Gage, Ronna - Send Her To Me (Siren Publishing Classic) (14 page)

Carter looked back at Tonya. She nodded but said nothing. If Kelli learned the truth from someone other than him or Tonya, it would be a matter of time before the public would hear of it through the media. Then, the team would know he was the owner. Everyone would view him differently.

He turned to Kelli. “Who told you I owned the team?’

“Fuck you,” she hissed.

Carter didn’t expect her to use language like that in front of other people. She’d always acted like a lady, not some brazen redneck with a temper from hell.

“That’s what I like about you, Kelli. Your ladylike manners.”

“Go to hell!” Kelli stomped to the door and opened it. “Get out! I don’t ever want to see your lying face again. Fucker.”

Too stunned to react, Carter stood in the living room of the apartment and gaped at her. He couldn’t believe what was happening. She broke up with him and ordered him out of his own building, not giving him a chance to make it right. The earlier happiness he felt and the plans he wanted to make were slipping through his fingers.

“Kelli, we are going to have this out. I will not let you turn away from me without giving me the chance to explain.”

“Okay.” She walked back to him. “What was the trip to Oklahoma?”

Carter had to mentally take a step back. What was she talking about? “I would call that a good time,” Carter defended.

“Did Dex actually give you a comp card, or did you pay for the whole thing?”

“Yes. Dex gave me the card.” He hadn’t lied about anything. He just avoided telling her the whole truth.

“And the Corvette? The night at the Lux Hotel where did that come from?”

“The car belongs to Dex. Kelli, I’ve never lied to you.” He took a step closer. “I kept…” She rolled her eyes and turned away. “Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving,” she answered.

He grabbed her by the arm and spun her round to meet him. “You will not go anywhere until we have this out.”

“Excuse me. You need to get your hands off her.” The other man, who remained quiet all this time, finally spoke. ”You don’t have a say in the matter. If she wants to leave, she can.”

Carter glanced at the man. “Who are you?”

“I’m Joshua Godfrey. Sergeant Godfrey of the Arlington Police Department.”

“What right do you have to butt into this personal conversation? My personal conversation?”

Joshua crossed the tile floor at a slow pace, his movement filled with restrained anger. “I’m Kelli’s brother.” The tall, muscular man with reddish blond hair, blue-green eyes, and rounded face favored Kelli but not that closely. “I’m the one who told her about your secret.”

So, that was how she found out about the money
. Of all the rotten fucking luck, she had to have a cop for a brother. “So, Officer Brother.” His sarcasm took over. “Do you run background checks on all your sister’s boyfriends, or am I just the lucky one?” Carter sensed his anger coming to the surface. He had to control it if he didn’t want to antagonize Kelli further. Couldn’t she have asked him anything? The mistrust she harbored for men was deep, but to have her brother look into his past was worse.

He turned back to Kelli. “Did you have me investigated?” Carter saw the hurtful look in her eyes at the accusation.

“I didn’t tell my brother to investigate you. If you must know, I thought I could trust you.”

Carter wanted to take back the remark and tell her the whole truth. She would understand why he did it. Except pride wasn’t going to let him air out their issues in front of the others. He was a private person, after all. The fact they were family didn’t matter.

“Let’s go into your bedroom, so we can talk there.” Carter took a step toward her.

“No. I won’t go anywhere with you. You don’t have to worry about keeping secrets from me any longer. You and I won’t be seeing each other anymore to have secrets.”

Carter felt his stomach fall to his knees with the blow of her comment. Heartache crept in to claim a huge spot in his heart. The bottomless pits of anguish replaced the fear and dread he felt earlier. Realizing his mistakes too late added to his emotional stress. He should have trusted her enough to tell her he was rich in the beginning. On the other hand, how could he? She liked him, no, loved him, when she thought he was more like her. A blue-collar worker, out of place at the team’s living quarters. Now, she knew the truth about him, and she misinterpreted his actions.

“I tried to tell you but—”

Her eyes brightened with unshed tears. “It’s too late.” She went to the foyer, picked up the bag in the hall.

“Where are you going?” His world crashed around him.

“Since you won’t leave, I am.” She looked at Tonya. “I can’t believe in anyone here.”

“Kelli.” Tonya choked on her name.

Carter took a step forward, but Kelli raised her hand. “Don’t come near me. I will not be responsible for my actions.”

“Kelli, you can’t run from this and put it off. We will have to talk about it eventually. Don’t punish me for mistakes others have made.”

Her eyes narrowed at him, regret showed on her face. Carter hated that look. “How could you use something so private against me? Larry was a bastard who used me and dumped me without a backward glance.” Her hurt changed. She seethed with unspent anger. “My one mistake, besides you.” She pointed at him. “Like a trooper, you showed your true colors. Carter, I never thought you would be so cruel. But there’s a lot about you I didn’t know.”

“I don’t want to talk about your past Kelli, but how can I let you walk away from me?”

Kelli didn’t respond to the comment. She looked at Joshua. “Come on, let’s go.” Kelli led her brother out the door, and with a click of a knob and a simple turn of a key, she was out of his life.

Carter hurried to the door. “I’ve got to stop her.”

Tonya thrust her hand to his chest. “Carter, that isn’t the way to get her back.” Sadness covered her face.

Out of desperation came a small glimmer of hope. “What is the way to get her back?”

“Be there for her. Don’t crowd her. Give her room. When she’s ready, she’ll come to you.”

“It doesn’t make any sense that she’d leave the apartment. Why?”

Tonya sobbed. “She found out that I work for you. And now, she thinks I kept the truth from her.”

Well, in a way, she had kept the truth from Kelli. Carter had to agree with her on that one. “Oh shit! This is all my fault.” If it was possible, he felt worse now than he did before. “But you had no choice. You signed a confidentiality clause.”

“She thinks I should have told her because—” Tonya hiccupped on her tears.

“You’re family.”

Tonya nodded. “And you were lovers.”

Carter pulled her into his arms.
If only I told her the truth last night like I had planned. Then she and Tonya wouldn’t be fighting now.

“Sometimes, family is overrated.” He surmised out loud.

Chapter Fourteen

Josh drove his car further away from Carter, and Kelli sat in silence. She felt so many emotions run through her at once: hurt, anger, and unworthiness. She had tried in all possible ways to be everything to Carter—a friend who didn’t judge him for his lack of money but embraced him for his efforts. She told him she would love him no matter how little he had.

Little? He’s one of the richest men in the city. He duped me into believing otherwise. I gave him all I had, for what?

“You okay, kiddo?” Josh squeezed her shoulder.

“Josh, stop calling me that. I’m not a little kid.” Josh rested his hand on her shoulder. The closeness of strength got the better of her and held back the tears. “I need a drink.”

“I can hook you up.” Josh took the next exit off the highway and pulled into a convenience store past the exit. He pulled the car in gear and left it running while he went inside. “I’ll be right back.”

The windows behind the burglar bars bore civic advertisements of garage sales and lost pets. Neon signs advertised the names of beers available for purchase. Kelli watched as Josh grabbed a twelve pack of beer and carried it to the counter.

She recalled the day she met Carter by the pool. He had offered her a Budweiser and cut his hand on the broken bottle getting it for her. She smiled, and then her tears fell anew, breaking her heart. So much had happened since then. The latest development was most overwhelming. He turned out to be a rich man. “What hurts me more? The money? No. The money isn’t the real issue.” In her calmer state, she realized what bothered her. His lack of trust and understanding in her.

“Damn it, Carter. Why couldn’t you just trust me?” She cried. “I feel like a part of me has died tonight.” In her pain and anger, she lashed out and hit the dashboard with her fist. “Ow!” She screamed and grabbed her hand. Her knuckles swelled almost immediately, and she held it to her chest and rocked.

Josh opened the back door, set the bag behind his seat, and grabbed one of the beers before he closed it. Josh got behind the wheel. “So, you still need that drink?”

“Nope.” Her pain tightened her words.

Josh glanced at Kelli. “What is it, honey?”

“I think I broke my knuckles.” She held up her hand to show him. “See?”

“What? How?” The knuckle of her middle finger swelled to unimaginable size. Small drops of blood trickled down the back of her hand. “Kelli!” he moaned. He threw the car in reverse and peeled out of the parking lot, and then turned the corner almost on two wheels, racing in the direction of the hospital district. “Damn redneck woman.”

“Fuck you,” Kelli shot back, holding her injured hand next to her broken heart. “I feel defective as it is.”

* * * *

The emergency room buzzed in chaos. Josh had never paid much attention to the ER while on duty. He usually came when the staff called him to take domestic violence or sex offense statements. The doctors on call had the patients in another room while they waited for him.

Tonight, being on the other side of the counter didn’t please him at all. His patience grew thin waiting in line to be seen by the admitting clerks. His little sister’s hand swelled two times its original size, and to further complicate matters, she was crying. He couldn’t differentiate between the sources of her tears.
Was it the pain of her injury or her broken heart?
All he could do was hold her while she cried and wet his T-shirt with her tears.

He saw a face he recognized. The kindly, grandmotherly type that catered to him every time he visited the hospital. “Come with me honey.” He led Kelli to the registering clerk. “Gladys, can you get me through?” he asked.

“Officer Godfrey, what brings you by tonight?” she asked when he and Kelli sat down at her station.

“I brought my little sister in. She hit the dashboard of the car and broke her finger.”

The woman, G. Middleton, gave Kelli a quick glance. “I’ll see that she gets in right away. Let me get some information.” After the admitting questions, the medical assistant met them at the entrance. Mrs. Middleton buzzed them in without delay.

“Thanks, Gladys!” Josh said to her before he let the door shut. He saw her wink, and then heard her call her next patient over.

Josh and Kelli followed the medical assistant back to a hallway of rooms.

“Officer Godfrey!”

Josh turned his head to the direction of the voice that called his name. “Hey, Glenna.”

“I was told you came in and thought I’d come check out the situation.”

“You are an angel in disguise. I was tempted to pull out my weapon and start shooting,” he warned of his impatience.

“You don’t have your weapon on you,” Kelli reminded him. “Idiot,” she called him under her breath.

“Doctor Glenna Roberson, meet my sister, Kelli Godfrey. My little sister.” Josh knew that would rile Kelli up more. Her sarcastic tone needed to be squelched. “She is going through some…”

“Josh!” Kelli warned with a glare.

“Personal problems.”

Glenna looked from brother to sister and then smiled. “Come on, let’s take two.”

Josh was acutely aware of treatment room two. “Funny, that even in my personal life, I seem to find my way to this room.”

“I figured it to be the most private for this situation as well. Plus, I had no idea what you’d bring in for us.”

He looked at Kelli to explain. “More times than I want to admit, the staff escorted me here, it being nearer to the back of the ER department. I tell you, the things people do to one another always amaze me.”

Kelli nodded in a robotic response of understanding.

“I see that you have an injured hand.” Glenna read from the chart.

Kelli turned her head and let Josh handle the details of explanation.

“I went ahead and ordered an X-ray for her. Sit tight until they come for her and read them.”

“Will do.”

In less than three minutes, the technician came in and took Kelli for X-rays of her right hand. One and a half hours later, she returned, depression settled on her face, but at least she wasn’t crying.