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  DARK

  The Fourth Book in the Angel Series

  Rachel Harley

  Copyright © Rachel Harley 2020

  The rights of Rachel Harley to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the Author nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  For Jenny.

  Thank you for everything…

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty One

  Twenty Two

  Twenty Three

  Twenty Four

  Twenty Five

  Twenty Six

  Twenty Seven

  Twenty Eight

  Twenty Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty One

  Thirty Two

  Thirty Three

  Thirty Four

  Thirty Five

  Thirty Six

  Thirty Seven

  Thirty Eight

  Thirty Nine

  Forty

  Forty One

  Forty Two

  Forty Three

  Forty Four

  Note from the Author

  Prologue

  The man stared deeply into the fire, seeing nothing, looking through the flickering orange flames as they licked hungrily around the logs in the enormous grate.

  He rolled the heavy cut crystal tumbler slowly between the palms of his hands, finally bringing it to his lips and taking a long sip. He placed the glass onto the occasional table beside his fireside chair, his hand trembling lightly as he put it down. He clenched his fists, trying to stop the shaking, the papery skin on the backs of his hands tightening, becoming transparent. He was looking old, older than his fifty eight years, mostly due to the shit that he was in up to his neck and he leaned back into the leather, closing his eyes wearily.

  He needed sleep, was desperate for it, but he couldn’t retire until he’d taken the phone call that he was expecting and he glanced at his watch. The bastard was late ringing, but that was deliberate. It was a blatant display of power, to remind him that he was merely a lowly pawn, destined to carry out the puppet-master’s bidding. He glanced down at the dark iPhone at the side of him, his stomach churning and he picked up the glass again, draining it of the aged single malt. He needed the alcohol, more so now than ever before in his life.

  Why the fuck had he got involved in the first place? He smiled to himself. That one was easy – money. It was always about money. Every bad decision he had made in his life had money as the root cause, the need for more of it, always more of it, he never had enough. The spiralling greed, despite him having every material thing in his life that he could ever wish for. And now? Now, because of that greed, his back was against the wall and he had no way out of the situation that he found himself in.

  He gazed around himself at the sumptuous drawing room. Big enough to hold at least thirty people comfortably, panelled in dark wood, with heavy tapestry drapes covering the floor to ceiling windows, the lighting a soft, soothing glow from the jewelled Tiffany lamps, it was his haven, his sanctuary. He spent a lot of time in here, when he wasn’t working, that was. He could reflect in here, think – but it didn’t matter how many hours he’d spent racking his brains for a way out this time, there was none. He was a rat in a trap. He knew it, and the man he was waiting to hear from also knew it. He ground his teeth, sure that the bastard was relishing this.

  A light knock turned his head, the door opening a fraction and admitting Miles, his housekeeper-cum-driver. He smiled thinly.

  ‘Can I get you anything else, sir? Before I retire for the evening?’

  ‘No.’ The man shook his head, uttering the word quietly, flatly. There was no thank you, no smile of appreciation and the inflection in it was clear to the uniformed man standing in the doorway. He nodded his head, backing out of the room and closing the door quietly behind him.

  The man glanced at his empty tumbler, debating another drink, but getting drunk wasn’t the answer, wasn’t going to solve any of his problems. Jumping when a log slipped in the large grate, emitting a shower of orange sparks, he got wearily to his feet, picking up a poker and broddling the fire gently, making the flames snap and crackle. As he went to sit back down in the chair, his phone illuminated from the table next to it and began to shriek at him.

  His belly tightened. Unknown number, so definitely him. He had no way of contacting the man who was calling him now, he’d never had. He was grateful. He never wanted to speak to the abhorrent individual ever again and his hand shook as he picked the phone up, touching it to connect the call and bringing it to his ear.

  ‘Hello.’

  ‘Have you made the necessary arrangements?’

  Swallowing hard, the man ran his left hand through his hair in agitation. ‘Look, I’ve done everything you asked for up to now, but is this really the only way? I’ve been thinking…’

  The lightly accented voice cut him off sharply. ‘Did I ask you to fucking think? I’m not interested in your thoughts, you stupid bastard. You know what I want and for your sake and that of your family, I hope that you’ve complied with my instructions.’

  The menace in the quietly spoken words was clear and the man got to his feet now, starting to pace slowly up and down in front of the open fire. He tried to gather his thoughts. He knew that reasoning with the caller was completely futile. There was no bargaining with the Devil himself and he dropped his head, his fingers kneading the bridge of his nose.

  ‘Alright. It’s as good as done. It’s going to take a few weeks though, it can’t be rushed if we’re to pull it off, you do understand that, don’t you?’ The man hated the reedy, pleading thread that he could hear in his own voice, his fear, and he knew that his adversary could hear it too, almost smell it. A dark chuckle came from the phone, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise.

  ‘Don’t take too long,’ the voice taunted lightly. ‘I’m not known for my patience.’

  ‘Trust me.’ Turning, the man snatched his empty glass from the table beside him and moved quickly over to the carved wooden bar tucked into the corner of the drawing room. Uncapping a crystal decanter, he slopped aged whiskey into his glass and took a long swallow, leaving the open bottle on the bar top as he walked back over to the fire. A quiet, malevolent laugh now.

  ‘Trust you? Nah. You’d be the last fucking person on the planet I’d trust, but you’re a reasonably intelligent man. You know how high the stakes are, exactly what you stand to lose if you fuck this up. So, don’t.’

  ‘Everything is in place. There won’t be any fuck ups.’

  A low grunt from the caller now. ‘Then get on with it. I’ll be in touch again soon, and I hope for your sake you’ve got something to tell me.’

  Swallowing the last of his huge drink, the man turned wearily and sank back down onto the fireside chair. He wanted to end the call, he needed to. Speakin
g to the man made him feel sick to his stomach, but the next words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

  ‘Look, why not just let this go? I know you’re pissed off…’

  ‘Shut the fuck up, you prick. I am way beyond pissed off, it doesn’t even come close. There’s only one thing that’s going to satisfy me and that is to see Justin Walker dead and his whole family destroyed. Just fucking do it.’ A quiet laugh. ‘By the way, I don’t want Pearl Harrison harmed. I’ve got my own plans for that sweet little bitch.’

  A disconnected tone and the man placed the iPhone back on the table next to his empty glass and resumed staring into the dying fire.

  One

  The soothing sound of softly crashing waves creeps into my unconscious mind, easing me slowly from sleep and I open my eyes, reaching out to silence my phone as it gently heralds a new day. Rolling over, my head tips to the early morning sunlight that’s streaming through the Velux windows in my attic apartment. I stretch, pushing my arms up above my head before scrubbing my hands through my long blonde hair and hauling my body from the bed. I perch on the side, picking up my iPhone as it pings with a text and illuminates from the bedside cabinet.

  Touching the text open, I grin as fireworks pop and streamers drizzle down the screen in front of me. The message reads, Happy Birthday Pearl! Get out of bed, lazybones, and downstairs, so we can celebrate with you! Xx

  Justin.

  The most wonderful man on the planet. I grin at the screen before getting to my feet, chucking the phone onto the abandoned bed behind me. A surge of happiness sweeps through me and I close my eyes briefly.

  Today is my eighteenth birthday.

  Crossing to the full-length mirror, I stand in front of it and study my reflection. I’m no longer a child, I’m officially a legal adult. For me, though, age is just a number. I never had the luxury of a happy childhood and I had to grow up fast. Taken away from my teenage mum at birth, I knew nothing but soulless children’s homes for the first fifteen years of my life, until I eventually ran from Swallowdale in blind terror, narrowly escaping the clutches of a vile child trafficking ring, headed up by a monster called Caleb McLeod.

  McLeod is dead. Sentenced to nearly thirty years for his crimes, he was found hanging in his cell one morning just over six months ago. It’s not known whether he took his own life, or if someone wiped his disgusting arse off the face of the earth, but either way, none of us care. He’s dead and gone, that’s all that matters.

  Since helping Ellen to save Justin and Regan from McLeod’s clutches, I’ve lived with them in the attic apartment of their beautiful home and from that very first day, they transformed my life into my wildest dreams. From a desperate street child, who never had anyone who gave a toss what happened to her, in the blink of an eye and overnight, I had it all. Justin and Ellen are like the parents I never had, my big brother and sister and my best friends all rolled into one but there are others, too – Dan and Holly, Jessica, Diane… I have so many people in my life who love me genuinely and I marvel every day at how lucky I am. It was actually worth living the first shitty fifteen years of my life to be where I am now.

  I shower quickly and brush my teeth, tugging on a tee-shirt and a pair of leggings. Roughly drying my long thick hair, I roll it into a messy bun. I’m eager to get downstairs to see them and I feel both a twist of excitement and apprehension at what they might’ve done to mark my eighteenth birthday. Last year was bad enough. I remember Justin frogmarching me out of the front door, his hands firmly over my eyes and the gleeful expressions on their faces when my mouth dropped open at the white convertible Mini Cooper, wrapped with a wide scarlet ribbon. I hope they haven’t gone overboard again. They’ve given me so much, too much, for me to feel entirely comfortable with lavish birthday gifts.

  I trot down the spiral staircase and then the main flight. Morning sunlight streams through the two small stained glass windows halfway up the stairs, pooling the hallway in muted rainbows and I smile again. This house, my home, is so beautiful.

  Pushing open the kitchen door I hear Justin laughing, Ellen turning as she sees me. She places the kettle back on the worktop, flicking it on and she’s over to me, gathering me in her arms and pulling me close. I bury my face into the soft dark hair that pools at her shoulders.

  ‘Happy Birthday, Pearl,’ she whispers.

  I give her a squeeze and plant a soft kiss on her cheek. ‘Thanks, Ellen.’

  She grins and turns towards Justin, holding out her arms for her son as she reaches him. Jared Daniel Dillon Walker is just over fifteen months old and really is the most gorgeous baby. Hardly surprising really, when you look at his parents.

  He has white blond hair and eyes so light blue they’re almost luminous. He hardly cries, he loves everything and everyone and we are all besotted with him. Ellen takes him and balances him on her hip as she returns to the worktop to finish the brews. She chatters to him quietly as she goes, Justin’s eyes locked on the pair of them. His wife and son are the most important people in his life.

  He suddenly smiles and turns to me, dipping his knees and he picks me up and swings me round like a four year old.

  ‘Justin! Put me down!’ I blurt but he completely ignores me, tightening his arms around me as he swings me again. I poke my fingers hard into his side and he gasps and lets me go immediately. I acquired the tip from Ellen. If you want to demolish Justin Walker, just tickle him. He can’t stand it.

  Placing me on my feet finally, Justin leans forward and kisses my forehead. His face breaks out into his knee-weakening smile and I feel a tiny throb deep in my stomach. I can’t help the faint snake of desire as I look up at him. The man is stunning at twenty five, his features even more perfect with the slight maturity.

  I sigh to myself. Although I’m a young woman and appreciate his beauty, I manage to keep any sexual thoughts about him under control most of the time. I need a bloody boyfriend, that’s what’s wrong with me. I’m an eighteen year old virgin and a bag of raging hormones. I’ve never even been properly kissed.

  ‘Happy birthday sweetheart.’ Justin ruffles my hair as he grins down at me and I peck his lips quickly.

  ‘Thanks, Jus.’ I turn to Ellen who has strapped Jared into his high chair and she slices a banana onto the plastic tray in front of him. He grabs it eagerly, stuffing it into his mouth and splattering it all over his face at the same time. He grins at me through creamy mash and I melt as I look at him.

  ‘So!’ Ellen places the knife in the dishwasher, stroking Jared’s head as she walks past him towards me. ‘What would you like to do today?’

  I shrug. It’s Saturday and I’ve got a night out planned tonight, my first as a legal adult, although I have snuck into a few pubs underage in the last six months or so. I feel a shiver of excitement at the thought of the evening ahead.

  ‘Just spending the day with you three would be great?’ I say. Justin walks towards Ellen, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, his lips brushing the top of her head.

  ‘Welllll…’ He drags the word out. ‘We’ve kind of got a bit of a surprise for you.’

  I roll my eyes and grin at him again. ‘Jus, thank you so much, but please tell me it’s not something massive?’ My voice is pleading now. Ellen’s talked to me for hours about how Justin was, when Dan first lavished every life luxury on him. His discomfort and unease at accepting expensive gifts, when he had lived for so long without nothing.

  ‘Depends what you mean by massive, Pearl,’ Justin says. ‘What I will say, though, is that Dan and his tribe have contributed.’

  Oh no.

  This definitely means it’s massive and my heart starts to knock. Jared crows at Ellen as she passes him to finish making the coffee, his face now caked in banana and Justin pulls a sheet of kitchen towel from the roll and wipes it, kissing the top of his head gently.

  ‘We’re meeting them in an hour.’ His gaze sweeps up the length of me. ‘Go and put some boots and a fleece on.’ My brow creases
in confusion.

  Why? What are we doing?

  Justin merely smiles. ‘You’ll just be comfier. Go on, get changed, Ellen’ll get His Nibbs ready. See you in the garage in ten minutes?’ I grin at him, grabbing my coffee and sipping it as I turn towards the hallway and head up the stairs to change.

  I drag on a light fleece and some hiking boots, pulling my long hair back into a ponytail. My face is flushed with excitement and my eyes dance at me in the mirror. I slide my phone into my fleece pocket but don’t bother taking a bag. Tipping the remains of my coffee down the sink in my kitchen, I hurry back down the stairs and head to the garage. Justin’s backside is hanging out of the rear seat of the AMG people carrier as he straps Jared into the baby-seat.

  Sliding in beside the little boy, he screeches with delight, grabbing my ponytail in his fist. He tugs happily as I lean over to kiss his damp chubby cheek.

  Justin and Ellen climb into the front seats, Justin touching a button on the dash and the up and over door stars to rise. He guides the SUV slowly out of the garage and down the drive, indicating and turning left at the end of the road. Ellen leans forward and keys a post-code into the Sat Nav, her own voice assaulting us all through the car’s speakers, telling Justin to bear left at the next set of lights.

  ‘Justin!’ She slaps his shoulder playfully. ‘I thought you were going to get rid of that!’ He tips a sexy smile at her, which raises the dimple in his left cheek.

  ‘Baby, if any opportunity to hear your voice presents itself, then I’m going to take it,’ he says quietly and I feel my stomach fold at the emotion in his words.

  Jesus, she’s so lucky. Will I ever find a man who will love me that much?

  The devotion between Justin and Ellen Walker knows no bounds, I have never seen love as powerful before in my life. Her eyes soften and she strokes Justin’s face gently before relaxing back into her seat.

  We drive in comfortable silence for a while, Jared chunnering away to himself and blowing raspberries. I clear my throat as our surroundings gradually change from urban to rural.