They said their see-you-laters with Hutch in a daze. Both his friends had mentioned him being a big help. Had he? He went back over the past few years, and what he recalled, astounded him. Despite cutting himself off from his clients, he’d stepped up with his friends. Jim had gone through a tough time, almost losing his business in a law-suit gone bad. Hutch hadn’t hesitated to lend him money to rebuild. Lance and Tricia had three kids. He babysat for the first two when the birth of their third proved difficult, keeping them in the hospital for four days.
Maybe he wasn’t such a loser, after all.
He walked into his office, his head held a little higher as he greeted his receptionist. “Hi, Grayson.”
Blue eyes met his. “It’s Graham.”
Okay. Maybe he was.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Harvey pointed her in the direction of a few boutiques within the condo complex, but she knew what the price-tags there would be, and wasn’t about to break the bank for one little black dress. She asked, instead, if he knew of any second-hand shops. He grinned.
“You bet I do. My wife shops them all the time. The kids have grown up on ‘gently-used’ toys and clothing.”
“That’s awesome. Recycling at its best. Can I hoof it?” It made her feel less like a loser that he espoused the “used” world.
“No ma’am. You’ll have to take a cab. The best stores are across town.” He gave her a couple addresses, several miles away.
She sighed, loathe to spend Hutch’s money. “Too far to walk. Is there a bus or a subway?”
He brightened. “Both. Let me get the routes.” He went behind his desk and typed on his laptop. “Here it is.” He pointed to the screen. “You’ll have to walk six blocks west to Grand Station, then it’s a straight shot on the Blue Line to the Irving Park stop. You want me to write it down?” He moved to grab a piece of paper.
She waved him off, heading toward the door. “Not necessary. I’m an expert with public transportation. And a six-block walk is just what I need. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Have a great time.” He sped over and opened the door to the street.
“I will.” She gave him a huge smile and walked out into a sea of businesspeople and tourists, all enjoying the bright sunny afternoon, despite the lingering chill.
Walking a few blocks amid the crowds she felt great until a sudden feeling of dread washed over her. Why? It was broad daylight, and she didn’t know anyone in Chicago. She needed to get a grip. Turning to crane her head, peering back over the nearest group of walkers, but saw nothing. “Fucking imagination,” she grumbled quietly, but picked up her pace.
The blue sign designating the station appeared up ahead, a staircase leading down to the city’s L. Just as she took the first step into the bowels of the subway, someone sidled up behind her and grabbed her elbow.
“Visiting the big city, slut?” a voice hissed in her ear and a horrified shiver flew up her spine.
“Cy. What are you doing here?”
“Checking up on you. Arkie conveniently left the address you gave him next to the register.” He squeezed her elbow, hard. “Rumor has it, you’re visiting some guy. But that can’t be right, because you belong to me, bitch.” He gave her a shove, and if not for his hold on her, she would have tumbled down the stairs.
Once she recovered her footing, she kept descending and hissed. “Let go of me, Cy. If you don’t, I’ll scream bloody murder and the authorities will be on you.”
“No. You won’t. And you know why?” he chortled in her ear. “Because I stole Seth’s mutt. I’ve got him at my place, with a friend ready to make sure he disappears if you don’t behave.”
Darby’s heart sank. If he had Jersey, he’d make good on his promise. Cy had zero scruples. She had no choice but to play along, hoping she’d find a way to lose him.
“Fine. What do you want?”
“What do you think I want, Darb?” he leered, following her through the fare kiosk, staying close to make it look like they were together. “No. Don’t answer. You’ll find out once I get you back to Minneapolis.” He gave a nasty laugh. “Not that you’ll like it.” His fingers bit into her tender flesh. “My car’s in the garage where you’re staying, so we’re gonna turn around and head there right now.”
Being jostled along by a sweep of riders, they’d made it to the train platform where he tried to turn, but she dug in her heels. “I have things to do first,” she told him. “Plans.”
He growled. “Yeah? Well, they’re canceled. Now stop making a scene or I’ll call my friend.”
The train pulled into the station, and she watched carefully while the crowd herded into the cars. Timing was critical.
As the last person entered the train, she counted to three, then stomped hard on Cy’s foot. He yelped and lost his grip. She rushed forward, squeaking through the door just as it closed. He lunged, but it was too late. Banging his fists on the metal, the train slowly moved out of the station.
But this wasn’t over yet. With shaking hands, she pulled her phone from her pocket and hit Seth’s number.
“Hiya, Darby. How’s Chicago?”
“Seth. Call the cops. Jersey is in Cy’s apartment and he plans to hurt him,” she gasped out.
“What? No, Darby. Jersey’s right here, by my Gran’s feet. I’m staring at him. What made you think—”
“Damn him!” Darby swore, lowering herself to a bench. “Listen, Seth. Cy followed me to Chicago and told me I had to do what he told me because he had Jersey.”
Seth growled. “Well, he lied. And if he so much as goes near our dog, I’ll send him to the nearest hospital. Wait. Are you okay?”
Her shaking became exponential, and she had trouble hanging onto the phone. “I am, now. I managed to get into a subway car before he could drag me away.”
“Thank God,” Seth huffed. “But what will you do?”
She gave a tremulous laugh. “Go buy a dress, I guess.” There was no way Cy could possibly know her stop, so getting off the train would be no problem. But getting back to Hutch’s… Surely Cy would lay in wait for her and nab her before she went into the condo. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. Not if I can help it.
“Seth, I’ve got to go. But watch yourself. Gran and Jersey, too. You never know what that asshole’s going to do. And when I get back on Sunday night, I have a favor to ask. We’re going to set the bastard up, and catch him, red-handed, but we’ll need your help.”
“Whatever you need, I’m in,” he answered without hesitation.
“Thanks, Seth. I’ll call you. See you soon.”
“Bye Darby. Stay safe. Please.”
“That’s the idea.”
She checked the L map, and saw there were a number of stations before hers. Plenty of time. She googled Hutch’s complex, and dialed the main number. It was picked up on the second ring, a polite voice confirming she had the right place.
“Is Harvey…the doorman there, please?”
“One moment. Who may I say is calling?”
“Mr. Bates guest, Dar… Ms. Peltor.”
“One moment.”
There was a short wait. “This is Harvey speaking. How can I help you, Ms. Peltor?”
“I have a problem.” She didn’t hold back. “A man followed me from Minneapolis. A bad man, Cy Otterfeld. He tried to abduct me, but I was able to escape onto the train. He says he’s parked in your garage, so I know he’ll be waiting for me. I don’t dare return until I know it’s safe.”
“Do you know what he drives?” Harvey’s voice was professional, sharp, clipped.
She laughed, a bitter sound. “A green 1992 Mustang. You know, the ugly year.”
“I know it, exactly.” She could hear his fingers working his keyboard. “I’m pulling up the cameras.”
She waited, tapping her foot.
“Got it. And it’s seen better days, that’s for sure. I’ll call the police and let them know what you told me. Give me his description, and as soon as I see him on camera
, I’ll make sure he gets picked up. You’ll have to get Mr. Bates to take you to the station to file a complaint after, so they can arrest and process him.”
“Umm, how long will they hold him without it?”
Harvey hesitated. “I’m not sure. Twenty-four hours maybe? But you’ll want to take care of it…” he trailed off, clearly waiting for an explanation.
“It’s a long story, Harvey, but Mr. Bates and I have some unfinished business with Cy in Minneapolis. And it’s unfortunate, but he has to be there on Monday to make sure he gets put away for a long time.”
She heard a sigh.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“So do I, Harvey. So do I.”
Her next call was to Hutch.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
He felt like his head was about to explode.
“Are you still there, Hutch?”
He brought himself back under control. “I’m here. And I’m leaving the office right now.” He shoved papers into his briefcase haphazardly. So much for catching up with files. “Where are you?”
“I’m about to get off at the Irving Park stop on the Blue Line.”
“What are you doing way out there?” Hadn’t she gone to one of the shops near his building?
She was silent for a beat too long.
“What? What is it?”
“I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, so I asked Harvey for the name of a good consignment store.”
He ground his teeth, waving to…Graham on his way out, with a quick, whispered, “I’ll be in on Tuesday. Start filling in the schedule.”
He was angry Darby hadn’t accepted his cash, fomenting this crisis, but he wasn’t going to make a bad situation worse by bringing it up. “I’m coming to get you. Stay put.”
“Okay,” she answered, subdued and very unlike herself. She quietly gave him the address. “I’ll be looking at dresses while I wait.”
He gentled his voice. “That’s good.” This was not her fault. He attempted to lighten the anxiety. “Find something sexy.”
She giggled, the response he was looking for. “Plunging front or back?”
“Both,” he told her, remarkably turned on despite the seriousness of Cy’s presence in the city. “And I wouldn’t mind a fashion show when I get there.”
“We’ll see,” she said, a bit of her sass returning. “Although they probably frown on dressing room sex.”
“You’re making it impossible for me to drive,” he groaned, having made it to his car in record time.
She grew somber. “Then I’ll shut up. Because… I need you to hurry.”
A spike of adrenaline whipped through him. “Why? Do you see Cy?”
“No,” she answered immediately. “It’s just… I’ll feel better the minute I can put my arms around you.”
He let out a gusty breath. “Me, too, Darby. Me too.”
“Now I have to hang up.” He heard the steel come back into her voice. “Because I need to get shopping.”
“Yes, you do. I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” He let her go, reluctantly. It was absurd, but having her on the phone made her situation seem safer, which was ridiculous. He ran a yellow light. Being with her would make her safer.
“Hutch.” The voice came out of nowhere and the car lurched, scaring the bejeezus out of him.
“Bel,” he griped, “can you find a way to announce yourself without giving me a heart attack?”
“Like this?” A knock on the roof of his car sounded like large hail pelting down.
“No. Definitely not that. How about a chime or something?”
She conjured the sound of a doorbell.
“Much better. Now can I ask if this is important? Darby almost got snatched by Cy a few minutes ago and I’m on my way to get her.”
“She okay?”
“Thanks to some quick thinking, yes.”
“And the horrible human? Where is he?”
“Hopefully being picked up by the police, soon. My doorman is seeing to it.”
“After we’re finished here, I’ll pop in and make sure he’s detained. Will that ease your mind?”
“I thought you weren’t allowed to intervene.”
She snorted. “There’s intervening, and there’s intervening. A small nudge here and there isn’t beyond my directives. If you want to remove him from your equation altogether, that’s on you.”
He nodded. “We have a plan.”
“Good. What is your agenda for the evening? I have Marduk on standby in the Blue Hills, ready to deliver the contract I drew up. He only needs a few minutes notice to meet with you.”
“A few minutes? He’s in Boston,” Hutch scoffed. “This is Chicago.”
“What can I say?” He could almost see her shrugging her pretty shoulders. “Gods travel fast. So how about it?”
“Tonight, Darby is meeting my parents.”
“A lovely human tradition,” Bel allowed.
“And I want my attorney friend, Jim, present.”
A tinkling laugh filled his car. “How will he take meeting a god, not to mention you working for the Underworld?”
His mouth twisted into a smile. “I actually can’t wait to see his reaction. He’s a pretty science-based, non-supernatural believer. This should blow his mind.”
“You’re an evil man, Hutch.”
“I have been in the past, but waking up in purgatory has me re-thinking a lot of my approaches to life. I’m going to try harder and do better with people in general.” He felt impish. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t tease the life out of my best friends.”
“Good plan. So does tomorrow morning work for you?”
“Absolutely. Let’s say nine o’clock.”
“Are you sure that gives you enough time to…wake up?” she asked with a chuckle.
“There’ll never be enough time with Darby,” he admitted. “But I’m working on it.”
“Fair enough. We’ll see you tomorrow. Of course, I’ll be telecommunicating, but Marduk is larger than life, so he’ll more than fill the god presence needed.”
“Can’t wait,” Hutch said, turning in to the thrift shop Darby had mentioned. “Now I’ve got to go. I have a woman to hug.”
“Go.” A cartoon, popping-out noise let him know she’d left the vehicle. He laughed. Never a dull moment.
He walked from his car and pushed open the shop door with a happy tinkling of chimes. The inside smelled fresh and clean, unlike what he’d imagined. God, he was such a snob. A woman approached him. “Can I help you?”
“My, uh, girlfriend is here, trying on dresses. Red hair, green eyes…” He trailed off as she grinned.
“Ah, yes. Our little black dress customer. I’ve just taken an armful back to her. Would you like to take a seat outside her changing room?”
“Yes, please.”
The woman showed him to the back, where he settled into a chair.
“Hutch? Is that you?” Darby’s tentative voice came from around a full curtain.
“It sure is. Are you wearing something special?” He peered in the direction the clerk had taken, and not seeing her, stood up, anticipating. “The saleswoman isn’t here.”
“In that case…” She whipped open the curtain and quickly spun around, revealing a long, bare expanse of back, “I need help with my zipper.”
“First things first,” he growled, stalking forward to wrap his arms around her, laying kisses on her naked nape. “I need to feel you to prove you’re okay.”
“Mmm,” she purred. “More than okay.” She grabbed both his hands and moved them up to cup her breasts. “No bra with this dress.”
He gave her nipples a loving pinch. “Then we’ll take it,” he declared.
“But you haven’t seen the others.”
He moaned as she wiggled her rump back into his crotch. “We’ll take them all.”
She giggled. “What am I going to do with all those black dresses, wear them to work?”
“No. B
ut if you come to live in Chicago, I’ll bring you out and show you off every night.”
“Seems excessive.” She wriggled some more. “Can you zip me? I think this one fits great.”
Reluctantly he moved back, running a finger the length of her spine before grasping the zipper and drawing it up. The material hugged her rear end like gift wrap. She twirled around, making the full skirt flare.
“What do you think?”
The deep neckline showed off her cleavage, and just a hint of movement from the material had him thinking he might catch a glimpse of more.
He didn’t hesitate. “I love it.”
She snorted. “Considering your eyes haven’t left my boobs, I’d say that’s a good bet.”
He brought his gaze to hers, immediately contrite, but all he saw was amusement.
“FYI, Hutch, I don’t mind. I ogled your ass this morning every time you turned around.”
He couldn’t help it. He swept her up in his embrace again, this time bringing his lips to hers in a crushing kiss. He raised his head after they’d thoroughly ravaged each other’s mouth. “How about I bring you home and lock you in my room for the next ten or twenty years?”
She drew back and narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to discourage me from going after Cy?”
He nuzzled her cheek. Caught. “Not buying it, huh?”
She shook her head. “Sorry, Hutch, but I need to see this through to the end.”
He sighed. “That’s what I thought you’d say.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Not until she left the store, slid into Hutch’s car, and heard him confirm—on the phone with Harvey—that the police had Cy in custody, did Darby take her first, full breath.
“No. Tell them we don’t want to press charges.” ……… “I know, but like Darby told you, we need him in Minneapolis on Monday.” ……… “Right. We’re leaving on Sunday. I appreciate the extra vigilance until then. Thanks, Harvey.”
Hutch hung up. “You heard?”
“Yeah. They have Cy. That’s good. I just hope the dumbass isn’t stupid enough to hang around.”
“Harvey knows someone on the force who can make it a point to suggest he leave town. And he’ll follow up by making sure the Mustang is nowhere in sight.”
Hutch Nightmare Men Page 19
