Rough Ride (16 page)

Sighing he decided that if he stood a chance against tall, snobby and rich, he needed someone in his corner.  Sherri was an up front and honest person so the least he could do was tell her the truth.

“We slept together a couple of nights ago.  The following night I went to a party and got to talking to this guy who wants me to do a build for him.  Four bikes, one for himself and one for each of his sons.  The job will be close to a half a year’s worth of income for the shop and we need it badly.  With the economy things have been… slow.  Long and short of it, Tommy and I were out all night partying with this guy after he signed a build agreement and cut me a check for the deposit.  Nothing happened… no women…none of that.” He said

“Did you tell her that?” Sherri asked

“By the time I got back, she was already gone but based on what Dickie said she probably thinks I played her.” He said

“Well you may be a gigolo but you’ve always been an honest one.  Was it a one night thing with her?  Because if you say yes, just know I’m going to kick your balls up into your mouth when I see you next.  I told you to leave her alone that she wasn’t that kind of girl…” Sherri said angrily.

“That’s just it!  I tried like hell to stay away from her but she’s like a candle in a pitch dark room.  I know she’s not that kind of girl… she’s not my kind of girl… she’s classy and sophisticated and… totally amazing.” He finished in a whisper

Silence reigned for a few minutes.

“Bobby, I got a call coming in from Lilly but this conversation is not over.  I will call you back and you better fricken’ answer when I do.” Sherri said

With that she just disconnected the call and his guts felt like they were literally tied into a knot.  Riding back to the hotel he couldn’t help but wonder if the truth of the whole situation was that Lilly
wasn’t
his kind of girl. 

He was a rough, motorcycle riding, long haired hellion and Lilly was the complete opposite.  Lilly was Kyle’s type.  She was classy and high dollar and
still
way out of his league.

After showering he lay down on one of the beds in the hotel room and stared at the ceiling.  He must have dozed off when his phone rang.

“Yea” he said trying to shake off sleep.

“You’re not going to like this…” Sherri said

“What?” He replied

“That guy you saw her leaving the jail with is Kyle and she will be staying with him for a while…” Sherri said

He was stunned. 
She
had played
him
.  For the first time in more years than he could remember he had contemplated being a one woman kind of man… hell he didn’t want any other woman but her. 

He had been the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks and she had tasted the fire and then went back to money, power and high class living.  Just like that.  Guilt over some of the women he had used crawled up his neck.

“I’m sorry Bobby.  I tried to get her to tell me what was going on but she just said that she couldn’t talk about it but that she was fine and that she would call me with her trial date.” Sherri said.  “I told her to call you and she said that wasn’t a good idea right now and then she just hung up.  I think she’s just overwhelmed right now with everything…”

“Yea…” He croaked out “I guess if she wants to talk to me, she’ll call.  If not then I guess karma really is a bitch.  Thanks for letting me know.”

After getting off the phone with Sherri, he called Chuck to book him a flight back home for the next day and then called Tommy’s friend to come and pick up his bike.  If it didn’t mean giving them false hope, he would have also tried to call a couple of women and apologize, because being used hurt like hell.  He had really thought that there was something happening between him and Lilly… beyond the amazing sex and hot chemistry.

Lilly woke to a light tap on the door.  Rolling over she looked at the alarm next to the bed and winced at the time.  She had tossed and turned most of the night. 
“You should call him… I think he really likes you.  He’s not rich but money isn’t everything… sometimes just being there during the bullshit is everything.”
  Sherri’s words had haunted her sleep.  That along with the nervousness she felt being around Kyle… in his home…had made for one long night.

“Hey sleeping beauty, are you awake?” Kyle asked through the slightly opened door.

“Yea, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sleep so late.” She answered

Pushing open the door with his foot, Kyle carried a tray in and laid it down across her lap.  The tray contained a bagel and some cream cheese with a cup of coffee.  After situating the tray Kyle sat on the edge of the bed and stared at her.

“Thank you.” She said “Would you mind to hand me my purse from the chair?”

Standing back up Kyle walked over and retrieved her purse from the chair near the dresser.  It contained a tape recorder that she was to use if she was not wired to the live feed that transmitted to a van that was somewhere close by, supposedly watching the house… and her.  Having caught her before she had a chance to shower and don the small device that was inside the locket of a necklace, she would have to use the recorder.

After he handed it to her she reached inside and turned the recorder on, leaving it in her purse while she pulled out her cell phone.  She felt pretty good that her sleight of hand had gone unnoticed by Kyle since his eyes never left her face.  Glancing at the phone she was disappointed to see that Bobby had not called her.

“How are you feeling this morning?” He asked

“I’m scared to death Kyle.  I had thought this was over and to have to come back here where I’m hated…” She began

“You are not hated.” He said as he reached up and touched her face.

She forced herself to accept his touch though she wanted badly to pull away from it.  Deciding that getting him to talk might keep him from touching her she continued “What am I going to do?  I swear to you I didn’t take that money.  I knew nothing about it.”

“I know you didn’t.  I want you to eat your breakfast and then we are going to the club, I have a meeting setup with an attorney friend of mine at eleven.  He will be able to help us out so don’t worry.” Kyle said continuing to softly rub his thumb along her cheekbone.

“They have all my accounts frozen again and I have nothing.  How can I possibly afford to hire an attorney and support myself during a long drawn out trial?” She asked.

“Let me worry about that.  You just get yourself together and meet me downstairs.” He said.

“I need to go by the storage facility and get some of my clothes… I have nothing.” She whispered looking down.

“Not to worry, I took the liberty of sending my housekeeper out for an outfit for you.  We can do a little shopping after we leave the club.” Kyle said

She would have preferred to avoid the club where she and Darren had been honorary members for years but she needed to allow Kyle to think she would do whatever he suggested so that he would trust her.  She was nearly repulsed by the way Kyle stared at her as though he were undressing her with his eyes as she made quick work of her breakfast.

Taking the tray from her he left the room and returned with a couple of department store bags which he sat on the edge of her bed.

“Take your time, we have a while yet before we need to leave.” He said and then left the room.

She gathered the bags and headed to the bathroom where she locked the door and prayed he didn’t have a key.  After having showered, dressed and donned her necklace and ensuring it was switched on she headed back into her room.  Finding her cell phone on the bed she picked it up and noticed a missed call.  Looking at the caller ID she saw that it was from Bobby and her heart nearly stopped beating.

She desperately wanted to call him back but fear of Kyle over-hearing the conversation made her simply clear out the missed call and head downstairs. 

Much sooner than she would have liked she found herself at a table in the clubhouse
.  People she had known for more than a decade were sitting nearby trying desperately to avoid looking at her.  She and Kyle were joined by an older man in a grey business suit who avoided looking at her but shook Kyle’s hand.

“Thanks for meeting us.” Kyle said to the man “Lilly, this is Simon Barhorst.”

“Do you have the money?” Simon asked him.

“Yes, shall we order first before we get down to business?” Kyle asked.

Simon nodded his head while Kyle called over the waiter and ordered for himself and Lilly.  Upon seeing the waiter pour a glass of wine for her and the two men seated on either side of her, she could not stop her mind from drifting to Bobby. 
“You taste like wine and strawberries.”

She closed her eyes and forced her mind back to the silent men that appeared to be sizing each other up and away from memories that were threatening to bring tears to her eyes. 

The two short weeks she had spent with Bobby had been wonderful.  She had been treated like an intelligent and capable member of the shop.  He made her feel as though nothing else existed for him when she was in the room.

These men seemed as though they wouldn’t notice if she fell over dead in her dinner plate.  She was arm candy, perfectly coifed and meaningless in the grand scheme of things.  Having been back for just a few days now, she felt out of her element.

Once the food had been served the men’s conversation changed from one of small talk to more serious matters.  Removing an envelope from his jacket pocket, Kyle laid it on the table and then slid it towards Simon.  Picking it up Simon put it in his jacket pocket without looking at the contents.

“So Mrs. Warner, can you tell me what happened to the money?” Simon asked her

“I have no idea Mr. Barhorst.  I wasn’t privy to my husband’s business affairs and I assure you that I do not have any money hidden away somewhere.  This is all a mistake.” She said

Simon and Kyle exchanged a look across the table and continued eating.

“What exactly does the local Sheriff’s department think that it has on you that somehow got overlooked by the FBI?” Simon asked her.

“My husband made some investments before he died using money his parents gave us as an anniversary gift.  They are now saying that money was not gifted but was in fact money obtained from my falsified employment
, and was only invested to show potential earnings to investors.  They are saying that eight million dollars of money my husband defrauded those investors out of is missing and they seem to think I have it.” She explained.  “The FBI was able to track down all but that amount.”

“So local law enforcement thinks they can endear the citizens if they can find the remaining amount of missing funds?” Simon asked

“Or at least pin it on someone.  The victims want closure and I can understand that but I am innocent.  I had nothing to do with my husband’s business dealings.  If I had I would have left the
country
not just left town.” she said

“How much money did your former in-laws give you as a wedding gift?” Simon asked

“Fifteen million of which I have offered to pay the eight million that is missing.” She lied.

Simon and Kyle again shared a look across the table.

“You should not have offered them the money, it makes you look guilty.” Simon stated

“I didn’t know what to do and I don’t want to go to prison for something I didn’t do.” She said

“The in-laws provided proof of the initial 15 million dollar investment?” Simon asked.

She knew she was backed into a corner and this was not something Detective Sanders had advised her about.  Knowing she would have to adlib and feeling uncomfortable with the way that Kyle and Simon kept passing knowing glances back and forth, she decided to go out on a limb.