Kept Secrets (Secret, Love & Betrayal Novel Book 2) Read online

  Kept Secrets

  Copyright © 2014 by Angel De` Amor

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, incidents and characters are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to business establishments and events are entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 by Angel De`Amor

  Please Visit: http://authorangeldeamor.com

  or email: [email protected]

  Dedication

  IN MEMORY OF LE’ANDREW SEALS

  Acknowledgements

  First, I will like to give thanks to God for his amazing gift of writing. Thanks to my husband and family for their support and unwavering love.

  I will like to thank you, the avid readers. I hope you enjoy the sequel to His Betrayal Her Lies as much as I’d enjoyed writing it. It’s because of you that my passion for writing continues on.

  Happy Reading!!!

  P rologue

  Taylor Gallagher’s tears blurred her vision as she sprinted from Kalon’s downtown loft. She focused on making it to her Beamer as quickly as possible. Seconds later, she was behind the wheel, cranking up the engine and ready to take off at top speed.

  She didn’t notice the yellow Mustang headed her way.

  The crown of her head hit the steering wheel, and the sting as the air bags imploded on her face was enough to bring on a new set of tears. The impact dazed her for several moments as she tried to get her bearings. Her big, brown eyes flickered to her back window to find Kalon’s long strides eating up the pavement as he ran toward the scene of the accident. She tried to stay alert, but was quickly losing the battle.

  “Call the ambulance,” a raspy voice shouted in the distance. Kalon’s face became a shadow; part of a life that once mattered, but would soon be a distant memory. Darkness was closing in on her, faster than she could push it away. Flashbacks of her life with Kalon were the only thing sweeping across her mind.

  Am I dead?

  Fluffy black smoke surrounded her space. Her body was being lifted into a cloud that felt neither welcoming nor safe. Soon the coldness spread through her body, in a type of chill that only freezing Chicago weather could bring.

  Beep--beep--beep

  The monitor perched in the corner of the ambulance, along with the hurried movements of the paramedics, was the next thing she was aware of. Taylor struggled to open her eyes to the stream of light that tried to filter its way through the darkness that had engulfed her. A blond, muscled man loomed over her, applying slight pressure to her hand. She could barely feel him, and that worried her.

  She remembered the argument with Kalon, and the impact of being hit, but how did she get into the ambulance?

  Taylor tried to recapture the moments that were missing from her memory bank, but that effort only caused a pounding in her head. Taylor tuned out the pain and the baritone voice blasting through her ear drum. “Stay with me,” the voice said.

  All she wanted to do was sleep. As if in answer, the darkness came for her again. This time, she surrendered without a fight.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Dr. Jones, you’re needed in labor and delivery,” someone announced on the paging system overhead.

  Kalon sat in a small, secluded room in the east wing of Northwestern Hospital in downtown Chicago. His heart was heavy with despair. Kalon peeled back the vertical blinds overlooking the front of the hospital, and saw news reporters setting up their cameras and microphones on the hospital steps, so he closed the white blinds quickly. Gazing through the clear glass window in the waiting room, Kalon could see the gurneys being pushed down the aisle; some of the people lying on them were hanging on for dear life. IVs were suspended from clear plastic bags hanging above poles. Doctors and nurses with blue scrubs and distressed expressions were running back and forth down the crowded white hallway. The stench of bleach filled the room as Kalon sat in the corner waiting area alone, and the cold air put a biting chill on his exposed arms and legs.

  In his lap, his bloody palms trembled as the accident played over and over in his mind. The smell of burnt rubber from tires skidding across the intersection invaded his nostrils. The sound of metal colliding—scraping, bending, and crushing—would not leave his ears. The visions of Taylor’s golden-complexion becoming a pale white bothered him. His heart rate increased as the images became more vivid, especially Taylor’s limp body being pulled from the car and the paramedics performing CPR.

  Taylor was the love of his life, and now she was in the hospital on the brink of death. The thought of being responsible for her accident made him fall from the cold steel chair onto his knees. He had never prayed before in his life, but felt compelled to do so now. He didn’t know if certain things were supposed to be said in prayer; he only knew what was in his heart.

  He closed his eyes, blocking out the people and sounds around him as he said, “I’m not sure what to call you, but I’ll call you what many say you are. The god of peace, love, forgiveness, and healing. I bow to you this day to ask for your mercy on Taylor. Please don’t take her away from me ...”

  Warm, moist tears trickled down his face, and his voice cracked on his next words. “I love her.”

  Kalon swiftly swatted at the fallen tears. Inside he was in turmoil, but on the exterior he had to show his strength and ability to be strong for Taylor.

  The door to the room swung open and Kalon, while still on his knees, turned around to see four women and three men walk in. His vision was blurry, but he was able to focus enough to recognize who they were: Mayor John Briggs and his wife, Tammy; Toni Briggs, Taylor’s younger sister, along with Libby Townsend and Pamela Jones who were Taylor’s best friends.

  Tyler Briggs, Taylor’s brother, strolled into the room looking like a male replica of Taylor. The third man, standing in the corner with his bulky arms crossed in front of his chest, was unfamiliar. They all eyed Kalon with suspicion as he slowly came to his feet, squared his broad shoulders, and puffed out his chest.

  Before Mayor Briggs could utter a single word, a dark-haired emergency room doctor hurried into the room. Slipping the surgical gloves from her slender hand, she pulled down a powder blue mask to expose a classically pretty face. “I’m Dr. Yancy, and you must be Taylor’s family.”

  “How is my daughter?” Tammy asked, moving to a space in front of her husband.

  The doctor placed her hands on her hips and sighed. “We’ve done everything we can do. She lost a lot of blood and—”

  Kalon’s blood turned to ice.

  Toni, Pam, and Libby all put their hands to their mouths to restrain their sobs.

  “Nooooo,” Tammy screamed, burying her head into her husband’s broad chest.

  The surgeon raised her voice to cut through the sudden crescendo of wails in the room. “No, no, it’s not that! She’s still alive. She lost a lot of blood, but she’s a fighter. She’s hanging in there. Right now we’re just waiting for her to wake up.”

  The family all seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

  Tammy jerked her head up, her loose curls shifting with that movement. “When will she wake up? Can we see her? What happened?”

  “Well, it’s up to Taylor when she wakes up. She’s comatose, and people in this stage might wake up right away, the next day, or even a week from now.”

  Mayor Briggs tightened his grip on his wife’s sloping shoulders.

  “You can see her two at a time,” Dr. Yancy said, sweeping a gaze across all of them.

  Tyler stepped to his mom and dad, his faced pulled into a mask of concerns. “You both go ahead. We’ll stay out here and wait.”

&n
bsp; Mayor Briggs’ bodyguard, Frank, came and stood by his side, awaiting instructions.

  Mayor Briggs placed his thick hand on Frank’s shoulder and stared him straight in the eyes. “I need you to keep the media away from this hospital until I find out what happened. Also, call my lawyer and ask him to meet me here immediately.”

  Frank nodded and rushed from the waiting room.

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Tammy asked again, trying unsuccessfully to wipe away the never-ending flow of tears.

  Dr. Yancy locked gazes with Kalon. “You might want to ask that young man over there.” She gestured to where he now stood in the corner of the room.

  Six pairs of eyes shifted to Kalon.

  “And who are you?” Mayor Briggs asked, his eyes narrowing on Kalon as he shifted on the bright white tiles.

  Kalon straightened his wrinkled shirt as much as he could, trying to swallow the lump in his throat before he answered, “I’m Kalon Knight. I’m the man who’s in love with your daughter.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Maci’s eyes rolled to the back of her head as she clawed and hissed to be released. Spit bubbles formed on the side of her mouth as her neck jerked back and forth, but Ari’s hands held on like a vice grip. Then reality hit him. He was actually killing someone!

  But it wasn’t him; it couldn’t be him. It was as though he was standing outside of himself, watching as someone who looked like him carried out a terrible act. He would never kill anyone … could never kill anyone, especially the woman who was the mother of his daughter. No matter how crazy she might be.

  Ari’s eyes flew open. He awoke in a dark room, no light filtering through the Roman shade covering the window. He tried to sit up, but fell back onto the pillow as a massive headache exploded in his brain. The headache and the darkness made the room seem familiar at first. He rubbed his eyes to regain his vision. The black dresser with chrome handles and the sixty-two inch television mounted on the wall were part of the bedroom furnishings he had given Taylor last year for her birthday.

  I’m at home. How did I get here?

  Massaging his temples, he rolled over onto the side of the bed and sat up slowly. He thought for sure that the darkness meant he had woken up in prison for murder, or at least in an interrogation room surrounded by police officers and detectives who were asking him what his motive was for killing Maci.

  Maci?

  “Where is Maci?” However, the empty room didn’t provide any real answers.

  The last thing he remembered was getting off the phone with Taylor, who had explained that a video arrived at her office of him having sex with Maci. The next thing he knew, he was beating down Maci’s door and backing her up against the kitchen counter, his hand wrapped around her slender neck. Finally, he remembered being knocked upside the head.

  So many questions started to formulate in his mind. Unfortunately, he had no way of answering.

  Pulling his iPhone from the side pocket of his black jacket, he scrolled through his directory, clicking on the only person who he thought could help him. He blew out a frustrated breath when his brother picked up the line.

  “Hey, Jay. I’m in some deep shit. I need your help now.”

  * * *

  Ari swiped a cold beer from the fridge, leaned against the kitchen counter, and took a long swig. Staring out into the open living area, he tried to recall his first encounter with Maci. After his parents had died in a fatal car accident, Ari’s frat buddies decided to take him on a trip to Miami to clear his mind. They partied and drank every night; Ari tried to drink away his pain. Even though his girlfriend—now his wife—Taylor, was there to ease his cries at night, he was angry that she still had both of her parents.

  One night in South Beach, his friends had left him at a local bar and retreated to their rooms with women. Ari was on his eighth beer when a slim, golden-complexioned woman approached him. “Is this seat taken?” she asked.

  That was the beginning of his troubles with Maci. They spent the night together having sinfully good sex, and by morning she was gone. Ari returned to school, mentally blocking any existence of Maci from his mind. Until he received that fatal call six-weeks later stating that she was pregnant.

  Taking full responsibility of his daughter with Maci, he decided to keep Taylor out the loop. He had it all under control, until Maci wanted to become the number one woman in his life. Maci sought out Taylor, making her aware of her presence and the role she played in Ari’s life as the mother of his daughter.

  He closed his dark brown eyes to try and get a handle on their past moments together. The doorbell chimed, snapping him back to the present trouble.

  Ari strolled the few steps to the front door, and opened it to find his brother on the other side—wearing a red pull-over sweater, baggy black jeans, and a red Bulls hat, on his 6’4” frame, which was normal for him. What wasn’t normal was the bewildered look on his face.

  “What’s up, bro?” Jay asked as they tapped fists before embracing each other.

  “Come on in.” Ari stepped aside and Jay made his way into the living room. Jay’s eagle-eyed gaze swept across the room, taking in the closed shutters, the dim lighting, and the tossed pillows thrown around the couch as though trying to size up what the situation could be.

  Ari closed the door, and quickly took a seat on the recliner—his stress reliever. He tried to find his normal range of comfort between the soft folds of the cushion as Jay grabbed a beer from the fridge.

  “Man, what’s up now? You sound like you were panicking over the phone,” Jay asked, while smoothing the dreadlocks, which had fallen into his face, behind his ear.

  Ari rubbed his hand down the stubble on the side of face, and brushed a hand through his wavy hair. “Man, you wouldn’t believe the last twenty-four hours I just had.”

  Jay took a seat on the sofa across from Ari. “What happened?”

  “I went over to Maci’s house after Taylor told me about a videotape somebody mailed to her.”

  “Videotape?”

  Ari nodded. “Me and Maci having sex.”

  “Are you crazy, fool?” Jay snapped, pure disgust oozing from his tone. “I told you to leave that girl alone.”

  Ari stood and held up his hand to stop anything else that Jay was going to say. “Hold up, bro! I stopped screwing Maci a while ago. I don’t know how the hell she got that tape. However, you haven’t heard the worst part.”

  Ari began to pace a path in front of his widescreen television. Jay tipped the can, allowing the beer to slide down his throat.

  “I went to the house and started to choke her ass out.”

  The can slipped from his brother’s hand, the brown liquid staining the white carpet.

  Jay sprinted to the kitchen and snatched a towel off the sink. After he wiped the spilled residue from his pants, he walked back to the living room and placed the towel over the growing stain in the carpet. His chest heaved with the effort it took to control his thoughts. Glancing up from the floor, he asked, “You did what?”

  Ari paced back and forth. “Man, I choked her.” Ari stopped and turned in Jay’s direction. “I think I killed her. Someone came into the apartment and knocked me upside the head. Next thing I knew, someone said she wasn’t breathing and I must’ve passed out afterwards. Because I woke up here,” Ari pointed to the door leading to his master room, “in my bed.”

  Jay’s jaw dropped as he took in all of Ari’s words, and he slowly rose from the floor, abandoning all attempts to clean up his mess. He trudged to the sofa, flopped his beefy body among the cushions, and rested his head in his hand, closing his eyes. “Man, where is Maci?” Jay asked through taut lips.

  Ari looked at his brother from across the room, unable to keep the distress from his voice as he answered, “That’s what I’m trying to tell you, bro. I don’t know where she is or if she’s alive.” Ari rubbed his temple. “And most importantly, I don’t even know where the hell my daughter is.”

  Ari took another sw
ig of his beer and sat it down on the coffee table, standing to gaze out the kitchen window.

  Jay came to stand next to Ari, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We need to get to Maci’s place right now. Get yourself together.”

  Ari’s head snapped to his brother. “Why? I’m not going back to that place. For all I know the police could be there waiting to lock me up.”

  “Man, if the police was after your ass they’d already be here. Obviously, nobody knows yet. We need to get in there, destroy any evidence of you ever being there, and get the hell out. We’ll figure everything else out later.”

  Ari felt a moment of panic. He had never been the gangster type, and the shit Jay was talking about could get them both time in prison for tampering with a crime scene. Jaycade, known as Jay on the streets, knew how to make shit disappear—people and places. Jay used to be the leader of a gang and had many street connections.

  Ari had chosen a different path in life because Jay made sure of it. So Ari became a pilot. His brother had been out of the gang for a few years now, and Ari hated to drag him into his mess. Jay would break any law, street code, or person to make sure his baby brother didn’t go down for this.

  “Man, that’s okay,” Ari said. “I got into this, and I’ll get myself out of it.”

  Jay opened the front door.

  “Hell naw, Ari, you my little brother. One thing I promised myself after Mom and Dad died was that I’d take care of you until the day I die. If anybody’s going down for this, it’s me.”

  Ari parted his lips to speak, but at the same time the home phone began to ring.

  Jay snapped his fingers to get his little brother’s attention. “Hey, Ari! Man, let’s go, we’ve already wasted too much time.”