Open Wounds (Harbour Bay #2)(62)
Her mind made up, she smiled sweetly and brushed a light kiss over his lips. A goodbye kiss. Desire sizzled. Passion ignited and she forced herself back even though she wanted to deepen the kiss—to stroke his tongue with hers.
But Darryl had a point. The case they were working was dangerous and if they didn’t get their distance they could easily wind up getting one or both of them killed. That didn’t mean she didn’t hate him for suggesting it.
“You take the car. I'll have one of the guys swing round and pick me up.”
Kellie nodded and stepped back. “Goodbye. Take care Darryl. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She turned and started quickly away. Usually she wasn’t such a coward but she needed space between her and Darryl. Needed it like her next breath. Had he heard the finality in her voice? The pain consumed her.
“This isn’t over,” he called out to her. “When the case is over, you’d better watch out because I’ll be coming for you, Kellie Munroe, and I won’t be letting go.”
She picked up her speed.
Chapter 30
A few days later, Kellie hit the print button and waited for the printer on her desk to spit out her report. The temperamental beast wheezed sickly before finally relinquishing the paper. She gathered up the pages and signed the bottom of the document before stapling it into to the manila folder resting on her desk.
The siege and corresponding paperwork on the Houston was over and the three bodies belonging to the party who’d opened fire on the LAC—along with their executioner—had been brought to the morgue for identification.
The case against Coleani continued to move slowly. The man had not managed to stay in power for as long as he had by being sloppy. Kellie felt frustration at every turn. She’d hoped by now that they would’ve been able to build a strong case, but if anything she felt further away from her goal than the day they’d started.
She hadn’t seen Darryl again since the hospital despite her weakening resolve, especially at night when the memories of how he felt against her body were the strongest. She longed to be held by him again, longed for more mornings like the one they’d shared in bed, and felt a tightness in her chest and a deep sorrow inside her. She knew she was doing the best thing for them both by maintaining distance but she hated herself for it. Only knowing there could be no future except heartache stopped her from throwing herself at him.
It would be foolish to hope. Sure, the idea had appeal.
Home. Love. Family.
Everything she’d been deprived of in the past. But it was too risky, and she felt hollow inside. Darryl deserved so much better than her. She would never be normal, her issues running so deep they might never be resolved. Kellie wasn’t even sure if she had the capacity to love and she didn’t want Darryl to end up hating her for never being able to give him what he’d eventually want from her.
She ached knowing he’d never be hers, but she wasn’t selfish enough to keep him when she knew nothing would come from their relationship. For a brief moment she’d been sublimely happy, then the world had come crashing down beside her and she was forced to sift through the rubble.
Despite the arrest warrant out for Wayne Burton, he’d yet to be located and she’d been placed on desk duty by her boss. She’d been practically chained to her cubicle, which may have helped her to keep her distance from Darryl, but it made overseeing Mia difficult. Thankfully, her friend had graciously kept her informed on the meagre developments in the case. Carlisle had also insisted she speak with the site psychologist, so she’d spent two hours with the woman. She left feeling raw and in a worse emotional place than when she’d first walked through the door.
Kellie brought up yet another report template and began filling out the relevant information. She was so engrossed in deciphering her own notes that she didn’t hear the man approach her desk.
“Such a nice office, Ms. Munroe,” he said.
Kellie startled, and found herself staring into the cold eyes of Dick Coleani. She tensed and took a deep breath in an effort to control her outward appearance. Her mind might be wreaking havoc on the inside but her expression remained composed and indifferent. Kellie fought the urge to throw her letter opener at him. The scum had some nerve to sully the LAC with his stench.
“Mr. Coleani, to what do I owe this honour?” she asked, distain dripping from her voice.
He stepped closer. “I’m just visiting the detectives downstairs, trying to help out in Michael’s case.”
“Come to sign a confession, have you? That would certainly make things easier,” she said flippantly, even while her stomach knotted.
He smiled, baring his teeth which were slightly yellowed, a colour that no amount of cleaning could possibly remove. “I’ve also come to make arrangements for Mikey’s body.”
She nodded. “Probably would have been easier to have buried him after you shot him, huh? That way you could’ve bypassed all that red tape.”
Coleani grinned as if she truly amused him. “You’re nothing like your mother, you know that? She was so pliable. No sense of self-respect. Do you know I punished her every time you interfered with my business? In the end, she enjoyed it.”
Bile rose and her throat burned in an effort to keep from throwing up. She’d seen the bruises on her mother’s skin, yet the woman had always brushed off her concern. Knowing Coleani had touched Jules gave her the shivers, but to know her mother had unduly suffered at his hands because of her actions gave her pause. Kellie had never expected retaliation. She’d been foolish and her mother had paid the price.