by Jenny Allen
When she finally pulled back, she felt her focus start to return. She wiped at her face and took in several deep breaths. She looked up to find Chance leaning against the door frame, staring out into the rest of the basement. She frowned at his back and suddenly realized that maybe there was some rule against hugging your body guard.
“I’m sorry if I was out of line.” Part of her felt a little wounded about having to say that to his back. This time the silence felt horribly awkward, but it didn’t look like Chance was going to break it anytime soon. There was a sudden surge of unreasonable anger that clenched her fists. “Fine. Never hug your body guard. Got it.” She snapped the words and started cleaning off the desk, packing things into her kit and depositing the notebooks into their bag.
She heard Chance cross the room toward her, but she pointedly ignored him and continued to busy herself with cleaning up. “Lily.” He didn’t sound angry, just tired. It just made her angrier, but she couldn’t figure out if she was mad at him or herself or perhaps the world in general, the world that tortured Malachi to death. “Lilith.” When she didn’t acknowledge that he’d even spoken, he grabbed her arm and tugged her away from the desk.
“Dammit, Lily.” He pulled her to face him. The soft, chiseled face was full of all the micro expressions of pain and his eyes were red rimmed. “I have a job to do here. I can’t let how I feel about you get in the way of that. At the end of the day, I have to keep you safe. That’s not just my job, it’s my sworn duty. Gregor trusts me and I won’t let him down. It’s the whole reason Gregor sent me, specifically.”
She tugged her arm away from him and stepped back. Why was she so angry? “I got it. You work for my dad. Nothing personal.” The words seemed to ring with venom and she was immediately sorry she’d said it. Chance hung his head and all the anger just flooded out of her. She just wanted to hug him again and take everything back. “Chance…” Her voice came out as an unsteady whisper. “I am so sorry… I didn’t mean…”
The sound of laughter totally startled her. When Chance looked up his eyes were red rimmed and glistening but he was definitely laughing. “Nothing personal?” He laughed harder and shook his head. He ran his hand through his hair, turning away to walk toward the door and then stopped. He turned back and walked right up to her.
“Were you even listening to a word I just said? Like I said, there is a reason that Gregor sent me with you and not Timothy or Ray. You know what? It’s entirely personal. That’s why I can’t do this.” He waved his hands in general between them. “You know that tattoo that you wanted to know about so damn much?” There was anger in his voice. All she could do was stare at him, trying to comprehend everything. “I got it as soon as I turned eighteen. Any idea what it is?” She just shook her head with her eyes wide. “It was going to be a surprise, but when I talked to Gregor about it, he went ballistic. So I buried everything, kept it all to myself.”
Lilith frowned at him and took a step back. She was totally confused now. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to find her voice. “What is it?”
Chance clenched his jaw and looked away at the desk for a moment. His eyes snapped back to her, a mixture of pain and anger. “It’s a Lily.”
The words hit her like a ton of bricks, knocking all the air out of her lungs. Before she could compose herself, Chance stalked out the door. "I’ll wait for you upstairs. We should get some work done.” His voice was flat and seconds later she could hear him stomping up the steps.
Lilith dropped into the chair, feeling totally disconnected. Was it just her or did the entire universe just do a massive 180? She rubbed her temples and tried to organize her thoughts. Okay, so Duncan was missing, Miriah was missing, She’d come pretty close to dying of a serious head wound, Malachi was tortured to death, Spencer was possibly insane, they didn’t have much to go on, and now Chance reveals he has a tattoo that he got for her when he was 18. She just burst out laughing despite herself. “Holy hell. It sounds like a damn soap opera.” She pushed out of the chair, still feeling a little shaky.
Chance was ultimately right. There was way too much work to do right now. There was no time for personal crap when so much was riding on the line. Still there was a little glow in the pit of her stomach. There had been moments on the trip, moments that made her feel warm all over. Logically, she dismissed them. Chance was never serious about women. He wasn’t some asshole using girls or tricking them. He was just honestly casual, like it didn’t mean anything. It never occurred to her that there might actually be a reason why.
There was time to figure that one out later. She needed to get over to Miriah’s apartment in Knoxville. Duncan said he’d trusted her with a lot of things, maybe there was something there. There was also the property that Duncan mentioned in his note. She could look it up online and head to the county records office. Maybe she’d get lucky and find a name. Maybe they could get really lucky and get something out of Spencer.
Lilith grabbed the bag of notebooks and her coat before heading up the stairs. She found Chance staring out the dining room window with his arm against the frame. She stood there for a moment, really looking at him. Suddenly she remembered all the photographs in his place and in that moment he resembled them. Isolation. No one really knew him, really understood him.
She walked to the table set down her things and cleared her throat. She saw Chance’s spine stiffen and his head drop to one side, indicating he was listening but definitely not turning around.
“You’re right. We have work to do. I panicked downstairs.” She fought against the nervousness rising up her own spine. “Thank you, for snapping me out of it. I had no right to be so cruel.”
Chance relaxed and finally turned toward her. As soon as she could see his face she continued. “However,” He froze, his eyes flashing wide with some deep down fear for a moment. “Do not think for one damn second that we aren’t having a long discussion about this tattoo thing later. I understand why you needed to clear the air, but it’s not exactly the most convenient time ever.” She flashed a soft smile at him that instantly eased away the terror in his face. He’d been carrying his secret a long time. She understood why he was so defensive now.
Lilith slipped on her dark green coat, pulling her auburn curls out of the collar and quickly looked up at him. “Seriously though, a Lily?” She grinned in amusement.
Chance laughed but she saw the slight blush to his cheeks. “Yeah, well, it seemed a brilliant idea at the time.”
“Second guessing that right about now?” She chuckled as she reached for her bag, thankful that they could still laugh like this.
“Actually…” He smirked at her and grabbed the heavy bag of journals for her. His green flecked eyes caught hers and it sent a shiver down her spine. “Not even for a second.” When he smiled, it was soft and genuine, full of everything but promising nothing. Then it was gone. “So, boss lady, what’s the plan?”
It took her brain a moment to shift gears. She wanted to really think about what he’d just said, but they still had a lot of work to do. This was definitely not the time to indulge in a bunch of complicated romantic crap. “Well it looks like Spencer is still out. I really don’t want to wake him, considering how unstable he’s been. I do want to take a look at Malachi and Miriah’s place, though. I found the address down in the office. It’s up in Knoxville. Should take us about 45 minutes to get there I think.”
Chance looked down at his watch and nodded. “It’s just about sunset now. Should make for good timing. Let’s hit the road.”
They managed to just discuss theories and details of the case on the forty five minute drive. There was no mention of tattoos or anything else. Honestly, she was relieved by that. There was too much to process right now without throwing that into the mix.
Soon they were staring up at a four story apartment complex in a rather nice neighborhood. The building was painted in white with dark brown trim, giving it a British cottage sort of feel. The bushes in front were well
groomed as was the plush, green yard. A wooden fence ran behind the building, most likely to completely enclose the back yards.
Chance frowned at the building. “Miriah’s an accountant, right? And Malachi is in Real Estate?”
Lilith nodded. “Yeah they have their own businesses actually. According to Gregor they’ve been pretty successful.” She realized they were talking about Malachi like he was still alive and she immediately felt horrible. He was gone. He’d suffered so much…
Chance’s voice shook her out of her morbid thoughts. “Why don’t they have a house? I mean this is a gorgeous apartment building and all, but if they have the money, why would they live here?”
Lilith shrugged and started up the front walkway. “Maybe they hate yard work or maybe they like having neighbors.”
Chance just shook his head, completely baffled by the idea that someone would actually want to live in an apartment if they had other options. The thought hadn’t actually occurred to her. She’d lived her whole life in apartments in New York City, except college, but even then she’d lived in a dorm. It just seemed normal to her.
“Oh come on now. Like your warehouse is that much different? I didn’t see a yard surrounding the graffiti walls.”
Chance narrowed his eyes at her smug grin. “It isn’t the love of landscape architecture that makes a home more appealing to me. It’s the absence of loud, nosey neighbors.”
“Well, you definitely went to the extreme on that one. Go big or go home? You’re only neighbors are the drunk vagrant you have to shoo away from the bottom floor.”
This time his frown wasn’t as light-hearted. “I like my space and I take precautions. I don’t have homeless people living in the bottom floor, thank you very much.”
Lilith chuckled and bumped his shoulder with hers. “Touchy.”
Chance reluctantly bumped her back and his wounded pride took a backseat to a smart ass smile. “Keep it up, Princess. I might just make you brave the whole bottom floor of my building…at night… with a bottle of booze as bait to prove it to you.”
Lilith feigned a dramatic gasp. “You wouldn’t.”
Chance turned to her with a sly grin, a little twinkle of mischief glinting in his eye. “Oh don’t tempt me.” His playful wink made tiny shivers travel over her skin. “Now what do ya say we check out the apartment that Miriah and Malachi loved so much?”
“Only one problem with that.” Lilith peered through the glass door leading to the inside stairs and elevators. Of course, it took a key, a key they didn’t have. Lilith frowned at the door as if she could scare it into opening. She could use her lock pick gun, but if anyone happened by that could mean big trouble. The last thing she needed was to end up in jail.
“Leave it to me, Lily.” Chance winked and stepped up to the bank of buzzers. He pressed the button for the apartment across from Miriah’s.
Seconds later an old woman’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Hello?”
Chance held down the button and smiled at Lilith. “Hello, Ma’am. My name is David and I’m with Miriah’s cousin. We came by to surprise her and Malachi, but they don’t seem to be answering. Could you be a dear and buzz us in? They gave us a key to the apartment, but I guess they forgot to give us one to the outside door.”
“Oh but of course! How lovely of you. I’ll buzz you right in.” Even through the crackling speaker she sounded about 90 years old. Chance turned and flashed a brilliant grin, tipping his invisible hat. The buzz sounded and he swung the door open for her.
“Why thank you, David.” With a soft laugh, Lilith breezed through the door and started up the stairs. When they reached the third floor landing, an old woman stepped out of her apartment. She didn’t only sound 90, she looked it as well. Her white housecoat was covered in a print of tiny little blue roses that matched the blue slippers on her feet. Even her thinning hair looked more light blue than white. The heavy wrinkles on her face were mostly around the corner of her eyes and her mouth. She’d smiled a lot in her long life.
Chance stepped forward and smiled warmly at her. “I’m David, so nice to meet such a helpful neighbor.”
“My pleasure, dear.” She patted his cheek with a gnarled hand and then glanced over at Lilith.
Chance didn’t miss a beat. “Forgive my manners.” He stepped back and pulled Lilith over to him. “This is my fiancée, Lily, Miriah’s cousin.”
The old woman brightened and turned her smile on Lilith. “What a beautiful name.” Her old eyes drifted back to Chance. “My name is Ida and I’ve been Miriah and Malachi’s neighbor for quite some time. You certainly seem like good kids. I’m glad they have some good family.”
The emphasis on the last statement made Lilith stop. “How do you mean?”
The old woman looked up, surprised. “Oh I’m just an old fashioned woman. I just don’t think it’s right for a brother to fight so much with his sister.”
“You mean Spencer and Miriah?”
The woman nodded slowly. “It’s just sibling squabbles but they should keep it out of the hall I say.” This time when she nodded it was more of an exclamation point. “Family business should stay in the family. Ah but listen to me, going on and on. I’m sure you two are tired. If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate.” With that well-worn smile stretching the wrinkles in her face, she turned and shuffled back into her apartment.
When they were safely in the Sanders apartment, Lilith leaned back against the door and chuckled. “Okay, that was bizarre. David?”
Chance looked back at her for a moment. “It’s my middle name, technically not lying.” He started carefully looking over the apartment, making sure it was secure.
“And fiancée?”
He stopped again and looked at her, this time with a bit of a grin. “Well why else would a girl bring a guy over to her cousin’s place? Plus, I could tell Ida was older. I figured we should play the proper role just to be safe.” He disappeared into the living room before she could respond.
The hall way she stood in was covered in various black and white pictures of different countries, all in simple black wood frames. As she walked past them, she recognized a few from Japan, Germany, and Italy. The others were too abstract to figure out the country. At the end of the hall, it opened into a living room to the left and a dining room leading to the kitchen to the right.
It was a pretty spacious place, more than she would have thought just from looking at the building from the outside. Miriah apparently hated bare walls. Frames covered them at every turn. Some were filled with photos of her and Malachi, wedding pictures, vacation pictures, and random candid shots of the two of them. It was eerie looking at all these happy pictures, knowing that Malachi was currently on a slab in New York City and Miriah was missing. No matter what happened now, they would never take another smiling picture together.
The rest of the frames held a few paintings and artifacts, especially in the living room, where the theme apparently was Japan. The furniture was low and very simplistic. A stark contrast to the oriental doll dresses, rubbings and bamboo paintings framed all over the walls. A curio of little Japanese dolls sat proudly on the mantle above a slate rock fire place, which was fake of course. What little bit of the walls you could see was a warm spring green. Miriah had never really talked about Japan when they were younger. This had to be Malachi’s influence on decorating. And now he was never going to see it again. She shook off that thought and passed between the dining room and living room to a hall that presumably led to the bedroom.
The first room off the hall was the master bedroom. It was an artful blend of dark chocolate brown and a delicate blue. Sophisticated, but not overtly masculine or feminine. Lilith pulled open the drawer in an espresso colored nightstand. It was a mottled mixture of pills, little hotel shampoos, razors and other personal items. She frowned down at the odd contents. It looked like they’d just been randomly dumped in the drawer. Of course it wasn’t her place to judge the organizational skills of others.<
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The drawer in the nightstand on the opposite side of the bed held a number of items she wished she hadn’t seen. No one needs to know that much about their families’ private lives. Apparently, Miriah believed pretty strongly in the electronic age. The matching chest of drawers didn’t hold anything interesting, just clothes and winter sweaters. There was a walk in closet in the left corner of the room. She flipped the light switch as she opened the door. The closet was immaculate. No clothes on the ground, no collection of junk on the top shelf, no boxes littering the corners.
There was a small suitcase to the left of the door, and a nice collection of shoes along the right wall, but other than that the floor was completely clear. She glanced along the twin rows of hanging clothes and noticed a few that were crumpled with deep wrinkles. Everything else looked perfect, like they were freshly ironed. Something nagged at her, it just didn’t make sense suddenly. The closet was beyond clean. It was obsessively clean. Odd. She just kept staring at the crumpled clothes.
“Chance?” She called out as she moved out of the closet and crossed through the bedroom to the hall. The next door was a clean and spacious bathroom, but nothing really stood out. She moved on to the last room and found Chance standing over an office desk, moving through papers. “You find anything interesting?”
“Just a bunch of accounting paperwork. It looks like Miriah’s been dealing with all the family finances, plus her normal accounting work.”
Lilith moved around the desk to stand next to him. She grabbed a few pages and looked over the Excel spreadsheets. She whistled as her eyes scanned the page. “Wow. A whole lot of accounts to keep track of. Looks like everything from real estate to medical research.”
“What about you? Find anything in the other rooms?” Chance moved on to a bookcase filled with a random collection of books and knick knacks.