10. Kase

CHAPTER 10

Iwake up in the early hours of the morning, and Alex is sleeping beside me. The distant ache of a hangover is threatening, and I reach into the draw next to the bed for a couple of aspirin. I swallow them and chase them with water before getting up to take a leak. The harsh light in the bathroom burns my eyes and I blink until they adjust. I'm still seeing with beer goggles, but there's something different about the man staring back at me in the mirror. Looking down as my dick drains the night's fluids from my body, unable to even look in my own eyes. I don't know what's going on with me. My normally resolute nature has been shaken and I'm not sure by what and it fills me with dread. I tap twice and wash my hands before turning off the light and heading back to bed.

I don't look over at Alex as his hand searches for me, even in sleep. I cover his hand with my own and stare up at the ceiling for the next few hours. I have no idea what time it is and don't feel like checking the phone. Not wanting to be disturbed by noise or light or unanswered calls or messages. That's a problem for the daylight. My mind is all over the place and eventually I decide to go down to go get something to help me fall back asleep like warm milk. Quietly going down the stairs, I glance at the passage that leads to her room. I'm tempted to go to her room the impulse is strong, but I don't know why, so I resist. I warm some milk on the stove adding honey and cinnamon the way my dad used to make it. It sits at the table near the window, staring at the land outside. The moonlight seems to dance on the green grass as clouds pass in front of it. It's so calming that I find myself feeling the need to get back to bed to sleep.

The size of the estate still stuns me even after all this time. Even during the day, you can't see the border of it. On nights like tonight, it seems to go on forever. As if it sits on the edge of the earth. I drain the contents of the mug and rinsing it for the dishwasher and take out place it in the dishwasher. My father always made sure that I cleaned up after myself. He believed it helped keep a man grounded to take care of the messes he creates. The memory stirs something in me, and I can't identify it or shake the feeling that something isn't right.

The next morning, I wake to the sound of breakfast being brought into the room. I stir and then sit up. Alex isn't next to me. My head is still foggy from last night, and it takes me a while to get my bearings. The maid leaves the trays and Alex brings me a cup of coffee and my breakfast.

"What's this?" I ask.

"I just thought that after the fun we had last night -you might not be up to traipsing downstairs for breakfast, so I had them bring it upstairs. Greasy just the way you like it when you have a hangover." He smiles.

"You know me so well. What did I ever do to deserve you?" I ask, smiling.

He looks at me for the longest time and I sense something there, but don't know what it is.

"Aren't you going to join me?" I ask.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

We sit and eat in companionable silence, after we finish; he decides to clean up our trays placing them on the cart for the staff.

"I'm going to hop in the shower. I have an early meeting and then lunch with my parents." He says.

I don't comment because we agreed that until all this was over, we wouldn't involve friends or family. He turns back and smiles at me. I hear the shower spring to life and he's in there for a while before he emerges in a cloud of steam.

"I thought you were going to join me?" He says. He seems hurt.

"Sorry, babe. My head is throbbing, and the Aspirin is finished. I can't even take a step without feeling it in my teeth." I say. Hoping he doesn't check the draw. "How much did you have to drink last night? Was I mixing drinks? This hangover feels worse than usual." I ask, hoping to distract him.

"I wasn't keeping count, but it didn't seem any more than usual." He shrugs his shoulders.

"Man. I must be getting old. Time was I could drink the entire contents of a bar's storeroom and still go jogging in the morning." I say, sighing.

"Old!? Please." He says, laughing, and comes to lie beside me. I run my fingers through his wet hair and kiss him tenderly.

"Now that's more like it." He says.

I'm sitting in my home office a few hours later. I've been returning calls and checking messages and replying. The dinner party is tonight, and I need to have nothing important on my mind or no crisis to get ahead of if I'm going to pull this off. A knock at the door. I'm done for the day and I'm hoping this isn't something pressing or that's going to ruin my day.

"Come in." I say. One guy that works for me enters and I can tell from the look on his face that something's up.

"What's up Ricky?" I ask. "Take a seat."

"Thank you, sir." He takes a seat across from me. He takes a minute, as if he's gathering his thoughts and deciding how to present the information. I've learned from experience not to rush him. "I was out last night with some guys at O'Malley's just shooting the breeze. You know this and that."

"Yeah." I say.

"Well, somewhere around the second or third beer, Sid starts talking about the night your dad was killed." He looks at me, waiting for permission to continue.

"What?" I ask, leaning back in my chair.

"Remember when we received the information about the girl's dad causing the deal to go wrong and him being present when your old man was shot?"

"Yes?" I wonder where he's going with this.

"Well, Sid says her old man was there, but he left before everything went down." He says.

"What! Bullshit!" I say, throwing my pen on the desk and leaning forward.

"I know that's exactly what I said." Anyway, I say to him the old guy could have come back after they left and he says, "Yeah, maybe, but he was pretty pissed because he felt they were putting the pressure on him and your old man." He says.

"That's it?" I ask.

"It is. I thought I'd just leave it and say nothing, but it's been bugging me. Sid's a stand-up guy and like you say, maybe her old man did come back, but either way something told me to tell you. Now I have, I can rest easy." He says and gets up. That's Ricky says what he needs and moves on no airs or graces and hogging the spotlight. He said what he needed and now he would carry on with his life and get back to his responsibilities.

"Thanks Ric." I say as he leaves.

"Anytime." He says while he closes the door.

I roll the new information over in my head and decide whether this needs anymore of my energy and decide it doesn't. Orla's father took responsibility and agreed to the blood debt. Why would he do that if he wasn't responsible? No, this is settled. I'm in the middle of getting this part of my life over with so that I can move on. I told myself that once I found the people responsible for my father's murder. I would make them suffer and pay, and from then on, it's what I've been doing. I'm not going back to questioning myself, especially because if I let this doubt in, it's going to make it impossible to continue. It would mean that an innocent young woman is repaying a debt that her family doesn't owe and that can't be possible. I don't believe any of this! It's too convenient and probably part of his plan to sow doubt so that I will treat his daughter well or maybe release her. Well I'll show him! Now my mood and rumination last night about slumbering monsters makes sense. I thought this was going to be cut and dried, but the old man is coming in through the back door. Seemingly contrite and taking responsibility in order to satisfy the code that we all adhere to. Secretly taking aim and trying to avoid the consequences by being cunning. I know it's far-fetched, but I've seen every play in my life and like my dad always said, "just because a possum looks dead doesn't mean it is. Never turn your back on an old enemy".

I leave the office and head to the underground swimming pool. I'll figure this out tomorrow, but for now I have to punish myself with laps to get it out of me and out of my head. I need to be clearheaded and send the intended message tonight. At least he'll know that my plan is in motion. He'll have to wait and see if his has taken root. Maybe that's how I'll come at this; make him think that he's scheme is working before slitting the monster's throat.