CHAPTER 3
BELLADONNA
Bella pulled in front of the Willis Tower, which housed the Chicago headquarters for Creed Brothers Inc. Her cellphone rang as soon as she shifted into park. She fished her buzzing phone from between the seats of her old-school Chevy Caprice. It was a text from Lucas, her fiancé.
“Babe, got a thing at work. I’m gonna have to meet you there.”
Bella tossed the phone on the seat and took off for Alinea, the ridiculously high-priced restaurant for fine dining. It was located less than a mile from where she was, so it had only taken minutes for her to arrive.
Bella parked in front of the restaurant, grabbed her briefcase, and hopped out of the car.
Instead of giving her keys to the valet, she stuffed them inside her pocket.
She looked at the valet with a raised brow, daring anyone brave enough to tell her to move her squad car.
He didn’t, so she entered the restaurant.
Once inside, Bella looked around at the other patrons, then down at her black pantsuit, and quickly determined that she was extremely underdressed.
“Do you have a reservation?” a young hostess asked. Even though she was smiling, her tone was slightly snooty.
“I’m with the Creed dinner party, but I’m a little early.”
The blonde hostess, who was notably better dressed than Bella was, smiled and asked, “Would you like to wait at the bar?”
“That’ll be fine. Thank you.”
“Right this way,” she said, directing her to the fancy oak bar.
Bella took a seat on a barstool. She pulled out a folder and decided to use the extra time to go over some evidence in her current case. Over the years, she’d come across some bizarre murder cases, but a butt-naked gangbanger killed “Basic Instinct” style was noteworthy.
“Working so late?” the voice with a British accent caught her off guard.
Bella looked down at her watch. It was 7 o’clock, not too late for her to be working.
“Just a little light reading,” she countered, returning to her file.
“Wow, that’s positively gory,” he remarked.
Bella closed the folder and looked up at the man intent on conversation. Because of his English accent, she was a bit surprise to find he was Asian. He was also tall, very fit, and extremely well-dressed. The man was handsome, not Lucas Creed handsome, but close.
“Kon,” he introduced with a smile that left her a bit stunned.
Bella tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled. “Bella,” she returned as he sat next to her.
“Can I get you a drink, Bella?” he asked with the sophisticated baritone of an Englishman.
Bella chuckled. “Are you the bartender?”
“No, darling, I’m not the bartender, but I can make it happen.”
Bella redirected her attention to her file. “So, can I. No, thank you, Mr. Kon.”
Good-looking or not, Bella was uninterested. She already had a gorgeous man with enough charm to fill Soldier Field.