A Storm Is Coming Read online

  Braylee was skeptical. “Regardless, I’m your lawyer.”

  “Yes, you are my lawyer but I’ve decided…I want you.” Alexandro looked down at a full on erection hoping to still get some relief. “I think it’s obvious there’s a pretty strong physical attraction between us.”

  She touched her swollen lips, “I know it may be hard to believe after this little display, but I don’t sleep with my clients.”

  Alexandro gave her a lazy smile, “But, you want to…at least with me. I wasn’t alone on that wall.”

  Breathlessly she spoke, “No you weren’t, and I’ll even admit…maybe my temperature did go up…a little. I’ll even admit that there is a physical attraction to you. Be that as it may, I don’t sleep with my clients and you won’t be the first.”

  Silence as his eyes continued to bore into hers.

  Her heart was slamming into her chest. She stood on wobbly knees, “I’m going to finish reviewing that paperwork, think about how I’m going to approach Plan B, and then go home to take care of any needs I may still have…myself. I suggest you do the same before we meet again.”

  The images conjured in his mind by her words did nothing to calm the blood pumping through his body. As a matter of fact, it had the opposite effect.

  Braylee’s legs were already like jelly, so it didn’t take much when he pulled her body back into his. For all of her tough talk, she was putty in his hands. And, when the fullness of his arousal pressed up against her stomach, Braylee thought she’d burn up from the inside out…again. All she could do was close her eyes and hold on.

  Alexandro breathed in the scent of her before kissing the side of her neck. Braylee couldn’t control her moans that continued to escape from her lips. In a barely there whisper, “Alex, please stop.”

  He sighed, “Okay.” As he kissed his way up her feverish skin and hovered around her ear before whispering, “But, you should know there is nothing you could do for yourself that would compare to me being inside of you. Think of me as you’re taking care of yourself. But just know, even an imaginary me would give you the best orgasm of your life.”

  Braylee could barely stand. She definitely couldn’t speak. There was no doubt in her mind that he could deliver on his words.

  Alexandro pulled back with fire in his eyes, “I’ll respect your decision…for now. It’s late. Gather your things so I can walk you to your car.”

  Wordlessly, Braylee stepped away from Alex to do exactly as she was told before she broke her cardinal rule.

  Chapter 9

  Alexandro decided to work from home until it was time to meet Braylee at her office. He hadn’t been able to think clearly since he’d left her the night before.

  There was so much to do, yet here he sat gazing out of the window into his courtyard… thinking of her. Not only was she beautiful, but razor sharp and she had a ridiculous amount of confidence. Nothing was sexier than a woman comfortable in her own skin.

  He turned around determined to get some work done. Only seconds later, after barely glancing at the most recent financial report, images of her face flashed into his head.

  Instead of reviewing the report, Alex picked up his yellow stress ball from the corner of his desk and leaned back into his chair. He tossed it up into the air and caught it as it came down only to do the same thing over and over.

  What was it about her? It wasn’t like he hadn’t dated successful and beautiful women before. But, there seemed to be this invisible cord pulling them towards each other. She’d never admit it but now couldn’t deny it either.

  However, never in his life had he ever had problems with self-control. Yet, in the short period he’d known Braylee, Alex couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself.

  He inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly. Alex still couldn’t figure it out. What the hell had come over him last night? That was the million dollar question because he had absolutely no intention of even kissing her let alone making love to her. But, when she looked at him with those intense almost black, doe-like eyes, he couldn’t help himself.

  Why couldn’t their initial kiss have left him feeling nothing? It had the opposite effect especially after he’d heard that little moan she’d tried so desperately to suppress. But, when Alex felt the softness of her lips pressed against his, it only left him wanting more. Everything felt so…right when he held her in his arms.

  She was his lawyer plain and simple. Mixing business with pleasure has almost never worked out well. Braylee was a hundred percent right to set those boundaries.

  Still, Alex wondered, did she think about him last night? He most certainly thought about her. And, try as she might to fight their attraction, even if it were only physical, Alex knew at some point that was going to be a losing battle. Hopefully, it was after they’d wrapped up his legal problems.

  At least for now, Braylee was off limits. He would respect that. He felt better knowing she wasn’t dating that little Dr. Jorgensen. However, Alex still didn’t know if she were seeing anyone seriously? Of course, she had admirers. He knew that on day one especially when he’d dropped by her office and some schmuck had filled it up with flowers. But, was she dating someone seriously?

  There wasn’t much information about her personal life on the internet. It probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

  Alexandro leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes. More than likely, she wasn’t dating seriously because it was quite obvious that Braylee was married to her work. As if it were even possible, but that made her just that much more attractive.

  She didn’t seem like the type who would be demanding of his time since she had a life of her own. That’s all he needed was some clingy woman needing him to validate her.

  So far, finding someone who wasn’t looking for anything from him except companionship was like finding a unicorn at the end of a rainbow.

  Still deep in his thoughts, Alex almost missed the small tapping on his office door.

  Opening his eyes, he answered more gruffly than intended, “Come in.”

  The door slowly crept open, and a small head with long black curls and very expressive brown eyes appeared. Cecily. Even through her thick red-rimmed glasses…those eyes were still too expressive. The sadness tugged at his heart.

  She responded, “Uncle Alex? Are you busy?”

  He gave her a warm smile, “I’m never too busy for you Cecily. Why aren’t you wearing your school uniform? As a matter of fact, it’s early yet…why aren’t you in school?”

  The teen walked into his office wearing a white t-shirt, distressed jeans, and a pair of white slip-on flats. “We didn’t have school today. So, no uniform.”

  Alex checked his calendar and there it was…no school. Damn it. He should have planned better. “I’m sorry, I missed it. I’m still getting used to having a teenager in the house. But, I’m so glad you’re here. I need a woman to help keep me on my toes.”

  With a smile that still didn’t quite reach her eyes, Cecily fidgeted, “Um…I was just wondering if…with Nana having gone home to Sicily for a while and Fabi out of town…if…you’d be home for dinner tonight? It gets a little lonely once your staff is gone for the evening.”

  Alex had to be more sensitive to his niece’s needs. It was hard for him as an adult to process the fact his brother was gone. It had to be doubly hard for a fourteen-year-old who’d lost her parent to develop a new routine.

  “I’ll make it my mission to be home at a decent hour tonight. Maybe we can even watch a movie before bedtime.”

  This time her smile made Alexandro feel as if he’d just discovered a cure for cancer.

  Cecily came around his desk and wrapped both her tiny arms around his neck, “Thank you, Uncle Alex.”

  Alex hugged her tightly, “The pleasure is all mine. I just have one request?”

  She pulled away from him and looked up with curiosity in her eyes, “Of course. Anything.”

  He laughed, “Please no musicals. I hate musical movies.”<
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  *****

  Alex spent most of the morning working away in his office. He would be leaving shortly to meet with Braylee and her team.

  The buzzing of his phone caught him off guard. He was tempted to ignore the call until he noticed the name that flashed across the screen.

  Quickly, he answered, “Detective Jones.”

  “Yes. Mr. Manchetti, I have some information that might prove useful to you. It’s not anything we can discuss over the phone or send electronically. Can we meet as soon as possible?”

  Alex looked at his watch, “When and where?”

  “Meet me at the underpass by lower Wacker Drive and Columbus in twenty minutes.”

  “It’ll take me at least thirty to get there from here.”

  “Then, I’ll see you in thirty.”

  Alexandro rose from his desk, quickly grabbed his keys and jacket letting Cecily know he was leaving on his way out the door.

  Once he was in his car and on the road, he called Braylee to let her know he’d be late to the meeting and to start without him. He knew how she was about being on time and didn’t want to piss her off especially after the night before.

  He told his car to dial Braylee, and moments later the ringing of her line was echoing throughout the car. Nate answered on the first ring, “Hinsdale and Associates.”

  “Nate. It’s Alexandro. Can you put me through to Braylee?”

  “I’m sorry she’s in a meeting.”

  Alexandro was frustrated. Typically, people moved heaven and earth to fulfill his requests. He wasn’t used to being treated in such a manner. While doing his best to keep his emotions at bay but quite sure he was failing miserably, Alex responded irritably, “Interrupt her.”

  Nate paused for a moment as if debating what to do but eventually decided due to the urgency in Alex’s voice to interrupt, “Hold on a minute.”

  Alex waited for just a few moments before he heard Braylee on the other end, “Alex? What could be so important that you couldn’t wait for our meeting?”

  “Detective Jones just called. He has some time sensitive information that he wants to give me. Braylee…he’s giving me this information off the grid. Somethings not right.”

  “How far are you from my office?”

  “I’m about five minutes…”

  “I’ll be downstairs in three. I’m going with you.”

  “There’s no need for you to come with me. I just wanted to give you a heads up as to why I’m going to be late.”

  “You promised me no surprises. I want to know what you know…when you know it. So, I’ll be downstairs waiting when you get here.” Braylee disconnected the call. She didn’t want to give him any room to disagree.

  Since she’d taken the call at Nate’s desk she didn’t have far to go to give him instructions. “Keep the legal teams on track and working together. I’m going to be out for about an hour with Alex. No one in that room is to know.”

  Nate nodded, “Then, no one in that room will know.”

  *****

  It wasn’t even five minutes later that Braylee was seated and buckled into Alexandro’s Lykan Hypersports car. She turned to him and smirked, “Do you think you could have driven a car any more conspicuous? I’m sure nobody will notice that you’re driving one of only twenty cars ever made.”

  “Stop being such a smartass and hold on.” Alex pressed his foot on the gas driving well past the speed limit. “All I could think about was getting to lower Wacker in thirty minutes. This car will get me there. Anyway…how’d you know what kind of car this is?”

  “My firm worked with the first US owner and W Motors on its import. So much for that theory of yours huh?”

  Alex took his eyes off of the road for just a second, curious as to what she was referring to, “What theory?”

  “That my life and practice is boring and that any first-year law student could handle the cases my firm handles.” Looking smug, Braylee sat back in her chair and folded her arms.

  Even when she was being a brat, Alex still found himself wanting her like he’d never wanted any woman...ever. But, it was time to bring her down a peg or two.

  “So, let me get this straight…you went from trying corporate raider, insider trading, and sexual harassment cases with a few cases of protecting whistleblowers thrown into the mix to basically checking a box on a form for a super wealthy client? I mean…I guess it’s nothing to be ashamed of…going after the more lucrative and easy cases.”

  “Hmm…you should fire the team who did your research. It seems you went through all that trouble to get information about me and yet your facts are incomplete. When what you should be doing is handing me another check.”

  He raised an eyebrow, “Really? Why?”

  “Really. Because if it weren’t for me and my connections in congress you wouldn’t even be able to drive this three million dollar monstrosity on the streets. A first-year law student couldn’t handle that.”

  He was impressed. Did she ever back down? Apparently, not. There was a lot more to learn about Ms. Hinsdale.

  Chapter 10

  Alex pulled his diamond white sports car underneath some dilapidated L tracks in an industrial area that hadn’t been used in years. He kept driving until he saw Detective Jones standing next to his own unmarked car.

  Alex put the car in park then leaned over Braylee to open his glove compartment. His closeness caused her to breathe in deeply.

  However, Alex was focused and hadn’t noticed the intake of air from his closeness. He reached inside and pulled out a semi-automatic pistol.

  Braylee swallowed, “Do you really think you’ll need that? He’s a detective.”

  “If he’s meeting me offline…” He put the gun inside his jacket, “you can never be too careful. Better to be prepared than not. As a matter of fact, you should probably stay here.”

  “I told you that I want to know what you know when you know it. I’m going.”

  “Do you always have to be so stubborn? If something went down, you can’t even run in those heels.”

  “I’m a black woman who was raised in the city. I can handle myself….okay?” She stared him down for just a moment.

  “Well, at least stay close Braylee. I mean it. If something goes down and you’re not by my side, I promise I’ll shoot you myself.”

  Braylee responded, “Fine, I’ll stay close.” Then she opened her car door and stepped out as she waited for him. They walked in sync towards Detective Jones.

  He wasn’t too pleased to see that Alex had brought someone with him as he tossed the cigarette he’d been smoking into a puddle of water.

  Alex spoke first, “Detective. What was so urgent it needed to be discussed in secret?”

  Detective Jones looked skeptically at Braylee, “I wasn’t expecting company.”

  “She’s no one you need to worry about. What do you have?”

  You could tell that Detective Jones was deciding if he was going to talk in front of Braylee. After an awkward silence, he finally spoke, “This case is bigger than me. There are things going on that I’ve never seen happen in an investigation in all of my twenty-three years of experience.”

  Frustrated, Alexandro had to force himself to be patient, “Like what? Why in the hell am I in this godforsaken place?”

  Braylee touched his arm to help him calm down and stay focused. She spoke, “Detective, can you please tell us what you couldn’t over the phone or at the station?”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive. “First, I found this information on accident just poking around in our system and thought I’d better save it before it disappears.”

  The stress and strain of the situation made Alexandro sound hard, “What’s on it?”

  “The entire investigation. Initially, I wasn’t able to access certain parts of the database which I thought was odd since I’m the lead detective. However, I had a friend get me past all this shall we call it red tape.”

  Alex rubbed hi
s brow, “And?”

  “I found two sets of everything. Two autopsies, police reports, a log of items found at the crime scene, and another log with some of those same items missing. Someone wants to make your brother look as if he killed himself. However, one of the autopsy reports shows a distance and the direction of the bullet that entered into your brother’s head that would have made it near impossible for him to have shot himself. Whoever shot him would have needed to have been standing at least eight to ten feet away.”

  Braylee saw the color drain completely from Alex’s face.

  He continued, “There is always the possibility, but it’s highly unlikely that…due to how the body was found and the trajectory of the bullet…that the shooter could have been left handed. But, not likely. But that still wouldn’t account for the distance. Luciano couldn’t have shot himself.”

  Alex was incredulous, “Who at the police station would have the type of power to have manufactured all of this information?”

  “Not sure. Some of these docs could be forgeries. However, I found a flurry of e-mails going back and forth between Sanderson, our Chief of Police, and the Mayor regarding this case.” Detective Jones rubbed his unshaven face, “It’s possible because this is high profile that he wants to be kept in the loop. However, I doubt it. We’ve had dozens of high profiles without this type of activity. At least as far as I know.

  Again, I’m the lead detective, and even I don’t have the official autopsy report that was dated two weeks ago. They’ve been sitting on this information. My guess is they’re still trying to tie up loose ends.”

  This was big. Braylee shouldn’t hear any of this because none of it would be admissible in court if it ever made it that far. However, more and more of Alex’s theory was starting to have more validity. If any of this could be proven true.

  Braylee was curious and couldn’t help blurting out, “What’s in this for you? I mean why give us this information?”

  “Because I’m a good cop. Believe it or not…there’s a lot of us who want to see justice prevail. I’ve got two more years until retirement and I don’t give a shit about the Chief. He’s as crooked as they come. But, who do I tell and not lose everything that I’ve worked my ass off for my whole life? Nah…I can’t take the risk. It’s going to take someone with Mr. Manchetti’s vast resources and name to take the Chief and his ass clowns down.”