by Tara Randel
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Dylan said as she unlocked her car.
“Can’t be sure. I’ll be busy getting ready for the competition and displaying my bouquet. And don’t forget the awards banquet.”
He nodded. “I’ll look for you.”
“I’ll be around.”
Holding the door as she got settled, Dylan bent over to gaze at her in the dim interior.
“You are special to me, Kady.”
But not enough to include her in his life. “Thanks, Dylan.”
He closed the door and she drove away, chastising herself for letting herself get close to a man who wouldn’t share one tiny fact about his life. His loss.
But the longer she drove, she had to ask, why? Was he a con man? A Casanova? Worse, a serial killer? Okay, maybe her imagination had gone overboard, but leaving her in the dark with so many unanswered questions brought out the skeptic in her.
Tomorrow was the last day of the convention. She’d keep her distance. By his actions tonight, Dylan proved he was yet another guy not terribly interested in her. It would take her a lot longer to get over him than she’d like to admit, but once he left town...? Out of sight, out of mind.
Or so she hoped.
With an aching chest, she unlocked her apartment door and ventured inside. A chill permeated the air, so she turned on the heat. Shrugging out of her jacket, she tossed it on the couch and wandered to the table.
Fingering the fake flowers she’d bought to experiment with her bouquet design, she wondered what she’d do if she couldn’t work at the shop. If she lost the competition and her parents decided to sell. She’d hoped their ultimatum was just that, only words, but they could very well come home from the cruise, rested and more determined than ever to put their words into action. Maybe all her work to earn their trust would amount to nothing.
Sure, Kady could get a job with another florist, but it wouldn’t be the same. The Lavish Lily belonged to her family. She had to get her parents to see that she could carry on the legacy.
As she headed to her bedroom, she realized the light was on in her bathroom. She’d turned it off this morning, hadn’t she? Reliving the incident at the shop, fear trickled over her. She backed up, noticing for the first time that the scissors she’d left on the table this morning were now resting on one of the chairs.
Alert now, she took a serious pass over the room. Little things were moved. Nothing blatant, but enough. And with that knowledge came a frightening realization that someone had been here while she was out.
Grabbing her cell phone from her tote, she hurried from the apartment and dialed the direct number the police chief had given her after the break-in.
“Stay where you are,” the chief told her. “I’ll be right there.”
Shivering, she ended the call, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to spark some warmth. Keeping a wary eye on her apartment door, she wished she wasn’t alone.
Get used to it. Dylan won’t always be around to play your knight in shining armor. You’re on your own.
Lovely. Even her inner voice was against her.
The wind kicked up and Kady wished she’d snatched her jacket on the way out. She took shelter under the stairway a few doors down until the chief rolled up.
“Let me go in first and check it out,” he told her as she joined him.
For the first time she became aware of her teeth chattering.
Soon the chief appeared at her doorway. “Clear. C’mon back in.”
“With pleasure.”
Jogging to the door, more than ready to get out of the cold, a weird thought hit her. Clear. Hadn’t Dylan used the same wording the night of the break-in?
The chief stepped back to let her enter.
“There’s no one here.”
Relief flooded her.
“So what spooked you?”
Kady explained the nuances that had sent up her guard.
“After the break-in at The Lavish Lily, I’m gonna take your word on this.” He nodded to the room. “Now that you know it’s safe, take a look around and see if anything is missing.”
The first place she checked was her refrigerator. Thankfully, the stephanotis she’d been storing there were still safely packaged. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. A flash of guilt, thinking that Dylan might be after her bouquet design, struck her. He wouldn’t enter her apartment without permission, so why was she so quick to think he, or his mother, might be out for her design? In her weariness, she realized she wasn’t thinking clearly.
Kady searched, but found nothing missing.
The chief walked out of the bedroom. “Looks like the culprit came in through the bathroom. Window was wide open. Screen knocked out.”
“I always leave it open a crack during the cooler weather.” Kady gathered her hair into a ponytail, rolled her shoulders, then let her hair fall back into place. “Guess I won’t be doing that any longer.”
The chief nodded. “Being on the ground floor makes it easy for someone to crawl through.”
She shuddered. “First The Lavish Lily, now this. Think the person will come back?”
“Hard to say. Without anything missing, I’d wager you didn’t have what they were looking for. Still,” he said, hooking his thumb in the direction of the bathroom, “follow precautions.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
“I’ll write up a report. Have the squad car make a few more rotations around the complex tonight.”
“Thanks, Chief.”
“You gonna be okay by yourself?”
Kady fought down another full-body shiver. “I’ll be fine.”
“Should I call Will?”
“No. Please, don’t call anyone. This could be nothing, but I don’t want the word to get out and my folks to worry.”
The chief lumbered to the door. “Call me. Anytime.”
“I will.”
Kady locked the door behind him, resting her forehead against the hard surface. When she finally worked up the nerve, she turned, her eyes scanning the living space. Suddenly her cozy apartment wasn’t so inviting. Her two favorite places, the shop and her home, had been violated. What was going on?
She fought the urge to call Dylan. As much as she considered his warm arms a safe haven, he clearly wasn’t as emotionally invested as she was. No. Tonight she’d tough it out, no matter how unsettling the circumstances.
Deciding she might as well get some sleep, Kady headed toward her bedroom. She stopped by the table, her assortment of tools scattered there. Wanting everything in its rightful place before she turned in, as if it would negate the fact that someone had trespassed here, she scooped them up, ready to deposit them in the empty box she’d carried in from her trunk.
Only the box, which she’d dropped on the floor when she’d carried it into her apartment earlier, was gone. She checked, thinking it might have been moved by the creep who’d broken into her apartment, but nope, it was nowhere to be found.
Of all the things to go missing. The other boxes Tommy had given her were still in her trunk.
Dumping everything back on the table, she went to her room and closed the door. Sleep would not come easily tonight, if it came at all.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“WE’VE RUN OUT of places to look,” Will told Christine as they cruised down Main Street. Every night since she’d told the truth about searching for her brother, they’d traveled around town after dark, hoping to find him.
She shrugged and zippered her jacket. “I have to agree.”
“Want to stop by my place for a bite to eat?”
“Why not...” Her voice trailed off as she stared out the window.
Will wanted to do more, but he couldn’t make her brother materialize out of th
in air. They’d just have to keep at it.
Suddenly, she straightened in her seat. “Will, the car we just passed? I swear I saw Bryce.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Yes, it was him. Turn around.”
Pulling onto a side street, Will made a hasty three-point turn and swerved back onto Main. “Do you see the car?”
“No, but keep heading in this direction.”
Before long they reached the marina. Will braked at the entrance to the parking lot. “We lost them.”
Christine peered out the window, then pointed. “No. The car is parked right there.”
Sure enough, a lone car sat in the farthest corner of the lot.
“Stay here,” Will commanded after he shut off the engine. He hurried to the other vehicle, placing a hand on the hood. Heat radiated off the surface. Recently driven, he concluded.
He waved for Christine to join him. With caution, Will led the way to the pier. No sign of activity. They backtracked to the marina office and waited in the shadows.
“Where could he be?” Christine asked, frustrated at being so close, yet at a dead end again.
“Maybe he boarded one of the boats.”
The longer they waited for Bryce to appear and the more the wind picked up off the turbulent water, the less Will assumed they were right. He stared at the docks, blowing warm breath on his hands.
“What do you say we call it a night?” he suggested after they’d been there for over an hour.
“A little longer, please?”
He couldn’t resist her pleading eyes. Helping Christine had been a diversion from his own problems, but he’d quickly gotten caught up in her mission. He admired her firm commitment to finding her brother. She was convinced she’d locate him and everything would work out. Maybe his doubts of a happy ending were fading, because the more time he spent with this woman, the more he thought he could find a way out for himself. He didn’t have to carry the weight solo.
After their run-in with Dylan, he’d confessed to her about how he’d used money from the flower shop to make questionable investments. How in his surety, he’d ended up losing it all—the secret he’d kept from his parents and sister. Instead of judging him with condemning eyes, Christine had laid her hand on his arm and assured him everything would be okay. Who did that?
Christine.
The relief of sharing his mistakes had lifted the pressure from his chest, replacing it with a different ache. An ache to hold this woman close and never let her go. Taking a chance, he’d leaned close, watching as her eyes went round, then soft as she realized his intention. Not giving him the opportunity to change his mind, Christine had planted a mind-blowing kiss on him. Once he got over the surprise, he wholeheartedly returned the gesture, keeping her locked in his arms until they pulled away, gasping for air.
They’d spent hours talking after that, hands clasped, shoulders touching. He’d never been this open and honest with a woman. The right woman. With Christine’s support, he planned on coming clean once his folks returned from their trip. And then he planned on never letting Christine go.
But first, he had to convince his shivering partner they should call off tonight’s surveillance. “You’re freezing. We can at least sit in my car.”
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” she agreed.
He reached out to take her hand when she grabbed hold of him and tugged him farther into the shadows.
“Someone’s coming,” she whispered.
They waited as someone moved quickly along the pier in their direction. Head down, the person didn’t notice them. But as the figure drew closer, Christine let out a cry. “It’s Bryce.”
She rushed to her brother, who came to a complete stop when he heard his name.
“Chris? What are you doing here?”
She threw her arms around him. “Looking for you. I’ve been so worried since you disappeared.”
Bryce shoved her away, casting a quick glance over his shoulder. “You have to leave.”
“No, silly. I just found you.”
“It’s not safe,” he hissed, then dragged a hand through his shaggy hair. “No one can find you here.”
Will stepped closer, understanding the urgency in Bryce’s voice that Christine, in her joy at locating her brother, had missed. “What do you say we go back to my place? Talk things out.”
Bryce glared at him. “Who’s he?”
“Bryce, this is Will. A friend,” she explained. “He’s been helping me track you down.”
“Chris, you should have stayed home.”
“And let you deal with whatever you’ve gotten yourself into alone? No way.”
The younger man frowned. “There’s no helping me now. Not with this crowd.”
“Of course there is.”
Out came her innate optimism. A little misguided, Will thought, but true to her heart.
“Let’s at least get out of the light,” Will advised. If there were others around, guys Bryce was clearly afraid of, they made one huge target standing under the lamp standard.
They huddled on the far side of the building, protected from prying eyes and the steady wind.
Christine didn’t waste any time. “What are you into, Bryce?”
Her brother looked at his feet, over the moored boats, anywhere but into his sister’s eyes.
“It’s okay,” Will added in a gentle voice.
Finally, Bryce puffed out his cheeks and said, “I started dealing pot with some guys I met. I thought that’s what they were doing at first, I swear. But before long, I discovered they were into different stuff and I couldn’t get out. I know you’re disappointed, Chris. I promised to get away from this life, and look, I’ve only made it worse.”
“There’s always a way out. A solution,” Christine said, her tone firm. Confident. Sure.
“You don’t know these guys. The boss would just as soon shoot me as wait for an explanation,” Bryce responded, just as confidently.
“Can’t you trust me to help you?” Christine grabbed her brother’s arm. “Will you let me call someone who can actually do something about this situation?”
“A cop?”
“Sort of, yes.”
Bryce scoffed. “Do you know what’ll happen if I say a word?”
Will stepped forward. “What happens if you say nothing? It’ll mean a life of looking over your shoulder, afraid of being arrested or worse...killed.” Will paused, letting the scary reality of his words penetrate Bryce’s stubbornness. “It won’t be easy. You might even have to disappear for a while. But the alternative is a lot worse, not to mention your family will always be wondering if you’re safe.”
Though there wasn’t much light, Will saw Bryce’s eyes shimmer. Clearly he was terrified.
Christine moved beside her brother, placing her palm on his cheek. “We love you, Bryce. We’ll do whatever we have to do to save you.”
Bryce hugged his sister, shaking as he silently cried against her shoulder. Christine whispered soothing words. After a few minutes, Bryce stepped back, wiping his eyes and straightening his shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Chris. Mom and Dad, too.”
She smiled. “When I get you home, you can tell them yourself.”
“Let’s go.” Will left the shadows and walked straight into the path of two men. He stopped short, but it was too late. He’d been seen.
“Hey, who’re you?” a burly guy asked.
“Nobody. I’m just leaving,” Will replied, motioning for Christine and Bryce to stay hidden.
“I don’t buy it,” the other guy said. “Who are you waving at?”
“No one. I—”
Before he could finish, the burly guy grabbed him by his coat while his partner sprinted for the shadows.
“Bryce? That you?” the man called.
Bryce slowly came forward. “Yeah, Scott. I was just asking this guy why he was hanging around.”
“You the cops?” Will’s captor asked.
“No. An accountant.”
A befuddled expression crossed the burly guy’s face.
“A what?”
“Never mind,” Scott spit, his voice trembling. “The boss is already on our backs. Shut him up and let’s get outta here.”
Will, a second shy of comprehending the command, doubled over when the man punched him in the stomach. Air heaved from his gut, leaving him breathless until an uppercut to his face replaced the first explosion of pain.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Bryce cried as he tried to pull from Scott’s grasp.
“You want to be next?” Scott threatened Bryce.
Before he could catalog all his aches, another punch to his chest sent Will flying backward into the marina office. He shook off the effect, fighting the nausea swirling in his stomach.
“Stop it,” Christine screamed as she went after Will’s attacker.
He had to protect her. He launched himself at the big guy, catching him off guard, and they both went down hard.
“Run,” Will yelled. “Call Dylan!”
Wild-eyed, Christine paused, recognition flaring in her eyes when she came face-to-face with Scott. “I know you. From the flower shop.”
Scott lunged for her, but Bryce knocked him aside and shouted, “Do it, Chris!”
She took off running for the parking lot. Neither of the assailants could risk going after her and letting Will or Bryce go free.
“You know she’s calling the cops,” Will taunted. “You’re going to get arrested.”
The big guy staggered to his feet. His eyes darted to and fro. “We gotta run, Scott. The boss is already furious with us. If he gets wind of us talkin’ to the cops, he’ll kill us.”
Scott, trying to take one last shot at Bryce, decided to heed his buddy’s warning. With a shaking finger, he pointed at Bryce. “You’re dead.”
With those parting words, the two ran to the parking lot. Tires squealing, the vehicle fishtailed before peeling out of the lot to speed down the empty street.