Trained To Kill (15 page)

“
Dad…” Alex held up his
hand to stop his father.

“
Sort of.”

Alex stopped and let his hand
drop.

“
Kids these days. What
does sort of mean?” Mike asked grilling her.

“
Well we’ve only had one
date.”

“
Ah. Do you like
him?”

“
Dad! That’s
enough.”

“
What?! I’m just
curious.”

Brian was looking at Alex with a
knowing gleam. “It’s a little personal Dad. I don’t think Alex and
Isa are that close.”

Mike snorted and stood up, muttering
about kids these days and online dating.

“
I’m sorry,” Alex said to
Isa. “He’s just…a dad.”

“
It’s fine.”

Alex nodded and walked over to rinse
out his cup.

“
So, what’s this case that
Alex can’t talk about?” Brian asked Isa.

Alex leaned over the counter
groaning.

Isa smiled.

Chapter 19

They regrouped at Isa’s penthouse, and
stowed their coats in the front closet.

"Are you hungry?”

"Yes." Alex rotated his neck and
walked over to sit on the couch, leaving her standing.

“
I’ll see what there is.
Coffee?”

Alex shook his head, “Something cold.”
He got back up and followed her into the kitchen. She was rummaging
through the fridge and pulled out some cut-up chicken, bread, and
mayo. He came over to help when she started to drop the items in
her hands. He caught the mayo and set it on the counter.

“
Thanks.”

“
Let’s see…ah-ha!” Alex
pulled out the milk. “Perfect.”

They fixed sandwiches in a
companionable silence and sat down on the counter stools to
eat.

“
So. What are we going to
do here? Read DeCarlo’s journal?”

Isa looked up from her sandwich and
shook her head. “I’ll do that alone, it’s private.”

“
What if it’s about the
drugs at Inferno?”

“
Then I’ll tell
you.”

“
Isa, I told you I wasn’t
going to arrest you for hacking into DeCarlo’s computer, but
there’s a line here. I can’t just not know what you’re looking at
on there.”

“
My personal life is not
something I want you reading about. If there’s something about
drugs or Malone or Inferno, I will show you.”

Alex sighed and looked out the wall of
glass in the kitchen. The snow had started up again and the frost
on the glass was starting to look like an old-fashioned Christmas
card.

“
I liked your
family.”

Alex looked back over at her, and she
was frowning down into her sandwich.

“
Thanks. They can be
annoying, but I love them.”

“
They must worry about you
a lot.”

“
They do, but it goes with
the territory. Every cop’s family worries.”

Isa looked resolved as she came to a
conclusion. “Alex, I think it’s best if you don’t get into this any
further. I will look into DeCarlo about his stalking. If I find
something pertaining to your case, I’ll let you know. But, you know
very well how dangerous he is. He’s better left to the
Feds.”

Alex was silent, studying Isa’s
determined face. “Is that what you think?”

Isa heard the steel in his voice, but
pressed on. “Think about it before you get angry or offended.
Please. Do you really want to go up against a mob boss over this?
What about transferring? What about Coleen’s wedding?”

Alex sat back, and she could see his
anger draining as he thought it through. “What’s on there that
you’re trying so desperately to hide?”

Isa sat still and counted her breaths.
She would not attack him. She actually liked the guy. She would not
attack him. He didn’t know what had happened to her. She would not
attack him. She would not.

She exploded from her stool and
started pacing. Digging her phone out of her pocket she hit send on
Dr. Jannsen’s phone number. Alex watched in fascination.

“
Dr. Jannsen. There’s
someone here I need to talk to you about. He’s a police officer and
he’s asking about my past. I don’t know what to do.”

Isa was leaning against the glass wall
now with her back turned to Alex. She didn’t give a rat’s ass if he
thought she had gone off the deep end. She needed
advice.

Isa listened for quite awhile, giving
a short response every now and then. Finally, she hung up and
turned back around. “Come on,” she gestured.

They went back into the living room
and Alex sat on the sofa while Isa paced in front of the
fireplace.

“
That was Dr. Jannsen, my
therapist.”

“
Ok,” Alex hesitated. “Did
he tell you what you needed to hear?”

Isa’s laugh was harsh, “I guess we’ll
find out.” She stopped and stared into the low, simmering fire then
began her tale. “You remember how you said you wanted to know about
my past, about what Thorn had done to make me have to kill
him?”

“
Of course.”

“
He raped me. He abused
me. He pimped me out to his business partners.” Isa took a
shuddering breath and held her hand up as Alex had leaned forward,
about to speak. He subsided and put his hand over his mouth,
waiting. “He was also training me to be his own personal body guard
and hired gun.” Isa was suddenly exhausted and walked over to sit
beside him.

“
The night I killed him,
he killed my little sister, Anna, and he tried to kill me, nearly
succeeded.” Isa lifted her shirt up to expose a long, straight scar
on her abdomen. “That’s what I don’t want you to read.”

Alex nodded and grabbed her hand,
squeezing tight, lowering her shirt. “I’m so sorry. I know that
does nothing. But I am. I meant what I said; I wish I could go back
and kill him before he hurt you...and Anna.”

Isa closed her eyes at the sound of
Anna’s name, and jerked when she felt Alex’s strong arms around
her. She hesitated, but then relaxed slowly, letting him hold her
for a minute.

Easing back she said, “I’m ok. I just
don’t like talking about him. I don’t like people knowing about it.
Thus the therapy.” Isa snorted. “So, can you understand why I don’t
want you reading it?”

“
I understand, but it
sounds like people already know. DeCarlo knows; whoever he’s had
following you around all these years knows.”

“
I can deal with that.
It’s different. I don’t know them. They’re outside of my
perspective right now. You are not.” She got back up and resumed
pacing. He let her.

“
I would never judge
you.”

“
Judge? No. Maybe not.
Pity? Yes.”

“
Maybe a little, at first.
It’s a sad thing. Why shouldn’t I feel bad for you about
it?”

“
Because it does nothing
but make me feel awkward.”

Alex huffed out a frustrated breath,
“Ok, I can see that. No pity. I’m not pitying you. I
promise.”

Isa stared at him for several moments,
trying to decide if he was teasing her. He was teasing a little,
but gently.

Teasing aside, Alex said quietly, “I’m
glad you killed him.”

“
So am I. I just wish I
had done it sooner.” Alex was silent at that. His heart felt heavy
in his chest and he wanted to rub at it, but he didn’t. Isa was
staring into the fire again, into the past. He could see the pain
over her sister’s death shimmering around her.

“
Tell me about
her.”

Isa looked up surprised. She thought
about it for a moment, and then said, “No. I’m not at that place
with you.”

Alex was taken aback by her utter
honesty, but after a moment, he accepted it. She was right; they
had only known each other for a few short weeks. He should be
astounded that she told him anything.

“
So, back to DeCarlo. If
you don’t want me reading it, why did you insist on speaking to me
about it right away? Why not read it then tell me if there was
anything about Malone?”

Isa was taken from behind with a bag
shoved over her head and her hands tied behind her back. At least
that’s what she felt like. Why in the hell had she called him? She
stared at him, trying to come up with an explanation, but none
came.

Alex got up and walked over to her.
Standing close, but not touching. Isa just shook her head. “I think
you know why,” Alex said. He lowered his head and kissed her
softly. Just a light pressing of his lips against hers. He didn’t
touch her other than that. He wanted her to come to him. She didn’t
though, and when he stopped she looked up at him and lowered her
eyebrows. “I told you, it can’t happen.”

“
Why? It’s already
started.”

“
You don’t know me
Alex.”

“
You just told me quite a
bit.”

“
A bit. Not all. You’re a
cop.”

“
So what? What does that…”
Alex stopped. Isa could see the wheels turning. Shit. She hadn’t
meant to say that. “The hacking you mean? I already told you I
don’t care about that.”

“
Maybe not now,” Isa
grabbed on to the rope he had tossed and pulled, “but you might
after this is over.”

Alex was quiet. She could see the
wheels continue to turn. Stop. Stop thinking. Stop at the hacking
please, Isa begged. He didn’t say more, but continued to study her.
She could see a realization dawning in his eyes. Fuck it
all.

“
It’s something worse.
Something worse than hacking, isn’t it?”

Isa said nothing, just watched his
face, while leaving her’s blank.

It was Alex’s turn to pace. What had
she done? What did she do? Oh God, do I even want to know? He
groaned loudly, and stopped. “Do I want to know?” he asked
her.

“
No,” Isa shook her head
adamantly, a look of pain on her face.

Alex nodded, for some reason he
trusted her. This brilliant, computer hacking, kung fu master had
gotten under his skin. He felt like he had known her for a thousand
years. Like they were made from the same parts and he knew what was
in her heart, because the same was in his. He didn’t care what she
had done because he would never want to hurt her or betray her. If
she said he didn’t want to know, he probably didn’t.

Alex walked back over to collapse on
the couch. “Wow, I’m exhausted all of the sudden.” Isa walked over
and sat beside him. Laughing shortly she said, “Me too.”

Blowing out a breath and raking his
fingers through his hair he said, “Want to take a nap?”

“
A nap?”

“
Yeah. A nap. I’ve been
running on fumes the last few days.”

Isa was quiet for a moment,
“O…k?”

They walked upstairs together and Alex
rolled and bounced onto Isa’s bed, fully clothed. It was surreal
seeing him lying there. No man had ever been in this room before.
He was so real and warm. She lay down slowly beside him, not
touching. Alex had his hands behind his head and his eyes closed.
She lay curled on her side, watching him, listening to his breath
even out and deepen. Isa watched him fall asleep, and she soon
followed.

Alex woke two hours later. He was
completely disoriented and if he had his gun close by, he probably
would have grabbed it, when he felt someone move next to him. But
Isa’s scent hit him, something in her hair like coconut and citrus,
and he remembered. It was dark in the room now.

They had come together like magnets as
they slept. Isa was curled up to his side, with her thigh over his
and her leg entwined with his. Her hand on his chest, and her face
smooshed into his side. He could barely make her out in the gloom,
but he knew she must have looked absurd.

His silent laugh shook his chest, and
Isa stirred. He flexed his arm around her and pulled her closer.
She went stiff when she realized where she was, and tried to sit
up, but his arm stopped her.

“
Alex,” she said, poking
his chest.

“
Yea?”

“
So you’re
awake?”

“
Just.”

“
Do you feel
better?”

“
I think so.”

“
Good. Let go of
me.”

He obeyed with a chuckle.

“
Water?”

“
Mm.”

Isa got up and shuffled out the door.
Alex forced his legs to move and followed her. She flicked on
lights as she went.

“
So, who’s this guy you’ve
been on one date with?”

Isa glanced over her shoulder on the
way to the kitchen and raised her eyebrow, “James.”

“
James?”

“
Yes.”

“
Does James have a last
name?”

“
Why do you need to
know?”

“
I’m just curious. Are you
going out with him again?”

“
Yes.”

“
So the first date was a
success?”