Gage, Ronna - Send Her To Me (Siren Publishing Classic) (15 page)

“You doing okay, kiddo?”

“Josh, stop calling me that.” Kelli got out of the wheelchair and sat on the bed. She lay back, bracing her hand against her chest.

Josh picked up the thin sheet and covered her with it. “You like this guy a lot, don’t you?” He knew he treaded on uncharted waters. Kelli’s emotional breakdown wasn’t something he saw on her most of the time, and he didn’t like it.

Kelli sat silent for a moment. “No, I don’t like him a lot, Josh. I love him.”

“But?” Josh coaxed her to continue.

“He lied to me.”

“How?”

“He made me believe in…that he was something he wasn’t. “

“What was that?”

“…an outsider in that world he lives in. Like me with Tonya. I wanted to believe we had something special.”

“You didn’t have something special?”

“Joshua, I started to believe in love.”

“Oh Kelli.” Josh sat on the edge of the bed, pulled her left hand into his. “You have to let Larry, and what he did to you, go. He was an asshole. Carter is a private person, but his keeping his financial status from you is no cause for corporal punishment.”

“Larry hurt me bad when he slept with Leslie.”

“I remember that day all too well.” He thought that was the worst day of his and Kelli’s lives. To come home and find her in tears that night made him angry. He had always been protective of his little sister and of her best friend. To know then that Leslie would be the one to hurt her the way she did, he would have sent her away himself. “Yes, some best friend. I agree he hurt you, but Kelli, you never reacted to yours and Larry’s breakup in the manner you are dealing with you and Carter breaking up. You got pissed, yeah. You got even by surviving without him and Leslie for that matter. Yet, with Carter, you are crying, emotionally distraught, and worst of all, you are in the ER. There are worse men than Carter Banks. His secret was about his money, not in the way he felt about you. Trust me!”

“What is it he feels for me?”

Kelli’s sarcastic answer did not deter her brother’s honest opinion.

“He loves you.”

A soft knock sounded on the door. Josh turned in time to see Glenna enter the room. He saw her eyes light up, and it stirred him. Her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and soft brown eyes were kind and approachable. She looked at Kelli and then at Josh. “I have some good news.” She flipped the chart open and scanned her notes. “The X-rays of your right hand indicate a fracture but no break.”

Josh felt relief flood over him. “So, what are you going to do for her?”

“The required treatment is a shot of Demerol for her pain and a soft cast to keep the knuckle immobile.”

“That’s it?” Josh had a sudden burst of angry emotion. It wasn’t unusual for his outbursts. He had them when he left the ER. There were usually no witnesses to his tirade. “All that waiting for a soft cast? Are you fucking kidding me?”

Glenna let him rant for a second longer. “Josh, suppose I give you a shot?” she suggested in a calm voice to his ranting.

“I don’t need drugs, lady.”

“No, I was thinking tequila. About ten o’clock tomorrow night?”

Josh was quiet for a second. He narrowed his eyes, taking note of her shy gaze. “Doctor Roberson, are you asking me out on a date?”

“Are you fucking deaf or stupid?” Kelli quipped. “Of course she is. Dr. Roberson, when and where?”

“Kelli!” Josh scolded her.

“Well, while you two pussyfoot around your dating issue, I’m in pain. So, accept already, get her number, and the time to meet her.”

“Tomorrow night…meet me here in the ER,” Glenna stumbled out.

Kelli pointed to Glenna. “Now, get my shot order.”

At Kelli’s forceful suggestion, Josh had a date for tomorrow evening, and she soon felt the wonderful effects of Demerol.

Suddenly, the world wasn’t so painful and lonely after all.

* * * *

Josh pulled into the garage of his townhome. He softly nudged Kelli’s sleeping body. “Kelli, we’re here, sweetie.” Unable to wake her, he raced around to her side of the car and then lifted her out, He carried her up to the door, and then brought her into the house. She didn’t wake for one second. He gently laid her on the spare bed and covered her with the blanket. He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Good night, little sister,” he whispered.

“Good night. I love you, Carter.”

Josh looked down at her. His heart broke for his meddlesome nature. He was a great detective and a great brother. Tonight, he hated that the two things he did best caused his little sister so much pain. “Honey, I’m so sorry to have brought this sorrow onto you.” Josh gave her cheek a gentle, brotherly touch. “If there is anything I can do to make it better,” he whispered.

He hadn’t intended her to reply. But, softly, she touched his arm.

“I need to leave for awhile,” she whispered.

Her voice sounded drowsy. He detected her pain. Her intent green eyes stared at him with fixed determination.

“I’ll make the arrangements.” He squeezed her hand.

She gave him a little smile, closed her eyes, and was asleep again in seconds.

Josh watched her for a moment. His little sister was a good person who deserved the better things in life. Not the hurt and despair of what he had seen in his. There were worse things she could do than Carter Banks.

“Sorry, buddy, but her well-being comes first.” Josh stood up, left the room, and let her sleep.

Chapter Fifteen

Carter paced the spacious floor of his high-rise office on the twentieth floor of his business complex. He felt a swelling emptiness run through his heart and knew all too well the emotion since that afternoon Kelli broke up with him. Nothing could touch the barren plains she left behind. He remembered her infectious laugh, her gentle smile, and the glint of passion in her eyes when she looked up at him. His gut clenched with every dawning in his mind.
She’s out of my life.

Memories of them had driven his existence into a mundane world of work and grief for the last three weeks. Memories of her…of him…of them laughing together, making love, and afterward, sleeping peacefully with her by his side. He had trouble sleeping these days. Adding the unwanted loss of appetite syndrome, the grief still weighed heavy. Other than work, his only other productive activity was the grueling workouts at the team playhouse with Dex. He exercised until his muscles ached, his mind cleared of all thoughts and memories, and his breathing labored too much to speak.

He inhaled deeply, the burning ache in his stomach reached up to his throat and kicked in the repetitive swallowing reflexes. Pain constricted his heart.
Why not give me the chance to explain—to make it right?
He looked out across the skyline at nothing and wondered for the millionth time of her whereabouts and how she was today.
Where are you now?

Running.

“Don’t run away from your feelings or from me,” he demanded to the silence of his building rage. He laid his forehead against the cool pane of glass and calmed his anger. “Wait her out. She’ll come back.” He knew deep down in the depths of his being that their breakup was only temporary. She needed time to get over her fear of this relationship and its future. Giving her space to realize what he already knew annoyed him. But in order for her to come around to her senses, he had to take necessary actions. He purposely didn’t call her cell phone, not that it would do any good. He knew she would hang up or ignore his call anyway. He considered going to Tonya’s apartment to coax her into seeing him but decided against it. Kelli and she needed the chance to make amends before he became a part of the picture.

Hope and anger toiled with one another through the emptiness of his heart. “I can’t do this anymore. Five days of pacing and waiting with no word is driving me crazy. Someone, somewhere, has to talk to me, dammit.” He reached for his cell phone and called the one other person Kellie was sure she could trust—her brother.
The great Officer Joshua Godfrey.

On the first ring, a male voice answered the call. “Godfrey!”

Carter’s stomach rolled, dread and curiosity flooded his inner peace. What if he didn’t give him any help? “Officer Godfrey? This is Carter Banks.”

A small chuckle sounded from the man on the phone. “I wondered when you’d call.” His voice didn’t sound the least bit surprised.

“I know I’m the last person you want to speak with, but I need to know. Is Kelli all right?” Silence, except for the steady breathing over the phone line.

“Yes. She’s fine as far as I know. Which right now isn’t much, considering she’s out of town.”

Panic replaced the earlier confusion.
She’s out of town. Who’s taking care of her?
“When did she leave?” Carter had to take a deep breath to control the shrill from escaping from inside to interfere with his voice.

“
The day after you broke up.”

The hurt in his heart almost doubled him over. He sat on the windowsill, gained composure to get more details.
“
When do you expect her to come home?”

“Well, Carter, that’s the thing. Now, this is her own words, mind you. She won’t be home until she’s ready to come back. Until then, we all sit and wait.”

Despair assaulted him. His fear almost choked him. “She actually left without saying a word,” he murmured softly.

“Well, you know she doesn’t…”

“—have any obligation to tell me of her whereabouts,” Carter finished for him. He tried to reconcile that very fact, but it offered little solace. “Thank you, Josh. If you hear from her, will you tell her I asked about her?”

“I will. Carter, sometimes it’s best to let her come to her senses.”

“Yeah, I’m learning that the hard way.”

He took a proactive approach to the situation. He called her cell phone, only to hear that at the customer’s request, the number was changed and unlisted. Agitated, he set out in a random direction, searching for her in all the places she’d normally hang out. Six days of waiting around, his patience grew thin. Having no results forced him to make a decision he hoped wouldn’t come.

“It’s time to call in the professionals.”

Chapter Sixteen

The one o’clock meeting scheduled with the private investigator wracked his nerves almost as much as having Kelli missing. Carter handed the information he had about her and half of the agreed upon fee to the detective. A few days later, when his anxiety level peaked beyond his realm of survival, the PI called.

“Mr. Banks, I have an update for you. When is the best time to deliver the information?”

His enthusiasm soared quietly in response to the news. He didn’t want to get his hopes up too high and face disappointment. “I’m available in one hour.”

“I will see you then.”

The phone line went silent. Carter had no idea if it was good news or bad. The detective gave no indication one way or the other. “Great, more drama.”

An hour later, Detective Walker walked through the door. Carter met him at the room’s middle and extended his hand. “So, what do you have for me?”

Detective Walker handed him a single file folder. “I believe this is what you are looking for.”

Carter opened the file folder and looked down at a piece of folded white paper. “What is it?”

“Miss Godfrey’s new phone number.”

Carter opened it. Ten digits splayed across the middle in a single row.
Her supposed new number
. He shoved it into his pocket. Having the information should have made him overjoyed, but he wasn’t. Things between him and Kelli were still unsettled. “Anything else?” he asked, almost choked up on the new sense of emotions.

“She’s back in town.” Carter almost did air flips in the middle of his office. “She is about to start a new job at the middle school on the west side of town in the Westgate housing development.”

“The what? The Westgate? That middle school is a few blocks down the street from my house.”

“I believe I have obtained all the goals of this case.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

The investigator stood up. “If that is all, Mr. Banks.”

“Yes, hold on. I have the last half of the fee.” Carter gave him an envelope from his desk. “You did an outstanding job and kept it discreet.” He shook the man’s hand and watched him leave the office area. He then fell back into the chair, wondering what steps to take next to win at this seemingly hopeless circumstance. He stood up from the seat, and then walked to the bank of windows that overlooked the city. The rush of people below looked small, almost unbelievable. They were the everyday people coming and going about their lives while everything stood still within his. He wondered if Kelli was down below in the throng of people. Even knowing Kelli was back in town, he couldn’t contact her, not yet. He had to fix the problem he’d caused and mend the path between them first.
How?
He couldn’t change the fact that he lied to her. Actually, he kept the truth about his wealth from her. Still, in her eyes, he’d lied by omission. Every reason she had to be angry with him, he earned. Had he known she had other resources other than Tonya to investigate his background, he’d have made every effort to bring out the truth earlier. In addition to her brother, Josh, she had a father, an uncle, and two more brothers in law enforcement. She was bound to find out about him eventually.