Beautiful Storm (Lightning Strikes Book 1) (30 page)

They gathered their bags and walked into the elevator and up to the lobby.

A few minutes later, they entered their hotel room on the fourth floor. Michael immediately turned the deadbolt and put on the safety chain while Alicia moved toward the window.

"It doesn't open," she said, relief in her voice. "And there's no balcony."

"Then we're good."

"Yeah." She blew out a breath and sat down at the small table by the window.

He tossed his keys onto the dresser and took a seat on the edge of the bed facing her. "Are you all right?"

"I have to admit my heart started racing a little after you saw that man again."

"Like I said, I don't know for sure—"

"Yes, you do," she said, cutting him off. "You don’t make mistakes, Michael. And you notice details. I've spent enough time with you to know that. You don't have to pretend for my sake. Obviously, someone has been watching us. I just wish I knew who it was and why. I also wonder how they found us again at the Flight Deck. If it was the same man we saw after breakfast, how did he catch back up to us?"

"I should have been paying more attention." He paused for a moment. "I wonder if Liliana was being followed during her investigation, if she had any idea she was in danger."

"She didn't act like she was in danger when she got to Miami. And I don't think she would have brought danger to her family. She stayed at her parents' house. She spent time with her sister and her brothers, her friends, even her old friend Brad. I don't believe she had any idea that she was in trouble."

Alicia's words made a lot of sense. "I agree. And whatever her feelings were about David, she didn't go to Miami to break up the wedding."

"And David didn't have anything to do with her disappearance. I believe she asked you to meet that night, because she wanted to get in touch with your grandfather. And she probably just really wanted to see you again. She was only there for a short time and didn't know when she'd be back or when you'd ever have the chance to reconnect."

"I believe that, too."

"It's good that she reached out to you, Michael, because if she hadn't tried to meet you, you wouldn't have been a suspect, and you might not have gotten as involved as you have. Not that you wouldn't have searched for her, but she put you in the middle of her problems, and having seen how good you are at problem solving, I think things worked out as best as they could. Not that I don't wish she'd never disappeared, but—I don't know, I'm making a mess of this."

"No, you're not," he said, shaking his head. "You're right—about everything, except one thing."

"What's that?"

"I didn't come to Texas because I was a person of interest, I came because of you. You're the one who sent the dominoes flying. You're the one who got me to start looking in a new direction." He paused. "I just don't think we can save her, Alicia. I haven't wanted to say that out loud, but it's been going around in my head for a long time. I think it's too late."

Alicia got up from her chair and sat down next to him, putting her hand on his arm. "If we can't save her, we'll get her justice. We'll make sure the truth comes out."

He saw the fight in her eyes and it lifted him up. "You never quit."

"Not when something is important. Liliana matters. And you matter. You matter a lot to me, Michael. I think you know that I'm not just here because of Liliana, but also because of you."

"I wish…" he began.

"What?"

"That we'd met under other circumstances. I wish we weren't spending every second of every day worrying about Liliana or investigating a double murder of two people we never met before. I want to have a normal day with you. I want to make you happy, see you smile, hear you laugh."

His words brought a smile to her lips. "We'll get there, Michael, if you want to get there."

"I do. Jerry said you were something special, and he was right."

"You're something special, too. I've never felt so connected to anyone like I do with you. And it's scary. I'm brave when it comes to nature, not so much when it comes to people who touch my heart. After my dad died, I didn't want to ever feel that kind of pain again. Loving someone—losing them—it's just so awful. And I know you know that, because you've been through what I've been through."

"Maybe that's why we're so connected," he said, feeling a little of the same fear she'd just expressed. Alicia might be worried that he could hurt her, but he knew for sure that she could hurt him. He'd known her for less than a week, and yet he couldn't imagine a day without her in it. How the hell had that happened? How had they gotten so close so fast, and yet it wasn't even close enough?

"Alicia?"

"Yes?"

"I want to make tonight about you."

Gold flecks of desire filled her brown eyes. "I was thinking we make it about us." She kicked off her shoes and scooted back against the pillows. "Show me what you've got."

"I intend to do just that."

Twenty-One

Alicia woke up to sun streaming through the windows. One of these nights, she was going to have to remember to pull the curtains before she lost her mind in Michael's arms.

She glanced over at the man sleeping next to her, her heart filling with love and tenderness as she looked at his face. He had such strong features even in sleep, as if he instinctively tried to keep up his guard when he knew he would be vulnerable. But he'd let down his guard with her.

Making love with him had been a soul-shattering experience. They'd come together three times, each one better than the last, each one showing her a different side of the man she was falling in love with. He was a man who could be intense and driven, but also lighthearted and playful, a man who could make her toes curl with every touch of his hands and taste of his mouth.

She'd fallen hard. There was no point in pretending otherwise.

She didn't know what came next, but she knew that she couldn't turn back the clock, couldn't pretend that she didn't love him.

Love
. Such a scary word, and she was definitely scared now, because the future was so uncertain.

Michael's real life wasn't in Miami; it was in New York.

And her life was in Miami—wasn't it?

Although, she could live anywhere. She could do anything. As long as there was lightning, or maybe not. She smiled to herself, thinking that the electricity between her and Michael was as powerful as any lightning bolt she'd ever seen.

"I can hear you thinking," Michael said, interrupting her thoughts.

She rolled onto her side to face him, happy to see his light blue eyes filled with the same happiness she felt. "That's my stomach."

He grinned and brushed her hair off her face. "I heard that, too. I need to feed you."

"You do. We worked up quite an appetite last night."

"Why don't you order room service, and I'll grab a shower?"

She wasn't sure she wanted him to leave the bed, but when her stomach growled again, she decided it was a good idea. "Okay."

He sat up in bed. "Unless you want to join me in the shower."

"Then we won't eat until lunch time."

"Good point." He leaned over and kissed her. "There's always after breakfast."

"And after lunch and after dinner," she said, as he took his beautiful naked body out of bed.

He laughed. "I'm going to remind you that you said that."

"Don't worry, I won't forget."

After Michael went into the bathroom, she wrapped the sheet around her body and padded over to the table to grab the room service menu. She ordered eggs, hash browns, pancakes and threw in some bacon, because she was starving. She also ordered two glasses of orange juice and a pot of coffee.

Then she walked over to the window and stared out at the street. Everything looked normal, but she couldn't help wondering if whoever had been following them was out there somewhere. And if he was, why was he just following them? Why not confront them or threaten them or something…

Maybe it
was
the cops watching them, one of Detective Kellerman's contacts in the Corpus Christi Police Department, although that seemed ridiculous. If Kellerman had done his job right in the first place, he would have spent more time in Texas following Liliana's steps in the days before she went to Miami, instead of dismissing her life here with less than a cursory glance. But he'd been so fixated on Michael that he hadn't been able to see anyone else.

She couldn't wait for the day when Michael's name would be completely cleared. She would do everything she could to make that happen.

Michael came out of the bathroom, a towel hung low on his hips, his broad chest still glistening with water, his dark hair damp, his cheeks freshly shaved.

He put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. "Your turn, babe."

"You smell good," she said, taking a deep breath of his musky scent.

"So do you."

"That's not possible," she said with a laugh. "I like you like this."

"Wet? Half-naked?"

"That, too. But I was talking more about your mood. You seem happy."

"It's hard not to be happy when I'm with you."

She probably took his light words more seriously than he'd intended, because they warmed her all the way down to her heart and her soul. She should come up with some equally good words, but she couldn’t seem to find any. Like before, his compliment had stolen her words. Finally, she said, "I should take a shower. I ordered breakfast, and I have to warn you, I might have gotten a little carried away."

"I think we can handle it. Hurry back."

"I will." She paused, needing to lighten the tension swirling inside of her. "I almost forgot. I won't need this in the bathroom." She tossed the sheet she had around her naked body on the bed and gave Michael a good view of her bare ass as she walked toward the bathroom.

"You're killing me, Alicia."

She flashed him a smile and then slipped into the bathroom.

As she took her shower, she couldn't help thinking how much more fun it would be to have Michael under the hot spray with her.
Next time
, she told herself.

But even as the thought crossed her mind, she wondered when next time would be. They still had a few people to talk to in Texas, and she had to get back to her job by tomorrow, which meant she really needed to get on a flight tonight. She could probably push her job to Friday, but even if she did that, they'd have to leave by tomorrow. There was a lot to do, and she didn't want to go back to Miami without a few more answers.

Rinsing the shampoo from her hair, she got out of the shower and dried off. She ran a comb through her wet hair and wrapped herself in a towel. If breakfast hadn't arrived yet, maybe they could find some way to pass the time.

With a smile, she opened the door and walked into the bedroom.

Michael had put on clothes and was on the phone.

He lifted his gaze to hers, and there was so much pain in his eyes, it rocked her back on her heels.

He said, "Thanks" and ended his call.

"What happened?" Judging by the look on his face, she thought she knew, but she had to hear him say the words. "Michael?"

He drew in a shaky breath as he put his phone down on the table. "They found Liliana's body in the park."

Her heart stopped. "But they looked there before."

"Not in the right place." His chest heaved again as if it were difficult for him to get in air. "She's dead, Alicia."

She ran to him, hearing the raw agony in his choked voice. She put her arms around him, holding him as tightly as she could. "I'm so sorry, Michael."

"I knew it," he said in a dull tone. "I've known it for weeks." He pulled away from her. "I need to go back to Miami."

"Of course. We'll go now, as soon as we can get on a plane. I'll make reservations."

"That would be good. I—I need to take a walk."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I need to be alone." He grabbed a hotel key and left.

She stared at the door for a long moment, wishing she could have gone with him, but she understood that he needed a moment for the news to sink in.

She needed a moment, too. Even though she'd thought as Michael did that Liliana was probably dead, hearing it confirmed was still shocking.

She slowly got dressed, then packed up the few things she'd taken out of her bag. Breakfast arrived, and she picked at the food, just because she knew she needed some energy to get through the day.

While she was eating, she got on the phone to look for flights. She found one leaving around eleven. It was eight now. If Michael came back in the next hour, they could make it.

Thirty minutes later, the door opened and Michael walked back in. His hair was tousled as if he'd run his fingers through it a dozen times and there were tense lines in his face, dark shadows around his eyes.

"Hey," she said softly. "There is a flight to Miami leaving in about two and a half hours. You have time to eat and then we should go."

"I'm not hungry. I'll get my stuff." He went into the bathroom to retrieve his shaving kit, then tossed it into his bag and said, "I'm ready."

"Okay." She wanted to say more, but he was so closed off, she thought anything she tried to say would just annoy him, so she kept quiet.

The ride to the airport was also silent. They returned the rental car and made it to the plane about twenty minutes before the flight was due to take off.

Michael grabbed the window seat while she sat in the middle, an elderly woman on her right.

As the plane took off, she put her hand on Michael's leg. He tensed, and for a moment, she thought he might shake her off, which surprised her. They'd gotten so close over the last few days and even closer the night before. But now he seemed very much like a stranger, which was an unsettling thought.

She removed her hand from his thigh and clasped her hands together in her lap.

Michael turned his head to look out the window.

With someone else in their row it wasn't possible to have a private conversation, not that Michael seemed interested in having any conversation. He was completely locked up in his head.