Part 2 (1/2)

I guessed he meant he was going into the office tomorrow. ”Okay,” I started.

”Do you want to come by later? We can get a movie, relax, try to put all of this behind us?”

I wanted to desperately, but I knew I shouldn't. I shook my head and didn't miss the disappointment in his eyes. ”I'm just a little overwhelmed at the moment with everything that's happened,” I said softly. ”I feel like I need some alone time. That and I need to pick up my dog.”

Knight nodded and started toward me, grasping each of my shoulders in his large hands. ”Okay, I understand. If you want company, you know who to call.” Then he bent down and kissed me on the lips while my heart broke.

Three.

When I opened my front door, my eyes fell on a manila package lying on my doormat. Sighing deeply as I figured the package couldn't contain anything good (I mean, I hadn't ordered anything so it wasn't like I was expecting it), I leaned down and picked it up. Not only was there no return address, but there was no address, period. It had just been left blank. Yep, this was definitely something ominous but I tore open the seal, all the same. Inside I found a white piece of paper folded in half. I opened it and read: D, This is for when I need to get in touch with you. More later.

Quillan hadn't signed his name, but he didn't have to-I knew his handwriting as well as my own. I further searched inside the package and retrieved a cell phone. It wasn't anything high-tech or sporty. It just looked like a run-of-the-mill, old school cell phone. I had to imagine it was pre-paid and therefore untraceable. So now I really was on call for my father, twenty four/seven.

Great. Just great.

Jamming the phone into my purse, I plodded toward my only means of transportation, my motorcycle, a Suzuki DL 650. Well, that wasn't totally true. Recently, Knight had gifted me with a much faster and nicer motorcycle, but I couldn't bring myself to ride it. Not now after everything that had happened, and not knowing what I still had to do. I threw on my helmet, hopped on the bike, and headed for ANC headquarters where I knew I'd find Knight.

It took me maybe fifteen minutes to get there-I hadn't allowed for traffic. Once I pulled up to the white, nondescript building, I felt my heart start thudding in my chest as I realized the weight of what I was about to attempt-I was going to beg for my job back. Having been retired as an ANC regulator for a few months, I'd been helping Knight out with cases whenever he needed an extra hand. Now I needed to be much more than that. I needed to be reinstated as a Regulator, in the employ of Splendor ANC, per my father's orders. And even though I'd always loved my job, now I was coming back to it for all the wrong reasons.

I parked the bike and took off my helmet, tucking it under my arm as I started for the double doors. Opening them, I waved to Elsie, the receptionist, who looked surprised to see me.

”Hi, Dulce!” she called out pleasantly, standing up, as if to get a better look at me.

I smiled and placed my helmet on the counter. ”Hi, Elsie, I'm here to see Knight. Can you ask him if he can spare a few minutes?”

”Sure thing,” she said with a smile and speed-dialed him, announcing my arrival. I could hear him on the line telling her to send me in immediately. He sounded as surprised as Elsie had been when I walked through the doors. She hung up and motioned down the hallway. ”He's all yours.” She swallowed and then another sweet smile claimed her lips again. ”It's really good to see you again, Dulcie.”

”Thanks, Elsie, and good to see you too,” I said as I hauled my helmet back under my arm and started the trek down the hallway. I waved to my old coworkers as I pa.s.sed their offices. Reaching my old desk, I noticed it was empty but Trey was still sitting at his desk, which was just across from mine. Some things hadn't changed.

”Yo, Dulce,” he said in a nasally sort of voice. Then he held up one finger as if to say ”give me a minute”. He scrunched his eyes together and lifted his head, inhaling three short breaths as if he were wrestling with a sneeze. Eventually the sneeze won and exploded out of his mouth in a brash display of spit. Trey DNA bathed everything within a two-foot radius around him. Thank Hades I was standing a good four feet away. Afterward, he reached for a wadded-up and wet looking napkin from his pocket and blew his nose, something which sounded like a duck with whooping cough.

”Whatcha doin' here?” he asked finally, once he'd regained his respiration.

”I came to see Knight,” I said simply. ”Sorry I didn't come by last night to get Blue.” Blue was my dog-a yellow Labrador and as I mentioned earlier, Trey had been dog sitting for me during my sojourn to the Netherworld.

He shook his head, the vibration of which ricocheted all the way to his enormous belly which wrapped around him like an overstretched water balloon. ”Nah, it's cool. He's been real good.” Then he paused for a second or two before glancing up at me with cow eyes. His four chins made him look like a male orangutan. ”Hey, do you mind if I keep him another night? We're really just gettin' ta know each other, and on my lunch break, I went to the store and got him some steak bones. We're gonna have us a party tonight!” Then he smiled broadly and I could see the eagerness in his eyes.

Poor Trey needed to get a dog because a girlfriend was pretty much out of the question. But, girlfriend or dog, either way, it was obvious he was lonely. I just smiled and nodded, trying not to remind myself that I was now just as lonely. Nope, I would not, under any circ.u.mstances, feel sorry for myself.

”Thanks, Dulce, thanks a whole lot,” Trey said, beaming at me. I was spared from further small talk when Knight popped his head out from behind his office door and cleared his throat.

”Dulce,” he said, with warm surprise, even as he raked me from head to toe, smiling appreciatively. Knight loved nothing more than seeing me in my bike leathers.

”Hi,” I said with a smile as I tried to ignore how freaking beautiful he was. How I'd managed to hold out so long where Knight and s.e.x were concerned, I had no clue. Maybe it was my incredible sense of fort.i.tude, or more so, my incredible sense of idiocy.

”What brings you here?” the s.e.x G.o.d asked.

I didn't answer but, instead, quickly darted into his office, establis.h.i.+ng the fact that I didn't want an audience. As soon as I walked into his office, I noticed the panoramic picture window that captured the beauty of Splendor Park with its poppies in full, spectacular orange and yellow blooms. Somehow the vista evoked a sense of wistfulness that suddenly started was.h.i.+ng over me. This same office had once been Quillan's. That was before I'd caught him double dealing. His actions had gotten him kicked out of the ANC, only to return to my father in the Netherworld. I imagined that must've been a tough conversation between Quillan and my father since Melchior was pretty serious about having a touch point in the ANC.

Knight closed the door behind him as I seated myself in one of the two visitor's chairs across from his large oak desk. He took his chair and reclined backwards in it, studying me curiously.

”I hope I'm not interrupting,” I started as I gulped down the sudden sense of foreboding that flooded me. I'd rehea.r.s.ed this scene over and over in my head until it was as regular as clockwork. But now that I was actually here, I wasn't sure I could go through with it. 'Course there was no abandoning s.h.i.+p now.

”You aren't interrupting,” he answered quickly, furtively. ”What can I do for you?”

”I, uh, I'm here to ask for my job back,” I said shamefully, suddenly wanting to cut right to the chase. But I was nervous, which was evidenced by the bouncing of my leg.

Knight studied me for a few seconds, rocking back and forth in his recliner chair, and then stopped rocking. He leaned forward with his elbows on his desk and I wondered if maybe it was going to be harder to get my job back than I'd expected.

”It's yours. It's never been anyone else's.”

I heaved a sigh of relief and only then realized I'd been holding my breath. ”Thank you,” I began but he interrupted me as he resumed his idle rocking.

”What brings you back? I thought you liked your retirement?” He propped his large feet up on his desk, crossing them at the ankles as he smiled at me and my stomach flip-flopped.

”Um, I need the money.” I said the first thing that came to mind and was thrilled with my answer. Knight was well aware that I was typically barely sc.r.a.ping by in the finance department, so this response had the ring of truth. Yes, my career as a lying sack of s.h.i.+t was off to a good start. Yay me.

He nodded and removed his feet from the table, facing me squarely. ”I'm glad to have you back, Dulce, very glad.”

”I'm glad to be back.”

He nodded again, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere, his attention riveted on his fingers as he pressed them against one another. It seemed we were both fidgeting. ”I've been thinking more about my release,” he started and his words turned my stomach over, the acid rising up my esophagus. ”I still don't know what to make of it.” I just nodded and tried to appear ill-informed. ”I actually talked to Caressa about it this morning,” he continued.

I gulped down the frog that was climbing up my throat as well as the suffocating urge to scream out ”f.u.c.k!” at the top of my lungs. ”Oh,” I said feebly, going from sounding merely ill-informed to just plain stupid.

”I asked her about your release and how it came about.” He shrugged as if whatever he was discussing was commonplace and uninteresting; but I knew there was method to his madness. He was testing me.

The frog came back up my throat and I nearly choked on it. I thought I was going to vomit. ”Oh,” I said again, that apparently being the only word that existed in my vocabulary at the moment.

Knight glanced at his steepled fingers again. ”And, funny thing, but she said she never actually escorted you to the portal at all.” I gulped so hard I was afraid I'd swallowed my tongue. ”She said she had nothing to do with your release whatsoever.”

I felt the breath catch in my throat and worried I might wet myself as I watched him raise his eyebrows, awaiting my response. I should have known better. While I was in the Netherworld, Caressa arrived to escort me from High Prison to the portal which would take me back to Splendor. I, however, talked her into letting me escape, promising to do my best to obtain Knight's release. Caressa latched onto the idea immediately, not wanting to see her friend suffer for something he hadn't done. But when it came down to it, Caressa said it would've looked too suspicious if she released me. Instead, she thought of the alibi that I overpowered her and got away. We even added some actual facial blows to solidify the story.

Apparently Caressa had realized it wouldn't behoove either of us if she told Knight the truth so obviously she hadn't. Add to that the faux pas I'd just made when I told Knight that Caressa had taken me to the portal and I was well on my way to weaving a web of deceit and apparently not doing a very good job of it. But d.a.m.n me for not touching base with Caressa before Knight got the chance.

”Hmm,” I started (thank Hades I didn't say ”oh”). Racking my brain for something non-incriminating to say, I came up with a big, blank slate. Double d.a.m.n me!

”Strange?” Knight queried, arching a brow in my direction. ”I could have sworn you said she escorted you to the portal ... personally?”

I felt my heart drop to the floor and shatter into a million pieces before forcing myself to pick up the pieces and face the music. I had to come up with a plausible excuse and, harder still, I had to own it-for Knight's sake. ”Um, yeah, well I sort of forgot to mention that I got away first,” I said, sounding ashamed and embarra.s.sed.

”And what happened then?”