Graham, Jan - Finding Angel [Wylde Shore] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Graham, Jan

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so,” Angel answered.

  “The three of you are soul mates, Angel, even an old man like me can see that.” Andrew grinned. “This is the way you were meant to enter our family, the way determined as the correct path by the universe, not the way designed by human frailty.”

  “It’s a shame the universe decided to drag me through shit before I finally arrived where I am now,” Angel said with slight remorse.

  “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger,” Andrew stated. “I see the glimpses of pain and sorrow in those eyes of yours, Angel, you can’t hide a life of hardship no matter how much you smile on the outside.”

  “Maybe I had to put up with the men I have had in my life so that when I finally met someone loving I’d recognise it.” Angel gave a slight shrug as she spoke.

  “So I take it you’ve kissed a few frogs then.” Andrew chuckled.

  “Slimy, wart-covered toads actually.” Angel smiled. It was the most polite way she could think of to say violent fucking creeps and drug-addled shitheads.

  Christian read the message from Daniel before he got in his car to drive home. He laughed at the thought of Angel and his dad spending the afternoon together.

  God knows what he’s been telling her.

  Christian looked forward to spending more time with his father this evening. Yesterday had left him worried about how his dad was after the emotional discussion they had all been involved in. His father had been devastated their mothers had been taken from him so suddenly. Daniel and he both knew that yesterday would have dragged some of that grief back up once again, as it had with all of them.

  Christian still had one task left for the day before he could say he had finished everything he had set out to achieve. He dialled the Jax family home number and waited for an answer. Kathy picked up after a few rings, sounding slightly breathless.

  “Hello, lovely man,” she chirped at the sound of Christian’s voice.

  After discussing a few of the conversation niceties, Christian launched into his primary reasons for the call.

  “I’ve been trying to contact Steve, but he’s gone off the radar. Do you have any idea how long he’s going to be down for?”

  Christian had spoken to Steve’s boss earlier in the day, and all he had managed to find out was that Steve was working a case and for the immediate future could not be contacted.

  “Christian, you know Steve doesn’t tell me much about work.” Kathy spoke quietly as if someone might be listening. “He did ask me to message him if any cops asked after him though. I’m not sure why. Now I’m confused. Are you included in that request or not? I hate all this secret squirrel shit you cops carry on with.” Kathy sounded exasperated.

  “If he asked you to text, then text him,” Christian stated. “If he wants to know what I wanted, tell him I need to ask him about a dead body with drug links. Did he say anything about how long he’d be gone?”

  “Not really, all I know is a woman is missing. He wasn’t himself before he left. He’s been having nightmares. He wakes up in a cold sweat trembling. He has been doing that for weeks now. He would never tell me what the nightmares were about. He just kept telling me he needed a holiday. Before he left, he said something about he should have put a stop to her being hurt before it got to this point. He said that if she’s dead, then he’ll never forgive himself. I haven’t seen him like this ever. He scared me, Christian, and it’s going into the second week he’s been gone. I’m worried.”

  “I’m sure he’s fine. He knows how to look after himself, you know that, Kathy. But if I hear from him, I’ll let you know.”

  Christian knew that Steve sometimes went undercover, but from what Kathy described, it sounded more like a missing person case he was working on.

  “I do have something else to ask though, on a personal level.”

  “Okay, ask away.” Kathy still sounded worried, but as always she was trying to be stoic.

  “I wanted to know if you or Steve know or have you ever come across a sub by the name of Angel Wylde in the city scene. Oh, and if you do know her and neglected to invite her to the party we had, then I’m going to insist Master Steve punishes you severely.” Christian tried to be lighthearted as he spoke.

  “Don’t know her, sorry. Why do you ask?” Kathy sounded amused as she replied. “Please tell me you have found the sub of your dreams and she is in the process of evading your deadly charms.” Kathy was now laughing. “Has she met Dan? Is she running scared from both of you? God I wish Steve was here. He’d find this hysterical.”

  “Don’t be too sure of yourself, sweetie. She’s not avoiding us. I just wondered if you knew any background on her, that’s all.” Christian could still hear Kathy giggling as he spoke.

  “Oh, I see, she’s a bit of a mystery and you want the background gossip. Well, sorry, love, but I can’t help. I do hope she drives you and that stunning brother of yours nuts though. It’s about time a woman put you two on the back foot instead of throwing themselves at you. I like her already.” Kathy ended the conversation with an invitation for Daniel, Angel, and him to come for a night out as soon as Steve returned.

  Christian heard the frivolity of voices coming from the back deck as he walked into the house. He marvelled at how his life had changed in such a short period of time. He was once again living with his brother, they had found the woman of their dreams, and life was going well. Christian had found a new inner peace that he hadn’t even realised had been missing from his life, not until Angel had entered it and eased his silent inner turmoil.

  If only he could shift the nagging feeling that there was something else about Angel that they needed to know. Christian knew that whatever it was Angel held back from them was also the thing that prevented her from admitting her love for them. He and Daniel had discussed the situation, and both had agreed that, perhaps short of being a serial killer, there was nothing that Angel could reveal that would cause them to lose their love for her. There was nothing that they couldn’t help Angel deal with and nothing that would prevent them from needing her in their lives forever.

  As Christian walked out onto the deck, Angel ran over to hug him.

  “You have to hear this. Andrew is about to tell us the roast meat story.” She laughed, dragging him over to the outdoor bench and then plopping down on his knee.

  “Dad’s been keeping us amused with stories of misbehaviour about the three mothers that we now refer to as the soul sisters,” Daniel stated as he turned the meat on the barbeque.

  “So, the recipe for roast meat,” Andrew began. “I blame the delicious discovery on an afternoon in the sun, too much wine, a song about a fair, and also, if truth be known, some of that strange weed people sometimes smoke. The sisters had been together all afternoon. You boys were mercifully with me, learning the family business, which we all know you decided not to venture into. And, Angel, unfortunately, darling, you had yet to be conceived. Anyway, when we arrived home, you could smell the roast cooking, a truly divine smell as we all know. After dinner was over and you boys had gone to bed, the soul sisters told me how they had been listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Scarborough Fair.’ Apparently they decided that the four herbs mentioned in the song had a hidden meaning. Then they made the gigantic leap that, since the song continually referred to being a ‘true love,’ the herbs were a cocktail to enhance one’s love for another. So they combined the herbs together with some oil, salt, and pepper and threw it on top of the roast we were having for dinner. The recipe became forever know as the true love roast.”

  “Oh, that sort of reasoning just isn’t possible on wine and Simon and Garfunkel music alone. There was definitely something else going on that day.” Daniel shook his head. “What would they have called it if it had tasted like shit?”

  “Arr well that’s the other reason they called it the true love roast. The soul sisters decided that if it tasted like shit, only your true love would say it was delicious and continue to eat it
without complaint. The side effect they didn’t take into consideration was the fact that I now get hungry every time I hear the song ‘Scarborough Fair.’”

  “Well, Angel better find it on the tape then. Dinner is almost ready,” Daniel joked.

  “Dad”—Christian looked at his father with a frown—“do you not have a problem with the fact that our mothers obviously smoked pot?”

  “Not just your mothers, my dear boy…Daddy was also known to partake in a joint or two at times.” Andrew tapped a finger to the side of his nose, indicating the information was top secret. Angel laughed at what Christian assumed was the look of horror that swept across his face.

  “Oh come on, Christian, let go of the ‘drugs are bad’ police stance. It was the s for God’s sake. Everyone smoked pot in the s. I’m sure even the cops smoked it, and they probably dropped acid as well. Free love and expansion of the mind, remember.” Angel kissed Christian on the cheek. “It was a lovely story, Andrew, and one day you and Denise can come for dinner and we’ll have a true love roast.”

  “I like the fact that Angel has cooked you and me the true love roast already. I think there was something more to that meal than we actually knew.” Daniel winked at Angel. “Now let’s eat.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  As the days rolled by, Christian continued to think about his conversation with Kathy. She was obviously worried about Steve, who still hadn’t been heard from, and Christian’s curiosity had been given a tweak during their discussion. A missing woman that Steve would blame himself for if anything happened to her, it wasn’t like Steve to get so involved. Christian decided to go and speak to Steve’s boss one more time.

  Steve’s superintendent was Trevor Duncan. Christian didn’t really like the man, but he respected him. Trevor was a straightforward kind of guy who got the job done. He was hard on the teams that worked for him but would defend any of them to the death which was a trait Christian knew was the sign of a good leader. Christian used to often joke that no one should trust a man with two first names and no surname. Of course, Trevor never saw the humorous side of that sort of statement. In fact, Trevor never saw the funny side of anything. He was the most humourless man Christian had ever met, and he was sure if Trevor ever cracked a smile, his face would break. For some reason though today, Trevor looked particularly stern as Christian entered his office and closed the door.

  “How’s it going, Trevor?” Christian greeted the man sitting behind the large oak desk as he closed the door to give them privacy.

  “I’m glad you’ve come to me instead of me having to go to you. It’ll look better in the eyes of internal affairs. They may go easy on you. So, let’s talk business, and if you know what’s good for you, Shore, then you will tell me the truth.” Trevor’s voice was quiet but threatening.

  “Well, tell me your business, without the fucking threats, Duncan, and I’ll decide if you need an answer.”

  Trevor’s attitude took Christian by surprise. He didn’t like being put on the defensive when all he intended to have was a quiet chat between equally ranked officers. Christian quickly came to the conclusion that one of his teams had accidentally stepped onto a drug squad undercover case and Trevor was going to tell him to back off.

  “I want to know what you’re doing, and don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.” Trevor sat back in the seat, waiting for Christian to answer.

  “Tell me who has stepped on what, Trevor, and we’ll see if we can reach a compromise, because at the moment I have no idea who or what you are talking about.” Christian mimicked Trevor’s positioning in the chair he occupied and waited.

  “Barnard,” Trevor said reluctantly. “We’ve been monitoring hits on the database because someone has been leaking information to his old employer about a current case. You accessed the file recently and then followed it up with a call to Steve’s wife a few days ago.

  “You think I’m an informant?” Christian spat his question at Trevor, not happy with the insinuation that had just been made.

  “No.” Trevor looked embarrassed. “I know you’re as clean as they come. I’m just grasping at fucking straws since we lost the only person who could possibly get us a conviction on the biggest drug family in the state, possible the country.”

  Christian was amazed at Trevor’s quick back down and his about-face. He had accused him of being an informant and then admitted it wasn’t a believable option, even though he had made the claims. Trevor looked like a man on the edge. Christian heard alarm bells going of in his head, Steve getting too involved in a case, Trevor not behaving like his usual self, and the mention of a missing person associated with both instances. Christian decided to tread carefully as he pushed forward, determined to get answers.

  “Okay, this is not making any sense. I accessed the database to find out some information for one of my teams. I got to Barnard because he showed up on an assault report.” Christian looked warily at Trevor as he spoke. “I’m sorry if the search gave you an ulcer, Duncan, but it was a simple connection to an unrelated matter. As for calling Kathy, our families have been friends since we were at school. You know that. I was worried I hadn’t gotten a reply from Steve, and after you gave me the standard noncontactable blow off, I called to check Kath was okay and see if she needed anything.” Christian hoped his answer would satisfy Trevor.

  “The unrelated case isn’t an unidentified corpse of a woman in her early thirties, is it?” Trevor looked worryingly at Christian.

  “No.” Christian saw a visible wave of relief flood Trevor Duncan’s face. He sat silently, waiting for Trevor to say something, but the man remained silent, tapping a pen against his desk.

  “Look, Trevor, I don’t know what this is about, but if you need to find someone, get Missing Persons involved. If that isn’t possible, then if you want extra manpower to find her, I’ll free up one of my teams.”

  “I can’t involve anyone else. Hell, I don’t even know where I’m going to keep her if I do find her. I don’t know who is on our suspect’s payroll and who isn’t.”

  Trevor stood and began to pace the office. He looked at Christian with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

  “Okay, I have no idea where the offer to help has come from, and if you were anyone else, I wouldn’t be discussing this. But, I know you aren’t on the take, and as I said, we have hit a wall. But before I tell you anything, let me say this, I find out you’ve screwed me on this and I will hunt you down, Shore. Do you hear me?”

  “Understood.” Christian gave Trevor a sincere look. “And if it makes you feel better, keep the information general. I don’t need names or places. Just keep the specifics to a minimum.”

  Trevor gave a deep sigh, obviously deciding whether to take Christian up on his offer.

  “Okay. We’re investigating the Hastings organisation. The woman we are looking for has been contacted by Adrian Hastings on two occasions that we know of. Hastings is after a ledger. He believes that Samuel Barnard gave it to her. Steve made contact with her a few times. She gave him some useful information, good evidence actually, but nothing that will put the final nail in Hastings’s coffin. Anyway, she always maintained she knew nothing about a ledger. Now, she’s disappeared. I’ve been waiting for her body to show up ever since she vanished.” Trevor sat down again and rubbed his hands over his face.

  Christian had a sinking feeling. Could the woman they are looking for be Angel? He knew he needed to ask the question but dreaded the answer.

  “So who is this woman?” Christian tried to sound casual.

  “No names, remember? But for the purpose of this discussion she was his mistress.” Trevor looked at Christian. His disgust was visible as he continued. “She was given to him as payment for a bad debt from a local drug dealer. We’ve got the debt agreement on file, sick fucking bastard that he was. Who has a legal deed of title written up for another human being?”

  “You said there was a leak, someone on the payroll passing information
onto Hastings…any ideas who?” Christian breathed a quiet a sigh of relief. The woman wasn’t Angel. If it was Angel, Trevor would have referred to the woman as Barnard’s wife or de facto. A mistress implies someone outside of the relationship. He wondered if Angel knew Barnard had another woman.

  “I’ve got bugger all idea on who it could be, but I’m sure they’re inside my unit. Some of the recent leaks have been too specific.” Trevor started pacing once again. “I’ve cut virtually everyone working on the case. I’ve gone from three teams of eight working on it down to one exclusive team of four. None of us are logging the information into the computer system. I’ve had to pull two men from inside Hastings’s gang because their covers were compromised. As far as the rest of the team is concerned, we’ve pulled back on the investigation because of lack of evidence. Any information that gets logged is either inconsequential or information we want passed on to Hastings.”

  “So can I give you some extra men? What do you need?”

  Christian felt for Trevor. He knew all too well what it was like to lose the grip on a case, and the foul aftertaste of a leak within his own team must be a bitter pill to swallow.

  “I will let you know if I need them. At the moment, I’ve got Steve following a paper trail associated to Barnard as well as looking for the woman. I’ve officially announced to the rest of the team that he has gone on extended leave for personal reasons. The two men that were undercover with Hastings have been listed as missing. I have them on permanent surveillance of the woman’s home. Although, officially, all surveillance has been stopped based on her disappearance.”

  “How safe are these guys in a surveillance van outside someone’s house? If you’re looking for the woman, Hastings would be as well. What if they are spotted by one of Hastings’s men?”

  “Ah yes, but they aren’t in a van. We had to pull that back to ensure that it appeared we’d stopped surveillance. I managed to acquire the property across the road from the house we’re watching. They are holed up with all the creature comforts and latest surveillance equipment. They are safe.” For the first time in the entire conversation, Trevor actually smiled.