In the Night (Darkness Falls Book 1) Read online

  Kara had known she would get into any school of her choice, and later she knew that she had a good chance at getting a late admittance. Even if the school had limited spots. Her parents should have known that, but they were less than interested in anything she did, so they had been oblivious to her drive to get as far away from them as possible. They also chose to ignore how gifted Kara was. Therefore, they felt the need to pull strings for her at the college they had chosen. They didn’t feel there was any other way as if the school wouldn’t look at her SAT scores and IQ and the fact that she was kidnapped and brutalized and let her have a semester off.

  Before she was abducted, she had secretly rebelled and had accepted at both schools—their choice and her choice. She was trying to work up the nerve to tell them that she didn’t want their future for her. They wanted her to major in business; she wanted to major in medicine. She knew it wouldn’t matter that it was one of the best schools for the field she wanted to go into because her parents hadn’t planned on her having a career. She was to marry someone they picked out and be the proper little daughter. The degree was not to get her a job; it was to land her bragging rights and a husband.

  Too bad for them that she had different plans, and too bad for them that they had forgotten about her full scholarship. So, when the shit hit the fan, she told them to fuck off and said she was going to her school of choice. Her father had told her he would cut her off. She had told him to go to hell. And he did cut her off, so two years later, after a lot of hard work, she graduated early, number one in her class. Then she was accepted to med school. Once again, she graduated early and at the top of her class. The only person from her family who had attended her graduation was Ethan. Dr. Brenner, Dr. Chiglo, and Mr. Stanford had also attended. What did it say that the strangers who saved her were more vested in her life than her own parents?

  Ten minutes passed before Kara saw her much more modest home come into view. Sure, she could have bought something more impressive, but that wasn’t what Kara was about. She was momentarily startled to see a car in her driveway but quickly relaxed when she realized it was the realtor who had helped her find the house. She had only seen a picture of him online, so she had not recognized him at first when he climbed out of his flashy car.

  “Miss Vanderbilt, I presume? It’s so good to finally meet you,” he said, approaching her with his hand outstretched.

  “You must be Mr. Abfall. You can call me Kara.” She shook his hand, trying not to flinch at the contact. After all these years, she still had a hard time allowing a man to touch her without wanting to shy away from the contact.

  “All right, then you can call me Marshall. I think you will find this house is as beautiful as the pictures show. Here are your keys.”

  “Thank you. It’s hard to believe that I finally own my first home. After all these years of renting, it’s nice.” Kara hoped that she didn’t sound as awkward as she felt.

  She was just making polite conversation and hoping he would leave. It was hard not to notice how he had looked her up and down when she got out of the car. She assumed it was curiosity. Of course, it could have been that he was checking her out for more physical reasons, personal ladder climbing reasons, maybe, but not physical. After their first conversation, he had asked if she was any relation to Stanley Vanderbilt. She wanted to deny the lineage, but she knew it was pointless to deny he was her father. And judging by his appearance and his vehicle, he was materialistic and flashy and someone who liked to “network” to get ahead.

  “I remember those days. Well, here are your keys. Are you interested in going out for a celebratory bite of lunch?”

  “That is very kind of you to ask. But I just drove a long way and would like to settle in. Maybe some other time.”

  She hoped that she didn’t sound rude, but she really wasn’t up for lunch with someone like him. It was clear to her that he thought he was something special and she wasn’t interested in men like that. Be honest with yourself, Kara, you haven’t been interested in any man in a long time. Because you choose not to date, because you can’t get intimate.

  Judging by his body language, she knew that he didn’t take kindly to rejection. He nodded and held his hand out to shake hers one more time.

  “Well, then, I’ll be on my way,” he said curtly and spun on his heel, climbed into his car, and peeled out of her driveway.

  Temper, temper. It really was a strong reaction to a simple rejection to lunch. She shrugged her shoulders; obviously, he wasn’t used to being rejected. She turned and walked up the sidewalk to her new house.

  For the first time all day, she felt excited to be there—apprehensive, but excited. This was going to be a new chapter in her life. She had told Ethan when to expect her because she always had to have someone who knew where she was. Freedom to be spontaneous was not something she was at liberty to take for fear that something would happen and no one would know. However, she had not told Dr. Brenner or Dr. Chiglo when she was coming, and she had wanted to surprise Mr. Stanford at the assisted living home where he resided now. That was another draw to moving home, visiting the man whom she literally owed her life to. But she wasn’t expecting any other visitors; she had no one else she was close enough here to invite over. And very few people back in Baltimore where she had gone to medical school, but she did have friends, all of which were women.

  She had almost made it to the door when she remembered Samsonite. She had left him in the car so she wouldn’t startle the realtor. Sam was a large dog and very intimidating. But now that Marshall Abfall had left, Sam should really be with her to see the house. He was her only real confidante, and he would also check it out to make sure it was indeed safe. It was important that Samsonite get a feel for the house and all the surrounding property. As she turned around to go get him, she collided with a brick wall, the force with which she ran into the solid wall of muscle was enough to cause her to fly backward and fall on her butt. The landing was not graceful and was painful enough to make her wince.

  “Are you okay?” she heard a deep, male voice ask.

  5

  Kara looked up and then up some more. When she met his eyes, her breath caught in her throat. She was staring into the most beautiful, clear blue eyes she had ever seen. Deep blue like the sea, and at first glance they seemed open and honest. Even so, Kara was trained to be hesitant around almost everyone she met. Therefore, when he reached to help her up, but before he could get close to touching her, she had scrambled to her feet. She took an attack stance just in case he tried to approach her. She couldn’t help but notice the laughter in his eyes. Which aggravated her further.

  “I’m all right. Can I help you?” she stammered, her heart in her throat.

  “I should have waited in the car, but E is on a private call, and I wanted to give him some space.”

  “E? Excuse me, who are you?” Other than the most attractive man she had ever laid eyes on. All 6’ 4” of the tall, dark, and muscular man was hot as hell but also intimidating as hell. “And who the hell is E?” She looked him up and down, trying to figure out if he was a threat. Surprisingly enough, she found herself intrigued by what she saw. He really was the epitome of the romantic book cliché.

  “Kara!” Came a booming voice from behind the tall, dark stranger. “Leave my little sister alone, Montgomery! She’s too good for the likes of you!”

  Caleb was slightly frustrated. Ethan had been just about to tell Caleb why he had gotten so agitated at the crime scene and why he had insisted they go see his sister right away when his cell phone had started ringing.

  Caleb quietly got out of the car, deciding that Ethan would prefer the privacy as he argued with his latest girlfriend. Not that she was really a girlfriend, it hadn’t gotten to that point yet, and Caleb suspected that it wasn’t going to. It was hard to call someone your girlfriend when you had a hard time keeping your second date with them. And in their line of work, it was hard to get to a second date. It wasn’t getting there that was t
he hard part; it was keeping the date and not having to cancel it. While a lot of people romanticize police, it’s harder to want to be part of the lifestyle.

  So, at that moment, Ethan was cancelling a date. Which wasn’t going over well. He had to give the lady credit, though; she had tried to be understanding. But this was the fourth time they had gotten called out on a homicide case, and Ethan had had to cancel their plans. Of course, in Caleb’s opinion, Ethan didn’t try all that hard to make the dates work out. Ethan usually picked times when he knew he would get busy; it was his way of dodging a serious relationship. Caleb suspected that Ethan’s parents had done a number on him when it came to relationships.

  Therefore, Ethan had parked a little down the block so he could finish his conversation before he got out to see his sister. Not interested in hearing the nitty gritty details, and knowing he would want space if the roles were reversed, Caleb had decided he should give Ethan some space, so he climbed out of the car and had been slowly walking up the sidewalk when he saw a tiny little knockout that was having a conversation with a man that Caleb didn’t like the looks of. The jerk appeared to think he was something spectacular.

  The situation became interesting when the woman said something to upset the man, and he tore out of her driveway. Caleb decided to check out the situation to see if everything was all right and to get a closer look at the tiny little woman standing watching the man peel away.

  He was walking up the front walk and was right behind her, when she paused and turned, running smack into him, then promptly falling to the ground. Before he could react, she was up and ready to attack—which he found mildly entertaining. She looked as if she were ready to battle when she demanded to know who he was. He didn’t have a chance to answer when Ethan’s voice boomed behind him.

  “Kara! Leave my little sister alone, Montgomery! She’s too good for the likes of you!”

  Little sister? So, this was the famous baby sister that Ethan talked about with such pride, but was secretive about. Her face lit up with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, but transformed her face from beautiful to stunning. He wondered what made her look so sad.

  “Ethan, I missed you! I can’t believe I didn’t realize E was you.”

  “For such a smart girl...”

  “...I’m pretty dumb,” she finished, laughing at what was clearly an inside joke. And, boy, what a laugh. It was deep and throaty and sent a spike of warmth through him, which landed square in the groin.

  “You go in yet?”

  “No, I was just about to, and then I realized I had forgotten about Sam.”

  Caleb stood quietly to the side, assessing the situation. He knew Ethan hadn’t seen his sister in a long time and was thrilled to see her. But Caleb could see that there was a lot of tension in Ethan’s shoulders over whatever he had to tell her. Caleb could also see that Ethan’s petite knockout of a sister could sense something bad was about to happen.

  Ethan had always been very protective of his little sister, and while Caleb had seen pictures, it was obvious the picture Ethan had on his desk was quite old. This was not the little sister Ethan talked about; this was a full-grown, beautiful woman who would make any man drool. And he couldn’t help but be jealous of the man named Sam.

  “Care to give your big brother a tour?”

  “Don’t even bother pretending you came here for a tour. What’s wrong?”

  “Why don’t we go inside?”

  “Sure, but only if you wait just one second. I’ll be right back, and then you can introduce me to your friend here,” she said over her shoulder as she walked toward her car.

  The woman had an incredible body and curves that wouldn’t quit, even though she could not be more than five feet two. Her dark hair swept her shoulders, and her eyes were green, almost like a cat. She opened her car door and out lumbered a huge, furry beast of a dog. Her dog was at attention the minute his feet hit the ground, and it was clear that he wasn’t just a companion, but a full-fledged protector, as well. Caleb knew a guard dog when he saw one. Which begged the question why this spitfire needed one. In Caleb’s mind, the guard dog, along with the sad eyes and overprotective brother, added up to Kara being a victim of some crime.

  “Is this the Sam I’ve heard so much about?” Ethan asked.

  “The one and only. Now, will you please introduce your friend?”

  Okay, Sam was a dog. If Caleb would have been paying attention to anything other than her, he would have noticed no one was sitting in her car, except the behemoth of a dog. Caleb wasn’t sure which emotion he was supposed to feel, but relief over Sam being a dog was not the one he was expecting. He knew he had to tamp down the obvious attraction he was feeling for his partner’s sister and in a hurry. Being interested in your partner and best friend’s sister, one that he was overly protective of, was not a good idea. Especially if she was a victim of a violent crime. A person like that couldn’t be a fling. Someone like that would need to be able to trust whomever they became involved with.

  “This is my partner, Detective Caleb Montgomery. Caleb, this is my little sister, Kara.”

  “Nice to meet you. But I’m not so little anymore. I am quite afraid that Ethan seems to have forgotten that I’m not ten anymore. But that happens when you rarely see each other.”

  “The road goes both ways, Kara,” he said softly.

  “I know. I just…you know how I feel about being back here.”

  “Then why did you come?” he asked testily.

  “It was time.”

  “I saw a car pulling away when we got here, who was it?” Caleb blurted out, intending to change the subject that had become private. Normally, he was much more charismatic than that, and he realized too late that this question was private, and that it came off sounding borderline jealous.

  “That was the realtor.”

  “He seemed upset; any reason?” Caleb asked.

  Where in the hell had that come from? First, he asks who the guy was, and now he asks why he was upset? He regretted it as soon as Ethan looked at him with a warning look, but Kara’s eyes seemed intrigued by the question. Which meant, what? That she found him as attractive as he found her? Would it matter if she did?

  She shrugged her shoulders.

  “I’m not really sure. He asked if I wanted to go out for a celebratory lunch because this is my first home. But I told him I wanted to settle in and relax a little. I drove a long way. I would like to unpack and maybe stop by my new work.”

  “An attractive man asks you out, and you turned him down? No wonder he tore off. It’s damaging to a male’s ego to be shot down. And judging by the way the car peeled out of here, he was not pleased,” Ethan stated.

  Caleb couldn’t help but notice that Ethan sounded a little relieved that she had turned the realtor down. This peaked Caleb’s interest. Ethan always gave the impression that no one was good enough for his little sister. He understood that feeling; he felt the same way himself about his sister. But this was a little over-the-top in enthusiasm. Maybe he was happy because he had gotten the same first impression—that Mr. BMW was too absorbed in himself to take care of a woman the way she needed to be taken care of.

  “I’m sure he just was trying to be polite. Why would a guy like that ask me out? Other than to get close to Father, and that wouldn’t work, would it?” she answered, sounding very annoyed.

  “And I guess there is just no way that he was interested in you because he finds you attractive?” he asked cautiously.

  “I doubt it. There was something you came here to tell me, so enough beating around the bush and tell me already.”

  “Let’s go inside first.”

  “Fine. I will warn you, though, the place is probably a mess, and the movers got here this morning and dropped everything off.”

  The three of them walked to the entrance in silence, both men waiting patiently as Kara unlocked the door. With a subtle motion that most would have missed, Kara signaled for Sam to go in ahead of them.
Kara took a few cautious steps into the house and waited patiently until Sam returned, apparently given the all clear sign.

  “Good boy, Sam,” she said, rubbing his ears. “All right, boys, spill it. Why are you here?”

  “Why don’t we sit down?” Ethan asked. Caleb noted it was more of a demand than a suggestion. With a roll of her eyes, Kara moved to the living room and motioned to the sofa and loveseat.

  “Have at it. I, however, would prefer to stand. I have been sitting in my car for long enough, and my body is…” she paused, “…not able to sit still like that without it wreaking havoc on me. Now, enough with the cat and mouse game, damn it.”

  “Fine, be stubborn. A body was discovered in the river this morning. A young woman, twenty years old. She appears to have been raped and murdered.” Ethan winced after the words came out of his mouth, clearly regretting the way he delivered them.

  “And you’re telling me this because…?”

  “What I am about to say is confidential. Meaning it does not leave these walls.”

  Rolling her eyes, she responded, “I know what confidential means.”

  “The woman found was Senator Vincent’s daughter.” Caleb was surprised that Ethan would disclose that to his sister, but he went with the flow.

  “I’m very sorry for their loss, but I’m still waiting to see why you’re telling me this,” Kara said, her calm demeanor betrayed by the subtle tremor in her voice.

  Caleb noted that while Kara was trying to sound tough, the mere mention of this woman being found had shaken her to the core. The question was, why?

  “Kara, you know why I’m telling you.” This time Ethan spoke as if talking to a frightened child. Pausing, he sucked in a deep breath before he continued. “There are some similarities.”