After Dark: The Complete Series

by Kahlen Aymes

  When she flopped back down on the couch, she flipped on the big-screen TV and lowered the volume. She had yet to place the call to Kyle and decided this was as good a time as any to get it over with. She went to get her phone and refill her wine glass from the bottle in the refrigerator.

  They hadn’t talked in months, not since the last time he’d had an argument with Crystal and drunk-dialed her. Her disdain for the woman had not lessened as the years had passed. She was an airhead with a capital A, and Angel had little tolerance for her.

  He answered on the first ring. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Kyle. It’s Angel.”

  She was met with silence for a few seconds. “Did you get a new number?” She could hear the band warming up in the background, a managed chaos of drums, bass, and guitar riffs.

  “Oh. I have a new phone.”

  “Hey! Guys, can you wait a minute? It’s Angel,” he called loudly. “Sorry. What’s up? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m good. How have you been?”

  “Good. The band is booked almost a year in advance, and we may be getting a manager soon.”

  “That’s great. I hear nothing but good things about you guys. Do you have a contract yet? How is that going?”

  “It’s going. We’d be better off if you were still with us. What about you? Are you still with that douche?”

  “Kenneth’s not a douche. He’s just… ”

  “A douche,” he dismissed, and Angel had to smile.

  “You’ll never like any guy I’m with, but no, we stopped seeing each other.”

  “Good.”

  “Are you still with that ditz?” Angel countered dryly.

  “Ha, ha,” Kyle returned.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. How are the guys? Is Dennis doing better?”

  “They’re cool. He completed rehab and is getting married in November.”

  “Really? Wow! Good for him.” Dennis was a good guy that fell into the trappings of the rocker lifestyle. Too much booze, too many women; he was a mess for a long time, despite the other band members’ attempts to help him. Angel was happy he was finally getting his life on track. “Listen, Kyle, I’m calling because there’s a benefit for leukemia coming up and they really want Archangel to play.”

  “Yeah, some high-society chick came to a gig and chased me around all night about it. It’s not something I’m interested in. I can’t believe she tracked you down, too. Damn!”

  “It’s a great cause, and it’s on a Sunday night, so you should be open.”

  “We’re open, yeah, but it’s the wrong venue for us.”

  “They’re targeting a younger demographic, so you could play your normal set list. Please consider it. For me.” Angel knew it was low to use his feelings for her against him, but it was a good cause and she only had a second of regret.

  “I’ll do it if you come back to the band.”

  “Wha—What?” Shock resonated in her voice.

  “Did I stutter? I want you back with the band. It’s never been the same without you.”

  Anel hesitated for a stunned moment. “That’s… impossible, even if I wanted to. What about Crystal?”

  “She’s not you. I’ll deal with her.”

  “Kyle—”

  “Do you want us to play this gig or not? Take it or leave it, Angel.”

  “You know I can’t. I’ve got work and the radio show.”

  “Yeah, I heard it a couple of times. Just come to a practice and we can discuss this in person. The boys would love to see you.”

  “Umm…”

  “Take it or leave it,” he said again and gave her the address of a warehouse in South Chicago they used for practice; she ended up agreeing to come by on Sunday afternoon.

  She showered and got ready for bed, deciding on some of Alex’s boxers and a T-shirt before she put both of the phones on the chargers and then went in search of Max again.

  The light above the stove was on but the rest of the house was dark. Angel hesitated. She didn’t remember leaving it on. “Hello?” she called hesitantly as her steps slowed. Maybe the housekeeper had come back. “Hello? Please answer me!”

  She stopped and looked around in the dim light, her ears straining for any sound, but she was met with only the sound of her own heart thudding wildly, the hair on her arms standing on end. She was shaking, fear making her sick to her stomach, yet she was frozen in place. Her fingers reached behind her in blind search for some weapon as she fumbled with the drawers until they closed around the handle of a large chef’s knife, which she brought in front of her.

  She searched the darkness, trembling as she slowly inched her way toward the light switch on the far wall, finally flooding the kitchen with fluorescent light. Her breathing was heavy and shallow, coming in frantic bursts. She turned in a circle, the knife pointing out from her body until she saw the note stuck to the stainless steel refrigerator with a large piece of duct tape. The message was simple and clear.

  Next time it won’t be the dog.

  3

  Heartbreak & Resolve

  Alex made himself focus on his dinner companions’ conversation. He wanted the deal done. He wanted to get on the plane and head back to the mainland. He wanted to get back to Angel. His thoughts were consumed with her, the picture he’d taken of her last week at dinner smiled back at him from his phone. He loved the sparkle in her eyes, the curve of her face, and the luxurious mane of mahogany hair that danced with auburn light. He missed her voice. He was amazed it was the other stuff, as much as the incredible sex with Angel that filled his thoughts.

  He glanced at his Rolex and it mocked at him. It was 4 AM in Chicago and he wouldn’t be able to call before he turned in for the night. When she agreed to stay at his estate, he’d felt a little better about traveling, but worry still nagged at him.

  “Hmmph,” he sighed heavily. He’d never given a thought to any other woman during his business trips before: his head had been fully in the game. Although Angel’s situation was more precarious than his other lovers’ had been, he was certain he’d be thinking of her even if she were a barista at Starbucks.

  Fuck! He rubbed a hand down his face and over his jaw as his mouth quirked in amusement at the thought. He was exhausted, and he was pushing himself to get a week’s worth of business wrapped up in two or three days. Saving the deal was easy compared to fighting the urge to call the woman who was the focus of his thoughts, despite the lateness of the hour. He was itching to leave as he shook hands with the five other men in his party and made his way up to his room. The entire evening was spent in the hotel that was the subject of the offer. It was convenient, but it was below the standards of the Avery properties. There was much that needed to be changed. It was the details as much as the money, which tipped the scales in his favor.

  Alex’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly grabbed it as he made his way down the long hallway to his suite, hoping it would be Angel. He didn’t recognize the number.

  “Alex Avery.”

  “Mr. Avery, this is Steven Frost. I’m with Werner Security Group. Is everything okay at your home?”

  Alex pulled in a panicked breath. “I’m traveling. I’m not there. What’s happening?”

  “It seems that you lost power for a few moments and we were unable to monitor your property for about 30 minutes.”

  “What about the houses around mine? Were they affected?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Damn it!” Alex yelled into the phone. The neighbors not losing power at the same time was bad. It meant his property was singled out. “Were the police called?”

  “Yes, sir. They drove around the entire perimeter and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The system is fully operational now and the cameras are showing no activity.”

  Alex’s heart was racing so hard he felt it would fly from his chest; panic was freaking him the fuck out.

  “I’m sure everything is fine. We’ll pay special attention and let you know if anyt
hing happens,” the man continued.

  “I pay you to take extra care all the fucking time. See that you do,” he growled into the phone.

  “I’m sorry, but the problem wasn’t with our equipment. Maybe a fuse blew on the property.”

  “Do you think it magically repaired itself?” Alex asked in disgust, opening the door to his room so hard that it slammed into the wall in the entryway. “Send a guard over there! Now! My girlfriend is there and I don’t want her frightened. Just have the property patrolled quietly. Call me as soon as someone is on site. Jesus Christ! I knew I shouldn’t have left!”

  “Sir, things like this happen all the time.”

  “Not to me. Is there some sort of system that won’t rely on electricity? Something wireless that can be installed?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then do it. Now!”

  He hung up the phone without waiting for a reply and immediately dialed Angel’s phone. When she didn’t pick up, he impatiently rang her other one, ripping the tie from around his neck and unbuttoning the top two buttons of his dress shirt as it went to voicemail.

  “Fucking hell!” he muttered as her message played; the feeling of helplessness overwhelming as he raked his hand through his hair.

  “Angel. I know it’s late, but call me as soon as you get this. I…” he hesitated. Should he tell her about his concerns? It could be nothing and he didn’t want to upset her needlessly. “I miss hearing your voice.” He struggled to control his tone. “Please give me a call when you wake up.”

  He kicked off his shoes and dialed Cole’s number.

  “Yeah?” Cole’s voice was full of sleep.

  “Hey, Cole. I need you go over to my house right away.”

  “”Why? What’s going on?” Cole was instantly alert and sounds of him opening drawers and slamming them closed followed his voice through the phone.

  “The security system failed for a few hours. Angel’s there and she isn’t answering her phone.”

  “I followed when she left her office and waited until I knew she was inside the gates. That place is like Fort Knox. What happened?”

  “As I understand it, the outage was just on my property.”

  There was a rustling on the other end of the line as Cole threw on his clothes and moved around his apartment. “Shit! Do you think someone broke in?” A jingling of car keys mingled with a loud bang as a door closed roughly behind Cole.

  “Christ, I hope not.”

  “I’m on my way.” Sounds of Cole leaving his building and getting into his car filled the background. “What do you want me to do? Should I go in? Make sure she’s okay?”

  “I don’t want her to see you, but I need to know she’s safe.”

  “Yeah, my cover as her new neighbor will be blown if I show up at your house. Unless…”

  “What?”

  “Maybe it would be better to just tell her, Alex. How will you explain who I am later? You like this woman; she’ll meet the family eventually.”

  “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. She doesn’t believe she needs to be taken care of, and it would upset her to know I’m having her watched. I’ll fly back as soon as I can, but let me know what you find when you get over there. Security will be patrolling, so I’ll let them know you’ll be there as well.”

  “It’s probably nothing, bro.”

  “I hope you’re right, but my gut tells me otherwise. I’m going out of my fucking mind.”

  * * *

  Shaking, Angel fell to the floor of the kitchen, violent sobs shaking her small frame. “Max, noooo!” she cried, and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Frustration and fear for the animal she now loved like her own tightened her chest.

  “You bastard! I hope you burn in hell!” She drew her knees up and buried her face in her folded arms. “You fucking deviant! I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you; I swear to God!” She cried hard for five minutes then wiped the back of her hand across her nose and stood up, realizing her own situation was still precarious.

  As she glanced around the kitchen, her eyes searched for signs of violence but there were none. Was the house broken into? Did they take him while I was in the shower? What will I tell Alex? Angel closed her eyes as more tears fell. What did they do to sweet, innocent, gentle, Max?

  She ran back to the bedroom and scrambled into her clothes, her heart sick and her thoughts racing. If she had been in the shower, she wouldn’t have heard them, and the possibilities of what could have happened to her flooded her thoughts.

  There was a loud thudding in her ears as the blood pumped around her body so hard it almost hurt. She felt as if she would vomit, her heart in her throat, as she gathered all her belongings and threw them into her duffle bag. She didn’t care that her expensive suits were smashed and hanging halfway out. She stopped, immediately still.

  “What am I doing?” Her hand paused on its way to her temple, the fingers curling in mid-air. She went to the keypad on the alarm system and double-checked to make sure it was engaged. Her heart knocked painfully in her chest. Anger swelled, heat infusing every inch of her skin until she felt like screaming again. Now she was insane with panic over Max and what Swanson and his band of goons would do to him. Could she reason with him? Convince him she’d back off and get the dog back and once she did, call the police? She had to do whatever she could to save the dog and keep Alex out of the entire mess. But would it be too late? Alex’s estate was too isolated, the neighbors not close enough, to feel safe calling Mark Swanson until she got back into the city. She’d be too vulnerable.

  Angel swallowed and quickly pushed the angry tears off her cheeks. More than ever, she wanted to put Mark Swanson behind bars. She’d never hated anyone so much in her life. She left her cases in the hall and quickly rummaged around in Alex’s kitchen for a plastic bag. Careful to only touch the edge of the duct tape, she pulled the note from the fridge and tucked it inside the bag, zipping it closed.

  She gathered her things and ran from the house as if her life depended on it, frantically resetting the alarm. She struggled to the car, laden with her things.

  Alex.

  How would she explain this if she couldn’t get Max back? She was still trembling, and silent tears still fell from her eyes. She was as terrified as she was angry. She wanted to talk to Alex but had no idea what she would say.

  “Oh, God,” she groaned as her car raced back into the city. Dawn was barely breaking, and soon she found herself in the garage of her own building, unsure of how she’d gotten there or why. Her hands gripped the steering wheel and her head fell onto them as sobs overtook her. She needed to call Kenneth and get his advice. Should she call the police right away? As far as she could tell, there were no signs of forced entry. What would she say? I think this lunatic stole my friend’s dog? And all I have is this stupid note? Would it be enough? “Tell me what to do,” she prayed aloud. Is it better to let Alex think Max ran away and keep him out of this? I couldn’t handle it if anything happened to him.

  She longed for Alex’s presence. For the first time in years, she wanted someone else to wrap their arms around her and make everything go away.

  “What is happening to me?” she said aloud. She grabbed her phone from her purse as she climbed out of the car and ran to the elevator. Alex had called twice on each phone. She struggled between her desire to call him and tell him everything and her need not to worry him. In the end, the latter won out and she dialed Kenneth’s number, instead. She needed someone by her side when she called Swanson.

  “Angel? It’s so early. Are you okay?”

  “Not really,” her voice cracked. “Can you come over? Now?”

  Thankfully, he didn’t ask any questions. “Yes, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  “Thanks.”

  The elevator doors opened and she stepped into the hallway leading to her apartment. It was quiet, completely deserted, but there was the faintest sound of whining from around the corner. Her heart dropped and s
he broke into a run, stopping when she saw Max on a very short lead chained to her door. It was tight and he could barely move, his mouth muzzled with silver duct tape, his golden brown eyes pleading.

  “Oh, Max! Thank God!” She quickly closed the distance between them and fell to her knees, frantically working the leash free of the door. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his head before burying her face in his fur. It soaked up her tears as she clutched at him, and he whimpered again. “Max, my sweet boy. What did that bastard do to you?”

  As if he understood, the dog put both of his front paws on her arms, resting his head against hers. Angel hugged him tighter and ruffled his fur gently. “I’m so happy to see you, boy,” she said gently as she led him into her apartment and locked the door behind them. She threw her purse down and went to the kitchen, returning in seconds with paper towels and olive oil. “Come here, Maxy. Let’s get this crap off your face. Poor baby; come.”

  After several minutes of trying, Angel only had the edge of the tape loosened, her heart hammered painfully. She was so thankful Max was okay and she wouldn’t have to tell Alex any of it. The dog was incredibly patient, sitting and letting her work, his eyes full of trust as she massaged the oil into his fur and tried to pull the tape free without hurting him. “How can anyone be this mean?” she muttered. “That sick bastard is evil.”

  When Kenneth arrived, she met him at the door and Max followed, never leaving Angel’s side. Ken looked rumpled, his clothes wrinkled and his hair uncombed. “What’s wrong?” he asked urgently as he folded her in his arms. She couldn’t help it; tears burned her eyes again and a small sob broke from her chest. He’d never seen her so shaken.