A Glimpse of the Dark Side: Adult Paranormal Erotic Romance Collection (14 page)

Dreama couldn't help but smile.

That's what she had dubbed the enormous
structure that Erick and Hollianne called home. It actually was a
castle and was very beautiful, located on one of the most amazing
property that she had ever seen.

Whenever she got a chance, she would drive out
and spend a few days there. It was so relaxing there.

Her friendship with Holli started the moment
they met each other on one of the social gatherings organized by
her sister Raven for their father's Law Firm. Erick Angell and his
beautiful fiancee were invited, and she only went because her dad
personally called her to attend. And, all right, because she knew
Simon would also be there.

Simon Draco, one of the youngest partners in the
firm and a brilliant lawyer, happened to be her friend. She knew
the party wouldn't be dull with him there.

What surprised her was when she found out he was
a personal friend to Erick Angell, one of the youngest billionaire
businessman in the country. And it was a delightful bonus that she
and Hollianne had become friends right away -- actually, as soon as
they started talking.

Holli was honest and delightfully real to the
core. It was thrilling to actually meet someone like her.

When she learned her background and how she
managed to hold on until Erick found and saved her from her dire
situation, she couldn't help but admire and respect her strength.
Holli also liked her and said so, even saying as much as that she
was like a twin sister she never had. Their friendship and
subsequent closeness just went so smoothly that it felt like it was
something that's just waiting to happen.

It was one of those things that made her feel
sad that she had never enjoyed even a minimal part of that
closeness with her own sister, Raven. But this time, being Holli's
friend also made her feel relieved that she had someone now to
really be like a sister to. She had wanted something like this for
a long time, and she was grateful that it seemed the heavens had
finally granted her prayer.

Thinking about all of it also brought a stray
thought to her mind.

She idly wondered if Simon Draco might be
joining them for dinner.

DREAMA'S HEART THUDDED just a bit harder and
beat a bit faster as she thought of the handsome Simon. But he did
not even see her as a woman. Oh, if only he did not see her as
Raven's younger sister... maybe?

Even though she knew that she would never have a
chance with him, she still couldn't help the way she felt about
him.

She sighed heavily. If she could find a man that
could even compare to someone like Simon, this wouldn't be so
difficult. Most of the times that she thought about him, her body
reacted like a teenager who was going to pass by her crush in the
corridor -- each and every time. For a woman her age, this was
really a bit aggravating. She shouldn't be feeling like this
anymore. She should have moved on a long time ago from behavior
like this -- especially after what career she had chosen to study!
One would think she would have found a way to cure this infatuation
a long time ago.

She sighed again, and this time, she also shook
her head.

At any rate, she had some things to take care of
if she was going to make it to dinner. With that, she gathered her
purse and briefcase and locked her office door.

Waving to Noah as she went out, she knew that he
had already re-scheduled those last two appointments. That's just
how efficient this man was.

Maybe it was time to give him another raise.

SIMON LOOKED ACROSS his massive desk at the
young man seated there.

He had known that he was going to help Andrew
Martin from the second they had shaken hands. That little current
that ran through him when someone was innocent had alerted him that
Andrew was, indeed, telling the truth with his version of
events.

But he had to go through the motions. Part of
being successful as a human being was to act as clueless and normal
as them. He had perfected this trick after practicing it for so
many years.

Besides, he had to hear the full story so that
he would know how to proceed and where to look for the evidence
that would clear Andrew.

"So you're saying that you were never at Ms.
Stevens' home on the evening of November 24th," Simon said. "Is
that right?"

"Yes, Mr. Draco," a very nervous but earnest
Andrew replied. "I was at home and I was passed out." He frowned.
"That's another thing -- I know I only had a couple of beers with
my buddy Jake. We were at my house watching the game. After I had
my second beer, I started to feel kind of weird, and then there was
just nothing. When I woke up, it was like 7 o'clock the next
morning, I was still lying on my couch with an afghan over me. I
guess Jake covered me with it and turned off the television before
he left, whenever that was."

"I see," Simon replied. The wheels were already
turning in his head. He had a feeling that Andrew's good "buddy"
Jake knew quite a lot about what had happened to Pamela Stevens on
that fateful night. He just needed the evidence that would prove
his hunch was right.

Pamela was Andrew's ex-girlfriend and he had
been having trouble moving on from her. He genuinely loved her,
even though the relationship had not worked out, and it had been
very painful for him to let go of her.

So the breakup had been very hard on Andrew. He
freely admitted that. He also had, admittedly, shown up at her
house on more than one occasion following the breakup in an
extremely intoxicated state, and loudly begged her to come back to
him. But he had never been threatening and had only served to
embarrass himself as well as Pamela. Sadly, she had moved on and
simply felt bad that Andrew couldn't do the same.

Yet, on the night of November 24th, someone had
broken into Pamela's house. This person had attacked her while she
slept, raped her and cold-bloodedly left her for dead. She did not
die, but she was now in a coma from which the doctors weren't sure
she would emerge.

Being the only suspect because of motive, the
police had focused their entire investigation on Andrew and would
most certainly be arresting him any day now if he couldn't prove
his innocence. But his alibi was weak. Someone who knew Andrew
personally and never believed the young man could do such a thing
had recommended Simon to him, and now they sat talking here in
Simon's office about what measures could be taken to help his
case.

"Did the police speak to Jake?" Simon asked
while making some notes on his legal pad.

"Yeah, they talked to him and he told them that
I got drunk and passed out. He said that he finished watching the
game, covered me up, turned off the television and left."

"Okay. Do you know if they checked into this
more thoroughly?"

"Actually, I don't know. They seemed so focused
on me that I don't think they looked at anyone else too
closely."

"What about the man Pamela had been seeing?
Victor Campbell?" Simon asked. "Did the police question him?"

"Yeah," Andrew sighed heavily. "It turns out
that the only thing that guy is guilty of is being an asshole. Do
you know he went to see her in the hospital, took one look at her,
and ran out of the room gagging? He hasn't been back, either from
what I understand. Can you imagine? The woman you're supposed to
love is that near death and you can't even be with her? That's
disgusting!"

"Sounds like a true man," Simon commented
dryly.

"Look, Mr. Draco, I know that I made an ass out
of myself more than once after Pam broke up with me. But it was
only because I loved her so much and I desperately wanted to get
back together with her! I would never hurt her! All I want is for
her to wake up and be okay again. Of course, she also can tell
everyone that I would never hurt her, true, but she must wake up
and be okay. That is the most important thing to me." His voice
broke and he had to pause for a moment. "Even if she never speaks
to me again, I still want her to wake up so she can have a chance
to be happy whether that's with someone else or not. I mean, the
breakup wasn't the high point of my life, but we don't hate each
other or anything like that. Do you think you can help me, Mr.
Draco?"

Simon looked at this young man who was fairly
trembling on the other side of his desk. He almost had it all
worked out as to what had happened, but there were still plenty of
blanks to fill in before he could help Andrew. But help him, he
would.

"Andrew, I'm not going to lie to you. This isn't
going to be easy especially if Pamela doesn't wake up. In fact,
right now, the fact that she's still breathing is the only reason
you haven't been arrested and charged with murder. It's definitely
in your best interest for her to wake up. Now the first thing we
need to prepare for is that the police will be arresting you soon.
Have they executed a search warrant on your home yet?"

"Yeah, and that was all kinds of fun," Andrew
replied glumly.

"Yes, I can imagine," Simon said
sympathetically. "I'll be checking into what they found, if
anything. I'm going to also check into what their interview with
Jake produced. What you need to do is be ready for the cops to show
up at your door with an arrest warrant. When they do, call me
immediately. Do not, and I can't stress this enough, answer any
questions without me there. Now do you have any assets that you can
use for bail if it becomes necessary?"

"Not really," Andrew said. "I actually don't
have any money. Working in a body shop doesn't pay quite as much as
you'd think. But I'll try to figure out something. I can't stay in
jail."

"Well, I'm sure we can work something out if the
time comes," Simon said smoothly. "Now are you sure that you
haven't left anything out? I need to know everything, even if it's
something that you feel is embarrassing or makes you look bad. Do
you understand?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Draco," Andrew nodded
emphatically. "I absolutely do understand. I wouldn't keep anything
from you. Besides, I already made an ass out of myself by going
over to Pam's drunk and obnoxious."

"If that's all they have on you, then it may be
easier than I think," Simon laughed. "You're not the only person to
ever pull a stunt like that -- believe me, I know. But let's not
assume anything either way. I'll be happy to represent you, Andrew,
and I'll get started on your case immediately."

Simon rose and so did Andrew. He came around the
desk and shook hands with the younger man, and started to walk him
to the door.

"Okay, Andrew, I'll let you know as soon as I
find out anything. In the meantime, remember to call me the second
you hear anything from the police."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Draco. Thank you so much!"

"You can thank me when I've gotten you out of
this mess. Now, try not to worry. Remember, you've got me on your
side and, even if I say so myself, I've had a quite a bit of
success in defending falsely accused people."

"I'm so happy to have you helping me, Mr. Draco.
You just don't understand how much hope you've given me."

"Well, Andrew, you keep holding on to that hope.
We'll get this sorted.

AFTER ANDREW HAD left his office, Simon closed
the door and sat down at his desk. Picking up the phone, he punched
in a number that he could have recited in his sleep and waited for
an answer.

"Hi, Simon. How's it going?"

"Oh, you know how it is, Erick. Never a dull
moment. How's Hollianne? Have you run her off yet?"

He heard Erick chuckling and Simon couldn't help
but grin. That was one of the very significant changes in his
personality since falling in love -- yes, Erick Angell, one of the
most cynical of them angels, had fallen in love. This news had
created such a noise among the Earthbound Angels. He could almost
imagine the sound they made before their wings were taken from
them. The flapping of thousands of wings could be quite...
liberating.

Well, that was what he'd thought with not just a
bit of sentiment as news about the impending wedding passed from
line to line. If the Earthbound still had wings, they would be
flapping. Like hands clapping. Quite a lot of Earthbounds had
embraced the human life and had married and raised kids of their
own. But with Erick being here on Earth longer than most and
managing to hide himself from personal human interactions in his
castle for years, one could imagine the stir it caused to watch him
"fall", no pun intended.

So, back to the beginning. Erick
wasn't
a
chuckler. It was a good experience to hear him do this now. If
someone could make Erick chuckle, then the world really wasn't such
a hopeless place.

"You know, I'm not quite sure how I got so lucky
but I'm very thankful. Now, you're still going to be my Best Man,
aren't you?" he asked.

"I wouldn't miss it, my friend," Simon said
enthusiastically before sobering and becoming serious. "Look, I've
got a favor to ask you."

"Sure thing. What's up?"

"I'VE GOT THIS new client," Simon told Erick.
"Nice young man named Andrew Martin. You might have heard about the
Pamela Stevens attack a couple of months ago?"

"Oh yeah, I did hear about that. So Andrew's
your client. Does that mean that he's innocent?"

"Yes, he had nothing to do with it but he's
about to be arrested for attempted murder and rape. I wonder if you
can get in touch with your special friend. I need all of the
information I can get."

"Of course. Give me the details and I'll put in
a call to him right now."

"Thanks, Erick. I really appreciate it."

When he had given Erick the information he
needed to pass onto his friend, Simon assured Erick that he would
see him that night for dinner before he finished the call.