Eye Of The Storm - DK3 (63 page)

Kerry took a deep breath. “No, she didn’t. And ILS had nothing to do with this.”

“You can’t be sure of that, Ms. Stuart.” The man now gave her a pity-ing look. “Or should I say, you’ve got a vested interest in denying it, since she seduced you in the process.”

A shocked silence occurred, then low whispers. Kerry’s nervousness faded and was replaced by anger. “Oh, I most certainly can be sure of that.”

“You’re not denying the seduction then? We know you two live together.”

The whispers were getting ugly and Kerry could feel the hostile eyes now on her. “That information was not manufactured by anyone and Dar Roberts did not release it.”

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The man crossed to her and leaned on the table. “Oh really? And how do you know that?”

Crunch time.
Kerry met his eyes. “Because I did.”

Dead silence.

“I validated the source, I confirmed the contents, and I released that information to the press and to the FBI.” Kerry spoke into all that frozen quiet. “And, sir, it’s the bribes, and the malfeasance, and the buying of votes, and the moral decrepitude that’s at issue here. Not me, or my relationship with my family, or who in the hell I sleep with.” Her last sentence was spoken in a rapid crescendo.

He stared at her in total disgust.

Kerry just sat there, breathing hard.

“That will be all for now, Ms. Stuart,” one of the senators said, carefully adjusting a pile of papers in his hands. “I motion for a brief adjourn-ment.”

Somewhere, she found the strength to stand up with quiet dignity and face the explosion of flashbulbs. She stared through them to find her way back through the muttering crowd to a safe haven outlined by a tall, angry looking form who put an arm around her and visited the surrounding crowd with a lethal glare.

She sat down, shaking.

Andrew sat next to her and hissed out a long, aggravated breath.

“That boy is going to have his pecker pulled out his damn nostrils fore I’m done with him.”

Kerry swallowed, not daring to look up, knowing everyone was looking at her. Then a warm hand dropped onto her other shoulder and a graceful body lifted itself over the row of chairs and settled into the one next to her, feeling and smelling and sounding like Dar. She peeked over and saw a wry, compassionate gaze looking back. “Can I go home now?”

she managed to whisper.

Dar pulled her closer, ignoring the press, having gotten to the chambers just in time to hear Kerry’s admission. “Don’t worry about it, Ker.

You did what you had to. Whatever happens, you and I will deal with it.”

She exchanged looks with her father. “Take it easy. I’ve got you.”

Kerry closed her eyes, momentarily safe in her warm haven.
Surely, it
couldn’t get any worse, right?

She sighed.

THEY PUSHED THEIR way out of the hastily recessed chambers, surrounded by people who were grabbing and shoving and plucking at Kerry’s sleeve. “Ms. Stuart. Ms. Stuart, a moment with you please!”

Kerry kept her head down and kept walking, relying on Dar’s guidance to keep her from slamming into the press crews and other impedi-ments. A hand grabbed her arm and she looked up to see her microphone shoved in her face. “I’m sorry.” She took a breath. “I think I’ve said enough for now.”

“Wait!”

“Ms. Stuart!”

“Is it true?”

“Excuse us.” Dar put an arm around Kerry and put a hand out, shoving hard and making some space in the crush of bodies. Andrew came up on the other side and tucked Ceci between them, slipping an arm behind Dar’s and clasping her above the elbow.

“You all right?” Ceci murmured, patting Kerry’s arm.

“No,” Kerry whispered.

“Take it easy. We’ll get out of here.” Ceci glanced up at the two determined, serious faces above her head. She and Dar had gone down to the crowded building after Dar had finished her interview, doing a more than creditable job so far as Ceci could tell and fending off the repeated passes from the reporter with a wry good grace. They’d gotten to the stairs just as Kerry was speaking and stopped in the very doorway just as she’d admitted to releasing the information.

Gutsy kid.
Ceci had followed Dar closely through the chaos, almost swallowed up by Andy’s welcoming grip as she reached the seats.

She’d been out of life for so long, Ceci suspected this was the Goddess’ little revenge.

They forced their way out the door and finally felt fresh air against them, and Kerry sucked in a huge lung full of it, trying to ignore the shouting of the protestors not far away. The cameras had followed and reporters were yammering, but her senses were on overload and she shut them down in self-defense, covering her ears with her hands and shivering.

“Down there,” Dar directed. “We’ll get a cab and get the hell out of here.”

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“I’m not going back in there,” Kerry muttered. “I don’t care what they say. That’s it.”

They headed down the stairs, past the crowd, and Dar flicked her eyes over them, seeing the angry faces and surging motion. “Look! There they are! That’s the one!”

“Shit.” Dar turned her shoulders just in time to deflect a large rock.

“Let’s move.”

“Son of a biscuit,” Andrew growled. “Dardar, switch spots with me.”

Another rock pelted the dark haired woman and she gritted her teeth. “Just keep moving.”

Epithets rolled over them. Nasty, dark words full of hate, and anger, and more rocks with them. The police struggled to keep the crowd back, but several men broke through, grabbed a barricade and moved towards them with wild intent.

Andrew cursed and ducked around Dar. “Stay with yer momma,” he growled, giving them all a shove towards the cab as he jumped to intercept the two men. “And where d’you think ye’re goin’, dog face?” He grabbed the barricade coming towards him and wrenched it from the man’s hands, then he tossed it away and towards an empty spot on the stairs. The man closest to him—a tall, thin youngster with cropped hair and ugly ears—reached for him, but a policeman caught him up from behind, and hauled him towards the line of barricades.

“You stupid bastard!” the boy yelled at Andrew. “I’ll kick your ass!”

His companion jumped on Andrew and rapidly realized what a bad mistake that was when the ex-SEAL got a grab on his neck and his crotch and flipped him over his head, landing him on the hard marble stairs.

Three more men broke through the ranks and ran towards them with sticks.

Andy grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet, feeling a rush of blood through him that left a pleasant tingle behind, prickling a lust for fighting that had never quite faded. “C’mon, y’little pollywogs,” he yelled, flexing his hands.

A cab pulled cautiously to the curb as Dar signaled, yanked the door open, and hustled her mother and Kerry inside.

“Where ya goin’?” the cabbie yelled.

“Anywhere but here,” Dar replied, looking around quickly and spotting several reporters heading their way. “Jesus. I shoulda left that damn system down this morning.” She turned to see her father holding his ground, then she sighed. “Be right back.”

She bolted up the stairs and grabbed Andrew’s arm. “C’mon, Dad.”

“Aw.” Andrew threw a last punch, then ducked an outstretched arm and followed Dar back to the cab. They beat the reporters by a few steps and got the doors closed just in time—the cab pulling quickly away from the curb as a stumbling cameraman slammed against its bumper.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Kerry slowly released a long held breath and leaned against Dar, who wrapped her up tightly and pulled her close.

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“Hope there’s a back entrance to that there hotel,” Andrew remarked. “Haven’t seen this much hoohaa since that Pamela Lee Ander-son showed up at a damn liberty near Mexico.” He half turned and regarded his wife, who was rubbing her ear. “You all right, Cec?”

Cecilia mentally caught her breath. “I think so.” She looked at Dar, who was pressed against the cab door with Kerry huddled against her.

“You?”

Dar nodded, as her lover burrowed further into her sweater. “I’m fine.” She put a hand against Kerry’s head as she heard her take a shaky breath. “All right. Let’s just get back to the hotel and regroup, then I’ll figure out what to do.” She half expected a protest from Kerry, but the blonde woman didn’t say a word.
Okay.
Dar mentally sorted things out.

What Kerry had just done had derailed two possible problems that had been nig-gling at her.

One was the fact that she and Dar lived together, which had been rolled right over.

Two was the fact that the information on her father had come from within ILS, which had also been rolled right over, obscured by the blonde woman’s startling confession.

ILS’s position then was simple, that its employee’s personal lives was none of their concern.
One problem out of the way.

As for Kerry bursting out of the closet with a howitzer...
Well, from the company’s standpoint they were on the high ground, able to placidly say their employee’s sexuality was also none of their concern, and the equal treatment of such was assured under the corporate bylaws. Made them look damn progressive, which ILS in most cases certainly wasn’t.

Okay.
So she didn’t have to worry about the company. On the other hand, she did have to worry about the desperately upset woman in her arms, who was emotionally devastated and rapidly unraveling before Dar’s eyes. With a sigh, she pulled her cell phone out and dialed a number. Alastair answered on the second ring.

“Well, hello there Dar.” Her boss’s voice was wry. “Just saw your interview. Fantastic job. I got a call from ABC and CBS right afterward, asking for in-depth stuff.”

“Alastair—”

“And, I just saw the hearings.”

Dar was silent, wondering what he’d say.

A pause. “She’s a damn brave kid.” Alastair’s voice was warm. “Give her my regards, willya?”

Dar smiled quietly. “I will.”

“Think they’ll call you up there? Just so I know the worst?” Alastair sounded peacefully resigned. “I’ve called a teleconference for tonight with the board.”

“Not if they’re smart,” Dar replied.

“All right. Keep me advised, Dar. I want to know what’s happening.”

Dar chuckled wryly. “I’ll keep the company’s nose as clean as I can,
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Alastair.”

“Couldn’t give a damn about the company, Dar.”

She stared at the phone for a moment.

“Ah…surprised you, huh?” The CEO laughed. “That’s a first. Later, Dar.” He hung up, leaving her to close her phone bemusedly and tuck it away. Kerry finally loosened her grip and tilted her head, gazing up at her with sad eyes.

“Hey.” Dar leaned forward a little to touch her forehead against her lover’s. “Bet you could use some ice cream.” She got a very tiny tired, hurting smile back, then Kerry exhaled and put her head back down. Dar stroked the pale hair comfortingly, glancing up to see her mother watching her. For an awkward moment they stared at each other, then Ceci tightened her lips into a brief smile and turned her attention to her husband, who was scowling at the surrounding, busy streets.

They got to the hotel and the cabbie drove into the parking garage, going down a level and arriving at a lower entrance that was pretty well deserted. Gratefully, they paid him and got out, slipped inside and grabbed an elevator. “Hold on.” Andrew held a hand up. “Let’s take that one there.” He pointed. “S’got a fireman’s control.”

“We don’t have a key,” Dar remarked, her arm still around the very quiet and withdrawn Kerry.

“Pshaw.” Her father pushed her inside and waited for the others to enter, then he pulled a small gadget from his pocket and used it to jimmy the fireman’s lock as the doors closed.

The elevator made a soft, whooshing noise as it climbed the floors.

Kerry’s eyes went from face to face as they waited. “I’m sorry you all had to go through that,” she finally said. “I wish…” She fell silent.

“S’allright, kumquat,” Andrew drawled.

“What did you call her?” Ceci consciously tried to lighten the atmosphere. “Good grief, Andy. How could you compare poor Kerry to a small, bitter orange?”

The doors opened and they peeked out, then edged into the empty corridor and made their way quickly to Dar and Kerry’s room. They got inside just as they heard the elevators open and voices come their way.

Andy closed the door hastily, then held a finger to his lips.

Kerry couldn’t have cared less if the entire Mormon Tabernacle Choir was outside. She trudged over and landed on the bed, spreading her arms out and closing her eyes in weary relief.

Sweet Jesus, what have I just done?

After they’d named her a hostile witness, she’d felt sure her parents knew she’d been the one to release that information. What other reason would there be to estrange her? Surely it couldn’t just be Dar.

But no. They hadn’t known. One look at her father’s face had told her that. Utter shock. Utter betrayal. He’d thought that revealing Dar as the source of the information would have driven a wedge between them, never realizing what he’d force her to say.

No, Daddy. It wasn’t Dar. She’d have deleted the entire file, left up to her.

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I did it.

Me.

Your little girl.

Kerry heard Andy and Ceci move into their own room, mentioning something about ordering room service over there, then it got quiet and the bed next to her dipped and moved, bringing a warm body to settle against her. She opened her eyes to see Dar propped up on her side, a tired look on her face. “I fucked up.” Dar lifted an eyebrow at the use of the epithet. She never said that, unless it was the worst of the worst of things and her partner knew it.

“No, you didn’t,” her lover disagreed. “They did.”

Kerry exhaled. “He didn’t know.” Her eyes went to Dar’s. “He didn’t know it was me, Dar.”

“I know.”

“Now they have a good reason to hate me.”