Embers of Torment (Power and Passion #2)

Chapter 1

Della

June – Boston, Massachusetts

D isaster. That was the best description of my romantic life since none of my dates over the last several months had been what you would deem successful. Some of them could even be classified as borderline psychotic and cringeworthy, and I had a difficult time understanding why it was such a freaking challenge to find Mr. Right.

And now, here I was, babysitting on a Saturday night when I should be out and about and having fun. Not that I minded, though, considering I was doing one of my best friends and her husband a favor. But boy, it sure would have been nice to have some hot guy keep me company while I enjoyed a show on Netflix. A bit of cuddling and making out would certainly have made my night better.

Night? Ha! More like life . My dating had become such a nightmare that I questioned whether I was the problem. Expelling a puff of frustrated air, I crossed my arms and leaned back against the couch. I wasn't going to fall prey to a self-imposed pity party. Not tonight. Swatting my melancholy mood away, I refocused on the television, becoming as engrossed in the flick as I had been prior to my bout of internal whining.

Startled by a loud thud, I froze and stared blankly at the screen. Clearing away my fear-induced brain fog, I attempted to pinpoint what I'd heard.

Oh, shit! There it was again, and it was in the backyard.

My fingers fumbled across the keypad on the remote control as I frantically muted the television's volume. Pulling my legs to my chest, I wedged one of the decorative pillows between my thighs and stomach and sank into the upholstery. My gaze riveted on the sliding door.

"No, no, no!" Why did I leave the curtains partially open? What the bejesus was I thinking?

I waited and listened, trying not to move. Minutes passed, and all stayed quiet. The only sounds were my anxious, shallow breaths and the neighbor's barking Border Terrier.

Exhaling deeply, I took another breath and groaned. "Della, you are such a dumbass." I should have known better than to choose The Panic Room when I was in a creaky old house by myself. Although technically, I wasn't alone since the kids were asleep upstairs. But jeez, didn't that make it worse, acting out some movie cliché when I'm in charge of two little bodies? And this little incident was sure to set me up for a decent-sized razzing from Sofie and Reid. You'd think that while I was here, I'd have picked something to watch besides a home invasion thriller.

I shifted on the cushion and unclenched my hand, scowling at the red marks on my palm from my brightly painted fingernails. With a tilt of my head, I tugged at my ponytail and shot an irritated glance at the door—and gasped.

Someone was on the other side of the glass, their silhouette barely visible in the dim light from one of the alley's lampposts.

Shrieking, I tossed the pillow onto the floor and almost tripped over the coffee table as I bolted from the couch and dashed through the doorway to the hall.

Shit! What do I do? Bending over, I desperately tried to catch my breath. The door! Did I lock the freaking door? I was outside playing with the kids earlier.

"Oh God, don't look," I mumbled while I forced myself to peek around the corner, my gaze cutting through the semi-darkened family room.

I saw the closed sliding door, partially open curtain, and a glimpse of the wooden planking. No distorted face pressed against the glass, and no monster or home invader stared at me with red, beady eyes. Relieved, I released the breath I'd been holding and mentally berated myself for acting like a scared fool.

My heart still pounded as I crept across the room, figuring I should at least check the deck. C'mon, Della. It's easy-peasy. Just peek around the freaking curtain. I groaned as I carried out my mind's bidding, the maneuver far more challenging than I presumed.

A scan of the deck revealed nothing but an array of outdoor furniture. The rattan and metal armchair I had pulled away from the table earlier was right about where I thought I saw a body.

Unbelievable. I turn on a scary flick, and my imagination goes into "make shit up" overdrive.

Unlocking the door, I slid it open and stepped outside, the wood rough on my bare feet. I tip-toed across the planks, struck by the overpowering scent of roses. Still unnerved, I peeked over the railing to the ground-floor courtyard below. Although Sofie's rose garden was directly beneath me, the fragrance was more potent on the deck, almost as if it had permeated the area. And it was stinky where I was, unlike the pleasant aroma wafting upward from the bushes in the flowerbed.

My eyes darted back and forth, looking for anything unusual, but nothing appeared out of place, at least as far as I could tell in the dark.

I was stepping back from the rail when it dawned on me that the dog next door had stopped barking, but others were making noise several houses down. Realizing that could mean someone was out there and walking through the alley, I ran inside and locked the sliding door. I gave the curtains a wild tug to close them and dove onto the couch. Snagging my cell from the coffee table, I dialed the only person I knew who wouldn't tell me I'd lost it.

Adam.

I tapped my fingernail on my knee while anxiously listening to his phone ring. I was expecting my call to go to his voicemail when I heard him pick up—a song played in the background.

"Hey, Adam. It's Della." The words rushed from my mouth before he could say anything.

"Della? What's going on?"

"Where are you? There's music in the background."

"I'm celebrating at a club with Theo. His catering business got booked this afternoon for a huge wedding reception next April. It'll be an elaborate event with tons of famous guests. Theo should get some recommendations from it, and it's just what he needs to put his company on the map. You know, move from the small local operation to the regional big dog. Well, we're hoping that's what happens, anyway."

I attempted to swallow the lump in my throat, but it wasn't going away. I took a swig from my water bottle on the table by the couch to see if it would help. "Umm, yeah. That sounds exciting. I better let you go since you're celebrating."

"No, it's okay. You called for a reason, and you sound stressed. What's up."

Do I tell him what happened or say it's unimportant and we can talk later? I don't want to screw up his night.

"Della? Say something."

I hung my head, feeling umpteen shades of silly. "I got spooked. That's why I was calling. I just wanted to chat."

"Are you still at Sofie and Reid's?"

"Yeah, I'm still babysitting. I was watching a horror flick—well, it was more like a home invasion thriller—and I heard a noise outside. I thought I saw someone on the deck, and it turned out to be an armchair." Hearing Adam chuckle, I stuck my tongue out at my phone as I held it away from my ear. Satisfied, I brought it back in time to catch him chastising me.

"You aren't supposed to watch those without me, and this is what happens when you do it. You get too freaked out. Speaking of movies, guess what the twentieth century's first American horror film was?"

"Adam! Not now, okay. Save the darn trivia for later."

"Hey, you don't have to yell. And even though you don't care, it was Frankenstein."

"Terrific. I have another priceless piece of information I'll never refer to or remember. Thanks, bunches." I rolled my eyes. I could swear Adam was an occasionally irritating walking encyclopedia.

"You're welcome. Are you going to say something to Sofie and Reid about the noise in the backyard?"

"Nah, they'll think I'm being an overreacting idiot."

"Uhh…I think you better tell them. It might be nothing, but you never know after all that stuff that happened a few years back."

"That was five years ago. Besides, Sofie's scary-as-shit stalker brother, her mother, and her mother's pimp are all out of the picture. Not to mention, Reid's cousin wouldn't dare terrorize Sofie again after getting caught for his bullshit last time. Sofie said it's been super quiet since then. Tonight was just a case of my imagination running wild on me."

"Nevertheless, you should still tell them. Anyway, I have to go. Theo's making a face at me."

"Okie dokie. I'll talk to you at work Monday. Tell Theo I said congratulations."

"I will. See you then."

I hung up and tossed my phone on the coffee table. That didn't go as I had hoped, but I was calmer, at least. Adam was right, though. After all the terror and drama from five years ago, neglecting to say something about earlier would be wrong. If Reid found out, he'd never forgive me.

The front door opened and closed, and familiar voices drifted to me from the foyer. Sofie and Reid were back. Perking up, I turned off the television and crawled under the nearby credenza to retrieve my sandals.

"Della, we're home," Sofie called from the hallway.

"I'm in the family room." I plopped on the couch and slipped on my shoes. "How did your evening go?"

"The dinner and entertainment were enjoyable, and the awards presentation was fun. The committee recognized Morgan Systems for its contributions to the local community." Sofie pursed her lips, appearing thoughtful. "Thanks again for watching the kids so Reid and I could attend. It's unusual for Allison to cancel on us at the last second, and she sounded odd on the phone."

"Was she sick?"

"No. Allison would have mentioned it if she had been. All she said was that something had come up, and she seemed in a hurry to end the call. I'll have to speak to her about it later. So, how were they?"

"Angels, like always. Evie had me read her a couple of books before bed. Wyatt was a teeny grumpy."

"I think he has another tooth coming in. At least he's acting like he does, and the timing is about right." Sofie walked over to the sliding door and picked the pillow up from the floor. The corner of her mouth curled upward as she arched a brow. "Pillow fight?"

My face instantly warmed. "Not exactly. I…umm…threw it. I was watching something on the TV and got a little freaked out. I thought I saw a person on the deck, but it turned out to be one of the chairs."

Reid strolled into the room, his presence commanding as usual. He ran his hand through his wavy blond hair and pierced me with his gray-blue eyes. "What's this about someone on the deck?"

Sofie snickered and shook her head at me, her mahogany hair swaying with the movement. "Della was watching television and got spooked. It must have been a thriller or horror movie, which she isn't supposed to watch without Adam. Come Monday morning, she's going to tell me she had nightmares all weekend and couldn't sleep."

"You can scrap that thought because it won't happen. Okay? And, yeah, it was a home invasion thriller. Like a dumbass, I thought one of the patio chairs was a person. I went out and checked, but no one was there. The only noise was a couple of dogs barking along the alley. Oh, and that scruffy Border Terrier next door was yapping."

Reid narrowed his gaze, his jaw tightening. "First, you shouldn't have gone outside alone to investigate. If someone had been there, it could have turned into a disaster. Second, the neighbor's dogs don't normally bark without a reason. I need to check the backyard just to be safe."

Reid left the room, his shoes thudding on the steps as he headed downstairs. With the television off and the house quiet, we could tell he had opened the French doors, signaling he was going out to the courtyard.

Sofie pulled the curtains back, unlocked the sliding glass door, and stepped onto the wooden deck. I followed her, groaning when she giggled and pointed at the armchair that was still out of place.

"Yeah, that's the culprit. It scared the bejesus out of me."

Amused at my embarrassment, Sofie pushed the chair back toward the table and padded over to the deck's railing. Joining her, we peered at Reid as he walked the courtyard's perimeter with a baseball bat in his hand. Unlocking the back gate, Reid disappeared into the alley through the opening, causing the Border Terrier next door to bark.

Minutes passed, and then Reid reappeared. After closing and locking the wooden gate, he walked across the flagstone pavers and stopped directly below us. Reid tipped his head back to talk to us, the worry lines on his forehead becoming visible in the lamplight.

"There's a broken pallet in the alley beside the gate. Someone could have used it to scale the wall to get back here. But the only way to get to where you are on the deck is to climb our tree and drop from one of the limbs. The person would need to get back down the same way, but I don't know how they'd get back over the wall without using a chair, and none are out of place."

Sofie pointed to the tree. "Could a person crawl through the branches to get to the top of the fence? Maybe use that thick branch on the far side to swing over to it and balance on top until they could drop to the alley?"

Reid spun toward the tree, staring at it as he ran his hand through his hair. He turned back to Sofie. "They could, although the whole scenario would take a lot of physical effort. But I'll mention it to Braxton Hennessey tomorrow and get a hold of a company to trim the tree just in case."

I frowned at Reid. "Now you're making me feel horrible. There's no reason to get the police department involved. Braxton may be your best friend, but that won't keep him from thinking I've lost it and we're wasting his time. I'm telling you this is a simple case of my imagination gone wild."

"Regardless, there's no harm in mentioning it. Anyway, if you're ready to go, I'll walk you to your car after I come in."

"Yeah, okay. I need to grab my stuff."

Following Sofie inside, I gathered my purse, water bottle, and the romance novel I had brought and stuffed them in my canvas bag. Sofie walked me to the foyer, and after a quick hug, Reid escorted me out the door and down the block. It was eerily quiet at a quarter past midnight, more so since Reid and Sofie lived in an upscale neighborhood in Beacon Hill. We reached my Camry, parked at the curb, and Reid opened my door after I unlocked it with the remote. I leaned in and tossed my belongings on the passenger seat.

Reid stood beside my car, holding the door open. "Thanks for watching the kids. We've used Allison for years, and she's never canceled on us before. I think she has Sofie a little worried."

"Yeah, Sofie sounded a bit concerned. Anyway, I didn't mind babysitting. I love those two kiddos. Well, it's getting late, so I better go." I slid behind my steering wheel and reached for my seatbelt.

"I'll see you at the office." Reid closed my door and gave me a little wave before moving to the curb. He stayed there until I had started my car and pulled away.

Reaching the end of the block, I stopped at the corner and executed a right turn. A movement caught my eye, and I jerked my head to the side to see what it was.

A tall, bulky body dressed in dark clothing stepped from the shadows. Instantly creeped out, I looked in my rearview mirror and sucked in a breath.

The person stood in the middle of the sidewalk, and I could swear they were watching me.

Thinking about it, I couldn't help but wonder if their eerie presence was related to my shit show at Sofie and Reid's house.

I turned right instead of left and sped around the block, berating myself for such a careless and stupid decision. I slowed as I drove past Sofie and Reid's house, my heart racing as I neared the intersection. My eyes darted up and down the sidewalk, between cars, and anywhere else a person could hide.

But there was no one on the street.

Rounding the corner, I continued my search. Again, I came up empty.

Okay, did I imagine this whole thing? I mean, come on, it's a small block. If someone was there, how could they disappear so fast? And if they were driving, I would see headlights or taillights, and I see nothing.

The reality of the situation broke through, and I scoffed at my foolishness.

Jeez, I'm a dork. I bet the person lives somewhere in the area and is returning to their residence. That must be why they disappeared. They went into one of the houses around here and only had their eye on me because I was in their neighborhood late at night.

Taking a relaxing breath, I chalked it up to my out-of-control imagination and pledged never to watch a scary flick by myself again.

Then I grumbled as I drove home to spend another Saturday night alone.