Wait for Me (17 page)

She let him lead her out of the tunnel. Seeing Carl, she climbed in the Jeep arms folded, she seethed to run back to the tunnel.

Pounding a fist into the dashboard, she startled Carl. She never abandoned her friends. Irked, she rocked in her seat—fuming. By the time, Carl pulled up to, the castle she could have chewed glass, her anger flared through her veins. 

Kenya jumped from the truck. She sprinted through the pub doors running into Sophie. Together they bustled up the back stairs.

"Talk to me, Sophie. What’s really happening?" Her heart accelerated with so much unknown.

"Let's get you into your room."

"He's gonna get killed. Sophie, please.”

“Let's get away from the guests," she said.

Kenya took the stairs three at a time, hoping Jonathan would come through the pub’s doors any minute now. In their suite, she nearly stumbled over Judge crossing to the bathroom. She pressed a hand to her stomach acids churning. The bitter bile crept into her throat. Fear for the men’s safety had her covering her mouth. She took a few deep inhales but the nausea remained.

Exhausted. Frustrated. Scared. She dropped her shoulder to the door jam. Hands to her knees, Kenya began panting, thought she might hyperventilate. Sophie rubbed her back up to her neck.

"He never wanted you to see this side of the family. He'll be okay. You have to let him handle this."

"Handle what, Sophie?" She wiped her eyes, sniffing back the anger vibrating under her skin." This! What
is
this? They’re strapped like Mafia, Sophie.”

Kenya swallowed back the bile rising in her throat and dropped to her knees. Too late, her body couldn't hold back the bile forming; it was coming out of her mouth the second her face hovered over the commode. Stomach empty after what felt like forever, she’d begun to dry heave.

On her behind on the floor, she sat knees up with Sophie's arms around her.

"He needs you to be here for him when he comes back."

Accepting the wet cloth from Sophie, Kenya raised her head and just stared at the woman, stared for what had to have been fifteen or twenty minutes.

She burned to get out of there and help him. Fisting her hands by her side, Kenya ran every scenario through her mind. Blood colored every picture her mind created. 

If he didn’t want her involved, why ask her to come over here? She couldn't think. Jonathan knew about Brian and said nothing even after their talk last night. This was Mafia style prove yourself to the grave. That's why he didn’t say anything. He was testing her to see if she’d take a bribe. 

The fact Jonathan had a gun on him and she never felt it when she hugged him earlier was all the evidence she needed. She’d put yesterday behind her how he came to their suite demanding to see her naked body, suspicion in his tone as he eyed her from head to toe. She never felt threatened with him. Her head pounded as everything formed two questions in her mind: Did she want a future filled with days like this? Could she have a family with this man? That’s what it came down to. Was he the man she’d want to have a child with someday? The man, yes. The lifestyle, no.

Glancing at her watch, she’d been on the floor for thirty minutes. Cramps shot through her as she tried to stand and rested on her knees, waiting for the feeling to return to her legs.

She pushed off her knees and stood. At the closet Kenya drug down her suitcase. The moment she heard word that the men were okay she had to leave. They couldn’t have a relationship over here. What was she doing that she couldn’t leave Jonathan? Kenya dropped along the doorjamb in the bathroom. She noticed Jonathan’s razor lying in the tray beside the sink. Pushing away from the doorway, she stood before the sink dragging her finger over the black handle, picturing him cleaning up his whiskers that morning, as they got ready to go out to the farms. Jonathan was the only man she knew that used the old school razor blade and not a disposable or an electric. She’d sat on the counter and held the steamy hot towel over his face after rinsing the blade of all the thick shaving cream. The sexiest thing she’d ever done with a man.

“Still leaving? I thought you were stronger than that, Ms. Claiborne.”

Sophie’s choice of words tightened her shoulders and her entire face to the point of her lips compressing to a firm thin line. She fought the indignation enough to stay cordial and answer while clinging to her dignity. “This isn’t about being strong. I wanna be there for Jonathan. I need to go be with him, help whatever he needs. I can't stand here like the dutiful mob girlfriend and hold a roll of gauze waiting for him to stumble in bloody and…" she swiped the tears clogging her rant. She could barely recognize her garbled voice. "I don’t hide, Sophie. In the States we have something he and I, here this is not a place for a woman that loves your son, this is for someone who doesn't care," she stuttered. "Someone who's content to sit and paint her nails, waiting to be told her next move."

"You love my son, Kenya?"

"Sophie, Seamus is out there,” sticking her arm out indicating the window overlooking the river, “and Jamie and…and…and Carl." Her throat closed under the knowledge.

"You love my son, Kenya? Nae just him, but yer falling for our dysfunctional family and it’s scaring the hell out of ye!"

She cut her eyes at the woman revealing all her fears strangling the pride she hid under to keep her pain concealed. The words choked out, “Dysfunction is all I know, Sophie, and I’m tired of it. I’m fed up and tired of the crazy, warped people wanting me to be this or that. Don’t tell me to be strong for him…don’t you dare tell me how to be for him.”

They were shouting at one another now. Love. Fire. Her fear for the Blakemore’s shoved back and forth like a tetherball flying around the pole batted in passionate anger over the reality of her feelings for the Blakemore’s.

“He’s me boy, and if you’re the woman that’ll keep him strong and alive then I’ll tell you whatever needs to be said, Kenya Claiborne.” Sophie fisted her hips. “Me son pulled a gun on his father for you…Do yer nae understand what that will do tae he once this all settles down? When the hurt and the pain and pissed off anger wears off? Do ye?”

"I can't live that life.” Shoving hair behind one ear, Kenya continued, “Pacing the house, waiting to hear if my man’s been gunned down somewhere.” Flexing her fingers, she darted a glance out the window, wiping a knuckle under her nose. “I can’t be involved with this. I want to be there for your son, but…"

“But yer scared!” The air thickened between them as emotions spun freely from their lips.

Scared didn’t cover it. Irrational as it had been, knowing she’d put his life in danger fed Morgan’s words straight to her soul. She’d killed her mother and ran her father away. How long before she got Jonathan killed? “I can’t,” she faded.

“How do you know, Ms. Claiborne? You’ve only seen Jonathan in this situation. He’s so much more than he’s letting you see. His father is fighting him for this land and now his girl is leaving. How do you think this will affect him once he learns the woman he loves is on a plane back to the States?”

“I can’t stay, Sophie. Brian puts his hands in everyone’s lives and now my sister is here working against me. If Jonathan had a life outside of the family, this would be so much easier, but his life revolves around violence and suspicions. How can we form a life around something like this?”

“You love my son, Kenya?” she accused.

“I like Jonathan. He’s a good man.”

“Stop lying because ye are the only one willing to believe the words. Ye
love
my son, Kenya Claiborne. That's how you build a life around all this,” Sophie stated. Kenya let go of her fight of opposition and gave in to the truth.

“Yes, Sophie. I love your son, and for that reason, I can’t stay and ruin both our lives. My being here brought Morgan and now Jonathan is somewhere in a gun battle with his father." She cursed out, nails digging into her legs as she fought the urge to scream and throw something…anything. Kenya chewed her top lip. The skin on her forehead began to tremble with the new rash of tears. She wanted to run out of the suite, out of the estate, and fight beside Jonathan, whoever he was up against. Instead, she took a breath feeling Judge nudging her leg. Down on one knee she wrapped her arms around the big dog, resting her head on his back. The dog sat and she hugged him closer inhaling his familiar scent…cologne. Her tears began to slow down for her to speak 

"Blakemore is a well-known name and with me in the financial business world it’s bound to make news and once people find out Morgan’s my sister how much trust will I loose from clients when she begins to destroy this family.”

“You’d walk away from Jonathan when he needs you the most?” Sophie ridiculed and Kenya heard the underlying plea, do not hurt her son…her baby.

“No. He did that for Me, Sophie. He put a gun to his father’s temple for me.” Kenya smacked a palm to her chest, outraged by everything that happened. “Sophie Jonathan lives for those kids. What court will allow him to continue to take kids on trips when this gets out?” She wrung her hands in her lap. “I can’t help him here, not like this.” 

Kenya let the woman pull her up onto the bed to slip and arm around her shoulders.

She weaved their fingers together. “You think that’s the first time he’s held a gun to someone’s head for betraying him? I’ll be honest with you, Kenya. My son is about as close to Irish Mafia as you’ll ever meet outside of his father and live to remember seeing his face. Brian is…well…Brian. It’s not for me to speculate who he runs with. But Seamus and Jonathan refused the lifestyle and made a life for us in the States and tried to make Blakemore estates stay under the radar as much as possible.”

“Oh God, I’m in love with a hitman.”

“No, dear, a hitman would’ve killed Brian a while ago. Brian’s craved that lifestyle all his life and Jonathan has to deal with him the only way he understands, with violence.”

Kenya stared at Sophie reluctant to believe what she was hearing. There’s no way Brian is just a-wanna-be mobster. “Brian’s just a violent man?” Sophie nodded.

“Brian’s violent and greedy and has no boundaries when it comes to what he thinks should be his, the estate.”

Kenya shifted on the bed. “Outside of what happened when he was a boy, has Jonathan killed before?” She had to know.

“Will it change what’s in your heart for my son?”

Kenya shot to her feet. She needed to leave for two reasons. One, the answer to Sophie’s question sitting in her throat scared the hell out of her. Nothing could remove this man from her heart. Two, the only way she could help Jonathan was to get back to the states and find out how Brian put the money in her account. There has to be a connection between him and Graham and the embezzling. Kenya held her face in her hands walking a tight circle. Think think think. Brian has to be stopped or Jonathan’s gonna lose everything because he was protecting her. She stopped pacing hearing Sophie’s voice.

“I can’t stop you from leaving, Kenya, but if you do, I can guarantee Jonathan will come to the States to find you.” Old news. Jonathan held a possessive streak both alluring and disheartening.

She whirled around, defeated, and dropped to her knees on the floor. "Can't we call somebody to find out what's happened? Find out if he's okay?"

"We wait." Sophie said." That's the way it works."

“I’ll wait, but I’m not twiddling my thumbs. There’s gotta be away to keep Brian from taking the estate and Jonathan having to fight him every time their paths cross.”

“Let me know when you find out, until then we wait.”

~~~~

Jonathan stood on the stone stairs entrance and waited to hear Sophie's voice. He couldn't talk to Kenya, knew she would have questions and he didn’t have time for that.

"Nae, can no speak with her right now," Jonathan replied running a hand over his face. "Jamie spotted Brian's rifleman up a pine…done. Och, aye, went to hell after that. We're in the tunnel. I have nae choice, this ends here. Yer marriage contract expires in a few weeks, he can make claim to the estate," he stressed. "You’ve lived apart for ten years."

"Son, I'm sorry."

"Ye never be sorry to me. I promised to give yer family estate back one day. This is my responsibility to protect you." The rough stonewalls held a subtle warmth under his hand running over the bumpy surface. He could sense years of history waiting to be lost to Brian’s greed and he couldn’t allow that to happen.

"Be careful, son."

"Is Judge with Kenya?" He questioned watching his men in the vault ready to take Brian down. Jonathan’s father has been abusing the privilege of power for years and they were ready to have Jonathan in charge. 

“He is. Yer woman is safe, but she’s scared, son. A scared only a woman in love can show,” Sophie filtered through a whisper of fear.

Kenya loved him…Pride for his woman tripled seeing her in the tunnel earlier. She was gonna fight by his side and that made everything worth it for Jonathan.

“Keep her there, Mother.”

“I love you, son, and so does your lass.”

The gun's magazine snapped in place, he pushed the weapon into the waistband of his jeans, watching his men putting on Kevlar vest. He accepted one handed to him slipping it on. 

"Out in the field, Brian crossed a line with me, attempting to hit Kenya. I have to take care of this because if he knows Morgan he could have Kenya's family being watched. Nobody’s safe.”

"Don’t worry about us. Just watch your back."

"Tell Kenya I said,
Mo Run',
stay safe." Ending the call, Jonathan knew that would be a fight waiting for him when he returned. Kenya hated violence. A portion of his life revolved around violence and it all derived from one man, and his hunger for power, Brian. Jonathan would give anything to live a normal life with Kenya.

He slid the phone into his front pants pocket, and then slipped a gun into his waistband, pulling his sweater up over his pants concealing the weapon.

Seamus sat big and bold on the bar stool. Jonathan took note of his men preparing to defend himself against his father. Brian Blakemore taught him many things as a boy. The most important according to Brian, never trust those closest to you. Those are the ones that can hurt you the most because they know your vulnerabilities. Brian wasn’t close, but he’d taught Jonathan everything he knew about weapons.