“Yep, we’re good,” I said, purposely looking at my watch. Disappointment dimmed his goofy smile and shuffled his feet.
“Oh, okay. Hey.” He reached out tenderly to touch my arm—very uncharacteristic of him. “Just be careful. I know what guys like him do to pretty girls.”
I had to ask, “Guys like him?” (Did he know about Geoffrey?)
“Musicians. What did you think I meant?”
“Oh, of course.” I sounded stupid. Lying under duress was not my best skill. “I will, Chase. Promise.” I patted his hand, which was still on my arm—and his eyes did the freakiest thing, flashing a deep green color, though I knew he had blue eyes. Now I knew I was going crazy. “Did you get contacts?” I asked, staring at his eyes.
He instantly became nervous and glanced down at the floor, rubbing his eyes. “No. I mean, yeah. They’re still itchy. Catch you later.” He headed inside and I did my best to shake off the very awkward run-in.
Once inside the car I had a thought. Christmas was coming up fast and I had no idea what to get the love of my life. What do you buy for a man who had access to a hefty bank account and tons of history? I picked Pepper’s brain all the way to work.
“Well, I’m sure that no matter what you decide to do, Meg, he’ll love it, just like he loves you,” she said with a laugh. “He’s changed so much since he met you; it’s amazing to see him happy—finally.”
I made him happy! I couldn’t keep a smile from growing on my face. We bantered all the way to work about Christmas and tradition—and that reminded me that my annual Girl’s Night Out with Ashleigh was coming up.
“What’s got you all-a-glowing?” Pepper asked as we pulled into the snow and slush covered alleyway.
My cheeks flamed red but at least it was for a good reason. “Just thinking about Geoffrey, and you guys, and Christmas time. It’s nice to smile and look forward to it for a change. The last few years have been pretty rough, with mom being gone. Ash usually kidnapped me and I’d spend Christmas with her and whatever boy-toy du jour she was with.”
“Well, I speak for the whole family—including Andrew—when I say you’re more than welcome to stay with us. I’m sure a certain Santa wouldn’t mind.”
I smiled as we hugged, then we made our way inside. It would be a busy night, and Dawn and Ian had gone away to Yakima to announce their engagement to her family. Ashleigh was also in heaven with Luke, her latest arm candy. She made her way across the dance floor to the bar, looking like a sinful Christmas elf in a skin-tight red dress and green stilettos.
“Remember, Megan—you and me, next week, girls only.” She air-kissed me as she walked by.
“It’s a date, gorgeous. Gotta go.” I waved as I left with a tray of drinks.
When Geoffrey took the stage that night, it reminded me of that first night—it seemed like a lifetime ago. Song after song, his voice soared, and the others blended in seamless harmony. I’d catch myself staring at him during the night with the oddest sensation in my chest.
The Christmas crowd finally let the band off the stage after their third encore, and we ended the night on a high note. I was clearing out the upper level when his words touched my mind.
Nice outfit. Has Santa’s little elf been naughty or nice? Just hearing his voice across the link heated my body; then he came up from behind me. I relaxed into his embrace, feeling his hands pull me close to him.
I’m not sure. Let’s ask Santa. He pinned me to the wall and we started into a passionate kiss. The darkness seemed to intensify the growing desire across the link. I was tired of being a good girl, and I could sense that he shared that feeling. He lifted me onto his lap, and I was hoping for something hot and heavy. But voices called up to us from below. We reluctantly parted, both breathing hard.
“I guess we’ll have to stick to being polite for now,” I said.
“For now,” he said suggestively, his words dripping of serious intentions. The link was oozing with raw energy, and we reluctantly went back downstairs to join the cleanup crew. They were passing around glasses of champagne.
Ashleigh had taken her heels off and was lounging in Luke’s lap, sipping champagne. “Awesome night, everyone! Well done, well done.” She toasted us as we all raised our glasses in return.
Geoffrey went to talk with Robert and Mitch before they left. I walked into the break room and got my jacket and tennis shoes, grateful to be out of the red patent-leather “Santa heels” Ashleigh had insisted I wear.
I sensed that someone was there, watching me from behind. I quickly turned and found Dawn sitting in the corner, her face covered in tears. Her red curls were frizzed out, and every stitch of clothing was soaked through.
“Dawn?! What happened?” I couldn’t see that she was hurt anywhere, but her face had pain written all over it. “Where’s Ian?” I looked around, not seeing him.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Oh, Megan…” Her tears fell even harder and her shoulders shook, her face hidden by her hands. I noticed that the ring was gone and I put two-and-two together, hugging her fiercely. Pepper and Ashleigh found us soon after that.
“What happened?” Ash asked me.
“I’m not exactly sure, but…” I pointed to Dawn’s naked ring finger.
“Oh. Well, this could be a long night,” she said, her voice more tender than before. Pepper helped Dawn up and walked her to the bathroom to clean up.
“That’s what happens when we fall in love. We give someone the power to break our hearts,” Ashleigh said as they left. Her wisdom caught me off-guard; I was expecting a snide comment. Yet her face softened in sadness. Pepper returned with Dawn, who curled up into a little ball. Little tremors still shook her body.
Pulling Pepper aside I whispered, “Did she tell you what happened?’
“I got the gist of it between sobs. Evidently, she found him with someone else. They never made it out of town.”
I was at a loss for words. They’d seemed so happy—at least, I thought so. I said, “So this entire week she’s been…”
“…throwing him and all of his stuff out. She’s been crying herself to sleep,” Pepper said sadly.
Dawn sat there, heartbroken. All I wanted to do was hold her, to rock her gently and make the pain go away. I did my best to comfort her. This week was supposed to be full of joy, telling her family about the engagement and making plans. Instead…
I did what came naturally, no second thoughts required. “Hey, you’re staying at my place tonight. You shouldn’t be alone.” I handed her another tissue.
“But I don’t…” Her sobs cut off her words. Taking a deep breath she tried again. “I don’t have anything with me, not even my coat. Thanks for this,” she said, pulling mine tighter around her shoulders.
“Anytime. And we can stop by your place first after we get out of here.”
Geoffrey came up beside us, with Mitch and Robert in tow. Tracy stood next to Pepper as she explained to the others what had happened.
You’re a good friend, he sent silently as he watched me help her stand and get her bearings.
“Can you…”
“Get your stuff? Yes,” he finished my question as he turned toward the door.
“Thank you.”
Ashleigh reappeared with her coat and keys in hand, ready to lock up.
“You’re taking her to your place?” She watched as Robert and Tracy left, Pepper and Mitch close behind.
“Yeah, at least for tonight.”
“That’s my girl. Always watching out, huh?”
“Trying, as always.” I led the way out, taking Dawn around the shoulders. I was sure Geoffrey was already pulling the Mustang around into the alley.
We walked with Ash behind us when I realized I’d forgotten my tips. The Mustang sat, all warmed up, but no Geoffrey. I looked down the alley. I felt him nearby.
W
here are you? I sent.
Just locking up my side of things. I’ll be right there.
Ashleigh was about to set the alarm. “Hold on… I forgot my tips. They’re behind the bar. I’ll be right back, okay?” I said, looking at her pleadingly.
“Go ahead and get in the car, Dawn. He won’t mind.” I motioned to the open car door. “Sorry, Ash. I’ll be right out.”
Ash followed me inside, waiting near the doorway. I ran to the bar, searching for my tip jar. Where is it? I wondered, rummaging around.
“Any luck?” Ashleigh called out from the entryway.
“Almost.” I had my hand on my tip jar when I felt it. Wait, something’s not right. Something was off. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Sweat beaded on my forehead, my heart raced forward. I reached out for the link. Geoffrey? The panic was rising in my head.
I feel it too!
Where are you?
Just entering the alley… wait. Aren’t you in the car?
No. I forgot—
NO! he shouted, the link blistering with the intensity of his voice. Blood-curdling screams erupted from outside, echoing off the alley walls. Chills ran up my spine as I raced for the door.
Ashleigh and I pushed open the door to find a grisly scene of the worst kind. The car door stood open, blocking what little street light came from the mouth of the alley, but the color on the blacktop was wrong. The brick walls were slick with blood splatters, the snow stained red. Dawn lay motionless, her face forever frozen in terror. Her head was twisted away from her body, her legs were sprawled out in an unnatural way. She was still wearing my jacket, which was soaked in blood from the massive, gaping wound in her chest. The blood partially hid her face, her hair was a tangled mess of bloody clumps.
The pounding sound of my very living heart was all I could hear. It drowned out Ashleigh calling nine-one-one. Geoffrey stood frozen in front of the car. I pulled my eyes from Dawn’s broken and bloodied body to meet his, and I shared the very real fear he felt. At first, I thought about the scent of the blood, worried that it would expose him, but those concerns were quickly put to rest as he approached me, in complete control of himself. Instead, the overwhelming sensation of his fear for me locked me in his sights. I blinked away the flowing tears, and suddenly I was in his arms.
I could make out voices, but not what they said. He moved me into the darkest corner of the alley, away from the horror. Tremors rocked me as I began to hyperventilate. Every time I tried to look away from Dawn’s lifeless body, the image remained before my eyes. Where her sad, beating heart had been was now a ragged, shredded hole.
The smell of blood began to permeate the alley. The salt and copper aroma churned my nausea beyond my grip. I lost control once the convulsions began. Geoffrey held me as my body continued to heave, and he called back Pepper and the others.
“Use the highway. You two take the east. Robert, Mitch, take downtown. Andrew…”
Even Andrew was responding. Something detached in my brain. I stepped away from my body, looking at the scene differently, cold and calculating; my survival instincts kicking in. I had been inside. He was downstairs. It was his car. She was wearing my jacket, with my scent. No witnesses but us. The pieces of the scene fell together like a warped puzzle. I turned to look at him at the same moment he did. There was no sound, no air movement, just he and I in the maze of blood.
“They thought—” he started.
“—she was me.” I finished.
Yes, we said in unison across the link.
Who? I asked silently.
The police lights did little to distract me. The officers were cordoning off the scene, stringing the bright yellow tape across the mouth of the alley.
Marco and the others from the Inner Circle. His voice was dead, flat.
“Others?” I had always pictured Marco as the only one. Silly, really, considering that Geoffrey had spoken of the others. He could feel my question in the word.
“Later, not here,” he said quietly as an officer approached us. I felt weak from the tremors, even though they’d stopped. I leaned into his arms as the officer asked the standard questions. I heard my voice answering automatically.
“Megan O’Day,” I responded, but I couldn’t hear the rest of my sentence. “Yes, when I came outside,” I said, glancing over at Ashleigh, who was giving her statement to another detective.
“I didn’t see…” The questions continued. The officer’s head bobbed as he jotted down my information. A policewoman came over and placed a blanket around my shoulders. Geoffrey thanked her. But the weather wasn’t making me cold. The fear was.
“Thank you, Miss. If you remember anything else, don’t hesitate to call.” He handed me his business card. I didn’t trust my voice, so I nodded my head and stuffed the card in my pocket.
Ashleigh walked over, visibly shaken, and hugged me.
“Stay with her?” Geoffrey asked.
She met his eyes and she agreed wordlessly.
“Megan…I have to go over there and give my statement,” he said and pointed. “I’ll just be a moment.” He seemed so calm. Ash and I stood in silence as the forensic team arrived and started taking pictures. The flashes made the grizzly scene pulsate. I tore my eyes away from Dawn’s lifeless body and saw the coroner’s gurney being rolled toward us.
I heard a gasp and realized Ash’s eyes were locked on the body as they lifted it onto the gurney. Violence wasn’t something she’d actually seen before. Her world was above that, something she’d only glimpsed on a breaking news headline. I, on the other hand, had experienced it firsthand. Seeing mom bruised and bloodied so much had dulled my senses to it. But this was different. Dawn wasn’t someone who’d limp away from the emergency room. Dawn would never come back.
We held on to each other.
Robert and Mitch appeared from the shadows, as did Pepper and Tracy. I wondered where Andrew was… or had they gotten him, too? No sooner did I cringe from the thought than he entered the front of the alley, side-stepping the police officers, the bright lights behind him.
The detective was done with Geoffrey. Andrew spoke to him quickly as they made their way toward us. Geoffrey’s eyes were tense, his jaw tight, as he heard what Andrew said.
Pepper’s arm wrapped around my shoulders as the others approached him. Her eyes met mine and I answered her unspoken question.
“I’m… I’m holding on, for now.”
I swallowed down the bile rising up. Tracy stood with Ash as Robert and Mitch told Geoffrey about their findings. The news crews had started to arrive, their cameras rolling. Ash’s car was parked in front, where the reporters were. I knew she didn’t want to be on camera. Geoffrey caught my thought.
“Tracy, could you give Ashleigh your scarf, please?” He gently opened Ashleigh’s hand, took her car keys, and tossed them to Mitch. Ash wouldn’t be able to drive.
I dug in my pack for my glasses. “Here… you’ll need these.” She finished tying the scarf over her head and slid the glasses in place. Mitch walked out first and Geoffrey followed alongside Ash, blocking the press’s view. Once inside he tapped the hood and Mitch pulled away.
One down, one to go.
Geoffrey’s car was part of the crime scene, so it wasn’t going anywhere. The forensic team was still searching it. The coldness had begun to sink into my bones, the tremors rolling through me. I could feel my hold slipping. His eyes saw through me and he knew it, too.
“Let’s get you out of here.” The only way out was into the camera lights. My feet felt bolted down to the pavement. I couldn’t get my mind to work my body.
“I can’t. Not that way.” I tasted the acid in my mouth. He looked at Pepper and they silently agreed on something. He spoke in a voice thick with authority.
“It’s time. Pair off. Robert, you and Tracy first, Andrew next. Pepper…” She had already melt
ed into the darkness of the alley. Tracy touched my cheek, wiping away a tear.
“Courage, child. He’ll keep you safe.” She turned and took Robert’s hand as they walked away into the lights.
Geoffrey used his keys, to lock up the club. He stepped in front of me, blocking the police and camera lights.
“Megan, I need to get you out of here. Trust me.”
My voice wasn’t working, so I stepped forward, leaning into his embrace. I already do. The link was growing weaker—as was I.
This way, he motioned, further down to what I thought was the end of the alley. The lights from the cameras didn’t reach this far, and the darkness wrapped around. Once out of sight of the police and camera lights, he gently picked me up, cradling me to his chest. Just around the corner, he pressed his palm to the brick wall, and I could hear a section grating its way open. Once inside the entryway, an overhead blacklight came on, making him glow brilliantly, like a ghost. He tapped a complicated code into a hidden keypad. The wall sealed and a second set of doors closed; it sounded like metal gears grinding.
The scent of salt air was heavy as he moved quickly down many flights of stairs, then the floor leveled out. The cold air and damp earth smell confirmed my fear: we were underground on what had to be the highway I’d heard him and Andrew mention before. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see the walls that encased us. He flew like the wind, the air rushing by my ears.
We’re almost home, my love. I opened my eyes just a bit and saw we were going up. The sounds of his steps changed as they echoed off closer walls. Then soft lights began to glow. He slowed to a jog, and walked the final few feet. He tapped on a keypad, unlocking another entrance. This door was much more silent than the inner-city door had been.
The scents of his home were so familiar and welcome, because I instantly knew I was safe. The freshly cut pine and peppermint smells helped ease my nerves.
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