Angels & Whiskey

by Kimberly Knight

  “Okay.” I brushed a piece of her hair from her eyes. “So why aren’t you smiling today?”

  “He didn’t come home last night.”

  “Hmmm … Do you know where he was?”

  She sighed and lifted her head. Leaning against the wall, knees still bent, she answered, “He said he was at work. He’s never worked overnight.”

  “So … you think he’s cheating on you?”

  Her eyes widened. “Maybe.”

  “All right. Well … don’t take this the wrong way, but why do you care? You want to leave him, right?” I matched the way she was sitting with my head turned toward her.

  “Yes, but if I would have known …”

  I smirked. “Then you wouldn’t have stopped our kiss yesterday?”

  She snickered then took a few seconds before she answered, “Yeah.”

  I pondered what to say next. I wanted to lean over and take her lips again—taste her, but I needed to do the friend thing like I’d convinced myself to do earlier. “This may be good. I don’t know how Nevada law works, but maybe you can get more money out of him if you can prove he’s cheating?”

  “You mean when I divorce him?”

  “Yeah.” I shrugged.

  “I can’t just divorce him. He’ll never let that happen.”

  “He can’t force you to stay married to him.”

  “No, but he could kill me,” she sighed.

  “Why do you keep saying that? Are you scared he will? Who the hell is your husband?”

  “I’m not scared right now. I’m just nervous. I have a feeling his business isn’t legal and he does harm to people. I’ve heard him on the phone several times. He has a guy named Remo who he sends after people. He tells me it’s to scare them and collect money they owe, but something just doesn’t sit right with me.”

  “And you still married the guy?”

  “See, that’s the thing. I knew none of that before we got married. He was the sweetest man I’d ever met—”

  “Before me.” I smiled.

  She finally laughed. “Yes, before you. Anyway, after we got married, he slowly changed and then bam. He turned into the devil and made my life hell.”

  “So why didn’t you leave him a long time ago?”

  “He convinced me to quit my job, and he did something with my old car—sold it maybe … drove it off a cliff, I don’t know. But he bought me a nicer one and I’m pretty sure he put a tracker on it. He controls all of our money, and I’m given an allowance for coffee each day—”

  “Okay, angel, I get it.”

  “Why do you call me that?”

  “Call you what?”

  “Angel.”

  I took a deep breath, remembering why I’d thought of her that way, then smiled. “The day Paul and I officially met you, I’d walked into Starbucks and I saw you sitting by the window with the sun behind you. It was as if you had an aura around you and it made you look like an angel.”

  She smiled, turning her head away from me. I could still see part of her cheek that was flush with embarrassment. I should be the one embarrassed, not her.

  “I won’t call you that if you don’t like it.”

  “No!” she shrieked. “I love it.”

  I smiled again. “Good. Now, let me tell you what Paul and I have come up with for a plan.”

  I told her about the plan Jackson and I had talked about over coffee at the house. She shook her head the entire time, telling me no, but I pressed on insisting that she listen to me.

  “It’s not going to work. He’ll drag me out of Brandi’s house.”

  “Fine. Then you can stay with me and Paul. We have an extra room.” I shrugged.

  “I can’t stay with you two!” she protested.

  “Because we’re strangers?”

  She huffed. “Yeah. Exactly.”

  “Angel, people do it all the time. They find roommates they don’t know and they live together.”

  “And some end up dead,” she countered.

  I chuckled. “I can assure you that Paul and I won’t kill you. Your husband, on the other hand …”

  She paused, not saying anything. I figured in her position it was harder to agree to live with two guys since she was a woman.

  “All right, angel. If it will make you feel better, how about we get to know each other while you get all your ducks in a row, like meeting with an attorney and stuff so you can get a divorce? While you do that, I’ll teach you how to shoot properly, then once you leave your husband, you move in with me and Paul. You’ll know us better by then and you’ll know how to shoot us if shit goes down.”

  She paused for a few seconds, staring at me, then smiled. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but … okay.”

  I couldn’t believe that she’d agreed. The original plan wasn’t for her to move in with Paul and me, but the new plan just slipped from my mouth. Having Autumn live with us was either going to be really good or really bad. I was certain I wouldn’t be able to just be friends with her. Once she was separated from her asshole of a husband and under my roof …

  All bets were off.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Autumn

  As I drove to the gym, I thought about Rich and how he didn’t come home—and how he wasn’t wearing the same tie he’d had on when he’d left that morning. Something didn’t add up. If he wasn’t cheating on me then why’d he change his tie?

  The more I thought of him being with another woman while he was with me, the more my blood boiled. I was furious as I walked into Club 24. I thought running would help, but it didn’t. I ran for a good twenty minutes until Gabe showed up and the only thing to get me out of my funk was his smile that made my insides turn to mush.

  And how in the hell had I let Gabe talk me into moving in with him? I’ll tell you how. It was that damn smile of his!

  He convinced me that getting a divorce from Rich and moving in with Paul and him was the best plan, but the only way to ensure my safety was if Rich were in prison or dead. The latter was probably a no go, so I needed to find out what he did for a living and turn him into the police. I was certain he did things illegally. Maybe not lending money, but when client’s didn’t pay and they met Remo—well, he was the “handle it” guy, so I was certain he scared the shit out of people. In my head, I pictured him eight feet tall with the ability to lift a car over his head without breaking a sweat. In reality, that was impossible, but it still put fear in my blood when I thought about what he did for Rich.

  “Wait!” I yelled as Gabe started to walk toward the racquetball door. “I just thought of an idea. I’m not going to Starbucks, but I’ll meet you here tomorrow to workout, okay?”

  “Where are you going?” He frowned.

  “I’m going to pay a visit to my husband at his work.” I was taking a gamble that was for sure.

  “Is that safe?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I’ll just tell him I want to have lunch with him since I didn’t get to have dinner with him last night.”

  “And what’s the point of you going to his work?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “To dig up dirt, duh! Get with the program, Mr. Green Eyes.”

  He gave a hard, belly laugh. “Mr. Green Eyes?”

  I blushed, realizing what I’d said. “That’s what I called you when I didn’t know your name,” I confessed, turning my head away from him so he couldn’t meet my eyes.

  “And why’d you have to refer to me before you knew my name?”

  I looked up at him slowly. “I …”

  “Spit it out, angel. I’m dying to hear that you gossiped about me.”

  “I didn’t gossip about you,” I snorted.

  “No? Then tell me why.”

  “I …”

  “Come on, angel. I told you why I call you angel. That was embarrassing for me.”

  “Not like this!” I protested.

  “Enlighten me then.”

  He was smiling at me as if he knew.
Fuck, he probably did. I walked closer to him. “I thought about you while I …”

  “Go on,” he smirked with a nod.

  I stepped closer and whispered into his ear. “While I got myself wet for my husband.”

  Before he could respond, I reached out, turned the doorknob and made a run for it. I looked over my left shoulder to see if he was following me before I ran up the stairs to leave. He was standing in the doorway of the racquetball court, staring at me with a huge smile.

  Just before I took my first step on the stairs, I heard him say, “I’ll remember that, angel.”

  My palms became sweaty the closer I got to Rich’s work. Nervous would be an understatement. I’d only been to his office a handful of times in the last three years and that was only with him. His office was never on my to-do list for the day.

  If my suspicions were correct, Rich might already know I was at his work. It frustrated me to think he had a tracker on my car, but I wouldn’t put it past him. Hopefully, he wasn’t monitoring whatever device he needed to watch to know where I was because I wanted to catch him in some sort of act.

  Pulling into the packed parking lot, I found a space and hurried to the lobby door, noting Rich’s car in a parking space in front. His work was in a ten story building he owned. His office took over the entire top floor while he rented each floor to other businesses.

  I rode the elevator up, wiping my sweaty hands on my running tights in hopes they’d stop. As I stared at my image in the reflective steel door, I scolded myself for not changing before I’d arrived. I could already hear Rich yelling at me that this was his place of business and I had to look proper when I showed myself.

  Instead of pushing the button for the ground floor so I could leave, I stepped off the elevator when it dinged and opened onto Rich’s floor. As the doors opened, I was immediately greeted by his receptionist who sat behind a gigantic wood desk with a waterfall encased in glass behind her with the words: Jones Investments etched in the glass.

  Rich’s office was extremely modern with luxurious furniture in the waiting room. If I were a potential client, I’d be scared to sit on the white couch or chair in fear of getting something on them. Instead, I’d stand, looking at the abstract paintings on the walls and the fresh flowers that sat in a glass vase on the oval, glass table in front of the sofa.

  “Mrs. Jones… Ric—Mr. Jones didn’t tell me you’d be stopping by. Can I get you something to drink?”

  I smiled at Trina. “No, I’m okay. Is he with someone?” I motioned to his office that was at the end of the hall.

  “No. Let me tell him you’re here.”

  “Perfect. Thank you.”

  I waited as Trina buzzed Rich, telling him I was in the reception area for him. I had a half a mind to walk back and enter his office, but once again, I didn’t want to press my luck too much.

  “Autumn,” Rich called from behind me. I turned, taking my eyes off of a painting of abstract colors that reminded me of the night he proposed. “What are you doing here?”

  I studied him as he approached. He didn’t look mad, but we were also in front of his employee. “I just left the gym and thought maybe you could take an early lunch?”

  He glanced over to Trina, then stepped forward and kissed me on the cheek. “Sure, but we have to make it quick. I have a meeting with Remo in thirty minutes.”

  “Oh. Why don’t we wait for him and we can go together? I’d love to meet him finally. It’s been three years and I still haven’t met most of your staff.” I plastered a fake smile on my face, trying to hide my true motive for coming.

  “You’ll get to meet all of them at my party, princess.”

  “Right. I forgot we invited all of them. Well, let’s go. I missed you last night since we didn’t have dinner together.”

  I wished I could hang around. If things were done illegally, I’d bet money not all of his employees would be at his party since we also invited a lot of the police department.

  “After you.” He gestured for me to step up toward the elevator. I pushed the down button and it opened. “I’ll be back in thirty. Tell Remo to wait in my office,” he said to Trina.

  “No problem, Bab—Mr. Jones.” She caught herself again, this time her face turning beet red.

  Why in the fuck would Trina think she couldn’t call Rich by his first name in front of me?

  As the doors started to shut on the elevator, I watched Rich and Trina make eye contact briefly before Rich turned to me. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today, princess or I’d take you over my knee for wearing gym clothes to my work.”

  “Sorry. I just wanted to surprise you. I missed you,” I lied.

  “I shouldn’t take a lunch this early, especially since I just got here about an hour ago.”

  I’d forgotten that Rich went to sleep once he got home this morning from his “all-nighter”. “I forgot. Why are you here already?” I asked as the doors opened on the ground floor.

  He gestured for me to exit before him. “Remo and I have a meeting with a client in thirty minutes.”

  “Couldn’t you have rescheduled?”

  He laughed. “I’m not in the business of rescheduling, princess. People won’t know I’m serious about wanting my money back if I reschedule to sleep.” He pressed the unlock button on his fob and we both slid into his Mercedes.

  “What does Remo do to get them to pay exactly?” I asked as I buckled my seatbelt and looked over at him.

  “Let’s just say that once you meet him, you won’t fear me anymore.” He started the engine and began to pull out of the parking space.

  I sucked in a breath. “You plan to have him start hurting me?”

  He laughed. “No, princess. I’m just saying I look like a Ken doll next to him. You won’t even see my muscles if I stand next to him.”

  “You can still hurt me,” I murmured under my breath.

  “I don’t want to get into this, Autumn! I’ve said I’m sorry.”

  He said he was sorry for getting angry—not for hurting me. In my mind, they were two different things. “Fine, but you can’t touch me like that anymore. I want to wear a sleeveless dress to your party. It’s supposed to be a warm night.”

  “That’s why I said I’d spank you. No one will see them on your ass.”

  I stared at him. Was he joking? Surely he was joking. He said he didn’t like hurting me and even if it were only spanking my ass, it would still hurt. It would also leave a bruise if he did it hard enough.

  “No spanking either,” I whispered.

  He cut his eyes to me. “Fine. Just don’t piss me off,” he hissed.

  Why don’t you stay at work every night then? “I don’t mean to. I don’t even know what I do.” I turned, looking out the passenger side window as we drove down the street.

  “We talked about this the other night … Just fucking drop it.”

  And I did.

  Rich and I ate at a little café down the street in twenty minutes before he had to return to work. I’d hope I’d at least see Remo in the parking lot. No such luck. My hasty trip to Rich’s work was a bust.

  Or was it?

  Brandi met me at Starbucks for our weekly date a few days later. I was excited because I wanted to tell her about the plan. I wished I could call her and tell her when I found out, but like everything else, I didn’t know what Rich monitored.

  We sat at a table in the corner after we’d both ordered our coffee. I was anxious as my leg bounced up and down. I wanted to blurt it out, tell her everything, but I had to wait for Gabe and Paul to show up since they were part of the plan too.

  I looked at the time on my phone, noticing that they had two minutes before we’d agreed we all would meet to fill Brandi in. Typical men; never early.

  “Are you going to tell me why you have a nervous twitch?” Brandi asked, motioning with her head toward my leg that was still bouncing.

  “I will once …” I drifted off as I noticed the guys walk in. Gabe was wearing a n
avy blue T-shirt that hugged his muscular frame and I had to fight myself not to walk up and hug him while smelling his scent. There was something about him that made me feel safe. Deep down in the deepest part of my soul, I knew Gabe would never hurt me and would stop at nothing to help me.

  Paul stepped in line to order and Gabe walked over to us. I watched him with a huge smile spread across my face that matched his as my fixed stare drifted down his chest to his waist that was hugged perfectly with jeans.

  Damn I couldn’t wait until I was no longer married.

  “Angel,” he greeted with a nod as he sat at the table next to us. “Nice to see you again, Brandi.”

  Brandi turned toward me, whisper-yelling. “Um … What the fuck is going on?”

  I looked around, not noticing anyone that looked familiar; a potential spy, then leaned forward and whispered, “We’ve come up with a plan.”

  “We’ve?” she asked, eyebrows scrunched as she looked from me to Gabe.

  “Yeah. Me, Gabe and Paul.” I shrugged. “But we have to keep it quiet because I’m fairly certain Rich has spies. I don’t think they follow me into places, but just in case, Gabe and Paul are going to sit nearby as I whisper the plan to you.”

  Paul walked over, handing Gabe a cup of coffee and gave me a nod. Once he sat, I leaned forward again and told Brandi I’d divorce Rich and live with the guys. The more I thought about the plan, the more I realized this was the way to go.

  “You bought a gun?” Brandi asked after I finished talking.

  I nodded.

  “Like a real gun that shoots bullets?”

  I chuckled. “Yes.”

  “Where is it now?”

  After I’d bought the gun, I’d carried it in my purse for a few days, but I knew that wasn’t the best place for it. Every room was monitored, so I couldn’t just hide it randomly without Rich knowing. And I couldn’t leave it in my car or with Dad or Gabe because that would defeat the purpose of keeping me safe from Rich. I knew he was going to lose his shit when he was served with divorce papers and if I wasn’t at Gabe’s when that happened, I needed to be ready.