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“Nope and if he had, I wouldn’t have given it to him. He was a stranger, a very tall, dark, and handsome stranger with the sexiest voice I’ve ever heard.” In trying to draw her back to the playful side that I was used to, it shocked me that she continued to stare at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“He’s a predator, Raven. I know you’re from DC, far enough away from his reign of terror, but your father should have told you about him.”
“Talking shop isn’t allowed in my household or on the phone. My mother’s orders.”
Paisley bit her lip and looked away. “Well, his entire family is bad news. I’ll just leave it at that.”
“Do you have any idea what tragedy happened to him years ago or who Zoe is?”
She cocked her head, a scowl appearing on her face. “I don’t keep up with his life but it’s apparent that you do. Stop. I’m just going to tell you to stop. I care about you, girl. He’s supposedly killed like twenty people or something. Why he’s not in prison, I don’t know. Ask your father about him.”
“You know my dad. He refuses to talk about anything he’s working on. He’s more secretive than a special agent.” Which was the truth. I knew it had been to protect my sister and me from the horrors of the world when we were younger, but I was an adult. I could handle hearing about vicious criminals. Then again, my father was extremely secretive, never talking about his life in general, including his past.
“Yeah, I know what you’ve told me, but this is different. Why did those stupid girls take you to that house? There must be a reason.”
That was a good point. Maybe I’d ask Megan if she had any idea. Of course she did. Maybe she’d simply selected the most notorious criminal in close proximity. Given the open party, it had been easy for me to get inside. Maybe I was reading too much into it. “I don’t know but I’m not going to worry about it.”
“Just do me a favor,” Paisley said in her over the top concerned voice. “Stay away from him. I even heard that he killed an informant recently. The man is hyper dangerous. Unfortunately, they can’t pin the vicious crime on him because the body disappeared.”
“What? What are you talking about? Where do you get these things?” Icy fingers gripped my spine, ripping at it, trying to get to my insides. Was it possible the passionate man could do something so reprehensible? Oh, this was a terrible predicament to be in. I’d made a deal with the devil and at some point, he would come to collect.
“It was all over the news today when I was at the commons with Jason. Some guy supposedly worked undercover for Mr. Arrogance himself had disappeared. Some reporter got a scoop, which isn’t what the DEA wanted. It’s a big deal. My guess is the reporter might get fired over this. All kinds of stink are being raised and the DEA has no comment. That usually means they’re hiding something.” She flicked her fingers through her hair, in her dramatic way. I’d learned I had to take her stories with a grain of salt.
“Whoa. Hold on. Tell me exactly what you heard. Don’t embellish.”
She shrugged and moved toward the computer, shifting away from the page I was looking at. “Fine. Some guy named Grayson Alexander supposedly disappeared from the face of the earth. He worked undercover for the DEA, although this reporter couldn’t get a confirmation on it. No one can confirm he worked for Arman Thibodeaux either, but there’s a huge investigation. A big mess. Somebody provided the reporter with classified information. Supposedly.”
“They found a body?” I wasn’t certain I wanted to know the answer. My mouth was suddenly dry, the world around me spinning out of control. I should have gone to the police. I should have tried to save the man’s life.
“That’s just it. They haven’t, at least according to the report. There’s no sign of him or any struggle or anything where he lived. But it’s too coincidental. That’s why I’m telling you to stay away from the man. Arman has too much power and influence, the New Orleans police chief in his back pocket. If he wants someone to disappear, they will. I don’t want it to be you the next time.”
Jesus. This was crazy. I’d dropped into the middle of a nightmare.
I sucked in my breath and held it for a few seconds. How I managed to keep the smile on my face although a knot of fear slipped into my stomach I would never know. There was no chance I’d heard the wrong name when stuck inside Arman’s closet. None. I’d memorized it, the syllables leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I’d thought of it, had dreamt about what I’d overheard a half dozen times, waking up in a cold sweat. I’d considered talking with my father, but knew he’d drag me out of college, insisting my safety had been compromised.
Maybe I needed to figure out a way to tell my father without saying anything. Right now, it was time for damage control, or my bestie just might take matters into her own hands. If she contacted my father or something worse, all hell would break loose.
Somehow, I also had a feeling if Arman learned she’d been told anything, she’d be the one to conveniently disappear. Oh, this was bad, so very bad.
“Stop worrying, baby girl,” I teased then gave her a look that always made her laugh. “I was curious about the stranger who’d kissed me under the stars. Nothing more. I have zero intentions of talking with him and New Orleans is far enough away, I won’t run into the dangerous man on the street.”
“You better not be lying to me.” She pointed her index finger at me, wagging it back and forth.
“Moi, lie? Never.” We both laughed but the trickle of terror remained. Was it possible? I knew the answer. Maybe I could have saved the man’s life had I gone to the police. Or maybe I’d be a crispy corpse six feet under by now.
“Okay. Good. I don’t want anything to happen to my… maid of honor? Please tell me you’ll accept. I don’t want anyone else.”
It took me a few seconds to realize what she’d just said. Then I jumped to my feet, holding the wineglass out before I spilled it all over me, managing to get it to the small table we used for almost everything. Then I rushed toward her again. “Of course, I’ll accept. I’m honored.”
We hugged again and she returned to her bubbly self. “Thank goodness. One task off my list. Now, let’s party. Neither one of us has a class tomorrow. We might as well have a little fun. Let me turn on the music.”
I spun in a full circle, swaying my hips even in the silence, allowing myself to be happy for her. Then I glanced out the window after grabbing my wine.
That’s when I knew for certain I was being watched. As if the time for making good on his… promise was near. He stood across the street from the dorm, standing under a light. And he was staring at me. While I couldn’t see a face or make out anything about the man, I knew it for certain.
I slunk away, pressing my fingers across my mouth. Then I realized instead of feeling icy fingers crawling down my spine, I felt heated ones. The realization was more terrifying than the actuality.
The stranger with the deep voice, the dark angel who’d awakened something blissfully sinful within had captured more than just my obedience with his threat.
