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The fire that erupted in his stomach burned to his heart. His head began to pound, and he honestly thought he’d throw up.
Moving to the edge of the sofa, he looked first at Kiera then he turned to Carleene. “I think this visit should conclude, and your respective attorneys can hash this out.”
Standing, the imposing woman stiffly walked to the door. “I’ll let myself out. Jacobsen, my attorney, will be in touch, Kiera.”
He watched her exit and turned to Kiera. Their eyes met, and hers filled with tears. “It’s not true, any of it.”
“Why would she come here and say that? Did she know about me before you married him?”
“I don’t know what Nicholas ever told her, or anyone else for that matter.”
He turned to look out the windows to the lake. His heart hammered as the conversation repeated itself in his mind.She left them with only a note …
“David?”
He turned, and Kiera was standing beside him. “It’s not true. I couldn’t leave Nicholas if I wanted to. And I did. Every minute I was in his presence I wanted to leave. But, once I had Vanessa, I couldn’t leave. Because of her. I never would have left her.”
Her eyes were so earnest, and part of him believed her. But Carleene raised ugly doubts in his mind, and, right now, he couldn’t settle with this situation. Deciding to change the subject a bit, he asked, “Do you have an attorney?”
She never looked away from him but shook her head. He inhaled deeply. “Well, I can help you with that. Sam used to work for a law office here in Harmony Lake. They also do my business, so I’ll call and get you an appointment next week. In the meantime, if Carleene comes back or calls you, don’t let her in or speak with her.”
Her lips thinned, but she nodded.
“How did she know where you live?”
“I don’t know. I was so surprised; I didn’t ask. But I haven’t hidden myself away, and it would be fairly easy to find someone. Especially with her connections and power.”
The oven timer went off, and she moved to the drawer to pull pot holders from the drawer next to the stove and opened the oven door. The rich aroma of lasagna filled the air and had he not just had this encounter with Carleene, he’d have eaten his fill. But as it sat, his stomach was knotted tight. His voice was that of a croak when he said, “I can’t eat a thing, Kiera. My stomach won’t allow it right now.”
She took a deep breath. “Mine either. It’ll keep; I’ll just let it cool a bit then wrap it up and put it in the refrigerator.”
“Come here.”
She tossed the pot holders on the counter and walked into his open arms. As his arms circled her and pulled her tightly to him, he laid his cheek on the top of her head and inhaled her scent. He closed his eyes briefly absorbing the warmth of her body against his. “I can’t stay with you tonight,amore mio. I have some investigating to do on Carleene Campisi.”
“She’s dangerous, David. Don’t dig too deep.”
“Dangerous in what way?”
“I’m not sure. It’s more of a feeling, but I’d always felt that she pulled the strings and Nicholas was her puppet. Their meetings at the house were always top secret and were held while locked in his office. His demeanor and behavior afterward always became demented and dark.”
He leaned back just enough to look into her hazel eyes. They were clearer than they had been in a few days. Besides being shaken earlier, she seemed good. He’d love nothing more than to sink himself into her. After holding her for the past few nights, he’d been hard and ready more often than not, but he wouldn’t be able to keep his mind right tonight. This visit from Carleene only signaled that there was much more that Kiera either wasn’t telling him or didn’t know. But, he needed to find out. Luckily, he was now in a position to dig.
He leaned in and kissed her lips. “I’m going to the office to do some digging. I’d rather not leave you here alone, especially since we’re not sure how she found you.”
“Wait. You think it’s something more dangerous than her just wanting money?”
“I don’t know, honey. What I do know is that I have this burning feeling in my gut, and it’s not a good burning. Something is very off about this whole thing.”
He watched her process this; her jaw clenched slightly, then she nodded.
“Grab your things, and I’ll wrap the lasagna and put it in the fridge.”
27
Six-thirty in the evening and they were walking into Haggerty Security to begin digging into Carleene Campisi. That also meant they’d probably be digging into some of her past as well. It made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
“Luke?” David called out when they entered the front doors.
