UNEXPECTED VISITS
Donovan stood when he saw Emily approaching. He hadn't seen her in several months, but he still recognized her almost immediately. She was a petite redhead with an equally fiery temper and they had gone head to head more than once. Although their relationship and marriage had been a good one, she didn't take much static from anyone, and she wasn't afraid to tell him when she thought he was wrong about something. Ironically enough, the same qualities were present in Kayla as well. Strong women sometimes tended to turn men off, but he was drawn to them like the cliché moth to its equally cliché flame. Smiling now, he embraced Emily and they shared a brief hug before they took their seats. He was about to begin digging into her life, but she opened her mouth first.
"Okay, spill it, Frank. Who is she?"
Her green eyes were sparkling with mirth and she was grinning almost mischievously. He gave her a look that might have been bestowed upon someone who had flipped her lid. "Pardon?"
She kept her grin. "You heard me. Who is she? Tell me all about her. You're positively glowing."
He still hadn't changed his facial expression one tick. "I don't think men are supposed to glow."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, brother. Okay, so you're beaming. Is that better?" She sighed and propped her chin on her hand. "Now, tell me all about her," she repeated. "I know there has got to be a her. You're always so close-mouthed, Frank. I can't believe you haven't said something beforehand. You haven't even said anything to your mother, have you?"
"Em, my sedate social life should be the very last thing you would want to hear about," he said with a smile. "Yours, on the other hand, is quite the opposite of mine. Tell me about your boys, your husband, your new job."
She shook her head and laughed a little. "You are not going to dodge me on this one, Mister. Jeff, Brandon, and Brad are perfectly healthy and driving me mad. Nothing out of the ordinary for them. The new job is exactly what it is, a new job. I get to travel a lot more. That's about it. Now that that is out of the way, is there a woman making you so…beamy?"
He smiled. Her laugh had always reminded him of chipmunk chatter. When they were children, he often called her 'Chip.' "There is." He waited to see if she was going to say something else, but she didn't. "Her name is Kayla, and I've asked her to join us later."
444
As Frank Donovan began telling Emily as much as he knew about one Kayla Armstrong, Kayla Falcon stood in front of the mirror scrutinizing her reflection. Frank was expecting her in about forty-five minutes, but she couldn't make herself move away from where she stood. She had changed clothes about twelve times. Among many other things, Frank had told her about Emily, their past relationship, failed marriage, and continued friendship despite the breakup. It had all come about after a stormy afternoon that had seemed to never end. How long had Frank stayed with her? Hours? Kayla backed away from the mirror. The longer she stared at herself, the more she grew to hate what she saw there. Reflected in that cheap pane of glass was a liar, a thief, and probably worst of all, a bitch. She was all those things and more. Yet, there was even more. Oh yes. So much more. So much more that she couldn't even admit to herself because she had the feelings buried so deeply that she wouldn't allow them to see the light of day. Never. Or so she thought. They would see the light of day soon enough in the right situation. Today just wasn't the day. Kayla sat down on the foot of her bed and buried her face in her hands. How had it started? What brought it about? Oh yes. The dating.
One date had turned into two. Two had turned into four. It had progressed onward and before long, both Frank and Kayla realized that two months had passed. Within that two-month span, the two led separate lives when they weren't together, of course, such separate lives that neither would believe the incredulity of it if faced with it. Donovan and his team continued to work the Sideshow case, although they were virtually baffled by it still. Kayla, Carson, and their gang continued hitting bank after bank without so much as a hitch. They weren't idiots, they knew their time was coming, but they continued to work it as long as they could. However, the lying had gotten to Kayla. Steadily, she had been seeing Frank for two months. In that time, she grew more and more convinced that he was involved in some type of law enforcement. She saw no proof of that, and had never asked, but he carried a cell phone with him everywhere he went. Often, he would receive calls, and she would catch quips of things he said here and there. She didn't try to eavesdrop, but she would hear things regardless what she did. She never asked him, and she knew he wondered why she didn't. He probably thought she didn't care about his life. That was the thing. She did. She cared about every facet, but if he said the wrong thing, she couldn't see him. It was that simple. Whatever the case, she couldn't lie to him anymore.
On one night after a very late dinner date, which was more like early morning…three to be exact, he had brought her home, and kissed her good night at the door. Even after two months, she still hadn't had the guts to introduce him to Carson. In his eyes, in his beautiful eyes, she could see that he wanted to come in, that he wanted to take her to her bed and make love to her. God help her, she wanted him to so badly, but she couldn't. For days now, she had been putting him off, getting away by the skin of her teeth. They had had many heated moments in the last few days. If they had been in the right place at the right time, she would already know what it felt like to lie with him in his bed, but she hadn't put herself in that situation. She had been fighting strongly, but her strength was waning. Before long, she wouldn't be able to deny him. It was best to get away while she could. That early morning, he left her, promising to call, and she knew he would. However, she didn't take his calls. For a week or more, he called persistently, daily. She was half tempted to turn off her phone, but she couldn't do it. She listened to each message he left, listened to the confusion in his voice, and she would cry pitifully after she heard them. She kept telling herself this was the best way, but it definitely didn't feel like that to her heart. After a few days, the calls trickled down to nothing. She was finally convinced that he had given up. Although her heart was broken, she was relieved. It was over. He could go on and do whatever it was that he did, and she could finish her covert deeds with her brother before fading off into the fog. Through it all, she kept telling herself that it was the best thing for them both. She didn't know exactly how persistent Frank Donovan actually was until two weeks later.
Kayla had called in sick at work and was in bed when Donovan came knocking on the door. Carson had just gotten out of bed himself and wasn't fully dressed yet. Donovan was faced with a bare chested young man with long shaggy blond hair. Almost immediately, he felt a surge of jealousy. Was this young man the reason behind Kayla's sudden avoidance of him? He never once thought of this man being her brother.
"Can I help you," Carson said. He had never met Kayla's boyfriend and wasn't sure who this guy was.
Donovan shook away the urge to be as rude as possible. He knew nothing about the situation yet. He couldn't prove anything. "I want to speak to Kayla for a few minutes if she's here. I know she's not at work." He knew he had given just a little too much information away, but he couldn't help it. Regardless of who this man was, he deserved an explanation, and he wasn't leaving until he received one.
Carson nodded. This must be Frank the Stock Broker. For some reason, his sister had been giving this guy the cold shoulder. "You're Frank?" He watched as Donovan nodded almost distractedly. Carson did the unexpected. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Carson, Kayla's brother."
Instead of waking Kayla, Carson directed Donovan toward her bedroom, showed him inside, and then closed the door behind them. Kayla wasn't fully asleep, just dozing, and she thought her brother had decided to bother her. Yet, her nostrils detected the scent of different cologne in the air. Carson wasn't known to wear that brand. He wore something cheaper and more readily available. No. It couldn't be. Frank had been to the apartment building many times, but she had never brought him up. How would he know where she was? He wouldn't. She was just imagining things. Her asshole brother was messing with her mind. But why would he be so cruel? He knew how she felt about Frank and he wouldn't go that far to hurt her. Kayla turned over, swung her legs over the side of the bed, and sat up. Standing only a few feet from her bed was Frank. So many emotions were whirling within her at once and the mix nearly made her nauseous. He had finally met Carson. What if her brother had spilled the beans about her 'stock broker' lie? What if he had been working the specs for the next job on his laptop? What the hell was he doing here? Why had he come? Didn't the week without answering his calls give him enough of a hint? Didn't he understand that she didn't want to see him? What the hell was he thinking? How had he found her? Why had he even tried? Oh dear God was she glad to see him. If she wasn't so shocked, she might have gotten up and jumped into the big middle of him.
She was well covered by her ridiculous flannel pajamas, but she felt horridly underdressed as he gazed at her steadily. He was demanding an explanation without uttering a word. She knew what he was thinking. Two people didn't just see each other for eight weeks and then suddenly stop for no reason. There had to be something. Although she looked ridiculous, she didn't move from her spot on the bed. "What are you doing here? How did you find my apartment?"
"We can talk about that in a minute," he said calmly without moving one step toward her. "But first, I think I deserve an explanation. Why haven't you been taking my calls? Did I do or say something wrong? Is there someone else?"
Hurt literally dripped off each word that had come out of his mouth. It killed her hearing them. She shook her head. "No."
He moved suddenly, startling her. Before she knew it, he was down on his knees before her, his body placed snuggly between her thighs. "Then talk to me. Tell me what it is."
He was so close to her that it was nearly mind-boggling. Crazily enough, she felt the unwanted sting of tears in her eyes. Damn you Frank Donovan. Although touching him was something she didn't want to do, was something that was a very bad idea, she reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. His skin was warm and soft. She again wondered what the hell he was doing here. Didn't he have a job? "I didn't want to hurt you," she whispered. "I was scared. Sometimes, when I get exactly what I want, my reaction is to starting pushing before I'm pushed." How she longed to tell him the real truth. How she longed to stop hurting him for good. "I'm sorry, Frank. I truly missed you. I've been absolutely miserable."
Something about her explanation seemed almost sugarcoated. Simple. There seemed to be more to it than what she was telling him. Yet, there was also so much of it that seemed sincere and true as well. He knew one thing. He couldn't lose her now. "Kayla, I'm crazy about you, and I want this to work. You don't know how much. You have to tell me. You have to talk to me. Don't shut me out."
She bit her lip. He didn't understand anything. She didn't want him to be crazy about her. Didn't he get it? But she couldn't fight it. It was too late. Much too late. The first day she met him was too late. "I want it, too. I do."
She pressed her lips against his and it only took him seconds to respond. He slipped his tongue between her sweet lips and allowed it to touch hers. He broke the kiss after several moments and allowed his lips to slide down to the slope of her throat. She threw her head back and plunged her hands into his soft black hair. His goatee was tickling her and she closed her eyes tightly against the sensation. He drew away after a moment to gaze up into her eyes. Her hands were still in his hair.
"You didn't tell me how you found me," she said.
"You're right, I haven't." He drew away from her altogether and sat beside her on the bed. He had been seeing her for two months, and had shared things with her that not many people knew. In fact, he had just confessed feelings hidden within his heart that he hadn't felt for another woman in years. Could he trust her? Did he trust his own heart? In both cases, the answer was yes. If he expected her to open up to him, he had to do the same. "In my line of work, it's not hard to find people I'm looking for. And it's about time I tell you. I swear I'm not giving you a line or further trying to impress you. I suppose there's no easy way to say it, but to blurt it out. I work with the FBI."
Immediately, her heart sank to her feet. He had told her something she had been dreading for weeks. This was news she had been expecting, but it was no less heartbreaking. He was a FBI agent? FBI? The very people trying to crack the gang she was a part of. She wondered if he was working their case. Was he? Was he after them? Why hadn't he told her this before she agreed to keep seeing him? This couldn't be true. She had finally been sent someone and he wound up being a goddamn FBI agent? Someone hell bent to send her and her brother to prison for the rest of their natural lives? Did it matter that he didn't know their motivation? God. She was going to lose her mind. Please oh please, let him be kidding. Please.
"F…BI," she sputtered. "And this is no joke?"
He nodded. "Yes, FBI, and it's not a joke. It's how I found your apartment number. I know I overstepped a few boundaries, but you were dodging me a little," he said with a smile. His smile faded just a bit when he noticed the slight shocked expression on her face. "Kayla, you're all right with this, aren't you?"
No. I'm a wanted felon. Of course I'm not all right with it. What do you think? "No, Frank, I'm fine with it. A little surprised, that's all." She would have to work at breaking off this relationship. Somehow. Some way. She only hoped Carson couldn't hear this. She would have to do this her own way. "What else do you know about me? The kind of grades I made in high school?"
She was trying to be flippant about it, but he knew he had hurt her. He ran his hand through her hair and tucked it behind her ear as she often did. "Nothing like that. I won't invade your privacy again, and for that, I'm sorry."
"It brought you here," she whispered. "And that's okay."
She was so sad, so unreachably sad, and he didn't know what he could do for her. He didn't understand, and he longed to. He kissed her and he felt their bodies drifting to her bed. He was intent on stripping her out of her pajamas and making love to her all morning long, had even begun working on undoing the buttons on her top, but she stopped him by grabbing his hand. He wanted her so badly, had yet to make love to her, and he knew she wanted him to, but she had resisted yet again. She had so much more strength reserved in her body than he did. He broke the kiss and gazed down at her curiously. She shifted her body slightly so that they could lie facing each other.
"I've called in sick," she said. "Do you have anywhere else to be?"
He propped his head on his hand and shook his head. "I took a personal day, but I have my phone. They'll call me if they need me." And he was certain they would. Since the Sideshow case had darkened his door, there were no such things as 'personal days' any longer. He expected an interruption at any time. However, he would milk as much time as possible.
"Good. I've told you almost everything about me. So, today, G-man, you talk to me as long as time allows you to." She reached out and took his hand. "Once you do that, next time, I might not stop you."
He spent the better part of the day with her, lying in her bed, just talking. It was only fair. After all, she had told him a lot about herself. He was grateful that his phone didn't ring once.
444
Kayla snapped out of her thoughtful reverie when she realized she had been daydreaming again. That day Frank had spent in her bed just talking to her had been a month ago. She glanced at her bedside clock. It was time to go. If she didn't move her ass, she would be late for lunch.
When Kayla approached the table, Frank and Emily were talking. The two of them were so deep in conversation that they didn't notice her. She realized that they were talking about her. She felt instantly awkward and wanted to leave, but it was too late. Frank noticed her. He made moves to stand and greet her, but she put her hand on his shoulder.
"Don't stand, please." She knew he probably wanted to kiss her, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to kiss him in front of his ex-wife. It wasn't that this woman threatened her, but she felt strange, out of place. As I should. For God's sake, we're on different sides of the damn fence. Wake up and smell the Gatorade, Falcon. "I'm Kayla," she said to Emily, extending her hand.
Emily smiled back at Kayla and took her outstretched hand. She immediately noticed how Frank looked at the young woman. The change in his demeanor was almost instantaneous and overwhelming. This man wasn't just glowing or beaming or whatever. She was pretty damn sure he was in love with her. "Very nice to meet you. Please sit."
Kayla stayed a little less than an hour. She apologized profusely, but she was expected back at the daycare center. Frank excused himself and saw her to her car. After a very long and proper goodbye, with a promise that he would call her later, he came back to the table and noticed that Emily was grinning at him.
"You were right about her, Frank. She seems to be a great girl. I see that you're more than just a little taken with her," she said.
For a moment, he wanted to deny it, to argue, but why? What purpose did it serve? Why in the hell did he want to fight it now? He had been resisting a relationship and deep feelings for another human being for so long. Wasn't it time to set himself free? "You caught me," he confessed with an almost guilty smile. "I'm truly crazy about her."
"And that's it," she prodded.
"What do you want me to say," he asked with an embarrassed laugh.
"You're in love with her, aren't you?"
He sighed. Wasn't he supposed to be the interrogator here? "I am."
"Have you told her yet?"
He shook his head. "I suppose you can say I'm waiting for the perfect 'wine and roses' moment."
444
While Frank was making his confession, Kayla was slowly making her way toward the daycare center. In her mind, she was trying to work out a way to break off her relationship with Frank. It was progressing to a level that she could no longer handle. He was beginning to insist that she meet people he knew, loved, and respected. She hadn't allowed him to make love to her, but it didn't matter, it was still going strong and getting stronger. What she was trying to deny was becoming more obvious by the day. She was beginning to have very sharply defined feelings for this man. Cut the crap, Kayla. Just cut the crap. She could fight it until she was blue in the face, but she had to face the facts. There was love in her heart for Frank Donovan and it shouldn't belong there. Her only choice, only option, was to get out while she could maintain her sanity. One question remained. How? How?
To be continued…