Boss: Romantic Thriller Read online

  44.

  “Stop, stop, look at me damn it!” Tarek grabbed her by the face. “Look at me. You’re okay. I swear, sweetheart. You’re okay.”

  She threw her arms around Tarek’s neck, relieved to be alive. He drew her up against him. He held her tightly to his chest. She wept against his shoulder as the trauma of seeing two men die ruptured her brain.

  “He wanted to kill me. Daniel wanted to kill me. Why? Why?”

  “I don’t know. But I plan to find out. He helped her stand. They helped each other. Together they dragged and limped to the front door. Once outside of it she saw how badly Tarek was breathing.

  “You need medical attention.”

  Tarek dropped the shotgun. Kassidy picked it up. She helped him down the steps to the car. Tarek leaned against the car and Kassidy opened the door. She looked inside.

  “Damn it! The keys.”

  “Who was driving?” Tarek wheezed.

  “That investigator you hired. Cash. He was behind the wheel.” Kassidy looked back to the barn. “I need to go get the keys. You stay in the car. I’ll come right back.”

  “No. No.” Tarek said. “We go together.”

  “What? Tarek, you can’t make it.”

  “I can. Listen to me sweetheart. We need to get our stories straight. We get inside we call the police.”

  “How?” she asked.

  “Cash has a cell phone. We’ll go inside and call the police and bring them here. And then you say nothing. Let me handle the rest.”

  “But?”

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  Kassidy had no choice but to do as he asked. They went as slow as her frozen bloody feet, and his haggard breathing would allow.

  “Cash and Daniel. They wanted something from you. What was Daniel talking about, Kassidy?” Tarek asked her. “What is this thing Cash asked you for?”

  Kassidy swallowed. She hadn’t thought to tell him the truth of what she stole from Havarti. After all they’d been through she still she found it hard to confess. She wanted his trust, wanted him to have faith in her. What he think of another lie between them?

  “Kassidy?”

  “I found a USB drive in Bill Havarti’s office. I didn’t know what’s on it. I swear. I later found out it was account numbers. Wire transfers.”

  Tarek looked over at her shocked. “Who did you give it too?”

  “No one. Well actually I gave it to Daniel and he said it was useless and gave it back to me.”

  “Did he make a copy of those account numbers? Did he?”

  “No. That’s why he wanted it back from me. He didn’t have it. Daniel was desperate. You heard him. You saw him.”

  They started again toward the barn door, but it was his turn to go weak. He had to stop. The room swam in his head and his vision blurred. Before he lost consciousness he told Kassidy the story she was to tell the police officers. She listened to him and repeated the plan verbatim. When he was certain she knew how to handle the cops he felt a sense of control return. Kassidy let him go near a stall door. He slumped to the ground. The pain in his chest was unbearable now. He couldn’t make another step if he wanted too.

  “Cell phone. Go get it,” he told her.

  “Okay,” she said. He was reluctant to let her go. But again his head felt heavy and fiery hot. The only relief he felt was when he closed his eyes.

  Kassidy crawled over to the dead man. She tried her best to avoid his innards that were blown out of his chest, and spread everywhere. She wiped Daniel’s blood from her face and neck and held back the urge to vomit over the bile and coppery smell permeating in the air. She reached Cash. She went into his jean pocket and dug for his phone. Both of his pockets were empty.

  “Where is it, damn it?” she groaned.

  She had to touch him to reach inside his coat pockets. She tried not to look at the blood. She tried not to identify with her mind what the wet squishy stuff she felt when searching him was. And then she found it and her heart fluttered with excitement.

  “I have it! I have it!” she shouted. She turned and looked back. Tarek had fallen over to his side. He was unconscious again. Terrified for him, she rushed back to him.

  “Tarek? Tarek? Hold on.”

  She rubbed her thumb over the phone. It required a password for access, but she was able to use the emergency call button. She checked again for a pulse. Tarek was breathing fine, and his pulse was strong.

  “911 what’s your emergency?”

  “Hello? I need help. Please. A man is dead and another one injured.”

  “Where are you ma’am?”

  “At the Marshall ranch, I don’t know the address. Please. Can you send someone? The police. A paramedic. Someone?”

  “Can you find the address ma’am, anything to tell us where you are?”

  “No, I can’t. Send help now.”

  “Stay on the phone with me ma’am. We’ll get a lock on you and get help out to you. It might take a moment because of the storm. Did you say someone was in need of medical attention?”

  “Yes. He’s hurt. He keeps losing consciousness. Please hurry.”

  45.

  Kassidy woke. She frowned. She could hear the distant sound of sirens. She lifted her head and her mind tried to identify the source. She’d fallen asleep waiting while cradling Tarek’s head rested in her arms.

  “Tarek, do you hear that?” she asked.

  He groaned.

  “It’s help. They’re here,” she said. She eased up and limped toward the barn door riddled with bullet holes.

  “Kassidy?” he wheezed.

  She glanced back at him. “Yes?”

  “Remember, say only what we agreed. Nothing more. Remember.”

  She nodded. She pulled the door open and stepped outside into the daylight. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The sun was so bright it blinded her. Kassidy smiled and laughed through her tears. The police had arrived and so had the paramedics. They were headed up the steps to the house.

  “Help! We’re over here! We’re over here!”

  Part Three

  Chapter 19

  Kassidy wiped her tears. There was nothing left of the story to tell. She looked up into the eyes of the detectives. Both stared at her as if she was lying through her teeth.

  “It’s what happened. All of it.”

  “So according to you, Tarek Marshall kidnapped you, held you hostage to wait for a man who he hired to kill you, and then saved your life and became your hero by killing two other men?”

  “No. That’s not what I said. He didn’t hire Cash for that reason. He only kidnapped me to get Daniel and I to tell him the truth. He was going to let me go, both of us.”

  “Right, because the best way to the truth is to take a hostage,” the detective smirked. “And Daniel, or what is left of him is dead.”

  “You aren’t listening. Cash was to bring Daniel to the ranch. He wasn’t supposed to kill any of us. Don’t you see? This is Tarek’s father and brother. They wanted us both dead.”

  “Alek Marshall The oil tycoon wanted to murder his own son? Why, Because of this securities fraud stuff that he was already planning to pin on him?” Detective Carter asked.

  “I don’t know why, that family is crazy. Even Tarek doesn’t know all the secrets they keep. What I’m telling you is the truth. Tarek’s innocent.”

  Detective Grason returned to the interrogation room. And in his hand he had her purse. He dumped the contents all over the table. Lipstick and mascara rolled off and her wallet, cell phone, even her eyeglass case fell out.

  “Where is it? This thumb drive you said you had? We picked up the purse from inside of Daniel’s car. All of the contents were in there.”

  “I dunno, maybe Cash took it?” she shrugged.

  “But you just said Cash told you he wanted it from you. Right, so where is it?”

  “I don’t know!” she shouted at the detectives. She put her face in her hands. “I told you everything.”

  “Ms.
Turner,” Detective Carter touched her arm. She lifted her face from her hands. “I want to show you something,” he said.

  She looked over to the monitor in the room. It flashed on with a picture of Tarek and Daniel in the parking lot of the Busy Bee Barbecue. They were arguing. Kassidy watched and recalled every detail of that moment. Tarek hit Daniel and knocked him down. She jumped on his back to stop the fight and was thrown off. She could see herself fall unconscious to the floor.

  “So your story is that this was self-defense?” Detective Grason asked. “Look at that. Look.”

  “It was...”

  “What, Ms. Turner? It was what?” The detective pressed.

  “It’s what you see. We were fighting. But... see, we left Daniel there. He was alive.”

  The camera footage caught Tarek trying to run Daniel over. And then Daniel got up from the ground and ran back to his car, got behind the wheel and sped off in pursuit. Things she didn’t know because she was unconscious.

  “That’s it, boys, you’ve had your fun.” A tall-distinguished man in a pinstriped blue suit walked into the room. She didn’t know him. She had never seen him before. Detective Grason stood.

  “Who are you?” Detective Carter asked.

  “My name is Thaddeus Muntz and I’m Ms. Turner's attorney,” The man handed a card over to Detective Carter who read it and then passed it to Grason. “You’ve met with my client without reading her, her rights.”

  “She isn’t charged with anything,” Detective Carter said. “But we did read her, her rights. And we got it on tape.”

  The older gentleman with silver hair looked to Kassidy. “Then I can presume she’s free to go? It appears you got a statement as well.”

  “We may need to question her in the future, but yes she’s free to go,” Detective Grason answered.

  “Ms. Turner,” The man nodded to her. She picked up her purse and stuffed the contents inside. She plucked them off the floor as well.

  “Oh, by the way, detectives,” Muntz called out. “Tarek Marshall has been released with your chief’s personal apology. He’s been taken to a hospital. I’m concerned that wasn’t the first stop your officers made.”

  “He refused medical attention,” Detective Carter stated, but Grason put a hand to his shoulder to silence him.

  “Mr. Muntz, maybe you can help me understand something. Ms. Turner here all but confessed to stealing important documents from Mr. Marshall’s company. Aren’t the Marshalls interested in pressing charges?” Detective Grason asked.

  “The Marshalls, believe that this is a matter best handled with their employee one on one. No. They do not wish to press charges.”

  The detectives exchanged looks.

  “Come, Ms. Turner, your friend Reese is here to take you home,” Mr. Muntz said.

  “Reese?” Kassidy paused. “She’s here?”

  “Yes, of course. She’s concerned.” The attorney smiled, but his stare was ice cold and piercing. She looked to the detectives. Both men stood silent with accusatory eyes focused on her. She didn’t hire the attorney and his presence felt wrong. Still what choice did she have, there was no one in the room with her best interest at heart. Kassidy limped out of the room and down the hall in a state of despair and confusion. Reese paced the floor at the front of the station. She looked up and saw Kassidy and started to approach.

  “One moment, Ms. Turner,” Mr. Muntz said. “We need to be clear on a few things. You are not to speak to the press. You are not to speak to the police any further. If those detectives contact you, call me. Also, Mr. Henry Marshall will be in contact for a private meeting. Soon,” he said and placed a card in her hand.

  “Two people are dead. The police think...”

  “They are now my problem, not yours,” The attorney smiled. “Trust me. What I’m doing is in your best interest. Good evening,” he nodded once and then left.

  “Angela, My God! Are you okay?” Reese went to her side. She threw her arms around her. “Are you okay?”

  Kassidy nodded.

  “C’mon, let’s get out of here,” Reese whispered in her ear. Kassidy agreed and limped her way toward the door. When Reese held it open for her, she glanced back once more to the officers, shocked to see that several were watching her. Amongst them were the two detectives that had questioned her. One approached with his card.

  “Ms. Turner, are you sure you want to leave with these people? I can protect you.”

  “Turner? Her name is Angela Brown and she doesn’t. Back off!” Reese snapped.

  “Take it,” Detective Grason advised her. “Your friend Daniel is dead. Remember that.”

  She accepted the card from the detective. He looked at her and then Reese. “I thought you didn't believe me,” she said.

  “This is Texas, ma’am, sometimes seeing is believing,” he said. “You ladies drive safe.”

  “C’mon, Angela, come on,” Reese nearly shoved her out the door. The sunlight blinded her. She shielded her eyes and looked up to the sky. An eagle soared. She watched it glide against the wind.

  “Angela? C’mon!” Reese said from the car. “What are you doing?”

  “My name is not Angela!” she said. All the pent up frustration she had been holding back surfaced. Reese blinked as if shocked. Kassidy ignored her and went to the car and got in on the passenger side. Reese followed her and sped out of the police parking lot. It was a clear bright day, and the sun was melting snow off the roads and rooftops. There was no sign of the apocalyptic storm that had raged the past three days. No evidence of the nightmare she endured. She shook her head.

  “What is your name?” Reese looked over to her.

  “Kassandra Turner. But you can call me Kassidy.”

  “Is it true? Are people dead? Were you with Tarek?”

  “I’ll tell you everything. Right now, I just need silence. Please?” She glanced over to Reese. Her former boss nodded that she understood and kept her eyes glued to the road. Kassidy closed her eyes. Not sure what and who to trust.

  46.

  “I told you I don’t need a doctor,” Tarek seethed.

  “Don’t get out of that bed, son, not until they tell me the same,” his father said. The doctor looked uncertain on his diagnosis. Tarek glared at his father.

  “Sir, you have a concussion. The good news is we don’t see any swelling or hematoma. However, Mr. Marshall, you do have a pulmonary contusion to your lungs. It happens under severe blunt trauma. My guess is when the tree fell in on you; you took the hit in the chest.”

  “How bad is that?” his father asked from his wheel chair.

  “It’s a small contusion. Typically, they heal nicely and the patient suffers no long-term damage. But it’s one to watch,” the doctor said.

  “I feel fine,” Tarek grumbled.

  “I must ask that we monitor you for the next forty-eight hours to be sure,” the doctor said.

  “Thank you, doctor. Whatever is needed Tarek will comply.” Alek Marshall agreed.

  “I’ll send the nurse to bring you down for more testing. Excuse me,” the doctor said. Tarek glanced to his father and then to his brother Dale. Henry stood over to the window at his mother’s side. His other brothers couldn’t be bothered to make an appearance. The top of his head was bandaged, as was his chest. He felt stronger, but he knew the injuries were severe since he even lost consciousness in the holding cell.

  “Where is she?” Tarek asked.

  “Don’t you worry she’s being taken care of.” Dale answered.

  “Don’t handle her. In fact, don’t do anything until you and I talk. Alone!”

  “Enough boys,” Alek spoke up. “We won’t have this discussion here.”

  “What happened, sweetheart? They said two men are dead. And that woman, was she involved?” his mother came closer.

  “Henry, I think you should take your mother home,” Alek said.

  “I’m not going anywhere. He could have been killed,” she snapped. “What’s wrong with all of you
? Standing around him like he did something wrong. You heard what that doctor said. What the police said.” She reached for Tarek’s hand. Tarek looked into the eyes of the only mother he knew. He was beyond the years of being the scared orphan who rested his head against her breasts. Life had turned all of that maternal need inside of him to stone. But when she smiled at him with love, he knew it was genuine.

  “I’m staying as long as you need me,” she said.

  “I’m okay. I’ll take the tests and listen to the doctors. There’s nothing else you can do here. Go home. I’ll be there soon.”

  “No,” she shook her head.

  “Listen to the boy, Thelma. Go home,” Alek directed.

  She looked up to her husband, and then over to her oldest son Dale. “Okay, I’m out voted. But the moment they release you, you’re coming home to me and you’re staying with us. Do not go to that condo in Fort Worth you hear me? You’re staying with us.”

  He glanced to Dale who watched from the corner of the room, and then to his father. He didn’t bother to answer.

  “C’mon, Ma, let me get you out of here,” Henry said and pulled on his mother’s shoulders. She was still reluctant to go but she withdrew with his help, and the two of them headed for the door. When she was gone Tarek turned his attention to his older brother.

  “You can leave too, Dale. I’m sure you’ve got more important things to do than hold up that wall.”

  Dale cut his eyes to his father. He came out of his lean and walked over to Tarek’s bed. The men stared at each other. “Feel better soon, little brother, and we'll have that talk,” he said with a wry smile. He then patted his father on the back and headed out of the door. “I’ll be waiting for you outside Pops.”

  It was just Alek Marshall and Tarek left in the room.

  “I think we need to clear the air, son.” He rolled his wheelchair closer to the bed.

  “Did you turn Cash against me? Send him to kill us?”

  “Cash your errand boy investigator?” Alek chuckled. “Exactly when do I have the time to do that? I still can’t get up out of this chair. You’ve been conspiring against me for months. I don’t even know where the business stands with Kovalevsky. Why would I do something like that?”