Game On (The Game Series)

by Carella, A. J.

  After a quick, hot shower he got dressed, again putting on his holster. Opening the bedroom door he was surprised to find the apartment in darkness. Turning on the lights, he went into the kitchen and found a note propped up on the counter. It was obviously from Tara and he opened it, a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. With relief he saw that she was telling him not to worry, she had gone to visit a friend. Okay, she hadn’t left him but what friend? He didn’t know she had any friends in L.A.

  Pushing it to the back of his mind he told himself he would ask her about it later. Right now he had to focus. It was dark outside and he needed to get himself set up outside the club. JJ had given him a really good description so he knew that he would know him when he saw him. What he didn’t want to do was go into a crowded club looking for him. No, much better he was outside when he arrived. He had no plan, had no idea what he was going to do when he confronted him but he knew that he was not being driven by sense but by emotion. If he’d stopped to think about it he would have known it was the wrong thing to do but he was letting his feelings take the lead.

  ***

  Tara was conflicted. She didn’t know what to do for the best. The pull of her daughter was incredible and she really needed to talk to Kyle about it but that was truly not an option at the moment. He had completely shut her out and she felt more alone now than she ever had working for Sergei. Then, she’d had no illusions, no expectations. Now she’d allowed herself to believe. She understood what he was doing, but Lori was gone. She was here. It was as if he had been taken over by something, something that would allow no room for her.

  After the fight, when Kyle had fallen asleep, she’d left the apartment and had wandered around for hours with no destination in mind. She’d ended up sitting at Venice Beach, almost in the exact spot where they’d spent that wonderful day that seemed like eons ago but was, in fact, only a few short months. Her mind had drifted over the trauma of her past, the pain of losing her child and then finally, the joy of meeting Kyle.

  He could never understand what it meant to someone like her that she had found him and that he had loved her completely despite her past life. She’d thought she’d had it all and, for a brief moment in time, in Geneva, she had. But then Sergei had intruded and, though they had agreed that, for now at least, they would move on, she had never been able to.

  Maybe she should have been honest with him, told him exactly how she was feeling. This was new territory for her, though. She’d never had anyone to share her feelings with, if she ever allowed herself to feel them. She had become so used to compartmentalizing them, burying them deep, that talking about them, sharing them, was completely alien to her. She’d been in no doubt, though, that when she finally did tell him, he would be by her side supporting her through it. She was still sure of it.

  But what she hadn’t seen coming was that he would shut her out from his life, as if there was his life, and their life together, the two things remaining separate. That hurt more than any blow she had received, any violation she had suffered. It had been getting dark by the time she shook the sand out of her shoes and left the beach having made a decision, her mind clearer. Knowing that he may well not forgive her, but knowing she had no choice, she made her way to see the one person she knew who could help her.

  ***

  Sandy was still at her desk when the call came through that there was someone at the front counter to see her. Wondering who it might be, she was surprised when she walked through the door to find Tara standing there. Taking in her appearance, she realised she looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

  “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. What can I do for you?” she asked gently.

  “Is there somewhere we can talk?” Tara said quietly.

  Sandy nodded. “Of course, follow me.” Leading her through the locked access door Sandy let her to one of the interview rooms. “I’m sorry about the décor but most of our visitors are just above pond scum on the evolutionary scale.” She pulled out a chair for Tara and sat herself down across the table from her. “Is everything ok?”

  Tara shook her head. “No. I’m worried about Kyle.”

  “Why, what’s happened?” She could see that this was difficult for her so she waited patiently for a reply.

  “I think he’s gone after Lori’s killer.”

  Sandy leaned forward and put her arms on the table. “What? Are you sure?”

  Tara nodded and went on to explain about his absences and the argument.

  Sandy let out a long breath. “Shit! Have you got any idea where he is now?”

  “He was still at the apartment when I left but I’m sure he’s gone by now. He said he had to go and take care of something tonight.”

  Sandy’s mind was racing now. This was bad. “And you’re sure he never said where?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Ok, you did the right thing coming to me.” She stood up.

  “One more thing.”

  “Yes?”

  “He’s armed.” Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This was really bad. She knew Kyle, knew what he was capable of when he lost control, and there was no doubt in her mind what his intentions were. How had he managed to track him down?

  There was only one possibility as far as she could tell. He’d worked for Luccio, knew all his contacts, he must have spoken to one of them. Luccio was still being held at the county jail. It was late, but under the circumstances she had no choice, she had to go and see him.

  Telling Tara to follow her, she grabbed her coat and they left the building together.

  “Go straight home. If he’s there, or if you hear from him, you ring me right away, okay? Here’s my cell.”

  Taking the number Tara agreed and turned and left. Sandy stood for a moment watching her leave. That she cared a great deal for Kyle was obvious and it had taken balls to come to her. God, that man was a fool sometimes. He got so wrapped up in the moment he let himself get blinded to the effect his actions had on those around him.

  She didn’t have time to worry about that now. She needed to get to Luccio, and fast. It wasn’t that she was worried about what Kyle would do to Deshaun, but she was terrified of what would happen to Kyle if she didn’t stop him.

  Sandy was still cursing him 20 minutes later as she pulled up outside the jail. What was he thinking? If he did something stupid he could end up here himself. She had no idea if Luccio had a softer side, doubted it very much, but somehow she had to get him to talk.

  ***

  Tara hadn’t expected him to be there when she got back so she wasn’t surprised when her suspicions were confirmed. The apartment now seemed hollow somehow. It was as if all the hope and love she had found here had already left and it was now no more than an empty shell. She knew what she had to do, had made the decision on the beach. Part of her had died then but she knew she had no choice.

  She’d done the right thing by going to Sandy. Kyle needed to be stopped, for his own good, and he wasn’t prepared to listen to her. That hurt. That and the realization that she was not as important to him as his revenge. She had thought they were so strong, destined to be together, but she was wrong.

  She had also realized that she could not live without her daughter, without trying at least. She’d been kidding herself if she thought that she could just carry on knowing she was out there someone and not do everything in her power to be with her.

  Sitting down on the bed, with her heart like a stone in her chest, she dialled the number.

  ***

  Sergei had just sat down for breakfast when his phone rang. Looking at the number, he realised instantly who it was and with a smug smile excused himself from the table. In the privacy of his office he answered the call.

  “Hello, Tara. I’ve been expecting your call.” He smiled to himself. He knew she’d call. It had just been a matter of time.

  “I want to see her.”

  “I thought you might, but it’s not as simple as that.” He heard her take
a deep breath at the other end of the line.

  “Why are you doing this to me? How could you be so cruel?”

  “You let me down Tara, after everything I did for you.”

  “Well, I’m ready to come back. I have to see her.”

  “What about your cowboy? How does he feel about this?”

  “That’s none of your business. I’ll deal with him. When can I see her?”

  He could hear the yearning in her voice and knew, without a doubt, that she would do anything now. He had her. “There will be a ticket in your name at the British Airways desk for the first flight in the morning. Don’t miss it.” He put the phone down without waiting for a reply. He didn’t need one. He knew she would come.

  Feeling very pleased with himself, he went back to his breakfast. Anna had finally got out of bed and was now at the table. “Good morning, darling. Sleep well?”

  She barely acknowledged him.

  “What have you got planned today? I thought we might spend the day together,” he said to her now.

  Her expression was almost one of horror at the idea of spending a whole day with him. “Steph is coming over.”

  “Who is Steph? A friend of yours from school?” She looked at him as if he was interrogating her.

  Sighing, she said “Yeah, she’s a couple of years above me but we take violin together.”

  That was new, he’d had no idea she was taking violin lessons. Not that he cared. “Okay, well I’m heading back to London tonight after dinner and I want us to eat together so make sure she’s gone by then.”

  Anna rolled her eyes at him.

  “Answer me, child,” he barked.

  Anna jumped. “Yes, dad.”

  Sergei nodded with satisfaction. That was more like it.

  ***

  Heading back to his office after he’d eaten, his mind was already on other things. He had to make arrangements for Tara’s flight to be met at the airport. He didn’t know what he was going to do with her yet, but one way or another she was going to made an example of. He chuckled to himself. Did she really think for an instant that he was going to let her anywhere near Anna? He hadn’t kept her away from her all these years just to backtrack now. No, Anna would never find out that her mother was a whore.

  There was no risk of her finding out either. He kept both parts of his life very much apart and there were few in his organisation who even knew Anna existed. He picked up the phone. Time to get things organised. Calling Joey, he gave him the details of Tara’s flight and told him to meet her at the airport. She was to be taken back to her London apartment which Sergei had kept vacant, confident he would get her back. His orders were that she was not to be left alone.

  He was looking forward to seeing her again.

  Chapter 15

  Kyle was getting twitchy. He had been sitting in his car across from the club on Acacia Street since just after dark. It was now 11 p.m. and still there was no sign of him. If JJ had lied to him, he would go back and this time he wouldn’t be as gentle with him.

  He went to check his phone and then remembered he had turned it off. He didn’t want to be distracted by anyone tonight. It felt like he was approaching a conclusion of some sort and he wanted to be totally focused.

  He saw someone approach on foot from the left and, as he walked under a streetlamp, he realized he matched the description JJ had given him perfectly. This was it, it was time. Stepping out of his car, he crossed the street and fell into step behind him.

  “Hey, dude,” Kyle said.

  Deshaun stopped and turned. “Yeah, whatcha want?”

  Kyle played the part of the junkie quite well from his days on the LAPD, and now he adopted the hunched and nervous demeanor of someone needing a fix. “You help me out? You got any?”

  He watched as Deshaun hesitated. It was a calculated move. He didn’t know him, but he wasn’t about to turn down a sale. With a quick glance around, Deshaun gestured with his head to a dark alley that ran down the side of the building they were standing in front of.

  “Not out here man,” Deshaun said, turning up his collar.

  Turning his back on Kyle he walked into the darkness. Bad move. Before he knew what had hit him, Kyle had the dealer pinned with his face pressed up against the wall.

  “I’ve waited a long time for this,” he hissed in his ear.

  “What the fuck’s going on? Who the fuck are you?” Deshaun was struggling against him but Kyle held him firm. Had he not been an addict, he may not have managed it as Deshaun was a big man, nearly six feet and wide, with the build of a weight lifter. But the drugs had taken their toll and had started eating away at him. What once would have been hard muscle was now wasting away and he was no longer as strong as he once would have been.

  “Do you remember a woman, a pregnant woman, that you shot in the parking lot of a Walmart?”

  Kyle felt him momentarily still.

  “Huh? No idea what you’re talking about man, you got the wrong dude. Now get the fuck off me!”

  He tried to push against Kyle, but it was like trying to move an immovable object. Kyle had his arm twisted up between his shoulder blades and at this he pushed the arm higher, causing him to cry out in pain.

  “You may as well admit it, your friend JJ already filled me in.”

  “What’s it to you anyway? So I offed the bitch. Big deal.”

  Kyle didn’t know how he had expected to feel but this admission, after all this time, left him feeling weak with relief. Kyle must have eased his hold on Deshaun slightly because in an instant he had pushed himself away from the wall, turned and landed a punch to the right side of Kyle’s head. He went crashing down to the ground, stunned. Holding his hand to the side of his head he looked up, straight into the barrel of a gun. Rookie mistake! He’d forgotten to check him for weapons.

  “Not so cocky now are you? Now who the fuck are you?”

  Kyle answered, while trying to figure a way out of the mess he was in. “She was my wife.”

  “Ah, now I get it. You’re the dude that went to work for Luccio.”

  He laughed then and the sound set something off inside of Kyle. The weakness was gone and the rage was building until with a burst of speed he jumped to his feet and ran at him. Surprised, Deshaun fired his gun and Kyle felt himself get hit, the force of the bullet spinning him around, sending him to his knees.

  Determined that if he was going to die he was taking his wife’s murderer with him, he managed to grab his gun from his holster and, taking aim, he fired at the killer’s retreating back. Collapsing to the floor and losing blood fast, Kyle didn’t know whether he had hit him or not before his world went dark.

  Chapter 16

  Sitting across from Luccio, Sandy could feel her skin crawl. He was looking her up and down like she was a piece of steak he wanted to devour at any moment.

  “So, what makes you think I want to do anything to help Kyle?”

  Sandy knew she had to be very careful. If she said the wrong thing, he would just clam up and then Kyle would be on his own.

  “I don’t think for a minute you’d want to do anything to help him. But I do think you’d want to help yourself.” Sandy could see the calculation going on in his eyes. He was nothing if not a selfish man and she knew that if it meant helping himself he would sell his own grandmother.

  “What do you mean exactly? What are you offering?”

  Sandy hid her smile. Gotcha! “Well you’re going to prison. There’s no doubt about that but where you serve your time is not set in stone. Help me and I’ll put a word in, say you helped us. I’m sure you’d much rather serve your time in one of the nicer prisons?” Sandy watched as he licked his lips, his tongue making him appear even more like a snake. Suppressing a shudder she forced herself to keep a smile on her face.

  “Can you guarantee it?” he asked, leaning forward.

  “No, you know I can’t do that.”

  He shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “Then no deal.”
<
br />   Sandy was getting pissed off with this dance now and, not even pretending to smile anymore, she leaned forward. “No, I can’t guarantee it. But, what I can guarantee is that if you don’t help me I will make it my personal mission to make sure that you go to the worst prison possible where you will be welcomed with open arms once I let it be known how much you helped us.”

  For the first time Luccio looked a bit nervous and she could see that she had him. “Okay, okay, but I want it noted that I cooperated ok?”

  Sandy nodded.

  “Okay. I know where Deshaun hangs out. Well, where he used to hang out anyway, I don’t know if he still does.”

  “Okay, so spill.”

  He sighed heavily. “Okay, there’s this club on Acacia Street. A total shit hole. From what I hear, he’s there most nights dealing.”

  Without another word Sandy stood up and, with a screech, pushed the chair back from the table. As the door closed behind her she heard him shout out, “Don’t forget our deal!”

  Almost at a run she left the jail and jumped into her car. She knew the club he was talking about. She considered calling for backup for about a second but knew that if she did it would invite all sorts of questions about how Kyle came to know who to go after in the first place. No, this was her mess. It was down to her to sort it out. Squealing out of the parking lot, she put her foot down. She just hoped she wasn’t too late.

  Kyle opened his eyes and for a brief second had no idea where he was. He tried to sit up and immediately a sharp pain in his shoulder reminded him of where he was and what had happened. Remembering Deshaun, he looked around the alley and saw him lying about ten feet away, sprawled facedown and not moving. He was pleased, as he’d had no idea if his shot had hit its target.

  Pulling himself over to the alley wall he used it as leverage and managed to get himself into a sitting position. He immediately became dizzy and had to close his eyes for a few seconds until the world stopped spinning. He’d lost a lot of blood.

  Pushing his shirt out of the way he inspected the wound. He’d been hit in the shoulder thankfully, the bullet missing any major organs. He couldn’t move that arm, though. Reaching over his shoulder and running his hand along his back, it looked like the bullet had gone straight through.