Second Time's the Charm

by Knight, Vanessa

  Allison’s eyes swept back and forth as they entered the elevator. She didn’t speak, just seemed to take it all in as Adam used the key again to activate the button for the fiftieth floor.

  The top ten floors of the building were all single occupancy, with each floor one condominium. Their destination was no different. The elegant elevator sped smoothly past all the other floors, and gently glided to the penthouse level. The doors flew open, and they were greeted with the five-thousand-square-foot condo.

  The entry was gold, from the walls, to the glowing sconces, to the wainscoting above the warm hardwood. Allison’s heels clicked on the maple floor as they wandered into an oversized rotunda family room. Windows lined the circular back wall, and lead to the spectacular vista of the southern Chicago skyline. They walked over the shaggy, tan area rug, passing white couches and red marble coffee tables. Allison’s eyes scanned the view outside the window, where the Hancock building soared in the backdrop.

  He heard her breath hitch in her chest as she stared at the crisp blue stretch of sky. To the southeast, the visible horizon met the cool waves of Lake Michigan. This condo offered an unparalleled view of Chicago. It truly was amazing, but it didn’t hold a candle to the woman standing next to him.

  Adam’s attention veered from the city in front of him, and fell upon her. He had thought about that night with Allison so many times over the years. She had been wicked sexy back then, too, with sex appeal that could tempt the most virtuous saint. He was surprised he had waited as long as did to make a move. Lord knew he had never been a virtuous saint.

  He missed her soft, commanding hands and the gentle arch of her neck. He had dreamed about her small, perky breasts and the way she moaned for more. He fought the urge to wrap his arms around her waist, and his hand jerked back at the thought of running his hands up and down her body, pulling the pins from her hair and allowing it to tumble down her back.

  Stop! Get a grip!

  Unfortunately, he knew how it felt to touch her, be touched by her, to be inside her, to be loved by her. He gulped, hoping to squash the overpowering need bubbling to the surface.

  His eyes continued their visual caressing as he watched her lick the soft contours of her lips, those lips that had kissed him and cracked all of his inhibitions. He looked down at her hands hanging at her side. Those hands had brought him excessive pleasure as she stroked all apprehension from his body.

  He shook his head in disgust. He knew it was wrong to start anything with her, even back then. After all, his parents considered her one of the family. However, every stroke, lick, and thrust shattered his defenses till he had to have her.

  Adam forced his attention back to the cityscape. He watched the rise and swell of the lake, trying to control his racing heart rate and raging hard-on. The desire to touch her engulfed him. He slowly placed his hand on her back. He leaned in to breathe the floral scent of her perfume and thought, What the hell am I doing?

  * * *

  Allison stared, mesmerized by the beauty before her. Cascading light fell over the city she so lovingly called home. Boats sparked and gleamed as they drifted over the glittering water. Brown and gold leaves hung from the tree-lined streets of the Streeterville neighborhood. There was something magical about weekends in the city of Chicago. Weekdays found people rushing about, but Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were for enjoying all this town had to offer.

  Her mind wandered over the fall scenes. Soon the cold would take hold, covering the city in a blanket of white, for now, though, everyone lapped up the temperate climate. She was so engrossed in her love affair with the city that she almost didn’t notice the warm hand resting on the small of her back. Adam leaned over, inches from her ear, and whispered, “Breathtaking.”

  Her skin quivered as his soft, warm breath tickled her neck. Her eyes closed as she inhaled. Shit, he smells amazing. Thoughts scattered. His scent. The warmth of his hands. His arm moved to her waist, his fingers wrapping around her hip. She trembled, electricity zipping through her veins.

  She knew she needed to stop him. This feeling. Her reaction to him, but she couldn’t remember why. Why? She exhaled, trying to release all lingering confusion. She stepped away, removing herself from his influence. Oh yeah. This was the arrogant, slimeball heartbreaker Adam Byrnes. Her mind went back to the empty bed so many years ago.

  “Y-yes,” she stuttered, glancing up at him, as she moved closer to the window and further from him. “It’s beautiful.”

  “I was talking about you,” he murmured as he stepped closer, bridging the distance between the two of them. His other hand reached out and trailed a finger down the side of her cheek, sending a shiver down her spine. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her hand to his mouth.

  Allison’s eyes fluttered closed as her lungs grasped for air. Her heart sputtered. Silken, wet lips caressed her sensitive palm before moving to her fingers. His tongue stroked her fingertip. His teeth nibbled on the pad. Her thighs burned with desire.

  Her mind told her to stop this idiocy, but every other part of her body was screaming, “Take me.” Adam pulled her to him, pressing himself into her. Her hips hummed as she pushed forward into his growing interest. A small groan escaped through his clenched teeth. He wanted this. God knew she wanted this.

  His green eyes burned, reflecting all the want and desire she felt. He angled his head toward her. His lips moved to her mouth. Soft. Hot. Demanding. Hunger seared her soul. Want drove her forward as she lost all sense of control and reason. She wanted him closer, inside of her. His kiss intensified, and her lips opened for him.

  Her desperate hands ran through his hair and down his strong back. She felt his taut muscles flex, sending pure heat radiating up and down her body. She was consumed with him. She gasped as his hands lifted her skirt, his thumbs trailing down her thighs. Throbbing need pulsed through her veins. She wanted him. Wanted him now. Her tongue moved over his, swirling with frenzied desire.

  With his lips still on hers, he lifted her in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pulled her tight against his erection. He stumbled down the hall, bumping into a table outside the master bedroom. A crystal vase wobbled as it spun on its rim. Somehow, though, it managed to teeter itself back into a standing position.

  He opened the first bedroom door he came to and carried her in. He flicked on the light switch, and his gasp pierced her sexual haze, bringing her back to reality. Once Adam set her on her feet again, Allison turned and faced the room.

  What might have been a gorgeous guest room was now more of a teenager’s haven. Furniture was overturned and drawers had been pulled onto the floor, their contents strewn about. The closet was emptied and its holdings scattered.

  She stared at the mess as Adam put a finger to his lips.

  “Stay here,” he whispered and walked out of the room. She slowly adjusted her clothes, trying to regulate her breathing. She tried to wrap her mind around what she almost did with Adam. But she didn’t want to think about it. She also didn’t want to think about the ramifications of what had happened here. How and why did someone destroy this room?

  Adam walked back into the bedroom and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I need to report a break-in.”

  Chapter Eight

  Detective Shay Washington entered the Byrnes condo and was taken in by the opulence. Everything about this condo screamed money.

  “Nice place,” Detective Joe Perretti muttered as he slipped on a pair of gloves. “If I worked every day, all day, till retirement, I still could not afford this on my salary.” Shay pulled her gloves from her pocket.

  Everything about this case was wrong. When they first received the call about Herb Byrnes death, she figured it was an open and shut case of “natural causes.” However, what were the odds his condo would be robbed a week later. She had never been a big proponent of coincidence.

  She shook her head as they entered the guest room with its overturned bookcases and inverted dresser draw
ers. Her partner, Joe, disrupted her musings.

  “Someone must have run off with a mint. Can you imagine how much money they walked away with? Just look at that painting. That alone is probably worth twenty million.”

  “Really?” Shay asked incredulously.

  “Really. This goofy egg?” Joe bent down to retrieve a gold egg covered in silver swirls. At the intersection of the swirls lay blue jewels. “It’s probably worth at least fifteen million.”

  “For an egg? You're shittin’ me.” She grabbed the item from Joe. “It’s very rare.”

  “Who in their right mind would pay that much for an egg?”

  Joe shrugged his shoulders. “Herb Byrnes. My parents. People who have way too much money.”

  Something felt off. Shay couldn’t shake the feeling that this must have been more than a mere robbery.

  “Here is a multimillion-dollar egg and multimillion-dollar painting. Why didn’t the perp take these items?”

  “Maybe they didn’t know what they were worth?”

  “I guess,” she said. “But if I were a thief randomly choosing a home to rob and I was surrounded by all of this expensive looking stuff, I would grab anything that wasn’t nailed down. Especially a blue-jeweled egg that would fit in a pocket.”

  “Detectives?” An officer’s voice interrupted their conversation. “We still haven’t found another point of entry besides the front door or the back service entrance. Neither one has been compromised. They checked the security information from the main elevator for this floor, and no one has been up here for over a week. Someone must have used the service elevator. We just spoke with the building security, and they have all the security tapes for us. The footage isn’t labeled by location, but we can have copies of everything they’ve got. Did you want to head downstairs to their office and begin viewing the footage?”

  Shay peered out the door and saw Adam Byrnes with his arm around Allison Southby. She remembered them from the initial contact after Herb Byrnes’ funeral, but she didn’t remember them being this affectionate. Of course, his mother was around and it was under different circumstances. She exhaled. She definitely didn’t believe in coincidence. “Let’s talk to the witnesses first.”

  * * *

  Julie stood outside the condo on Superior, her heartbeat knocking against her temples. She inhaled and exhaled. She had managed to get out just in time. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to find what she came for. She had walked through the rooms trying to think like Herb. “If I were a sixty-year-old man, where would I keep important paperwork?” Apparently, her mind was not in sync with his, because everywhere she’d looked, she came up empty.

  She originally thought it might be at Byrnes and Company. She’d even managed to check his work office before Dale and Adam showed up and commandeered the area. She’d tried his desk and shelves. Hell, she’d even opened the office safe. Nothing.

  There was one more place to look, but she shuddered at the thought. The home he shared with his wife. She refused to go snooping through his house. She had to draw the line somewhere.

  She stared in horror as a parade of police officers entered the building. Would they be able to find it?

  Terror filled her heart and lights flashed in her eyes. Blinding heat spread across her face and down her neck. Panic always made her light-headed, but the last thing she needed was to pass out in the middle of the road.

  She leaned against a light pole along the sidewalk, resting her face against the cold steel. The cool metal helped her focus her attention. She needed to get out of here. They would definitely question her if they noticed her standing outside the condo, but she wasn’t sure where to go.

  She contemplated calling Ben. She could use some support right now, but he wouldn’t understand. In the heat of the moment she might say something to scare him away.

  Maybe he would see past her one indiscretion. Probably not. In her experience, men weren’t the most forgiving of creatures. Why ruin a good thing?

  With one backward glance, she melded with the Friday foot traffic and headed home.

  * * *

  Allison’s head was reeling. She mentally scrolled through the short list of suspects who might break into Herb’s condo. No one came to mind. It just seemed outrageous to think that someone would even consider invading another person’s space like that.

  They’d spent the last hour reiterating the incidents that led up to their nine-one- one call, over and over again, ad nauseam. She could probably recite the events in her sleep, at this point. Damn. She should have thought of that sooner. She could have slept through the interrogation.

  Her hand shot to her mouth as a yawn overwhelmed her. She’d had enough. Hunger gnawed at her stomach as she thought about the last time she ate. The apple, popcorn, and soda she’d downed throughout the day hadn’t seemed to keep her stomach full enough to last through the evening. All she wanted was a good meal and a warm bed.

  “Are we done here for tonight?” Adam asked Detective Washington, as if reading Allison’s mind.

  “Sure. We’ll be in touch.” The detective nodded.

  “Why don’t I take you home tonight? You can stay here another night.” Adam suggested and glanced down at Allison. Concern colored his eyes.

  “I really don’t want to go home.” Her lips drooped down at the thought of being alone. “I’ll call my sister.” Allison took out her cell phone and dialed her sister’s number, only to get her voicemail. “Brook, where are you tonight? Oh, yeah, it’s Friday, you’re probably out. Well, when you get back from whatever debauchery you’ve found, can you call me? Please. Bye!”

  She swiped the End icon and stared at the phone. “I left a message,” she said out loud.

  Despite her attempt at ESP, the phone did not ring. Her sister did not call. She sighed. The thought of staying anywhere alone frightened her more than she wanted to admit. After all, she was a strong independent woman and this was just a simple robbery.

  Simple robbery. What the hell was that? There was no such thing as a simple robbery. Even though she didn’t live in the space and her stuff was miles away, locked in her own apartment, she felt violated. Devastated.

  Adam stared at her, brows furrowed. “Are you hungry?”

  She looked up, eyes glazed in confusion. Hungry? Yeah. She nodded.

  “Let’s go grab some dinner. I’m sure Brook will call while we’re eating.”

  Allison got her purse, and within minutes they were heading down Michigan Avenue, the cool evening air whipping across their arms through the opened windows of his loaner. She leaned her head back against the headrest.

  She hated the damsel in distress bit, but she sure felt the distress right now. She would like to think she would have been fine getting through it alone, but she was happy she didn’t have to find out. And she hated to admit it, but having Adam near made her feel better.

  Even after all of the drama of the past few hours, she couldn’t seem to forget how the evening began. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn’t seem to stop wanting him. Those strong hands, those hot, wanting lips…

  “Are you okay?” Adam asked before her imagination could get away from her. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? I’ve worked with a lot of people in your situation and I know this isn’t easy. This must be difficult, to have your new place broken into…”

  “You know, I’d rather not talk about it,” she interrupted and glanced out the passenger door. She braced for a fight. She knew she was being ridiculous about this, and Adam never missed an opportunity to tell her when she was behaving like a child. After all, she barely owned the property. The fact that there had been a break-in shouldn’t have bothered her as much as it did.

  Surprisingly, though, silence came from the seat next to her until he asked, “Where do you want to eat?”

  “How about Zydeco? I could use some comfort food.” She ran her hands over her arms. She wasn’t cold, but her nerves were leaving her chilled. “I never thoug
ht of Cajun as comfort food.”

  “It was my dad’s favorite.” She watched her hands as her fingers intertwined and twisted. Just the mention of her father created a longing in her heart. Just one more dip in the roller-coaster of a day.

  “Then Zydeco it is.” He stared out the windshield as he maneuvered across the lanes of traffic. They sat in silence, until Adam smiled and turned to her. “You know, I never really understood how hard it must have been for you all those years ago. I just lost my dad, but you lost both your parents. And you had to raise your sister. I can’t even imagine having to raise Dale. You are an amazing woman, Allison Southby.”

  The heat crawled up her neck. She never thought of herself as amazing. She’d made the best of a bad situation. Some would have done better, some worse, but she thought she did okay. It was nice to hear, though. It was nice to hear she wasn’t a complete screw-up.

  “After all the years we’ve known each other, you don’t talk about your parents much. Do you still miss them?”

  “Yes.” She hesitated. This was not a discussion she wanted to have—ever. She preferred to keep it locked in her heart. There was no point reliving the loss by talking about it. It wouldn’t bring them back. It would only prolong her suffering as she thought about loneliness and fear that tormented her that first year—hell, her whole life.

  It was one more way Brook and she were different. Brook talked about their parents, simple nostalgia creeping into her voice. Allison had never gotten to that point. She’d never had time to let them go.

  “So it’s not going to get any better, huh?”

  She looked into his eyes until his gaze returned to the road. Gazing at his profile, she let her thoughts fall from her mouth. “Yes, it gets better. One night you find that you haven’t thought about them all day. Then you feel guilty because you think you’re forgetting them. But eventually you realize you’re not. I guess it’s worse when I think about things they would have loved to see.