The Alpha's Search (The Craven Trilogy, #1) (2 page)

There was no point in getting to Destiny much before ten o' clock; the place didn't really get going until eleven. Alison insisted we '
prime the stove'
by polishing off a half bottle of Vodka before we left the flat. I was already dreading the next morning—it might be my turn to call in sick.

Thursday was the busiest weekday at Destiny. There were always a few hen and stag parties to boost the numbers. Alison had downed more of the Vodka than I had, so by the time we arrived at the club, she was already a shade past 'merry'.

“Let's dance!” Alison didn't wait for my reply. Instead, she dragged me onto the dance floor. The music—if you could call it that—was deafening. Not my kind of thing at all, but I followed Alison's lead, and hoped I didn't look too out of place.

“I need a drink.” I had to shout to make myself heard. “Do you want another?”

We'd been
dancing
for ages, and I was all but done in. Alison showed no sign of flagging. I took her non-response as a 'no'. I don't think she even noticed me walk away. She was too focused on a tall, blonde guy who'd been standing at the edge of the dance floor.

“Coke, please,” I said when I eventually caught the bartender's eye.

“Anything with it?”

“Plenty of ice.”

“Four pound, seventy five please.”

“For a Coke?”

“And ice.”

“Oh yeah. Of course. I forgot about the ice.” I handed over the cash and stomped away from the bar. Nearly five quid for a bloody Coke? Robbing bastards.

The place was packed, and there were no seats to be had, so I leaned against a pillar. I wanted to do was go home. Maybe if Alison got lucky with the tall, blond guy, I could sneak away.

I took an ice cube from my glass and touched it to my forehead. Alison was even closer to her prey now. It was looking promising—he was smiling at her. A few more minutes, and I'd be able to escape this hell hole.

Wait!

It couldn't be. I looked again at the man standing over the other side of the dance floor. He had the same Jet black hair as the mysterious guy from the shop. It couldn't be—could it? It was difficult to be sure from that distance. I moved a little closer in order to get a better view. It was him! It was definitely the man from the shop—the man who'd appeared out of nowhere and then disappeared without a word. Was he following me? I took another sip of Coke. Of course he wasn't. I was just being stupid. To say nothing of paranoid. Why would he be following me? There were only three decent clubs in town, so it wasn't such a surprise that he might be in Destiny too.

Alison was dancing with tall, blond guy now. When I looked back towards mysterious guy, he’d disappeared—again! What was it with him?

I managed to catch Alison's eye, and indicated I was leaving. She smiled and gave me the thumb's up. I hoped her new friend had his own place. I didn't fancy the idea of having to listen to Alison keep her promise to fuck his brains out.

“Hello again,” a vaguely familiar voice said.

I jumped so much that I almost spilled what was left of my drink.

“Sorry. I seem to keep making you jump,” the man with Jet black hair said. “It's Jackie isn't it?”

“Oh? Hello again.”

“I'm sorry I had to shoot off this afternoon. I had an urgent phone call.”

“That's okay.” I took a step back. “I'm just about to leave.”

“Shame. Can't I persuade you to have one last drink? My treat.”

“Thanks, but no. I have to go.”

I didn't give him the chance to object. I edged past him, collected my coat, and made my way out.

“Fan—bloody—tastic!” There wasn't a single taxi in the rank just outside the club. Another one would probably turn up at any minute, but I didn't want to hang around near the door in case my stalker decided to follow me outside. The streets were wet, but the rain had stopped. There were always plenty of taxis in the town's main square. If I took the side street which ran alongside the club, I could be there in a couple of minutes. But then, maybe that wasn't such a good idea in the dark. I glanced back through the glass doors. In the foyer, I saw his Jet black hair. He was headed for the exit. That made my mind up. I took a left, and then another left. In the distance I could see the lights of the town square. The side street seemed much narrower than it did in the day time. My heels weren't designed for running, but I hurried as fast as I could. A quick glance over my shoulder reassured me that he wasn't following me.

“Hello sexy. Where are you off to?”

I didn't see the two men until they stepped out in front of me.  They must have been standing behind the large industrial bins. Both men were smoking. Destiny gave out '
smoke-break
' passes to its customers. We were opposite a fire exit above which was a single, illuminated bulb.

I didn't reply. Instead, I took a step to the side so I could get past them. The taller of the two mirrored my movement in order to block my way.

“What's your hurry sexy?” the shorter guy said.

“My boyfriend's waiting for me in the square,” I lied.

“He can't be much of a boyfriend if he leaves you to walk down here all by yourself.”

I moved to the side again. He did the same. I tried to push past them, but the tall one grabbed me by the shoulders.

“Let me go!” I screamed.

“No need to shout! We just want a little fun. Don't we Alfie?”

“Yeah.”

“Please, let me go.”

“You know you want it.” The tall guy pushed me against the bin. His hand was pressed against my breast.

“Let her go!”

The voice took all three of us by surprise. Tall guy took his hand off my breast, but still held me by the arm. Although I could see only his silhouette, I recognised the voice of the man who had spoken to me in the club. The man from the shop. The man with Jet black hair. My stalker.

“Why don't you fuck off?” tall guy said.

“Yeah. Fuck off!” Alfie said.

I heard a metallic sound and saw something glisten in Alfie's hand. It was a knife.

“I'll ask you one more time,” my stalker said.

“Fuck off!” Alfie slashed out with the blade.

Everything after that was a blur. The next thing I remember was when I heard his words.

“Are you okay?”

It took me a few moments to get my bearings. We were in a taxi. My stalker (or was he my rescuer) was sitting opposite me.

“What happened?” I asked.

“You must have fainted.”

“What about those two guys?”

“They decided to leave.”

I glanced out of the taxi window.

“Where are we going?”

“I'm taking you home. At least, I would if I knew where you lived.”

“No. That's okay.”

“I insist.”

“No! Driver! Pull over here would you?”

“You sure?” The driver looked confused.

“Yes. Just here please.”

He dropped me outside the town hall—an area which was busy and well lit. I soon found another taxi and asked the driver to take me home.

*********

I
hadn't expected to see Alison the next morning, but she was in the kitchen nursing one hell of a hangover.

“Hi,” she managed. Her eyes were barely open.

“What happened to your new boyfriend?” I asked. “I didn't think you'd be here this morning.”

“The bastard was married.”

“Didn't you spot his ring?”

“He wasn't wearing one. It was in his trouser pocket.”

“How did you find it there?”

She gave me a look which said:
how do you think?

“Oh, right—yeah.” The penny had dropped.

“He's only been married for nine months. I hate men! What happened to you? Why did you leave so early?”

“I was knackered. I nearly didn't make it back home though.”

That seemed to wake Alison. “Why? What happened?”

I told her about the incident in the side street, and about my mysterious stalker/rescuer.

“You should tell the police. The club might have CCTV.”

“There aren't any cameras around there. I'd have seen them.”

“Bastards. They should have their balls chopped off.” Alison ran her tongue over her dry lips. “Make us a coffee would you. My gob feels like a cat just shat in it.”

I filled the kettle and found two clean mugs.

“What about the guy who has been stalking you?” Alison said. “What's his deal?”

“I'm not positive he has been stalking me. It might just be a coincidence.”

“How come he followed you out of the club?”

“I don't know.”

“Mind, it's a good job he did.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Still a bit creepy though.”

“I feel like I know him from somewhere.” I was thinking aloud.

“Any danger of that coffee?” Alison groaned. “A girl could die of thirst.”

Alison kept me talking for so long that I missed my usual bus, and was half an hour late getting into the shop.

“Heavy night?” Sarah grinned.

“Sorry I'm late.”

“I hope it was worth it.”

“It wasn't.”

“Hi, Jackie!” Candice shouted from behind her desk. I was pleased to see her back at work; I didn't want to be left alone in the shop again at lunch time. Why should I be worried? It wasn't as if my mystery man was likely to show up again. And even if he did, I had nothing to worry about. He'd rescued me—hadn't he?

“Jackie, I took a message for you.” Candice held out a yellow post-it note.

As usual, her writing was barely legible.

I could make out '11.30am', but the rest was indecipherable. “What does it say?”

“Cheeky sod.” Candice pouted. “What's wrong with my writing?”

Sarah and I exchanged a knowing look.

“You two must be blind. Here give it back.”

Candice squinted at the note.

“See!” Sarah laughed. “Even you can't read it.”

“Of course I can... it says...”

“Yes?”

“You two are really mean. It says 'Mr Craven is coming in to see you at 11.30am'.”

“Mr Craven? Who's he? Should I know him?”

“He gave me the impression you did. He said he spoke to you yesterday lunchtime, but that he'd had to dash away.”

My mystery man? It had to be him.

“11.30?”

“That's what he said. Is there a problem? Won't you be here then?”

“No. No, it's okay. Thanks.”

It was much busier than the previous day, so I didn't have time to dwell on my 11.30am appointment. At least both Sarah and Candice would be in the shop this time.

From 11.20am, I couldn't tear my gaze from the door. A few minutes before 11.30am, a young couple approached my desk, but I passed them on to Sarah. At precisely 11.30am, the chime sounded as the door swung open. Craven looked across at me and smiled. My throat was dry, and my pulse began to race. As he made his way across the floor, I glanced left and then right to reassure myself that both Candice and Sarah were still there. They were both busy with other customers. Although I'd seen him on two previous occasions, this was the first chance I'd had to study the man. He was handsome—incredibly handsome. His physique was—how best to describe it? Solid? As he came closer, I felt a strange—what? Connection? There was something about the man that drew me to him like no other man I'd known. His gaze felt as though it could burn into my very soul. What the hell was wrong with me?

“Hello again,” he said.

“Hi there.” I barely managed to get the words out, and was forced to clear my throat. “Thank you for your help last night.”

“I wish you had let me take you home.”

“That wasn't necessary. I was fine. Please, take a seat.”

“Thank you.” He smiled again. What was it about that smile?

“What happened to those two guys last night?” I asked.

“Nothing for you to worry about.”

I had more questions, but bit my lip. The man had rescued me—he didn't deserve the third degree.

“How can I help you?” I asked. “Are you still interested in visiting the States?”

Ignoring my question, he said, “Where are you holidaying this year?” Craven shuffled forward on the seat. His hands were on the table—only inches from mine.

“Me?”

He nodded.

“I haven't booked anything yet.”

“Where did you go last year?”

Dexter Travel employees received generous discounts on their package holidays. Even so, my finances were always stretched to the limit. I'd only managed a short break last year.

“I went to France.”

“Did you enjoy it?” He put his hand on mine.

“What?” I gasped as what felt like an electric shock passed through my body. My instinct was to pull away, but my hand wouldn't respond. I looked to my left. Sarah was at her desk attending to a customer, but something wasn't right. It took a few seconds for me to realise what it was. No one was moving. I glanced to my right. The scene was the same. Everyone in the shop appeared to be frozen in time. This couldn't be happening. I closed and re-opened my eyes, but nothing had changed. Sarah's mouth was open as though caught mid-sentence. It had to be some kind of crazy dream. I must have fainted again.

“Are you okay?” Craven said.

He wasn't frozen like the others. 

“What's happening?” I asked.

“It’s okay. There's nothing to worry about.”

“Look!” I nodded to the other people in the shop. “Look at them. What's happened to them?”

“Nothing. They'll be perfectly fine.”

“What did you do?”

“Look at me.” He moved his face closer to mine. “Do you remember yet?”

“Remember what? I don't know what you're talking about. Who are you?”

“Look into my eyes.” His face was now only inches from mine.

“What?”

“Just do as I say. Allow your mind to see.”

This man was bat-shit crazy. Either that or I was. I pushed back in my chair and managed to pull my hand from under his.

The volume level in the room had been restored. I turned to my left. Sarah was now talking to her customer. To my right, Candice was laughing. Everything was back to normal.

“What the hell was that all about?” I said to an empty chair. Craven had disappeared.

*********

S
omehow I made it through the day. I hadn't mentioned what had happened to Candice or Sarah. They'd have thought I'd lost the plot. Perhaps I had—the mind could play games—couldn't it?