Burned by Passion(46)
“If you’re talking about her past, I know all about it,” Blake replied. “I know how she lost her mother to an overdose and how her missing father was an abusive alcoholic.”
“Her missing father, you say?” Brittany said with dramatically widened eyes. “Well, it’s a good thing I helped her find him then. Thanks to the private investigators I hired I was able to discover her old man has been looking all over for his long-lost daughter after she all but abandoned him when he was near his deathbed. That little bitch left her dear father to die so she could move on with her life, managing to fool not just your dad but you into thinking she was something she’s isn’t. But she’s nothing but filth and I’m glad to be the one to open your eyes to that.”
She smiled brightly once again, sighing deeply as she had her arms outstretched. “You had a chance to get all this at your beck and call but you settled for that trash. I’m sure you’ll want nothing to do with her after this and I’m ready to be that shoulder you can lean on, Blake. She can have her baby and then you can kick her back to the gangster’s paradise or wherever it is she sprung from. But if you stay with her, I can promise you that now that her father knows where to find her, you’ll soon be mired in a dirty scandal. In no time the whole world will know the truth about your wife’s less than pristine background.” Her voice was filled with triumph.
Blake was trying his best to process everything Brittany was saying; trying to figure out what was the truth and what was nothing more than malicious lies. But his head shot up as her words really sank in and he growled, “How would her father know where to find her? What did you do, Brittany?”
Her big blue eyes widened innocently. “Who, me? All I did was make sure father and daughter finally had their joyous reunion . In fact, I’m sure he’s on his way to see her right now. I kindly offered him the address so he could be with his dear “Akira” as he calls her. I assured him she’d be so glad to see him especially now that she’s carrying his first grandchild. Me and Lionel Taylor had a nice long talk and he told me how she’d always been his little pride and joy-”
Brittany’s voice cut off in a screech as Blake grabbed her by the throat. He looked ready to strangle her, his eyes black with rage though his grip wasn’t hard enough to choke. Still, fear flashed in Brittany’s eyes as she stared into Blake’s furious expression.
He spelled out each word through teeth so tightly clenched they hardly moved as he spoke. “If anything happens to my wife or child, you’d better find the fastest way to get out of this country Brittany. Because I will come back for you and bring you so much pain you’d wish you hadn’t been born.”
With that, he pushed her from him in disgust, not sparing the stricken Brittany one more word or look as he stalked out of his office as fast as he could.
Something told Blake that Kira was in danger and he couldn’t shake the thought as he drove as fast as he could straight for home. If what Brittany said was true about Kira’s father being on his way to see her right then...
Blake’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as he barreled through a yellow traffic light. He didn’t want to think the worst but his gut instincts where Kira was concerned told him she needed him. Especially since he’d been calling her cellphone incessantly and she wasn’t picking up. He was going crazy thinking of the possible reasons why she wasn’t answering his calls.
He remembered the things she’d told him about her father mistreating her. She never said anything about physical abuse but Blake wasn’t going to let that keep him from worrying. Especially after what that bastard ex-fiancé of hers, Terry had put her through.
Blake only hoped he was not too late. He’d never forgiven himself for not being there when Terry had turned her into a punching bag. This time, he kept praying and hoping that he’d make it in time to make sure Kira knew that he’d never let anyone hurt her or their baby growing inside her. He felt ready to kill anyone who tried.
Chapter Eighteen
Blake burst into the house and it was just as he feared.
All his nightmares came true when he saw Kira lying on the ground on her side. Bent over her sprawled body was an unkempt looking man in a shapeless coat, his hair overgrown to match his equally bushy beard. Blake saw red and he let out a roar of rage as he yanked the man off Kira.
“What the hell did you do to her?” He feared the worst looking down at her even as he gripped the man by the scruff of his neck.
“I didn’t do nothing! One moment we were talking and then she fell over. I was trying to help her up when you came in!” the man said, grabbing at Blake’s wrists. Blake stared down at Kira and to his relief, her eyes opened.
“Blake?”
Blake relinquished his death grip on the man’s throat and hunched over Kira, cupping her face and placing it on his thighs as he kneeled beside her. “I’m here baby. What happened? Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I just felt dizzy for a second and the next moment...” She shuddered, her eyes rolling up at the ceiling. And then she winced. “My father...”
Blake glanced around quickly but he was already gone. The front door was ajar and Blake heard shuffling footsteps moving quickly down the porch stairs, the sound receding.
He turned to Kira, stroking her face tenderly. “Forget him, my love. He’s gone.”