Through the Night (20 page)

“That’s amazing.” She couldn’t believe that one man had gone to so much trouble just to keep the pieces of a walking cane separated. “Steven is going to be thrilled that he’ll have the completed cane for his collection, and to display at the Onyx.”

She reached down and ran her fingers along the carved ivory vines in the authentic staff and felt … nothing. There were no flashes or visions that linked the cane to Capone, and she realized she was disappointed that she couldn’t experience the kind of psychic connection to the cane that Chase had. Then again, their abilities were completely different, but she was curious to know what he’d seen when he gripped the leg in his hand back at Jack’s house that confirmed it belonged to the ivory top piece.

She turned her head, meeting his gaze. “What did you see or feel when you initially touched the leg that belongs to the cane top?”

He braced his hands on his hips and hesitated a moment, seemingly thinking about his response before he spoke. “I flashed on Capone taking the pieces apart while talking to a man about handcrafting the secretary for him using the real cane staff, and another one he’d had made to match it. That’s how I knew that one was authentic,” he said, pointing to the second post he’d removed. “The other leg didn’t give me anything but vague glimpses of the man who’d made the desk. There was nothing to indicate it belonged to the ivory top piece.”

“That’s very cool.”

“Yeah, having psychometric abilities definitely comes in handy.” He withdrew his cell phone from his pocket. “I need to call Tony, give him an update, and have him set up the private jet for our flight back to Vegas tomorrow morning.”

Now that she’d done her part in this case, and Chase had tracked down the rest of the cane, there was no reason left for them to be together once they returned to the Onyx. Even though going their separate ways had been inevitable, and she’d told herself that was exactly what she wanted, a lump formed in the back of her throat and she was mortified that her emotions were getting the best of her.

Which wasn’t a good sign. Not at all.

All of a sudden, the hotel room seemed to close in on her. She desperately needed fresh air, and she needed to clear her thoughts. Before Chase could dial Tony’s number and get caught up in a long conversation with the curator, she decided she needed a bit of time to herself. “There’s a Starbucks a couple of blocks from the hotel. Do you mind if I take a walk and go get an iced coffee while you make your call?”

He glanced at her, searching her face with a hint of concern, and she wondered if he’d detected the forced calm in her voice. “No, of course not. You go ahead.”

Picking up her purse, she averted her gaze, because she was afraid her eyes or her expression might give away the panic that was starting to rise within her. Panic over being foolish enough to let this man get closer than she’d ever thought possible. “Would you like anything?”

“No, I’m good. I’m already hyped up on the natural rush of adrenaline.” His voice was light and teasing, and she knew he was trying to cajole a smile out of her. “Caffeine will no doubt put me over the edge.”

She laughed, because that seemed like the fitting response. But the truth was, she couldn’t get out of there quick enough.

Chapter Eleven

Chase watched Valerie hustle out of their hotel room without looking back and knew something was wrong. Oh, she’d been fine while they took apart the desk and discussed his visions upon touching the leg piece, but somewhere along the way, that switch of hers had flipped to panic mode and he had no idea why.

He stared at the phone in his hand, knowing he needed to call Tony to give him the good news, but in addition to Valerie’s distress, there was another slice of remorse that was weighing heavily on his mind, and that rarely happened. Oh, sure, he carried around plenty of guilt about the past and his best friend’s death, but this regret tightening in his gut was fresh and new and all related to Valerie.

He’d lied to her. Not an outright, bald-faced deception, but rather he’d omitted some pertinent details about what he saw when he touched the authentic cane staff at Jack’s. Keeping those vital clues to himself had been an instinctual habit, a way to protect himself, and his secret—especially when so many people wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of the kind of life-changing information he was in possession of. Unscrupulous people like Russ and Angie, and that was where his caution had stemmed from.

Everything he told Valerie that he’d seen was the truth. It was what he
hadn’t
revealed that was wreaking havoc with his conscience. Now that he was so close to completing the cane, the visions he’d had in the past of a small ivory carving of a Virgin Mary, like some sort of flat key to something, were even stronger. When he skimmed his hand down the desk leg, he’d seen that image again, accompanied by the flash of a rare and valuable ruby.

There was no doubt in Chase’s mind that when he connected the cane pieces, there would be more to the cane than what met the eye. He just wasn’t sure what would happen, but whatever puzzle piece was revealed next would certainly lead to that priceless red stone he kept envisioning. Capone had gone to extreme lengths with the cane to protect something very valuable. Steven could have the cane itself, but Chase was dying to get his hands on whatever that ultimate treasure was.

He wanted Valerie involved in the discovery, and that was a huge revelation for him. He didn’t owe her anything above or beyond what Steven had hired them to do—which would be accomplished once they returned to Vegas. But after everything they’d been through in such a short period of time, confiding in Valerie was a matter of honesty and respect.

Who was he kidding? Chase thought with a shake of his head. If he was really truthful with himself, confiding in her was way more than just about professional courtesy. He
wanted
to share what the cane revealed with her, not just because she’d appreciate the score as much as he would, but because he cared about
her.

And that was what truly mattered.

*   *   *

Valerie walked down the street toward the Starbucks she’d seen earlier that day when she and Chase drove to Jack’s. She breathed in the cool, clean air tinged with the scent of salt from the ocean just a few blocks over, forcing her mind to clear and the tension in her body to ease after her little anxiety attack back at the hotel. The sun was shining, a nice breeze rustled the fronds of the palm trees in the area, and for a midafternoon on a Thursday, the quaint city of Boca Raton was all about laid-back, low-key relaxation. Which was exactly what she needed.

God, when had she become such an emotional mess, so tangled up in wants and needs that she’d always managed to keep buried deep inside her? Okay, she knew the answer to that question—sex with Chase had inundated her with pleasure, desire, and a longing for the kind of intimacy that had also prompted a wealth of fear and insecurity.

It hadn’t taken much for Chase to shatter her controlled façade, the one that protected her heart from the kind of hurt and pain that took years to heal. And despite her efforts to keep her distance from Chase since they’d had sex and make sure they didn’t touch and set off those sparks between them, he was already under her skin, a part of her that she couldn’t shake, no matter how hard she tried.

And that was the source of her panic. Though she’d tried shoring her defenses when it came to Chase, she felt so inherently drawn to him, so intrinsically connected, and she well knew what happened when she allowed her emotions to rule her head and heart.

Admittedly, Chase wasn’t the kind of man to settle down in one place. He had a condo in Chicago that was a home base for him and that he rarely used, and he thrived on risk and adventure, enjoyed his always-on-the-go lifestyle. She, on the other hand, was a homebody at heart, someone who craved stability, security, and a regular routine. This adventure of his had been fun and exciting, but it wasn’t something she wanted to do on a regular basis, as he did.

So why was she even contemplating their differences? Chase wasn’t offering her anything more than the time they had together on this case, which was nearly over. They had the cane staff, and tomorrow they’d return to Vegas, then go their separate ways. End of story. And the end to them.

Reaching the promenade of specialty shops and boutiques where the coffeehouse was located, she took a shortcut through an alleyway that connected a parking lot to the main shopping area. A few other people walked through the pathway, as well, and when she turned the corner at the end, Starbucks was only a few shops away.

Knowing what she wanted, she stood in line with two people ahead of her, and when a man stepped up behind her, an overwhelming sense of foreboding wrapped around her, startling her with the heavy, oppressive feeling. The man hadn’t touched her at all, but his threatening aura was so strong and palpable, it was difficult for her to ignore. She was in a public place, surrounded by people, but the vibes she’d gotten from him unnerved her.

She ordered her drink and moved away from the register, and from the man, while the barista made her iced vanilla latte. He ordered his own drink, paying no attention to Valerie, and she watched him out of the corner of her eye. He was a decent-looking guy, clean-cut and in his mid-to late twenties, she’d guess. He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and name-brand sneakers. He seemed like any other customer in the place, ordering a Frappuccino and a lemon scone, and outwardly, there was nothing threatening about him.

Dismissing her concerns, she picked up her latte and sat at one of the tables outdoors to bask in the warm sun for a while before she headed back to the hotel and the close confines of the room with Chase in it. A few minutes later, the guy came out and parked himself at a vacant table on the other side of the patio.

He was facing her but didn’t so much as look in her direction. With one hand he played around on his smartphone while sipping on his drink and eating his scone and enjoying the beautiful day. He looked just like everyone else in the area.

“You’re being ridiculous,” she muttered to herself, and withdrew her BlackBerry from her purse to make a call to Skye. The past four days of traveling had been crazy busy, and she wanted to touch base with her friend and see what was going on back at home and just hear a familiar voice.

After a few rings, the line connected and Skye’s cheerful voice greeted Valerie. “Hey, girlfriend! Where in the heck are you? I didn’t think you’d be gone
all
week!”

Valerie grinned, knowing that was Skye’s way of saying she’d missed her. “I know. Me, neither. One thing led to another on the case, and right now I’m in Boca Raton. I just thought I’d check in and see how things are going.”

“It’s been pretty quiet, though Sean is freaking out about his wedding on Sunday.”

“What?” Sean was so
not
a freakout kind of guy. “He can’t be getting cold feet.”

“Oh, no, not at all,” Skye assured her. “He just wants to make sure the day is absolutely
perfect
for Zoe. It’s been so much fun to watch the normally cool, calm, and collected Sean fall hard.” Skye snickered.

Valerie grinned. “Yeah, who would have thought, huh?”

Skye laughed. “By the way, are you going to be back in time for us to go shopping for a dress like we talked about?”

“I’ll be back tomorrow, probably late.” Valerie wasn’t ready to think about leaving Chase, no matter how inevitable. She swirled the ice around in her latte before finishing off the coffee drink. “So how about Saturday morning we go out and see what we can find before the wedding on Sunday?”

“That works for me. I took the weekend off, so maybe we can make a day of shopping, lunch, and getting a mani-pedi, too?”

A bit of primping and pampering sounded good to Valerie. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Well, I’ve got to get going,” Skye said, suddenly sounding rushed. “I just realized that I need to leave for work in about fifteen minutes, and I’m not ready yet.”

And Valerie needed to get back to the hotel before it started getting dark. They said good-bye and Valerie disconnected the line, feeling so much better than she had earlier. It was amazing what a little girl-talk and camaraderie could do for a woman’s mood, and she was glad she’d called Skye.

The conversation had restored her sense of balance, and reminded her what was awaiting her back in Vegas, the
real
world, and not the adventure she was currently living with Chase. Home. The Onyx. The Reliance Group, the members of which she considered her closest friends and family.

She dropped her phone back into her purse and stood, her gaze traveling to the other side of the patio—and the vacant table where the menacing guy had been sitting earlier. She’d been so engrossed in her conversation with Skye that she didn’t see him leave, but there was no denying she felt a bit of relief that he was gone.

Hitching her purse strap over her shoulder, she tossed her empty cup into the trash bin and then traced her route back to the hotel. With the day nearly over, the streets had quieted and shoppers had obviously headed home for dinner. Her own stomach growled hungrily, and as she turned down the alleyway, she wondered if she ought to pick up something on her way back for her and Chase to eat. She’d seen a pizza place, a burger joint, and Chinese.

Just as she decided to give Chase a call to see what sounded good to him, a hand curled around her arm from behind, and before she had a chance to react, she was yanked around and came face-to-face with the man from Starbucks. Gone was the normal-looking guy she’d seen at the coffee shop. Now, his expression was ominous and the menace in his gaze made him look ugly and intimidating.

He pushed her up against the brick wall, and when her lips parted on a scream for help, he smacked his hand over her mouth so hard that she could barely breathe. Immediately, images flashed in her head of Angie exchanging money with this man, along with a demand to take care of Valerie so she was
out of the picture.