-2-
-Present Day, Montecito Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, NV-
The woman walked into the Montecito wearing a short mini that barely covered what it was supposed to. Her long dark hair flowed around her face and back, stopping just short where the hem of her too short skirt stopped.
"Oh, damn," Mike Cannon said as he watched the woman from the confines of the surveillance room. "That woman is hot with a capital 'h'."
Danny McCoy, Mike's friend and often cohort, to say nothing of a fellow surveillance worker at the Montecito, walked over and stood behind his friend, watching the woman on the screen, "Dude, that has got to be the hottest woman I've ever seen in my life, I would so love to take her back to my place and show her a few things."
"Hey!" a gruff voice said from behind, "Don't you two knuckleheads have anything important to do? Like, say work for instance?"
McCoy and Cannon quickly turned around to find that they were looking into the annoyed face of their boss, Ed Deline. "Hey, Ed," McCoy started, "we were just checking surveillance."
"Uh-huh," Deline said, not buying it for a moment. Reaching down, Ed punched a few keys on the keyboard and brought up multiple camera angles on the large screens. "There, I've just made your job a little easier," he said with a grin. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go meet my niece downstairs. Kyra just got back from spending a few months in Georgia."
That said, Ed turned and walked out of the surveillance room, heading down to meet with his niece.
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Once he got down onto the casino floor, Ed smiled as he approached his niece, "Kyra."
Kyra Eubanks turned around and gave her uncle a radiant smile as she went over and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, "Hey there, Uncle Ed..." kissing his cheek, Kyra stepped back and smiled at him, "You really look good. Grandma was right, you've turned into a handsome devil."
Chuckling quietly, Ed glanced around as he felt his cheeks warm at the compliment, "Well, you look very beautiful yourself, so much like your mother." Pausing, he glanced around again, "Where's your bags?"
"Didn't bring any," Kyra responded, "I figured that Vegas was the best place to get a new wardrobe."
Laughing quietly, Ed nodded, "Now I see why you and Delinda got along as well as you did." Gently linking his arm through her's, Ed led the woman through the casino towards the employees' entrance, "Now, Kyra," he began as he slid the key card through the lock and opened the door, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't give me a heart attack and the male members of my staff a hard-on and wore more appropriate clothing."
Rolling her clear blue eyes, the woman merely let out a sigh followed by the hint of a grin, "I've seen Delinda wear less than this before, Uncle Ed."
"True," Deline conceded, "however, never when I was in the same building."
Leading Kyra upstairs, Ed bypassed the surveillance room and brought her into his new office. Walking into the office, Ed headed over towards his desk and then gestured for his niece to sit down, "Have a seat, honey, I just need to finish something up and then we can meet your aunt for lunch." Glancing up at her, he asked, "Is Alizé okay?"
Unused to Vegas culture, Kyra simply blinked, "Um..."
"Alizé," Ed repeated. "It's at the Palms. It's a good place. It's actually next door to the Ghost Bar and I'm sure that Delinda will take you there, against my strong objections not to."
Kyra just rolled her eyes as she grinned at him, "Always the old fuddy-duddy."
Smirking at her, Ed sat down behind his desk, "I'll just be a few minutes."
Kyra nodded as she walked around the office, not taking the seat. Instead, she walked over to the large picture window that overlooked the illustrious Las Vegas Strip and let out a quiet whistle, "You don't get views like this in Miami."
"Oh please," Ed said as he rolled his eyes, "Instead you guys get an ocean view as well as a view of South Beach. If anything you guys have it better."
"Oh sure," Kyra said, her voice tainted with a bit of bitterness, "Ocean view, SoBe, murdering fathers... we've got it all in Miami."
Setting his pen down, Ed sighed quietly as he kicked himself. Standing up, Deline walked around his desk, he perched himself on the front edge, "Kyra," he said quietly, his voice almost gravel-like.
Turning around, the woman looked at her uncle and it was in that second that Ed saw that her eyes were still filled with pain, unforgiveness and rage. Pushing himself away from the desk, Ed walked over and took the young woman in his arms, speaking quietly, "Have you spoke to him?"
Sighing heavily, Kyra shook her head no and then pulled back. Reaching around her uncle, she grabbed a tissue from the box on his desk and dabbed her eyes, "No," she said quietly, "I don't even know if I want to go to the execution." Pausing, she looked at him, "Are you going?"
The former CIA agent shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know yet."
"What about Grandma? Is she going?"
"I don't know," Ed said honestly. "I talked to her last week and she was still on the fence."
Kyra nodded, quietly, "If you and Aunt Jillian go, I'll go. But I can't go alone."
Her uncle nodded, "Nobody would expect you to, Kyra." Walking over, he planted a kiss on the top of her forehead and then walked back around his desk and sat down to finish up some last minute paperwork.
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-Alizé, Palms Hotel, Las Vegas, NV-
"I can't believe that the state of Florida has dragged this on for almost twelve years," Jillian Deline stated as she sipped her merlot.
Kyra sighed inwardly as she listened to her and aunt and uncle talk of the impending execution of her father.
"I mean, really, Eddie," Jillian continued as she looked at her husband, "It's very cut and dry, isn't it? Robert killed Susannah and then dumped her body overboard."
Sensing her cousin's discomfort, Delinda reached under the table and grabbed Kyra's hand for support and then smiled at her mother, "Mom, are you still planning on heading to the runways in Milan this summer?"
Unaware that the subject was changed intentionally, Jillian smiled at her daughter, "If I can get a traveling partner. Think you can take off?"
Delinda grinned at her mother, "I think that might be arranged."
Squirming uncomfortably in her chair, Kyra cleared her throat quietly, "Would you guys please excuse me for a minute?" Setting her linen napkin on the small appetizer plate before her, she pushed her chair back and grabbed her purse and walked away from the table.
Frowning as she watched her go, Delinda set her own napkin on the table, "I'll go see if she's okay." Pushing herself away from the table, the woman got up and followed her cousin out of the restaurant.
"You know," Ed began once he was alone with his wife, "honey, I know you didn't mean anything by it, but please try to remember that this isn't an easy time for Kyra."
Jillian regarded her husband curiously, "What did I say?"
"You just keep..." he sighed and paused and then looked at her, "just try not to talk about Robert Eubanks so often, please. Especially in front of Kyra."
Jillian nodded guiltily, "I will, I'm sorry."
Smiling softly, Ed leaned across the table to kiss his wife.
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"Hey."
Kyra glanced up and smiled softly when she saw her cousin sit down next to her in the large overstuffed chair that was one of many in the lobby of the Palms Hotel. "Hey," she said back.
"Mom didn't mean to upset you up there, Kyra," Delinda said, "I think she just isn't quite sure what to say."
"She never had any problem when I was growing up," Kyra pointed out with a sigh. "Delinda, I lived with your parents, you and Nessa from the time I was twelve until I was nineteen. Aunt Jillian never was at a loss for words."
"But that was then and this is now," Delinda said in defense of her mother. "Back then your dad's execution wasn't looming in the near future."
"He isn't my dad," Kyra said quietly, suddenly finding the weave in the carpet interesting, "He isn't my dad," she repeated again and then looked at her cousin, "Ed is a dad. Robert Eubanks happens to be my father. Any man can be a father, Dee, but it takes a special man to be a dad."
Delinda nodded quietly in agreement, grateful for her own father, "You are right," she said.
Sighing quietly, the other woman raked her fingers through her auburn hair, "Would you do me a favor? Will you just tell Ed and Jillian that I'll meet them in Miami? There's something I need to do."
Looking at her cousin curiously, Delinda nodded, "Sure, but what is it?"
Standing up, Kyra grabbed her purse, "Go to Miami early and talk to him. Find out why he did what he did." Leaning down, she kissed her cousin's cheek and smiled, "Tell your parents to call me when they get in Miami, I think Ed has my cell phone number."
Too stunned to stop her, Delinda simply watched as her cousin walked away.