“Well I am already a member” he said wickedly, as she glared at him
“Well it was the only way to avoid cattle class” he laughed gently, as she chuckled back
“Ah…well that’s OK then” she grinned. He had given her another kiss before leaving her to move back to finish his drink with Bill.
Bill had sat silently for a while watching Craig with a cautious look on his face
“I saw what happened in the lounge with her father” he had finally said
“Will she be safe from him Craig?”
He had looked thoughtfully back at Bill.
“Allan Rothman by the end of business tomorrow will no longer be running his business Bill. Instead it will be run by a consortium…of which I am one. He will be allowed to retire gracefully to his property in America, his personal fortune intact……..with one very large proviso from me………that he never come near her again”
Bill had smiled nodding. “Thank you”
“Kira means a lot to you doesn’t she” he asked
The older man had nodded “Yes she does” before adding with a small note of sadness
“Over two years ago, my son died”#p#分页标题#e#
Craig had looked at him in shocked surprise
“I’m sorry” he said
Smiling gently Bill continued
“It was a hell of a time Craig. A car accident…….he was only 23…his whole life ahead of him….my wife took it real bad, withdrew into herself…..I was really worried about her”
He paused for a second
“Anyway, one day she was just sitting in the park, in the middle of winter. She had been there for three hours, when Kira sat down beside her with a big cup of tea for her…. Turns out she had walked by her two hours earlier and when she was still there she knew there was something wrong.”
Bill smiled gently
“She just sat there quietly with Marissa, the two of them drinking tea until Marissa had started to talk about what had happened…..it was what she needed Craig…….to talk to somebody. I swear that she saved my wife that day”
He paused before continuing
“She made sure that Marissa got home and I insisted on taking her home. I couldn’t believe the dump she was living in……here was a young girl with real problems of her own but more concerned with a stranger….. I finally got her to move in with us, but only after telling her that she could help Marissa………and in truth she did”
Bill smiled
“Then she came to work for me, one of the best employees I’ve ever had…..so she has been like an angel to us.
Craig had nodded thinking about how much she always seemed to care about others, remembering Tom.
With a small sigh Bill finished “we lost a son, but we have always thought that we were given back a daughter…and we both care for her a lot”
Craig had nodded
“I know she feels the same way” he said softly, knowing now why his blackmail victim had been so perfect for Kira, and feeling ashamed.
“That must have been hard Bill, but you have a grand-daughter don’t you?”
Bill had looked strangely at him, before he continued
“I saw the picture of you both on Kara’s lab top”
Nodding Bill had gently answered
“Yes, we have her …. And her mother….and we love them both with all our hearts”
Bill had smiled at Craig.
“You know, sometimes Kira has a hard time letting people in on her problems”
Craig had smiled
“Yes, she can be very secretive he admitted…..very” his mind went to the mysterious phone calls
“Can you blame her” Bill replied
“I don’t know how much she’s told you about her childhood, but it was difficult”
Craig had nodded
“She told me” he said gently, wondering where this was going, he had the strangest feeling that Bill was trying to tell him something
“Well just wanted to make sure you understood that” he smiled before rising from his seat
“Well, I think I’ll hit the hay Craig……..don’t worry I’m sure that I can manage to figure out how the big convert to bed button works” he chuckled
Craig had flashed him a quick smile back wishing him a good sleep.
It hadn’t been long before Craig had followed Bill to his seat. He had taken the bed opposite Kira, bending down to look at her sleeping face. She lay so innocently in sleep and he had kissed her cheek gently, before laying down himself and soon falling fast asleep.
The flight over had passed quickly with the three of them sleeping most of the journey. When they landed they had felt refreshed, unlike the journey over only one week previously. Kira had laughingly told Craig how she could quite easily get used to travelling that way not seeing the look of hope in his eyes.