When Darkness Falls

by Jennifer Youngblood

  * * *

  Garrett tightened his hands on the wheel as he glanced in his review mirror. When he’d gotten the text from Sam, telling him that his time was up, he knew he had to act fast. He smirked. Sam was so predictable. Garrett figured that he would send his goons to his house in order to retrieve him. So, when he saw the parked car on the street, he sped off, knowing they would follow. He continued up the windy road of the canyon, grateful that the BMW handled so well. Everything was closing in at a rapid-fire pace, and he wondered how things had gotten so far out of control. His mind flittered to Hank and then to Chloe. He didn’t hate them, but he would never be able to forgive them, especially not Hank. His brother had betrayed him—turned his back on him when he needed him the most. It hurt like crazy, but there was nothing he could do about it. He pressed his foot on the gas, making the car go faster. He smiled when he looked in the mirror and saw that the car behind him was swerving in order to keep up. “Take that, you lug heads,” he muttered. Then he went faster, increasing the distance between him and the other car. He laughed out loud when he looked back and saw that the car was lagging further and further behind. He increased the speed even more.

  A minute later, the BMW spiraled out of control and went off a steep embankment, rolling over and over until it landed with a loud crash. A second later, it burst into fiery flames that from a distance looked like a huge bonfire, billowing acrid smoke up into the night air.

  * * *

  She first became aware of a dank darkness that was so complete she couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face. She was alone—trapped in a tunnel that seemed to have no end. The blackness pressed against her eyes, suffocating her. And then the darkness gave way to a faint light, and she saw Dan in the distance, beckoning to her. She quickened her pace in order to reach him, but her legs grew heavy, like she was trudging through deep water. Her chest constricted, and she couldn’t breathe. The scene changed, and she was in frigid water that was pouring in around her. She tried to scream, but no one could hear. A roaring started in her mind and rang through her ears. Then, she saw Hank. There was a look of sheer determination on his face as he held out his hand. She strained with all of her might against the water and finally grasped it. In that moment, she felt safe. He pulled her through the water and then she was falling.

  Chloe jerked to a sitting position. For a split second, her mind fought to grasp reality, and then she realized that she was in her bed. She was bathed in a sticky sweat, and her heart was flopping in her chest. She rubbed her eyes and groaned. Stupid nightmare! She could thank Lila for this one. She’d felt like she was drowning. She reached for her phone—5:00 a.m. She returned it to the nightstand and lay back against the pillow. Her alarm wasn’t scheduled to go off until 6:00. She lay there, allowing her mind to drift, as she felt herself settling back into blessed sleep. Then her phone buzzed, jarring her awake. She reached for it and frowned.

  “Hello.”

  “Chloe.”

  “Hank. Are you okay?”

  There was a long pause.

  “Hank? What’s wrong?” An unreasonable fear seized her.

  “It’s Garrett. He’s been in a car accident.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes. “Is he okay?” she croaked.

  “No, he’s dead.” Hank’s voice broke, and she could hear the soft gulping of weeping on the other end.

  She jumped out of bed and threw back the covers. “Are you at your condo?”

  Silence.

  “Hank, are you at your condo,” she repeated.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  * * *

  Garrett’s funeral was to be held at a mortuary located on Highland Drive. They were at the viewing, and the funeral would follow. The sweet, sickly smell of carnations permeated the air, and Chloe felt like she’d been catapulted back to those torturous days she’d spent in the funeral home, mourning Dan. Her stomach churned, increasing the feeling of dread that was tying her in knots. Thankfully, it was a closed casket funeral. Of course the reason it was closed casket was because Garrett’s body had been so badly burned that he was only able to be identified through his dental records. There were too many similarities to Dan. His body had been burned beyond recognition too. She shuddered at the thought.

  She stepped up to the casket, which had a blanket of red roses spread over the top. Then she heard the sniffle and saw Yvette sitting nearby. Her eyes were stained with tears, and she was bringing a tissue to her nose. Even though she wasn’t Chloe’s favorite person, she felt sorry for her. It was obvious that she’d loved Garrett. She stood, looking at the large picture of him. It was taken on a boat dock with a sailboat directly behind him. The wind was rustling his hair, and there was a faint mocking mile on his flawless face that was so characteristic of Garrett, like he was somehow exempt from the normal hardships of life. He looked so alive and ready to take on the world that she could hardly believe he was gone. Tears brimmed in her eyes. She glanced over to where Hank was greeting guests. There was a rigid expression on his face, and his jaw was rock hard. It was obvious that he was doing all he could to hold it together.

  Her face fell a notch when she saw V enter the room. She was wearing a tight, black dress that came about six inches above her knees. Patterned tights and swanky stilettos completed the ensemble, giving the impression that her legs stretched on endlessly. Her hair was pulled into a chignon, and she wore a single strand of black pearls and matching earrings. Chloe suddenly felt frumpy in her modest dress and sensible shoes. As she had at Marsh Interiors, V strode in like she owned the place. She made a beeline to Hank. Completely, ignoring the fact that he was in the middle of a conversation with someone else, she threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m so sorry, darling,” she gushed, as tears began flowing down her perfect cheeks.

  A sharp stab of jealousy went through Chloe, nearly taking her breath away. She was starting to hate that woman and how possessive she acted around Hank, almost as though they were still an item. She did feel a smidgen of relief when she saw Hank go stiff in V’s arms and pull away as quickly as possible. V whispered something in his ear, and he gave her a curt nod. She was trying to decide if she should go to Hank’s side or keep her distance when he scoped the room in a desperate attempt to find her. There was a look of relief on his face when he realized she was standing nearby. He motioned for her to join him.

  She straightened her shoulders and strode over to him, trying to appear more confident than she actually was. Hank put a protective arm around her and pulled her close. “You remember Chloe. I can’t even begin to express what it has meant to have her by my side these past few days.”

  The look of hatred that twisted over V’s face was almost comical. If V had any lingering doubts about where she stood with Hank, the message was crystal clear.

  “Of course. We met at your office.” She flashed a fake smile. “How nice to see you again.”

  “Thanks,” Chloe said curtly. She guessed from the cold look on V’s face that she would’ve clawed Chloe’s eyes out if she could’ve.

  V gave Hank an accusing look. “It’s obvious the two of you are very happy together.”

  “We are,” Hank said.

  “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to pay my respects to Garrett.” She put a hand on Hank’s arm, letting it linger there longer than was necessary. “Again, I’m truly sorry for your loss.” Malice glittered in her eyes as she looked at Chloe. Without uttering another word, she turned on her heel and strode over to Garrett’s casket.

  * * *

  “It was a lovely funeral,” Glory said.

  “As if there is such a thing,” Hank muttered darkly.

  Glory looked to Chloe for help, but she could only shake her head. The three of them were sitting in Glory’s den. Glory’s sunken face made the deep sorrow in her eyes look even more pronounced. She was so frail that she looked as if she might break at the slightest touch. She seemed to have aged a
decade since Chloe had last seen her. Grief did that to a person—eating away the best part of them until only the empty shell remained. She knew that first hand. As concerned as she was about Glory, it was Hank that she worried about the most. He was withdrawing into himself, mechanically going through the motions—only speaking when necessary. The naked anguish in his eyes was almost too much to take.

  The funeral wasn’t lovely, as Glory had put it, but brutal. The entire time, V, who was sitting a row to her right, kept looking over and shooting death glares. Not to mention the fact that all throughout the service, she had the uncanny impression that she was reliving Dan’s death. She’d come away from the funeral feeling more disturbed than she’d felt in a long time.

  “Despite everything, I’m glad the two of you have each other.”

  Glory’s comment jolted Chloe from her thoughts and back to the present. “Yes, it is a good thing,” she said automatically, looking at Hank. “Don’t you think?”

  He was staring into space, and it was obvious that he’d not heard a word of the conversation. Glory shot her a concerned look. She touched Hank’s arm. “Hey? Are you okay?”

  This seemed to jerk him out of his stupor. He offered a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah. It’s been a long day. I guess I need to get you home.”

  “Hank, look at me,” Glory ordered, her aged voice cutting through the room with more power than Chloe would’ve thought possible. “This is not your fault. You’ve spent your whole life trying to take care of your brother. I loved Garrett like a son, but he was his own worst enemy.” Her lower lip quivered as tears began flowing down her cheeks. “It’s not your fault,” she repeated, “it was an accident. There was nothing you nor anyone else could’ve done to prevent it.”

  Tears gathered in Hank’s eyes as he nodded, but Chloe could tell from the hard look on his face that he didn’t believe it. That morning she’d rushed to his condo after hearing the news of Garrett’s death, Hank was nearly inconsolable. He kept saying that if only he’d stepped in and helped then Garrett would still be alive.

  She kept trying to tell him that it was an accident—a horrible accident. But no matter what she said, it didn’t sink in. At first, she’d attributed Hank’s behavior to the fact that he’d always felt responsible for Garrett, but now, she was starting to wonder if there was something he wasn’t telling her. She had the feeling that he was holding something back, and it was tearing him up inside. Her heart ached for him because she knew what he was going through—that sinking feeling of lonely desperation that was like a poison. The only thing she could do was to stay by his side until he pulled out of it.

  After leaving Glory’s, they drove to Chloe’s house in silence. When they arrived, Hank pulled along the side of the street and turned off the engine. He turned to face her. “I still can’t believe he’s gone.”

  She took hold of his hand. “I’m so sorry.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I want you to know that I’m here for you.”

  His jaw started working, and she could tell that he was fighting to control his emotions. “That means the world to me,” he gulped. “It feels like my insides have been ripped out.” His voice broke. “Garrett had a lot of faults … but he didn’t deserve to die.”

  “No, he didn’t,” Chloe said quietly, her voice ringing with conviction.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes until Hank spoke. “I need to get away.” There was a desperate layer to his voice. “I need to sort through a few things.”

  “Okay.” A sense of dread came over her. The last thing she wanted was to be separated from Hank, but this wasn’t about her. It was about Hank, and he needed to deal with it his own way. More than anything, she needed to be supportive. “Where will you go?”

  “Glory owns a small home that’s near Bodega Bay, just up the coast from San Francisco. I thought I would go there for a few days to clear my head.”

  Relief fluttered through her. A few days wasn’t so bad. She could live without him for that length of time. “I think getting away is a good idea.” She gave him a loving smile. “I’ll miss you, but I completely understand.”

  He tightened his grip on her hand. There was a sense of desperation in his eyes. “I want you to come with me.”

  “What?” Could she do that? Up and leave for a few days with a guy? Her mother would have a conniption fit!

  “Please,” he continued. “I need you.”

  There was so much pain in his voice that she would’ve agreed to almost anything in that moment just to ease his suffering. And then it hit her—she wanted to go with him! Time seemed to stand still as he awaited her decision. “Okay, I’ll go,” she heard herself say.

  He rewarded her with the first real smile she’d seen him give since Garrett’s death. “Thank you.” He brought her fingers to his lips and planted a kiss on them. A tiny spark of life seemed to come back into him. “I can’t wait to show you the bay. We’ll leave tomorrow afternoon. I’ll make all of the arrangements.”

  “That sounds great,” Chloe said, wondering how in the heck she was going to explain this one to her mother!

  * * *

  “Mom, I have to go away for a few days to Bodega Bay, which is near San Francisco.” Chloe braced herself for the explosion that was sure to follow.

  “What? Why?”

  Her mother had a strangled sound like she was choking, and she could imagine her, standing in the kitchen, her feet firmly planted on the floor in a battle stance with her hand on her hip. She would be frowning with wrinkles forming across her forehead.

  “I have to take a work trip with my boss.” She winced slightly as the words left her mouth, hating that she was not being honest. There was no way she could tell her the truth. Her mother didn’t even know that she was dating Hank. For that matter, she’d not told her about Garrett either. There was no way she could explain everything now.

  “Is anyone else from your office going?”

  The concern in her mother’s voice pricked her conscience. “No, it’s just Hank and me,” she said, knowing this wasn’t going to sit well.

  “I don’t feel comfortable with this, Chloe,” her mother continued. “That’s not fair of your boss to expect you to go on a trip with him … alone. What kind of man puts his employee in that position?”

  Chloe raked a hand through her hair, feeling weary to the bone. “He’s a good man, Mom. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “I’m sure he’s a good man, but it’s not appropriate for a young lady to go off alone with a man—regardless of how nice he is.”

  She rolled her eyes. “If it makes you feel any better—he’s a good, Christian man. I assure you, he only has my best interest at heart.”

  “I’m going to call and talk to him myself. Once he understands my hesitation about the situation, he’ll surely—”

  “No, Mom!” Chloe blurted. “You can’t!” Panic raced over her. “I’m a grown woman, you have to trust me on this.”

  There was a long pause. “Chloe, what’s going on here? Is this really about work?”

  She let out an uneasy laugh. “Of course it’s about work. What else would it be about?” Beasty rubbed against her leg. When she leaned down to pet him, he began purring loudly.

  “I can’t put my finger on it, but something about this doesn’t seem right. And considering that you’ve been so evasive lately. Trying to get information from you is like pulling a hen’s tooth. What is it that you’re not telling me?”

  “Nothing,” she lied, hating herself for it. “It’s all above board, I assure you.”

  “I don’t like it,” she snapped. “I don’t like it at all.”

  She sighed. “Mom, sooner or later, you’re going to have to start trusting me.”

  “I do trust you, Chloe, it’s your boss that I don’t trust.”

  “I’ll have my phone with me the entire time. You can call anytime you want.”

  “You bet I will,” Naomi inserted quickly.

 
“It’s getting late. I’m tired, and I need to get some rest.”

  “Okay, we’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.” There was a hint of promise in her tone, letting Chloe know that the conversation wasn’t over.

  “Sounds good. Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Chloe ended the call with a frustrated huff and then realized Darbie was standing in the doorway with her arms folded over her chest. A sly smile spread across her face. “Work trip, huh?”

  She scowled. “Geez! Do you always eavesdrop on conversations?”

  Darbie shrugged. “Only the good ones. Actually, I just wanted to check on you to see how you’re doing, considering everything that has been going on.”

  “It’s been rough,” she admitted. “Hank’s blaming himself for Garrett’s death.”

  She made a face. “But that’s ridiculous. It was a car accident. How could that possibly be his fault?”

  “I don’t know.” She pressed her fingers into the corners of her eyes and groaned. “It doesn’t make any sense.” She looked at Darbie. “Grief rarely does.”

  “I guess you know that better than anyone.”

  “Yeah. Unfortunately, I do.”

  A playful light came into her eyes. “So, Hank wants you to go away with him?”

  “Just for a few days—to clear his head.”

  “Uh, huh.” She arched an eyebrow. “Things must be getting pretty serious.”

  “Yeah.” She looked at Darbie. “I’m crazy about him.”