Karri
“I’ve lost it,” she whispered, sinking to the floor in the hallway on the second level of the embassy. “It’s gone. It’s over.”
The tears came a few seconds later, streaming down her face as she stared at the flowery red-patterned carpet, her mind far away. She could see her brother’s ineptitude toppling the company bit by bit. It would force them to let people go, slowly at first, but eventually more and more would be forced out. She saw Joy cleaning out her desk. Tina and Georgina packing up boxes and leaving, shoulders slumped with the realization that they likely wouldn’t find another job in Cloud Lake any time soon. Certainly not one that was as good as what Blaine Enterprises had been.
Her mind conjured up an image of the entire building burning down, the last remnant of what her father had built collapsing as she stood there in the midst of it, watching the walls fall around her. It was a disaster.
“What do I do?” she asked helplessly, burying her face in her hands, uncaring about shedding tears in front of Andrew.
That was the worst part. The guilt that was now flowing over her as she realized that with the company no longer hers to inherit, she could be with Andrew, and be happy while all the other people working there fought to stave off the collapse of the company. It ate away at her already, building up a dark black spot within her soul, like a black hole slowly growing larger as it devoured more and more.
“I’m here for you. I’ll help in any way I can,” Andrew said helplessly from next to her, squatting down.
“Here for me?” she said as anger erupted inside of her, a fury so intense it overwhelmed all sense of caution and reason. “Look where your help has gotten me so far! It’s all your fault.”
Her rage was so intense she wasn’t even entirely aware of what she was saying—the words simply came out, but never truly registered with her. She just wanted to be alone.
“Please,” she begged. “Just leave me alone. Let me cry in peace.”
The big shifter hesitated for a moment, but then he rose to his feet. He turned the handle of the room next to her and propped open the door. “Here, this room is unoccupied. You can sleep here for the night.”
She didn’t respond. After a moment he turned on his heels and walked off down the corridor, leaving her to herself. Karri stayed hunched over, her face in her hands for a long time. Eventually the wetness seeped through and soaked her pants as well as she cried and cried. Never before had she felt this impotent, this weak. As if everything she’d ever done had amounted to exactly nothing. All her life, the only thing she could recall was working toward inheriting the company from her father. That had only ever been her dream, the driving force that propelled her through every challenge that she had faced to that point.
She’d never really realized how much her life revolved around that goal until recently. Now, in a matter of weeks, her life had gone from on the perfect path, to a tailspin out of control off a cliff. At the bottom was the darkness of despair and depression, a yawning pit that opened wide, threatening to swallow her whole. Was this really what she wanted? Was it the way she wanted things to end?
But what other choice do I have? I can’t force my father to give me the company. In the end, it’s his decision. Up until now it’s only been a fear of embarrassment that’s prevented him from changing who will inherit it. With me running away with Andrew though…
To her father that was a bigger embarrassment. He would be far more ashamed of his daughter than he would with him changing who got the company. It wouldn’t help his reputation much, but he’d work through it, she knew that. He was absolutely ruthless when it came to business operations. Nobody at the company would suffer right away. No, it would be in ten years or so, whenever he decided to retire. That’s when the pain would start.
All because she’d been too weak. She’d succumbed to Andrew’s charms, and now her life suddenly had no purpose.
Wailing at yourself in despair isn’t going to change anything though.
The sudden lightning bolt of brutal logic carved its way through the shell of tears she’d built around herself, reaching in to slap her about the face. It was true. Nothing good would come of her moping around in the hallway of the Cadian embassy. She checked the time. It was too late now for anything to happen. Her best bet would be to sleep, and then tackle her problems in the morning.
Maybe she could go to her father, convince him that it had all been a giant mistake. That she hadn’t known Andrew was a shifter? No, that wouldn’t work, because she hadn’t been forced to fly away with him after he’d revealed himself. Briefly she was back astride his neck, soaring through the sky, the whole of Cloud Lake visible below her, spread out in a picturesque landscape of small buildings surrounded by the countryside. Where the lights of the city ended she hadn’t been able to see much in the dark, but her brain could only imagine what it might be like during the daytime.
Impressive didn’t even begin to cover it.
Rising to her feet, she wiped her eyes on her sleeve and headed into the room. First things first she had to locate a box of tissues. Then she could clean herself up, get some sleep, and tackle the problem in the morning.
Maybe Andrew would have some suggestions.
***
She rose in the morning stiff from having slept in an unfamiliar bed and unfamiliar position, so tired she’d simply closed her eyes upon settling on the bed and passed out. Slowly she stretched her arms and legs out, working out the kinks bit by bit before she got up from the bed, continuing to stretch her body.
That done, she pulled on her clothes from the day before, washed her face, and set out into the embassy to find Andrew to ask him for advice.
After all, he was sixty-eight. He was old enough to have an idea. She smiled at the idea of teasing him about his age again, going to the local “elder” for advice. It would bring a smile to his face she knew.
“Hi Gray,” she said, recognizing the bear shifter sitting at the front desk from her previous visits. “Is Andrew around?”
“No, he’s gone,” the big man replied gruffly.
Karri frowned, slowing to a halt at the cool tone of voice. The shifter hadn’t even turned to acknowledge her either.
“Oh, okay. Do you know where he went?”
The head shook slightly.
“I see.” What was going on? Why was he being so rude to her? “Is something wrong, Gray?”
“No, ma’am,” he said with brisk formality, though he still sat straight-backed with crisp military precision, eyes focused on the doors in front of him.
“Okay. Where can I find Andrew then?”
“Not sure, ma’am,” he lied.
Karri knew he was lying. It was obvious from his tone that Gray knew exactly where Andrew was, but wasn’t telling. Odd, but okay, perhaps she’d missed something. Unsure what, she left the embassy, calling a cab to take her back to the office. There she used her winter snowscraper to remove the glass from her carseat as best she could. Her original plan had been to go home, but as she worked on the car an idea struck her.
Without waiting to think it through, she dropped the brush on the seat, slammed the door closed, and strode angrily across the parking lot to the front door. Yanking it open, she headed down the back corridor directly to her father’s office.
Georgina saw her coming and tried to say something but Karri waved her off, not in the mood. She was about to lay into her father, to tear a strip off him and choke him with it until he saw reason, and the last thing she wanted to do was talk to that annoying woman.
Flinging open the double doors with gusto, she strode into the empty office.
“Shit,” she muttered, deflating immediately.
“That’s what I tried to tell you, miss,” Georgina said nervously from behind her. “He’s not here today. Hasn’t been in the office at all.”
“I see,” she said flatly, turning and brushing past her.
Her brain began to put things together. Her father had shot at them last night. Had hurt Andrew. This morning Andrew wasn’t anywhere to be found. Now her father wasn’t either. She walked back out into the parking lot, finished cleaning the glass off the seat, and then fired up the sporty little electric vehicle. It had cost a fortune compared to some of the others on the market, but it was much much better. She couldn’t wait for the autopilot feature to be truly workable.
Shaking off the distraction, she took off into the city, headed for her father’s house. Andrew had never struck her as the type to do something rash, something ill-advised. In fact, he’d always seemed like the thoughtful one, someone who liked to think things through from multiple angles before he committed to a course of action. Now though, it seemed as if he’d decided to go and do something without seeking her advice on it, something that would only make matters worse.
Threatening my father is not going to help!
She couldn’t believe he would think that was a good idea. Yes, her father had shot at her. It still left her stunned to think about it, but it had happened. That didn’t mean he actually wanted her dead, however. Even her father wasn’t that callous. He simply didn’t want her running his company. He’d always made that distinction very, very clear.
Pulling up at his house, she punched her code into the gate and waited for the metal wrought-iron frame to slowly move aside. Eventually it had cleared enough of a space for her and she gunned her way up the drive. Her father had a mansion on the outskirts of town on nearly seven acres’ worth of property. The driveway had some length to it.
His black truck was sitting at the top of the driveway, and a quick peek through the garage door window showed his other car was there as well. So he was home at least. That was good.
Karri didn’t ring the bell. She used her key and let herself in.
“Father!” she called immediately, her voice ringing strongly through the hallways. “Father, we need to talk.” She didn’t let the slightest quaver affect a single word, keeping everything full of strength.
“You!” Her father emerged from the kitchen. He was approaching senior citizen age, but still kept himself in semblance of shape. There was a bit of a pot belly beginning to poke through, but he was still quite physically able. His beard had gone white several years back, but he still wore it thick, no longer caring if the advances of age showed or not. He was only of medium height, but to Karri that still meant he towered over her.
“Yes me, Father,” she said, sneering at the word. “Just the person you wanted to see.”
She might have been shorter in stature, but her rage was a towering inferno at that moment in time. Karri had long known she’d inherited her father’s temper, and she’d worked hard to keep it under control. Jogging helped immensely, and she did yoga fairly frequently as well. Years of trying to stay calm under pressure had taught her how to deal with it instead of lashing out, but now she unleashed it, not holding anything back as she went toe-to-toe with her father.
“Wrong,” he snapped. “I never want to see you again. You need to leave before I call the police.”
Karri barked a laugh. “Hah! That’s it? Caving already?”
“Caving? No. I just don’t care to waste any more time on my traitor of a former daughter.”
“Traitor?” she laughed again. “Why, because I don’t have any issues with being seen in public with a shifter? Because I’m not a bigot like you? How does that make me a traitor? Does the Kirttle genetic line have some sort of predisposed hatred toward them that I was never infected with, you pathetic old man?”
He loomed up in front of her, but Karri wasn’t through with him yet. “Oh yes. That’s right, you pretend like you’re going to hit me. That’ll show people that you’re not insane, you idiot. Why stop there though, right? Let’s go the whole way. Why don’t you do something else!” she shouted. “LIKE, I DON’T KNOW, SHOOT AT ME WITH A FUCKING SHOTGUN, YOU MANIAC!”
He opened his mouth to speak but she reached back and slapped him across the face. “No. You shut the fuck up and you listen to me. Get this through your thick skull, Father. You shot at me. You. You fired that damn gun directly at me. You could have killed me. I know you have a hatred for shifters because of what they did to your wife. I get that. But do you really think that is any reason to kill your own daughter? Your eldest child? Your offspring? THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT!” she screamed as he opened his mouth to speak again, his face red with rage. “Stop and actually think. Engage your brain.”
She paused, wondering if he would listen to her words before he spoke.
“You’re fired.”
I guess not.
“Father, you are a coward. A terrified old man. That’s all you are, cowering and shouting at anything you don’t fully understand. I’m not even mad at you,” she said, her voice returning to level. “In fact, I feel sorry for you.”
“Get out,” he hissed. “Get your ass out of my house now! How dare you talk about Lori that way?”
“How dare I?” she snapped angrily. “I dare because she was a parental figure to me for almost twenty years! I have just as much of a right to miss her as you, you self-obsessed piece of shit. How dare I? How dare you? You live in an imaginary world, Father. She’s gone. It doesn’t matter who killed her. She’s dead. You have to accept that and begin to move on!”
“No!” he shouted. “You don’t know that. She could still be out there!”
“Maybe so,” Karri said in exasperation. “Maybe so. But that doesn’t mean that you need to carry such anger toward shifters, and toward me simply because I don’t share your hatred. You don’t even know for sure it was shifters! It could just as easily have been a human who took her. You don’t know that. You’re just making an assumption because you’re scared of them.” She shook her head. “It’s pathetic, Father. You’re pathetic.”
She turned and left without another word. There was nothing more to be said. Not to him at least. Now she needed to go clean out her office, to say goodbye, and to find Andrew. He’d disappeared. The door closed behind her and a second later she heard it lock. Maybe she’d get lucky and her father would have a nervous breakdown and need to be institutionalized before he could change his will.
“Andrew…where the hell are you?” she asked as she climbed into her car.
“I need you…”