Eye Of The Storm - DK3 (18 page)

Painful as Dar’s presence was, there was a link there, a solid, living, breathing link, that touched her down deep in places she’d shied away from for years.

Slowly, she was drawn through the living room and into the plain bedroom, with its low, platform bed and crisp white sheets. To her right was her closet, with its seldom opened door and she stopped with her hand on the knob for a long time before her fingers turned it reluctantly, and she pulled the door open, closing her eyes as the scent hit her.

Why?

Why do this?

In that moment she hated Dar all over again.

But her feet carried her inside and she simply stood, letting the memories surround her as her fingers touched remembered wool and her eyes drank in the rich colors and remembered shapes of what was once her life.

His things. Their things. Neatly folded clothes in the blues and greens he’d preferred.

The chest with their wedding gifts, carefully packed away and saved, most from the friends they’d made in the south or his service buddies.

Dar’s cradle and the baby blanket, a gift from her mother.

It smelled of wool, from his uniforms and old polish, mixed with the faint tang of oil. She ran a shaking finger down a perfectly starched sleeve, then laid her cheek against it, feeling the scratchiness of the fabric and remembering what it had felt like with a living, breathing body inside.

Her legs folded and she sat down on a box full of remnants, carefully hoarded and stored away here. She picked up the soft, cheerful quilt that had once covered their bed and pulled it around her shoulders, tears hitting her knees as she hugged it to her, burying her face in the fabric.

KERRY DROVE IN silence for a bit, casting the occasional glance at the tall, silent form slumped in the seat next to her. “Hey,” she finally said, tugging a fold in the knee of Dar’s jeans. “You doing okay?”

Blue eyes picked up a bit of the sun’s glare from outside. “Yeah. Listen, I’m sorry you had to get in the middle of all that.” Dar gave her an apologetic look.

“Well,” Kerry watched the signs overhead, and changed lanes, “I know how it is with families. And I remember how I felt when I went home for Thanksgiving.” A large tractor trailer whipped by, making the smaller rental car shake. “Jerk,” she muttered. “I couldn’t do much, but I was glad I was here.”

Dar covered her hand and rubbed a thumb over her knuckles. “Me too. Glad that’s over, though.” She faced forward. “You’ll like Richard.

He’s decent, even though he’s a lawyer.”

Kerry nibbled the inside of her lip, debating on touching still sensitive nerves. “Dar, can I say something kind of personal to you?”

Her lover lifted an eyebrow. “Um...sure.”

“Okay.” Kerry made a turn and merged carefully into fitful traffic.

“You’re going to have to give me more specific directions soon.”

“That’s personal,” Dar remarked, with a wary smile.

Green eyes flicked very briefly to her. “What I was going to say was...I know we were talking before we left and all and, I don’t know, Dar. I mean, I just met your mother, but I think I sort of figured out that I don’t think she hates you.”

Dar sorted through the statement, feeling it rub against her smarting defenses. She realized she really didn’t want to talk about the subject, but found it hard to brush Kerry’s obvious concern off. “No. I...” she fingered the envelope, still sealed, “I never really thought that.”

Kerry remained quiet.

“Maybe that would have been better.”

“Why?”

“Hate is a lot more powerful than indifference,” Dar murmured. “I felt like, after my father was gone, she was getting rid of an unwanted problem.” She paused. “Not hate. Just an indifferent dislike that made me feel pretty damn insignificant.”

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“So you went out and conquered the world.”

Dar consider that, then reluctantly nodded. “Yeah. Maybe.”

“I think she loves you, Dar.”

Dar shook her head. “No. She loved my father, Kerry. I was just a part of that. Once he was gone we had nothing in common, and all we did was hurt each other.”

“No,” Kerry disagreed stubbornly. “I don’t believe that, Dar. I think she was trying to find a way back to you.”

Oh yeah.
Dar remembered the exchange they’d had. “Well, I’m out of relatives I give a damn about, so I guess she had her one chance.” She folded her arms over her chest and gazed out the window.

Kerry drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “You could call her once in a while,” she suggested. “Just to say hi, now that you’ve seen each other and all.”

Dar sighed. “She doesn’t want me doing that.”

“How d’you know?”

“Kerry...”

“Dar. You know what? I think the problem is you guys are too much alike.” Kerry turned the wheel, paying attention to her route. “I saw her watching you and I don’t think she’s indifferent, honey. Honestly, I don’t.” She straightened the car out. “You’re not.”

Dar stared grumpily out the window, a half dozen retorts rising to her lips, only to subside unspoken. “Can we change the subject?” she muttered testily.

Kerry glanced at her. “Okay,” she agreed, as her shoulders slumped in reaction. “Sorry. I know I...I can’t fix my family and I sort of really like yours.”

Dar turned her head and traced Kerry’s profile with contrite eyes. “I appreciate that...and maybe you’re right, Ker.” She plucked at the envelope, pulling the flap up. “Her birthday’s next month. Maybe I’ll send a card.”

Ooo
. Kerry refrained from smiling too widely. “We can both send one,” she offered. “I think she’d like that.”

“Mmm.” Dar pulled the small stack of envelopes out and set them on her lap. She turned the first over curiously and examined it. “Yeah. All right.”

Kerry leaned back, flexing her hands and exhaling in mild satisfaction.
One down.

THE STUDY WAS quiet, save the soft sound of a hard drive humming and the occasional rustle as the desk chair’s occupant shifted. Chino was curled up on the couch, her muzzle resting on the arm as she watched Dar work.

“Goddamn it,” Dar muttered, selecting a section of text, then copy-ing it. “That’s not what I asked for.” She pasted it into an email then typed furiously and sent the message with a savage keystroke. “And
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you’d better have that in by Tuesday, mister, or I’m going to ram that IMUX in a place even extended cables won’t reach it.”

“Grr,” Chino agreed, yawning and poking her pink tongue out.

“Yeah.” Dar leaned back and rocked her head back and forth, rubbing her neck with one hand. She’d been crouched over her email for hours, trying to catch up on things that had been building all week. Kerry had gone out to pick up a few things off the island, and she’d taken the opportunity to concentrate on her project. “Okay. Next.”

She leaned forward and clicked on the next mail. “Ah.” This, at least, was moderately good news. Mark’s analysis of the data they’d recovered from Allison had turned up a copy of their friend’s online banking account and that had been sent to not only Duks and Dar, but to the corporate legal department as well.

Dar clicked on it to forward and typed in Alastair’s name. “There.

You wanted a smoking gun, you got one. The bastard was billing those customer’s a ‘management fee’ and pocketing it.” She hit send with considerably more satisfaction this time.

The next mail was from Ankow’s office, and she skimmed through it, making small disgusted noises. “Yeah, right. I’ll provide an onsite aide and escort for you, buddy. Right out the loading dock door.” With a sigh, she forwarded the mail to María. “This is a visiting board member. He thinks he’s God’s gift to ILS, please treat him accordingly.”

A bit of warm sunset trickled in, striping her forearms as they lay on the desk. It reminded her of just how long a day it had been and she surveyed her half full mailbox, then closed the window out and let the underwater scene she currently had as her backdrop replace it.

“That’s enough, Chino.” Dar let her head rest against the soft leather back of the chair. “I’ll do the rest of that later, okay?”

“Yawp.” Chino yawned sleepily, then climbed down, ambled over, and sat down on Dar’s bare foot and licking her ankle.

Dar picked the half grown puppy up and put her on her lap. She scratched her ears and smiled a little as Chino transferred her licking to the underside of Dar’s chin. “Hey. That’s cold.” Dar hugged the puppy and kissed her nose, glancing around a little guiltily as she did so. “You want to go for a walk? I think I need a walk, Chino. Your green eyed friend stuffed me like a pig with that spicy noodle thing she made for lunch.”

She stood and carried the animal into the kitchen to retrieve her leash, then put her down and opened the back door. “G’wan.”

Chino happily frisked down the steps and galloped over to the gate, then waited impatiently as Dar worked the latch, and they walked out onto the path heading towards the beach.

KERRY TUCKED THE bags she’d acquired under an arm and strolled towards the outside cafe at Bayside. The sun was setting and a cool breeze came off the water. She took a deep breath of the salty air and 96
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found a seat, then tucked her purchases under her and leaned back against the railing. A waiter drifted towards her and she ordered a straw-berry banana smoothie, then settled back to wait.

It didn’t take long. She had her drink and was sucking contentedly on it when she caught a motion out of the corner of her eye and turned to see a tall, hooded figure casually making its way towards her.
Right on
time.
Briefly, Kerry wrestled with her conscience, considering what she was doing was meddling rated a twelve on a one to ten scale.

On the other hand,
she reasoned, as Andrew paused and watched a seagull before he continued.
On the other hand, this is my family now, and I
love them. Dar understood that, right?
“Hi, Dad.”

“Hey there, kumquat.” Andrew dropped into the chair across from her. “Whatcha got in the glass?”

“It’s a fruit and yogurt milkshake.” Kerry pushed it towards him.

“Try it.”

He picked it up and sniffed it suspiciously, then took a small sip.

“Huh. That ain’t half bad.”

Kerry smiled, then leaned forward and cocked her head. “Did you get hurt?” A bandage covered half the shadowed face, almost obscuring his right eye.

“Naw.” Andrew returned her glass. “Some damn crazy stuff the VA’s doin’.” He cleared his throat. “Gov’ment gimme pig kinda thing.”

“Are they trying to fix some of the scars?” Kerry inched her chair closer. “That’s where the really bad ones were.” She peered curiously at him, noting the embarrassed glower that was the very image of his daughter’s. “Can I see?”

“No you may not, young lady.” Andrew growled at her. “So don’t you be looking at me like that.”

Kerry gazed compassionately at him.

“Stop that.”

She gave him her best sad puppy look, the one that always worked on Dar.

“I said stop that,” the tall man rasped. “Those damn green eyes ain’t workin’ on me, hear?”

She mentally counted to ten.

“Aw, shit.” Andrew scooted his chair closer. “It ain’t hardly nothing.

Damn doctors were just tryin’ t’fix it so it didn’t smart so damn much.”

Kerry lifted a hand up slowly and touched the fastener on the bandage, feeling the skin tense under her touch, as Andrew’s eyes closed in reflex. She pulled the white gauze aside, and leaned closer. “Oh. I see.”

The two large, knotted scars that had almost covered the right side of his face had been seemingly removed, replaced by what looked like a thin layer of reddened, tacked in place skin. “Is that a graft?”

The blue eyes opened and regarded her. “Fake. Some new stuff,” he muttered.

“Ohh. Artificial skin. Yeah. I saw a special on that.” Kerry gently put the bandage back into place. “Cutting edge technology. In fact, um,” she
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laughed softly, “we administer the mainframes it was developed on.”

“Yeah, well, won’t look any prettier, but it sure damn ’nough feels better,” Andrew admitted. “Hurt to move the other way.”

Kerry brushed his other cheek with her fingertips, resisting the urge to give him a hug. “I’m glad. I know Dar will be glad to hear it too.”

“Mmph.” Andrew leaned back and stuck his hands in the pockets of his hooded sweatshirt. This was his summer version, she realized, as it had the sleeves cut off to expose his muscular arms. “How’s my kid?”

“She’s all right.” Kerry settled back too. “It was kind of a tough couple of days.”

“You go up there with her?”

Kerry nodded.

“Good girl.”

They were silent for a bit.

“She kind of knocked everyone’s socks off,” Kerry finally said, feeling her way very cautiously.

Andrew smiled, his eyes briefly glinting with paternal pride. “I bet.”

Then he fell silent again.

“I...got to meet your wife.” Kerry saw the flinch. “At the service and then we stopped by where she lives this morning.”

His eyes focused on something out on the horizon and he remained quiet, watching and listening.

Kerry took her time, wanting above all not to hurt him. “It’s...I’ve been wondering all day what I was going to say to you when I saw you.”

“She’s doin’ all right,” Andrew finally rasped. “Ain’t she?”

How to answer that?
“No. I don’t think she is.” She spoke on an exhale. “She seemed really alone.”

He stared at her intently, devouring everything.

“I mean she lives in a nice place but,” Kerry clasped her hands to keep them from shaking, aware of how delicate a line she was treading,

“everything was very...stark, very plain and functional and it was so strange. There weren’t any colors.”

The waiter drifted back over. “Something for you, sir?”

“Whiskey,” Andrew answered in a clipped voice.

Kerry waited for the waiter to leave then put a hand on Andrew’s knee. “I’ll stop, if you want me to.”