Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Margo Bond Collins

  “Did you find any details on Dash?” The moment the words left my mouth, I pictured him dead by the river’s bank, his throat sliced.

  Dante shook his head, the bridge between his eyes pinching. “Only that he was last seen at Little J’s, then he vanished.”

  “I’m heading there, so I’ll grill the owner.”

  Dante nodded, but his gaze was miles away, and he returned his attention to the Lower Corner. “Going to get the gang to patrol non-stop, or until we get an update that the mayor has ended his rampage to tear down this place. I might even pay him a personal visit.”

  The words at the front of my mind—about him being careful—bubbled to the surface, but that went without saying and once Dante set his sights on something, deterring him was a mission in and of itself.

  “It was fantastic to see you today,” he said, his hardened features softening when he looked my way. “I’d love to have you back with us.”

  For those few moments, the urge to lean in and kiss him prodded me. The deep curve of his lips paused my thoughts. His smile brought back hundreds of memories.

  What would happen if I packed up my city life and moved into the woods with the Hood? I’d vanish from the life I’d created for myself, walk away from Ryker, lose my independence, no longer have Saturday brunch with my friend, Sue. I enjoyed her company; she reminded me a lot of Charity. Rejoining the gang meant taking back my family and restarting what I’d ended with Dante. But would I question every decision he made, would I worry it might lead to another death?

  Stop it… He’d made a mistake, my brother had jumped the gun… Hell. How many errors had I made in life? A trillion. But what about Ryker? Was his strike something I could forgive?

  Dante’s hand reached over and touched the side of my face, his fingers combing through my hair, and he leaned closer. His musky scent wafted over me. I shut my eyes, knowing what was coming, anticipating and ready.

  His lips pressed to mine, soft at first as if waiting for my response. When I parted my mouth, accepting him, he lowered me onto my back. Our kiss never broke, and I gripped his shoulders, drawing him closer, drowning in his passion. Everything about us felt right.

  Heavy and passionate, he devoured me with such hunger, my body swelled into an inferno about to pop. Fire dove south so fast, I forgot myself. Only Dante mattered in that moment. His hardness pressing against my leg, and my insides fluttering. Euphoria brewed in my veins as Dante’s kiss grew rougher against mine, his hands roaming over my shirt, climbing to my breasts. I drew him closer, falling under his magic, deeper than the universe, dissolving under his lips. He always left me floating after a kiss.

  As we broke apart, I noticed the spark in his eyes. And while he climbed to his feet, I toyed with the idea of dragging him back down and begging him to take me. Make love to me like he used to.

  Instead, he offered me a hand.

  “You’re still a tease, I see.” I accepted his help, and he had me upright in a second flat.

  “Never.” He smirked his dangerously sexy smile. “Just a promise of what I have for you. Come back after you visit Little J’s. Let me know what you find out.”

  “Why not come with me?” I brushed the loose pine needles from my top and jeans.

  “I’m visiting a few friends in the Lower Corner. I need to find out who was arrested, then work out my next action plan.”

  “You’re not going to blow up the police station or something insane like that?”

  He laughed, the sound feathery soft across my skin, and I couldn’t stop staring at him, his incredible eyes, the lips calling me, his strong arms. He placed a flat hand to his chest and bowed, then winked. “I give you my word.”

  An excited shiver captured me, swallowing me whole. Was it wrong of me to already picture myself living with Dante again?

  The drive into the city flew by, but then again, my mind was kept busy as it battled conflicting emotions. Anger at Ryker, guilt for kissing Dante, eagerness to walk away from my troubles and just accept Dante’s offer. But overthinking wasn’t helping; it only tightened the knot in my gut.

  Late afternoon traffic filled the streets, people rushed about on the sidewalk, popping in and out of stores. Personally, I’d never been a shopping person. I ordered my groceries and clothes online because I couldn’t think of anything worse than negotiating crowds.

  By the time I reached Little J’s, I’d lost an hour in traffic, and the sky darkened. I parked out back and climbed off the bike. Instead of rushing inside, I remained behind the building. I wasn’t sure what I searched for, but this was the location I’d seen in my vision for both Peter and Dash. What was so special about this spot? The lawn had turned yellow and crunched underfoot, while across the street, it grew green and wild. Someone had spray-painted their name on the brick wall, but nothing else stood out. A car passed the road behind the building. No lights, just a stop sign. Not many people used this back road. Burn marks scored the middle of the cross intersection. Strange.

  A creak sounded behind me, and I turned.

  Jack was lifting the trashcan and dumped a small bag inside. He wore jeans and a T-shirt.

  I approached him and waved. “Hi.” I used sign language to ask him how he was doing.

  With a shrug, he shut the lid on the bin, and even without a response, the answer was painted in his sorrowful expression. Worry crammed behind his eyes and even his posture curled forward. Jack knew I worked freelance for the cops, and in the past he’d helped me with a few cases since he had connections in the city.

  I asked Jack if he’d seen a guy with a description fitting Dash.

  He shook his head, explaining he’d already told the cops everything several times over.

  “But did you see anything strange around your building?” After I signed my question, he sighed and walked away from me.

  I chased after him and seized his wrist. “Please.” With my right hand flat over the center of my chest, I moved it in a clockwise motion a few times, then explained I didn’t hold him responsible or think he could harm the boys. I wanted to help.

  Jack sighed and placed both hands on either side of his head, palms in. He brought them down the length of his face, his head forward slightly, a symbol for sadness. He went on to explain that he’d been teaching a late class with twenty adults the night Peter went missing. He planned to shut down Little J’s. The dead kids made me feel hopeless, as if I’d let them down. He hadn’t slept for days, could barely eat with worry.

  “But you do so much for the community.” Forgetting to sign, I continued. I truly couldn’t believe that Jack had anything to do with the kidnapped children, or even Dash. And I’d known him since moving into the city… but then again, I’d trusted Ryker too. Look how that had turned out.

  I hugged Jack, not sure what else to do, wanting to believe he was a man of his word. “Anything else strange you can remember?” I signed at the same time I spoke.

  His attention lifted to the night sky, though the bridge of his nose remained pinched tight. When he stared at me, he nodded, and explained that he’d had a recent visit from the mayor. His eyes widened, as if in shock… and I didn’t blame him. Why would the mayor visit Little J’s in the Lower Corner? Each time I’d seen the man on TV, he was dressed pristinely, his hair in perfect order, golden cufflinks, and a chain around his neck. Guys like that didn’t leave their charmed lives to visit the poor.

  Jack said the mayor had made him an offer to buy Little J’s and had been very persistent too. He laughed at how red-faced the mayor had gotten when Jack hadn’t bowed and given him what he wanted.

  “So you’re not selling?”

  Not in this hellish lifetime was an appropriate response.

  So the greedy mayor not only wanted to get his hands on the Lower Corner for a new shopping center, but Little J’s. Why?

  Jack excused himself and left.

  I returned to my bike and climbed on. The machine purred beneath me, yet I couldn’t bring myself to take
off yet. I truly believed Jack was innocent, but now I had more questions than answers. Why would the mayor want this place? Did he plant evidence against Little J’s with the missing kids to get Jack to sell? Seemed like a lot of trouble to go to for a rundown gymnasium.

  Heaviness sunk through me. That would mean the mayor was involved in the kidnapping cases. Sure, he was a rich ass, but would he stoop that low? I didn’t know enough about him to make such a call, but considering he’d somehow convinced the cops to rip people out of their homes for his construction, well… Maybe he was more involved than I’d originally thought.

  Ryker had said the mayor had come to visit the police headquarters earlier that day. But what would he have said to make Ryker commit such an awful act?

  I edged the bike off the curb and rode for a decent half hour, but without thinking, I was cruising down Ryker’s street. I slowed in front of his townhouse. Two trees created an arched entrance effect. Windows remained dark, and his car wasn’t there. Probably still at work, and after today, I wouldn’t be setting foot in the station again.

  I raced down the road and headed home, deciding after my crappy day I’d take a long bath and crash. Dante’s offer to rejoin the Hood sailed through my thoughts, but in all honesty, with my emotions twisted, I wasn’t sure what to do next. Time alone was a must. Tomorrow would have to be better because nothing could top the shit from today.

  Chapter 13

  Fear clamped against my heart and sweat slithered down my spine. Night captured the road with only a flickering streetlight in the distance. Little J’s sat at my back, and up ahead, Peter stood in the middle of the crossroads. Alone, expressionless, yet his terror leeched onto me, swallowing me. Death was coming… He knew it but remained helpless. Trapped inside himself.

  Black mist bubbled around his legs, rising, expanding outward.

  My vision sharpened, along with the dread clawing me.

  A man appeared from my right and ran toward Peter, yelling, “Get away from there.” At once, the man flew backward, as if someone had slammed into his chest. When he got up, I saw him. Thin with short black hair, wearing his favorite jeans with the holes around the knees. Dash. He sprinted forward once again, but as before, he was thrown off his feet.

  Peter was half-engulfed by the mist, yet he never once screamed.

  Dash’s eyes widened as he glanced to my right… out of my line of sight. He recoiled, his hand trembling as he retrieved his knife from his belt. Horror twisted his features as a lofty shadow cast over him.

  Dash stumbled, his head tilted up, his eyes panicked, his mouth agape. “What the fuck?” He spun and ran right past me, mumbling, “Dante, the Hood… We need an army.”

  I jerked awake, tangled in my pajamas and sheets on my bed, sweat coating me. “The Hood!”

  Urgency cascaded through me, reminding me I had a promise to keep. I had to visit the mayor. Rushing out of bed, I grabbed my apartment keys, and my marbles rolled along the table. With them in my pocket, I stepped into my boots. In less than twenty minutes, I ran down the street, desperate to reach the mayor to tell him about my dream. Something nagged me as if I’d forgotten a thought. No time for that now.

  I swerved past the morning traffic, battling the fog in my mind. Everything else fell into the background. Except seeing the mayor.

  My gut churned with uneasiness.

  Angling onto Star Avenue, which drowned in the shadows cast by the mayor’s Town Hall skyscraper, I parked near the curb. Once inside the enormous foyer, I rushed past an empty reception desk, my boots tapping the marble floor. A security guy in uniform emerged from a side corridor and blocked my path, his eyebrow arching as he his gaze trailed down my body and up again.

  “Ma’am, can I help you?”

  I halted, noting several other guards watched. “Here to talk to Mayor Wright.”

  The guy with a square chin smirked and nudged me toward the exit. “I don’t think so. He’s busy today.”

  Hell no! I swung back around him and sprinted toward the elevators. But before I could hit the button, a guard tackled me from behind. I fell to the ground and a massive force crushed against me, emptying my lungs.

  “Get off me!” I squirmed.

  When the weight retreated, one of the men yanked me to my feet. Three big guys surrounded me, one saying, “Time for the crazy to leave the building.”

  My options were dwindling, but the desperation to speak to the mayor ate at my insides like a thousand wasps biting my flesh. I wanted his praise about my job well done. I’d made a promise.

  “You don’t understand.” I put my hands out in front of me, palms facing the men in a kind of peace offering. “The mayor ordered I see him when I had information on the Hood. When he finds out you stopped me, you’ll get your asses kicked out of this cushy job.”

  Mr. Square Chin grimaced, his nose scrunching. “Hold her here for a sec.” He stormed away and pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt.

  The other two meatheads gawked, one trailing the length of my body and sniggering. I glanced down and realized I still wore my pajama pants and T-shirt covered in tiny unicorns. Shit. How could I not have noticed that?

  I broke into a nervous laughter. “Don’t you hate when you forget to change?”

  A guy smirked, but Mr. Square Chin returned and took my arm, squeezing so hard, it tingled.

  “The mayor will see you now.” He jammed a fat finger against the button. I ripped myself out of his clammy hold, then rushed into the elevator. Two of the guards joined me.

  Once the doors slid open, Mr. Square Chin shoved a hand into my shoulder blade. I stumbled forward and spun to see him smirking as the doors closed with him inside. Bastard.

  No worries, I was where I needed to be. I whirled about in a hallway stretching out on either side of me lined with offices that had glass walls. But all were empty.

  “This way, Robyn,” a male’s voice called from my right. The mayor leaned out of a doorway, waving at me. His smile was hypnotizing, and warmth spread through me with the urgency to please him, to confirm I’d done an incredible job.

  I hurried closer, unable to stop myself from grinning. Once in his office, I stood near the sofa as the mayor poured himself a glass of what smelled like rum. “Thank you for seeing me, Mayor Wright.”

  “Robyn, dear, call me ‘Lash.’” He stared into the mirror wall near his cabinet and flicked a loose strand of hair off his brow. He turned to face me and the corner of his mouth lifted as he studied me. Yep, I’d left the house in my pajamas, and fire heated my cheeks.

  “Tell me everything,” he said. “You experienced a vision about the Hood?”

  I nodded and crashed on the couch. He joined me.

  “Go on,” the mayor said, sipping his drink.

  I shifted in my seat, folding a bent leg under me, fighting the urge to reach over and touch Lash’s arm. “Dash was in my vision last night, and—”

  He reclined, draping an arm across his lap. “Who’s Dash?”

  I broke into an explanation about Dash working with the Hood. How he’d been at Little J’s in my vision. How Peter had stood at the crossroads, the shadow, how Dash had headed to the Hood for help. My words kept rushing out, fast and unstoppable. About Dash’s training, and I even mentioned that Dante ran the Hood and how we’d dated, how he’d wanted to marry me.

  The mayor’s eyes widened. “Dear, you have been most helpful.”

  Satisfaction sailed through me, but I needed more, desperate for the mayor to look at me with those piercing pale eyes. His voice was velvet against my skin. Without it, I starved.

  When he moved to get up, I seized his wrist. “Wait, don’t go.”

  The mayor still got up and pushed away my hand.

  I was on my feet, drowning in disappointment, and my throat choked up. “Did I do something wrong?”

  He approached his desk and picked up his phone. “Not at all, dear. Take a seat.”

  At once, I sat on the sofa, lost. Bitterness had lined
his words, not approval. What could I tell him or do to get him to smile again to look at me with his endorsement?

  “Need a cleanup,” he said, then hung up.

  On my feet again, I paced in front of his desk, staring at the daggers, ninja stars, and shields on his wall, catching my reflection in the window, which showed my hair sticking up. And in my unicorn pajamas. Thank god, I didn’t go to sleep naked. And no wonder the mayor pulled away; I looked like city trash. I patted down my mane and turned to the mayor, who sat there, watching me with amusement.

  Nerves strangled my insides. “I was once part of the Hood,” I said, stepping closer and jamming my hand into my pocket, fingers twirling across the marbles. They always calmed me, eased me, but the snap of electricity from all three that zapped up my arm left me shuddering. I collapsed into the arms of the couch. As if my mind had cleared, the fog vaporized, and a deluge of memories steamrolled through me.

  “Where are they located?” The mayor was on his feet, rounding his desk, approaching me, his eyes widening.

  But my brain reeled from the overload of memories. The vision of Dash and Peter behind Little J’s. What had attacked them? Still, my thoughts froze on how Dash had been thrown backward by an invisible force.

  The mayor was next to me, his hand tightening around my forearm. “Where does the Hood live?”

  And reality struck… The last time I’d been in this office, how the mayor had demanded intelligence on the Hood, and how this morning I’d come here like a mindless idiot, spilling my secrets.

  I gasped and recoiled off the sofa as loathing flooded me. “What have you done to me?”

  He lifted himself to his feet with such ease, it reminded me of the black mist engulfing Peter at the intersection.