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

  Kalon had been played for a fool. The first thing he did was send Taylor a text after she avoided his many phone calls. He’d finally pieced together the secret she had been hiding from him. The text he sent her stated he knew that she was married and the daughter of the mayor, which resulted in Taylor standing in his living area an hour later, waterworks streaming from her eyes. He dismissed her with all the hurtful words he could think of. “I want you to leave, now! This is over! You are a liar! Get out!”

  Taylor ran from his loft, hopped into her Beamer, and collided with a Mustang.

  If only he could go back in time and take back those hurtful words. He would have handled the situation differently, if it meant that Taylor would not be in this dreadful place.

  Kalon stroked her arm and spoke again, “Babe, I need you to open your eyes.” Seconds ticked by and nothing happened. Then there was something … a faint squeeze of his hand. He looked down at their adjoined hands, and her fingers twitched in his palm.

  Kalon smiled. “Yeah, babe, you’re doing really good,” he whispered. “Now I need you to open your eyes.” The machine continued to beep the steady stream of her heartbeat as Kalon focused on Taylor, waiting for her to open her eyes.

  Loud voices echoed through the hallways. He couldn’t make out who they belonged to, but in a flash the voices ceased. In the next moment, the doorknob turned and Frank walked in, his stern expression holding a hint of irritation. “It’s time to go.”

  Kalon checked his watch to see if his time was up before turning his attention back to Taylor. He planted another kiss on her cheek, and whispered, “I love you, and I’ll see you soon.” Kalon kissed her forehead once more and repositioned her hand back to her side.

  Massaging the kinks out his neck, Kalon strolled to the doorway to leave. In the hallway were now three police officers, who were standing against the wall. Frank gestured toward the three men. “These officers are going to escort you off the hospital grounds.”

  Although it seemed he had only been with her for a few seconds, he wasn’t going to complain. Kalon nodded once and followed the big man out of the room, looking over his shoulder at Taylor one more time.

  He would see her again. With Mayor Briggs holding watch, and the Chief of Police in his pocket, the only thing Kalon had to figure out was how.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  As Jay arrived at Maci’s condo on the west side of Chicago, the lamp post lights clicked on, signifying dusk had set in. He had circled the block a few times to make sure the police weren’t staking out the place.

  The day Ari got married to Taylor, Jay was happy that his brother had finally found someone to spend his life with. Taylor was intelligent, witty, and owned her own company. The most interesting part was that she was the daughter of the most powerful man in Chicago, Mayor John Briggs. He had teased his brother over the years on how he was able to land such a beautiful woman from an influential family.

  Jay had rested easy at night knowing that Ari was on the right path, until he made the bonehead decision to bed Maci and conceive a child on a college getaway trip in Miami. He could still remember that panicked phone call he received from Ari. “She’s pregnant!” Ari yelled.

  “Who’s pregnant?” Jay asked.

  “Maci.”

  Jay had pleaded with Ari to tell Taylor the truth, but his little brother had to have it his way.

  “Taylor will never have to know if I play my cards right,” Ari responded.

  Jay agreed, but warned Ari that this situation could blow up in his face.

  Unfortunately, that time had come three years later, because Ari couldn’t keep his pants zipped. Instead of just providing for his daughter, he still serviced Maci from time to time between the sheets. He warned Ari for the second time that nothing good could come out of a woman who was getting her heart played with. Again, Ari continued to ignore his advice.

  Now, Maci had pushed Ari to the point of no return, and Jay was here to clean up his mess. In Jay’s eyes, Maci was a woman scorned, and Jay hated that type because it meant she was capable of anything.

  Jay parked his Jeep a few doors down, partially hidden by a group of trees clustered near the park. He stepped out onto the black asphalt and scanned the gated community. Something was off. He had spent many years in the streets, and one thing he’d learned was to pay attention to his surroundings. As he climbed the concrete steps, a slight shuffling sound made him look over his shoulder, but nothing warranted his attention. Approaching Maci’s door, he slipped on his black gloves and tried to turn the doorknob. It was locked.

  Jay pulled out a brown wallet from his back pocket and removed a credit card. He scanned the area again, his loose dreadlocks swinging with that motion, and slid it down the side of the door. He worked the credit card in the opening, jiggling the lock at the same time. The door snapped open.

  “Yes!”

  Opening the door slowly, he surveyed the area behind him once more and he was convinced the path was clear. He slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

  Something was definitely not right as Jay walked around the kitchen area. Everything was clean, spotless. The crazy thing was there wasn’t a single sign that Maci had been there through the night. No after scent of breakfast from this morning. Not even a whiff of that annoying perfume she always wore.

  The condo was classy, but moderate. However, nothing seemed out of place, and that wasn’t normal. There should be something; a newspaper on the doorstep, dishes in the washer. Everything was neat and tidy … too neat for a woman like Maci. A professional job.

  Jay opened one of the bedroom doors. He assumed this was Maci’s room by the king-sized bed sitting in the middle of the floor. With the red sheets and red curtains, it appeared to him she was into some kind of kinky stuff. He slid back her glass closet doors, finding only empty hangers hanging from the pole. He opened the dresser drawers, and they were empty, too.

  Jay ran over to Adrianne’s room and rifled through her closet and dresser. Her clothes were gone. He treaded over to the red play box stashed in the corner, and found that his three-year-old niece’s toys were missing out the container. The only thing left in the condo was the furniture and fixtures. Maci had been planning this a long time … or maybe someone had planned it for her. Maci had never been all that bright to begin with. The execution of this plan had “professional” written all over it.

  Jay did one last sweep of the place before he left the building, ran down the steps, and jumped into his car. Speeding out of the gates, he sent a quick text to Ari.

  Meet me at my place as soon as possible.

  ***

  Kalon tossed his keys on the coffee table in his loft, and poured himself a scotch from his fully-stocked bar. Gazing out his floor to ceiling windows at Navy Pier, he watched the tourists walk back and forth to the many shops and restaurants located on the well-lit boardwalk. Wrapped up in their coats and scarfs, the kids ran around in small circles amongst the scattered leaves.

  He let out a deep sigh as flashes of Taylor lying in that hospital bed entered his mind. Her speeding car skidding down the side street of Lake Shore Drive and colliding with that Mustang sent a jolt to his body. Sitting down on his sofa, he took a sip of his drink and hissed at the sudden burn in his chest.

  The argument that had sent Taylor flying out of his place replayed in his mind as well. If he could take it all back, he would. Right now, he needed to get his bearings and make a plan to get to her again. Mayor Briggs could kiss his ass. She had nothing to offer him … really? What the hell did he know? Taylor’s father was part of the reason she was so damn unhappy in the first place.

  Fingering the remote control, he switched the channels on the television; images flickered in and out, none of them interesting. Until, a news anchorwoman appeared on one of the stations.

  The blonde woman with a classically pretty face glanced down at the document on the desk in front of her. “We have some breaking news. Taylor Briggs-Gallagher, the dau
ghter of Mayor Briggs, was in a near-fatal car accident,” she announced in a solemn tone. “Let’s go live to Northwestern Hospital.”

  Mr. Fox, the family attorney, appeared on the screen at a podium placed outside the front of the hospital doors. He pointed around the scattered space of news reporters.

  “Didn’t waste any time getting that press conference together, did they?” Kalon muttered.

  He confirmed that Taylor was the person in the car accident and that right now the mayor was asking for privacy.

  Kalon threw the glass into the nearest wall, and the brown liquid ran down the side, mirroring the tears that were now sliding down Kalon’s face. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was spinning out of control.

  Strolling to the back of his loft, Kalon flopped on his king-sized bed.

  His cell phone rang, jolting him back to the present. He fished around in his jean’s pocket and looked at the screen. The number came through as restricted. He pushed the talk button.

  “Yeah.”

  “Hi, Kalon,” a female voice purred on the other end.

  Kalon’s anger instantly reached a level that was hard to contain. He removed the phone from his ear and stared at it for several moments, counting to ten along the way.

  “Patricia,” he snarled

  “It’s me, Kalon. How are you?”

  Kalon’s head started to swim in circles. The nerve of this woman to call him now; she was the reason he found out about Taylor’s lies. Either she was calling to gloat, or was a stalker with really bad timing. Hitting the end button, he threw the phone on the bed; holding a conversation with Patricia was the last thing he wanted to do. Rotating his neck upward on the pillow, he glared up at the ceiling and recalled the first day he met Patricia.

  Rolling up to the intersection of Michigan Avenue, Kalon spotted a slender-figured woman sitting in a silver Jaguar. She craned her neck around and gave him a flirty leer. Kalon picked up on the open invitation immediately and signaled for the redhead to pull over to the curb. After an hour of conversation, Patricia was ready for the next stage. Kalon put on his best smile and told the long, leggy creature to follow him to his place.

  Kalon made sure to give Patricia his red light special; he never shorted any of his women with his expertise in lovemaking. He assumed it was too much for her to handle, because Patricia kept calling after their night together. He never promised her anything, and the thought of seeing her again violated his “one-time dip” rule. She became clingy and overly available. She even miraculously appeared at his job, supermarket, and his home, which was a super hell no to arrive at his residence unannounced.

  He should had known Patricia had a bulb loose when she told him he was spending too much time in his loft with Taylor. However, Kalon pushed his qualms to the side, not realizing Patricia would play a vital part in his relationship with Taylor. The internet link she sent to his email only proved that she would stop at nothing to have him back in her life, and bed.

  He needed to focus all of his attention on Taylor right now, even though he was mad as hell at Patricia.

  The sun was descending through the shades, and the birds perched on the outside window sill were chirping. Kalon glanced over at the clock sitting on the nightstand, discovering it was just past six. He blinked his eyelids rapidly, trying to stay awake, but sleep consumed him.

  Taylor’s face hunted his dreams.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Taylor could hear him calling her name, but couldn’t see him. There were too many corners, too many hallways. She kept moving forward along the bright white tiles, her hand trailing a path on the walls as she made her way toward the sound of his voice. The more she walked, the longer the hallway became, and more corners were presented in places that they shouldn’t exist.

  Finally, she spotted him and ran toward him, but he turned down another hallway.

  “Wake up, wake up, baby.”

  Wake up? Taylor didn’t know what he could mean. She was awake, she just needed him to stay still until she reached him. Unfortunately, he kept turning corners. She tried to follow, but she could never seem to get near him. One hallway after another. One corner, and then more corners. A never ending blur of white walls and white floors. Where was she?

  “I love you!”

  Taylor had to reach him. She ran faster, almost tripping over her white gown. “Wait!” she shouted. “I love you, too.”

  Then she felt him touch her hand. Turning around, she took a deep breath.

  “Kalon!”

  She blinked her eyes once, and then several times more. The light was too bright. Someone was looming over her. His voice was vaguely familiar, and so unlike the man in her dreams.

  The grasp on her hand became tighter, as though the person did not want to let her go.

  “That’s it wake up, baby.”

  Taylor tried to focus, but the light was so bright it hurt to keep her eyes open. She had to see him. She moved her right arm and pain shot into her neck and back. Taylor winced at the sudden pain, lowering her arm back down to her side.

  “Kalon,” she mumbled, feeling a profound sense of loss when she closed her eyes again as he turned another corner and was out of reach.

  “What did you say, baby?”

  Taylor squinted. “Ari,” she said, and the disappointment she felt carried into her tone.

  “Yes, baby, it’s me. Let me get the doctor.”

  Ari ran from the room as Taylor glanced around, trying to figure out just where she had landed.

  Let me get the doctor? Pain exploded from every area of her body.

  Monitors sounded and IVs were extended from her arms into hidden places under her gown. She glanced down and found that her right leg was suspended high in the air. She tried to move, but it only caused the pain to intensify.

  She closed her eyes. Kalon had been with her at some point; she had heard his voice. How she got in the hospital was a blur.

  She recalled storming from her parent’s home, after she told them that she and Ari were separated. Ari was still on kicked-out status for his infidelity; that much she still remembered. Receiving the video tape in the mail at her job sent her body into uncontrollable shivers. The images of him having sex with his lover was something that would never leave her mind, no matter how much she tried to erase it.

  The embarrassment and shame pushed her into the arms of another man. Kalon had already been persuasive about her accompanying him to dinner; however, the words I’m married never seemed to grace her lips. The attention Kalon was giving her was flattering and a distraction to get her mind off her failing marriage. Morals and her family name was the only thing holding her back from taking Kalon up on his offer for dinner and a night cap at his home.

  Taylor’s need outweighed her good sense, and she plunged headfirst into Kalon’s bed … and now he had entered her heart. Figuring out that she needed to come clean about her marital status and who her family was had been taken away from her in a flash; someone had beat her to the punch. The last thing that floated around in her mind was standing before Kalon, trying to plead her case.

  A woman with a white coat burst into the hospital room, followed by her mother, father, and Ari, snapping her from her reverie.

  Dr. Yancy stood in the center of the room with her hands placed in the pockets of her doctor’s jacket. Shifting back and forth, she spoke, “Hi Taylor. I’m Dr. Yancy.”

  Taylor smiled dimly, and Dr. Yancy held one of Taylor’s eyelids open. “Can you follow the light?”

  Taylor nodded. Dr. Yancy flashed a silver instrument back and forth across Taylor’s pupil, the bright light making her want to shut her eyes tight.

  She took a stethoscope from around her neck and placed the round metal piece on Taylor’s chest. “I want you to breathe normally.”

  As Taylor waited patiently for the doctor to finish her examination, the only thing she could think about was what happened to Kalon. She knew for sure he had been there.

  Ar
i walked to the side of the bed and rubbed a hand through Taylor’s hair. She flinched, and it caused him to take a step back. Her father’s eyes narrowed to slits as he kept his focus on her and Ari from across the room. “Everything seems good,” Dr. Yancy said. “Of course, we’re going to run more tests. You can go home in a few days if your tests come back good.”

  Taylor smiled up at the doctor, relieved at hearing those words. Home. In a few days.

  “Do you know how you got here?” Dr. Yancy asked.

  Taylor closed her eyes, then opened them as she shook her head. “I’m not sure.” Fragments of the accident were coming back to her slowly, but she couldn’t tell the doctor while everyone was staring and listening intently.

  Dr. Yancy followed Taylor’s gaze to the crowd of silent people in the room, and understanding lit in her blue eyes. “Can everyone please wait outside? I need to prepare Taylor for more testing.”

  Tammy hurried to the side of the bed and kissed Taylor on the cheek. “We’ll be right outside.”

  Taylor nodded and glanced over at her father. He was already leaving the room, but flickered a worried glance at Ari, who tore his gaze from Taylor and followed closely behind him. The fact that her father hadn’t bothered to come to her beside was a sure sign that something was on his mind. However, the look he gave her was one that caused her heart to sink.

  She had lost a few hours of her life, but in that short time something had definitely gone wrong. The disappointment on his face proved it all. “Something is definitely not right,” she mumbled.