Loving Night: Dream Catcher Series ~ Book 2 (12 page)

No one knew why Paul Watkins was so
far south of his normal territory or who might be reporting information to him.
It was obvious that someone knew enough details about what Granger was trying
to accomplish to get Watkins interested enough in a hostile takeover—someone
who didn’t mind selling their soul to the devil, because that’s exactly what
Chaz thought of Watkins.

Chaz also needed to figure out
whether he had deciphered Stephanie’s impressions correctly. The warning about
Steve needing to quit the case for medical reasons. The certainty that the
operation would fail if Chaz didn’t take it—primarily because the inconsistent
reports were significant in some way. Confirmation that Granger and Watkins had
never been working together and that Granger is very protective of this
project. Confirmation that Austin is an honest cop.

After cycling those details around
in his head, Chaz knew what he needed to do. Finally, he rolled over and fell
asleep.

Stephanie tried to contain her
smile. Cherise was nervously tapping an index finger on her thigh. Some people
might have thought she was nervous about flying, but not Stephanie. For
starters, the tapping that had begun as soon as they were dropped off at the
airport, continued as a town car sped them toward their hotel after they’d
landed. She believed her boss was anxious about seeing her ex-husband.

“Have you ever been to Atlanta?”
Cherise asked as the elevator carried them to the 24
^th
floor of the Hilton
downtown. She didn’t wait for an answer. “There’s a lot to do here;
unfortunately, we won’t have time for any of it. Derrick wants to meet us for
dinner. He loves Nikolai’s Roof and always insists we eat there whenever I’m in
town. It’s upstairs and is a very, very nice restaurant. Of course, I don’t
object since he pays for everything.” She handed Stephanie a key card as they
stepped off the elevator. “My room is next to yours. I’m going to spend the
next hour or so going over the figures to make sure I’m ready for tomorrow.
He’s going to give me a hard time, as always. Even though I’ll answer the more
complex issues, you might want to look at the packet I gave you, in case he
asks you any details.” She paused and gave Stephanie a sincere smile. “Thank
you for agreeing to come on such short notice.”

“You’re welcome.” She returned the
smile and hoped it calmed her boss at least a little.

On the non-stop flight from
Cincinnati, Stephanie had learned a lot about the woman she worked for. She and
her husband had met while attending college in Atlanta and decided to stay
after graduation since the city ranks as the best for African American
professionals. He immediately jumped into his career as a lawyer, and she took
a job at an investments company. When he moved into Entertainment Law, they had
the perfect partnership—he protected his clients and she helped protect their
money. They were young, successful, and happy. And then, they weren’t.

Cherise admitted that she didn’t
really know why her marriage ended. They never argued. There was no infidelity.
She had simply woken up one morning and realized that they were each too
consumed with their careers to have much room in their lives for each other. Neither
of them could see a reason to stay together, so they didn’t. Being a Cincinnati
native, she returned home to her family and opened Renito Investments Solutions.

“He invests his money with me
because I’m good at what I do, but I’m not naïve enough to think there aren’t
larger firms trying to get his business,” she had explained. “They tell him
about companies he should get involved with, real estate he should buy, stocks
he should let them manage—and every year, he calls me to come down to check
them out. My husband—ex-husband—has made a lot of money over the years, and
I’ve helped him triple it. He is our biggest client. Derrick says he would
prefer for someone else in my company to handle his case, but that’s not true.
If he didn’t want me, he’d take his money someplace else. This is just a game
we seem to have fallen into playing.” She shrugged, leaned her head against the
seat, and closed her eyes for the rest of the relatively short flight.

Stephanie heard everything her boss
was not saying aloud. Two very logical people forgot that love doesn’t always
make sense and walked away from their marriage. But, they didn’t really go far.
They use the money made from the very careers that drove them apart as a way to
stay connected. Now, as Stephanie stretched out on her back across the hotel
bed, she wondered how long Mr. and Mrs. Nelson were going to pretend that they
weren’t empty without each other.

She thought about her marriage and
wondered whether she and Chaz would ever forget how to be in love. She couldn’t
imagine that happening; they craved each other too much. With a smile on her
face, she turned on her phone and sent her husband a very naughty text message.
Then, she pulled out the financial portfolio and looked at the recommendations
Cherise would make tomorrow.

~
~ ~ ~ ~

A few hours later, right after they
had arrived at the restaurant, Stephanie had a déjà vu moment. It occurred when
Derrick Nelson pushed the chair in for his wife—ex-wife—and the two of them had
smiled fondly at each other. She wondered whether either of them saw the regret
and the longing in that brief look.

Stephanie smiled that, in addition
to reading their expressions, she could read their auras. They were the same:
blue, pink, a little bit of brown. Strength and unconditional love, but also
uncertainty and insecurity. Instantly, she understood them. They were so much
alike that they hadn’t known how to balance each other.

Surprisingly, the dinner
conversation did not revolve around business. The trio discussed food and wine
and traveling. Cherise and Derrick caught up on details of what was going on
with their families and friends and dragged Stephanie into the discussion with
anecdotes, questions about her family, and casual laughter. She hadn’t expected
this atmosphere at all.

“The two of you get along so well,”
she commented. “It’s nice that you’re so friendly.”

Cherise gave a slight nod and
looked down at the finger that started tapping beside her water goblet. She
pulled her hand off the table to rest in her lap.

“Well, I hope we’ll always be
that,” Derrick said softly. His gaze moved from his ex-wife’s face to the spot
on the table where her hand had been. Obviously, he knew her nervous habit. “But,
I’m sure you’ll have a different impression of us tomorrow,” he said with a
chuckle, turning his attention to Stephanie. “When money is involved, we’re all
business—tough and demanding.”

“I don’t think so,” Stephanie
disagreed cautiously while looking directly at him. “Friendship that lasts for
years never really gets pushed away. It simply takes a back seat and people
don’t realize it’s still strong. Like any emotion, just because it’s quiet for
a while, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. When it’s real, it tempers
everything that we do.”

As soon as the words left her mouth,
Stephanie feared that she had crossed a line by being too personal with her employer
and client. But then, Cherise looked at her with a curious expression that
turned to gratitude. Derrick had a similar expression on his face. It was
another déjà vu moment.

Stephanie tried not to smile as she
took a long drink of water. Thankfully, the waiter appeared to offer dessert
and coffee menus; there wasn’t enough time for the silence to become awkward.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to
pass on dessert,” Stephanie said after checking her watch and realizing that it
was after 9:00. “I need to make a call before it gets much later.”

“No problem.” Derrick stood as
Stephanie rose. “I’m sending a car for you at 7:30. So, I guess I’ll see you in
the morning.” He gave her a pleasant smile.

“Why so early?” Cherise protested.

“Our first appointment is at 8:30—I
know what you’re going to say, but that was the only time Grant could squeeze
us in.”

“I’ll be ready,” Stephanie assured
them. “Thank you for a wonderful meal.”

“You’re very welcome.”

As she had hoped, Cherise didn’t
prepare to leave. Maybe the couple would share some chocolate soufflé, coffee,
and an honest conversation about their feelings. It was obvious to Stephanie
that they still loved and respected each other. Now that they had proven
themselves in their careers, maybe they could get back something they probably
never should have let go of in the first place. But then, who was she to say
what should have happened. Each person has their own destiny.

Life works out like it’s supposed
to. She sighed and typed a message to her husband as she stepped into the
elevator.

Stephanie:
I just had a
wonderful dinner with a couple who don’t want to admit they’re still in love.
So … I want to remind you that you’re my life, Chaz. I’m not whole without you.

She didn’t have to wait long for a
reply.

Chaz:
I needed to hear that. You
know I feel the same.

Stephanie: 
J
Goodnight

Chaz:
Wait! What are you
wearing?

Stephanie:
Seriously????
Goodnight Chaz!

Chaz:
If all goes well, I’ll be
home in seven days. You owe me.

Stephanie:
Actually, you owe me
and I’ll be waiting. Remember what I said about the mud room
.

Stephanie thought she could hear
his frustrated growl from hundreds of miles away. She laughed, set the alarm,
and set her phone on the nightstand. After taking off her dress and matching
tailored jacket, she pulled one of her husband’s FBI t-shirts over her head and
took a deep breath as the fabric slid past her nose. It didn’t smell like Chaz,
but that was okay. Wearing it still made her feel close to him.

Today had been a good day. She felt
confident about her gifts and was firmly grounded. The déjà vu and seeing auras
reminded her that her life was on the right path. But she wasn’t taking any
chances; anything could happen during the night.

She pulled her small hot pot out of
her carry-on bag, filled it with water, and plugged it in. A few minutes later,
she was sitting crossed-legged on the bed, holding a mug of tea, and inhaling
the aromas. Meditating had become her nightly routine. Being in hotel room
wasn’t going to prevent it.

Something told her that Chaz would
need her. She wanted to be relaxed and ready.

~
~ ~ ~ ~

Chaz put his phone in his pocket
and turned his attention back to the computer monitors. Everything was as it
had been on Saturday at the jazz club. Vanessa and the ladies occupied tables
at the rear of the room. Gentlemen presented gold coins and escorted their
“dates” to the dance floor before heading for the elevator. Security was still
heavy. Austin still watched over the room from his position at the end of the
bar.

Less than an hour later, Granger
entered the room. Vanessa immediately whispered something to the woman who had
been seated beside her and moved to join him at the door. Together, they walked
to the VIP area where they’d entertained Paul Watkins. Drinks were brought over
and the couple relaxed.

Other than noticing that the club
was nearly full—interesting for a Monday evening—there wasn’t much to hold
Chaz’s attention. He and Sydney made idle conversation, joking and creating
stories about the people who floated in and out of the club. All of that came
to a halt around midnight when his phone signaled that a new text message had
arrived.

Stephanie:
Dream

Chaz sighed and excused himself.
Once upstairs, he called his wife.

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey, Chaz. I think you have
trouble coming. Is your undercover officer wearing a gray suit with a pale blue
shirt?” Chaz thought about Austin sitting at the bar before saying that he
wasn’t.

“Okay, then maybe this won’t happen
today. Anyway, I saw three hefty men arrive and they were prevented from
entering the main room where the band plays by a couple of other hefty men.
There wasn’t a loud altercation, but something caught your guy’s attention. By
the time he made his way across the room, there was a bit of a standoff between
all of the men. Another man—remember the one I saw coming out of the back room
with the pretty black woman and Paul Watkins?—he came from one of the seating
areas to find out what was going on. Your guy stood behind him with another
man. Even though there weren’t any guns visible, I think everyone was armed. 
Those two men that I saw arriving said something to the man who seems to be in
charge. People immediately stepped forward and the men backed away, smiling. I
guess they only had to deliver a message, but I don’t know what it was.
Everyone went back to whatever they had been doing and wherever they had been
sitting, but the mood from all of them became very tense. That’s how the dream
ended.” She took a deep breath before continuing.

“Don’t ask me why, but it didn’t
seem like that man was in any danger. Still, he was so angry that he was ready
to explode. My impression is that they threatened someone else. Maybe the woman
he’s with? I don’t know, but that’s the way it feels. He was very protective,
like you were that day you turned down the promotion and Sylvia decided your
decision was because of my manipulations.”

“You’re amazing, sweetheart,” Chaz
said quietly after a long silence. Stephanie had known that he was processing
what she’d said and had been patiently waiting for him to speak. She couldn’t
know that, once again, he was thinking about whether or not he could keep the
undercover team safe.

“There’s something else, Chaz.”

“Yeah?”

“There’s a connection between you
and that woman, right?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m not saying this out
of jealousy. It’s just that I feel a strong sense of protectiveness coming from
you right now, and it isn’t related to me.”

“Stephanie—”

“No, Chaz; just listen. Whatever
your instinct says about her, you need to trust it.”