Stand By Me (11 page)

She peeked at the clock. “Right now I’m waiting on a call, but if you two don't have to leave right away...stay for dinner, later we can talk more.”

Salma's mouth tweaked up on the corners. “That’s all we want, is to get to know you,” Salma said and before Kenya could respond, the shrill of the phone had her jerking around. She darted across the room to grab up the receiver.

“Kenya Blakemore,” she answered then sank onto the sofa when the deep graveled voice she craved came through the line.

“Aye, say that again, Mrs. Blakemore.”

His rich voice was an instant turn on. “Kenya Blakemore,” this time she said it slower.

“Ah,” Jonathan said with a long sigh. “It's like you're licking me ear with those words. How's me wife and bairn today? Have ye met your father yet?”

His accent seemed thicker today. “He's here along with my brother Michael now and your little one and I are doing fine. We miss you.” She went on to tell him about her father’s visit and all she's learned. “I'm starting to rant and you have little time to talk to me.”

“I think you're beautiful for listening to him.” he praised his accent deep and warm in her ear soothed with each syllable. “You said Michael's there; you didn't know he was coming? No one told you beforehand?”

“No.” Kenya smiled at her husband’s ability to relax her with a few caring words. She grinned. “You know I'll never let either of them walk away and I'm just ranting to get it out of my system?”

“It's one of the reasons I love you.”

She had no time to prime him for the question burning in her mind after learning Steve's choice. “This is coming out of left field, but, Jonathan, would you have left your family and moved to another country for a job?” Her question held a hint of uncertainty.

“I shot four men for endangering my pregnant wife,” he reminded her. “You’re asking the wrong question.”

She knew Steve did what he thought was right. “I know, honey…that question's harder to ask.”

“A company going out of business doesn't affect our income enough for me to be faced with that choice under my resources. Ask yourself if you can live with the knowledge that he made the difficult choice for your benefit?”

Lord she was married to a psychiatrist. “I'm gonna need your love to help me move past this hurt enough to find love in my heart for Steve.”

Jonathan said in a low voice, “You already love him, that's what's making you angry.”

She's transparent when it comes to Jonathan reading her emotions. “I know...he's offered to help me with a few things with your case. I can tell he's trying. He’s agreed to help Sophie with a computer problem later.”

“Hmm. It must be a virus. Sophie's very good at computers. Let him help you. Let everybody help you, babe. You take care of our child and yourself. There's no point in me getting out if you're not there when I do.”

Her heart flipped. “Are you eating, honey, please tell me you're eating?”

“I'm eating,” he assured her. “Are you resting?” he asked concerned.

“Sophie's on me like a cheap suit in the rain.” Jonathan laughed. That sound moved through her in a warm embrace. “I've figured out a way to get everyone together and get character testimonials for your trial. I've already started inviting everyone that rents off the river to a party, so they can get to meet me and see that you have a legitimate wife and child. I'll serve some food and drinks, have a country gathering to get these people to open up and help support you. I don't have all my aunts and uncles, but you've treated these people as family so I'm gonna go to them as family to save the freedom of one of their own. Many have never met me and I think it'll go a long way, but I need the person they trust the most to stand beside me. Who do you recommend I go to first?”

Jonathan said, “Ye make me proud to know you, Mo Ru'n. Go to Glasgow,” he offered. “He's a good man and well respected throughout the west end. Have it in his barn, it'll show you trust the farmers and the farmers trust you. Take Jamie or Carl with you, because I don’t want you walking through uneven fields going out on the pastures. You could fall and break a leg. Let him get the others together. After you get the information call Hines, my lawyer, let him handle it and you take care of yourself and the bairn.”

“That sounds good, I'll get it set up,” Kenya said. “Nobody will admit publicly that Brian's been hurting this community behind closed doors afraid of what he'll do. Nevertheless, if you ask someone in a public place they mention he's building the public market. No one's told them that their raised rent was funding this build, so it's rightfully their market and he'd planned on setting a booth fee, Fiona informed me last week.”

Jonathan made a grumbling noise through the line. “Be careful, Mo Ru'n. Don't overwork yourself and the bairn.”

“I promise to rest, honey.” She paused. “Jonathan, are you ready to hear about my meeting with David Spencer. He had some interesting things to say about Brian and Reinhart and Graham.”

“Kenya...” he groaned hearing that man's name.

She knew David Spencer was one of his least favorite people. “Jonathan, it went fine, Jamie was there,” she assured him, she hoped. “I told you back in the states, that Graham has an account at the bank. Brian promised Reinhart Blakemore business if they assigned Global Learning to me as their rep. Then one of his goons hacked my account transferring money from Graham's to my account...the embezzled money.”

“Are you certain?”

“I sent it to Hines last night. I take it you haven't met with him today?”

“This afternoon,” he said. “Who knows about this?”

“Just you, me, Jamie and Hines, Reinhart don't know about Graham. Brian's men covered their tracks well. My contact at the bank, in the computer server room verified there was a file from Graham to my account that night that went to the backup server off site.”

“Can he read the file? Know the dollar amount?”

“It's written in computer code, but if I do it legally, get a warrant I can give it to Hines and have it confiscated as evidence.”

“I don't want you doing anything illegal, Kenya.”

“The report would have come back to my files on the night shift, showing the transactions to back up the dollars that were sent out the next morning. I sent this file to the Accounts Receivable and Collections department each morning so they could verify my deposits with what they show going out. It's all there, I just never knew it.”

“How can you get the files? Why would this guy chance losing his job to help you?”

“He won't.” She paused and took a breath then let it out. “I know the day it was transferred and I have the password to reboot four of the servers. I could do it from here with the correct equipment. Jonathan he's not risking his job,” she stammered then looked out the window feeling hercareer dying a slow illegal death. “I'm the one taking a chance on losing my reputation.”

“You'll sabotage your professional reputation, not to mention a chance of going to prison, to get me out of prison Kenya? You being in prison isn't an option I should make that clear right now.”

“You're in prison because you were protecting me and our child. I told you, anybody keeping you from coming home to me I would erase...even if it means my career. My child will not grow up without his father.” The other end became quiet. Jonathan was trying to suppress his emotions she could tell. She kept talking. “Besides, the bank doesn't want their name associated with embezzlement. I spoke with the man I had my shadowing mentor day with, Mr. Jackson, and he is so above board he was more than happy to clear the bank of any involvement and is sending the report to Hines showing a transfer into my account. I didn't tell him about my password. If he flakes I need a back-up on getting the information.”

Jonathan whistled. “You thought I was in the mob, when you have connections that can shut down a financial institution.”

“You're my husband. Everybody's getting a call until you're safe at home.”

Jonathan cursed over the line and strangely enough, her nipples tightened zipping a fire down to her perpetually swollen sex. “You're a hell of a woman, Kenya Blakemore.”

“I work for you now, Blakemore. We can talk about my salary and a hefty raise once we get you home. Plus I'll need a separate shoe allowance for when I visit your office for a nooner. Red bottom heels aren't cheap and you have a tendency to rip stockings off my body.”

“One black American Express card will be waiting in your office,” he teased. “That reminds me. Did Hines get you access to the bank accounts and credit cards?”

“He did. Thank you, but seriously, I don't need money right now.”

“Kenya, you're my wife; I don't want you in need of anything while I'm here.”

The man knew just what to say. “Sweetheart, I'm fine and thank you for the house shoes. I won't ask how you know I walk around barefoot. You're always thinking of me.” She grinned. “But on the money, Steve kept a trust fund for each of his kids, so I'm fine.”

“From the sounds of it, he’s been thinking about you over the years. Give him a chance, Mo Ru'n.” She would. “Kenya my time is up. Ta' mo chro'i istigh ionat,” Jonathan recited her favorite phrase his accent thick and low and she drew her legs up close as she could to her chest sitting on the sofa. It almost felt as if he was in the room with her.

“Ta' mo chro'i istigh ionat,” she returned voice low and sweet. She ended the call and watched her father move in beside her on the sofa and wrap his arms around her.

“Tell me what you need and it's yours.”

“Right now...this.” She settled in closer.

“Take all you need...then we'll work on getting your husband out of prison.”

“You said you can read computer programs? I might need your help after all.”

Chapter Nine

Spurred on by shear hate for Brian and the fierce ache in her heart to free her son, Sophie pulled open the door, stepping into the delicious scents filling the cafe and nodded to the man chopping something on a grille several feet from the door. Too bad her hunger was to see Brian’s head on a platter or she would go over to see whatwas smelling so good. Crossing to the corner to a secluded table, she lowered to the chair, shrugging off her coat and peering around the room. The cool air still on her face she ordered a cup of coffee when the young waiter arrived at her table.

Sweeping her hair back over her shoulders, Sophie fiddled with the menu awaiting her guest to arrive. She looked up as a well-dressed short woman crossed the room and sat at her table without any introduction, arms folded under her small breasts. Something about the flecks of green in her brown eyes felt familiar. Nervously the woman's attention darted around the cafe as if someone had followed her there.

Before Sophie could get out a greeting the woman said, “I can't come forward,” shaking her head, blonde loose curls spilling out from under a knit cap. “I'm sorry, Sophie. Brian's good when he's right, but evil when ye cross him. I've lived with what he's done for years. I can nae put me family's lives in jeopardy, we live her in Ireland, peaceful down in Kerry town.”

Sophie leaned in holding the woman's attention keeping her eyes from darting around the restaurant. “Aye, yer scared, and I understand needing to protect yer loved ones, but if he goes to prison he can't hurt you or yer family.”

The woman laughed. “Och, ye of all women know that's a lie. Brian has contacts all over the world. I could disappear the moment I step foot on the walk outside and be forgotten like yesterday’s dinner.” The woman waved a hand dismissively, her accent withered under her fear.

Was there anyone alive Brian's not threatened at one point in time?

Sophie eyed the diamond glittering above the woman's manicured nails. Was this woman servicing more than Brian’s nasty needs? The woman was protecting more than herself and her aging parents, she had to be married to one of Brian's thugs. “Move to the states, start your life over. I'll help you get settled. Without money, Brian doesn't have any help and I could get you work in the states. You can't sit by while he does this to me family, me son. Ye said you liked Seamus and Gretchen, think of them if Brian were to get control of the estate. He's already married this young American to get back at me and now she's on the run from him with her child.”

The woman's smooth skin creased around her eyes. “A wife...and pregnant?” she questioned, her fair skin blanching as she dropped back in her chair. “Yer told me you were divorced from Brian, who is this woman?”

“Me son's wife's sister. Brian has to be stopped before she turns up missing. She's already on the run afraid of him and what he'll do to her child.” Sophie shot a look around the cafe and patrons were deep in their conversations. “You need to come forward and expose him to the judge.” Sophie took a drink of her coffee. “I don't live here, in Ireland, the judge will view anything from me as slander, but from you... From you he'll have to...”

The woman shook her head from side-to-side. “He'll put me on the stand and I don't want that,” she cried beginning to rock in her seat. Sophie sat back seeing the woman shrinking behind her fear of Brian.

“Aye, if ye change your mind...call me?” The woman nodded. Sophie slid her a small card. “Here's my number, don't be next in line for Brian to destroy.”

The woman tucked the number into an expensive Italian leather purse and Sophie caught the latest upgrade in cell phones on the market sticking up out of the side pocket on the purse. The woman wasn't hurting for cash. Had Brian already paid her off not to talk?

“Brian has no loyalty to anyone remember that,” Sophie warned. “Crawling into his bed does nae make you untouchable. Once he's done with you, you become his enemy.”

“I have a family to think about. I'm sorry,” the woman said wringing her hands on top of the table.

“I’m sorry too. Brian has to be stopped and me son freed, with yer help or without.” Sophie dug into her purse, pulled out a 5 setting it on her napkin. She left the cafe feeling defeated, but not beaten. She got outside into the Jeep and watched the woman leave the cafe and walk over to a white Range Rover. That was the last woman on the tape of women he'd traipsed through the castle over the years. Brian beat her to them and they were wearing their hush money. Not one of the women would step up and tell what went on with Brian and his illegal gambling in the vault. Inside the Jeep, she smacked the steering wheel hard enough to sting her hand. Shaking off the pain she pulled out her cell to call the states and check on her mother, her only sense of normalcy right then. This was why she could never have lived here with Brian. He was a sleaze. The only other highlight of her week was when Seamus came home. Having Calder at his side for the last month must have awakened something in him enough until he could hear his family in the room.