Page 65 of Savage Obsession

I briefly run through the events leading to the timely demise of Gerek Debinbski.

He listens in silence, eventually nodding. “The bastard deserved to die. How long before they come searching for you here?”

“I’m not sure they will. Even if they manage to track us as far as Scotland, Ethan arranged fake passports so there’s no trail from there to here. And nothing to link me to the murder. I’m going to arrange a permanent new identity for Lily; Julia, too, if she’ll accept it.”

“If?”

“She doesn’t like the idea. She wants to go home. To Poland.”

His eyes narrow. “That would be messy. You need to convince her otherwise.”

“I’m working on it. Lily seems happy here. The horses…”

He nods and gets to his feet. “I promised Janey a trip into Playa de Las Americas.”

I rise, too. “Boss? We good?”

He regards me under his brows. “Yes, we’re good. But don’t try your luck like that again. There are no more second chances.”

We return to the dining room together, to be greeted by the sound of feminine laughter. When we enter, Lily beams at the pair of us.

“Janey says we can go with them to the beach. Can we go? Please…”

“Lily, don’t be so pushy. Mr Kaminski probably has plans…” Julia looks from our daughter to me and back again. “You can’t just gate-crash someone’s day.”

I expect Kristian to concur. I know he likes his privacy, especially when it comes to Janey. He surprises me with what appears to be a genuine smile.

“You’d be welcome. Both of you. I expect Baz has work to do, but maybe he can join us later.” He extends his hand to Julia. “I don’t think we ever met before. I’m Kristian Kaminski. You already know Janey…”

Julia hesitates before accepting the handshake. Eventually, her innate good manners win out. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr Kaminski.”

“Kristian, please. Can I call you Julia?”

“Of course. I?—”

“And this must be Lily. I hear you’ve been getting to know our horses. Well, your father’s horses. Can’t say I’m fond of the animals myself.”

“I’m learning to ride…”

“Excellent. But a day off will do you good. Soak up some sunshine, enjoy the beach. Are you ready to go?”

CHAPTER 16

Julia

My daughter has taken to the subtropical lifestyle. I’ve never seen her so happy, so passionate about anything. I’d dismissed her nagging about getting a pony as just the passing fancy of a preteen girl, but I was wrong. She’s completely committed, spending every spare moment at the stables. I get the impression the work is far from glamorous, mostly involving shovelling shit and sweeping out the stalls, but she loves every second of it. The head groom, José, must be ninety if he’s a day, but he’s become her absolute hero. She hangs on his every word, and according to Baz, what Old José doesn’t know about horses isn’t worth knowing.

I wish I could say I’d settled in even half as well. I can’t drum up much enthusiasm for the sea and sand, and there are enough servants at the hacienda to cover everything that needs doing, not that I see myself as a domestic goddess, exactly. Whenever I venture into the kitchen, I encounter the formidable Señora Hernandez and her disapproving glare. Initially I stood my ground, but it becomes wearing after a while, so now I tend to beat a hasty retreat.

Back in Poland I was busy, first studying for my degree, then working hard to establish my business. Too busy, perhaps, since I spectacularly failed to spot what was happening to my daughter right under my nose. I left everything behind, clients, accounts, the lot.

Baz works most of the time, closeted in his office or out checking on the various establishments which apparently fall under the Kaminski banner. I see him in the evenings, when we share supper together, though most of the conversation takes place between him and Lily and concerns their mutual passion. Horses.

Kristian Kaminski is a regular visitor and often brings Janey with him. I do like her. It would be difficult not to. She’s sweet and funny and she tries her best to engage me in whatever’s going on with their empire, particularly the restaurants. Janey is an accomplished chef, and despite Kristian’s reservations about her overexerting herself, what with the early pregnancy and all that, she has more or less a free hand with spearheading the menus and hiring the staff. She’s clearly in her element, and I’m way out of mine. I feel like a fish out of water, and although number-crunching for one type of business is much the same as another, I can’t shake my unease at the nature of the Kaminski empire. I’ve never been involved in anything illegal, and I don’t want to start now.

Hypocritical? I know, I live off the fruits of crime. I think. But I can’t help the way I feel.

I’ve taken to scouring the internet for news of home, in particular any police activity relating to the investigation into Gerek’s disappearance. His body hasn’t been found, but apparently forensic tests established blood spatter in the kitchen of his apartment, so the authorities suspect foul play.

---