Page 48 of Shadow's Surrender
The sound of a honking car broke into Shadow’s thoughts; he dragged his gaze away and opened the glass door to Flo’s building. The marble lobby smelled like the beach: briny and fresh. A man in his thirties, wearing a security uniform, looked up from behind the carved cherry-wood counter.
“May I help you?” he asked.
“I’m here to see Florence Karas,” Shadow said. The simulated ocean scent made his eyes water.
The man’s fingers flew over a keyboard, then he looked at the screen.
“Mr. Steve Basson?” the security officer inquired without looking up.
“Yeah.”
The man held out his hand. “I’ll need to see some identification.”
Shadow slid his driver’s license over to him and glanced around the lobby while the guy jotted down his information. There was no way Flo, who used to be broke all the time, came into money the legal way.Maybe she won the lottery.Shadow quirked his lips.No fuckin’ way.
“Ms. Karas is on the top floor, first door to the right.” He handed back Shadow’s driver’s license.
Shadow slipped it back into his wallet as he ambled toward the elevators. Soon he was in front of Flo’s door, ringing the bell. No answer. He rang it again. Still nothing. Putting his ear to the door, he waited to hear some sounds coming from inside the condo. Nothing. He pulled back, blew out a breath, and looked at the time on his cell phone screen: 4:02.Where the hell are you?He rang the doorbell once more, then pounded on the door. Silence.
“This shit blows,” he muttered under his breath as he took a bump key from his wallet. Shadow put on his riding gloves, turned the knob, and in less than thirty seconds, he was standing in Flo’s foyer. The condo was pristine—nothing out of place—with lavish furnishings and a killer view. He crossed the room and stood in front of one of the floor-to-ceiling windows, his eyes focused on the Lanai Towers across the street.
Flo used to come often to visit, and his mother would make her famous vodka cocktails. The two women would talk and laugh for hours until they were both sloshed, then his mom would insist Flo crash in the guest room.
“You’re so lucky to have found a man to give you all this. One day I’m gonna be living like a queen. Mark my words, Carmen … Someday we’re gonna be neighbors.”Flo’s raspy voice echoed through his brain as he watched people come in and out of the building he used to live in with his mother—the place where his mother could finally relax and just be happy.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as he turned away from the window. “You’re living here now, and Ma is six fuckin’ feet under. Where the hell are you, Flo?”
He walked from room to room, but she wasn’t there. It was as quiet as a tomb in the condo. Figuring she was late, Shadow sank down on one of the couches facing away from the Lanai Towers, and stared out at the Rocky Mountains as he waited for his mother’s friend to arrive. The seconds turned into minutes and he called her phone several times, but Flo never picked up.
His mom’s friend had called him out of the blue and told him to meet her at four o’clock. It was now close to five and Flo wasn’t answering her phone when she’d been downright insistent that she had to see him. Irritation niggled at the back of his brain. Something wasn’t right.
Shadow pushed up from the couch and walked into the largest of the bedrooms and began to rifle through the drawers, careful to put everything back the way he found it. He went into a huge walk-in closet and looked around, still unsure of what he was searching for, until he came across a burgundy portfolio hidden behind several shoeboxes in the corner of the closet. He gripped it tightly, then walked into the bedroom.
There were pages filled with numbers, showing thousands of dollars in deposits each month for years on end, bolstering his presumption that Flo had been blackmailing the killer. His anger grew with each page he turned as he realized his mother’s friend had kept justice from being served just so she could enjoy a rich lifestyle.
“Your dearfriendmade money off your murder, Ma,” he whispered as his eyes scanned years of deposits.
Shadow closed the book and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. He hung around for another fifteen minutes after calling Flo a few more times, and then he left. While he waited at the elevator, he took off his gloves and shoved them inside the pocket of his cut.
He stepped inside and kicked the door as it closed. Leaning back against the rail, he slowly blew out his breath in an effort to control his frustration. If he didn’t keep it in check, he’d destroy the inside of the car.
The elevatorwhirredsoftly before stopping on the sixth floor. Shadow clenched his teeth and stayed pressed into the back corner, eyes downward. The doors opened and the scent of spiced vanilla filled the car. He saw the passenger’s legs first: long, tanned, and toned sexy legs wearing heels. His eyes steadily traveled upward toward a sweet, rounded ass and glossy blonde hair that skimmed …Damn.
He took a few steps closer to her and could see his and Scarlett’s reflection in the polished brass doors of the elevator. Their eyes met for a split second, then she spun around and faced him with a stunned look.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
Reaching out, he stroked her cheek then caught a strand of her hair between his fingers and lightly tugged it. “I had an appointment with someone.” He ran his gaze over her body, then fixed it on her face. “What about you?”
“I’m checking out apartments.” She stepped back.
“I’ll be damned—the princess is stepping down from her ivory tower.” He chuckled.
A line appeared between her brows. “Don’t call me that—I don’t like itat all.”
Shadow drew her to him and nuzzled her neck. “I was just joking, darlin’.” He rubbed his thumb across her lower lip. “You look beautiful.”
Scarlett looped an arm around his neck and pressed her mouth to his, kissing him tenderly. “Thank you,” she muttered against his lips.
