Angels & Whiskey

by Kimberly Knight

  “Yeah, sunshine?”

  “Make sure all the doors and windows are locked and turn the alarm on.”

  He gave me a concerned look before he nodded his head and started walking the security system. I turned and headed back toward my old room. My head felt as if it were spinning and my heart was still beating fast. I didn’t know how long we had, but I knew I needed to tell them what was going on. Once Rich found I was gone, he’d more than likely check at my parents’ house first.

  I pulled a few drawers out of my old dresser and found a pair of black yoga pants and a purple tank top. After getting my dress off, I slipped into the clothes and then went to the closet where I found an old pair of running shoes. I didn’t know why Mom never threw my old clothes out, but at that moment, I was thankful.

  Walking back down the hall, I sat on the couch.

  “Well?” Dad questioned impatiently.

  I took a deep breath, ready to tell them everything that was happening when I realized we needed to leave. No telling what Rich would do if he came to the house looking for me. “Actually, I have a better idea. We need to go to a hotel.”

  “What?” my parents asked in unison.

  “I don’t want you here where Rich can get to you.”

  “Autumn. You need to tell me what’s going on!” Dad barked.

  I jumped from my seat. “I will, but we don’t have a lot of time. We need to go.”

  “Autumn!” he yelled again.

  “Dad, please. You need to trust me.”

  “Jesus Christ, young lady. You need to tell me what the fuck is going on right now!”

  “Rich isn’t the man you think he is!” I yelled.

  They both stilled and I imagined them holding their breath, waiting for me to tell them why.

  “Look, I’ll tell you everything when we get to a hotel far away from here. We need to be somewhere where he can’t get to you and hurt you.”

  “He can’t hurt us,” Dad grunted.

  “There’s no doubt in my mind once he finds out that I left without a trace and I’m going to divorce him, he’ll hurt you to find me.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Dad grumbled.

  “Please trust me. I’ve known Rich for almost four years.”

  “Let’s just listen to her,” Mom pleaded. “All of this is scaring me. I thought we were leaving your house because someone was making threats to Rich, not that you—”

  “I know,” I cut her off. “I’ve wanted to leave Rich for a while. We need to leave now.” I stood, walking toward the garage door.

  After my parents stared at each other for a few seconds, they finally agreed to go to a hotel. They packed a bag in a hurry and we took off for the strip. I convinced them it should be a hotel with a lot of people and not a little hole in the wall motel Rich could easily get into.

  We stopped at the bank on the way, getting cash for a room because I didn’t want Rich to trace their credit cards. I knew Dad wanted to wait to do anything until I told them everything, but he just nodded and did as I said.

  After leaving the bank, we agreed on the Luxor hotel. My parents couldn’t afford a few nights in one of the hotels closer to the center of the strip, and the Luxor was close enough for there to still be a ton of people around.

  “We need a room for four nights,” I said to the front desk clerk.

  “Four nights?” Mom asked. “We can’t stay for four nights!”

  I turned slightly to her. “Mom, you gotta trust me.”

  Dad rubbed his forehead and I turned back around to the clerk. “Sorry. We need a room for four nights with a king sized bed if you have it.”

  “Where are you going to sleep?” Mom asked.

  “I’ll tell you everything once we get to the room.”

  Dad paced as I checked in, and Mom sat in a chair, her leg bouncing up and down. I wondered what the front desk clerk thought. We were all dressed in sweats, walking in to check in for four days without a reservation at eleven o’clock at night and paying in cash.

  We rode the elevator up to their room. Once the door was closed behind me, I went to the phone and called Gabe.

  “Hey. It’s me,” I sighed.

  “Oh my God, angel. Are you okay?” Hearing Gabe’s voice put me at ease. I wanted to break down and cry, telling him how scared I was, but I had to be strong in front of my parents. I couldn’t let them know how truly bad it was. Dad already suspected, but if I stayed calm then he would too.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m at the Luxor with my parents.”

  “I thought you were going to their house?”

  “We did, but I was scared for their safety when Rich comes looking for me—”

  “Good thinking.”

  “I’m going to tell them everything. Can you come pick me up?” I turned to see my parents staring at me.

  “Yeah, I’m on my way.”

  I rattled off the room number then hung up. “Okay,” I groaned, turning around to face my parents.

  “Who was that?” Dad asked.

  “Sit. I’ll tell you everything.”

  They sat on the bed while I sat in a chair and proceeded to tell them the truth about my marriage and about Gabe. Dad’s arms were across his chest as he waited for me to start. Mom worried her lip and my heart was once again beating so fast I was certain it was going to fly from my chest and slam into the wall as it tried to escape.

  “That was Gabe,” I started.

  “Who?” Dad asked.

  “The guy from the party who told us the guy was threatening Rich tonight.”

  Dad’s head tilted a little as he recalled who I was referring to.

  “He’s my … friend and he’s going to help me get away from Rich.”

  “Why do you need to get away from your husband with another man?” Mom asked.

  I paused for a moment, searching their faces. Taking a deep breath, I decided I should tell them the truth so they knew how serious everything was. “Before Rich and I got married, everything was perfect. It wasn’t until after our honeymoon that he started to hurt me.”

  Mom gasped, covering her mouth, and Dad groaned, bringing his arms down to his lap, fists clenched.

  “It started off with a grab once in a while. I can’t even remember how it started or why. I just know I did something to piss him off. It got to the point where he’d grab me so hard I’d have to wear long sleeves to cover the bruises.”

  I paused, swallowing the lump forming in my throat as I saw Mom on the verge of tears. “I hid it from everyone because I was scared of him. He started saying stuff that led me to believe he had people following me to make sure I did what I said I’d be doing for the day. I had to make sure I checked in with him when I wanted to go anywhere but the gym and to Starbucks. The first few times he allowed me to go to Starbucks, I made sure to grab onto it as one of my approved places. I needed to go somewhere other than the gym and home. And you know what? That’s where I met Gabe a month ago. I know it’s only been a month, but he’s helped me come up with a plan to leave Rich. And tonight … tonight I found out that Gabe knew Rich in the army—”

  “Can you trust this Gabe fellow?” Dad interrupted.

  I paused for a moment. I really hoped I was right. “Yeah, I can.”

  “You barely know him,” Mom protested.

  “I know, but we all thought we knew who Rich was and he turned out to be the devil.”

  “What happened at the party tonight?” Dad asked.

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I do know Rich’s job isn’t what we all think it is.”

  “How do you know?” Dad asked, crossing his arms again.

  “I’ve heard him on the phone and he’s said stuff around me. I don’t know for a fact, but I think he hurts people when they don’t pay him back the money he loans them.”

  “Like a loan shark?”

  I snorted. “Yeah, like a loan shark.”

  “Fuck…” Dad groaned.

  “How is this possible?” Mom sobbe
d.

  “How do you explain criminals? You can’t. They are just bad people and somehow Rich fooled us all.”

  “I’m going to kill him!” Dad groaned as he stood and started to pace.

  “Don’t do anything stupid. Let me handle this,” I protested.

  “You’re my daughter. I’m supposed to protect you.”

  “I know, Daddy, but I’ve thought a lot about this and it’s best to just divorce him and move on with my life.”

  “If he’s as bad as you say—he won’t let you just divorce him,” Mom advised.

  “I know he won’t,” I sighed. “But I think he’ll be less likely to do anything now that he’s announced he’s running for mayor.”

  “Aw fuck!” Dad groaned. “I forgot he’s running for mayor.”

  “Tonight didn’t go as planned. I didn’t know I’d leave him tonight, but I saw an opportunity to slip away without him knowing and I took it. Gabe’s been a part of the plan and I didn’t know he was going to be at the party. Tonight has been exhausting and crazy and scary and any other terrifying words you want to use. I’m sorry I’m making you stay in a hotel, but I can’t take the risk of Rich hurting you,” I cried.

  “Sunshine…” Dad stopped pacing and reached for my hand for me to stand so he could wrap me in his arms. “I’m tough. It’s going to take a lot more than some ex-army major to bring me down.”

  I smiled briefly. “Rich has people who work for him. Did you see that big ass dude storm in when shit went down?”

  Dad nodded.

  “I think that’s his muscle.”

  “You forget I’m a good shot.”

  “And you forget Rich is too.”

  “Oh my God, I can’t take this. This can’t be happening,” Mom said, starting to freak out as she paced back and forth at the foot of the bed.

  Before I could say anything else, there was a knock on the door.

  “Go hug Mom. I’ll let Gabe in.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Gabe

  I replayed the moment Autumn left in her parents SUV over and over in my head as I waited for her to call. I hated not being able to go with her, but I had to tend to Trista as part of my job. She’d hired me for four hours and while shit hit the fan early, I still had an obligation to make sure she was all right and safe.

  The partition was down between the front and back of the limo, so I leaned forward and spoke to the driver. “Go to Trista’s house first, then drop me off.”

  He nodded his head.

  “Gabe, it’s really okay,” she said.

  It wasn’t. I’d never expected this night to turn into anything but me going on a date for work. Little did I know that tonight would be the night my angel told me the words I wanted to hear.

  “I want to come home with you…”

  I texted Jackson a brief message that the plan was in full force and to clean up the house before Autumn got there. Of course, he’d texted back wanting to know what was going on. I’d explained I was still with my client and I would call him on the way back to the house.

  I dropped Trista off at her house. We didn’t have sex. There was no way in hell that would happen with everything going on. I knew if I wanted to be with Autumn, my days as an escort were numbered. I didn’t have any desire to be one anymore. I had no void to fill with mindless sex. I wanted to know everything there was to know about my brunette angel, and if she felt the same way, I wanted to be with her as soon as possible.

  Instead of calling Jackson as I’d said I would, I waited until I was home to tell him everything. I didn’t know the limo driver, and with my luck he might work for Rich. Jackson was waiting for me on the couch when I entered. I smiled as I walked in noticing he’d lit candles. I knew Autumn held a special place in his heart too. Not the same way as she did in mine, but I knew he wanted to impress her.

  “She’s not with me.” I laughed.

  “Where is she?”

  “She had to take care of her parents. She should be calling soon for me to go pick her up.”

  “What the fuck happened?”

  I sat on the opposite side of the sectional sofa we had. “I walked in with my client and Autumn was standing next to Major Dick. It was surreal, man. I thought I was having another nightmare.”

  “I bet. When you texted me that Major Dick was Autumn’s husband, I wanted to go over there.”

  “I’m just glad she’s out of there now. Major will get what’s coming to him. I’ll make sure Autumn lets everyone know who their wannabe mayor really is.”

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket, making sure I hadn’t missed a call from Autumn. I was beginning to worry, I hadn’t heard from her yet. I gave Jackson a run down on what had gone down that evening and how Autumn saw an opportunity and left with her parents. Then I went to my room to change out of my suit and wait for Autumn to call.

  I was beginning to become anxious, wondering why she hadn’t called, when finally my phone rang with a local number. I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard her voice. She was at the Luxor Hotel and Casino and wanted me to come pick her up there.

  The night went from good to shocking to heated to crazy to worried and now to one of the best nights of my life.

  “I want to come home with you…”

  Smiling as I jumped into my SUV, I cranked the engine and then left to rescue my angel.

  I sped down the clustered streets of Las Vegas as fast as I could. I still didn’t know my way around that well, but I knew where the Luxor was and I couldn’t get there fast enough with all the tourists. Jesus, it was almost midnight and the streets were still packed with taxis. Vegas was definitely the city that never slept.

  I glanced out of the windshield into the night sky as I got closer to the light beam shooting straight out of the top of the pyramid of the Luxor. The closer I got, the more my heart pounded in my chest. I felt as if I were on a rescue mission again.

  Of course, this mission was different. I wasn’t in the sand. I wasn’t with my crew and there wasn’t anyone injured. But the thought of saving Autumn made my heart swell. We might not be together tonight, but once we’ve slept together, I wasn’t going to let her go. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and never let her leave. When I was a kid, I’d thought my fate was to serve my country until I couldn’t walk any longer. Over time, my destiny was broken. Now my future was to protect the angel who I was certain was sent to me by my guardian angel above who I’d lost five years before.

  I finally reached the Luxor. After parking, I made my way to the room number Autumn told me she was in. My palms became sweaty as I raised my hand to knock. I didn’t know why. I wanted this. I wanted her, but everything was sudden.

  I knocked and waited a few seconds. It opened and my angel was standing there no longer in her beautiful dress I wished I could take off of her. Instead, she was in yoga pants and a tank top that showed off her curves. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. She was stunning.

  “Hey.” I smiled, instantly calming when I saw her.

  “Hi.” She grinned back and reached for my hand.

  I pulled her to me instead and hugged her for a few seconds. I finally had her in my arms and I was reluctant to let her go. “I was worried about you, angel,” I mumbled into her head as it lay against my chest.

  “I’m okay.”

  I looked past her and saw her parents staring at us. Whispering I said, “You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now.” I felt her smile against my chest and then I let her go and walked past her toward her parents.

  “We haven’t been formally introduced,” I said, sticking my hand out to her father. “I’m Gabe.”

  He took my hand in his. “Dan. And this is my wife, Sarah.” He nudged his head toward the woman who looked like a slightly older version of Autumn.

  “It’s a pleasure,” I said, shaking Sarah’s hand.

  After closing the door, Autumn leaned against the dresser. “Like I was explaining, Gabe apparently knew Rich from the a
rmy.”

  I nodded. “He was my commanding officer,” I explained.

  “Tell us about him,” Dan suggested.

  Before I could tell them how much of a dick he was, Autumn spoke. “Not tonight. We’re all tired and I want you both to relax and get a good night’s sleep. I’ll be back tomorrow and we can talk about everything. Try to stay in the room as much as you can.” She turned to me. “Do you have a credit card I can use so they can get room service? I had them check in with cash.”

  “Of course.”

  “You don’t need to do that,” Dan protested.

  “It’s not a problem, sir.”

  “I want you two to be safe. And this way you can order in and not have to go downstairs where Rich can look for you.”

  “How will he know we’re here?” Sarah asked.

  “I don’t know if he will, but I’d rather not take the chance,” Autumn explained.

  “It’s not a bad idea,” I chimed in. “He shouldn’t connect me with Autumn, so he’ll have no reason to trace anything of mine.”

  “Oh my God,” Autumn gulped. “He’ll see you gave me your number on the video cameras in the kitchen.”

  “Shit,” I murmured. “I didn’t realize that while—”

  “I know. Me either. Everything happened so fast.”

  “Can you still keep her safe?” Dan asked.

  “Without a doubt, sir.”

  “Please, call me Dan. If you’re going to protect my daughter, we can be on a first name basis.”

  I smiled. “I’ll protect her.”

  “What do we do?” Autumn asked, looking up at me with wide eyes.

  I thought for a moment. “We can get a pre-paid credit card.”

  “Ahh. Why didn’t I think of that?” Autumn pouted.

  “It’s been a crazy night.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  “Let me go get one and I’ll be back,” I suggested.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “They probably just have them downstairs—”

  “I want to go,” she cut me off. “You two can shower and stuff while we deal with the card and put it on the room. We’ll be back.”

  They agreed and we left the room to see if anything was open at this time of night. It was Vegas, after all. If I had to drive somewhere, I would.