Confessions After Dark (31 page)

“Hello, young man,” she said pleasantly.

Alex tried to smile, but his guts were twisting into knots. “Good evening.” He nodded and smoothed down the front of his jacket impatiently.
Fuck!
He closed his eyes as she rambled on about a bridge game on sixty-seven.

The car stopped again to let the woman off, and Alex prayed he’d have no more interruptions. He sighed as the elevator opened with nothing between him and the door to his place. He quickly walked to it, swiped the card again, and opened the door.

“Angel?” he called before he’d even gotten through it. “Angel!” The apartment was dimly lit with no sound coming from anywhere. Alex walked briskly from the empty kitchen into the living room, past the open door to his study, and down the hall.

“Angel!” he hollered again, panic seizing his chest. “Fucking answer me!”

He opened his phone and pushed her speed dial number, running up the stairs toward the bedrooms. Her phone began ringing then and he heard it in the other room. He moved toward the sound and his bedroom as it continued to register, the sound echoing strangely in his ear and the room around him. The door to his room was ajar and he pushed through it, eyes darting toward the ringing phone. His bed was strewn with clothes, a red file folder sitting in the center.

His heart fell and his steps slowed as realization hit him, and he flipped open the folder. Inside, there was nothing but the ringing phone he’d given to her. He sank down to sit on the edge of the large bed, his hand running through his hair, and heat infusing like poison beneath his skin. “Son-of-a-bitch! Un-fucking-believable.” He rummaged through his contacts searching for the number to Angel’s other cell phone and frantically waited for her to answer. It went straight to voicemail.

“This number will change so please call my office tomorrow, and if you’re on the list I’ll be giving to my assistant, she’ll give you my new contact information. If this is Alex…” her voice cracked on the pause, and she cleared it. “Please, just leave me alone. We’re over.”

Alex’s mind reeled and his heart raced with anger. How could I be so fucking stupid not to get rid of that fucking file folder?

“I never even looked at the goddamn thing, for Christ’s sake! Aaarrrggggghhhh!” he yelled and flung his own phone at the wall with such force it shattered into a hundred pieces. “Fuck!”

15
Hear Me

“Alex! Are you listening?” Allison’s shrill question made Alex jump and brought him out of his reverie. His concentration was lost outside the glass windows at the back of his parents’ large estate, past the deck to the large, manicured lawn, to the flock of geese swimming around in the lake.

His fingers scratched along his chin in introspection until her screeching caused his brow to furrow, and he sat up more into a sitting position with a grunt. His head pounded and his eyes burned from lack of sleep.

The house smelled of roast pork, spiced apples and the faint lingering aroma of expensive cigars. He wondered how in the hell his dad got away with smoking in the house because his mother had never allowed it during the time he was growing up.

“Alex!” she demanded again.

“Stop that infernal squawking, Allison,” he said flatly, shooting her a bored expression. “You’re giving my migraine a headache.”

“I’ve been speaking to you for ten minutes or more!” she began but was interrupted.

“Yeah, that’s the problem. I’m not in the mood.”

Allison frowned and pursed her lips. She adored Alex, and the closeness she felt with him made her well aware he was not himself and far from his best form. She snorted shortly.

“I don’t know what your problem is, but you’re being rude!” Her eyes skated over her brother, and while he was immaculately dressed and his hair perfectly combed, he hadn’t shaved, and there were suspicious purple shadows beneath his bloodshot eyes.

“You asked me to be here. I’m here. I only came to shut you up and yet there is still more of your endless screeching.” He stood up and walked to the built-in bar on the far side of the great room. It was salvaged from an 18
^th
century mansion and fit in well with the stone fireplace and dark olive walls. The house was built twenty years earlier, and his mother had taken great care to create Old World elegance from two centuries past. The ceilings, painted a light eggshell, and the plush carpeting added the only modern touches. He loved the surrounding grounds, but he preferred the contemporary minimalist décor of his place…
or Angel’s
, he thought, disgust making him grunt.

Can’t she leave my head for five fucking minutes?
Would a five-minute reprieve be too much to ask? His hand closed over the decanter of amber liquid, and he splashed three fingers into a glass before loudly replacing the stopper and shoving the crystal back from the edge roughly. “Shouldn’t you be helping Mom frost a cake or something?” he asked casually.

Allison scowled at him. “You’re being a dick.”

He stopped and turned around, shoving one hand deeply into the pocket of his slate grey dress slacks. Jeans weren’t the attire his mother preferred at her Sunday dinners, but on this occasion, he had forgone the tie and left his dark blue dress shirt untucked and rolled the sleeves up beyond his elbows. His brow shot up. Allison never used profanity with such casualness. He only knew one woman who did. He took a big swallow from the glass and grimaced as the liquid burned its way down into his stomach as he willed his mind to shut off, yet he couldn’t help but ask. “Been spending time with Angel, I see.”

He watched his sister’s expression change from anger to surprise. “Um, well…” she stuttered.

“Enough said.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Alex leaned against the bar, facing her, his bland expression said he knew what she was hiding. “Don’t fuck with me. What’d she tell you? About us, I mean.”

Allison’s features softened at Alex’s subdued distress. If he was suffering, it wasn’t showing other than his excessive drinking and pissy attitude. He’d always been moody when something bothered him. She shook her head sadly and walked toward him to lean on the bar beside him. Her lips thinned and her shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “Nothing. Other than she didn’t want to talk about it.”

He swirled the liquid in his glass, watching it as if it kept him in rapt attention. “Yeah.”

Allison reached out and laid a hand on his strong forearm. “Do
you
want to talk about it?” When he hesitated, she continued. “What’s it about?”

“Misunderstanding.” He pulled away as if her touch burned him and walked back toward the chair he’d just vacated. “It’s ridiculous, really.”

Allison pushed for more. “What did you do, Alex?”

“Nothing I don’t always do. I did a background check.”

Allison’s mouth formed a small ‘o’, yet no sound came out. She was aware Alex made it a habit to find out about anyone he got involved with in advance, from business partners to relationships. But, after getting to know Angel, Allison understood that it wouldn’t go over well with her.

“Hell,” he said, exasperated, “it isn’t like I singled her out!”

A slow, sad smile spread across Allison’s delicate features. “Of course you have, Alex. Anyone that you sick Bancroft on has been singled out.”

He could hardly argue with her. She was right. “When did you see her last?”

“Yesterday. She’s helping with the last minute details of the benefit. She’s extremely resourceful.” The unspoken question lingered in his eyes with an unbidden hunger to know every detail of the time the women spent together, every word of their conversation. “Have you tried to talk to her yourself?”

Alex shook his head. “No.” His answer was harsh and simple, but Allison knew that tone. He was not just hurt, he was mad as hell.

“I can see that you’re upset, Alex, but doing nothing will not get the result you want. Call her.”

His face twisted, and he swallowed more of the liquor he was holding. “No, Allison! Since we met, all I’ve done is chase after her, and that’s not me. She made it plain she wasn’t interested in my perspective when she left without giving me a chance to explain. Begging has never been in my repertoire.”

“Pride is a funny thing. You’ve always had it too easy with women. Whitney still calls daily asking me to get the two of you together.”

“Yeah, and Angel doesn’t give a fuck, so can we please change the subject?” he asked angrily and started to walk from the room.

“You’re wrong. She’s upset too. She seems—”

Alex stopped and turned back around. “What?” His exasperated and anxious attitude evaporated as a small ray of hope bloomed in his chest. “How does she seem, Allison?”

Allison sighed, her eyes soft and concerned. “Sad. Just, very, very sad.” She watched her brother raise a hand and rub the back of his neck wearily. She wasn’t used to seeing him so… lackluster and broken. “You’re coming to the benefit, aren’t you?”

Alex raised his head to look into Allison’s face, his own sadness too much to hide. He’d been planning on taking Angel, but now he had no interest in attending. “I’ll write you another check, but no.”

“But Avery is a major sponsor; you
have
to come, Alex! I have five tables reserved! The board members are attending as well as all the VPs! It’s not black tie, so—”

Alex interrupted her in his irritation. Allison had a penchant for being overly dramatic.

“I’m not in the mood, okay? I don’t have to do a goddamn thing, except run the business! I certainly don’t have to keep up appearances and socialize with people I can barely tolerate when I feel like shit! I’m not going, Allison.”

Allison’s chin jutted out. “You know, Alex, someone might be trying to do you a favor! Go to the damn benefit!”

“Alex! Allison! Josh and Cole are back! Time for dinner,” their mother called from the other room.

“Cole?” A new anxiety gripped Alex’s chest. Josh had made a grocery run for their mother, but he had no idea his brother would be at the dinner. He quickly walked into the other room to come face to face with Cole as he unloaded a grocery bag next to their mother. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you with her?” he asked angrily.

“It’s good to see you, too,” Cole shot back blandly. “Angel is fine, Alex.”

Cora looked up, confusion settling on her features. “Angel? When are we going to meet her, Alex? And why was Cole with her when she’s dating you?”

Alex ignored his mother’s question and concentrated on Cole. “I asked
why
aren’t you with her?”

Cole smirked and set the last of the groceries on the counter as Allison began to help her mother put them away. All of them took note of Alex’s agitation but only Allison and Cole understood.

“She doesn’t need babysitting, and she told me she’d have me arrested for stalking if I didn’t leave her alone.”

“No, she won’t. She’s aware of the situation.”

“Yep, and she told me to get lost. She’s agreed to let me check in with her, but that’s it.”

Alex’s face clouded in anger, and he clenched his teeth. He felt like acid was eating away at the skin of his neck and face. He’d been furious with Cole the night Angel left and still wasn’t in a forgiving mood. “
I
didn’t agree!”

“No offense, little brother, but right now, that doesn’t seem to be a factor. She just wants some space. She agreed to call me when she’s coming and going, and so far she has. I trust her. She just doesn’t want me following her around. The um…
problem
is being monitored, instead.” Cole’s eyebrow shot up and the look on his face communicated what was needed. Alex visibly relaxed. “Since the recent disownment, well—” Cole’s eyes darted to his mother to see if she was listening, “—let’s just say the situation is under control. Chill out.”

“You can’t protect her if you aren’t with her!”

“Bancroft assured me she’s not in any danger. Swanson’s
family
cut him loose, remember?”

Alex’s lungs constricted, and Allison’s hand closed around his forearm. She met his smoldering green eyes. “Go to the benefit, Alex.”

“Is this your backward way of informing me that Angel will be in attendance? If she knows I’m going, she’ll probably skip it despite her do-gooder nature.”

“She’ll be there, Alex,” Allison reassured him with a nod. “Trust me.”

Alex was already walking to Cora to place a soft kiss on her cheek. “Forgive me, Mother, but I won’t be able to stay for dinner. I’ll deal with you later,” he shot at Cole, but he was already on his way out.

Cora’s glance darted between her other two children’s faces. “Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?”

*****

“This is Angel After Dark. What would you like to talk about tonight?”

Angel’s hands trembled every time she pushed the button that connected her with a new call. She was a little stunned Alex hadn’t called or tried to see her, and she was disappointed though she’d never admit it out loud. She still held her breath until she heard the voice on the other end of every call. He wasn’t one to give up easily. However, she hadn’t heard a peep from him, not once in the month since she’d burned the contents of the folder.

Becca admonished her for not giving Alex the opportunity to explain, but Angel had been too angry and hurt to confront him the night it happened. She was doing okay and would continue to put on a brave face, as long as she could maintain enough distance. After all, how could she give advice if she couldn’t practice what she preached?

The problem was she missed him so much. The piercing pain of betrayal she felt had been replaced with an aching sadness, that seemed to be getting worse, and followed her through everything she did. She was haunted with memories; his presence lingered in so many places.

She put on a brave face, letting burning tears fall only when she was alone, sometimes in slow silence and only once in body-shaking spasms that she couldn’t control. It happened when a week had passed without one attempt from Alex to contact her, and she was forced to face the fact that there was a chance he never would. Now, he still had the power to reach in and pull her heart from her chest; she silently chastised herself for falling in love with him in the first place. She knew it would all fall apart, yet she ignored her longstanding convictions. It was difficult to counsel other women on heartbreaking situations when her heart was no less broken.