by Tina Michele
Table of Contents
Synopsis
By the Author
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
About the Author
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Synopsis
In the heart of the Sunshine State, beyond the mouse ears and magic, is a city growing with art and culture. However, in a dark room grows a plot of greed, deception, and revenge twenty years in the making.
Belle Winters has made a successful life and career in art. Although she’s never known a real family, she dreams of having her own someday, unfortunately not with the carefree Tara Hicks.
Tara keeps herself in constant motion, from job to job and from woman to woman—a technique she has perfected to avoid the mundane grooves of life, love, and obligation. Belle moves her unlike any woman she’s ever met, but is that enough?
Belle and Tara struggle to break down the walls that protect their hearts, while the unforeseen consequences of a promise threaten not only priceless art but human lives.
Stealing Sunshine
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Stealing Sunshine
© 2016 By Tina Michele. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-62639-466-7
This Electronic Book is published by
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, New York 12185
First Edition: January 2016
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Cindy Cresap
Production Design: Susan Ramundo
Cover Design By Sheri ([email protected])
By the Author
Venus in Love
In Every Cloud
Stealing Sunshine
Acknowledgments
Huge thanks go to my girl, Holli! Without our late night porch chats with bottles of red wine, this story wouldn’t be what it is today. To my family, you buncha clumsy nuts on the same tree—I get it honestly.
As always, a sloppy smooch for each of my beta readers this time around. To Cindy, I promise this is the last time you need to repeat yourself. Big thanks to Det. Campbell for helping me put the fact in my fiction.
Chapter One
Belle Winters stood patiently in the foyer as she waited for her date. Although it wasn’t the sort of date she hoped for, she was still looking forward to a lovely night out. “We’re going to be late.” Belle hollered up the stairs in her most threatening voice, which wasn’t saying much. When there was no answer, she called out again, “Kyle King, you better not be changing.”
“I’m ready!” Kyle said as he appeared at the top of the steps in a perfectly tailored tuxedo. “Holy crap, honey! You look amazing!” He trotted down the steps with his mouth wide open.
“Don’t look so surprised.” Belle flashed a shy smile.
He grabbed her hands and held them out. “I am not surprised by your beauty. I am overwhelmed by it, sweetheart.”
This time, Belle’s face burned. “Thank you. And of course, you look dashing as always.”
“Oh, this old thing?” He wasn’t fooling anyone. Belle knew firsthand that Kyle had that suit special ordered and tailored for the event. It was his husband Andrew’s opening night as a principal dancer with the Florida Ballet Company, as well as their ten-year anniversary.
Belle had met Kyle her first day of work, and they’d been inseparable ever since. A fact confirmed because she also rented the apartment over their garage.
She’d known him before he had even met Andrew, but she couldn’t remember what life had been like before they were a couple. They were her family and she was blessed to be able to share such an occasion with them.
“Ready, gorgeous?” he asked her as he scooped his wallet and keys off the hall table, slipped them into his pocket, and then held out his arm for her.
“Why, yes, I am,” Belle said as she slipped her arm into the crook of his elbow. Kyle held the door for her as Belle gathered her long dress into the car. “Are you nervous?” she asked as he released a long, calming sigh as he jabbed a key into the ignition.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Um, yes. That’s the house key you’re trying to start the car with.” They both laughed at his distracted blunder before he selected the correct key and started the engine.
“Okay. I’m a wreck,” he admitted.
“Do you want me to drive?” She knew he would say no; he preferred to be in control, especially when he was anxious. He looked over at her and she knew his answer. “Just thought I’d offer.”
“By the time it takes us to switch places we’ll be there.”
He was right about that. Within minutes, they were pulling up to the front of the newly renovated Orlando Metropolitan Performing Arts Center. It was a beautiful state-of-the-art venue with a facade of glass and steel that glowed with warm and inviting light. It had taken three years and just under one billion dollars to reconstruct a monumental addition to the downtown Orlando Arts District.
Belle was beyond impressed with the stunning design and contemporary architecture. She could only imagine how excited Andrew was to participate in its inaugural event—in addition to his own personal milestone achievement. The valet opened her door and helped Belle out into the crowd of pristinely dressed attendees. Diamond-clad women milled about as they greeted each other with kisses and compliments before they headed inside to continue their required acknowledgements.
Belle fidgeted with her dress and hair as she tapped her bare neck which was void of an obligatory million-dollar bauble. Kyle’s voice in her ear startled her. “You are more beautiful than any of these pretentious women. Own it, sweetheart.” Belle smiled at him. He was her very best friend, and he always knew how to make her feel special even when she felt her most inadequate.
She took a deep breath and allowed Kyle to lead her into the foyer with all the confidence she didn’t feel. But the night wasn’t about her, and she was blessed to be a part of it. They stopped often as the other guests recognized Kyle and gave him their congratulations for both him and Andrew. It made Belle happy to see so many people who adored them as much as she did—although she was certain that no one was more proud. Any insecu
rities that she had faded each time Kyle introduced Belle as his dearest friend.
When they slipped off to the side of the room during a welcome lag in attentions, Kyle plucked two glasses of champagne off a passing tray and handed one to Belle. “Oh, thank you. To you and Andrew, the most amazing people in the world and my very best friends.” Belle held up her glass for Kyle’s when, across the room, a figure caught her eye. Time seemed to slow to a near halt when her eyes met the ones that stared back at her.
A dark-haired woman, dressed in a crisp black suit gazed at her through the crowd. The hundreds of people disappeared and their accompanying chatter faded into silence. Belle was frozen in time by the woman’s unabashed gaze, and she was helpless to pull herself from it. Her heart pounded in her chest as the woman mouthed her name. What? How does she know my name? As the woman’s lips moved again, Belle heard her name, as if through a fog, but it wasn’t a woman’s voice.
“Belle!” Kyle said as he lifted his glass into her line of sight, but Belle was unfazed. Only when the woman smiled and Belle blinked was the connection lost.
The bustle of the people and noise sparked to life, and Belle felt an undeniable jolt of loss run through her. The sensation reminded her of the many dreams she’d been ripped out of when she woke, yet there was no blanket to cover herself with this time.
“Belle. Are you okay?” This time she heard Kyle loud and clear.
“What? Uh, yeah. I’m fine.” She looked at him, and his face was awash with concern.
“What are you looking at?” He looked behind him for an explanation. It took him a second to see what had her hypnotized. “Wow. No wonder. That smile almost put me in a coma just now.”
Belle shot him a look of disbelief. “Shut up. I was not in a coma. I was, well, I got distracted. There are a lot of people here. I thought I recognized someone. That’s all.”
“Recognized someone? Who? Because I know all of your friends, and that handsome woman in black is not one of them. But maybe—”
“What? No. Not her, someone else.” Belle looked around the room and then down into her champagne glass.
“You could go—”
Belle knew Kyle was about to suggest that she leave her comfort zone and approach a complete stranger, but a chime rang overhead. “It’s time! Let’s go find our seats.” Belle grabbed his unfinished glass and set them both on a nearby table before she gripped his elbow and led him into the hall. Before they left the lobby, Belle couldn’t help but sneak one final peek of the woman. It was then that she saw the beautiful blonde who whispered into the woman’s ear. Belle was struck with an overwhelming and unexpected sense of disappointment. “Of course,” she murmured to herself.
*
In a dim and cool room, Pete and Jesse sat on either side of a long oak table. They sat in silence looking as unkempt as they did suspicious. Roz entered the room without a word and unrolled a large blueprint onto the table. He lobbed a small bronze statue at Pete who did not expect the weight of the item. Although he caught it, he looked at Roz with contempt. “This thing weighs a fucking ton. It could’ve broken my damn hand, asshole.”
“Shut the hell up, Pete, and pin that end down.” Roz hovered over the table and did very little to try to hide his utter lack of concern.
Pete stood and slammed the bronze down on the table. “Oh, it’s like that is it? I’d like to see you find someone else put up with this bullshit.”
Roz straightened and took three quick steps toward him. Before Pete knew what had happened, Roz punched him in the face and knocked him back into the chair.
Pete screamed in pain and grabbed his nose as blood gushed through his fingers. “What the fuck, man?”
Roz grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. “Listen to me very carefully. There are a hundred more brainless morons where you came from, and they are willing to do whatever I tell them without talking back.” He twisted the fabric of Pete’s shirt. Roz tightened his fist until Pete’s bleeding face tinged a deep purple. “But if I were you, I would pray that I don’t pick one of them.” Pete’s mouth moved, but no words came out. Roz held his grip and flipped back his sport coat to expose the dull black .38 in his waistband. “You are expendable. Do you understand me?” Pete slowly nodded his head in comprehension, and Roz released his grip.
Pete sputtered and gasped for air. He ripped his collar open around his neck and exposed the blood red marks where the fabric had burned into his flesh. “Yes, sir, I understand.” He struggled to speak as the blood ran from his upper lip and down onto his shirt.
“Now that we’ve gotten that dirty bit out of the way, can we please get back to this?” He calmly asked in spite of the thrill he had from almost strangling another man to death. Both men nodded in agreement, but neither dared to speak. They watched with determined focus as Roz drew his finger, still covered in blood, across the paper in a path he had been over a hundred times before. It was something that he could have done with his eyes closed, but he needed to be sure that they could do it as well and in real time.
Roz looked over at Pete, who held his bloody face in his shirt, and rolled his eyes. “Jesus, Pete, get a napkin before you get blood all over my Persian Tabriz carpet, and then I will have to kill you.” Roz chuckled, but he was the only one. He looked over at Jesse. “You. Walk me through it while dipshit gets a tissue.” It was only then that Jesse chuckled and Pete flashed him a dirty look.
Jesse ran his finger over the map as he listed the targets. “Les Barques de Peche, Auvers Sur Oise, La Musicienne…”
Chapter Two
Tara Hicks sat in her car and prepared herself for the spectacle that was about to begin. She’d done it a thousand times before, yet each and every time it played out the same. She would enter the room and be swarmed by both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Tara would smile and kiss cheeks as she thanked each one for coming and for their generous donations. She knocked her head back onto the headrest and sighed.
“It could be worse.”
Tara glanced over to the passenger’s seat at her best friend, Cate Summers. “Really? How?” Tara hated the obligations that came with being a member of the Hicks family. To say that her parents, Linda and Oliver Hicks, were two of Orlando’s most affluent socialites was an understatement. They were all but considered the king and queen of the arts and social scene in Central Florida. Not to mention they were the heads of the architectural firm responsible for the multi-million dollar design and renovation of the Orlando Performing Arts Center, as well as the single most generous benefactor and fundraiser of the Florida Ballet Company. All that made it bearable was the presence of Cate, who had just as much experience with such events as Tara did. “It’s just another ass-kissing event to get more money out of my parents. I don’t even know why I’m here.”
“You’re here because your parents told you to be here. You are Tara Hicks, darling, the future face of Hicks Architecture Group.” Cate reached over and squeezed Tara’s hand.
“Cate, you and I both know that I have no desire whatsoever to be an architect or run the company.”
“I know. But they won’t stop trying until you pick something.” Cate knew that the more they pushed her to choose a path the more Tara rebelled against it.
“I have a path, several, in fact.” Tara smiled.
“You do realize that part-time photographer-bartender-cab driver is not so much a ‘path.’”
“It is for someone like me. Can you imagine me in one job for the rest of my life? And I haven’t been a cab driver, yet.” The valet opened her door, and Tara took a deep breath. “Here we go.”
Cate waited for Tara to round the front of the vehicle. “I can’t even imagine you with one woman for the rest of your life, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t make you happy.” Cate took the arm that Tara offered.
“Ha! I am the happiest person you could ever know.” They both knew it was a lie.
Even for all of her disinterest in being an architect, she had to admi
t that she was both impressed and proud of her parents’ accomplishments. Their talent was evident in the beautiful structure around them. “Wow!”
“Yeah, no shit.” Cate was impressed as well.
Just as she expected, it hadn’t taken more than thirty seconds for the greetings to begin. “Hi. It’s good to see you. Yes, it’s stunning. Thank you. I’ll be sure to tell them.” It was nothing more than a looping audio track. The redundancy and passionlessness of it all made her want to crawl out of her skin.
When the crowds dissipated, Tara sipped her drink as she waited for Cate to return from the restroom. A flash of red caught her attention on the other side of the room. Tara was captivated by the woman with long, flowing black hair that fell in waves down the back of a stunning crimson dress. She watched with intrigue and an unwavering gaze as the mysterious woman greeted so many familiar faces. How was it that this woman moved in the same circles and yet she’d never seen her before that night? When the woman stepped off to the side of the room, an attractive man approached and handed her a glass of champagne that he’d picked off a passing tray. He too looked familiar, but she couldn’t place his face or think of his name. Their closeness was undeniable. Tara felt an unexpected tinge of disappointment at the unmistakable intimacy of their interaction, but she was too mesmerized to look away.
She watched the emotion in the woman’s eyes as she held up her glass and spoke to her companion. Tara wished for the room to go silent so she could hear the sweetness of her voice. When their eyes met, Tara’s breath caught and she heard the solid thrumming of her heart. She dared not move for fear that the connection would be broken. Without knowing what she would say, Tara opened her mouth to speak, but her voice failed her.