The Connor she thought she knew had always seemed as cold and emotionless as a statue. Now the loving way he watched Bridget and his fiercely protective grip on her slight body as he helped her to the door told Venus how very wrong she’d been.
Maybe he’s not who I thought he was, but will he turn his back on Tony?
At the last moment Connor swung toward her. “Venus, keep the mermaid brooch safe until we figure out what the hell is going on.”
“I will.” She nodded, closing her fingers around it.
“I’ll be in touch with both of you tomorrow.” His eyes vulnerable in a way she’d never imagined possible, Connor nodded to Tony and closed the door behind him.
The instant they were gone, Tony collapsed on the sofa as if his legs could no longer hold him upright and hung his head in his quivering hands.
She’d once read that terror was what one felt before the explosion and horror after, viewing the carnage.
She felt both as she sank down beside Tony. If I hadn’t found the brooch, none of these pent-up feelings would have erupted.
“I’m so sorry, Tony. For what it’s worth, I believe you,” she said softly, resisting her impulse to pat his back.
He lifted his head and gripped her hand, kissing it. “I don’t know why. It sounds like the tale of a guilty man. But I swear I am not guilty of stealing the brooch.”
God knew she’d caused enough damage by seeking answers, but she had to ask one more question.
“Don’t you think, if you told Bridget why you’ve been going to Taylor Street all these years, it might be easier for her to believe you about the brooch?”
“I cannot tell her.”
The defeat in his voice and in his eyes reminded Venus so much of her father, a need to protect them both congealed inside her into a fierce determination.
“If I’m the catalyst, like Bridget said, then I can be the catalyst to fix this. I’ll go talk to her for you.”
Tony shook his head. “When she is this upset only Connor can reach her. Only he can plead my case.”
“But will he? I know he loves you like a father, but will he walk away from you? Does he give anyone a second chance if he thinks they’ve made a mistake? Even someone he cares deeply about? He didn’t with my dad.”
Again Tony grasped her hand. “Connor is full of passion, which is why he keeps such a tight rein on his emotions. He’s been that way since he was a child.” Tony’s sigh seemed to come from deep inside him. “How could it be different with a father who kept his own emotions in check his whole life? And Victoria is an aloof mother who has always spent more time away than with him. Connor feels deeply but has been reared not to show it. I know he felt much pain over your father’s troubles. Like he is feeling tonight for Bridget and for me. When you know him well, you, too, will be able to see it in his eyes. The vulnerability he hides well.”
I saw it and I’m utterly confused by it.
“Beautiful Venus, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for believing in me but now, with your permission, I would prefer to be alone.”
He stood, helped her to her feet, and led her by the hand to the door.
Worried about leaving him, she dug in her heels. “I don’t want to go. I’m not sure you should be alone.”
“I promise you I shall be fine alone.” His face hardened. “You may find it impossible to believe because of the revelations of this night, but I am a man of my word.”
Tony watched from the front porch until she’d safely reached her car and pulled away.
Now what do I do?
Aching sorrow for Tony and Bridget ripped her apart. Guilt at her part in this tragedy felt like a heavy chain squeezing her chest.
She needed to do something.
If Bridget would only listen to Connor then he’d better listen to Venus and help her find a way to solve this problem.
She turned left, heading to Lake Shore Drive and Connor’s penthouse.
Chapter 9
The austere doorman at Connor’s building didn’t smile when he asked her name and who she wished to see.
Nor did he smile while he dialed the penthouse to announce her. Venus felt hot and queasy with unease.
“Miss Venus Smith is here to see you,” he declared in a solemn tone. His long hesitation brought real fear pounding through her.
What will I do if they refuse to see me?
His furled brow gave Venus a tight, hot cramp in her stomach.
I may throw up in the potted plant next to him.
He looked up at her and Venus held her breath, waiting for rejection.
“Go on up.” He nodded.
“Thank you,” she breathed in abject relief, her pulse pounding. She flashed him her brightest smile before rushing past him to the elevators.
The ride up to the penthouse gave her a precious few minutes to plot her next move. Too soon the elevator doors slid open onto Connor’s foyer, all black lacquer walls and gray wool rugs.
Bridget waited in the open door.
She looked tiny, swallowed in a huge Clayworth blue terry cloth robe with the sleeves rolled up several turns.
“I didn’t want to send you away, Venus, but I can’t talk to anyone tonight.”
Venus glanced past her into the penthouse, a blur of black marble floors and a huge expanse of windows overlooking Lake Michigan. In the distance she heard several sharp, short barks of a dog and the loud deep woof of another one.
“Bridget, please talk to me. Is Connor here with you? You shouldn’t be alone.”
“No. His hoverin’ and worryin’ make the situation worse. I sent him away to work out in his gym.” Bridget wrapped her arms around her waist as if she felt suddenly chilled. “Now, Venus, you need to know none of this is your fault.”
She’d seen this strength in Bridget before. Had heard her say she hated to be mollycoddled.
So Venus resisted her powerful urge to engulf Bridget in a hug but couldn’t stop the plea in her voice. “I’m so sorry, Bridget. I wish I’d never found the mermaid brooch. Never found out the truth and told you. It is my fault that you and Tony are so miserable.”
“Now you listen to me, young lady,” Bridget said in her no-nonsense voice. “This is Tony’s doin’ and my choices for years. I don’t want you worryin’ yourself sick or beatin’ yourself up the way Connor is doin’. The situation is bad, I know. Tony and I have had our troubles before. I won’t lie to you and tell you this isn’t the worst to ever happen. It is. I don’t know yet how we’ll handle it. But we will somehow.”
Still consumed by guilt and worry, Venus shook her head. “Please let me do something to help. Anything to fix this problem between you and Tony.”
Bridget’s lips curled into an ever-so-slight smile, but her eyes remained stark with worry. “What you need to do, Venus, is to go home and get some rest. It’s late.” She stepped back, gripping the door to close it. “Good night, Venus. And thank you. Your carin’ is enough help.”
“No, it isn’t enough,” Venus whispered to the closed door and black lacquer walls before twirling back into the waiting elevator.
Tony’s words rang in her ears, Only Connor can reach her.
Well, Venus knew where to find Connor—in his gym—and once she did she’d force him to listen to her plan to help both of them.
Connor’s Golden Gloves Gym on Sheffield couldn’t have looked any darker or more deserted.
Disappointed and frustrated to the point of screaming, she waited, parked in front, for twenty excruciatingly slow minutes.
She shifted in her seat and kept glancing at her iPhone to check the time.
I’m too wound up not to do something to help!
She got out of the car, cupped her hands around her face, and peered through the glass window, hoping to see a light at the back. Anything to give her hope.
Maybe he hasn’t arrived yet because he’s walking here to work off his frustration.
She hurried back to her car and started slowly
cruising down the street looking for him.
The only sign of life was five young men standing on the corner of Belmont. All but one had short cigarettes in their mouths. That one was gesturing with his hands, his arms firm and well muscled.
It’s Gregori. A little red flag of danger reared its ugly head and she pulled to the curb.
The distinct aroma of marijuana wafted through her open window.
“Hi, Gregori. Need a ride home?” she shouted, and waved to get his attention.
He turned, squinted toward her, and then a grin split his face. “Whoa, Miss Smith.”
A chorus of catcalls and whistles at his back, he swaggered toward her and knelt to peer into the window. “What you doin’ here so late?”
“Looking for Mr. O’Flynn. His aunt Bridget told me he was at the gym working out. Have you seen him?”
“Naw. He wasn’t there tonight with the rest of us guys. Maybe she meant the gym at his office. He took me there once. The day we came to your place.”
One of his friends yelled something she couldn’t make out.
Snarling, Gregori turned his head. “Shut your stupid-ass mouth,” he shouted back.
His face grim, he stood. “Gotta go, Miss Smith.”
“Yes, you do need to go. Home. Please get in the car.” Her firm don’t mess with me voice stopped him and he stared down at her.
“What you mean, Miss Smith?”
“I mean I’m taking you home, Gregori. Mr. O’Flynn wouldn’t want you here with your friends smoking pot.”
“Trying to tell them they’re gonna get their asses busted.” He shook his head. “I’m not usin’ the stuff. Never have. Never will. Costs money my ma doesn’t have.”
“Good to hear you don’t partake. I’m still taking you home.”
Shifting from sneaker to sneaker, he glanced at his friends and back to her. “Can’t do that, Miss Smith.”
Realizing he needed to save face, she leaned out the window, toward him. “Tell them I’m a cougar trying to pick you up,” she whispered.
She hoped he saw the determination on her face not to take no for an answer, because she had every intention of sitting here until he got into the car.
Gregori hesitated, looking over his shoulder.
Finally he laughed and made some obscene gesture toward his friends she’d rather not contemplate too deeply. “Hey, dudes, when a beautiful lady wants me what can I do but go with her.”
He swaggered around and slid into the passenger seat. Once he had fastened his seat belt, she gunned the motor and roared out onto Belmont heading west.
Happy to have him safe beside her, she smiled at him. “Where to?”
“Cicero and Irving Park,” he mumbled, staring out the window.
“What were you doing out so late? Isn’t tomorrow a school day?”
Still staring out the window, he shrugged, like all the other sullen teenagers in the world when they wanted to annoy their elders.
Feeling quite old and more than a little annoyed with him, she ignored him for several blocks, until she had no choice and her already frayed nerves quivered. “Okay, time to acknowledge I’m in the car with you. I can only turn right on Irving Park. Then what?”
“Belle Plaine, first street on the left. Fourth house on the… Shit! My ma’s out lookin’ for me.”
A thin dark-haired woman stood, wringing her hands and peering both ways down the street. Venus made the turn and pulled to the curb.
The car hadn’t come to a full stop when Gregori jumped out. “Ma, I’m here. I didn’t do nothin’ wrong.”
Mrs. Prozument gave a little scream, clasped Gregori to her bosom, and began shouting in what Venus believed to be Polish.
“Ma, I didn’t take nothin’ this time. I promise. Miss Smith, she’s a friend of Mr. O’Flynn’s.”
Everything about his mother’s body language changed. She stood taller, gave Gregori a stern look, and said something sharp that made him hang his head.
Venus climbed out of the car, waiting while Gregori shuffled to her.
“Thank you for the ride home, Miss Smith.” He shuffled back, kissed his mother on the cheek, and bolted into the tiny bungalow behind him.
Mrs. Prozument began to wring her hands again. “Thank you. Thank you for bringing my boy home safe. He has been worried about me finding job.” She blinked several times as if she might be fighting back tears. “He thinks my clothes aren’t good enough to find a job and I’m afraid he might steal again for me. He’s a good boy. Truly. Mr. O’Flynn knows. He is such a fine man.”
In a night of being heartbroken and anguished for friends, this was yet another dose of sadness.
At least this time she knew exactly how she could help. She reached back into the car, searching in her purse until she found a business card.
“Here’s my card. Please come to my store. Gregori knows where I’m located. I can help you with clothes for your job interviews.”
Again Gregori’s mother rapidly blinked her eyes, studying the card. “Gregori says we must not take charity. He has such pride. Refused more help from Mr. O’Flynn.” She looked up into Venus’s face. “You bring my boy home safe so I’ll take help from you when you ask. Tell my son so. Thank you. Thank you. You are very good person. Like Mr. O’Flynn. I wish all good fortune will come to you.”
Venus watched until Mrs. Prozument had safely entered her bungalow before she climbed back into the car and pulled away.
In an endless night of seeking answers, her emotions at a fever pitch, she knew she couldn’t rest until she found Connor and convinced him to help her.
But first she needed some help from her sister.
Venus pounded on Diana’s duplex door until it finally opened.
Her sister stood wearing a white velvet robe, her face scrubbed clean for bed.
Venus rushed in. “Oh, my God, how late is it?” She fumbled for her cell phone to check the time, vowing to start wearing a watch again.
“It’s not that late. I’m going to bed early because I have a big day at Clayworth’s tomorrow. Time to start planning the windows for the holidays.”
“I need to get into Clayworth’s tonight to talk to Connor. I think he’s there working out in his gym.”
The look Diana leveled at her made Venus squirm.
Nope, not getting into my head tonight, baby sister.
“You want to talk to Connor alone tonight? Sit down, Venus, and tell me what’s going on.”
Exhausted, Venus threw herself down on Diana’s chintz sofa with just the right number of pillows to make it too comfortable. If I stop to rest I won’t be able to get up to finish this.
She sat up, perching on the very edge of the sofa, and Diana curled up beside her.
“So tell me everything, Venus.”
“I can’t tell you everything that’s going on because it involves others, but suffice to say it’s huge.” She rubbed her fingertips across the mermaid body visible where her blouse gaped slightly open.
“A lot of this horrible mess I caused. But I truly believe if Connor and I work together we can make everything right.”
It honestly appeared as if Diana’s eyes grew larger. “Does this have anything to do with Dad?”
Venus knew from years of experience that Diana possessed an uncanny knack for knowing when she lied.
“Maybe. Partially. This whole thing started because I wanted to help Dad.”
“Tell me. You know I’d do anything for him.”
“I wanted to get closer to Connor in the hope that he’d tell me what happened with Dad at Clayworth’s.”
It felt as if a weight lifted off her shoulders to actually admit her folly. But for the first time in her life, Venus knew from Diana’s pale, still face she’d truly shocked her baby sister.
“Don’t just stare at me like I’ve grown another head. Say something.”
“I understand pillow talk between lovers like Drew and Athena. And I’ve been watching guys drool over you for year
s trying to get you into bed with them. How close were you planning to get to him? Sleep with him?”
“My God, I wasn’t going to try to seduce him!” Venus shouted to relieve the scalding heat coursing through her veins at the very thought. But what would it be like to make love with Connor?
“What then?” Diana sat up straighter, an unusual frosty glint in her eyes. “Tell me how you really feel about Connor and why you think you can do this.”
Still warm, her heart pounding, Venus leaped up to pace the wood floor in front of the sofa.
“You mentioned it yourself, Diana. Connor’s overzealous knight-in-shining-armor complex, like the time he pulled me out of the lake.”
Diana’s eyes softened. “I know you think you were fine, but you did look as if you were in trouble that day. Grey and Ric even dived into the lake to go help.”
Venus shrugged, but still felt a twinge of her old embarrassment. “You know how I hated blooming so early and so abundantly. I was mortified when Connor clutched me in his arms and crushed me to his manly chest.” Venus shook her head. “I know my plan is crazy but Connor and Dad were so close. It makes sense he knows better than the others exactly how Dad became entangled in this mess. I wish I could be like you and Athena and simply accept the situation like Dad wants us to do, but I can’t.”
“I can’t stand the defeat in Dad’s eyes any more than you can, Venus. But I’m trying to respect his wishes for us not to interfere. Are you sure you want to continue with this insane plan?”
“Honestly, I don’t have a choice.” She forced a smile, feeling not an iota of joy. “Now the situation has become much more complex.”
Diana watched her with the intent look that always made Venus feel like she heard her thoughts.
“It sounds serious and I can see how important it is to you. But can’t it wait until morning? Give yourself more time to think about what to do.”
Venus shook her head, hair flying wildly against her hot cheeks. “No. Now’s the moment to resolve this. I know it. I feel it.”
Curled up on the sofa, her moonbeam hair cascading over the white robe, Diana looked like an angel. Pure and omniscient.
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