I’d gone back to O’Malley’s last night to offer to drive her home. If I was honest, I was hoping that she might invite me up to her apartment for a drink. If I was completely honest, I was hoping that the night would end with some part of my body inside her. When one of my bouncers told me she’d left with some bloke, who wasn’t her friend, Nick, I’d felt like I’d been punched in the gut.
Samantha had been through a lot in the last fourteen years. I knew that. It had changed her. Made her suspicious. Cautious – even of me. It infuriated me that I hadn’t known about what she’d been going through while she was married to that cunt, Jackson. I would never forgive myself for not saving her. When she was a teenager and I’d spent almost every weekend helping her out of one sticky situation after another, she used to joke that I was her Angel Gabriel. I knew she was teasing me, but I had enjoyed being her rescuer. She was a good kid. Funny and smart and I’d always got on well with her.
Then she’d turned eighteen and it was like she’d transformed into a woman overnight. To my shame, I’d started to look at her as much more than Sebastian’s daughter. To make matters worse, she would flirt with me constantly. It had taken every ounce of willpower I’d had not to flirt right back. Then the night before she left for uni, she asked me if I’d miss her. I was so close to telling her how much I would. I’d wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss every inch of her body, but she’d been completely wasted and I would never take advantage of anyone like that. Besides, she was about to set off on a whole new life. And I’d wanted that for her. If I had known what kind of life she was going to, I would have chained her to her bed and never let her go.
The next day, I’d gone over to Sebastian’s house to say goodbye properly. I was going to ask her if I could visit her on campus and suggest we could grab a drink or a bite to eat some time. But when I got to Sebastian’s house, she was gone. Too excited to wait a moment longer, he’d said. And I’d realised at that moment, that I was her past and had no place in her future.
I jogged down the steps and took my phone out of my pocket and saw a message from Jimmy Fenton.
You thought about my offer yet?
I scowled at the screen. As if I wasn’t in a bad enough mood.
Chapter 10
Samantha
Before I knew it, Monday morning and the beginning of another working week had arrived. I was fortunate enough to love my job. Not only did I love being my own boss, but I also got to work with my best friend, Nick, every day. I was sorting through the post in my in-tray while he told me all about his latest spat with his ex-wife, Mandy, over their two children.
‘I just wish she wasn’t so bloody unreasonable all the time, Samantha,’ he sighed.
I had always got on well with Mandy while she’d been married to Nick. She worked hard in her job as a paediatric nurse and she loved her kids, but she had cheated on Nick and broken his heart, and I would never forgive her for that. Despite that, I knew that Mandy wasn’t generally an unreasonable woman.
‘I’m sure it’s hard for her, too. You’re both used to living with the kids full time. This is a period of adjustment for all of you.’
Nick nodded. ‘I know you’re right, but it’s fucking hard. I wasn’t the one who went off and screwed someone else, but it’s me and the kids who have to suffer.’
I was about to respond when I picked up the final letter from my tray. I recognised the distinctive writing immediately. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and my heart started to hammer against my ribcage.
Sensing the change in mood, Nick sat up straighter in his chair. ‘What’s wrong? Is it another one?’
I nodded. ‘I think so.’
‘Here, let me open it,’ he offered as he reached out his hand.
I shook my head. ‘No. I need to do it myself.’
Opening the letter, I pulled out the single sheet of paper and read the crudely written note. It was just as disgusting as the previous ones I’d received.
‘What does it say?’ Nick asked.
‘The usual threats,’ I sighed as I handed it to him.
Nick shook his head. ‘I can’t believe you’re still getting these. Have the police done anything about it?’
I shrugged. ‘What can they do? There are never any fingerprints. They always come with a different postmark. Besides, I’m sure it’s nothing, just some nut-job I’ve upset trying to give me a scare.’
I heard the conviction in my words but the truth was the letters were starting to freak me out. I’d been receiving them for two months now. I’d certainly had my fair share of threats before. I’d been a criminal prosecutor for four years and now I worked in family law, so it was a hazard of the job. But these had become persistent, and whoever was sending them obviously knew what they were doing as they left no clue as to who they were.
‘Maybe you should tell your dad about them?’ Nick suggested.
‘My dad? Why?’
Nick’s face flushed slightly. ‘Well, he does have certain talents, doesn’t he? Maybe he could find out who’s sending these things,’ he held up the note in disgust. ‘I’m worried about these now, Samantha. Even if you’re not.’
‘There’s nothing my dad could do about them either, Nick. If the police can’t help, then I’m sure my father isn’t going to crack the case.’
‘Well, I think you should tell him anyway.’
‘And have him worrying and hovering over me. Not a chance. I’ll log this one with the police too. Maybe they can get something from this one?’
Nick handed the note back to me. ‘You and DS Phillips must be on a first name basis by now?’
I nodded. Detective Sergeant Carl Phillips had dealt with each of the letters and notes I’d been sent since I’d returned to Dagenham two months earlier. We had become quite friendly during that time. He’d given me his personal mobile in case I needed to update him when he was off duty. ‘I’ll give him a call and let him know,’ I said.
‘I bet that’s not all he wants to know about,’ Nick grinned at me.
I laughed. It was true that DS Phillips was a huge flirt. ‘Probably not, but that’s all I’m telling him anyway,’ I said.
‘You sure you’re okay?’ Nick asked, his voice full of concern.
I nodded. ‘I’ll be fine. Thanks, Nick. Do you fancy a fresh coffee?’
‘No thanks,’ he said, standing up from his chair. ‘I’d better get back to it. I’m in court this afternoon.’
‘Oh yes. The Banks case. Good luck,’ I smiled.
‘Thanks. I think I’m going to need it. Matthews is the judge.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘Oh, Christ. Not him. He’s a bloody dinosaur.’
‘I know. I’d better get cracking then. See you later.’
‘Okay. Let me know how you get on in court.’
I watched as Nick walked out of my office. I looked at the note again and my stomach sank. Sooner or later the writer of these notes was going to get bored with his vile scribblings and escalate to something more sinister. Taking my phone from my handbag, I dialled Detective Sergeant Phillips’ number. He answered on the second ring.
Chapter 11
Samantha
It had been three days since I’d received the last threatening note and spoken with DS Phillips. He had been his usual helpful self, but there had been little he could do and no leads for him to follow. Until now, that was. I smiled as he and his colleague, Constable Meadows stood up to leave my office. The door opened before they reached it and I stifled a groan as I saw my father walking through it. It was just my luck that he had chosen this particular moment to visit me at work.
‘We’ll let you know if we pick him up,’ DS Phillips said as he extended his hand to shake mine. ‘Please be vigilant in the meantime.’
‘Thanks, Carl,’ I said as I shook his hand. ‘I will.’
My father eyed the police officers suspiciously as they brushed past him.
‘Pick who up? What’s going on?’ he asked.
<
br /> ‘Nobody. It’s just work, Dad,’ I replied, hoping he wouldn’t probe any further.
‘It’s not just work though, is it?’ Nick said as he walked into the office.
I glared at him. I loved Nick dearly. He had been the best of friends to me, but at that moment I felt like wringing his neck. Instead, I glowered at him as I sat at my desk. He had obviously been hanging around waiting for the police to leave.
‘Glare at me all you like, Samantha. But he could have hurt you today,’ Nick said. ‘You need to start taking this seriously.’
‘Who could have hurt you? Take what seriously?’ my father snapped.
‘Samantha has been getting threatening letters. And today someone grabbed her on her way in,’ Nick said.
‘What?’ my dad shouted as he looked between Nick and me.
‘He didn’t grab me, he just tried to-' I started to say when Gabriel bounded into my office too.
‘For God’s sake!’ I muttered under my breath.
‘It’s a nightmare to park around here,’ Gabriel said before looking up at the three angry faces in the room and realising he’d walked into something. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked.
My father responded before I had a chance to. ‘Some fucking nut-job is threatening Samantha.’
‘What?’ Gabriel asked as he started to stare at me too.
‘It’s been going on for months,’ Nick added unhelpfully.
‘Nick!’ I snapped, wishing he would shut up.
‘For the love of God, what the fuck is going on?’ my father shouted.
At this outburst, Gabriel walked over to my father and put a hand on his shoulder. ‘Calm down, mate,’ he said quietly. ‘And let Samantha explain, eh?’
I looked at Gabriel and gave a slight nod of thanks. For a brief moment, our eyes locked and I felt a shiver run down the length of my spine until he looked away and back at my father’s angry face.
My father sat down in a chair, his arms crossed over his chest and he nodded. ‘Sorry, Sam,’ he said sullenly. ‘But what the fuck is going on?’
Gabriel sat on the chair beside him and Nick hung around by the office door. The three of them stared at me and the next thing I knew, they were watching me like an interview panel, while I explained that I’d started receiving the threatening letters about two months earlier, shortly after my return to Dagenham. Then earlier that morning, the estranged husband of one of my clients, Anthony Garvey, had been waiting for me outside the office and had jumped out on me, making a grab for me as I’d been opening up. Fortunately, a passing jogger had seen him and phoned the police and I had managed to get inside the building while Garvey had been distracted. The police turning up had obviously completely spooked him and he seemed to have disappeared. Given what he’d said when he’d approached me earlier that morning, the police believe he was the likely sender of the threatening letters too.
‘So what are the police doing about it then?’ my father asked when I’d finished.
‘They’re looking for him. He’s well known to them and now that there’s a warrant out for him, I doubt he’ll get very far,’ I responded.
He shook his head in disgust.
‘What?’ I snapped.
‘I don’t trust that lot. By the time they get their finger out, he could have-'
‘He could have what, Dad?’ I interrupted him as I stood up with my arms crossed across my chest.
‘I think we can all agree that the police have never been particularly good at preventing pricks like Garvey hurting people before, can’t we?’ Gabriel interjected.
‘Oh, you mean people like me?’ I snapped.
Gabriel shook his head. ‘I never said that.’
‘But that’s what you’re thinking though, isn’t it? That’s what you’re all thinking. Poor Samantha can’t protect herself. She’s so pathetic even the police couldn’t protect her.’
Gabriel stood up. ‘That’s not what I meant,’ he said, frowning at me.
My dad stood up then and started shouting about how useless the police were and how he was going to sort Garvey out himself. Nick began talking in the background too and I tried to block them out, to no avail. All I wanted was for them to go away and leave me the hell alone. It was bad enough that Garvey had ruined my morning and scared the hell out of me without the three musketeers carrying on as if I was some defenceless damsel in distress. If there was one thing I hated more than anything in the world, it was to feel pitied. I knew they meant well, but they were driving me crazy and I couldn’t stand any more of it.
‘Get out!’ I finally shouted. ‘Will the three of you shut up, and get out?’
They looked at me and then at each other.
‘Out!’ I repeated.
It was Gabriel who spoke. ‘Come on,’ he gestured to my father who stood up and followed him. Together the two of them bustled Nick out of the door and closed it behind them.
I sank down into my chair and rubbed my throbbing temples. Why couldn’t my life just be simple for once? Unlike my father and Gabriel, I had every faith that the police would deal with Garvey. He had frightened the life out of me that morning, jumping out and trying to grab me, but I’d dealt with the situation. Despite what people thought, I was capable of looking after myself. What my father, Gabriel and Nick didn’t seem to realise, was that compared to my ex-husband, Anthony Garvey was a pussycat.
Chapter 12
Gabriel
It had been an hour since we’d got back to our office at Archangel Securities, but Sebastian was still raging. I tried to calm him down as he shouted and threw things around the room. Sebastian’s legendary temper, never easily controlled at the best of times, was always ignited to dangerous levels when there was any possible danger to Samantha – whom he still considered his little girl.
‘We should find this cunt and sort him out,’ Sebastian snapped.
‘Calm the fuck down, Seb. Samantha said the police are dealing with it.’
‘And we both know how fucking useless they are. Don’t you think she’s been through enough without worrying about some nutter threatening her?’
‘I know, mate. But you know what she’s like, she’ll go ape-shit if she thinks you’re trying to interfere. Let’s just calm down and think about our next move, eh?’
Sebastian nodded but I doubted he was taking much in. Nevertheless, it was doing no-one any favours for him to be carrying on the way he was. Samantha was fiercely independent; she always had been. I knew that it had a lot to do with the way Sebastian had been when she was a kid. He was only sixteen when she’d been born and her mother’s parents had taken their daughter and granddaughter and moved to Kent. They didn’t approve of Sebastian and they claimed they had wanted better for their daughter and grandchild. Sebastian had always regretted not running after them — not fighting for them, but he had managed to convince himself that they were better off without him.
When Samantha’s mother had died when she was just twelve, Sebastian had discovered that he was Samantha’s only living relative, and he had stepped up and tried to be the best father that he could. But he felt so much guilt for not being in her life that he’d spoiled her. When she started to push boundaries, and became the teenager from hell, he became overly strict with her, because he didn’t know how else to look after a rebellious teenage girl. He had ultimately pushed her away — and eventually into the arms of Jackson Carver. I knew that Sebastian felt more guilt over that than he would ever admit, and it was that which was also feeding his anxiety and fear over this new threat. I understood Sebastian’s need to do something about it. The thought of someone threatening her now, and hanging around outside her office filled me with dread too. But, I also knew that thirty-two year old Samantha was even more headstrong and independent than her teenage self had ever been.
‘What do we do in the meantime, Gabriel? What if that bastard is waiting for her somewhere? Following her? I don’t fucking care if she goes ape-shit, as long as she’s safe,’ Sebastian bell
owed across the office, ensuring that anyone in the vicinity heard him.
A couple of our employees had been waiting for us in the meeting room next door and I watched as they crept past our office and out of the main door. They would rather miss a meeting and get a bollocking when Sebastian was in a better mood than be a target for his epic rage at that moment.
I looked at my best mate and could see the worry and the fear in his eyes and hoped that he didn’t see the same in mine. I let him continue raging, knowing that he’d burn himself out soon enough.
A few moments later, Sebastian’s rage had subsided slightly and he sat down on the expensive leather chair at his desk and poured himself a glass of Scotch. ‘Want one?’ he asked.
I shook my head. ‘One of us has to be fit to drive.’
‘Sorry,’ Sebastian muttered before downing his drink. ‘But I might as well make the most of not being able to.’ Then he poured himself another.
I shook my head. Sebastian had been caught drink driving four months earlier and had been banned for twelve months. It usually didn’t cause too many problems as we had a team of employees who could drive us when the occasion called for it and I didn’t usually drink much anyway. I didn’t like the feeling of not being in control when I’d had too much alcohol. But sometimes, it was a pain in the arse always having to be the sensible one. Sebastian was eight years older than me, but most of the time it felt like I was the mature one in our partnership.
‘So? Garvey?’ Sebastian asked as he leaned back in his chair. ‘What are we gonna do then?’
I had been thinking about the situation since we’d left Samantha’s office. ‘We’re going to let the police deal with him,’ I said and could see Sebastian tense. It obviously wasn’t the answer he’d been hoping for. ‘Because that’s what Samantha wants. But we can make sure she’s protected in the meantime.’
Dark Angel: A Dark Romance: London Ruthless Series Book 1 (The London Ruthless Series) Page 4