by S Cinders
“Stupid bastard,” Scott muttered.
“Scott!” Ivy chastised.
“What?” he countered. “That’s the nicest thing I could say about the creep. He’s one of the worst I’ve seen.”
“But you will be able to bring him in,” Ivy said, pulling a chair up to the table. “I mean, that’s what the FBI does, right? Catch the bad guys?”
“I wish it were that simple, Ivy,” Scott said, walking to the kitchen counter to pick up the three plates of pasta. After delivering one for each of them, he took a seat. “I haven’t wanted to stress you,” he said to Alyssa.
“But…” she replied, hoping he would continue.
Scott winced. “But Frank must have some high-reaching friends. My boss was pulled off your case, Alyssa. They’re calling our accident a hit and run. I’m sorry, but whatever happens now, we need to keep it off the record.”
“The FBI won’t help me anymore?” Alyssa asked woodenly, feeling as if the wind had been knocked clean out of her.
“No, they aren’t helping in an official capacity. Tyrone knows Frank is bad news. We just need to give whoever is helping him in the Bureau enough rope to hang themselves. Then we can finally arrest that son-of-a-bitch and you can get your life back.”
Alyssa nodded, knowing that she should be feeling better, but for some reason she didn’t feel better at all. If she got her life back, what would that entail? Everyone she had loved was gone.
“You aren’t eating your pasta,” Scott observed.
Alyssa picked up her fork and tried to eat the lovely meal Scott had prepared, but it wasn’t easy. She’d been a burden on him since the moment they met, and now she was bringing him danger and putting him in harm’s way.
The best thing she could do would be to stay away from him. That way nobody would have to deal with Frank or end up dead.
“What are you thinking about?’
Alyssa shook her head and smiled at Ivy. “Nothing important. Tell us more about your studies at university. I can’t believe you’re already in your second year. You must be sailing through those classes.”
Ivy smiled. “That really means a lot to me.”
And for the first time, she looked Alyssa in the face and acknowledged her presence.
"College was hard for me," Alyssa began slowly. "I never went to camp or spent time away from my family. It was a shock to live away from home."
"I know what you mean," Ivy said eagerly. "I never could have imagined how much I would miss home."
Soon they were talking about many things, and for the first time since Alyssa was released from the hospital, no... since her parents died, she felt at home.
20
“What did they say at your appointment?” Mandy asked Kim as they walked into their favorite café.
Kim sighed. “My therapist or OBGYN?”
Mandy’s lips twitched. “Either… Both.”
“Dr. Cummings and I talked about my first week at the women’s and children’s shelter. It was hard at first. Some of these mothers have been through so much. And the kids—they reminded me a lot of you and me at their age. However, they warmed up to me and by the end of the afternoon I didn’t want to leave.”
Stopping at an empty table, Kim and Mandy sat down. Soon the waitress was at the tableside to take their order.
“The usual?” Sharon, the waitress, asked.
Kim laughed. “Are we that predictable?”
Sharon grinned. “We see the two of you every Thursday. You order two sweet teas and two chef salads with ranch with a lemon bar to split for dessert.”
Mandy raised a brow. “Let’s make things interesting…”
Kim nodded in assent. “I concur.”
Sharon flipped out her pen and notepad. “This is a momentous occasion. All right, hit me. What’s the change for this week?”
Together the sisters said, “Two lemon bars.”
Sharon chuckled and wrote everything down. Moments later she had returned with the sweet teas and some fresh bread and butter.
As Mandy cut herself a healthy slice, she turned to Kim and asked, “How about your OBGYN appointment?”
Kim licked a small pat of melting butter from her thumb. “Same song, different day.”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “I can hardly believe that Tina is now or has ever been yesterday’s news. The woman is a riot.”
Dr. Richard’s nurse Tina was a handful. The middle-aged woman was sassy and often inappropriate. However, she was also compassionate, intelligent, and a hoot.
Kim chuckled. “Well, there was one thing…”
While they chatted about the appointment, the sisters didn’t notice the figure approaching the table until a shadow fell over them. Startling, Kim nearly spilled her tea.
“I’m sorry,” Alyssa said hurriedly. “I didn’t mean to surprise you. I just saw you both through the window and wanted to come and thank you again. I was so touched that you both came to the hospital after my accident.”
“Of course we came,” Mandy said with a smile. “That’s what friends are for.”
“You haven’t known me very long,” Alyssa replied, her nervousness apparent in the way she was twisting her hands.
“Grab a chair,” Kim suggested. “We would love to have you join us.”
“Oh.” Alyssa’s cheeks heated, and she apologized. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch. I just wanted to thank you again.”
“Nonsense,” Mandy added. “We would love to have you.”
Alyssa nodded. “Well, thank you, that’s very kind.”
“How have you been feeling?” Kim asked.
Alyssa bit her lip. “My health is doing well. There haven’t been any repercussions from the brain bleed.”
“How about the case?” Mandy added.
Alyssa shrugged. “I don’t understand how Frank can walk around in public and even hold press conferences about me. He’s an evil man, and yet nobody can do anything about it. I feel so unlike myself. I was confident and strong before all of this. Now I’m scared of my own shadow.”
“It’s no wonder,” Kim said gently. Placing her hand on Alyssa’s sleeve she asked, “What has Scott said?”
Alyssa grimaced. “I feel like I’m ruining his life. He’s taken a short leave of absence from the FBI.”
“What?” Mandy asked with astonishment. “How are they going to catch Frank if he’s not on the case?”
“There is no case,” Alyssa said quietly. Then she proceeded to tell Mandy and Kim about Scott’s boss closing the case out.
“And me being held in that empty building?” Kim asked hotly. “I suppose that was just a figment of my imagination?”
Alyssa shrugged helplessly. “No charges were filed. It was a non-issue according to the department.”
Kim winced as Mandy exclaimed, “No charges? What about the kid? He was arrested. I saw it with my own two eyes.”
Alyssa looked from Kim to Mandy, not wanting to get between the sisters. She waited for Kim to explain her actions.
“I asked them to drop the charges,” Kim said at last.
“Why would you do that?” Mandy asked in exasperation. “He could have led them to whoever was behind this. We could have had something concrete on Frank.”
Kim stiffened, feeling guilty for what she’d once thought to be a good decision. “I couldn’t press charges, Mandy. He was just a kid. Alexander was only sixteen. He was homeless and hungry.”
Mandy sighed. “Alexander?”
“That’s his name,” Kim said softly.
To her surprise, it was Alyssa who came to her defense. “You’re going to be a great mother, Kim.”
“Thank you?” Kim replied in confusion. “But why would you say that?”
“Because of how you handled Alexander’s case. I heard you spoke with the DA as well as child services. The family that he ran away from is no longer eligible to have foster children and there’s an ongoing investigation into the abuse claims. Looks like Alexander is in
a halfway house for teens and receiving counseling.”
Kim flushed. “How do you know all of that?”
“I’m still staying with Scott,” Alyssa whispered.
“What did you say?” Mandy teased when Alyssa’s cheeks went beet red.
Alyssa blurted out, “Okay, I’m still staying with Scott. I know that I could stay in the apartment in your building,” she said, indicating the apartment that Nate had arranged for her right after her uncle had cut her off.
Kim waved her hand, dismissing the comment. “Why would you stay alone in that apartment when you could be shacking up in Sexy Scott’s sheets?”
Mandy laughed while Alyssa fought back a smile. “I am not having sex with Scott Tabor.”
“You aren’t having sex with Scott Tabor yet,” Mandy corrected.
Sharon arrived at their table with three salads and another iced tea.
“I hope you enjoy your salads,” she said after setting everything down. “I’ll bring some more fresh bread, but in the meantime, is there anything else I can do?”
After indicating that they were perfectly fine, the ladies sat and chatted about trivial things as they ate their meals. It was so nice to do something normal.
“I am so very glad you ran into us,” Kim said to Alyssa.
“I am as well,” Mandy added. “I always eat too much and swear that I won’t ever do it again.”
Alyssa smiled. “I had to fight myself from licking my fingers after that amazing lemon bar.”
Kim laughed and added, “I licked mine and was tempted to lick the plate.”
Sharon approached the table. “Well ladies, someone has taken care of your bill, so you’re free to go whenever you would like. They just asked that I give this note to you.”
She handed over a folded sheet of paper.
“Thank you,” Kim said quickly, and Sharon got the hint to leave.
“Do either of you recognize the handwriting?” Mandy asked.
Kim and Alyssa shook their heads no.
Slowly Kim opened the folded note. There was only one line on the paper.
Time is running out.
21
Alyssa was beginning to dread the familiar feelings of panic and uncertainty. She told Mandy and Kim that she was fine, and she was. However, she was also likely developing an ulcer from all of the worry.
The minute she left the café, Alyssa had called Scott. It had taken him less than twenty minutes to join her, and he was now reviewing the cryptic note.
“What now?” she asked.
When he turned to look at her, Alyssa was struck once again by how handsome he was. His stubble was dark and dusted his cheeks. She wondered what it would feel like against her palm, or better yet, in a more sensitive area.
Involuntarily, her cheeks began to heat.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked as he cocked his head to the side to evaluate her.
“Nothing,” Alyssa replied, hating the way that her body flushed so easily.
Scott’s brow rose and his lips twitched. “Really nothing? Certainly seems like something.”
“It couldn’t be a something,” Alyssa insisted. “Because it’s already nothing. And besides, we should be focusing on the case.”
Scott stared a few moments longer, causing Alyssa to squirm in her seat. Thankfully he didn’t press her further.
“Let’s get this note down to headquarters. The officials can’t ignore this.”
Alyssa bit her lip. “Are you any closer to figuring out who the dirty FBI agent is?”
Scott shook his head. “No, and that’s the most frustrating part of all. I would trust these men and women with my life. Hell, I have trusted them with my life on numerous occasions. I just have a hard time imagining that one or more of them is crooked.”
“I just wonder what my uncle could be holding over them to cause someone to go along with murder,” Alyssa said.
“There has to be something that you have that he wants or needs. He already hijacked your inheritance and that wasn’t what he wanted. Was there any property that Frank doesn’t have access to?”
“Maybe there is something at the house that I missed?”
“Hmmm,” Scott pondered. “Maybe we should take a drive over there? Will it upset you if we run into him?”
Alyssa took a deep breath. “I’m not going to lie. I don’t want to see him, but I don’t want him to go free, either. Let’s do it.”
“Are you sure?” Scott asked.
“More than ever,” Alyssa said with determination.
After returning to her apartment and coming up empty, the pair decided to go to Alyssa’s parents’ brownstone on 42nd street. Again, there wasn’t anything to tie in with their theory that Frank needed something from her.
“We could also go to the family estate?” Alyssa suggested.
“Where is it?” Scott asked.
“It’s about an hour and twenty minutes,” Alyssa replied. “Let’s go check it out.”
An hour and seventeen minutes later, Scott tried to hide his surprise as they pulled into the Vauban mansion in Great Neck, New York. Sometimes he forgot just how wealthy Alyssa truly was. The sprawling mansion boasted matching indoor/outdoor Olympic-sized swimming pools and shaded tennis courts.
“What are we looking for?” Alyssa asked as she opened the front door and ushered him inside.
“Why don’t you give me a tour?” Scott suggested.
“Of course,” she replied.
“Miss Vauban.” An older woman came out from what Scott could only assume was the kitchen. “We weren’t expecting you. Would you like me to prepare some dinner for you and your guest?”
“Mrs. Walters,” Alyssa met the woman with a warm smile. “We’ve actually already had our meal but thank you.”
“Perhaps some coffee or a glass of wine,” Mrs. Walters suggested.
Alyssa nodded. “That would be nice, thank you.”
It was strange for Scott that he wasn’t introduced to the woman. However, it wasn’t often that he entertained with someone wealthy enough to have a live-in housekeeper.
“Is she the only one on the property?” Scott asked.
Alyssa shook her head. “No, there should be Mr. Adams, the groundskeeper. And then Mrs. Walters has a few girls that work for her during the day.”
“How long has it been since you lived here?” Scott asked.
“Not since before I left for college,” Alyssa replied. “My parents often stayed in the brownstone. It was closer to my grandparents. That’s why when I returned to New York after law school I decided to get an apartment. I could have a little separation but be close enough that we could see each other often.”
“When did you come out here?” Scott asked.
“We always spend the holidays here,” Alyssa said wistfully. “My mother loved Long Island and this home particularly. She never wanted to part with it despite my father’s asking.”
“Your dad wanted to sell the place?”
Alyssa nodded. “With ten bedrooms and twelve bathrooms, it really was far more than the three of us needed. But as much as my father disliked the ostentatiousness of the home, he loved my mother more. So, as you can see, we still have the place.”
“It is a beautiful home,” Scott replied. “But I can imagine it could also be a little lonely being the only child. Who did you play with?”
Alyssa smiled. “Let me show you around. I found all sorts of things to do. I had a very active imagination.”
Alyssa showed him the library where she’d read in the window seat. All of her beloved children’s stories were still there. She showed him the sitting rooms, formal rooms, dining room, her parents’ room and at long last they found themselves in the wine cellar.
“Alyssa,” Scott exclaimed excitedly. “This is an 1896 Chateau Lafite!”
Alyssa smiled at Scott’s enthusiasm. “It is indeed. But that isn’t the star. Come and see this one.”
“No fucking way,” Sco
tt whispered breathlessly. “Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992. This bottle went for half-a-million dollars at auction. How did you end up with it?”
Alyssa handed Scott the bottle. With shaking hands, he took it and began to examine it.
“This is incredible,” he said at last.
Alyssa loved seeing Scott’s reaction to the wine cellar. He was just like a kid at Christmas. There was one spot she hadn’t shown him. It was something of a family secret, but she no longer had any family. It wasn’t as if she and Frank would be coming here for the holidays.
In truth she would likely sell the place. The thought was depressing, so she pushed it away.
“One last surprise,” she said.
“Nothing could beat the last one,” Scott said fervently.
She went over to the second barrel on the left. Crouching down about halfway, she could reach a knot in the wood. Alyssa placed her finger on the center and the wood glowed red.
“Was that an infrared fingerprint scanner?” Scott asked.
“Only the best for my father’s stash,” she said with a laugh. “Come on, this will blow your mind.”
She stood and went back to the wine shelves and then removed a rather inauspicious bottle. Alyssa reached inside and pressed a button. The entire wall recessed about two feet and then slid away, revealing a hidden room.
22
“What is this place?” Scott asked reverently as they entered what appeared to be a 1920s-era speakeasy.
From the brass pulls to the burnished tin ceiling, every effort was made to have the same appeal of the hideaway establishments that were so popular during Prohibition.
Alyssa ran her hand across the maple wood bar. “This was my father’s favorite room, for obvious reasons. He loved the ingenuity of the people that lived in the early days of our country. He was extremely proud to be an American citizen.”
Scott heard the pride and sorrow in her voice when she spoke of her parents. Taking a chance, he approached her and wrapped her in his arms. For the briefest of moments, he worried she would pull away.
However, she surprised him by melting into his arms. It had been meant as an embrace of comfort. Scott didn’t know how to promise her that she would never be alone. That he would be there. It wasn’t as if they had even dated.
