The Kiss after Midnight (The Midnight Trilogy) Read online

  The Kiss after Midnight

  Marvin Amazon

  The Kiss after Midnight

  Marvin Amazon

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Corinthians Publishing

  Essex, United Kingdom

  Copyright © Marvin Amazon

  For more information about this book, visit www.midnighttrilogy.com

  Edition ISBNs:

  Paperback 978-0-9572985-5-2

  Hardback 978-0-9572985-4-5

  e-Book 978-0-9572985-6-9 (ePub)

  Book Design by Daniel Yeager

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  QED stands for Quality, Excellence and Design. The QED seal of approval shown here verifies that this eBook has passed a rigorous quality assurance process and will render well in most eBook reading platforms.

  For more information please click here.

  I dedicated this to all who have inspired me along the way, and all those who are no longer with us.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1. Consenting Adults

  2. Unexpected Feelings

  3. The Bearer of Bad News

  4. Rumors

  5. Questionable Loyalties

  6. Conversation by Telephone

  7. Distraction

  8. The Other Arm of the Law

  9. Murder, Plain and Simple

  10. A Criminal Empire

  11. Power and Arrogance

  12. Unwanted Guests

  13. Collision

  14. High Speed

  15. An Unforeseen Irritation

  16. Family Secrets

  17. A Second Look

  18. In the Middle of the Night

  19. A Time of Grief

  20. Evidence

  21. Unconditional Love

  22. Nighttime Excursions

  23. Choices

  24. A Friend of the Family

  25. Instincts

  26. New Information

  27. Across the Atlantic

  28. Time for Business

  29. Preparation

  30. Withdrawal

  31. Absolute Power

  The Dominguez Organization

  Prologue

  Düsseldorf, Germany

  Albert Eichelberger stirred his coffee as he flicked through the TV channels with the remote. At age 81, he had only recently discovered a love for current affairs, but on the morning of April 14, 2010, he couldn’t bear to hear yet another report on the crisis facing the Euro zone. He glanced at the newspaper beside him and looked at the first three pages before throwing it to the floor, unwilling to entertain any news concerning Europe’s currency.

  He finally set the spoon down, sipped some of his coffee and slammed the jug on the silver side table. “Barbara! ... Barbara!”

  The sound of running feet preceded the opening of the ten-foot door of his study room. “Yes, sir,” a plump woman answered. “Is everything all right?”

  Albert frowned at her and pushed his long thinning gray hair to the side. “You’ve worked for me for fifteen years, correct?”

  The woman stood still, looking at him.

  “Have you not?” Albert growled.

  “Yes,” Barbara said. “Yes, I have, sir.”

  “Then surely, if you’ve worked for me for such a long time, you know how I take my coffee, right?”

  “Yes ... yes sir, but—”

  “Then why am I drinking coffee without any sugar? I’ve got enough problems in my life, and the last thing I need is a maid who suddenly forgets who it is she works for.”

  “I’m ... I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

  “Oh, I know it won’t.” Albert lowered his voice and smiled. “Now, can you please make me a fresh cup of coffee?”

  Barbara quickly opened the door.

  “With sugar this time,” Albert said. “Think you can handle that?”

  “Yes, sir.” The maid rushed out of the room.

  Albert picked another paper up and turned to the back page, where he found an article about the German football team. The door creaked open at that moment. He looked up to see a tall slender woman with flowing blond hair, dressed in a black suit.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you, sir.”

  “What is it, Beatrix?”

  The woman coughed as she entered the room, holding the door open. “Diederich is back from the states. He wishes to see you at once.”

  Albert held his chin in his hand. “How long has he been back?”

  “I believe he landed this morning.”

  “Very well. Send him in. And tell Barbara not to worry about my coffee. I shall have to take a rain check on that.”

  Beatrix started to leave.

  “And see that no one disturbs us.”

  She nodded and shut the door behind her.

  Albert returned to his paper, squinting through his thick-framed glasses. Halfway through the story, he frowned and let out a growl. The paper suggested that the German football team was days away from announcing the sacking of its national coach after a string of poor results. Albert had been an avid German football fan for as long as he could remember, and the current manager was one of his favorites. He placed the paper back on to the side table upon hearing the door open once more.

  A tall burly man in a dark suit walked into the room and shut the door firmly behind him. His long, straight blond hair and pale blue eyes gave him a menacing look. A former German special-ops agent, Erwin Diederich had been forced to leave his regiment due to an injury to his right eye that had left him partially blind. Now he carried out complex jobs, mainly investigating matters too sensitive to be reported to the police. He also performed delicate personal matters for Albert, who, after five years, trusted him implicitly.

  Erwin sat on a sofa, five feet from Albert, and folded his arms.

  Albert leaned forward. “Anything?”

  Erwin reached into his jacket, pulled out folded sheets of papers and flipped through them for a few seconds before facing his employer. “I did find him, sir.”

  Albert edged further forward, almost off his seat. “You did? Where? Has he changed his mind?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  Albert grimaced and sank back in his seat.

  “I gave him enough time to reconsider. His mind is made up. He really wants nothing to do with you or the company.”

  Albert tapped his feet on the floor and looked between Erwin and the door, a frown on his face. “How’s he doing? Is he well?”

  Erwin held up the sheets of paper. “Everything about his life is here. The name he goes under, his place of work, the women he sees, everything.”

  Albert rose and slowly limped toward Erwin. Then he knelt—his old bones aching as he did—and took hold of the report before placing it on the floor. He gazed at Erwin’s face, and tears fell from his eyes. “Leave me.”

  “Sir?”

  “I want to be left alone.”

  Erwin nodded and left the room.

  1. Consenting Adults

  “We’re here now,” the thick-set Hispanic cab driver said, “230 Fifth Avenue.” He brought t
he car to a halt a few inches in front of a long line of people.

  Tobias Mead casually got out of the taxi and straightened his gray suit. He gazed at his reflection in the window and tidied his short-cropped blond hair.

  “That line looks like death,” the cab driver said as Tobias gave him the fare. “My cousin knows one of the doormen here. Do you want me to give him a call?”

  “No, that’s cool,” Tobias replied, grinning. “I’ve got it from here.”

  He walked toward the line and glanced at the crush of women desperate to get into the club. Although some of them remained in the main line, some stood to the side, possibly refused entry due to a lack of ID and other undisclosed reasons.

  As Tobias continued to make his way to the front, he noticed the somewhat angry looks directed at him from some of the men, whom he suspected had been waiting for hours with no indication as to whether they would get in.

  “Tobias, my man,” shouted one of the immaculately dressed young men standing at the front door. Wearing a fitted gray blazer over a pearl-white shirt, he calmly invited some of the revelers in and rejected others, all the while maintaining his broad smile, revealing teeth as pearly as his shirt. “I didn’t think you were gonna turn up today.”

  Tobias shook his hand and extended the gesture into an embrace. “Come on, Teddy. You know I’m always here when the weather’s this good.”

  “Well, I hooked you up on the same table, just in case.”

  “You know me too well.” Tobias winked. “So what honeys have we got tonight?”

  “Well, Amber and Tiffany are already here with some of their chicks. Not sure about the L.A. ones, though.”

  “It doesn’t matter, dude. I’m sure I can make do with the local talent.” Tobias’ grin returned. “You need to let some more of these girls in, though. You’re kicking out some seriously hot ass.”

  Teddy smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder. Tobias then made his way to the rooftop, past a host of waitresses and promo girls, who gave him alluring glances and kisses on the cheek. He responded to the women’s affection by gently caressing their shoulders and waists.

  Tobias was greeted by extremely loud music upon reaching the club’s main dance floor. He walked past a large bar on his right as he made his way toward the outer section. He glanced at the oval tables positioned about four feet away from each other, each sitting about six people—mainly girls—with one or two men flashing their credit cards.

  Moving through the dance floor, he wondered why the club even bothered having it. Adding more tables would have been a better idea, such was the demand for them. He sighed as he stepped out to the roofless section, the full view of the moonlight greeting him.

  He caught a glimpse of the table reserved for him. He counted at least six women sitting around it, pouting and hardly speaking to each other. He straightened the collar of his black shirt, ran his hands across his suit and walked forward.

  He looked closer at the cabana and noticed two of his regular party girls, Amber Harris and Tiffany Johansson, at the center of the table. After briefly introducing himself to the new additions to his party crowd, he sat and read the drinks menu.

  The club steadily approached full capacity, and women gradually filled the dance floor as a host of men looked on, some with folded arms.

  Tobias, oblivious of the numerous glances coming his way, spoke into the ear of Chris Hawkins—one of the club’s main promoters—as a steady stream of alcohol arrived at the table. With a round unshaven face, Chris was charming and friendly to all who knew him.

  “Man, you know how to party, Tobias,” Chris said. He sipped some of his Champagne.

  “Well, I ain’t getting married any time soon, so why—“ Tobias swallowed, unable to say another word. He noticed a striking young woman in the midst of the throng on the dance floor. She walked outside to the courtyard, seemingly unimpressed with the vast amount of alcohol sitting on the tables.

  Her white dress fit tightly against her flawless body—size four, probably. The mystery lady walked past a number of tables, occasionally stopping to gaze into the sky, maybe at the stars. With what seemed like judgmental eyes, she rested her gaze on Tobias, a look that almost hinted at disappointment.

  He watched her dark curly hair occasionally brush her face as she shook it in his direction, apparently in disapproval of his lavish behavior. Her gaze seemed to pierce his heart, her full lips coated in bright red lipstick, drawing him closer and closer. She must have been at least six-foot, her stance hinting at confidence and intrigue. But she looked at him with anything but lust or desire.

  He leaned forward, meeting her gaze full on, refusing to blink. Who was this strange woman? She stood there like a mannequin, perfect in every way and obviously knowing it, too. He rose to his feet, keeping his eyes on her.

  “Tobias. ... Tobias. ... Tobias,” Chris said.

  Tobias shook his head and turned to Chris. “What is it?”

  Chris held his hands out. “What’s up with you, bro? Your mind was somewhere else just there.”

  Tobias softly bit his bottom lip as he turned toward the woman again. He noticed her talking to a woman beside her who was even taller, by at least a couple of inches. Her black dress also fit tightly to her frame. Her short hair brought out the color in her bright blue eyes, which were prominent even from a distance. She was very attractive, too, but the butterflies in his stomach stirred only when he looked at the woman in white.

  “Who the fuck is that?” he asked Chris. She smiled in his direction, and he looked behind him to see if she might have been looking at someone else, but no one was there.

  “Who?” Chris said.

  Tobias laced his hands across the back of his neck. “The one in the white dress,” he said, taking a step forward. “She’s still looking over here,” he whispered, almost to himself. “Who is she?”

  Chris squinted. “Oh, that one. I don’t know, actually. I’ve never seen her around.”

  Tobias frowned. “Come on, Chris. You know every chick around here, especially hotties like that.”

  Chris shook his head. “I swear to you, I’ve never seen her before. She must have just moved here. Either that or she’s never out.”

  A wry smile formed on Tobias’ face. “Just the ones I like, fresh and untouched.”

  Chris edged beside Tobias. “You’re going to be all over that. She can’t take her eyes off you. Want me to get her over?”

  “Nah.” Tobias took a deep breath. “That’s cool. I’ve got this.” He returned to his table and poured himself another drink, wondering what kind of mind games a woman like that was capable of.

  Tobias continued exchanging glances with her before gesturing for her to come to his table. She didn’t move an inch. Instead, she spoke into her friend’s ear while still looking at him. As seconds became minutes, Tobias grew frustrated, a scowl forming on his face. Finally, the woman nodded at her friend, and she nodded back.

  No more than ten seconds later, both women approached him. He dashed forward and extended his arm.

  “Wow, a gentleman,” the mysterious woman spoke into Tobias’ left ear as she and her friend entered the VIP area.

  “Hi, I’m Tobias,” he said, unable to shift his focus from her alluring green eyes.

  “I’m Penélope,” the woman in white said. “And this is my best friend, Annabel.”

  Tobias leaned forward and kissed the women on both cheeks.

  “You’re a gentleman, aren’t you?” Annabel said.

  Tobias waved his hand as if waving the comment away. He whispered into the ears of three women at his table, and they soon left. “Please, take a seat,” he said to Annabel and Penélope. “Have a drink with me.”

  Penélope smiled. “Thank you.” She sat down. Annabel remained standing.

  Tobias sat beside Penélope and moved his chair closer to her, his forehead inches from hers. “So tell me about yourself.”

  Penélope looked into his eyes. “What do you
want to know?”

  “Anything! Tell me the craziest thing you’ve ever done.”

  Penélope squinted toward the heavens. “I cheated on two of my college exams.”

  Tobias half-laughed. “Is that it? I thought you were gonna come up with something better than that.”

  “What? In my family, that’s a really big deal.”

  “So tell me,” Tobias said after a few minutes of staring into her eyes, “how come I haven’t seen you around Manhattan before? New here?”

  “I’ve been around.” She ran her fingers along his jaw as she spoke into his ear. “Maybe you just don’t know everyone in Manhattan.” She looked around the open courtyard. Tobias noticed her stop at the sight of Annabel. Her friend had moved toward the dance floor, moving with the music.

  Tobias put his arm around her waist. Penélope turned to find his lips almost touching hers. “Trust me,” Tobias said, “if you’ve been around, I would have seen you. If not me, then one of my friends would have.”

  “Well, maybe I prefer classier places. Or maybe I just like to stay away from overly confident men like you, who think that because they’re handsome, everything falls in their lap.”

  “Oh, so you do think I’m handsome. I guess all that’s left now is finding out if I’m deep.”

  She laughed. “Oh, I’m sure you are. You seem much too charming not to know what makes a woman tick.”

  “Ah, handsome and charming. I’m beginning to like this.” He lifted a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, and Penélope nodded. Tobias filled her glass and slid it across the table. “Would your friend like one, too?”

  “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

  “Nothing’s easy with you, is it?”

  “Well, I’m sure if you wanted easy, you wouldn’t have called me over here.”

  Tobias shook his head, smiled and promptly filled another glass with the Champagne before taking it to Annabel at the edge of the dance floor.

  She kissed Tobias on both cheeks after accepting the drink. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ve got to say, I love this club. Are you one of the organizers?”

  He shook his head. “It’s just one of my favorite spots. Why do you ask?”