by Long, A. L.
Dylan wasn’t sure where the day went, but nighttime was already upon them. After Garrett left, Rade prepared a hearty dinner, which they devoured. Dylan cleaned the dinner dishes while Rade put the leftovers in containers and placed them in the fridge. With everything cleaned and put away, they settled on the couch to watch a movie. Only they weren’t really watching anything except each other. The only thing Dylan remembered about the movie was an empire being destroyed by robots, and that was before Rade slipped his hand under the shirt she was wearing. It was pretty easy access for him, considering it was his shirt she was wearing, and nothing else.
When his hand eased up her shirt, latching onto her breast, it sent a tingle all the way to the top of her head and back down to her toes. She didn’t know what it was about his touch, but she was fully his. Dylan opened wider for him, giving Rade what he needed. When he slipped a finger inside her wet channel, she knew she would be fully drenched in a matter of seconds. Rade began kissing and nibbling on her earlobe while his finger worked back and forth inside her. Rade added another finger, sending her on the way to pure ecstasy. Within minutes, Rade had removed his own clothing and hoisted her body over his, allowing him to enter her. The hold of her wet channel was so tight, he could have come at that very moment. Holding onto every inch of control he had, he moved one hand from her hip and began kneading her plump breasts. Dylan’s head fell back, feeling every movement as Rade push deeper and deeper inside her.
Soft moans escaped her lips with every thrust of his thick shaft. Dylan was about to unleash when Rade lifted her from his cock and gently placed her on the soft cushions. With Dylan on her back, he lifted her legs over his shoulders and resumed his assault on her sweet cunt. Her juices coated his hard cock, warming him, as he pumped deeper and deeper inside her. Leaning over her perfect body, he brought his lips to hers and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. Like it was the last kiss he would ever get. A feverish rush consumed him the minute her tongue laced with his. There was such hunger between them that all Rade wanted was more. Even if his whole body took her over, it would never be enough for him. He was never so addicted to one person as he was to Dylan. She was the beating of his heart. Every breath he took was hers. Only she could keep him alive. Only she would have his heart. His body. His soul. He was hers and she was his. Nothing and no one would ever take that from him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Dylan wasn’t sure what the day would bring. Rade had set up an early meeting with Keeve and Mason to find out exactly what was going on with the contract they had with his father. When they pulled up to the BlackStone building, something wasn’t right. There were police cars everywhere. Even a SWAT team had been dispatched. Rade tried contacting Keeve by cell, but it went straight to voice mail. He tried the same with Mason, but no luck there either.
The front of the building was blocked off with barricades and yellow crime scene tape. There was no way Richard was going to get close enough to the building to let Dylan and Rade off. Rade wasn’t even sure they could get inside. With the amount of commotion going on outside and the crowd of people gathered in the street, Rade knew their chance of getting inside the building was better from the parking garage. He just needed to find a way in.
“There has to be another way inside?” Rade contemplated. “Sweetness, is there another way inside the parking garage without driving in?”
Dylan had to think for a moment. She knew there was an exit door from the building to the garage, but couldn’t remember ever seeing an exit door that led outside. That’s when she remembered the set of steps by the security entrance. She never knew where they led, but it had to lead somewhere.
“I don’t know if this helps, but I remember there being a set of stairs going down by the security entrance. Sometimes I would see people coming up the steps. I guess I really never paid that much attention to where they were coming from,” Dylan confessed.
Rade advised Richard to turn left at the next block. If his suspicions were right, he was pretty sure that there was a walkway under the street which allowed pedestrians to walk to the other side of the street, or in this case, from parking garage to parking garage. When Richard rounded the corner to the next street, they spotted a parking garage. It looked to be unguarded by an attendant. There was still a gate arm, but it could be accessed by pulling a parking ticket from a small box.
Richard quickly pushed the green button on the small box, which instantly spit out a parking ticket. Driving past the gate, Rade spotted a set of steps leading down a few feet from the attendant booth. Richard quickly pulled the Bentley in the first available spot. Before they could all exit the car, Rade turned to Dylan, “You need to stay in the car.”
Dylan was not going to remain in the car only to be left wondering what was going on inside the BlackStone Building. Looking at Rade, displeased by his command, she said, “No way. I’m not staying here wondering what is going on.”
“Sweetness, the last thing I want is for something to happen to you. You’re safer if you stay inside the car. Don’t push me on this,” Rade demanded.
Richard looked back and forth between Dylan and Rade as they argued. “You two need to decide if Dylan is staying or going.”
“I’m going,” Dylan asserted.
Rade took one look at Dylan. He knew this was a no-win for him. He knew Dylan wasn’t about to stay in the vehicle no matter what he said. “ One condition, you stay near us. Do you understand?”
Dylan nodded her head as Rade took her by the hand and helped her out of the Bentley. Richard pushed the lock on the key fob and adjusted his coat. Dylan could see that Richard was carrying a gun. As soon as he stood, she saw the bulge on his left side. Rade knew right away she had seen Richard’s gun. “It’s just a precaution Dylan. Nothing more,” Rade assured her.
As they approached the steps, Rade was thankful that the police didn’t have the entrance to the tunnel leading across the street blocked off. This was a good sign that they would be able to make to the other side without being stopped. Once they reached the BlackStone parking garage, Richard scanned the area to make sure there were no cops patrolling. Richard could see a couple of officers with their backs to them standing in front of the garage entrance. Evidently, they were more concerned about people getting in than the people already inside.
Richard signaled to Rade and Dylan by putting his index finger to his lips and then pointing the same finger towards the two officers. Dylan had worn her Louboutin shoes and decided it would be better to remove them so she wouldn’t be heard. The last thing she wanted was to be heard walking across the cement parking floor or fall on her derrière.
Rade was pretty sure the lobby area would be swarming with cops. Instead of drawing attention, he motioned for Richard and Dylan to follow him to the stairwell. It would be their only chance to get to the fifteenth floor undetected. Rade opened the door leading to the lobby from the stairwell before they made their decent up the fifteen floors. He was hoping he could at least hear what was going on.
There was a group of detectives talking. They weren’t close enough to hear everything. He could only hear bits and pieces, but from what he could hear, someone had reported shots being fired inside the BlackStone office. There was one casualty and several people hurt. While Rade was still listening to the conversation, Jessica and Lucy appeared, getting off the elevator with a policewoman. He knew whatever took place on the fifteenth floor must have been pretty bad. Jessica and Lucy were both covered in blood. Seeing that they weren’t handcuffed, Rade knew the two girls must have been innocent bystanders. Now more than ever, he needed to get to the BlackStone office. As soon as he rose to his feet, he took one last look through the stairwell window, only to see that the paramedics were now in the lobby. There were three of them and they were each pushing a stretcher. This told him at least three people were injured.
It was at that point Rade urged, “Let’s go.”
“What’s going on, Rade?” Dylan whispered, trying to k
eep her voice low so she couldn’t be heard by anyone but Rade and Richard.
“I don’t know, but I’m guessing two people got hurt and one killed. We need to find out who,” Rade responded.
By the time they got to the fifteenth floor, Dylan’s feet were throbbing. Halfway there, she had to remove her shoes once again. Four inch heels and stairs didn’t mix. Taking a seat on the fifteenth floor landing, Dylan began rubbing her aching feet. Rade and Richard were already at the stairwell door. Richard looked through the rectangular window to see if he could see anybody. There were numerous suited men and uniformed police officers coming in and out of the office. Richard ducked from the window just as a man in a suit was heading their way. Pushing Rade back to his side, he once again held his finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet.
That was too close for comfort for Richard. When he could see that the coast was clear, Richard opened the door. There had to be a way to get closer to what was going on in the office. Another man in a suit walked by the exit door, but Richard had to take his chance. Opening the door, he pulled the guy in the stairwell and applied pressure to his neck. Within seconds he was out. Richard searched his body and found his badge. Placing it in full view on his waistband, he exited the stairwell and headed to the BlackStone office.
Dylan and Rade waited patiently while Richard went to investigate. Dylan was nervous just thinking about what could have happened. She wasn’t normally a nail biter, but given the circumstances, it was the only thing she could do to remain calm. That was, until Rade pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her. Time stood still as they waited for Richard to come back. Dylan looked down at the man, wondering if Richard would get back before the guy woke up.
Richard had been gone for about thirty minutes when the guy on the floor started to stir. Rade had no other choice but to place a sleeper hold on him. When the guy went unconscious again, Rade carefully placed his head back down on the hard concrete. Looking at Rade, Dylan couldn’t believe that Rade would know how to do what he just did. Just like that, the guy was out.
Trying to make light of the situation, Rade looked over to Dylan staring at him. “He is going to have one hell of a headache when he wakes up.”
“That’s not funny, Rade,” Dylan said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Forty-five minutes later, Richard finally came through the stairwell door. Not wasting any time, Richard started down the steps. He wasn’t ready to explain to Rade what he had found. He wanted to make sure Rade was sitting before he let him know. Rade helped Dylan to her feet, following close behind Richard. Rade wasn’t sure what was going on with Richard, but he knew it was bad by the way he moved down the stairs.
They got back to the Bentley safely unnoticed. Once inside, Rade was ready to come unglued. Richard didn’t say one word about what happened. Rade needed answers and he wasn’t going to wait another second.
“What the hell happened? You better start talking,” Rade demanded.
“Sorry, sir, I needed to wait until we got back to the car to tell you. Mason Black was shot during some sort of altercation. Keeve Black was also shot. They’ve both been taken to Mount Sinai. They were shot pretty bad,” Richard reported.
“What about the other person? The detectives said there was one casualty. Who was the other guy, Richard?” Rade urged.
Richard lowered his eyes, unable to look at Rade. “It was your father, Rade. Whoever killed him shot him in the face. His face was unrecognizable. They were only able to identify him by the ID in his wallet. I’m sorry, Rade,” Richard said, placing his hand on Rade’s shoulder.
Dylan’s mouth gaped open. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Tears began pooling in her eyes, knowing Rade’s father was dead. Her heart broke for him. Dylan placed her hand on Rade’s face. Even with everything going on between Rade and his father, Dylan knew this was the last thing Rade expected. Looking in his eyes, she could see the pain plaguing them. She knew he was hurting no matter how hard he tried to cover his feelings. “Rade, I’m so sorry.”
Rade looked at Dylan, “Where are they taking his body?” Rade was addressing Richard while still looking at Dylan. He couldn’t fathom that the man with his face shot off was his father until he saw him for himself. He knew his father well. There was only one way to tell if it truly was his father heading to the hospital morgue.
“Mount Sinai,” Richard replied.
*****
On the way to the hospital, Richard began explaining what he heard along with information he found out himself. “An unknown man entered the BlackStone office while Jessica and Lucy were in the back office making copies that Keeve requested for an upcoming meeting. When they heard the shots, they hid in the copy room, praying they wouldn’t be found. As soon as the coast was clear, they went to check out the office. It was then they found Keeve and Mason, both shot. Jessica was helping Keeve, while Lucy helped Mason. There was so much blood. Jessica was the one who called 911. Shortly after, the police arrived, and then the paramedics. Neither one of them saw the shooter. They didn’t realize that Garrett Matheson had been the dead body until an officer pointed it out to them.”
When Richard finished telling Rade what happened, Rade knew then his father could have been the one killed. As much as he hated his father, this was the last thing he would have wished on him.
Rade was looking out the window, trying to hold back his feelings. When Richard pulled up to the hospital, Rade couldn’t move. He didn’t know if he was ready to face what was waiting for him. Dylan gently took him by the hand. Richard exited the Bentley first. Rounding the hood, he opened the back passenger door and assisted Dylan out. She still had a hold of Rade’s hand as she stepped out.
Dylan could feel the anxiety in Rade’s touch as she continued to hold tightly to his hand. Entering the hospital, they went to the receptionist, where they were directed to the hospital morgue. There were a couple of officers standing outside the ME’s examining room. Since Rade couldn’t speak, Richard did the talking.
“This is Rade Matheson. I believe Garrett Matheson was brought in? His son would like to confirm that it’s his father lying on the table,” Richard stated.
The officers stepped aside so Rade, Dylan and Richard could enter the room. Rade’s chest began to tighten. When the ME removed the white sheet from the lifeless body, Dylan’s face turned pale. Her stomach began to heave. Turning her body from the killer’s brutality, she searched for something she could spew in. Dylan spotted a small trash can in the corner and spilled her guts. Rade was standing right beside her, holding her hair back from her face as she expelled the contents from her stomach. He knew it was a bad idea letting Dylan come into this room with him. When Dylan was done heaving, Richard led her out of the room so she could get some fresh air
Rade was still in the examining room. He about lost it himself when he saw the condition of the man’s face. It looked like it had gone through a shredder instead of taking a bullet. There wasn’t a piece of flesh that hadn’t been affected. Rade lowered the sheet down the man’s body, searching for the one thing that would tell him if this was his father or someone else. It was a tattoo his father had inked on his chest right below his heart. It read “Forgiveness.” When Rade saw the tattoo, his emotions took over. Deep down, he never really stopped loving his father. Rade fell to his knees and the ME was right there to assist him into a chair.
“Sir, are you all right?” the medical examiner asked.
“Yeah,” Rade said softly.
The ME headed back to the table. It was pretty evident what the cause of death was, so the examiner didn’t feel the need to continue his examination. The bullet fragments had already been removed, so it was a matter of identifying the weapon used and who the gun was registered to. The examiner proceeded to clean the mess in front of him. Taking the sprayer, he began rinsing the blood from the body. Rade couldn’t move. All he could do was watch as the water spilled over his father’s body. Rade watched as the red water ran down
the side of his father’s mutilated face. He watched as the examiner wiped down his body. Rade was in a daze, still not accepting that his father was dead. He also felt the guilt inch inside him for not making amends with him.
Standing, Rade walked over to his father’s body to tell him one last goodbye. It was only then that he saw the faded tattoo. Rade looked over to the ME and back down to his father’s chest. “What the hell? This isn’t my father.”
“It seems the tattoo wasn’t permanent,” the ME said as he continued to rub the area. “This changes everything. I need to do a thorough examination of this body. He’s no longer Garrett Matheson but a John Doe until we can identify him.”
Rade couldn’t be happier. Even though he felt bad for the man lying on the table, he was thankful that it wasn’t his father. There had to be a reason for this cover-up. Why would someone want to make it look like this was Garrett Matheson? Rade needed to get out of there.
Heading back down the hall to the reception area, Rade found Richard and Dylan sitting next to the entrance door. Dylan still looked peaked from the sight of the man on the table. She also looked as though she had been crying, no doubt for him. He hated seeing her this way. He knew once he told her the news, it would make her feel better.
When Rade reached her, he took the seat beside her and pulled her into his body. “Are you all right, Sweetness?”
“I’ve never seen anything like that before. I’ve never even seen a dead body before. I’m so sorry someone did this to your father Rade.” Dylan said softly.
“I’m sorry you had to see that, but the man lying on the table isn’t my father,” Rade asserted. “My father had a tattoo etched on his body after my mom and brother died. I will never forget it.”
“So he didn’t have the tattoo? The man in that room?” Dylan asked
“Oh he had it, only it wasn’t real. Someone drew it on him to match the one my father had,” Rade explained. “I just need to find out why.”