Rough Ride (Riding with Honor)

by Rebecca Avery

  Chapter Ten

  Lilly woke to a light tap on the door. Rolling over she looked at the alarm clock next to the bed and winced at the time. She had tossed and turned most of the night. “You should call him… I think he really likes you. He’s not rich but money isn’t everything… sometimes just being there during the bullshit is everything.” Sherri’s words had haunted her sleep. That along with the nervousness she felt being around Kyle… in his home…had made for one long night.

  “Hey sleeping beauty, are you awake?” Kyle asked through the slightly opened door.

  “Yea, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sleep so late,” she answered.

  Pushing open the door with his foot, Kyle carried a tray in and laid it down across her lap. The tray contained a bagel and some cream cheese with a cup of coffee. After situating the tray Kyle sat on the edge of the bed and stared at her.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Would you mind to hand me my purse from the chair?”

  Standing back up Kyle walked over and retrieved her purse from the chair near the dresser. It contained a digital recorder that she was to use if she was not wired to the live feed that transmitted to a van that was somewhere close by, supposedly watching the house… and her. Having caught her before she had a chance to shower and don the small device that was inside the locket of a necklace, she would have to use the recorder.

  After he handed it to her she reached inside and turned the recorder on, leaving it in her purse while she pulled out her cell phone. She felt pretty good that her sleight of hand had gone unnoticed by Kyle since his eyes never left her face. Glancing at the phone she was disappointed to see that Bobby had not called her.

  “How are you feeling this morning?” He asked.

  “I’m scared to death Kyle. I had thought this was over and to have to come back here where I’m hated…” she began.

  “You are not hated,” he said as he reached up and touched her face.

  She forced herself to accept his touch though she wanted badly to pull away from it. Deciding that getting him to talk might keep him from touching her she continued, “What am I going to do? I swear to you I didn’t take that money. I knew nothing about it.”

  “I know you didn’t. I want you to eat your breakfast and then we are going to the club. I have a meeting setup with an attorney friend of mine at eleven. He will be able to help us out so don’t worry,” Kyle said, continuing to softly rub his thumb along her cheekbone.

  “They have all my accounts frozen again and I have nothing. How can I possibly afford to hire an attorney and support myself during a long drawn out trial?” she asked.

  “Let me worry about that. You just get yourself together and meet me downstairs,” he said.

  “I need to go by the storage facility and get some of my clothes… I have nothing,” she whispered looking down.

  “Not to worry. I took the liberty of sending my housekeeper out for an outfit for you. We can do a little shopping after we leave the club,” Kyle said.

  She would have preferred to avoid the club where she and Darren had been honorary members for years but she needed to allow Kyle to think she would do whatever he suggested so that he would trust her. She was nearly repulsed by the way Kyle stared at her as though he were undressing her with his eyes as she made quick work of her breakfast.

  Taking the tray from her he left the room and returned with a couple of department store bags which he sat on the edge of her bed.

  “Take your time, we have a while yet before we need to leave,” he said and then left the room.

  She gathered the bags and headed to the bathroom where she locked the door and prayed he didn’t have a key. After having showered, dressed and donned her necklace, while ensuring it was switched on she headed back into her room. Finding her cell phone on the bed she picked it up and noticed a missed call. Looking at the caller ID she saw that it was from Bobby and her heart nearly stopped beating.

  She desperately wanted to call him back, but fear of Kyle over-hearing the conversation made her simply clear out the missed call and head downstairs.

  Much sooner than she would have liked she found herself at a table in the clubhouse. People she had known for more than a decade were sitting nearby trying desperately to avoid looking at her. She and Kyle were joined by an older man in a grey business suit who avoided looking at her but shook Kyle’s hand.

  “Thanks for meeting us,” Kyle said to the man. “Lilly, this is Simon Barhorst.”

  “Do you have the money?” Simon asked him.

  “Yes. Shall we order first before we get down to business?” Kyle asked.

  Simon nodded his head while Kyle called over the waiter and ordered for himself and Lilly. Upon seeing the waiter pour a glass of wine for her and the two men seated on either side of her, she could not stop her mind from drifting to Bobby. “You taste like wine and strawberries.”

  She closed her eyes and forced her mind back to the silent men that appeared to be sizing each other up and away from memories that were threatening to bring tears to her eyes.

  The two short weeks she had spent with Bobby had been wonderful. She had been treated like an intelligent and capable member of the shop. He made her feel as though nothing else existed for him when she was in the room.

  These men seemed as though they wouldn’t notice if she fell over dead in her dinner plate. She was arm candy, perfectly coifed and meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Having been back for just a few days now, she felt out of her element.

  Once the food had been served the men’s conversation changed from one of small talk to more serious matters. Removing an envelope from his jacket pocket, Kyle laid it on the table and then slid it towards Simon. Picking it up Simon put it in his jacket pocket without looking at the contents.

  “So Mrs. Warner, can you tell me what happened to the money?” Simon asked her.

  “I have no idea Mr. Barhorst. I wasn’t privy to my husband’s business affairs and I assure you that I do not have any money hidden away somewhere. This is all a mistake,” she said.

  Simon and Kyle exchanged a look across the table and continued eating.

  “What exactly does the local Sheriff’s Office think that it has on you that somehow got overlooked by the FBI?” Simon asked her.

  “My husband made some investments before he died using money his parents gave us as an anniversary gift. They are now saying that money was not gifted but was in fact money obtained from my falsified employment and was only invested to show potential earnings to investors. They are saying that eight million dollars of money my husband defrauded those investors out of is missing and they seem to think I have it,” she explained. “The FBI was able to track down all but that amount.”

  “So local law enforcement thinks they can endear the citizens if they can find the remaining amount of missing funds?” Simon asked.

  “Or at least pin it on someone. The victims want closure and I can understand that but I am innocent. I had nothing to do with my husband’s business dealings. If I had I would have left the country not just left town,” she said.

  “How much money did your former in-laws give you as a wedding gift?” Simon asked.

  “Fifteen million, out of which I have offered to pay the eight million that is missing,” she lied.

  Simon and Kyle again shared a look across the table.

  “You should not have offered them the money, it makes you look guilty,” Simon stated.

  “I didn’t know what to do and I don’t want to go to prison for something I didn’t do,” she said.

  “The in-laws provided proof of the initial fifteen million dollar investment?” Simon asked.

  She realized she was backed into a corner and this was not something Detective Sanders had advised her about. Knowing she would have to adlib and feeling uncomfortable with the way that Kyle and Simon kept passing glances back and forth, she decided to go out on a limb.

  “Yes, but according to the detective working t
he case, the return on the initial investment is not possible. I can’t explain where the other money came from because I don’t know!” she cried.

  “How much is in the account now Mrs. Warner?” Simon asked, setting down his fork and leaning towards her.

  “Upwards of twenty eight million, but I swear I have no idea where the excess money came from,” she said.

  Watching the silent exchanges between Kyle and Simon had her so on edge she was terrified she would slip up and give herself away. Deciding she needed a minute to collect herself she said, “I’m sorry I need to freshen up, I will return shortly.”

  With that she lifted her purse and then remembering the recorder inside, she reached in and turned it on before grabbing her makeup satchel out. She set the purse on her seat and left the table.

  As she made it to the women’s restroom, several ladies stopped talking when she entered and then quickly finished up. She sank against the wall as they rushed to the exit after making a show of snubbing her. One of the ladies was the wife of one of the men who had invested with Darren.

  Though she wanted to defend herself to the woman and tell her it was all a big lie and that she was trying to help them, instead she fought back tears. Staring at herself in the mirror she freshened up her makeup and forced herself to calm down. After several minutes she felt ready to face Kyle and Simon once more. She could do this.

  As she approached the table, it appeared that Simon had finished his meal and was getting ready to leave.

  “Mrs. Warner, I am going to look over the arrest warrant and subpoena the arrest report from the detectives. I will be in contact with you in a couple of days once I have looked over everything and have a more accurate picture of how to proceed with your case,” Simon said as he shook her hand.

  “Thank you Mr. Barhorst. I appreciate you agreeing to represent me and please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions,” she said.

  After Simon walked away she sat down next to Kyle and while placing her makeup bag in her purse turned off the recorder.

  “I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay you Kyle, especially if I’m convicted…” she choked out.

  “Mr. Barhorst is a powerful man Lilly. He will get this mess cleared up for you and then you can worry about repaying me. For now, don’t worry about the money or anything else,” Kyle said, reaching across the table to take her hand. “I have to go to the office for a little while, did you want to stay here or would you rather I take you home?” Home?

  Looking around she watched as several women’s heads turned away from her. How had she ever felt comfortable around these people? People who were supposed to be her friends, people she had tried so hard to impress. Looking back she realized she hadn’t ever felt herself here and had only participated in the farce to please Darren.

  “I’m ready to leave now. Thank You,” she said.

  After dropping her off at his estate, he offered her his credit card and the use of one of his vehicles to do some shopping. She waited for twenty minutes in her room after Kyle left before venturing out. Finding a local coffee shop, she went inside and called Detective Sanders. He called her back ten minutes later asking her to come outside to a waiting van.

  Climbing in to the back of the van she noticed that another man was inside. After sitting down she fished the recorder out of her purse and handed it to the detective.

  As he worked on plugging in the digital recorder, Lilly said, “I turned it on earlier during a meeting with my attorney. I haven’t listened to what was said while I was in the restroom yet. Other than that, there isn’t much else on it.”

  As the recording began to play, Lilly sat stunned.

  “Apparently that bastard was holding out on us,” Kyle’s voice came through the recorder.

  “You be whatever shoulder she needs to cry on while I get this taken care of in court. Once she’s in the clear and they remove the hold on her account, we get her to hand over the money and it’s done,” Simon replied. “I have a friend in the clerk’s office that will see to it that she gets our judge. Before I do that though, you need to know that if you dick me like Darren did on this deal, I will take your ass out too.” Simon said.

  “Unlike Darren, I know who my friends are. I take care of those who take care of me,” Kyle said.

  “Well on that note, I have some other business I have to tend to so I’ll catch up with you later,” Simon said.

  Her voice cut in on the recording asking if Simon was leaving and Detective Sanders shut off the recorder.

  “Mrs. Warner… I don’t know how to thank you,” the man who sat in the front driver’s seat said. “We knew he was working with others but had no idea who they were. Thanks to that recording, we can put some guys in the courthouse to see which judge is in Mr. Barhorst’s pocket.”

  “Do I know you?” she asked.

  “He’s FBI Lilly. Special Agent Leo Brower is also working with us on this case but he couldn’t be here today,” Detective Sanders said, showing her a picture of the other agent. “Barhorst and Kyle were responsible for the ‘accident’ that killed your husband. We suspected it… but couldn’t prove it until now. As much as I’d like to just arrest them both on charges of murder and laundering money amongst other things I need to hold off for just a bit longer. As you heard on the recording, there are more people in on this thing than even we knew. We’re going to need you to stay on this at least long enough for Simon to lead us to his contacts at the courthouse and the judge.”

  “How long will that take?” she asked.

  “I wish I could say for sure but it shouldn’t take long because it’s a high profile case and will move along swiftly without opposition from the defense…” he said, winking at her. “Once we know who the judge is you’ll be pulled out of this whole thing. We don’t want to risk any of them finding out there really isn’t any extra money… it could endanger you and we need you to testify.”

  She realized that it was in Simon and Kyle’s and whomever else’s best interest to move her case through the system quickly in an effort to get to the money. However, should they find out she’d made it all up…she’d be a dead woman. Living amongst snakes was very likely to get her bit if she wasn’t careful.

  “When this is over we are even. I want any funds that I am legally entitled to and I never want to deal with these people again,” she said.

  “I promise other than testifying in court, which will probably be necessary, when this is over I will leave you alone…you’ll never hear from me again,” he said.

  She spent the remainder of the afternoon shopping and found a few outfits she thought Kyle would approve of. She decided to stop by the storage facility and as she looked around at the household items, she wondered how much of it was purchased with money that didn’t rightfully belong to her or Darren.

  Guilt over what Darren had done seemed to weigh her down and she decided that when this was over she would auction off everything she owned and give the proceeds to the victims or at least to charity. This would be the last step in leaving behind the ghosts of her past so that she could move on with her future.

  Would her future include the motorcycle shop and Bobby? She missed them and not having to watch her back, what she said, and how she might appear to others. She missed having the freedom to be herself that Bobby and the guys had given her. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she thought about how quickly Bobby had moved on from her. Yet given the chance, she wouldn’t change the night she’d spent in his arms.

  After finding a few more outfits to wear in the storage unit and then locking it back up, she headed back to Kyle’s. As she headed out of town, a motorcycle passed her and the noise from it seemed to batter her frayed nerves and aching heart.

  God help her but she was falling in love with Bobby Jackson regardless of his bad boy image and playboy ways. Somehow she would have to hide her broken heart from Kyle, though she really wanted to unleash the torrent of feelings that any thought, me
mory or reminder of Bobby seemed to bring on. As much as being amongst known criminals would be a hard road to travel, getting over Bobby would be the roughest part of the ride.

  By the time she made it back to Kyle’s, she was tired from the stress and strain of yet again pretending to be something she was not. A nagging sensation at the base of her skull pounded out a question over and over. What was the worst that could happen if she called him?

  The worst that could happen was if Kyle, Simon or anyone else involved in this mess were to catch on to this dangerous game she played. It would not only put her in danger but anyone else she cared about. Sherri would be their first target which was bad enough. As bad as the thought of Sherri being in danger was the thought of the guys…Bobby…being in danger if they found out she had contacted him, stole her breath. The less he knew the better…not that he even cared.

  After hanging up her clothing in the closet of the guest room Kyle was allowing her to use for as long as it was needed, she lay down for a much needed nap. Sometime later she was startled awake from the feel of being watched. Rolling over she noticed Kyle sitting in a chair across the room. His legs were crossed and he was watching her. Had he figured out she was here to bring about justice?

  “Has something happened?” she asked.

  “No… I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you,” he replied. “I just came to make sure you were ok after our meeting with Simon this morning.”

  Then why was he just sitting there… staring at her? “I’m fine… just trying to deal with the waiting, which is the hardest part. I just wish I knew something…” she finally answered after a long pause.

  “Well I can tell you that Simon is already working on having your case transferred to a different judge… one that is more impartial and less likely to decide against you based on media hype,” Kyle said.

  Yea…right! “Thank you Kyle… I owe you already with no way to repay your kindness,” She said, and then flinched as she realized her words nearly sounded like a come on which was not her intention.