Open Wounds (Harbour Bay #2)(63)
She blinked back tears for her mother, who had tried her best and had taken the brunt of Coleani’s anger for her. She wanted to rip this man apart with her bare hands. The letter opener looked extremely good right now.
She remained quiet lest she open her mouth and allow him to see how much his words affected her. He eagerly waited for a response. She would not give him one—at least not the one he was after.
“I never thought a perky little blonde could cause so much trouble,” he commented when she didn’t rise to the bait.
“Yes, well, we know how you deal with trouble don’t we, Mr. Coleani? You’re leaving quite a few bodies in your wake.”
His eyes hardened. “You may want to take note of who you’re talking to, little girl. I have eyes everywhere. Call off the investigation or you’ll find you’re the one getting buried.”
Kellie sucked in a sharp breath. “Is that a threat? Note who you are talking to. I am not a little girl. I am a sergeant in the NSW police force.”
He snarled. “I don’t give a shit who you are. Back away or you’ll find yourself in a world of pain.”
Her ill-advised temper reared its ugly head. “What will you do? Sic Wayne on me?” she asked tartly even as her heart beat wildly in her chest.
He stepped closer again, his voice dropping an octave. “Oh no, Ms. Munroe, it’s not you I’ll attack. It’ll be your friends downstairs. Your buddy Nick, the instructor. How about dear Amelia…or what about your current f*ck, Detective Hill? Yes, I know all about you. Do you really want to be responsible for whatever happens to them? Good day, Ms. Munroe. Please take some time to consider what I’ve said.”
He walked out of her office like a king, as if he owned the building and had every right to be there. Kellie slammed a fist against her desk, hard. The sound echoed in the empty room. Her stomach knotted as once again she felt impotent, weak, and unable to defeat one man. She fought for control, breathing heavily in an effort to calm the rage and helplessness she felt. Tears rolled down her cheek.
Days like these she wished she had a bottle of Wild Turkey in her bottom drawer. She yanked a tissue from her purse and dabbed at her rebellious tears, then blinked and took a moment to regain her composure before applying corrective foundation to her mascara streaked cheeks. When she had successfully covered up her temporary loss of control, she stood and adjusted her dark grey pencil skirt and jacket.
For the first time, she felt thankful the elevator moved so slowly to the second floor. She was in no rush, but even so, the doors opened before she was ready and she stood staring out at the Pig Pen.
“Stop whatever you’re doing in regards to the Coleani investigation,” she told them as she drew near, hoping her voice would remain steady and clear and not broadcast her fears.
“What?” Amelia looked up from her desk, followed by the three other detectives. She felt Darryl’s stare acutely and it burned her. She refused to look in his direction, knowing she would crumble if she did.
“Do as I say, Detective Donovan. You have your murderer lying in autopsy.”
“And what of his murderer? Coleani is up to his ears in this.”
“He may well be.”
Amelia snorted. “You know he is.”
“As far as IA is concerned, the investigation into your conduct is finished. All that’s needed to close the case is my report. I will advise you of the outcome. And unless you have direct evidence linking Coleani to the shootings, the LAC doesn’t have the manpower to continue looking into it.”
Amelia raised an eyebrow, clearly biting off what she wanted to say.
Kellie turned and started back toward the elevator. She passed Nick, who asked, “Has this got anything to do with the fact Dick Coleani just left?”
She ignored him and quickly retreated, trying to hide her fear. Coleani didn’t make idle threats. She jabbed her finger against the up button and was relieved when the doors immediately opened. Kellie slipped inside. A moment later, Darryl’s large form dominated the small space.
Kellie sank into the corner, careful not to touch him.
The doors closed, trapping her inside with him. She did her best to ignore him even though every breath she took brought his scent deep into her lungs.
“Want to talk about it?”
She didn’t bother to pretend she had no idea what he was talking about. “No.”
“Dammit,” he snapped, and she spun around to face him in surprise. He sounded so pissed, and she’d never seen this side of him before. And it was directed at her. “What do I have to say or do to make you trust me?”
“I do trust you,” she said softly and meant it.
“Then why do you shut me out? I can help you. I want to help you if you’d just give me a chance. We all do. You’re not in this alone.”
She had a feeling he wasn’t just talking about Coleani. He was frustrated with her just as she knew he would be, only it had come quicker than she’d anticipated. Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe Darryl would stop fighting her and just give up. There could be no future for them. They’d had a good time, enjoyed some fine memories. Now it was over.
Tears pricked her eyes. When had she become so damn emotional?
He huffed out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair when she didn’t answer him. “I know Coleani said something to you. Is that why you ordered the investigation to be stopped? What was it? Did he threaten you?”