Next to Never: Shattered Innocence Trilogy

by Long, A. L.

  Rade didn’t want Dylan going back to that apartment, but he also didn’t want to cause any further distance between them. Placing his hand on her cheek and caressing it with his thumb, he softly said, “Of course I will. Let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

  *****

  Getting ready to pull from the parking garage, Rade’s cell pinged, alerting him that he had a text message. Removing his phone from the cradle, he opened the message. It had been from Richard, The bird has landed. He’s safely in his cage. This was the signal that the scumbag was in custody and being held at the warehouse. Before putting the car in reverse, Rade sent a quick text back. In route to Dylan’s apartment. Will let you know when we’re on our way back. Don’t let the bird out of your sight.

  Rade parked his car in front of Dylan’s apartment building. Dylan didn’t wait for him to circle around the car to open her door. She was out before he exited the car. Just as a tenant was leaving, Dylan entered her building through the open door. She was thankful she didn’t have to buzz someone to let her in. Her entrance key was another item she needed to grab. Even though Dylan didn’t wait for Rade, he managed to get through the door behind her. Only silence existed between them as they rode the elevator to her floor. Dylan couldn’t get the picture of her damaged apartment out of her head.

  Before hitting her apartment door, Dylan heard someone calling for her. “Ms. Adams, I need to speak with you.”

  Turning around, she saw her landlord coming towards them. “Mr. Conrad, how are you?” Dylan wasn’t ready to face her landlord. She knew by the look on his face that he wasn’t happy.

  “Ms. Adams, I’m here to inform you that your lease has been terminated. I can’t tolerate break-ins in my apartment building. My tenants need to feel safe. You have one week to gather your things and vacate the building. By the way, I’m using your security deposit for the damages and expect payment for the rest in 48 hours. Here’s the bill.” Her landlord handed her the bill showing the breakdown of all the repairs needed..

  When Dylan looked at the bill she froze. “Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to come up with $10,000.00 in 48 hours? This isn’t my fault.”

  Rade took the bill from Dylan’s shaking hand. Rade could push the issue of the expense and lack of security, but he didn’t want to get into a heated battle and say too much. “Don’t worry, Mr. Conrad, you’ll get your money. I’ll have a check for you by the end of the day.”

  Dylan couldn’t let Rade settle her bill. It was one more reason to prove she needed him. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll find a way to come up with the money.”

  Rade gave Dylan a quick disapproving glare before he directed his attention back to her landlord. “As I said, Mr. Conrad, you will have your money by the end of the day.”

  Not giving Dylan a chance to object, he placed his hand on her lower back and ushered her into the apartment.

  Pissed off, Dylan turned to face Rade. She was absolutely furious. “I’m not going to let you do this, Rade. I don’t want you to help me. I have enough money to cover a portion of the bill and if I sell my car and my engage…” Dylan stopped mid-sentence when she spotted her cell phone on the floor under her television stand.

  Finished arguing with him, she walked towards it only to find that it had been broken. She tried to bring the screen up, but it was no use. “Could this day get any worse?” She dropped her phone in her jacket pocket. Rade grabbed her arm as she walked past him. As he took her into his arms, she began to wail. She didn’t know what was going on with her. She was never this emotional and it seemed Rade was always right there to comfort her.

  Kissing her forehead, he instructed, “Let’s find your car keys and get out of here.”

  Dylan had no idea where her keys would be, but she had an extra set in her jewelry box in case she ever needed it. Pulling away from Rade’s embrace, she walked to her bedroom. Once inside, she saw her jewelry box was still on her dresser even though most of the contents were laying beside it. She went over to where it sat and dug through the box. Finding the spare key, she picked it up and slipped it into her pocket. Searching through the contents, she found the engagement ring from Michael. Looking at the ring, she could only wonder what the intruder really wanted. Why didn’t he take the ring? It would have brought him at least a couple thousand dollars, if not more. Sliding it in her pocket alongside the key, she informed Rade. “Let’s go.”

  As they were headed out of the apartment building to the parking lot, Rade placed his hand in hers. Dylan was about to pull her hand away when Rade asked, “Where is your car parked?”

  Looking down at their hands entwined together, feeling annoyed, Dylan quickly removed her hand and pointed to where her car was. She could see something wasn’t right. As they got closer, Rade could see there was damage to her car. He wasn’t sure of the car’s condition before, but looking at the reaction on her face, something was definitely wrong. “Rade, my car.” Glancing over at Dylan, he could see her eyes close with desperation. He didn’t know what to do for her. She began running towards her car pleading. “No, No, No.” Placing her hands over her eyes as if to shield herself from the destruction, Dylan began crying uncontrollably.

  Rade hurried to her side, turning her into him. She couldn’t return his embrace. All she could do was cry. Looking at the car, Rade could see that someone took either a bat or a sledgehammer to the car and bashed it so badly that not one inch of the car was undamaged. Every window was broken out, leaving shattered glass remnants on the inside. The hood was propped open with every wire pulled from the engine, leaving it unsalvageable.

  “Rade, what am I going to do? I’ll never be able to sell it now. Why would anybody do this? I don’t even have insurance on it to get it fixed,” Dylan sobbed as the tears continued to fall.

  Rade was stricken by Dylan’s pain. He wanted to make this right for her. He was pretty sure he knew who did this, and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on the motherfucker waiting for him at the warehouse. He needed to show him the same courtesy.

  Holding Dylan as tight as he could without breaking her, Rade softly said, “I will find out who did this, Dylan. They will pay.”

  Rade slowly turned Dylan. Holding her to his side, he helped her back to his car. Once they were at his car, he opened the passenger door and steered her in. Carefully, he pulled the seatbelt over her lap and latched it. Lifting her chin and turning her to face him, he saw the despair on her face. “Dylan, it will be okay. I know it seems bad now, but I promise it will be okay.” Lowering his mouth to hers, he kissed her swollen lips. He could taste the hint of salt from the tears she shed. He wanted more than anything to take away the pain she was feeling. He knew how it felt to feel helpless. He only felt that way once in his life. It was once too many. It was the day he lost his little brother. He swore he would never feel that helpless again.

  *****

  Rade took Dylan to the couch and settled her in. “I’ll make you some tea.” While the water was heating, he sent a quick text to Richard. His top priority was getting some answers from the scumbag that hurt Dylan.

  Rade: I’m home with Dylan. Need to take care of the caged animal. Send someone over to watch Dylan.

  Richard: I’ll send Peter over to watch her. He should be there shortly.

  Rade: Thank you. Make sure Peter understands she is not to leave under any circumstances. Gotta go.

  Rade set his phone down on the kitchen counter as the tea kettle began to whistle.

  Rade handed Dylan her cup of tea. He could see her hands were shaking, so he lowered it onto the coffee table instead. Wrapping her in his arms, he gently began to caress her arm. He could feel her soften into him. Knowing he couldn’t stay with her, he kissed her head. “I need to go out for a while. I have someone coming over to keep you company while I’m gone.”

  Dylan moved away from Rade, looking straight into his concerned eyes. She was about to tell him she would be fine by herself, but seeing his
concern, she said “Okay,” instead.

  Hearing the elevator, Rade quickly rose from the couch. Just as he rose, Peter was coming into the room to announce his presence. He held out his hand the same time Peter did. “Peter, good to see you,” he said as he shook his hand. “I’d like you to meet Dylan Adams, Dylan, this is Peter Hewitt. He will be keeping you company.”

  Peter walked over to Dylan. “Nice to meet you Ms. Adams.”

  Dylan held out her hand to Peter. “Nice to meet you too.”

  Rade looked back at Dylan. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. If you need anything, Peter has my number.”

  Rade hated the thought of leaving Dylan, but he knew she would be safe with Peter. He knew he had to find out what he needed so he could get back to her as quickly as possible. As they walked to the door, Rade grabbed his coat, looking at Dylan one last time before he entered the elevator. The look in her eyes was killing him. The more time he spent with her, the harder he found it to leave her. The elevator doors closed and she was out of view.

  *****

  The look on Dylan’s face was etched in his mind as Rade drove to the warehouse. He still didn’t know if she played a part in the missing money or if she was just an innocent bystander. His only hope was he would get his answer, reassuring him that she was innocent in all of this.

  Rade saw the Bentley parked outside the warehouse, confirming Richard was already inside with the scumbag. Parking his Martin next to the SUV, Rade grabbed his cell from its cradle and called Richard. “I’m here. What is your location?” Rade got his location and proceeded into the building. Once Richard was in view, Rade yelled to him from across the open space. “I’ll take it from here, my friend.” Without hesitation, Richard slowly backed away from the guy, nodding his head. Coming up on him, Rade could see his prey was securely tied to a support beam. As he got closer, he could also make out the scratch marks embedded in his cheek. Rade smiled, knowing Dylan got a piece of him before he laid into her.

  Not wasting any time, Rade took his fist and planted it squarely into the guy’s gut. “You’re going to tell me everything I want to know, even if I have to beat the shit out of you to get what I want. So I suggest you start singing, you piece of shit.”

  Rade could tell the guy wasn’t ready to talk. He may have been tough with Dylan, but Rade was a whole different story. Grabbing the guy by his t-shirt, Rade was ready to punch the guy again. “I want to know who you’re working for and what you were sent to find in the apartment you broke into.”

  The guy didn’t say a word, but when he saw that Rade was about to land another blow, he sang like a bird. “I don’t know who sent me to that apartment. All I know is the instructions came from some bigwig loan shark. He said the guy who lived there owed him a lot of money and it was time that he paid up. I don’t ask, I just do.”

  Rade started boiling, knowing Dylan had to pay for her dead fiancé’s stupidity. “How did you know where to go?”

  The scumbag looked away from Rade, shaking his head. “The guy told me the guy who owed him money worked at Whitaker, Smith, and Associates. I was supposed to follow him when he got off work. So I did. That’s how I found out where he lived. I kept tabs on him and his girlfriend for months. I reported every day to him and he paid me. When the dude stopped coming and going, the bigwig who hired me got suspicious. Thought maybe the dude bailed on him. Then he found out about some bogus accident. He changed his plan. Told me to keep an eye on the girlfriend.”

  Rade was fuming by this time. “So you decided to beat the shit out of her.” Seeing red, Rade balled his hand into a tight fist and punched the guy in the face.

  Barely able to talk, the guy answered. “He said to do whatever it took to find his money. He promised me an extra fifty Gs if I found it. She got in the way. I had no other choice. She wouldn’t tell me where the money was.”

  Rade backed away from the guy to regain his composure. Pacing back and forth in front of him, “Why did you have to trash her car?”

  With just a head shake from the guy, Rade landed one more blow to the scumbag’s face and walked away leaving him unconscious.

  Rade was done with this lowlife. “Richard, I hope you got all that?”

  Richard nodded, “Got it,” to Rade as he held up the recorder before slipping it into his suit pocket.

  Straightening his jacket, Rade turned to Richard. “Get him out of my sight. Once you dump him off, call the police. Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere until they get there.”

  Richard grabbed the guy, placing a bag over his head and throwing him over his shoulder. Carrying him out of the warehouse, he placed him in the back of the Bentley and headed to the scumbag’s apartment, where the police would find him along with a little present containing the recording of his confession.

  Rade had to get away from the stench smell of the warehouse. All he cared about was getting back to Dylan. He felt some relief knowing Dylan’s attacker was out of the way and would soon be in the hands of the police. His concern now was finding the man who ordered the tail on Dylan and finding out his interest in Michael Stewart. Rade was beginning to believe that Michael’s hiking trip and his disappearance may have been all planned. He needed to face the possibility that Mr. Stewart might have fled the country and might be sitting pretty on some beach in the Caribbean.

  CHAPTER TEN

  It was late before Rade arrived back at his penthouse. When he entered the living room, Peter was sitting on the couch reading a sports magazine. Rade thanked Peter for keeping an eye Dylan. Peter nodded his head in acceptance and left the penthouse. Before Rade checked on Dylan, he walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured his drink of choice into a tumbler. As he tried to unravel what happened, he took a swing of the amber liquid, getting lost in the Manhattan sky.

  If his suspicions were correct and Michael was still alive, there could be a possibility that he might come back for her. If Michael loved Dylan even half as much as she loved him, he would be coming back for her. It killed him to think that could happen. Deep in thought, Rade didn’t hear Dylan enter the room.

  “Hey,” she said softly. Looking towards her as she spoke, he could tell she must have been woken by his return. She was wearing one of the silk nightgowns he had purchased for her. She was beautiful, standing there with her tousled hair and barely-there nightgown. He would need to thank his personal shopper. Aside from the moonlight, the room was completely dark. With just a hint of light, Rade could still see the curves of her body through the thin material. She was perfect. Her nipples were taut, pushing the gathered silk of the bodice tightly against her breasts. The laced-trimmed slit located in the front of the gown showed her right leg, which seductively peeking out from the parted silk.

  He set his glass on the end table and walked toward her, speaking in a hushed tone. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” The closer he got to her, the more he could feel his arousal growing.

  “It’s okay. I needed to get something to drink anyway,” she said.

  Only thinking about touching her, Rade slowly placed his hands on her arms and drew her near to him. Looking at her with desire, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her.

  Dylan was completely drawn to Rade’s touch. She didn’t know what it was about this man, but she couldn’t pull away from him. His touch had such a hold on her.

  Softly he whispered, “Dylan, you’re so beautiful,” as he gently nibbled on the soft skin just below her ear. “All I can think about is consuming every inch of you. I don’t think I can hold back if I continue this.”

  Two words escaped her mouth. “Then don’t.”

  Pulling away so he could see her eyes, he gently lifted her into his arms, placing his mouth over hers while carrying her to his room.

  When Rade got to the bed, he carefully lowered her, helping her to stand. He leaned over, placing his lips to her ear. “Take off your nightgown, Sweetness.”

  With a little apprehension, Dylan slowly gathered her gown from the bottom and pulled
it over her head. Rade could see the only other piece of clothing on her was her sexy lace panties. He wanted those left on. Just as she was ready to remove them, he said, “Leave them, Sweetness. I want you to undress me.”

  Unable to refuse him, Dylan began slowly unbuttoning Rade’s white dress shirt. She didn’t have much experience undressing a man. Her hands were shaking as she touched his skin. “It’s okay, baby.” Rade reassured her as she began to relax. With the last button undone, she gently pushed the shirt from Rade’s shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

  “God, do you know how beautiful you look right now?” Looking up at him with uncertainty, she continued undoing his belt. Pulling on the strap in order to release the notch from his buckle, she could feel his breath on her cheek. Closing her eyes, anticipating his next move, she slowly unzipped his pants. Hesitating, she knew if she continued, he would be taking her. Thinking back to why she kept her purity, she knew she was holding on to a dream that was never going to happen. She could no longer deny herself the feeling she craved for so long. Looking for approval, she began lowering his pants down his well defined legs. Dylan could feel the beating of his erection awaiting her as her hands moved down the front of his pants.

  Staring deep into her eyes, Rade kicked his shoes off and slid his pants completely off his body. Seeing Dylan’s discomfort, he lowered his boxer briefs and kicked them off to join the pile of clothing gathered on the floor. Dylan sucked in a breath as she took him in. He was perfect. Every sculpted contour of his body, hard and flawless. She shyly placed her hands to his chest, feeling the firmness of his pecs. Skimming her thumb over his nipples, she lowered her head and began placing soft kisses on his chest. She felt him breathe in as she took his nipple between her teeth and gently sucked and nibbled. She was nervous exploring his body, but her desire for him outweighed any insecurity she had. Lifting her head, she saw his eyes upon her. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she continued her exploration. Running her hands down his hard body, she felt every muscle tighten. As she glided her hands down his abdomen, she felt the ripples of his six-pack as she moved closer to his waiting erection.