Burn in Hell: A Jake Carrington Mystery (Volume 2) (Jake Carrington Mysteries) Page 20

  “Phil, it’s between her ex-husband and her—don’t get involved. Obviously, she can handle herself.”

  “Angelo, don’t dictate to me. I’m not going to do anything now. I’ll bring it up at our next dinner date.” His lips pressed together in a thin, mean smile.

  “When did you schedule it?”

  “I didn’t. It’ll be whenever I feel like it. I enjoy her company.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “What the hell’s wrong with Kyra?” Jake asked himself as he stormed out of her office, throwing himself into his car. Did her statement about him being afraid have any truth to it? And again, she avoided the subject of Phil Lucci. What was he to her? In the midst of his thoughts, Jake was grateful when his cellphone rang. Recognizing Louie’s number, he answered.

  “Go.”

  “Nice greeting, Jake.”

  “I’m not in a nice mood, Louie. What’s up?”

  “The warrant for Church’s apartment came through. Do you want to swing by the station and pick me up or do I meet you there?”

  “Meet me there. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. I have one stop to make.”

  “Okay, boss.” Louie only called him boss when he wanted to bust Jake’s ass. Just what I need, Jake thought, another smart ass.

  Alone time was what he needed to sort through his cases. He drove as far as the entrance to the cemetery. Deciding to park there, Jake pulled out his notes to start his review. The way Stack initially handled the Church case bothered him. Maybe it was just incompetence, maybe not. Then there was his and Louie’s case—the death of Dwight Wade. Jake knew in his gut it was a homicide, though so far he had no leads on either one. He hoped Louie’s morning had been more productive then his.

  Jake tried to keep his mind on his cases—not succeeding, he put the car into drive and headed toward Louie’s location.

  Louie’s car sat in front of the apartment complex. Jake hoped he hadn’t entered the apartment without him. Scanning the parking lot, he noticed Louie chatting up Mrs. Standish and decided to let him finish his conversation before joining them. Five minutes later, Louie gave Jake a wave. Climbing out of his car, he headed over to the pair.

  “Lieutenant, you remember Mrs. Standish?”

  “Yes, I do.” He gave her a curt smile.

  “Lieutenant, Sergeant Romanelli was telling me you don’t have anything new on Mr. Church.”

  “Unfortunately, he’s correct. Please remember what I said in our initial interview. Do not talk to anyone about this, for your own safety.” His mind on the search, Jake turned away from her.

  “I haven’t, but I did let the sergeant know there’ve been people snooping around again.” Jake’s attention snapped back to Mrs. Standish.

  “I took her statement—we can review it while we execute the warrant,” Louie said.

  Jake nodded to him. “Mrs. Standish, you’ve been a great help. Thanks.” He turned again, started walking toward Church’s apartment. He heard Louie behind him.

  “She called again?”

  “No. She was outside when I pulled up so I decided to visit with her.”

  “Good thinking. What did you get?”

  “Descriptions of the guys who came the second time and a license plate number.” Louie smiled when Jake pulled up short.

  “That’s great. As soon as we’re done here, run it.”

  “I planned to. Who put the bug up your ass today, Jake?”

  “Sorry, Louie, I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

  “Such as?”

  “The usual.”

  “Oh, that’s clear. Glad I asked,” Louie said, sarcastically.

  “Let it be. We have a job to do here—can we get to it?”

  “Sure. Want to grab a beer after work?”

  “Can’t. I’m seeing Mia tonight.”

  “Oh.” Louie didn’t pursue the conversation and that made Jake very happy.

  They got the search done and called in the crime unit. In the hopes of finding fingerprints to identify the men who escorted Church out of his apartment. Jake requested the warrant and did his own search because the file showed Stack did neither. The file also showed Stack hadn’t called in the crime unit. Sloppy, sloppy work. The more Jake thought about it—the more he thought no one was that sloppy. If they were, they deserved to be fired. No, this was a deliberate action not to have the scene processed. Not for the first time, Jake wondered, who owned Carl Stack?

  As if reading his mind, Louie asked, “Jake, are we going to get into it with IA?”

  “I don’t know, Louie, but it looks like it. I can assign you to the Wade case only. It will clear you so you don’t have to put up with any of the bullshit when the shit hits the fan. You know it’ll blow wide open soon.”

  “No, Jake. I’m in this with you all the way. If he’s dirty, he deserves everything he’ll get.” Jake had known what Louie’s answer would be, but he wanted to give him a choice.

  “Okay, we investigate this one by the book and see what it turns up.”

  *

  Exhausted when he walked through his front door at six-thirty, Jake wanted time for a shower and to eat before Mia got there. Checking the clock, he swore. Time was not a commodity he had lately. He decided to jump into the shower and forego food for the time being. God, he was starving. The search of Church’s place used up their lunch hour. And damn, they didn’t find anything. Not one solitary clue. Nothing on his computer to indicate he planned a trip. The big question still remained. Where was Saul Church? The only good thing about the search today, it kept his mind occupied. Mia or Kyra? He told Kyra the truth today.

  The hot water gushed over his body, washing away the stress of the day, but in its place a different stress took hold. He needed to clear his mind of Kyra tonight and concentrate on Mia. Was Kyra right? Was he afraid of being hurt again? Was that why he was so cruel to Mia on Friday night? When they’d run into her all his feelings rushed back like a tidal wave, crushing him. He’d envisioned their first encounter differently. It wasn’t like him to push reality aside and wish for the impossible—did he want a lifetime with Mia?

  As he dried off he heard the bell. Christ, right on time. He wrapped the towel around his waist and answered the door.

  “I’m sorry, I just got in. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable while I dress?” He greeted her.

  “Okay, do you want me to make some coffee?”

  “No, I need something stronger tonight.”

  Turning, he headed to his bedroom, grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt but didn’t bother with shoes. He walked into his kitchen five minutes later, stood in the entrance and took a few seconds to study her as she made them both a drink. A beer would have hit the spot tonight, oh well, a drink it is. It gave him time to observe Mia before she sensed him. She wore a deep-blue, sleeveless dress with spiked heels. When she turned to hand him his drink, he noticed how the dress set off her eyes, tonight a deep sapphire, staring at him apprehensively. He accepted the drink and sipped, stalling, because he was at a loss for words.

  “I haven’t eaten yet. Can I make you something?”

  “No thanks, I’m not hungry, but you eat.”

  Jake opened the fridge to grab the lunch meat, turned to the counter to grab the bread, slapped the meat on the bread, and took a bite.

  “Aren’t you going to put anything else on it?”

  “No, I just need to eat, I missed lunch today. Why don’t we go into the living room and get comfortable?”

  Following her into the living room his eyes swayed back and forth with each movement of her hips while noting the rigidness of her back. So, I’m not the only one tense. Poised for a fight, he thought. Mia walked to the couch and sat. He took one of the chairs, placed his drink on the coffee table, and took another bite of his sandwich. Christ, who’s going to start? He continued to eat—Mia didn’t say a word—neither took his eyes off the other. He ate, she drank. God, he wasn’t a coward, but he sure felt like one. Stuffing the last piece of
his sandwich into his mouth, he grabbed his drink and took a sip to wash it down as it stuck in his throat.

  “Mia, do you want to start?”

  “I don’t know where to start, do you?”

  “No, not really.”

  “Conversation between us was never forced. Why are we having such a hard time now?”

  “That’s a good question, I don’t know.”

  “Is there a chance for us?”

  Well, that got right to it, he thought. “I hope there is, Mia.”

  “You were pretty mean the other night.” Not a question, a statement.

  “I was, and I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to run into you. You blindsided me.”

  “Why?”

  “Christ, I don’t know why. I have so many feelings for you—love, anger, sadness—and I didn’t want to express them there.”

  “All are pretty powerful, yet out of all of them you chose to go with anger. Why?”

  “Fuck, Mia, I feel like one of your patients.”

  “This is the only way I know how to do this. Do you have a better way?”

  “No.” He didn’t know how to read her tonight. She was showing no emotion, unlike Friday night.

  “Why did you lead off with anger?”

  “Why? Because you walked away and didn’t even bother to call.”

  “I didn’t walk away, Jake. You gave me an ultimatum and when I left, you didn’t come after me. I wasn’t worth the fight.”

  “Oh God, Mia, you’re so wrong. I gave you the space you asked for. You’re the one who said it could only be causal—I wanted…want more with you.”

  “I miss you, Jake. I left you alone because you gave me an ultimatum. All or nothing you said. So it was nothing.”

  “How could you think that after all we were together? I love you. I always will. I waited two months for you to call, and nothing. We didn’t even run into each other.” Knowing it had to be brought up, he continued. “I met Kyra at a party and thought she’d be a distraction. She was getting a divorce and looking for a distraction too.”

  “You seem closer than a distraction.”

  “We are, how it happened got by both of us.”

  “So, then it wasn’t true love with you and me?”

  “I didn’t say that, Mia, and don’t put words in my mouth,” he said angrily. “Kyra’s been a good friend and a little more…She’s backing away from me because, and I quote, ‘You don’t look at me the way you look at Mia,’” he said, frustrated.

  Jake watched her process the statement, knew she was analyzing it. He picked up her empty glass along with his and walked into the kitchen to make them another drink.

  “Jake.” He turned back.

  “Yes?”

  “It still doesn’t explain your reaction to me the other night.”

  “You were trying to force a confrontation in a public place. I don’t do shows. It wasn’t the time or the place. I was on a date. What did you want me to do, leave Kyra there?” He walked back into the room with the empty glasses and sat across from her on the couch and looked into her eyes, drinks forgotten.

  “Maybe I did.” She shrugged.

  “Well, that was childish. I don’t plan on hurting her, Mia. If I do, it will be as little as possible. She’s going through a tough divorce. And I don’t want to add to her stress.”

  “You sound like you care more than you’re willing to admit.”

  “No, I’m willing to admit it. I care for her deeply, but not in the same way I care for you.” He moved closer to her, took her hands and rubbed his thumbs over them. “Has anything changed in two months?”

  “I love you, Jake, but I saw another side of you the other night I didn’t like.”

  He let go of her hands, got up and paced around the living room. “What was it you didn’t like, Mia? The part where I didn’t like being cornered or the part where I was defending myself?”

  She got up and paced also. “I didn’t like how mean you could be. You went for the jugular.”

  He stopped pacing and went to her, grabbed her by the wrists, fingers on her pulse. “I guess I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt me. If we hadn’t run into each other, would you have called me?” He looked directly into her eyes, gauging her answer.

  “I was working myself up to it.”

  “And how long was it going to take?”

  “I don’t know.”

  They talked for hours, and before they knew it, it was twelve o’clock. Both agreed they were miserable without each other—but they had issues they needed to work out. The biggest issue for Mia was Kyra. For Jake, it was Mia’s lack of commitment.

  “Things moved too fast for us, Jake. I think we should start over, take it more slowly.”

  “I know how I feel. If you’re not sure, than it isn’t love you have for me.”

  “I know I love you, Jake, but we have real issues we need to iron out before I make a lifetime commitment to you.”

  Jake was silent as he studied her. Nothing had changed. Mia still held some part of herself back, and Kyra gave all of herself to him. Why couldn’t he love Kyra like he loved Mia?

  “What does this mean for us, Mia?”

  “It means we continue to date, get to know each other, go slow and build on the relationship.”

  “I’m not your father,” he said, frustrated.

  “I never said you were. Goddamn it, Jake. You know nothing about me. All you know is there’s an attraction here. You don’t know my family, my dreams, or my fears.”

  “You’re wrong. I know you want to be a writer, and you fear commitment. You blame all your problems on your father. You overanalyze every Goddamn thing. You’re not your family, Mia. And I do know you. Our relationship isn’t just built on sex.” Control was the key here, he understood. Tampering down his anger, he wanted Mia to understand it was her he wanted—not control over her—only her love and respect.

  “What are you going to do about Kyra?”

  He could see his silence bothered her, but he still didn’t know where he stood with her. Carefully wording his reply, he asked, “What do you want me to do about her?”

  “You’re a piece of work, Jake, playing the shrink with me. That’s Psych 101.”

  “I’m not playing, Mia. Are we a couple or not?” After five hours he still didn’t have a clue, and it was killing him. She still wanted it all while giving nothing back. No one else could make him so crazy.

  “We can still date other people if you like, but I won’t sleep with you if you’re dating someone else.”

  “I think the only way we’ll find out if we want to be together is to be monogamous.”

  “I agree.”

  “I have plans with Kyra this week I need to keep, but tomorrow I’ll let her know that at the end of the week we’ll no longer be dating.” Jake watched Mia’s face twist into a scowl. Instead of joy, he noticed annoyance.

  “Why the end of the week? You can honor your commitment to her, but why consider it a date?”

  “It’s a courtesy to her. Kyra was there when I needed her, so I’m going to be there for her.” I’m not backing down on this damn point. How can she be so fucking unhappy with my decision? I owe Kyra. Maybe I should run while I have the chance.

  “I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”

  “This choice is yours as all the other choices were. You’ve run the game since the moment I met you.”

  “You consider this a game?” It was the second time in a week a woman had asked him the same question. No, he didn’t think it was a game. It was his life.

  “It was an expression. Goddamn it. Are you looking for another fight?”

  “No, but let me make it perfectly clear. After this coming weekend, you have sex with Kyra and we’re through.”

  “I understand and have no problem with that.” Mia started to pack up her things and walk to the front door. “What night will I see you, Mia?”

  “Next week, after you’re done with Kyra, that’s wh
en.” She leaned into him, gave him a kiss. She still wanted total control, he thought.

  When Mia pull away he closed the door. Then he fixed another drink replaying the entire conversation in his head. Cops and shrinks—what had they in common? They analyzed everything, weighed the outcome. Would his life be one big pissing contest with Mia? Was he a fool to want Mia so much he was willing to let Kyra go?

  Jake downed his drink and undressed for bed. Sleep eluded him. He wasn’t sure how Kyra would react or how deeply he would hurt her, and it weighed on him.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Jake wasn’t the only one not sleeping. Kyra pulled off the road on the way home because she was shaking so much. Once she got home she downed two shots of vodka and still she couldn’t quiet her fear. She thought Phil was going to kill her tonight for simply asking a question. The man wasn’t wound too tightly or was she the one who’s nuts? Phil’s action scared her but not the way he had intended. Now, more than ever, she felt she should tell Jake about Phil. The only thing holding her back—she didn’t want to go to jail. Besides, what if Phil went after Trevor? At any cost, she’d do whatever needed to be done to protect Trevor. Tom was right. It hit her hard, she didn’t deserve custody of her son. If she gave Jake Phil, then she’d have to tell him what she did for Phil. It would definitely push Jake away. Did it matter? After tonight, she was sure Jake would go back to Mia. Kyra rolled over onto her side in the fetal position and clenched her stomach, tears running down her face. How did her life get so far out of control? She wanted Jake more than she wanted anything else in life. And she threw him into the arms of the woman who controlled him.

  Not for the first time, she thought, it was best if she just up and disappeared. Trevor would get over it. It would be the best thing for him. If she went to jail, how could he live with the humiliation? And her bastard in-laws, wouldn’t they be smug about it. She could hear them now—’I told you Tom, she isn’t worth it, but did you listen?’ Oh yeah, one more reason to disappear. With the three hundred thousand dollars, it would be easy. She could relocate anywhere. Could she turn state’s witness and disappear into the Witness Protection Program?