Dark Mind (Dark Series Book 1)

by H. R. Owen

  “You have my promise. Man, my boss is going to be pissed,” he states.

  I give him a sympathetic look and head off to find Belle. “Goodbye, Mack.”

  I call Sandy to come and pick us up and let her know that it’s safe. She arrives forty minutes later with Hunter’s father sitting in the passenger seat.

  “Belle… Momma’s here, baby,” Sandy squeals as she runs over to the little girl. Following behind her is Bill with his arms wide open, waiting to get in on the hugs.

  “Where’s my boy?” Bill asks.

  “Oh God… ummm… Bill, he got shot pretty bad. The ambulance has taken him to the hospital. They say he’s going to be okay, though,” I assure them both.

  “I told him not to come here yet. Stubborn little shit,” Sandy states.

  We all get in the car ready to leave all of the Vince shit behind us.

  “Sandy? Do you think you could drop me off at the hospital?” I ask.

  “Sure thing, sweetie. We’ll go in, too. I think I need a word with my son.”

  CALLEN

  Present

  It’s been two months since I proposed to Dahlia and we still haven’t been married. She doesn’t want to set the date unless Harmony can be there. Dahlia’s been calling her for months, but the phone keeps ringing out. I think the whole thing with Bates drove her away, but she needs to come back for Dahlia. Our daughter is only a month away from being born, and Dahlia keeps freaking out about not having her best friend here with her. I’ve told her to ask Sandy if she’s heard from Harmony, but she’s too stubborn and keeps saying that if Harmony wants to talk to her, then she will. I’ve decided to go over to Sandy’s house and find out what’s going on with her. I can’t bear to see my woman hurting the way she is.

  “Darlin’, I’m heading off. I’ll be back soon, okay?” I tell her.

  “Okay, just don’t be too long. These pains in my stomach are making it hard to do anything.” She closes her eyes and rubs her bump.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask.

  “I’m fine, just hurry back.

  The drive over to see Sandy is quiet, just the purr of my engine to break the silence. I can’t stop thinking about Dahlia and the pains she’s been having. It’s been going on for a few days now, and she said they’re getting worse. I’ll take her back to the doctor this afternoon and see if everything’s okay with her and the baby.

  Sandy’s standing out front waiting for me when I pull up to the curb. Opening the door, I slide out of my seat, and a smile crosses my face. Sandy has become like a mother to Dahlia, and I’m slowly getting closer to her as well. She has a presence about her that makes everyone around her happy. Strolling over to her, I wrap my big arms around her body, and she giggles.

  “Oh, Callen, if I were younger, I would have kept you for myself,” she says with a laugh.

  She grabs my hand and leads me inside closing the door behind her.

  “Uncle Callen,” Belle screams out running down the hall.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” I say embracing her in a hug. I never thought I would like any children, but this kid has grown on me.

  “Come on, Callen, let’s talk. Do you want a beer?” Sandy asks.

  “No, thanks, I want to get Dahlia back to the doctor today. She’s had a lot of pains in her stomach for the last few days now.”

  Ring. Ring.

  “That’s her now. Excuse me, Sandy,” I say as I answer the phone.

  “Hey, darlin’, is everything okay?” I ask.

  “Callen hurry. I’m bleeding everywhere. There’s so much blood,” Dahlia cries over the phone.

  “Shit. Fuck! I’m coming now,” I yell.

  “I have to go. Dahlia’s bleeding. Call Harmony, her friend needs her.”

  I run out of the house and jump into the Impala slamming the door behind me, screeching the tires and kicking up rocks behind me as I pull off the curb. I fly through traffic trying to get back to Dahlia as fast as I can. The car barely stops before I jump out and run back into our house.

  “Dahlia? Dahlia? Where are you?” I yell out scanning the living room.

  “I’m here. In the kitchen,” she yells her reply.

  When I run into the kitchen, she’s sitting on the floor in a pile of blood. “Shit Dahlia. Come on, darlin’, we need to get you to the hospital,” I demand.

  I walk over to her and help her off the floor wrapping her arm around me to help her walk to the car. She slides into the back seat and curls up into a ball crying.

  “You’re both going to be just fine, darlin’.”

  After arriving at the hospital, Dahlia’s rushed into a room, and the doors close behind her. Apparently, I’m not allowed in the room while they try to sort her out. I spent a long time pacing the hall waiting for a doctor to come and tell me that my girls are okay. It takes five long hours until they finally come back out.

  “Callen? Is it?” the doctor asks.

  “Yes. How is she? Are they both okay?” I demand.

  “Come with me, sir.” He nods in the direction of the room. His face tells me nothing, so I follow him in fear that I’ve lost my family.

  “Callen. Come meet your daughter,” the doctor states.

  I look over at Dahlia, her face is stained with tears, and a small bundle is sitting in her arms. Running over to the bed, I look down at our daughter’s face. She’s beautiful. An angel, just like her mother.

  “How is this possible? She’s not due yet,” I ask.

  “She was just ready to meet us. Here,” Dahlia says passing the beautiful child up to me. I can feel myself grow weak in the knees holding onto the precious little girl in my arms.

  “Turns out I was in labor all along. I had to have a blood transfusion, but other than that, we’re both perfect,” Dahlia states.

  “I love you, Dahlia,” I tell her.

  The door opens and in walks Harmony.

  “Oh my God, Dahlia, I’m so sorry,” she cries. Tears are rolling down Harmony’s cheeks as she runs toward Dahlia.

  “It’s okay, Harm. I’m just glad you’re here,” Dahlia replies. They wrap each other up in a hug and stay that way for a few minutes.

  “Harmony, say hello to your goddaughter… Laney Marie Parker.”

  Harmony lets out a small squeal and jumps up and down. “Goddaughter? You mean? You want me to be her godmother?” Harmony sobs.

  “Of course, we do. I love you, Harmony, and so will Laney,” Dahlia states. I pass Laney over to Harmony, and she embraces her and places a small kiss on her forehead. I still think that the woman’s crazy, but I know how far she’ll go to protect our child.

  I spent the night with Dahlia and Laney, and I couldn’t sleep the entire time I was there. It feels strange that this is where my life is at now when only eight months ago I was murdering people for money. I’m not too sure that I want to stop doing it, but I guess it’s something that Dahlia and I will have to talk about. Figure out if we can still keep a safe life for our family.

  Dahlia has to stay in the hospital for a few days, so I decide to go home and catch up on some sleep. Bates said he would help set up Laney’s room for when they get out, but he’s not due home for a few more hours. When I wake up, I have a few things to sort out. I have a surprise for Dahlia, but it’s pretty far off from being ready. Hopefully, I can get a few more people to help out this weekend so it’s ready for what I have planned. I might call Hunter and see if the boys from his club can help out, and I need to call Harmony and make sure she can pick up a few things for me.

  I strip down to my briefs and lay on the bed wrapping the sheet over my legs. It doesn’t take long until I feel myself drift off, but it doesn’t even feel like I’ve slept when I wake up to a loud bang.

  What the fuck?

  Jumping out of bed, I run downstairs to see if Bates is home.

  “What the fuck, Bates? I have my family coming here tomorrow. You couldn’t just go somewhere else to do this shit?” I yell.

  Bates is on t
he floor leaning over a naked woman’s body. She’s not moving, and there’s blood splattered on the floor.

  “The gun wasn’t supposed to be loaded. Shit! I’m sorry, Callen, this was never supposed to happen. I just wanted to scare her a bit. I’ll get this cleaned up straight away,” Bates explains.

  “Not good enough, man. Go call Hunter, see if we can get his men to help us with the project. I’m not letting Dahlia and our daughter near this place until you sort your shit out,” I demand.

  I’ll get my clean-up guy over to get rid of the body and clean up the blood. He always does a good job. In the meantime, I have to get Harmony on the phone. I talked to her about my plans at the hospital the other night when Dahlia was sleeping. She agreed on helping me and putting her feelings toward Bates aside for as long as I need.

  I pick up my cell to call Harmony, and she answers on the first ring.

  “Hey, Callen. Don’t worry, I’ve picked everything up this morning,” Harmony spits out as soon as she answers her cell.

  “Good. I’ll see you at the hospital tonight,” I tell her.

  Once I arrive at the hospital, the nurse informs me Dahlia has had to go for a check-up and should be back soon. Laney’s crying in her crib and another nurse is rocking the side trying to get her to sleep.

  “May I?” I ask.

  She nods, and I pull my daughter up into my arms. Her small cries stop as soon as I pick her up, and my heart starts to beat fast. The chair in the corner of the room holds my weight as I rock Laney to sleep watching her perfect face as her breathing becomes heavier.

  “Hey, Callen,” I hear Dahlia’s tired voice as she’s rolled back into the room.

  “What’s going on, darlin’?” I ask.

  “It’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been bleeding a bit more than I should be, but I’m okay. I just have to stay in a little bit longer,” she explains.

  “As long as you’re going to be okay, then I’m fine with whatever you have to do.”

  dahlia

  Two Weeks Later

  “Callen, where are we going?” I ask. Laney and I have finally been released from the hospital, and Callen’s driving us driving in the opposite direction of home.

  “It’s a surprise, darlin’. Just put that blindfold on and don’t even think about peeking,” he demands.

  I do as he asks and pick up the scarf that’s sitting in the center of the car.

  “This is really weird. You’re acting a bit sketchy,” I tell Callen.

  “You should know by now how sketchy I can be,” he replies with a smirk covering his face.

  I place the scarf over my eyes and tie a knot in the back to hold it up. The drive only takes a few minutes, and then we come to a stop. I can hear a car door open, then another.

  “Callen? You’re not going to leave me in here are you?” I ask him hesitantly.

  There’s no answer, but then I hear the door next to me open. A large hand takes mine and pulls me a little bit, helping me out of the car and leading me to where he wants me.

  Crunch. Crunch. The sound of my feet stepping on gravel goes on for a few seconds, and then the ground feels soft underneath my steps. Callen’s hard hands hold onto both of my shoulders, steadying me into one spot.

  “Okay, darlin’, you can take the blindfold off,” he orders.

  At first, all I can see is Callen’s chest. That is until he steps to the side, and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. It looks like the lake house but a newer version.

  “Welcome home,” Callen states.

  “What the fuck?” I ask. Looking around, I take in the view. This is the lake house, but everything’s been changed. The bench that Callen tied me to is still there, but now it’s fixed up and painted white. The balcony is all in one piece with two new rocking chairs sitting at one end, and a small, child-size rocking chair sits in between the two. Tears form in my eyes, and I try to find my words. Nothing. All I can do is stare. The cottage has been fully renovated and turned into a house I could have only ever dreamed of.

  “Come on, darlin’, wait until you see inside,” Callen says picking up the capsule that Laney’s sleeping in. Callen opens the door, and I step inside to see our new home. All the walls are painted in a creamy white, and the living room is decorated in light grays and deep emerald green.

  “It’s so beautiful, Callen. But how did all of this happen?” I ask.

  “I’ve been working on this for two months, and Hunter’s club came in two weeks ago to help get it finished,” he explains.

  There’s no way I can wipe the smile from my face.

  Callen walks me through the rest of the house, and it feels a lot bigger than I remember. As if he can read my mind, Callen speaks, “Added a section onto the back of the house so we could have extra room.” We walk through the large kitchen and onto the back balcony.

  “Oh my God. What is all of this?” I ask.

  The backyard is set up with chairs on either side of an aisle, with an arch standing in front of the lake. Callen gets down on one knee, holds my hand in his and asks, “Marry me tonight, Dahlia?”

  “Yes. Yes, of course, I will…” I pause. “Shit! I have to call Harmony. I need a dress,” I explain.

  “You don’t need to worry about that,” Callen says.

  “Hey, Dahlia,” I hear Harmony’s voice chime in.

  I run over to her and wrap my arms around her bony body.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask her.

  “Did you think I’d miss your wedding? Come on, I’ve got your dress waiting for you.”

  It’s time for me to walk down the aisle, and instead of having my father walk me down, I have Harmony at my side. She picked out the dress, it’s a long white dress that falls to the ground like a waterfall. The top is a halter style, and it shows only a small amount of cleavage. It’s exactly the type of dress I would have picked for myself.

  Callen’s standing at the altar with the bright moon lighting up his features. He’s wearing black pants and a white button-up dress shirt with short sleeves. The tattoos on his arms are on full display. His face is handsome with just a touch of stubble.

  The music starts to play, and Harmony pulls me forward to start walking toward my soon-to-be husband. I notice Hunter and his club first, followed by Sandy, Bill, and my beautiful Belle. Bates is standing next to Callen, and I can see him squirm as Harmony gets closer. The poor guy’s got it bad.

  Standing under the moon, in front of the lake that I have fallen in love with, Callen and I share our vows.

  The party afterward is wild. You can only imagine what it’s like to have a bunch of murderers and bikers partying together.

  The day’s taken its toll on me, and Callen notices.

  “Come on, Mrs. Parker, it’s time to take you to bed.”

  One Year Later

  Callen and I are finally going on our first date night since Laney was born. There have been a few changes over the last year. Callen’s still working, but now he only does high-profile cases. I sold the studio and spend all of my time raising Laney. I told Callen I wanted to get back in the business, and he organized a hit for tonight that we will both work as a couple. So, our date night will be spent taking the lives of people we’ve never met.

  “I’m so excited, Callen. I don’t want to leave Laney, but I can’t wait to feel a bit of freedom,” I tell Callen as we get dressed to leave.

  “I’m so glad you’re doing this with me, darlin’. And holy shit, you look fucking delicious in those pants.”

  Callen bought me a pair of tight black jeans with rips in the knees—they match his favorite jeans. He slaps my ass hard, and it only adds to the excitement.

  A knock sounds on the door.

  “That must be Harmony and Bates. I’ll go let them in,” I yell out as I run toward the front door. The happy couple are groping each other when I open the door.

  “Come on in, guys, and cut out the sex acts before my daughter sees you both,” I demand.

 
; God, I hope they’re going to be okay looking after Laney.

  We arrive to an old shop that’s located about two hours’ drive from our house and scope out the place to make sure nobody’s watching us. We both sneak through a back entrance and spot the two guys sitting at a table counting money.

  “Ready, darlin’?” Callen asks. I nod and cock my gun, the one Callen bought me for our first anniversary.

  Bang. Bang.

  Bang. Bang.

  Shots ring out, and the two men drop to the ground. This job was too easy for the both of us. Next time, I want more of a challenge. Callen stalks over to the bodies and checks them both for a pulse.

  “So, what now?” he asks.

  I smirk as I walk closer to him, kicking the lifeless bodies out of the way, and when my hands reach his chest, I push him back at full force. His back hits the wall, and I jump up on him and wrap my legs around his waist. His cock is rock hard while my tongue finds his, and we kiss madly. My breathing hitches as I rub my jean-covered pussy on his erection. Callen’s hands come down to my breasts, and he grabs them hard before tearing my shirt from my body.

  “I want to fuck you so bad right now, Dahlia,” he grinds out between his teeth.

  “Fuck me, Callen.”

  Big hands turn me around and push me hard against the wall. He pulls my pants down without even unzipping them, and the burn it creates makes my pussy even wetter. I love it when Callen’s rough with me, and he knows it.

  He’s on his knees with his face buried between my legs lapping up my slickness when I hear him growl.

  “Come for me, darlin’.”

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