Trapping the Gazelle

Chapter 6

Kiera finished her tea and sandwich. After many hugs and goodbyes, Kiera left Sally's home. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, she inhaled the cool salty air and breathed outward. Looking down the street, she realized she needed to pick up a few items at the market for her special dinner. With a slight shiver, Kiera buttoned her long coat and head towards the open market a few blocks away.

'Ryan is going to be surprised tonight.' Kiera thought and smiled.

As she limped down the street, Kiera felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She fished out her phone thinking it was Ryan and pressed the connect button. "I will be home shortly love." Kiera said.

"Ah, that is great, but I think you have the wrong person." Kiera heard a confused male voice, "This is Detective Williams with the Saint Ives Police department."

"Who...I'm sorry about that Detective Williams," Kiera said shaking her head in confusion, "I thought it was someone else and did not check my phone to see who was calling before I answered." She explained sheepishly as her cheeks redden.

"Anyways, I have some been assigned to your case Doctor Reid." Kiera heard the tone of someone who had something to say and did not need any distractions, "I have some information on your attempted hit and run from yesterday morning."

"From the sound of your voice, it does not seem to be anything good." Kiera said as she heard the tone of doubt in his voice.

"You would be correct, Doctor Reid. Some things do not add up." Detective Williams answered.

"What do you mean by 'some things do not add up'? Kiera asked in a slow troubled voice.

"We found the owner of the dark grey Range Rover." Kiera waited as she heard the Detective shuffling papers, "A Mister Faulkner."

"And does Mister Faulkner remember what happened yesterday morning?" Kiera asked, but felt there was more to the story.

"When I showed up at Mister Faulkner's apartment, he was in the process of calling us. He was confused by our arrival." Detective Williams answered and Kiera heard a troubled tone in his voice.

"Why was he calling the police?" Kiera inquired.

"Apparently when he came out around 11:00am to go the market, he discovered that his Range Rover was missing. He thought maybe a friend had borrowed his vehicle, but found out that his friend had not borrowed the vehicle." Williams explained.

"How do you know he was telling the truth?" Kiera probed deeper with her questions.

"Mister Faulkner's friends, all five of them collaborated his story. They reported Mister Faulkner looked stressed and out of sorts about his vehicle stolen. It seems that whoever stole the Range Rover wanted to get out of town in a hurry." Williams explained.

"Is that the final or preliminary report of causation for the attempted hit and run?" Kiera asked as she leaned on her cane.

"It is preliminary report Doctor Reid," Williams said shortly. Kiera heard the level of stress rise in his voice, "I want to follow up on a few more leads and find the vehicle."

"Thank you Detective Williams, I really appreciate your help." Kiera said with a warm and thankful tone.

"You're welcome Doctor Reid. The Chief would have my head if I did not follow through with proper procedures. He feels he still owes you for helping is son." Williams explained further.

"Please tell him he does not owe me anything." Kiera said with a sigh, "I enjoy helping those kids and you don't have to waste too much effort if it is a thief."

"Still I will follow up and see if there is anything else I can find. Have a great day Doctor Reid." Detective Williams answered.

"You have a great day too, Detective Williams." Kiera replied and then hung up the phone.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It was a similar feeling from yesterday morning. It felt like someone was watching her. She quickly turned her head around, but the street remained empty. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a dark shape move down a side street at the end of the block.

'What the heck.' Kiera thought and quickly limped over to the street.

Once at the end of the block, Kiera turned to the corner to find it empty. Breathing heavy, she scanned the side street for any doors, but all around was walls. 'There is no possible way anyone could have escaped that quickly.' Kiera thought.

Kiera jumped in fright as a dark object jumped in front of her field of vision. She gave a slight scream of surprise and stubbed backwards. Catching herself, she looked around for the dark object and rolled her eyes as she saw what had jumped in front of her. A black cat stood in front of her and gave a menacing meow.

"Great, I was tailed by a cat." Kiera said aloud and shook her head. "I have to stop thinking someone is out to get me." She clenched her fist in frustration.

Turning Kiera walked off towards the market, feeling a bit better. For some odd reason, she still felt like someone still watched her. Kiera looked over her shoulder again, but did not see anyone or anything. As she reached the open market, she forgot about everything that had just happened and relaxed as she entered the market.

The open market was a mixture of local vendors, who sold fresh meats, vegetables, fruits and other items. The sounds of the local people bartering and the smells of fresh flowers took Kiera back to her childhood. Her parents would take her to these open markets on weekend when she was five. The memory brought back pleasant memories of those times. Walking down the stalls, Kiera said hello and shook hands with several local people. A group of teenagers came up to ask about her cane and the ring.

Kiera sighed dramatically and recounted the events to the teenagers who were her patients at one time or another. Afterwards, the boys in the group vowed to find the suspect and bring him to justice. Kiera commented them for their bravery, but said in a stern voice that the police were handing the matter.

The girls giggled loudly and cheered for Kiera as she explained about the engagement. After a bit, the group wandered off, except for two. Sam and Hannah stayed behind to help Kiera collect the items she needed to make the special dinner.

"Please you two," Kiera protested, "Go have fun, I can handle everything."

"We know you can handle it, but we will help you." The sandy colored haired boy named Sam said.

"Plus we will not take no for an answer." The blond colored haired girl named Hannah said with her arms crossed.

"Okay you town win, please help this crippled old woman." Kiera laughed as she leaned on her cane.

Kiera walked through the market picking out salmon and other vegetables she would need for the special dinner. Having found the entire ingredient from her list, she headed for home. Sam and Hannah helped carry the items to Kiera's cottage. Once at the cottage she asked them to place the items in the kitchen.

"Now please go enjoy the rest of your day." Kiera said sternly.

"We can help you cook your dinner." Hannah suggested.

"Absolutely not, now please leave. I will be perfectly fine." Kiera said warmly, but pointed at the door.

"I see when we are not wanted." Sam announced as he stuck his nose in the air and walked towards the door.

"Thank you very much for help me." Kiera said with a chuckle and shook her head. She waved to them as they left.

"Meow," Purred Ginger as he rubbed himself against her leg.

"Sorry Ginger, the salmon is not for you, but I did bring you something special." Kiera said and pulled out some soft cat food for him. Opening the can, she placed the fishy smelling food on a plate for him and placed it on the floor. Kiera sat down in a kitchen chair and watched as Ginger devoured the food. She glanced at the wall clock and noticed it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

'I believe Ryan said he would be home around 5 o'clock.' Kiera thought.

With a deep breath, Kiera stood up and pulled out the items she would need for dinner. With a smile, she thought how surprised he would be when he got home.

'Home,' Kiera thought and felt warmth spread thought her body. 'We are home.'

Around Five o'clock, Kiera put on her final additions to her makeup in the bathroom. She smoothed out her mid-thigh length skirt and adjusted the matching dark blue top. As she double checked her makeup one last time, Kiera heard the front door open and Ryan calling out for her. Kiera walked out of the bathroom, turning off the light and towards for the landing by the stairs. She heard him call out again in a funny Cuban accent.

"Hey, Kiera I'm home." She heard him say, "I always wanted to say that." Then he chuckled at his joke.

"I'm here Ricky." Kiera called out as she walked down the stairs. She saw Ryan turn his head and Kiera smiled as Ryan's jaw dropped. "Better response than I could have imaged." Kiera winked at him.

"You look amazing." Ryan said slowly as he looked her up and down. "Am I missing something?" He looked around in confusion.

"You're not missing anything, silly." Kiera answered and then continued, "I thought I would make you something special for dinner."

Kiera walked towards Ryan and kissed him lightly on the lips. Ryan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He kissed her passionately and Kiera kissed him back. Kiera felt his hands slowly slide down her back and cup her firmly on the bottom as he pulled her closer. Kiera let out a low moan of excitement and pressed herself against him.

As Ryan started to move the two of them to the stairs, Kiera placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed him back. "Dinner is going to be cold and you're messing up my make-up." Kiera said breathing heavily.

"Let it get cold, I want you now." Ryan said lustfully and gently squeezed her bottom.

"Oh no," Kiera said giving him a warning look, "I worked hard on this dinner for you." Kiera disentangled herself from him and grabbed hold of his hand leading him in to the dining room.

"You did this all this?" She heard Ryan say with a choked voice.

"All for us honey." Kiera said pulling him towards the table, which had candles lit on it. "Please sit down Ryan." Kiera pulled a chair out for his and gently sat him down. Kiera took a seat adjacent to him.

"This smells familiar, what is it?" Ryan asked inhaling the aromas.

"It's silly," said Kiera in embarrassment, "I made fish tacos with Spanish rice."

"You made the meal we shared down at the beach in California." Ryan said with astonishment.

"I remembered when we hung out at that beach. You always loved those fish tacos from the beach vendor. So I duplicated the recipe." Kiera answered.

"Kiera I don't know what to say." Ryan said placing a hand on top of hers.

"Well don't say anything until you try them, I'm not sure if I did it right." Kiera giggled uncomfortably. "Please try them. I also made a Sirach mayo sauce too."

Kiera watch anxiously as Ryan removed his hand from hers and grabbed a tortilla. He placed some salmon on top of the tortilla with some vegetables and the sauce. Kiera bit her lip lightly, watching Ryan take a bite. He seemed to be chewing for quite a bit, while looking upward as if thinking about something.

"Well?" Kiera asked suddenly as she could not take the suspense anymore.

"Well what?" Ryan asked after swallowing the food and giving her an odd expression.

"How are the fish tacos?" Kiera asked drumming her fingers nervously.

"They are..." Ryan stopped for moment trying to think.

"They are what?"

"The best fish tacos I have ever had. I mean these beat the vendor's fish tacos easily. You really outdid yourself Kiera." Ryan finally said.

Kiera squealed in delight as she stamped her feet on the ground in excitement.

"Come on, Kiera you need to try them before I eat them all."

Kiera grabbed a tortilla and made a plate for herself.

"Thank you, Kiera." Ryan said as he lightly placed his hand back on top of hers, "This is really special."

"It was my pleasure Ryan." Kiera replied and then she leaned over and kissed him lightly.

"So how was your day?" Ryan asked when Kiera sat back in her chair to finish making her taco.

"My meeting with the patient's mother when well,I might have to revisit them when the father is home." Kiera explained and her heart skipped a beat as she thought about how they would be doing this every day. It was a wonderful feeling as she thought about them old and sitting at the table talking about there day.

"And...Hello Kiera are you awake." Ryan asked breaking her daydreaming.

Kiera shook her head, focusing on Ryan. "Sorry about that, I was daydreaming."

"Okay and did anything else happen?" Ryan asked with a smile.

"A Detective Williams from the Saint Ives police department called me about the attempted hit and run." Kiera said watching Ryan as she continued, "He explained that the vehicle had been stolen that morning and the thief was in a hurry to leave town with the stole vehicle. He said it is just a preliminary report and he wants to follow up on a few more leads."

"That does sound about right." Ryan responded as Kiera noticed that he was thinking about something.

'What is he thinking about?' Kiera thought as she took a bite of the taco, 'Damn this is really good.'

"So how was your day, dear?" Kiera inquired smirking a bit.

"I had a meeting with the local hospital board of directors. They asked me to fund their hospital in the area. They are in desperate need of new equipment and would like to attract doctors with specialized skills." Ryan explained.

"What do you plan on doing?" Kiera asked watching Ryan. Her old habits die hard. He was not lying to her, but he seemed a bit stressed.

"I'm going to help them of course." Ryan answered and Kiera saw him relax. "I'm going to make some calls tomorrow. Plus it is a good thing we are going to California, because I need to discuss some things with the board of directors and in person."

"Seems like we have one busy schedule," Kiera chuckled then took a bite of her taco, "Could I come with you to our office."

"Of course Kiera, this involves you as well."

"Why does this involve me?" Kiera looked surprised.

"I need to announce that you will be a partner of Fundtech and have equal say on the decisions for the company."

Kiera who had been drinking wine coughed a bit as she took a sharp breath, "What?"

"Once we are married," Ryan explained, "You will have equal ownership of the company." Ryan smiled as Kiera used a napkin to wipe off her lips.

"I don't know the first thing about running your family's business." Kiera protested as she gave Ryan a worried look.

"Don't worry." Ryan said soothingly as he patted her hand, "There is not much for you to do. The board does most of the work. You might have to review a proposal sometime, but that will all." Ryan explained as he took a huge bit of the taco.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence. Kiera watched Ryan as he ate enthusiastically. She smiled when he hummed as he ate. After dinner, Ryan helped take the dishes to the kitchen and clean up.

After they cleaned up everything, Ryan said, "I think it is time for dessert."

"But I didn't make any dessert." Kiera said looking at Ryan in confusion.

"I know that." Ryan replied as he quickly swooped her up from under her legs and back. Kiera grabbed Ryan around the neck as she let out a cry of panic. "You're the dessert my love." Ryan kissed her as he turned around heading out of the kitchen.

Kiera kissed him back as Ryan ascended the stairs. She stopped for a moment and said, "Don't you dare drop me."

"You mean like this." Ryan replied as he pretended to let her go.

Kiera squealed and grabbed onto Ryan tightly. She gave him a narrowed look. Ryan laughed aloud and walked into the bedroom. Ryan gently laid Kiera onto the bed and then lied on top her. Ryan kissed her again. Kiera kissed him back and ran her fingers though his chestnut colored hair. Pulling back from the kiss, Ryan looked into her eyes.

"What is the matter?" Kiera asked breathing heavy.

"Nothing," Ryan replied, "I can't believe we are together after everything that happened to us."

"Shut up and kiss me." Kiera replied as she pulled him back towards her with fierce determination. She kissed him with passion and felt him kiss her back with the same passion.