by Dale Cadeau
Angel got up from the table. “Let me check on my lady and then you can tell me what’s on your mind.”
Angel walked down the hallway and softly opened Cinnamon’s bedroom door. He found her curled up in a ball but sleeping soundly.
Returning to the kitchen, he watched a somber Chase for a minute. Taking his chair across from him again, Angel told him to spit it out.
“I know you have a lot on your plate right now, and I would bring it to James if he was here, but I’ve been getting strange phone calls over the last couple of weeks. I thought they were just wrong numbers but they are too frequent now to be that. I was just wondering if this has something to do with the drug lord that was after Avery. We did pull a fast one on him.”
“Why did you keep quiet? You should have told us as soon as they started.” Angel grabbed his cell and dialed Grant.
Grant answered in a sleep-filled voice. “I didn’t find anything else from the camera feed. Can’t a guy sleep for more than an hour? I promise I will look over the feed again as soon as it’s light out. Now let me sleep.”
“Grant, this is Angel. I’m sorry to disturb your beauty sleep, but can you check something out? I think we should jump on this right away and not wait until morning. By the way, did you hear about Laura being in the hospital? Clay is with her right now.”
Angel could hear Grant climbing out of his bed. “Do you know what happened? I know Clay rushed to the hospital, but thought he’d call if it was serious. Should I go to the hospital and make sure the big guy is all right?”
“No, Brad’s with him. I need you to hack in on Chase’s phone records. He’s sitting with me at Cinnamon’s right now and just told me that he has been receiving strange hang-up calls. He suspects it might be the drug lord again. We have to make sure. Carlos might have connected the dots and is after Chase for his involvement. After all, Chase’s firm snatched up the property after the Feds were done with it.”
“Why didn’t he tell me this earlier when I was talking to him? Just let me grab my pants and I’ll boot up the computer and see what I can find. Call you back shortly.”
Angel looked at Chase. “You are going to have some very pissed off people after your ass for not saying anything. And I don’t want to think what James will say when he comes back.”
Chase sat up from his slouch in his chair and wrapped both of his hands around his half-empty Scotch glass. “I really didn’t think too much of it at first. But when the calls kept coming, I tried to think of what you guys would do. I tried to keep him on the phone even though there really was no clue to who was on the other end. I even had my tech guys look into it and they couldn’t trace anything. I really didn’t want to bother you or any of the guys with James being gone. I know you guys are carrying his load as well as your own. That’s why I weaseled more from Grant about the club.”
Taking a moment to take a sip of his scotch, Chase continued. “When I came to the club tonight, it was to try and help. But I don’t mind admitting that I’m starting to get spooked and thought that if anything happened, all you guys could handle it.”
Angel just gave Chase a disbelieving look. “Chase, man, we are trained for this. You’re not. I know you had fun with us on the last mission, but we had your back then. None of us would let a situation like this go on without seeking the others’ help. Hopefully Grant will have something soon.”
Angel grabbed the Scotch bottle and his glass off the kitchen table and got up and made his way to the living room couch. Chase followed behind and sunk into a lazy boy chair. “I guess we just wait now. I can stay and monitor the phone for Grant’s call if you want to go and curl up with your woman. It will be light soon, so why don’t you go and get some sleep.”
“My lady would not be appreciative of my advances right now. So give me time to change out of these leathers and I’ll grab us some blankets.” Angel put the Scotch bottle and his glass down on the coffee table, bent and picked up his suitcase, and went to the washroom just off the hall of the living room.
* * * *
Cinnamon, who had awoken when Angel looked in on her, heard him go into the washroom, so she grabbed her housecoat and went into the living room. Spotting Chase slouched in a chair, she asked him, “What are you doing here? You’re Chase, right? I don’t think we were introduced back at the club. Has something else happened?” Cinnamon looked at the bottle of Scotch sitting on the table and back at him. “Did you bring that here for Angel? I really don’t like hard liquor in this house. I know what it can do to some men.”
“No, Angel didn’t ask for it. I had to go to the office and get Angel’s keys for his truck and house after Clay was called to the hospital. Considering all that happened tonight, I thought we could both use a drink. Sorry for not asking first.” Chase straightened in his chair and reached out to place his glass on the small coffee table.
“You know you’re right, it has been a hell of a night.” Sitting down on the couch, she pointed at Angel’s glass. “Is this Angel’s?” At Chase’s nod, she picked up the glass and poured herself a good shot from the bottle. Raising the glass, she saluted Chase and tipped the glass up and downed its contents. Gasping at the burn in her throat she started to cough. Angel arrived back at the couch just in time to pat her back until she could breathe.
“I’m OK, you can stop now.” Cinnamon thought that Angel was going to have a heart attack by the stricken look on his face.
Angel sat down beside her and gathered her up in his arms and squeezed. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. It seems every time I take my eyes off you, something happens.” Angel gave her another squeeze.
Cinnamon had to laugh at Angel. “If you keep squeezing me like this, nothing is going to happen except for me not being able to breathe from your tight hold. You’re holding me like a boa constrictor. Let me go. You have company.”
Loosening his hold a bit, he still kept one arm securely around her. “It’s just Chase. We can ignore him. Now tell me what made you down a drink like that? I thought you just told me you didn’t like hard liquor.”
“It seemed like a good thing to do at the time. Concerning the night that we all had, I thought I deserved one also. I want to know why Chase is here. What happened while I was sleeping?” Pulling herself up out of Angel’s hold so she could sit up, she saw Chase nursing his drink and looking very serious. He didn’t look like the happy-go-lucky fellow she had gotten a glimpse of back at the club.
Chase started to answer her question when Angel’s cell phone rang. Picking it up, Angel listened to what Grant had found out. “Great just what we need another loose end. Go back to bed. It looks like we might have some sleepless nights to come.” Snapping the phone shut, he turned to Chase.
“It seems that you were right. An associate of Carlos is calling you. The calls are listed to a Howard Bluff. He’s married to Carlos’s sister. He might be taking over the cartel now that Carlos is in jail and won’t see the light of day for many years to come.”
“I think that’s my cue to go back to bed. I really don’t want to hear about any more bad men. I have enough worrying about the guy in the parking lot at the club. See you all in the morning.” Getting up from the couch, Cinnamon made her way back down the hall to her bedroom. Angel also rose to his feet and followed her.
Reaching the door to her bedroom, Angel took her arm before she could open it and turned her to face him. “If you need me, I’ll be right out here with Chase.”
Taking her hand, she patted his arm as if to reassure him. “OK, big guy. I trust you to look out for me. Now let me go to bed.”
Chapter Ten
Angel didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to get in bed with her and just hold her through the night, not let her out of his sight. But with Chase in the living room, he was pulled between wanting to stay with her and knowing that he had to get to the bottom of Chase’s problem. Opening the door for her, he held her just long enough to gently kiss her forehead and pat her ass through the do
or. Closing it on her startled face and going back to Chase was one of the hardest things he’d had to do since he had met her.
Grabbing blankets out of the hall closet, Angel threw one to Chase on his way past him to the couch and his temporary bed for the night.
Chase grabbed the blanket before it hit his face and unfurled it. “What does this mean, Angel? I thought you and the guys delivered Carlos wrapped up in a neat package for the Feds?”
“It looks like we might have underestimated Carlos. He is probably out for revenge now that he’s lost everything. He’s probably after everything and everyone he can reach through his limited resources from jail. Get some sleep. We’ll get the others together at the office tomorrow and sort this out.”
Angel lay down on Cinnamon’s small couch, his feet hanging over the edge, and covered himself with the blanket. While the couch wasn’t the most comfortable, he knew he could be in a lot worst places to sleep, and had been in his stint in the army. At least his lady was just down the hall.
With that thought, he closed his eyes and was immediately asleep. They had all learnt to catch sleep when they could and as fast as they could. Sometimes it was days before they got another chance.
The sound of a ringing phone woke him the next morning. Angel didn’t move to answer it as it wasn’t his place. As the phone continued to ring, Angel pushed the blanket off him and sat up. His body felt like it had slept on the hard floor instead of a couch.
The ringing ended abruptly. Angel decided it was time to get back on his watch and stood up. He had slept too long already and needed to crack his neck and shake his shoulders to get the feeling back.
The first thing he noticed was Chase’s absence. The chair was empty and the blanket folded neatly in its seat. Going to the front window, he saw that the limo was also gone.
Hearing singing coming from the kitchen, he assumed it had to be Cinnamon. It was a little off-key and, if he was right, it was the song from the seven dwarfs, “Whistle While You Work.” It seemed a strange song for a woman like Cinnamon to sing but he really couldn’t say. He didn’t know her that well yet. He would just have to fix that, starting right now, over breakfast.
Walking into the kitchen, he saw Cinnamon scrubbing at the clean counter before her. She seemed lost in her own little world. Clearing his throat, he made it louder than necessary as he didn’t want to startle her. When he didn’t get any reaction from her, and she just continued to scrub at the counter and sing her song, Angel walked up and tapped her on the shoulder.
Her singing stopped, but it took her longer than normal in Angel’s opinion to turn and acknowledge him in the kitchen. Still holding her cleaning cloth, she finally turned and looked at him. She seemed to be coming out of a fog and after a few minutes she gave a squeal as she looked up at his face.
“God, give a warning next time. I thought you were still sleeping. Do you want some coffee?” Throwing her rag in the sink like nothing was wrong, she went to the coffee pot sitting on the other side of it and poured them both a cup.
Angel took the cup and followed her to the kitchen table, sitting across from her. “Is everything OK? You seemed to be lost in your own little world a minute ago. I did make noise when I came in, but you just kept singing and scrubbing the counter.” Taking a sip of the black coffee, Angel eyed her over his cup.
“If you did, I didn’t hear anything. And if you think I was singing, you better get your ears checked. I never sing. I can’t carry a tune for the life of me.” Changing the subject, she continued. “I saw Chase just before he left. He looked better this morning, not as uptight as last night. He wouldn’t have a coffee and said to tell you he would meet you at the office later. He’s a strange one, a man that can leave a limo at the curb and sleep on my chair. You’ll have to tell me more about him sometime.”
Angel would have felt jealous at any other time, but he knew she was trying to distract him with her questions about Chase. She didn’t want to answer any about herself, and he knew she had been singing. He had perfect hearing. The vibes coming off her right now in his direction were saying back off. Angel could do that for now. He knew in the daylight she was safe. The weasel seemed to only come out after dark at the club.
Finishing his coffee, Angel stood up and walked back into the living room to grab his boots. Cinnamon followed him, saying to his back, “I guess I’ll see you tonight at the club. Thanks for staying even though you didn’t need to.”
Sitting on the couch, pulling his boots on, Angel looked at Cinnamon standing in the middle of the room looking like she was in a hurry for him to leave. “I could drop by and pick you up later and drive you to the club,” Angel offered. He didn’t want to leave her in her agitated mood, but knew he had to meet with the guys at the office.
“No, that’s not necessary. I’m quite capable of getting there on my own, and I will want my car for later.” Walking to the front door, she stood looking nervous with her hand on the door handle.
Angel got her message loud and clear. Getting up from the couch, he grabbed his suitcase and joined her at the door. “I’ll leave you now, but don’t think this is over. Be careful today.” Angel reached out and touched her hand holding the door and helped her open it. This little touch was all he would get right now, he knew that, but he couldn’t leave without it. Feeling her cold hand under his, his instincts told him to stay and make her talk, but her eyes were pleading with him just to leave. Angel gave a sigh and walked through the door onto the step. He didn’t even get a last look at her as Cinnamon closed the door so fast that he felt the wind brush his back.
Walking to his truck and getting in he turned the key and sat there for a moment, contemplating the complicated woman on the other side of the door. Putting the truck into gear, he backed out of the driveway and made his way to his house a few streets down. He had to get his head off of her and back in the mission. He knew she was safe for the moment. If Carlos was after Chase, they had to make another plan. Did this have anything to do with the guy stalking the club? It seemed strange for both things to be happening at the same time.
Reaching his house, Angel didn’t feel the comfortable sense of homecoming he usually had whenever he saw it. He now realized something or someone was missing in his life now, and the house would not be complete until she was living in this house with him. Giving another large sigh, Angel got out of the truck and made his way inside, straight to the shower. He had to meet with the guys and figure this out. Until they helped Chase and caught the guy at the club, he couldn’t put his whole attention on Cinnamon, and that was not OK. He needed her with him.
Chapter Eleven
Walking into the conference room at the Braden office building an hour later, Angel found Grant, Brad, and Chase sitting around the large table sipping coffee. Clay was noticeably absent. He was probably still with Laura, and Angel couldn’t blame him. Their women’s safety always came first.
Reaching for the large carafe on the table that Grace always kept full, he poured himself a coffee before taking a chair on the side across from the others. The top chair was empty, also, as James was still on his honeymoon, lucky bugger. Looking across at the men seated at the table, he noticed that Chase was now dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. He was back to looking like the happy-go-lucky guy he liked to portray.
Angel turned his attention to Grant and asked, “Did you find out anything new?”
Grant pulled some pictures out of a briefcase he had by his side and spread them out on the table.
“We finally got a pretty good side view of the guy. I did some more digging this morning and found out he is connected with Carlos but in a roundabout way. He was the second-in-command of a cult that was disbanded about five years ago. The leader of the cult was a Ward Commings. He took the fall when the Feds raided the compound and this guy came out smelling like a rose. The Feds thought at the time it was another cover for the distribution of drugs, but they couldn’t prove anything. They got Ward, the leader of the
cult, on weapons trafficking and tax invasion, just like Al Capone. He just recently died in jail. It looked like a suicide but he was probably taken out by one of the inmates.”
Angel picked up one of the photos and studied the man’s face. He didn’t look dangerous. In fact he reminded Angel of a used car salesman. How could this guy fit in with the Doms in the club and not get noticed? Angel didn’t think that it was possible. They would have to redo their thinking about this guy. “I don’t think this guy is after just any woman coming from the club. I think he is after just one. We just have to figure out if any of the women that have a membership also belonged or was ever associated with this cult. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Chase perked up from his slouch in his chair. “Well that’s good news. I don’t think I have to worry about the guy calling me and the one stalking the woman being connected. I was never in a cult. Couldn’t understand how some people would join a group and give up all their worldly goods. I for sure couldn’t. I like the comforts of life too much. Maybe the calls are really for James? We do have the same last name.”
Angel looked at Chase’s hopeful expression “I would like to tell you that you’re probably right, but you know any people connected with Carlos have to be smart. If they are calling you, I doubt they are making a mistake. You did make a tidy profit from buying the confiscated property and selling it to the developer before anyone else had a chance. And by the way, was that legal? You did have insider knowledge.”
“It was perfectly legal. Clay’s buddy in the FBI just gave me the heads up the day the property was put up for auction. Can I help it if I’m an early bird and got my hefty bid in first? I know the market and others would have tried to pick that property up at a discount. But I’m not that greedy. I paid a fair price for it. I made a good profit and the Feds got the proper money for it. So everyone was happy. It originally wasn’t Carlos anyway, so why would he be after me?”
