Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2) (39 page)

Kadyn
laughed at me. “Did you forget what I look like, Kri?”

I
snapped my jaw back into place. “Uh, no. But all that…” I motioned toward his
abs, which were still exposed, “…is a bit distracting.” I inched toward the
cupboard near the refrigerator, determined to change the topic. “Can I get you
some water?”

Kadyn
smiled as he lowered his shirt. “Sure, Kri. Hey, this place is pretty sweet.”
Kadyn wandered out of the kitchen as he began checking the place out.

I
found him in the living room staring out the window overlooking the Potomac
River. Ice tinkled as I handed him a glass of water. “Nice view, huh?”

Kadyn
turned to face me. His eyebrows were knit with concern. “Very nice, Kri. How
did you manage to score this place?”

I
shrugged. “The guy who owns it asked Cenia’s real estate agent to find a tenant
who can be trusted to house sit for the next two years. He had to relocate to
Switzerland for work, but he wanted to keep most of his things here. I still
have to pay rent, two thousand a month, but that includes utilities… and I have
to move out when he returns in two years.”

Kadyn
looked thoughtful as he drank his water. “That sounds a little too good to be
true.”

I
nodded before turning to look out the window. “I thought the same thing. I’m
sure this place costs well over a million dollars, especially being on the
Potomac, and that doesn’t include the artwork or the furniture. I can’t imagine
trusting someone with all of this.” I turned and motioned toward the living
room. “He must really trust this real estate agent.”

Kadyn
walked into the library. “Did you meet the guy?”

I
trailed after Kadyn but stopped in the foyer. “No. He had to leave on short
notice. Everything was done through the real estate agent.”

Kadyn
returned to the foyer. I followed his gaze to the chandelier. “And you got her
name from Cenia?”

I
walked toward the stairs. “Yes. She’s the same real estate agent who sold Cenia
her condo. Do you want to see the upstairs?”

Kadyn
nodded. “Yes. Then I’m going to take a look at the security system. We should
program a new password. We don’t know who this guy is. If he suddenly decides
to return home, I don’t want him walking in unannounced.”

I
froze midway up the stairs. “Kadyn, I’m already scared enough. I can’t be
thinking I’m in danger here.”

Kadyn
joined me on the same step. He set his water down on the top step and pulled me
in for a quick hug. “I just want to make sure you’re safe, Kri. This is a great
neighborhood, and I imagine a place like this has a good security system, but
I’d prefer to know who owns the property so I can run a background check. Lots
of people rely on house sitters and rent their places temporarily, especially
when they have temporary assignments overseas. I just want to be on the safe
side. Can you ask the real estate agent for the name of the owner?”

I
nodded as we continued walking up the stairs. “I’ll call Pearl tomorrow.” I
paused at the top of the stairs, then turned to face Kadyn. “Would it be okay
if I gave you one of the house keys? I want someone else to have the spare in
case of an emergency or in case I lock myself out.”

Kadyn
smiled. “Sure, Kri. I’ll keep your spare key.”

I
showed Kadyn the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs. Then we walked back down to
the garage to get the rest of my things. Once we dragged the last box up to my
room, Kadyn sprawled out exhausted on the bed. “I think you owe me more than
dinner.”

I
raised an eyebrow at Kadyn, afraid to even ask.

He
smiled wickedly, knowing full well how suggestive his comment had been. “I
think our next party should be at your place.”

I
smiled. “I was thinking the same thing. Gabi graduates in three months. I was
thinking we could have her graduation party here.”

Kadyn
stood. He slowly shook his head. “No way are you going to delay a party by
three months. I was thinking more along the lines of next weekend.”

I
sighed in mock exasperation as we made our way down the stairs. “I’ll alert the
troops tomorrow.”

Kadyn
checked out the security system and programmed a new security code while I
ordered Chinese food. He joined me in the kitchen shortly after the food
arrived.

I
was pouring myself a glass of wine. “Look! Pearl left me a bottle of wine in
the refrigerator with a note of congratulations.”

Kadyn
laughed. “I don’t suppose she left a Mountain Dew or a Sprite?”

I
smiled. “No, but I ordered you a Sprite from the restaurant. It’s over there.”
I pointed to the coffee table in the family room where I had the food set up.
“So, what’s my new security code? Please tell me you picked something easy to
remember. You know how bad I am with numbers.”

Kadyn
chuckled as we made our way to the couch. “I think you can remember this one.
It’s my name, spelled backwards. You just need to punch the numbers that
correspond with the letters on the keypad.”

We
began dishing up our food on the square black plates I found in the kitchen.
“So you have essentially guaranteed that I will think of you at least four
times a day?”

Kadyn
tried to hide his smile behind the bright green can as he took a sip of Sprite.
“Something like that.”

I
smiled and raised my wine glass to Kadyn. “
Santé.
” The smile quickly slid
from my face. The toast was instinctive. I didn’t think about it. I just did it…
and instantly regretted it.

Pain
flickered across Kadyn’s face before a more determined look assumed its place.
He raised the can of Sprite. “To new beginnings.”

I
swallowed against the lump in my throat. “To new beginnings.”

Kadyn
was quiet as we began eating, so I filled the silence. “You said Mason is getting
a new assignment. Aren’t the rest of you due for new assignments too?”

He
visibly relaxed. “Yes. I just submitted my top three choices last week. I
should know my new assignment within the next two months.”

Tears
instantly stung my eyes. “So you’ll be moving?”

Kadyn
looked surprised by my reaction. “No. I don’t think so. My first choice was for
reassignment at the Pentagon. I’d like to stay in DC awhile longer. The
Secretary of Defense said he’d support me in this. My other two picks were
Hawaii and Italy. Those assignments are difficult to obtain, especially for an
Air Force captain, but even if they were offered to me, I’m not certain that I would
go. I might separate from the Air Force so I can stay in DC. I like living in
Virginia, and there are a lot of good paying jobs here for people in my career
field. Three government contractors and CBP have already asked me to work for
them at the end of my assignment.”

I
set my plate on the table and settled back against the couch. I tucked my feet
under me so I could face Kadyn. “CBP? That’s Customs and Border Protection?”

Kadyn
nodded as he refilled his plate. A mischievous smile tugged at his lips. “I’m
thinking I should go work for them. That way I can put you on the no fly list,
and I won’t have to worry about you getting dragged out of the country under my
nose again.”

I
choked on my wine as I burst out laughing. I quickly regained my composure. “I
know it’s not fair of me to weigh in on this Kadyn, but I really hope you
stay.”

Kadyn’s
eyes softened. “That’s good to know, Kri.”

“What
about Cenia and the rest of the gang?” I had no clue what their plans were, and
I was surprised that Cenia hadn’t brought it up.

“Cenia,
Phil, and Marie are all separating so they can stay in Virginia. There isn’t a
defense contractor in town who isn’t courting Phil. Cenia is considering a
position at the Department of Defense. I’m not sure which contractors or
agencies Marie is considering. Troy is in for the long haul, though. He put in
for Spain, and I think he and Sara will both go if he gets that assignment.
Gabi will follow Mason as long as he isn’t deployed.”

I
picked up my empty plate and some of the leftover food and took it out to the
kitchen. “I’m going to be sad to see them go, but I’m really happy to hear the
rest of you are planning to stay.”

Kadyn
joined me in the kitchen with his plate and the remaining food. “Thanks for
dinner, Kri.”

I
closed the refrigerator and smiled. “Thanks for lending me your muscles, Kadyn.
I seriously doubt I could have gotten my cedar chest up those stairs without
you.”

Kadyn’s
face turned serious. He took a step toward me. His left hand settled on my hip
as he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. “I’ve missed you,
Kri.”

My
breath caught. “I’ve missed you too, Kadyn,” I replied dazedly. I wasn’t sure
how to interpret his actions.

He
kissed my forehead before stepping away.

I
followed him down to the garage.

He
turned just before he stepped into his car. “Don’t forget about getting a name
from the real estate agent. Be sure to call me when you do.” He smiled as he
ducked inside the car. “You need to get that refrigerator stocked before that
party on Saturday.”

I
folded my arms across my chest and shook my head at him. I was still smiling as
he drove away. I waited in the garage until the garage door closed. I locked
the door that led to the kitchen before walking back up the stairs. I quickly
cleaned the dishes. I flipped all of the lights off and double checked the lock
on the front door before heading upstairs. I contemplated setting the motion
detectors, but I was terrified that I would forget about it in the middle of
the night, accidently set it off, and forget how to disarm the darn thing. All
of the doors and windows were wired to the security system, and that was good enough
for me.

I
sat on my new bed and briefly contemplated the pile of boxes sitting by the
closet. I didn’t have to be at school until four o’clock on Monday, so I
decided to put off unpacking my clothes. I pulled my toothbrush out of the
suitcase I had brought from Cenia’s house and padded off to the bathroom to
shower and brush my teeth. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep
considering it was my first night in a strange place, so I popped a sleeping
pill before walking back into the bedroom.

I
stood in front of the bed and debated whether the bedding was clean. I sighed before
returning to the bathroom linen closet in search of fresh sheets. I could
barely stand by the time I got the bed stripped and remade. I was practically
asleep by the time I climbed under the sheets.

My
last thoughts were of Kadyn. I wondered if he would ever be able to forgive me
for choosing Michael over him and what would become of our relationship if he
did. The idea of him bringing a new girlfriend to one of our gatherings pained
me terribly, but I was in no position to expect otherwise. I knew it was only a
matter of time and wondered how I’d ever insulate myself from that heartache.

I
don’t know how long I slept before I found myself sitting up in bed, gasping
for air. My heart was racing and tears streamed down my face. I peered frantically
around the strange room before I realized I was exactly where I was supposed to
be. I sank back into the damp pillow and tried to blink away the images that
still burned my eyes. This time it was the drowning that haunted me. A hate
filled face leered at me as steel hands pulled my neck from the water only to
submerge me again. Again and again I was pushed under the water until suddenly
it wasn’t me. It was Genevieve he was drowning. Her face was the color of
alabaster and her hair flowed all around her. Pain ripped through my chest as I
curled around my pillow and sobbed.

*
* * * * *

The
next few nights progressed in much the same way. Over and over again, I’d crawl
into bed and make a conscious effort to think about what I was learning in
school, or I’d think about Kadyn, Lexie, Cenia, or my parents… only to wake
from another bad dream. The sleeping pills helped me fall asleep, but they also
made it difficult to claw my way out of the nightmares. I was looking pretty
rough by the time Valentine’s Day rolled around on Thursday. Thankfully, that
was one of my longer days at school. I was in class from three to nine o’clock
at night, with a short dinner break around five o’clock. The hours were just
long enough to keep me distracted from the fact that I was spending Valentine’s
Day alone.

Shae
joined me for dinner, and we joked about being each other’s valentine. It was a
pretty pathetic date considering we were eating at Chick-fil-A.

When
we returned to class, I was surprised to see Dr. Sandstrom had a long narrow
box tied with a deep red ribbon; it was the kind of box that typically held
roses. The box was sitting in the center of the table. The other students were
studying the box curiously. I wondered if he was going to give us each a flower
for coming to class instead of ditching for a date.

My
eyes widened in shock when he picked up the box and handed it to me. “These are
for you, Ms. Stone.”

My
eyes flew wide with surprise. “What? This box is for me? I don’t understand,” I
stammered. I could feel my cheeks heat as every eye in the class fell on me. I set
my books on the table and slowly pulled the ribbon from the box. A dozen of the
most flawless long stemmed red roses I had ever seen were nestled inside the green
tissue that lined the box. I looked at my professor, thoroughly confused. “Who
would think to deliver these here?”