11. Tempest
CHAPTER ELEVEN
tempest
The sun is rising through the tops of the buildings. I glance down at my cell and see that it’s almost seven AM; it wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve been awake all night to see the sun rise, but it is the first time to have a beautiful woman sleep soundless on me for the entire night.
I glance down at Lilah. She’s still fast asleep, completely still, there’s no crease between her brows or tension around her mouth; she looks utterly at peace.
I don’t want to wake her up, but I need to move.
I ease away a little at a time; she shifts, her hand brushing the cushion before settling again.
I reach for the blanket and pull it up over her completely.
Once I know that she’s still sleeping soundly, I head toward the kitchen and start the coffee, then use the time to run checks on the apartment: the front door, the windows, the fire escape, and lastly, the camera. Nothing, no movement at all.
I return to the window and look down. It’s my favorite time of day; the city is waking up.
My phone buzzes on the counter, pulling me from my perusal of the street below. I move toward it and see that it’s a message from Rogue.
Rogue: Need you at Petals. Don't bring Lilah.
I stare at Rogue's message trying to get my heart rate to settle down. Once I manage it, I dial his number.
He answers on the first ring. "You alone?"
I glance toward the sofa; Lilah hasn't moved. "Yeah, what've you got?"
"We found Webb's office."
Holy crap, already? I shouldn’t be surprised. Rogue’s the fucking best at what he does, but still. "And?"
"It wasn't much of an office. It's a small room above a travel agency three streets from Petals, which, according to the travel agency, was vacated yesterday."
"So why do you need me?"
"He left something behind."
“What?” I demand. I’m not waiting for him to tell me when I get there; I need answers now.
"A receipt."
I run my hand along the back of my neck. "For what?"
"Flowers," he tells me, and I frown. "Lilies. He purchased them every Thursday."
I look back toward the sofa. "Lilah never mentioned lilies." If they’d been sunflowers, she’d have told me about them, but lilies? I don’t understand the correlation.
"Ghost thinks she wouldn't."
"Meaning?"
"We think they weren't for her."
I straighten. "What?"
"We think they were for Calloway."
The fuck?
"He bought the flowers, took the photographs, passed everything back. It was a routine, the same day every week."
I rub a hand over my jaw. "You need me there?"
"Yeah."
I look toward Lilah again. Fuck, I want to go, but... "I can't."
"I know you can’t leave her, that’s why Ghost already sorted it."
That catches my attention. "What'd he do?"
"Natalia's coming over."
I shake my head even though he can’t see me. "Not enough."
"It isn't." Rogue almost sounds amused. "Which is why Sniper's bringing her."
I nod. "And?"
"Jinx,” he says and that makes more sense; there’s no way Ghost would only have one man on Natalia and Lilah. "Ghost wants two sets of eyes on the apartment while you're gone."
"How long?" I ask
"An hour."
I look back at Lilah. "She won't like it."
I hear his chuckle. "No, but she'll understand."
I sigh deeply. "I'll be there in twenty." I end the call and move to the coffee machine. I need a damn coffee.
I hear her before I see her, her bare feet padding along the wooden floor.
I turn from the coffee machine just as she appears in the doorway, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She looks at the sofa and then at me. "I fell asleep."
I nod. "You did."
Her eyes are wide, as though she can’t believe she slept on me. "What time is it?"
"Just after seven."
Her eyes widen. "I slept that long?"
I nod. "You needed it."
A small smile appears before she notices the look on my face. "What is it?"
I set my mug on the counter. "Rogue found Webb's office."
The smile disappears. "Oh."
"He wants me to go to Petals."
Her shoulders tense immediately. "I'm coming."
"No."
She frowns. "No?"
"Ghost's already arranged cover."
Her lips purse together. "Cover?"
"Sniper's bringing Natalia over, and Jinx is coming with them."
She looks away for a second, but I see the hurt in her eyes. "You don't want me there?"
"I don't want you anywhere near this."
She’s quiet for a moment but then asks. "What did they find?"
"Receipts."
"For what?"
"Flowers. They were for lilies." She goes completely still, and the color drains from her face. "Lilah?"
She doesn't answer straight away. "I saw him once at Lucy's grave." Her voice is quiet. "I'd gone to see her before I left Connecticut." She swallows. "He was already there."
I feel my jaw tighten.
"He'd left lilies." She looks down at her hands. "Lucy hated them." A humorless laugh slips out. "She used to say they smelled like funeral homes." She shakes her head. "I remember looking at them and thinking... he knew."
"He did."
"He left them there because he knew I'd come." Her eyes meet mine. "He wanted me to see them."
I nod. "Yeah."
She wraps her arms around herself. "That's when Omen moved me. I couldn't stay there after that."
“I remember.”
She lets out a slow breath. "It wasn't just that he'd found me. It was..." She searches for the words. "He took the only place that still felt like it belonged to Lucy and me."
"He doesn't get to take that."
Her eyes lift to mine. "He already tried."
"No." I take her hand. "He left flowers." I tighten my grip just enough for her to feel it. "He doesn't get to rewrite your memories of your sister."
A tear escapes before she can stop it. "I still remember her laughing."
"Then that's what matters."
She nods slowly. "Yeah. I'd forgotten about the lilies,” she says and I look at her. "Until you said the word."
I close the distance between us before I think about it. "Lilah." She doesn't look up, so I slide a finger beneath her chin, just enough to lift her gaze to mine. "Look at me." Her eyes meet mine. "Where are you?"
She blinks. "What?"
"Where are you?"
She takes a breath. "My apartment."
"Good." I nod reassuringly. "Who's here?"
"You."
"And in about two minutes?"
A small crease forms between her brows as she thinks. "Sniper."
"And?"
"Natalia and Jinx."
I nod again. "Yeah."
Another breath leaves her and the tightness in her shoulders eases, only a little but enough that I notice.
"I'm sorry," she whispers.
I frown. "For what?"
"I just..." She shakes her head. "I don't know."
"Then stop apologizing."
A quiet laugh escapes her. "I do that a lot, don't I?"
"Yeah."
"I'll work on it."
A knock sounds at the door, three short taps. Right on time. I check the camera first. Sniper, with Natalia beside him, and Jinx half a step behind them. I unlock the door. Sniper steps inside first, his eyes sweeping the apartment automatically before they land on me.
"Morning."
"Morning," he replies. Ghost's message must've been short because Sniper doesn't ask questions. "An hour?" he says.
"Should be."
He looks me in the eye. "We've got her."
Natalia walks over to Lilah.
"Morning," she says with an easy smile. "Thought I'd come and steal your coffee"
Lilah smiles back. "I think I can allow that."
Jinx gives me a respectful nod before taking up position near the window without being told. He's learning. Good.
"I'll be back before lunch."
She grins at me. "I know."
I cross the space between us. I cup her face, and she smiles before I even kiss her.
I lean down and brush my mouth against hers, soft at first, and then she kisses me back.
My hand slides into her hair as I deepen the kiss, taking my time, reminding myself that I've got to leave even though I don't want to.
When I finally pull away, my forehead rests against hers. "I'll see you soon."
"You'd better."
A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. "I will."
I step back, and only then do I remember we're not alone. Natalia's pretending to be engrossed in making coffee, Jinx's attention is fixed firmly on the window, and Sniper looks at me and flicks his fingers out in acknowledgement.
I give Lilah once last look. "I won't be long."
Lilah smiles. "I know."
This time, I let myself leave.
Ghost, Savage, and Rogue are already inside when I get to Petals.
Louise glances up from the workbench as I step through the door. "Good morning, Tempest."
I nod back. "Morning."
She disappears into the workroom, giving us the space without being asked, smart woman.
Rogue's laptop is open on the counter; he looks up as I walk over. "About time."
"You could've started without me."
"We did. We found Webb's office."
"I know that, what else?"
Rogue turns the laptop toward me, and a photograph of an empty room, concrete floor, and four walls fills the screen. "What am I looking at?"
"Webb's office."
I study the photographs. "He stripped it?"
Rogue nods. "We got there just after six, the place was already empty."
"How empty?"
"It’s exactly as in the photograph. There was no furniture, no paperwork, no electronics. He even wiped the place down."
Savage folds his arms. "Professional."
Rogue clicks to the next photograph. It's the outside of a commercial building, presumably where the office is located. "It's five minutes from here," Rogue says. "Close enough to keep an eye on Petals without drawing attention to himself."
I look at Ghost. "So why am I here?"
Rogue clicks to another file. "Before we went to the office, Ghost spoke to Louise."
Ghost folds his arms. "He made himself a regular."
Rogue nods. "Fifteen weeks. Every Thursday."
I think about Lilah. "He wasn't just watching her." I look at Rogue. "He knew her routine; he knew she wasn't working Thursday mornings, which meant someone else would've taken the order."
"Yeah."
The room falls quiet, but after a moment, Ghost speaks. "Nobody remembers him because there was nothing to remember."
Savage nods. "He looked like every other customer."