KILTED DESIRE 2 - Russian Roulette (27 page)

Scott turned to Alexei. He felt bad he suspected the young
man, when he was completely innocent.

“Alexei, I think yer should contact yer family in Russia and
tell them what happened. I dinnae think the mob will have any details aboot yer
family. I’m pretty sure it was just Tom who was
doon
there watching yer. And, he’d have had nae reason tae pass on any information
like that. It was just Kyle he was after. But again, it would nae hurt tae warn
them, and tell them tae be extra vigilant fer a while too.”

“Right.
Okay Scott, I will.”

“And I’m sorry fer thinking yer were involved, and fer nearly
getting yer killed. I apologize tae all of yer,” Scott said, as he stood up.

“It was nae yer fault mate,” Chris said.

“It’s nice of yer tae say mate, but I think we all know it
was. Listen, I have nae slept fer days. I’m completely drained at the moment. I
need tae go haem. I’m glad yer all made it oot in one piece, and I wish yer all
well,” Scott said, as he turned and walked out of the room. He didn’t wait or
give anybody a chance to respond. He walked back in to main living room where
everyone else was gathered and whispered to Tiffany.

“Can yer come
ootside
fer a
minute.
I need tae talk tae yer.”

She followed him outside onto the driveway.

“What’s wrong Scott?”

“I need tae go haem Tiffany. Can yer have one of yer
driver’s take me
doon
tae the airport?”

“I can take you. Are you not feeling well?”

“I’m physically and mentally drained Tiff. I have nae slept
well fer days. Plus,
there’s
been a lot of things that
have happened. I just really need some time tae rest. I dinnae want yer tae
have tae drive. Yer brother’s just got haem. Yer should be in there celebrating
with yer family.”

“Have I done something wrong?” she asked, taking his hand.

“Nae at all, I think yer great, I really do. I just need
some time.”

“Okay, I can get a driver. Will
you call me later?”
      

“Of course, thanks.”

There was still a driver there, so
Tiffany arranged for him to take Scott.

“Are you going to come and say
goodbye to everyone before you leave?” she asked, as she stood with her arms
wrapped around him by the side of the car.

“Nae, can yer just tell them I needed
tae go?”

“Okay, I will.”

“One more thing, can yer make sure
yer Dad looks after Chris. He did nae know any of yer but still traveled half
way aroond the world and risked his life tae help me find yer brother. I know
yer Dad’s a guid man, but just remind him of what Chris did, eh? And he does
nae need tae be back in Scotland until Friday, maybe yer could let him spend a
few days here working on his tan.”

“Don’t worry, I will. And I know
he’s welcome to stay here as long as he wants to.”

“That’s great Tiff, thanks. I’m sorry I dinnae feel well
enough tae celebrate with yer,” he said, as he hugged her tightly. He kissed
her gently on the lips, while stroking her cheek.

“Call me later Scott. Have a safe trip.”

“Bye,” he said and got into the car.

It was very late when Scott got back to Ohio, when he
arrived home all he had the energy to do, was to fall into bed. He slept very
well and for a very long time. It was Monday afternoon when he woke up.

As he slowly made his way in to the living room he noticed
his cell phone on the end table next to the couch. He remembered putting it
there the previous night when he got home. It was beeping! He checked the phone
and saw several texts and missed calls from Tiffany. He felt bad, he had meant
to call her when he got home,
he
just fell asleep. He sat
down and dialed her number.

“Scott, are you okay?”

“Hey, I’m sorry I did mean tae call yer. I just fell asleep
pretty much as soon as I got haem.”

“I’m worried about you. I was talking to the others last
night about what happened. Nobody blames you, Scott. In fact, it’s just the
opposite.”

“I dinnae really want tae talk aboot it at the moment,
sorry.”

“It’s fine. I just wanted to make sure you got home safely.”

“Aye, I’m guid. I just need a wee bit of time tae get my
head aroond things.”

“I understand Scott, I really do. It’s horrible when someone
you trust lets you down. But don’t let it get to you, and please don’t pull
away from me. I want to be there to support you.”

“I’m nae pulling away from yer, I promise. I’ll be okay, but
I do have tae go, I’ve only just woke up. I need tae call work and catch up on
a few things aroond here.”

“Okay Scott. Call me later, please?”

“Aye I will do, bye.”

“Take care.”

Scott stood up and walked into the kitchen, he needed a
drink. He really liked Tiffany but there were a lot of things that raced
through his mind. Tom’s betrayal hit him hard. Only now, since they were all
safe did it really sink in. Before then, all he really concentrated on was
making sure he got everyone home safely.

Inside the last year, he had been betrayed by two of the
people he thought he could trust the most. In different ways, but both
incidents had equally devastated him. With those incidents added to what his
‘then wife’ had done to him years before, how could he ever trust anyone again?

He really liked Tiffany a lot, she hadn’t done anything
wrong but he was becoming cynical of people in general. He remembered thinking
that way about Katie once and that didn’t turn out well. Plus, Tiffany already possessed
everything. She had never wanted for anything in her life. It wasn’t her fault
but how could he ever impress her, how could he ever buy her anything nice to
show his affection for her. He knew he couldn’t afford to keep her in the
lifestyle to which she was accustomed. Plus, things were going to be awkward
with her family. How could they ever really accept him knowing that he was
responsible for nearly getting her brother
killed.
Scott was beginning to doubt his own judgment, and second guess some of his
decisions, which was unusual for him. Did he really think that Kyle needed some
form of protection for his trip to Russia? Or maybe he just told the Robinson’s
that to make them feel better? He was unsure, he was unsure about everything.
He needed to do something to stop all the thoughts going through his head. So,
he returned to the living room and picked up the phone. He needed to call work
to let them know he was back and available.

The following evening Scott was driving home from work. They
were glad to hear from him and arranged for him to teach his normal classes.
He’d spoken to Tiffany the previous evening and he received a few texts from
her during the day. After two good nights of sleep he was feeling better, but
was still a little down. He was about half-way home when his phone rang, it was
Tiffany.

“Hey Tiff.”

“Hi Scott, how are you feeling?”

“I’m okay.
How aboot yer?”

“I’m good. What are you doing?”

“I’m on my way haem from work. What are yer up tae?”

“Not much, listen I really need to talk to you. Call me when
you get home, okay?”

“Aye, I will do. Bye.”

“Bye Scott.”

Just ten minutes later Scott pulled on to his driveway. As
he stepped out of the car he noticed something by the front door. It was late
and
dark,
he wondered what it could be.

As he drew closer, he recognized it was Tiffany sitting on
his front door step. As he walked closer she stood up and smiled at him.

“I’m sorry Scott, but I’m not going to let you sit and stew
about this all alone. I’m here to help you.”

Scott was
shocked,
he wasn’t
expecting this at all. He smiled and moved closer, hugging her and kissing her
cheek.

“
It’s
guid tae see yer. I was nae
expecting this.”

Scott opened the door and they went inside. This time she
brought a suitcase with her.

“I’m here for as long as you want me,” she said, as they sat
down.

“What aboot yer store?” he replied, holding her hand.

“I have a couple of good girls there now. They ran the place
last week when I was up at Mom and Dad’s. They’ll be fine.”

“That’s guid, how is everyone doing?”

“Mom and Dad are okay. They sent a letter for you. Kyle’s
doing well too! He’s been eating like a horse. I don’t think they fed him at all
when he was being held. It’s going to take him a while to get over it but he’ll
be okay. Mom and Dad want him to go see a shrink, but he said no. And they are not
going to push it.”

“Is Chris still there?”

“Yes, I left him playing tennis with Dad earlier. He leaves
to go back to Scotland tomorrow. I know Dad’s going to give him a check to
thank him for his help before he leaves.”

“That’s cool.
How aboot yer sister and
Alexei?”

“Katy and Josh went home on Monday morning, so did Bill, Sue
and Britney. It’s quieter at the house now. Alexei went home too, he seemed
fine. He starts school again
soon,
he’s got one year
left.”

“So everyone’s trying tae get back tae normal, eh?”

“Yes, I guess so. We just need you back to normal now. How
are you?
Really?”

“I’m okay. I do feel a wee bit better after having some
sleep.”

“That’s good. Obviously I know everything that happened. I
had a really good talk with Chris. He told me everything you went through and
how guilty you feel. It’s not your fault Scott. I promise you, nobody thinks
that.”

He sat back on the couch, and rested his head back.

“Whatever yer say, I was the one who put Tom in touch with
yer family. There’s nae anything anyone can say that will ever change that. I
just have tae deal with it. Because of my misjudgment, Kyle was put through
something he should nae ever have had tae deal with. Alexei too, he should nae
ever have gone through that. It could affect them both fer years. Chris is used
tae it, but I still put him in danger too.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself Scott. My parent’s
approached you for advice. You told them honestly what you thought and
recommended someone you trusted. It’s not your fault Tom did what he did. And
don’t worry about Alexei. I’m sure he must have been scared at the time. But,
all he kept talking about before he left was you, and that it was like being in
a James Bond movie. Kyle’s already started to talk about things too which is a
good sign. You’re his hero, you saved him. It doesn’t matter why or how it
happened. As far as he’s concerned you were the one who rescued him.”

Scott never responded. Tiffany placed her hands on the sides
of his face and sat astride him.

“Trust me Scott, nobody blames you. We are all extremely
grateful for what you did.”

She moved her head in close to his and kissed him. She moved
her hands to the back of his head and pulled his head forward. He put his arms around
her back and held her tightly. The kiss continued for a while before she pulled
away.

“I missed you when you were gone.”

“I missed yer too.”

She climbed off him and pulled an envelope out of her purse.

“Here, read this. It’s from Mom and Dad. Mom actually wrote
it but it’s from them both, they spent a lot of time on that yesterday and
earlier today before I left.”

Scott opened the envelope and removed the hand-written
letter. He leaned back and started to read.

Dear
Scott,

We
didn’t get the chance to talk you before you left on Sunday, so we decided to
write a letter to express our appreciation for what you did for our family. We
know you feel guilty and wanted to come and talk with you when you were leaving,
but Chris said it was best for us to let you go and be alone for a while. We
took his advice since he knows you better than any of us, and he has experience
in dealing with the kind of things you went through in Russia.

Neither
Jim nor I can imagine how it must feel to have to kill someone or even see
someone get killed. We realize that is something that must have happened to you
many times, but still, it can’t be easy.

Also,
to have one of your friend’s do what he did, must be devastating. Please,
please, please understand that we do not blame you at all. If anything, it is
our fault. We were the ones who couldn’t accept the idea of Kyle going overseas,
to a place we were unsure about. We contacted you and asked for your help. We
believe you acted in our best interests and genuinely put us in touch with
someone who you thought could help us. It wasn’t your fault he became greedy
and did what he did. From all we have found out from Chris, if we had just
wired the money to them, it would have been highly unlikely that we would have
seen Kyle again. As would have been the case if we’d have involved the police,
as it seemed like they did have people inside the police force involved within
their organization.

Scott,
we want to thank you for everything you did. Everyone in our family is grateful
to you and we will never forget this. We’d love it if you would consider
working for us. We have security companies that look after our casinos, but
we’d like you to consider a new position. We want someone to oversee the
security of all of our businesses, including the casinos and our home. Someone
to be in charge, hire the companies that look after our business. We’re looking
to do a complete overhaul on the security side of things and want someone with
experience to run everything. Most of our businesses are on the Western side of
the country so you’d probably need to move out here. Which we know would suit
Tiffany, she thinks the world of you,
we
all do.