ANGEL'S KISS (A Dark Angel's Novel) (7 page)

The more I thought about B the more furious I got. I mean, really, how bitchy could she be? What the hell was this meeting about? As I thought of her, my lips curled up in a small smile. Petty of me I know but, I enjoy knowing how mad it makes her when I shorten her name to just B.

After I got dressed, I checked in at the office while I sipped my coffee. Kim told me that Ottie had called in an update on the Janecks. No change. Riley had taken over surveillance late last night or early this morning, depending on your perspective.

No news is good news, I guess, but something was going on with Philip, I’d bet on it. But without proof, there’s nothing I can report to our client. I asked Kim to tell Devon I’d be in later to see what he’d found out about the activity on my old phone.

“Lexie, is there anything else I can do?” Kim asked.

“Nope, thanks, though. If you need me, you can reach Alan here at the house and he can find me. I’ve got some errands to run.” I don’t know why I didn’t just tell Kim I’d be at B’s. Something told me the fewer people who knew about this meeting, the better. Paranoid…hmm, maybe.

“Okay, I’ll check with
Devon
and I’ll have another phone for you when you get here. I’m glad you’re feeling better. See you soon.”

Breakfast with Alan was quiet. He mostly stared at me over his coffee, obviously worried that I’d freak out again. I guess I couldn’t blame him. I was worried about the same thing. What is wrong with me? I’m a level-headed person. I’m not prone to hysterics or theatrics. I know that some people attract drama like a flame attracts moths, but I’ve always avoided drama by being direct with people. Growing up surrounded by men I learned the value of straightforwardness. I consider it a virtue. Of course, not everyone agrees with me.

But something was definitely wrong. What had I gotten myself into? Had I just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or had destiny called me? Am I somehow meant to be involved with …oh, hell, I am so screwed, I don’t even know what I’m involved in.

“Honey,” Alan’s voice nudged me out of my bleak thoughts, “why don’t you take my cell phone today? I’m just planning to stay around here and do some research on the internet, so I can always use the land line if I need too. Plus, I’d feel better if you had a phone.” Alan poured another cup of coffee.

“Thanks, that’d be great. I really feel naked without my phone. Kim is getting me a loaner or something, so I can give yours back to you tonight.”

“No problem.” His expression shifted to worry and after a long pause he asked, “Will you call me if anything out of the ordinary happens?”

“Yes, Alan. It was just a dream, though, don’t worry,” I said, trying to reassure myself as much as him.

“How are you getting to the office if William is picking you up?”

“I guess I’ll have him drop me off there after the meeting with B.” Stretching to look out the front window, I could see that my car wasn’t outside. “I’ll bet Ottie had my car towed to the office so he could see if anything’s out of order. If I need a ride I’ll call you.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He stood up and took his dishes to the sink. “B sounded strange. I mean, after all this time, why do you have to meet her today? It’s odd.” He leaned against the counter, thinking.

“I was just thinking the same thing. The last few days have been bizarre, haven’t they? And now B wants to see me.” I met him at the sink with my dishes. “I’ll call you as soon as I know what’s got her in such a tizzy.” Then I leaned my head against his chest for moral support. “I love you.”

“Me too, hon. Take care of yourself today, and call that shrink from the hospital if anything strange happens. I think he should know about that dream, too.” I was saved from answering him by the sound of tires crunching over our gravel driveway. Alan wrapped me up in a hug and one fast kiss on the top of my head.

“I’ll see you later,” he said, and then made a hasty exit for his office upstairs. I watched his retreat and then grabbed his phone and headed out the door.

As I walked out to the black Mercedes limo, William got out and held the back door open for me.

“Hi, William,” I said. “You look great. What’s she feeding you?”

I was amazed—William really seemed not to have aged since I was a child. His slightly thinning hair and the few wrinkles in his brow somehow mixed and added to the air of strength about him. He couldn’t be over 5'9", but I doubt if even Ottie would fight him. His body was that of a man half his age, and he moved with the self-assured grace of an ex-Navy SEAL or a martial artist. Only as I caught his eye did I see the patience and wisdom that came with a long life.

He just nodded and bowed his head. “Thank you for noticing, Miss Alexandria.”

“Do I really have to sit in the back, William?”

“Whatever is your wish, Miss Alexandria.”

“I’ll sit up front with you.” I wanted to pick his brain, if possible, and I wouldn’t be able to see his reactions to my questions if I sat in the back of the limo.

“As you wish, Miss,” he said with a slight nod. Then he moved around the car faster than I could get to the door and opened it for me. The leather seat felt luxurious as I melted into it. B never skimps on her surroundings.

I watched William circle the front of the vehicle. I had about forty minutes to get William to open up. Not much time. William is a formally trained British butler, a tough nut to crack. I contemplated how to open the conversation as he got behind the wheel and drove down our long driveway.

“Do you miss the old place, William?” I asked, trying to break the ice.

“Miss Alexandria, I truly enjoyed my time here with your grandfather, watching your mother grow up,” he said, with a faraway look in his eye. He winked at me. “You remind me of her; you have her complexion. But I believe you have your grandmother’s tenacity.”

“What’s all this about, William? I know you know what’s going on,” I blurted. So much for beating around the bush! William looked at me for just a moment. I could tell he was thinking about how to answer. Maybe my bluntness would work in my favor for a change.

“Miss Alexandria, I’m afraid that I am not privy to exactly what your grandmother wishes to say today.”

Hmm, he didn’t say that he didn’t know what this was about; just that he didn’t know “exactly what she’d say.” I’d have to go about this a different way.

“Why couldn’t she tell me over the phone? I have a lot to do, and a visit with B isn’t helping my schedule.”

“Miss Alexandria.” He gave me a stern glance. “You know she doesn’t like to be called B. Besides, she is your grandmother. It’s natural for her to want to see her only granddaughter.” I could tell that even he didn’t believe that this was a social visit.

“Maybe. But if it’s just a social visit, why does it have to be today?”

“Your grandmother is accustomed to having things done on her time table. Please relax. We will be at Sera Haven soon.”

William turned his attention to the road, and I could tell he was done sharing. Ugh, I hate surprises. Even as a kid I would find and unwrap my Christmas presents and then wrap them back up before Christmas day.

Why would B want to see me? I barely knew her. One memory that stands out is my mother’s funeral. I was five and overwhelmed. My world had just stopped, and all I could do was cling to my father. Remembering that day even now was painful.

B had arrived with William and her entourage of body guards, of course. My father stiffened next to me, and even at that young age I could tell he was angry. After the funeral, B asked Dennis and me to stand with William because she wanted to speak with my father.

Then the two of them sparred. Their mutual hatred was evident in the way they looked at each other and in their hard gestures. I remember overhearing B say that it was my father’s selfish stupidity that had killed my mother. B had been almost screaming then, and my father just stood there and let her verbally attack him. She’d yelled that she could have protected Mom if Dad hadn’t advised her to disregard B’s warnings. How could Dad have protected my mother from a car accident? Even now as an adult the exchange made no sense.

“We’re here, Miss.” William’s gentle voice drew me out of the memory.

Pulling in at B’s home, Sera Haven, is an event. The gatehouse is bigger than my garage and staffed 24/7. She rotates her guards every few years, but some of the guys have been with B since I was little. Ex-military men, I guessed, who, I’m sure, were paid well. I often wondered if they were bored here. I mean, how much action could they see guarding one eccentric old lady?

I recognized Ben behind the glass and waved when William rolled down the tinted window. He looked delicious, as always. I’ve had a crush on him since I was fifteen, and he doesn’t disappoint as he gets older. He still has dark, lush curls, broad shoulders, and I’d bet my lunch that under his shirt was a set of beautiful washboard abs, just begging for someone to drag her fingernail across.

“Ben, you look great, I’ve got to start working out with you guys.”

“Thank you, Miss Alexandria. You look great, as well.” He winked, always the rascal. William rolled up the power window and pulled through the gate, effectively cutting off any more harmless flirting.

Sera Haven has a perfectly manicured lawn and a long drive framed by live oak trees that are as big around as my kitchen table. I’ve seen old photographs of the home I live in now looking similarly manicured to within an inch of its life. It’s hard to imagine the work that went into keeping up this place. Luckily my mother and father preferred the informality and natural beauty of indigenous plants chaotically woven together with roses and gardenias. Less formal and more of an enchanted forest look.

My grandmother’s brick home always looks cold to me, so symmetrical in design that it seems more like a huge fortress or office building than a home where people can live and grow. I had a great sense of foreboding at that moment. I was frozen in my seat, dread weighing me down. William came around and opened my door and waited. When I didn’t get out, he peeked in. Seeing what must have been a terrified look in my eyes, his face softened.

“Miss Alexandria, please do not keep your grandmother waiting.”

“Might as well get this over with,” I said under my breath as I exited the limo. William heard it and responded by taking my hand and turning me to look into my warm brown eyes.

“If I may, let me give you some advice.”

This is what I’d been waiting for. “Please, William—why am I here today?”

“That I cannot say. But keep your wits about you and listen without judgment or ridicule to everything your grandmother has to say. She means only to protect you.”

“What’s that supposed to clear up?” But William just put his hand on my back and led me through the huge black front door.

Once inside I felt like a five-year-old again; afraid to touch anything because I might break it and have to face my grandmother’s wrath. Seeing her now descending the grand staircase, I was overcome by her beauty and strength. She’s in her seventies, but she doesn’t look a day over fifty, and she moves with the natural grace of a ballerina. At first glance her petite 5'2" frame and welcoming smile might put you at ease, but one look in her cold, emerald eyes and you know she’s no one to mess with. Dressed from head to toe in silk as blue as the sky on a summer day, her dark auburn hair waving perfectly on her shoulders, she’s the epitome of elegance. She would be equally at home in a
Georgia
mansion as she would be in a
New York City
penthouse.

“
Alexandria
, it’s so good of you to indulge me with a visit today. I realize that this visit came at an inopportune moment, but I fear that our little chat is already dreadfully overdue. Please join me in the solarium,” she said, gesturing toward the back of the house. “Harriet has set out some tea and biscotti for us to enjoy.”

I felt William’s hand drop from my back as she focused her attention on him. “That will be all for now, William. I will call when I’m ready for her to leave.”

William nodded to B before leaving me alone in unfriendly territory. I felt like bolting after him.

“
Alexandria
,” B said with a stern look in her eyes, “this way, dear.” She led the way under the massive staircase through the large parlor to the solarium. Inside were fussy, ornately pruned orchids, bonsai trees, and tea roses. English ivy was one of the only free-spirited plants in the place, and even it was sculpted into large formal topiaries.

“Have a seat.” She motioned to a large grouping of wrought iron furniture. Even with the ivory cushions and pillows, I could tell the chairs would be uncomfortable, but B sat on the sofa with perfect posture. As she poured the tea from her shiny silver tea service into floral china cups she said, “I know you prefer coffee. However, tea is much better for you. Would you like sugar or cream?”

“No, thanks. Just plain.” What the hell was going on? Had my grandmother invited me over for a tea party?

“Okay, enough with the pleasantries,” I said, taking my cup from her. “Why am I here today?”

“Straight to the point. I forgot how very much like your father you are,” she said with a sigh. She took a sip of tea and then settled into her seat.