”Here, gimee that.” Andrew took the brace and slipped it on with experienced hands. ”Think I still remember how, seeing as how I spent half yer damn childhood sticking some kinda bandage on you.” He adjusted the straps.
Dar leaned back and watched him. ”Swelling’s almost gone, at least that’s working out.” She sighed, lifting her leg as he finished and pushing herself upright. ”Thanks.” She stood up and almost fell as a wave of dizziness washed over her. ”Damn.”
”Aw hell.” Andrew grabbed her hastily. ”Hang on.” He got an arm around her and lifted her up, cradling her like a child. ”All right, take it easy, rugrat.”
Dar blinked as her head finally cleared, and she sucked in a breath.
”Okay. I’m all right.” She rubbed her temples irritatedly. ”You can put me down.”
Her father snorted. ”Yeah, yeah.” He walked out of her bedroom ignoring her protests, and finally let her down on the couch. ”Quit yer bitchin, will ya? I’ve had to carry a lot heavier things’n you a hell of a lot farther than that,” he reminded her. ”You remember Moose?”
Dar settled back against the couch and caught her breath. ”Yeah, I sure do. I used to think he was an alien, never saw a human being eat as much as he did.”
”Yeah, well, I had to carry his butt out three miles a couple years back. Damn near killed me. I made him eat Christly granola bars for three months after that.” He sat down next to her and patted her thigh.
”So don’t you fuss at me.”
“Okay.” Dar capitulated meekly.
He rubbed his hands together.“‘Hungry?”
“A little.”
“Got me some aigs inside,” Andrew said. “Fancy kitchen setup you got there.”
Dar managed a wry smile. “Kerry’s touch,” she said. “I never did learn to cook.”
“Sa’llright.” Her father chuckled. “Neither did I.” He stood. “I’ll bring in what I scrabbled up. It probably won’t kill you.”
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Dar stifled a yawn, and nodded, pensively staring at the table as he disappeared.
Chapter
Twelve
KERRY FELT LIKE she had a huge, red, white and black target painted right on her chest as she walked into the building. She already had a stomach ache, and she hadn’t even hit the elevator yet. She nodded nervously at the guard as she moved past him.
”Ms. Stuart?” The man said, leaning towards her a little.
”Yes?” She paused, wondering if he had orders to stop her or something.
He walked around the desk and came closer. ”Is Ms. Roberts doing okay?” He shuffled his feet nervously, and looked around. ”I know you guys usually come in together, so... ”
Kerry smiled warmly at him. ”She’s fine, thanks for asking,” she reassured him. ”Did anyone else from fourteen come through here yet?”
He knew what she was asking. ”No, ma’am. You’re the very first. ”
Kerry nodded. ”Okay, thanks. I’ll tell Dar you were asking for her.”
Her green eyes twinkled. ”Wish me luck today.”
He licked his lips. ”Are you...” He left the statement unfinished.
”Oh no.” Kerry shook her head firmly. ”But someone has to hold the paper bag up while everyone else jumps through it, you know?”
She knew the word would spread within minutes. ”Dar asked me to.”
He nodded. ”Gotcha.” He sketched a salute at her. ”Good luck, ma’am.”
Kerry continued on, riding in solitary splendor up to her floor, and exiting into a very empty corridor. Her steps took her to Dar’s office first, and she used her key for the first time, letting herself in to where Maria would usually already be working. The outer office was somberly silent. The secretary’s desk was neat as a pin, but missing the usual personal items Maria had kept there. Her cube of pictures, for instance, and the intriguing prism that scattered light over the room, a gift from Dar.Kerry felt irrationally sad at the sight and she ran a hand over the wood of the desk, swallowing down a surge of frustration. ”This is so senseless.” She picked up the contents of the in box, then she moved into the inner office, feeling her lover’s absence like a physical blow.
She noticed that Dar had left everything the way it was. Even the fish were sitting forlornly on the clean surface of the desk, the light from the window catching them in flashes of blue and crimson. The only thing Hurricane Watch
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she’d taken, Kerry realized, were the dolphins she’d given her.
”Oh, Dar,” Kerry exhaled, feeling sick. The laptop sat on her desk in silence, giving mute testimony of its owner’s abandonment. She wondered what had gone through Dar’s mind as she’d given that up. It was the tangible badge of her office, really, giving her access into the heart of the company. Giving her the authority, which now, albeit briefly, rested in Kerry’s hands. With a sigh, she collected what was in Dar’s inbox as well, and then stepped around the desk, and headed for the back entrance to her own office.
She could, she knew, boot up the computer in Dar’s office and work from there, but she had no intention of sending that particular message.
She even had Dar’s passwords, the ultimate expression of her lover’s trust in her, and if she’d wanted to, she could have brought down mainframes all across the world with Dar’s top clearance and access.
But she had no intention of sending that message either.
She entered her office and put the papers down, reaching over and booting up her computer, then grabbing her coffee cup and trudging across the hallway to get some coffee.
Her back was to the door, and she didn’t see who entered, but it also gave her a moment to decide on her response when the newcomer greeted her.
”Kerry.” Mariana’s voice sounded very tired.
The blonde woman turned, and took a breath. ”Hi.”
”I didn’t expect to see you here,” the Personnel VP told her honestly. ”How’s Dar?”
Kerry took a sip of her coffee. ”She’s all right, taking it easy at home.” She paused. ”She tried to call you last night.”
The other woman sighed, and leaned back against the wall. ”I went out and got drunk,” Mariana admitted. ”I saw her number on the caller ID. I was going to call her back today.” She looked at Kerry. ”You know Alastair has put a hold on her resignation.”
”Yes, I know,” Kerry answered quietly. ”I spoke to him,” she exhaled, ”Let’s go into my office a minute.” She followed Mari into the room and closed the door. ”Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen...” she began.
”He’s on his way here, Kerry,” Mariana told her wearily. ”And he’s very upset.”
”I know,” Kerry responded. ”I talked to him for about an hour yesterday. I told him everything, about José, about Eleanor, and about that pig bastard.” She sat on the edge of her desk. ”And I told him it was all my fault.”
”Your fault?” Mariana started forward. ”Kerry, what in blazes are you talking about? What do you mean it’s your fault?”
”I lost it.” Kerry gazed at her. ”I...lost...it. Dar went all that time without giving in to his harassment, not a word from her, and she could have wiped the camp with him,” she told Mari, ”and I blew it. I blew it 144
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because I couldn’t keep the lid on when he needled me.” She put her coffee down and got up to pace. ”Without that, he’s got nothing...nothing, Mari. Even with those stupid pictures, he still has nothing, but with that, he had enough to...” she stopped, and leaned on the window’s cool glass. ”He hit Dar in her one weak spot,” she concluded softly. ”Me.”