DARK ANGEL'S SURRENDER

by I. T. Lucas

  Had he been captured?

  Was he being held by Guardians and tortured for information?

  Again, it was a remote possibility. But not one that Losham could ignore.

  “We need to move the men to a new location and rent a new warehouse for our meetings.”

  Rami lifted his head from his tablet. “You think Grud was captured?”

  “It is a possibility we need to consider.” Losham was glad about choosing to lodge separately from his men. His decision had been motivated mainly by costs and in deference to his status, but it had proven to have strategic value as well.

  “I’ll get right on it.”

  “Yes. Time is of the essence.”

  The human wasn’t as important as Grud. He didn’t know anything about Losham or his organization. Whatever misfortune he’d met with was regrettable only in the sense that they had wasted ten thousand dollars on the drunkard and would now need to search for a new candidate.

  A setback, but a minor one. No operation ran smoothly from start to finish. There was always something to contend with. A smart leader didn’t allow those small annoyances to distract him from his goal.

  Except, Losham’s analytical brain abhorred unsolved mysteries and unlikely coincidences. The human disappearing could be explained in a lot of ways, but not Grud’s, and not the fact that they had happened only several days apart.

  As much as his mind raced and churned trying to come up with plausible scenarios, Losham was coming up with nothing.

  Obviously if the answer eluded him, a mastermind, he was missing vital information.

  Perhaps the human’s disappearance was worth investigating after all.

  Chapter 21: Brundar

  “When is the doctor coming?” Calypso asked.

  “She should be here any minute.” Brundar glanced at his watch. “Bridget called around four o'clock and said she’d be here within an hour.”

  “I’ll set up the table for three.”

  After an epic afternoon of lovemaking, they had worked up quite an appetite. He was hungry, and the food smelled delicious. Brundar wanted to dig into the boxes right away and not wait for Bridget. “It will get cold by the time she gets here. Let’s eat.”

  “You said she would be here any minute. How would it look if she gets here and we are munching away and not inviting her to join us?”

  “Like we are hungry and she is not a dinner guest.”

  Calypso put her hands on her hips. “If you want to be rude, do it while you’re not with me.”

  “Fine. Just give me one of the boxes to tide me over. You can’t deny a hungry, injured man food.”

  “I can do that.” She looked at the labels until she found the beef dish. “Here you go.” She handed him the box. “Chopsticks or fork?”

  “Chopsticks.”

  She pulled out a pair from the delivery bag.

  Brundar opened the box and picked a piece, but it felt wrong to eat while Calypso didn’t. He knew she was hungry too.

  “Come here.” He beckoned with the chopsticks. “Open your mouth.”

  She hesitated for a couple of moments but then bent down and took the piece he was holding up for her. The next piece went into his mouth, and then another one because she was still chewing.

  “Hmm, it’s really good,” Calypso said.

  “Told you. Here, take one more.” He held out another piece.

  She ate that one as well, but then refused the third. “You can finish the rest.”

  He wanted to argue, but the buzzer went off, announcing their visitor.

  Calypso buzzed Bridget in, then opened the door and waited for her to exit the elevator.

  “Hello, guys.” The doctor walked in, holding her black bag in one hand and a big plastic one in the other. “It smells good in here.”

  “We were just about to sit down for dinner. Please, join us.” Calypso motioned for Bridget to take a seat at the dining table.

  Bridget shook her head. “I should check on my patient first.”

  “The food will get cold. Let’s eat first.”

  Bridget didn’t need more convincing. “I would have loved to politely decline, but I’m hungry, and I love Chinese.” She took the seat Calypso pointed to.

  “Brundar ordered enough to feed a small village. Dig in.”

  “Don’t mind if I do. But I’m going to stick to the fried rice. I don’t eat meat.”

  Calypso opened all of the boxes and pushed some toward Bridget. “There is also an eggplant dish, and one with green beans and tofu.”

  “Fantastic.”

  Brundar dumped his empty container in the trash and wheeled himself to the table, where Calypso had already prepared a plate for him, heaped with an assortment of different dishes, including the green bean one and the one with the eggplant.

  “Bon appetit,” Bridget said and dug into her plate. For a small woman, the doctor sure had a big appetite.

  “Your face looks much better,” she commented as she refilled her plate.

  “Makeup does wonders. I’m going back to work tomorrow.”

  “What do you do?”

  “I’m a waitress at a nightclub.”

  “Then I would advise you to stay home for one more day and rest. If you had a desk job, it would’ve been okay to go back to work. But you’re not ready for a job that keeps you on your feet for hours.”

  Brundar wiped sweet and sour sauce from his chin. “That’s exactly what I’ve told her. Maybe she will listen to you because she sure doesn’t listen to me.”

  Bridget grinned from ear to ear. “Good for you.” She winked at Calypso but then wagged a finger at her. “This time, though, I have to agree with Brundar. One more day of rest. Doctor’s orders.”

  “Is everyone in your family bossy?” Calypso grimaced, and he knew they would be arguing about it later.

  Bridget smiled. “Yep, pretty much.”

  “How do you manage not to kill each other?”

  “With difficulty and a lot of love.” Bridget winked.

  When they were done, the doctor stood up and lifted her plate. “I’ll help you clear the table and then check up on Brundar’s knees.”

  “Leave it.” Calypso took the plate from her hand. “Go check up on Brundar. I’ll take care of the cleanup.”

  Bridget shook her head. “And you call us bossy.”

  Fifteen minutes later the table was clean, and the doctor was done adjusting the new braces she’d brought for him.

  “Tell me what I can and can’t do with these again.”

  “Keep using the wheelchair and brace on your arms when you want to sit on the couch or go to bed. But it’s okay to put your feet down and put a little pressure on them. In two days you can go to the bathroom using crutches. But nothing longer than that. After a week, you can walk with the crutches but again, only short distances around the apartment.”

  “Got it.”

  Brundar’s phone rang where he’d left it to charge on the kitchen counter. Calypso disconnected it from the wire and brought it over.

  Glancing at the display, he frowned. What the hell did Amanda want from him? Hopefully not to pay him a visit.

  “Amanda,” he answered.

  “Syssi and I are coming over, and don’t you dare say no to us. We are bringing pastries.”

  “I’m not feeling up to it.”

  “We don’t care.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m not home.”

  “I know. I got your girlfriend’s address from Anandur.”

  He was going to strangle his brother. The idiot was supposed to keep quiet about Brundar staying with Calypso.

  “Is there any way I can convince you not to come?”

  “Nope. I called just to let you know we are coming. Not to ask your permission.”

  Brundar groaned as he clicked the call off.

  Bridget patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry about that. They are on your side.”

  He lifted his eyes to her. “Why? Did you hea
r anything?”

  She shrugged. “No. But I know those two, and I bet they are up to something. It’s good to have powerful allies, Brundar.”

  Yeah. The question was whether they were really on his side or not. If they were coming to convince him to leave Calypso, he was going to throw them out.

  Chapter 22: Callie

  “I should leave.” Bridget picked up her things.

  “What’s the hurry? We are going to have a fucking party here,” Brundar grumbled.

  “Stay.” Callie put her hand on the petite doctor’s arm. “It’s going to be fun.” She winked. “Four girls and one poor Brundar, no wonder he is not happy about it. Maybe we should call Anandur and ask him to join us?”

  “He is on rotation tonight,” Brundar said.

  Bridget put her bag back down. “Okay, I’ll stay. I’m curious to hear what these two are planning.”

  “What do you mean?”

  The doctor regarded her as if she was dim-witted, which rankled. “Kian’s sister and his wife are paying you a visit after he kicked you out. Why do you think that is?”

  “They are curious? They want to check out Brundar’s new girlfriend?”

  “Yes, but not only that.”

  “What else?”

  Bridget winked. “That depends on whether they like you or not.”

  Great, now she wasn’t as happy about the visit as she was a moment ago. What if they didn’t approve?

  Callie touched her face. “Tell me the truth, do I look horrible?”

  “No, Callie, you’re a beautiful girl who was criminally assaulted. After five minutes with you, Amanda and Syssi will forget all about the bruises. They are going to like you.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because I am. What’s not to like?”

  Callie could think of a thing or two or three, but she wasn’t going to spend valuable time convincing Bridget that she was far from perfect. “If you excuse me, I’m going to freshen up a bit.”

  She practically ran into the bedroom. Was there time to curl her hair? When it was all puffed up, it could hide some of the bruising. It would also make her look a little bit older and better put together.

  Hot iron on dry hair could do only so much, but she managed to give herself a little bounce. Another layer of foundation helped hide some of the hideous coloring, and she framed her eyes with a dark green pencil, hoping to draw attention to her best feature and away from the ugly bruises.

  She’d already put on her best pair of jeans and nicest T-shirt before Bridget came, so there was no need to change clothes. Maybe she could put on her black pumps? They made her legs look longer and her butt look tighter but then she would look as if she was trying too hard. In the end, she chose to keep her flip-flops on.

  So what if her toenails weren’t painted.

  The buzzer went on in the living room, and Bridget answered, letting the two women come up.

  Callie opened the door and took a deep breath, waiting for the elevator doors to open.

  A stunning, tall brunette and a much shorter beautiful blond came out of the lift. The brunette smiled like a movie star and extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Amanda. And this is Syssi, my sister-in-law.”

  “Nice to meet you both. I’m Callie.” She shook Amanda’s hand and then Syssi’s.

  Amanda looked like she wanted to give Callie a hug but then reconsidered. Which meant that the bruising was still visible despite her best efforts to hide it.

  “We brought pastries. I hope you have coffee.” Amanda walked in and put the box she was carrying on the counter.

  “Bridget, what a nice surprise.” She pulled the tiny doctor into her arms and gave her a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. We are recruiting if you care to join us.”

  “Are we planning a war?”

  “No, just a friendly takeover. “ She winked.

  “Oh, my.”

  “Where is our injured hero?”

  Just then Callie noticed that Brundar wasn’t in the living room. Where had he escaped to?

  A flutter of curtains gave his hiding place away.

  “I think he is on the balcony, getting a breath of fresh air.”

  “More like hiding from us, but that’s okay. We are here mainly to see you.”

  “Well, in that case, please take a seat.”

  “In a moment. First, I need a plate for the pastries, and second, where is your coffeemaker?”

  “I’m in charge of the coffee,” Syssi said.

  It was strange how the four of them felt comfortable with each other as if they had been friends for years.

  Amanda was even more blindingly beautiful than her brother and had the confidence to match. She was dressed simply, but Callie could tell it was all very expensive stuff. And yet she wasn’t off-putting or intimidating. Her high energy was infectious.

  Syssi was beautiful too, but in a more approachable girl-next-door way. Less outgoing than Amanda, and definitely not as dramatic, she was sweet and friendly and exuded a sort of calm that was soothing. How could she stand being married to Kian? The guy was all pent up anger and frustration.

  An ogre of a man, only gorgeous instead of green and ugly.

  But then Brundar wasn’t a cheerful cherub either, and still, Callie would not have traded him for anyone. Maybe Syssi was the cool water to Kian’s inferno, the soothing balm on his rough edges.

  The redhead doctor was somewhere in between the two. Confident, but not at all dramatic, beautiful and curvy in all the right places, but not as stunning as Amanda. No woman was. Callie wondered what Kian and Amanda’s mother looked like. Was she even more beautiful than her children? Was it even possible to outdo perfection?

  Next to these women, Callie felt quite plain. And yet, not uncomfortable.

  “Coffee is ready,” Syssi said. “Let’s take everything to the living room.”

  Brundar was still out on the balcony, and Callie decided it was time for him to stop playing chicken and get inside.

  “Come on, Brundar, please come back. You’re being rude.”

  He shrugged. “They are used to me being like that. They don’t expect anything else.”

  “That’s not an excuse. Those are your relatives, and you’re leaving me alone to entertain them.”

  That finally got to him, and he wheeled himself inside. “Amanda, Syssi, how nice of you to drop by.” He sounded as sincere as a used car salesman.

  Bad analogy. Shawn was a car salesman. Or rather had been. She shivered, remembering the terrible hours that had led to his death.

  As always, Brundar noticed everything. He turned his wheelchair around and closed the balcony door, probably thinking she was cold. “Do you want me to get you a sweater, Calypso?”

  That was so sweet of him to offer, especially since he was the one with limited mobility.

  “Thank you, but I’m okay.” She lifted a cup of coffee off the table and handed it to him. “Which pastry would you like?”

  “I’m good. The coffee will do.”

  “So, Calypso, or is it Callie? Tell us how you and Brundar met.”

  Callie glanced at Brundar, who retreated into his impassive mask. He shook his head slightly, letting her know not to tell them their story. But which parts?”

  “Calypso is my given name. My friends call me Callie, but Brundar prefers Calypso.”

  “I like Callie,” Amanda said. “I’m so curious to hear you guys’ story.”

  “We met at a nightclub,” Brundar said.

  “And when was that?” Amanda kept pushing.

  “About a year ago,” Callie said, sneaking a glance at Brundar.

  He shrugged.

  “You’ve been together for an entire year?” Syssi asked.

  “No. We met a year ago in passing. Then again about a month ago.”

  Please let them be happy with that and not ask more questions. Perhaps she could turn the tables on them.

  “What do you do, Amanda?”

  “I teach at t
he university.”

  Callie’s eyes widened. “I want to be a teacher too, but not in the university. I want to teach kindergarten, maybe go into special education. I have not decided yet. I’m starting UCLA in the fall.”

  “That’s marvelous,” Amanda said.

  Did she mean it, though? On top of the way she looked, she was also a freaking professor? How many gifts could one woman have?

  Unfair.

  Syssi put her coffee cup down. “You must love children.”

  “I do.”

  “I do too.”

  “Do you have any?”

  Syssi’s eyes looked sad, but she put on a smile. “Not yet. Working on it, though.”

  Amanda snickered. “That’s the fun part.”

  Callie couldn’t imagine Kian as a father. He would terrorize his kids just by looking at them. “Well, I wish you good luck. In the meantime, though, have fun practicing.”

  Syssi blushed.

  Amanda chuckled. “I like this girl.”

  “Me too,” Bridget said.

  Chapter 23: Brundar

  “I had a really good time. I hope we can do this again sometime.” Calypso hugged Bridget and then Syssi.

  Amanda was the last one at the door. She pulled Calypso into a gentle embrace and kissed her forehead. “I would’ve kissed your cheek, but I didn’t want to hurt you. The forehead seemed like a safe place.”

  “Yeah, it’s probably the only spot on my face that is not damaged. Thank you for coming. It was fun.”

  “Thank you for having us. Good night, Callie.” She looked over Calypso’s head and waved at him. “You too, Brundar. Don’t overexert yourself.” She winked.

  “You have a very nice family,” Calypso said as she closed the door.

  “Busybodies.”

  She started picking up cups and plates from the coffee table. “Maybe, but they mean well.”

  “They are annoying.”

  She put the dishes in the sink and returned with a rag to wipe the table. “And you’re grumpy.”

  He grunted in agreement.

  “I would love to hang out with them some more, also with Anandur. Are Bridget and Amanda married?”