I hear a familiar roar in the driveway and peek out the front window. Kalin has arrived on his motorbike in just fifteen minutes. I open the door as he sets his helmet and jacket on the bike and stalks toward me.
He grabs me by the nape of my neck, and his eyes are blazing with concern and anger. “Annabelle, I am so sorry.” He presses a slow kiss to my forehead, and gently lifts my head so that my eyes meet his. As much as I want to push away from him, the tenderness in his eyes is like a warm fire sending the cold chills from my body. My hands move across his wide shoulders, and he holds me with his strong hands around my hips. Kalin’s lips suddenly descend onto mine, sending a shockwave of warmth over my body. I hadn’t realized how badly I missed his touch until the lightness of his kiss sweeps away the heaviness lingering in my body. Kalin holds me close to his chest, and tension melts away from me, if only for this moment. I rest my head on his chest and his hands cradle me against him. “Are you okay?” he whispers hoarsely.
“No, Kalin. I have no idea what’s going on anymore.” I extend my hand toward the inside of the apartment.
“Oh, Annabelle. I’m sorry.” He moves his fingers through his hair as his eyes sweep over the room. “Have you heard any news about Lia?” He turns to me with a concerned expression.
“No, she’s still at the hospital. I’m heading over there to pick her up.”
“Annabelle, listen to me. You’re going to have to trust me.”
“Trust you? They just beat the shit out of my best friend. I’m not trusting anyone. And this whole stock scheme? That’s off. It’s not worth it to me, Kalin. Look what they did to her.” I put my head down and begin to sob. Kalin puts his arm around me but I push him away. “No! This is your goddamn fault, Kalin. We were doing fine until you came along. Now we have these mafia scum breaking into our apartment, looking for papers? What are we, gangsters now? For God’s sake Kalin, what’s next, a fucking murder?”
“Annabelle, they can’t do anything. They’re trying to scare us into backing off the deal. I don’t know how they found out. They broke into the Southampton house too. But they can’t do anything about it.”
“I don’t care, Kalin. Lia was threatened. Not just me, or even you. Lia.”
Tears stream down my face. Kalin reaches for me. “I want you out of here,” I say. “I’m telling the police everything. I wanted to talk to you first, because I was hoping you were okay, but I’m confused. I feel like I committed a crime, and I don’t know what’s going on.”
“Annabelle, we didn’t do anything wrong. These scumbags will do anything to keep control of the company. This deal will cost them millions, and they will do anything to keep their lavish lifestyle intact. That’s the way they are. No one will get in their way. That’s why I wanted them out of the company in the first place. They don’t have any respect for anyone or anything except themselves.”
“This has nothing to do with me anymore, Kalin. I want out. The only thing that matters now is Lia. Fuck your money and fuck your bonus.”
“Annabelle, sweetheart, there is nothing that we did that is illegal. They just want to scare you.”
“They did scare me! This isn’t a game. They hurt Lia. It would be different if it were me, or even you. I could probably handle that. At least then we know the score. But Lia?”
Kalin presses his fingers to his jaw. “I’m afraid that’s why they chose Lia. They knew it would get to you. They will select someone close to us. Unfortunately they chose your best friend. I really am sorry, Annabelle.”
“I’m done, Kalin.”
“Annabelle, whoever followed me was hired by the executives. We can get them to confess. Threaten them with jail time and get them to confess. When the police talk to you, just tell them the truth. We haven’t done anything wrong. We’ll find them, and have them lead us to whoever hired them. It’s the only way out of this.”
A sob erupts in my throat, and Kalin presses his hands into my shoulders. “Go see Lia. And if you talk to the police tomorrow, just tell them the truth.”
“In that case, they’ll probably want to talk to you too.”
“Of course. Set up an appointment with them and call me. I will tell them exactly what we’re doing.”
“How do I know everything is going to be okay?” A tear streams down my face.
“We don’t know that, Annabelle. But we do have to do what’s right. And we have to be strong, and courageous.” Kalin’s hands brace my shoulders. “We can’t let them intimidate us. We can’t let them get their way. This is how they gain power. This is how the corruption starts. This is how more people get hurt.”