Caught in the Dark

by Ann Jensen

  “I have a lawyer for contracts and taxes, not for something like this.”

  “Then, for now, use mine.”

  “We’re the victims. Why do we need lawyers?” Her voice was small, but it had lost the mechanical cadence of earlier.

  “Until we know what is going on, we need to be careful. Those were well-trained men not some random thugs. Did you piss anyone off lately?”

  Angela gave a cute little snort. “Other than you? No, I haven’t done any work in the last two years that would make anyone angry.”

  Tek saw the lights of both the ambulance and police approaching. Too many things were uncertain right now. The only thing he knew for sure was he wouldn’t let anything else bad happen to Angela.

  Chapter 22

  Hidden agendas piss me off more than butter on a ham sandwich.

  Talking with police detectives, even with lawyers at her side, was a new and unpleasant experience. Standing in the parking lot had quickly grown old, but according to the cops, it was go down to the station or remain right where they were. Maybe if she recorded herself saying ‘I don’t know’ it would be easier. Then she could hit a button and every time they came up with a new and unique way of asking her why someone would want to kidnap her.

  There were hundreds of reasons someone from her past might want to kidnap her, but nothing recent. Speculating with the police would only accomplish getting herself in trouble. Tek had risked his life to save her and that knowledge ran counter to everything she believed he felt about her. It was easier to believe he didn’t care for anyone but himself and his precious company.

  Knowing that not only had he come out to check on her, but risked his safety in the process was throwing her off kilter. His arms wrapped around her was one of the best things in the world. The illusion of safety a welcome fallacy. It had taken all of her acting ability not to break down when the police insisted the witnesses remain separated until their questioning was over. Since she knew nothing, the grilling should’ve been over a while ago. The lawyer at her side, whose name was Bethany Shortridge, was doing a good job of trying to speed up the police. However, Angela was long past ready to be done with all of this.

  “I’m d-done.”

  The police detective who wasn’t very happy with her snapped his gaze to her. “Ms. Turner, you are done when we say you are done.”

  “Is my client under arrest?” Ms. Shortridge asked.

  “We are not finished questioning her.” Detective Markin scowled, making his face even less pleasant.

  “We’ve been answering questions for over an hour and you have yet to ask more than the same three questions. If there is nothing new, my client will make herself available at a later date if you come up with something.”

  Angela tuned out the argument, wanting nothing more than to stamp her feet in frustration. Jojo’s questioning had lasted only a few minutes. That may have had more to do with the outrageous way she flirted with the officer questioning her. It was funny to watch how comfortable her friend was with making people uncomfortable. Tek finished his own questioning session almost ten minutes ago, and he had shot someone! Both of them were standing the requested distance away from her questioning, looking almost as frustrated as she was. Why was her interrogation taking so long?

  Something was off with the police’s behavior. Calculating the odds and variables in her head was easy once she thought to do it. Procedurally they should have offered her protection, but that hadn’t happened. They also hadn’t been particularly hostile towards her, so she doubted they thought she was responsible. They had been slow and frustratingly exceeded the usual three repetition of questions that police used to make sure a witness had their story straight. All those things only made sense if they were stalling.

  “Who are w-we waiting for?” Angela interrupted the argument between her temporary lawyer and the detective.

  “Excuse me?”

  The detective needed more practice on his poker face because it was obvious to her he was not only surprised but hiding something. There were several possibilities, but the most likely given the time that had passed he was waiting for someone from Denver. If that was true, the person would be here within the next few minutes.

  There were so many possibilities, and none of them appealed. Every time she got so much as a parking ticket, some government agent was trying to leverage favor for favor. What would they try to get her to do for witness protection?

  “Arrest me or I’m l-leaving.” Angela raised her voice so everyone around her heard. “Jojo if you could s-start live-streaming this I’d be appreciative.”

  Jojo whipped out her phone. “I got you girl we will be trending on Insta in a sec with how hot I look.”

  Angela walked over to her friend, leaving the sputtering detective to deal with the lawyer or make a scene as Jojo was holding up her phone as if about to start talking to her adoring fans.

  Tek’s chuckle was a balm against the horrible day. He reached out an arm as if offering her a hug, and it was oh, so tempting. She gave a shake of her head and leaned against the soft leopard skin jumpsuit of her friend instead.

  Kane walked up to the three of them, his bulking frame blocking out most of the surrounding scene. He stared at the phone Jojo was holding up till she stopped recording and tucked it away.

  “Rick got away during the chaos. I’ve got men trying to track him down. If you want to get out of here, you better move quickly. I got word the FBI is about fifteen minutes out.”

  Angela couldn’t control the shiver both pieces of news caused. “Where would we go? I really don’t know w-why those guys were after me.”

  Tek’s face was tight. “I want to take you both to a safe house until we figure out what is going on.”

  Jojo put a hand on her hip. “And how exactly do we get past the Popo? They really don’t look like they want my girl going anywhere.”

  “I’ve got a helicopter around back. Leaving may cause issues down the road, but right now I don’t give a shit.” Tek must have been as frustrated as she was.

  “Ms. Turner.” The voice calling her name brought back unpleasant memories of her father’s funeral. Even there, this asshole hadn’t been decent enough to leave her alone. The man walking up from the parking lot would have been considered handsome to an outsider. Only slightly above average height, he wore his expensive suits well. Brown hair framed sharp features and his friendly smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  Angela forced herself to step away from Jojo and face the man who had been trying to recruit her since she was a teenager. She felt Tek and Kane at her back like an over protective blanket.

  “Agent Devin. What agency are you working for this week?”

  He chuckled, but it held no warmth. “You know I’ve been with the DEA for years. Heard you had a bit of trouble and wanted to be sure you were okay.”

  “With that suit I’m s-surprised. I assumed the NSA, FBI, or Homeland Security had given you another c-chance.” Angela fought to get her nerves under control, but this man was responsible for her forced recruitment as a teenager and brought out the worst in her. He might not have any official power over her anymore, but she knew he still had his fingers in all the pies.

  His smile turned into a snarl for a moment. She knew he hated his current assignment and couldn’t care less. She had tried to find this man’s dirty laundry more than once in hopes of being permanently rid of him, but he was either fantastic at hiding his crimes or was actually an innocent asshole who had a thing for messing with her life.

  “No, though I’m here with an offer on behalf of the FBI.” His face may have said honest concern, but she had long ago learned he was an expert at lying.

  “Of course you are. The answer is n-no.”

  “You need protection.”

  Tek stepped forward, placing himself between her and the agent. “The lady said no. She has protection.”

  “I’m sorry we haven’t been introduced. I’m Senior Special Agent Devin.
And you are?” Agent Devin’s tone was perfectly friendly but Angela could see the anger pinching up the corners of his eyes.

  “Joseph Vallier.” Tek didn’t return the agent’s smile.

  Surprise flicked across the agent’s face. He might not have recognized Tek’s face, but understood who he was talking to now. “Don’t let her innocent act fool you, Mr. Vallier. She has enemies you wouldn’t want to mess with and her loyalty is only to herself.”

  Jojo snorted. Angela felt a warmth at her friend’s unspoken support. This man had tried to isolate her for most of her life, supposedly for the good of the country. He saw her as a criminal, so anything he did was justified.

  Tek crossed his arms and seemed to study the agent. “My company is who the government calls when they are out of their depth, so you’ll excuse me if I think she’s safer with us.”

  Angela didn’t understand why, once again, Tek was putting himself between her and danger. She wasn’t sure she could trust him, but she knew she couldn’t trust Agent Devin. She cleared her throat. “As I have said multiple times before, I will never work with or for you.”

  “You could do so much good if you would just let go of this petty grudge you have. You’re in over your head this time.”

  Tek stepped into Devin’s personal space. “Seems to me you know more about this time then we do. Care to share?”

  Devin held his ground with a smirk. “Not how this works. You sleeping with her? That doesn’t work out so well for her friends or lovers, I’d watch your back.” He leaned to the side, catching Angela’s gaze. “You know how to contact me when your newest boy toy can’t save you. This time you will come to heel.”

  Kane grabbed Tek from behind as he lunged for the asshole who had threatened her. The agent chuckled for real this time and with a finger salute turned and left.

  Angela’s body shook with unused adrenaline. After everything the dickhead had done to her over the years, he continued to believe he was the good guy and she the villain. More, he knew things she needed to know, things that could be a danger to her life and instead of trying to help, once again, he was trying to use it to gain control of her.

  Tek shrugged off Kane. His anger, unlike Devin’s, was almost a beautiful thing. It brought a protective fire to his eyes that made Angela feel safe. She knew she should still be mad at him. A small part of her still was, but a bigger part of her wanted nothing more than to let herself go and for once allow someone else to keep her safe.

  “What’s your history with that guy?” Tek’s voice held an undeniable command.

  “Ten years ago he got what was supposed to be the biggest break of his career. All he had to do to get it was terrorize a thirteen-year-old who got caught hacking the military to get his dead father’s service record.” Angela gave a small laugh. “He convinced my friend, Johnny that not only was he going to go to jail but his mother was going to lose her house and go to jail as well since it was her computer that was used.”

  “Bastard,” Jojo muttered.

  “Johnny was like a little brother to me, and I never blamed him for giving up my identity. So Devin had me arrested, although they had no proof of any crimes. While I was being detained, Johnny killed himself out of guilt.” The pain of his death was still a sharp pain in her chest.

  “They had no proof?” Tek seemed confused.

  “Nope. CA-million never takes credit. Rumors, sure. Good guesses, probably. But no proof, not that the government has ever let that stop them. It’s not important, but the deal they made included the clause that Agent Devin never worked for the FBI again. I was naïve. They just moved him over to the NSA.”

  Kane whistled. “No wonder he hates you. You responsible for his other job changes?”

  Angela nodded. “He keeps coming after me. Trying to turn friends against me. He moves, I counter. But he hasn’t bothered me since my father’s funeral. I had hoped he had moved on since the DEA doesn’t have any jurisdiction over cyber-crimes.”

  Tek frowned. “Could he be behind this attack?”

  “Unless those guys turn out to be black ops, I don’t think so. Devin really believes he is serving his country, and he learned a long time ago that kidnapping me won’t get him what he wants.”

  “Dead Man files?”

  Angela shrugged, not wanting to admit too much out in the open.

  Kane laughed. “There is a lot more to you than meets the eye.”

  “My girl has more layers than an onion.” Jojo gave her a big hug which was exactly what she needed.

  “Mr. Vallier, Ms. Turner.” Bethany, her lawyer from earlier, walked up. “The police say you all are free to go and they will contact you if they have any further questions.”

  Those words relaxed something deep inside Angela. There was so much more to figure out, but it could be done somewhere else. If she was going to be spending time with Tek at a safe house, the two of them needed to figure things out. She would have to decide if giving him a second chance was worth the risk to her heart.

  Chapter 23

  You can’t have fun breaking the rules if there aren’t any.

  The helicopter ride to the Dark Sons’ compound was quiet. Even the flamboyant Jojo remained silent. She had held Angela against her bigger frame the whole time, running a comforting hand down her purple locks. A strange jealousy had filled Tek, not because the drag queen was competition for Angela’s body, but because he wanted to be the one comforting her.

  It was the first time he had wanted a woman this badly. His possessiveness was a surprise. Listening to the story from her point of view was so different from the picture Max had painted. She was kind and ruthless, innocent and jaded, most of all brilliant and naïve. No single word or idea could hold the complexity that was this woman.

  The sight of Hawk waiting for them as they exited the chopper was reassuring. His presence, as always, made him seem larger than life. The President of the MC didn’t move as they walked to him, the sound of the helicopter fading into the distance.

  “So you decided on stealth? Was a marching band not available?” Hawk’s sarcastic tone held only a tinge of annoyance.

  Tek clasped arms with his Brother and smiled. “We flew in under the radar and took the long way so we didn’t pass over any heavily populated areas. Didn’t want to have to shake a tail in a car.” He turned to face Angela and Jojo. “Ladies, this is the President of the Dark Sons MC and our current host, Hawk. Hawk, this is Jojo and Angela.”

  Hawk nodded, a serious expression on his handsome face. “Okay ladies. You’re on my compound. Follow the rules and me and my Brothers will keep you safe. You break the rules, and you are out on your asses. Rules are simple if you’re not in the house,” he nodded to the two-story colonial behind him, “you’re with a Brother. You do whatever the Brother says. You don’t want to do what he says you return immediately to the house. Easy enough?”

  Tek bristled a bit at the thought of Angela going around with another Brother. He needed to get himself in check. Staying with Angela twenty-four seven wasn’t practical, no matter what his primal side wanted. The two nodded and Jojo cocked a hip.

  “Your Brothers look anything like you, gorgeous, and I will follow them anywhere.” Jojo’s teasing words made Tek groan, but Hawk only chuckled.

  “None of my Brothers swing that way far as I know, but the Old Ladies are going to love you. Try not to cause too much chaos.”

  “Shame.” Jojo sighed. “No promises, but I’ll try to behave.”

  “Good to know. You guys get settled in. Dozer and his Old Lady Val are having a barbeque in an hour if you all want to join. Their house is that one.” Hawk pointed across the field to where several of the officers’ houses sat.

  Tek knew more houses were planned as more Brothers settled down and wanted to live in the compound. Security was top of the line and covered the several-hundred-acre property. The convenience of having his Brothers nearby had been what prompted Tek to build this house here which acted as both a sec
ond home for him and a backup safe house when situations were delicate.

  Angela’s expression of dismay as she looked down at her outfit was adorable. The white blouse was dirty from when she crawled under the car and her knee socks, though still sexy as hell, looked as if they had seen better days. “I don’t think I’m dressed for meeting a b-bunch of p-people.”

  Hawk looked her up and down, then over at the Diva in leopard print which showed several tears from the fight earlier. “Well, you look to be about Val’s size so I can get her to send over something. Jojo unless you are okay with jeans, a t-shirt, and combat boots, might be out of luck.”

  “I can rock any outfit, honey and I will be happy to get out of these heels.” Jojo waggled her footwear.

  “Thank you, Hawk.” Angela smiled.

  Tek showed them around the four-bedroom house he had re-fitted with all the modern conveniences. After the tour, Jojo decided to take the first shower, leaving him alone with Angela in the kitchen. He opened the fridge and surveyed the options.

  “Water, OJ, or beer?”

  “Water, please.” She sighed. “I can’t believe it’s only afternoon. It feels like it should be later.”

  Tek filled two glasses with water and handed one to Angela. “I know what you mean. So much has happened.”

  A tiny gurgling growl echoed through the quiet room and Angela’s cheeks pinkened. “Guess I’m hungry.” She leaned against the counter and winced.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Just brushed my knee against the island. I think I skinned it when I was under the car.”

  “Let me look.”

  Angela shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I will survive some minor scrapes. I’ll clean them out when I shower.”

  “Never said you wouldn’t survive. Not the point. Let me see it.” That she was hurt in any way and had remained silent bothered him. He needed to see if there was gravel or dirt in the cuts. Why had she spent hours with an injury like that, when he could have had her cleaned up and bandaged hours ago?