Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Kara could feel the gazes of Angelo’s friends on her while he cooked pancakes. They weren’t scowling at her, but she could feel their curiosity and interest, and it made her a little uncomfortable. Dante’s words about Angelo from earlier came back to her.
He’s been lonely for a long time.
Was that why they were so curious? She knew they were aware of her situation, that she wasn’t really with Angelo, so they couldn’t assume that anything was happening between them…
then again, they’d all found her in his bedroom.
Since his family was gone, she could have slept in one of the other guest rooms, but she’d slept in Angelo’s bed.
Surely they didn’t know that she and Angelo were intimate.
They couldn’t know, could they? Her throat grew dry as she glanced at Angelo, her body heating with the memory of last night and how wonderful it had been.
The way his hands had touched her, caressed her, his lips worshipping her and the exquisite pleasure that had sent her flying.
Jared picked up a manila folder full of articles and with a glance at Angelo, he passed it to Kara.
“This is what Roarke’s security friends dug up on your father. Is there anything else besides what’s in here that we might need to know?”
She opened the folder and examined page after page of her father’s life.
Crime after crime, deaths, theft, bribery, it all twisted her stomach.
What made her the most sick was when she came across a picture of a younger man…
a man who’d had an attractive edge to him.
It was a picture of her father as a younger man.
The man who had seduced her mother for a night.
She saw hints of her own features in his face.
Her eyes were little like his, her mouth like his.
Before today, she’d only ever seen one picture of her father from a newspaper article that reported his death.
The face in that photo had been an older man, one ravaged by time.
The room was absolutely silent except for the sounds of Angelo making breakfast. She stared at the death certificate that bore her father’s name.
“I know so little about him,” she confessed.
“My mother said she learned about his reputation when she was a teenager but didn’t know what he looked like.
It was only after she found out she was pregnant and went back to the bar to ask around about him that she learned that her one night stand was with none other than Sean O’Brien.
She said goodbye to her family and fled the country.
” Sometimes her mother’s stories about her past felt like another life, one never connected to her.
Kara placed the death certificate back in the folder and closed it, sliding it back towards Jared.
“I’m sorry I can’t give you much more information.”
“That’s okay,” Jared said evenly. “We learned your father’s number two is a man called Cormac Callahan. Do you anything about him?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t even recognize the name.
” That was the problem with always running, always hiding.
There was so much she didn’t know about her father and his world, because she hadn’t wanted to know anything about him.
In hindsight, she now realized that was probably foolish of her.
Her entire life was about staying invisible.
It was a skill she’d developed so well that on the rare occasion she’d had to shoplift to eat, she’d gotten away with it so easily because being invisible had become her superpower.
She knew how to act, how to dress, how to move to attract as little attention as possible.
She hadn’t thought to take further precautions by learning about her father and his world.
“Do you think he has an interest in me? This Callahan man?” she asked.
She and her mother had known her father’s men were always after her, but a tiny part of her had begun to hope that once her father had been dead a few years, the men who took over after him would forget her, and she’d someday be able to emerge into a visible life.
Roarke cleared his throat with a glance at Angelo before speaking to her.
“We fear he might. Callahan and his second-in-command Jim O’Leary, recently arrived in New York City.
They’ve been seen talking to the Westies, the group your father ran for over two decades.
We think the Westies were the ones he had chasing you down here in the States.
Until we know for sure, we have to act like he is after you. ”
She stiffened, her breath stuttering in her chest. They were here in the U.S?
Angelo turned away from the pancakes which were cooking on a griddle on the stove and with a glance at Jared, he spoke.
“It’s okay, Kara.” Angelo assured her. “We’re watching his every move. I promise you’re safe, but I thought you deserved to know that Callahan left Ireland.”
She desperately wanted to believe him, but how could she? He had no idea how dangerous these men were.
“Kara,” Roarke suddenly spoke up. “We’re prepared to deal with him.”
Kara shook her head. “But you can’t be ready every second—”
“We can,” Roarke said. He pulled his cell phone out of his coat pocket and dialed a number.
“Hey, it’s me. I’ve put you on speaker.” Roarke hit a button on his phone and placed the phone on the counter near her. “Tell Kara where Callahan and O’Leary are right now.”
“They just entered a coffee shop in Manhattan. I have eyes on them in the window right now.”
“Thanks.” Roarke hit the end call button. “My friends won’t let them go anywhere without knowing.”
“What about his men?” she asked.
“We’re in the middle of mapping Callahan’s networks. By the end of the day, we will know all of his men, and even his common associates that aren’t considered to be in his immediate employment.”
If that was true, would that mean that she might actually be safe? Her body was still full of tension, so much that it took effort to unclench her jaw, but a flicker of hope was now inside her.
“I hope everyone’s hungry.” Angelo finished sliding pancakes off the griddle and onto four plates. The pancakes were perfectly round, perfectly golden and smelled amazing.
“You know I never turn down your cooking,” Jared said as he eyed the pancakes with excitement.
“I wouldn’t mind one,” Roarke admitted. “I’ve heard great things about your cooking.”
“Thad?” Angelo asked.
Thad nodded solemnly before he looked at Kara. “I owe you an apology, Kara. Angelo was right. You shouldn’t have to run just because it’s easier. You deserve a life.”
Kara suddenly found she had no words and simply nodded at him that she understood and accepted his apology.
Angelo passed her a plate with two pancakes covered in butter and syrup first, then he passed out the remaining plates to his friends.
The pancakes were as perfect as they looked.
She really had to stop being so surprised at his cooking skills.
He was a chef with a popular restaurant after all.
“Eat up, everyone,” Angelo said as he finally prepared a plate for himself. They all dug into their breakfast the moment Angelo took his seat beside Kara at the tabletop bar.
“Roarke, do you think your security detail would let us leave the house to do a few things in the city today?”
“I’m sure they would. That will give Asher time to have someone come and fix the broken window in your bedroom. What did you have a mind?”
“Shopping, and maybe stopping by the restaurant,” Angelo said.
“That should be fine. You have Asher’s number. He’s outside. He can arrange everything.”
Kara ate all of her pancakes, even though she felt like her stomach was going to burst open. But Angelo’s cooking was truly too good to not enjoy.
“You know, Felicity could use a girl’s day. I’m sure Veronica would like to join Kara on your day out.” Jared suggested.
“Yes, I bet she would,” Thad said. “I promised to take Lyra to one of those indoor kids play places today, and Veronica deserves some time to be with friends.”
“I’ll call Shana in case she wants to go,” Roarke said.
“We just got a puppy for Christmas…” Roarke’s face reddened.
“She got me a puppy, anyway, and I need to head to the pet store to stock up on everything I’ll need for a new dog.
She only had the emergency supplies. The pup needs a crate, toys… a cushy bed, the works.”
“Shana bought you a dog?” Thad asked, one eyebrow arched.
Roarke rubbed the back of his neck, his face still a dark red. “Uh… yeah. She knew that I’d always wanted one as a kid and never had the chance to have one.”
Angelo glanced toward Kara who was watching this with fascination.
When Angelo looked her way, he winked at her.
There was definitely something going on with these four men, some dynamic she didn’t totally understand.
She planned to ask Angelo when she had the chance.
It was clear that Angelo was the most positive, the most cheerful of the group, with the least amount of friction… or had been until she’d shown up.
Her stomach clenched, making the pancakes in her stomach want to come back up. She swallowed hard, trying to banish the memory of overhearing Angelo and Thad arguing about her.
“So it’s settled,” Angelo replied. “Asher and I will take the ladies shopping.”
Shopping. Shopping meant money. Money Kara didn’t have.
She didn’t want to remind Angelo she had no money except to cover her basic living essentials. It was too embarrassing to admit. She’d have to gather her courage and tell him when she couldn’t hide from it any longer.
Half an hour later, she was wearing her blue jeans and the green sweater which either Alessia or Francesca had cleaned of Angelo’s blood by some miracle. She was escorted out to a black SUV with Angelo right behind her followed by Asher Fleming, the head of the Brothers of Valor security team.