “I’m not your child. Hell, I don’t even know if I’m your girlfriend,” Kira blurted. “What I should do is just go back to my apartment where I actually live.” What she wanted was to get a good night sleep. What was left of it, anyway. She had a long day of clinic tomorrow and then trauma call. Dealing with this emotional nightmare was not helping things any. She just needed to focus on salvaging her career at this point.

  “You are staying right there. If I have to fly home and keep you safe then so be it. I love you, Kira. God damn it. You are staying there and they are coming to help you,” Stark ordered. “End of discussion,” He hung up before she could complain.

  Kira sighed in aggravation and put on the sweats. Damn it to hell! She made her way downstairs to find the officers enjoying coffee and taking statements from Zoe and Paige. She rolled her eyes and went to join them. Might as well have coffee. Doesn’t look like I’ll be going back to sleep any time soon.

  Kira was halfway through her statement with the younger officer when Stark’s crew showed up. They were dressed in battle gear, each carrying enough munitions to take out a small country. She was surprised that the officers didn’t react with alarm or even bravado at having the team intrude on their turf. Quite the opposite—it seemed as if the older, stocky police officer knew Stark’s team well. She wondered if he had previously been a part of them or if he was just a big fan. She saw them nodding toward her and Paige and overheard Sergeant Colin tell the officer, “Oh no, not that one. She’s off limits.” Then winking at Paige, “and this one has no limits.” He finished with a chuckle. Paige grinned approvingly. Kira rolled her eyes again. She could only imagine what the officer must be thinking with all these women in one house. She looked at Paige and Zoe. They had clearly been at the club, their usual rockabilly style amplified with a Lady Gaga twist this evening. Zoe walked around to each soldier serving coffee. She wore a small black satin hat with a large silk flower and a tiny fishnet veil. It contrasted drastically with her red hair. He curled locks of bright red hair cascaded down her shoulders and bounced, along with some of her other parts, with each perky step. The black-and-white polka dot strapless top of her dress barely contained her more than ample chest. A tiny red bow on the top left hem had to be about where her nipple was stuffed into the dress. Kira almost giggled watching the men stare at it as they got their coffee. The large red bow at her waist accentuated her curves. Though she really did look like a pin up girl from the 50s, Kira wondered how those proportions were physically possible. She bent over balancing on a pair of Mary Jane-style stilettos. All the men bent in unison following her movements.

  “Welcome to the dysfunctional family!” Paige said to Kira as she walked up behind her.

  “How are you all so wide awake?” Kira asked still groggy and grumpy. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off she just wanted to go back to bed. “Are you all really planning to stay here?”

  “You’re part of the family now, Kiddo. Whether you want to be or not. Owen picked you so you’re in,” she said, patting Kira on the shoulder. “Course that doesn’t mean I’m going to be any easier on you, Vanilla.” She smiled and started to go back into the kitchen. Kira watched her walk away. The tattooed beauty was barely covered in a halter top and sailor shorts. Her shapely legs and delicate ankles were covered with artwork. Despite the unnaturally tall shoes, she walked with grace. Kira realized that the police would have no interest in who she was. No desire to pry and find out she was a captain. She started to relax a little until she noticed the state of the living room.

  “What the hell is all this?” Kira demanded as they set up a mock command post in her living room. “OK guys, this is a bit much. We’re not exactly under siege here. You’re taking this way too far.”

  “Stark gave strict orders. Secure the premises and upgrade the security system,” Sergeant Colin answered mockingly. His smirk was telling and only infuriated Kira.

  “You have got to be joking! He’s not your commanding officer and I’m sure you don’t have permission to take all this from the base.”

  “This is personal gear, ma’am. Just a friend helping a friend out,” a soldier named Chip said, flashing an award-winning smile at Kira. She let out a long sigh. There was no getting around this crew. These guys stuck together like their very lives depended on it. Sometimes their lives did depend on sticking together, she realized, and cut him a little slack.

  Kira finished her statement with the police. A thorough search of the house showed nothing missing. Nothing was out of place except for the broken window and the small wooden table beside the couch. It appeared that the intruder had tripped over it in his escape, knocking it over and falling on the remote, turning on the TV. She had to admit that was more unnerving than if they had stolen some of the valuables on the first level. They had completely ignored his office with papers and cash on his desk. Whomever it was had been looking for something. Kira had a sinking feeling that something was her. This is crazy! I won’t give in to paranoia. No one is after me. This was just a robbery interrupted.

  Sergeant Colin came up and put his hand on her shoulder after the police left. “Try to relax, OK?. I know you’ve had a rough week. We’re here. The security system is being revamped and when it’s done, we’ll be out of your hair. I think Paige and Zoe are sticking around, though, so you won’t be by yourself.”

  “Thanks. I hate you guys having to go to all this trouble. It’s a lot to do at three in the morning,” Kira said, shaking her head and feeling like a baby. The truth was she was glad they were there. The idea that someone was looking for her brought back so many memories and fears. She was too afraid to voice them to anyone, even Paige.

  “It’s no problem. Stark would drop everything for us if we needed him. That’s what brothers do. We would go to the ends of the earth to watch out for each other. We want to be sure you’re ready.” He smiled reassuringly and got back to work.

  The guys finished around five thirty. Pretty fast work considering they redid the entire system as well as installed cameras and infrared motion detectors in every part of the house. They put double and triple fail-safe mechanisms so that if someone did try to deactivate the system, it would immediately notify Stark, the police, the team, and Kira. They packed up their gear and told her to call if she had any trouble.

  The house seemed quiet after they left. Zoe had settled on to the couch with Mags and was watching and old Lauren Bacall movie. Paige was cleaning up the kitchen and had changed into a velour lounge suit. Kira realized she hadn’t even been in some of the downstairs guest rooms. For all she knew, Paige had a room and clothes here. The thought both aggravated and strangely comforted her. It was nice at times not to be alone, especially with Stark gone so much. However, there were so many things she had to accept to be with him: the plethora of beautiful exes, the Apex Club, and his lifelong dedication to the army.

  “Well, I guess it’s about time for me to get ready for work,” she said sleepily. The hours of missed sleep were going to make trauma call tonight brutal. She started to head upstairs and Paige called after her.

  “Kira,” Paige said in a lower, confidential voice. Kira walked back into the Kitchen. “Did you talk to Stark?”

  “Sort of. I told him I know about the club.. I just,. I left out the rest. God, Paige why did you even take me there?” Kira wished she had wine instead of coffee.

  “I wasn’t trying to hurt you,” Paige explained. “I wanted you to have fun. To let go a little. You are so damn uptight! You have to believe I never meant for him to be on those screens. Those films aren’t even
part of the ones we play there. They were from my private collection. Seriously, Kira I’m not sure what happened. I took you there because I wanted you to see the club. I wanted…I don’t know…for you to know who we really are. I had this whole routine planned. I thought in the end you would like it.”

  “Like it? I find out my boyfriend is part of some deranged sex ring and I am supposed to like it?”

  “We aren’t deranged and for your information, Owen hasn’t been there since he met you. You have changed him somehow. I guess…” Paige looked at the floor.

  “You thought if I joined the club he would come back,” Kira said, finally understanding.

  “I never dreamed it would turn out like it did. Lysander has been questioning everyone to see who got into the control room. I am really sorry. It was probably Lila or one of her bitch friends,” Paige sneered. She leaned over and put her hand on Kira’s shoulder. “I am really sorry. And I’m not even going to kick your ass for stealing my car.”

  “Gee, thanks. I’m sure spending the night in JAIL more than makes up for it. You sure have some friends in high places. When that MP officer picked me up at the jail I almost peed my pants,” Kira admitted.

  “Ha! I would have liked to have seen that! Man, she is one tough bitch! Love me some Adelisa. You’re lucky she was really on duty or she wouldn’t have just dropped you off here,” Paige teased with a twinkle in her eye. “She might have had some fun with you first.”

  Kira shuddered and realized she had dodged a bullet. “I really thought we were going to meet the Major and my commanding officer. Paige, I would have died!”