A Storm Is Coming Read online

  What the detective said made sense. It was just her suspicious nature that didn’t leave Braylee totally convinced.

  Detective Jones’ voice took on an ominous tone, “I’m sure I don’t have to explain that whatever the hell is going on is dangerous.” His eyes focused on Alexandro like a laser, “Your brother is already dead because of it and a slew of folks in the department are trying to cover it up.” He paused before continuing, “I’ll only give this information to you Mr. Manchetti but only if my name is never ever mentioned. Never. I’m retiring in two years. I want to live to see it.”

  Alex was so angry he couldn’t speak, so he just nodded and reached out to take it from his hands.

  Braylee could see all the different emotions playing across his face. Her heart went out to him. She spoke on his behalf, “Thank you, Detective. You have our word that you will never be revealed as our source.”

  Those reassurances seemed to be enough. He nodded and turned to walk to his car. After walking a short distance, he turned back around, “Mr. Manchetti…I truly am sorry for your loss. I hope you can find closure and destroy all of those dirty bastards.”

  Alex swallowed hard and nodded. That was a promise he’d made to himself the moment he knew this might not be a suicide. He would hunt down and destroy anyone who had a hand in his brother’s murder…or the cover-up.

  The detective got into his car and pulled away.

  Braylee stood next to Alex in silence. The only sounds surrounding them were the birds overhead and the cars in the distance whizzing by on the upper deck. It was obvious from the clenching of his jaw that he was trying to pull it together.

  Alexandro hadn’t uttered a word since his inner thoughts had been confirmed. Her heart ached for him. So, she did what she hoped any good person would have done for her. Braylee stood still, stared out into the distance and waited; giving him the space and time he needed to get his thoughts together.

  After another couple of moments, he spoke in a leaden voice, “I should get you back to your office.”

  The burning desire to hold and console him was overwhelming. Braylee turned towards Alex and cupped his face into her hands. She whispered, “We’ll get the bastards that are responsible for this. I promise we’ll take them all down. Nothing is worth a life.”

  He looked into her eyes and glimpsed something he was sure not many people got a chance to see…gentleness and compassion.

  The pain reflected in his eyes reached her core. Initially, Braylee only wanted to offer comfort when she pulled his face into hers…and kissed him softly on the lips. When her eyes fluttered closed, Alex pulled her body flush onto his and deepened it. He held the back of her head in one hand and wrapped his other arm tightly around her waist.

  The kiss started out as a reassuring peck but quickly escalated into one of the most powerful kisses Braylee had ever experienced.

  She was so pliant in his arms and for just a moment since his brother died…he could breathe. Alex hated to pull back, but they weren’t in a safe place. He touched his forehead to hers and wrapped his other arm around her waist as they both tried to get control.

  “We should get back.”

  There was no way Braylee could speak. Alexandro had kissed her senseless. So, she just nodded.

  Her warmth kept the numbness from completely taking over him. Alex didn’t want to let her go, so he held her as they walked arm in arm to the car. Once he’d deposited her safely, he went to the other side and got in.

  The ride back to the office was very quiet with each of them lost in their thoughts.

  Alex’s mind was racing. How was he going to face Cecily? How was he going to explain to her that her father was killed over a technology he’d helped to discover? He would give anything to have Luciano back. He should have done something to prevent this. But what? He still couldn’t think clearly but one thing he did know…Braylee was right. Nothing was worth a life.

  There was so much Braylee needed to do with the cache of information they’d just received that now was not the time to think about how Alex made her feel. She wasn’t very good with dealing with emotional entanglements, but she was good at one thing. Being a lawyer and she was determined to make good on her promise. She’d help him bring down anyone involved in this madness.

  As they pulled up to the valet of her office building, attendants came to open both her and Alex’s doors. Braylee was expecting him to get out. He didn’t. So, the attendant closed his door.

  “You’re not coming?”

  He blew out a breath, “No. I need to digest everything that I just heard.”

  Worry was evident in her face, “Alex…”

  “I’ll be fine Braylee. I’m just going to...”

  The attendant was patiently waiting for her to get out. With the briefest of hesitations, she reached out, grabbed the handle, and closed her door.

  “Then, I’ll just go with you.”

  “Braylee…”

  “I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  “I’m not in the mood to deal with all of this just yet.”

  “Okay…that’s fine. We can just go wherever you were going and…chill.”

  He looked at her skeptically, “Chill? Do you even know what that is? You do realize that would mean no talking about my case or anything business related right?”

  Braylee fidgeted in her seat, “Don’t be silly. Of course, I know how to chill-out. I can chill with the best of them. I can do casual. No shop talk. Got it.”

  He didn’t believe her for a second. She lived to work. “And no cell phones.”

  “What? Don’t be ridic….”

  “No cell phones Braylee.”

  She stuttered, “No…no…cell phones? But what if….”

  He was firm, “No cell phones or I’ll leave you right here on this curb.”

  Braylee put her hands up in surrender, “Okay okay. No, cell phones.” In a very bad Italian accent she spoke, “I don’t need no stinkin’ cell phone.”

  That brought a small smile to his face, “You’re fluent in Italian. So, what was that?”

  “That was my broken English-Italian. I thought it was pretty good.”

  “It was awful.”

  No nonsense Braylee Hinsdale had just tried to make him laugh. Will wonders never cease? Alex pulled away from the curb heading towards…wherever the car took him.

  Chapter 11

  They’d been driving for no more than five minutes before Braylee started to fidget. He saw her out of the corner of his eyes absentmindedly picking up her phone. Then, apparently remembering the no cell phone rule, so she put it back into her purse.

  A minute later, Braylee did the same thing.

  Alex was surprised it had taken her this long before she started having withdrawals.

  He decided to give her a small reprieve, “Okay…one phone call to Nate. He’s probably freaking out as much as you are.”

  Braylee exhaled loudly, “Oh thank god! Who in their right minds could go this long without their cell phone or computer…it’s just….it’s uncivilized.”

  “Braylee, it hasn’t even been fifteen minutes.”

  She scrolled through and read her texts from Nate first, “Are you kidding? We’ve been away from the office for almost two hours! Have you checked in?”

  “No. I don’t need to. My team is pretty self-sufficient.”

  She was only half listening, “Hmm. Mmm…okay.” And just like that she’d been transported back to her comfort zone. Braylee was no longer listening but fully engrossed in her messages as she spoke to herself, “That file is in my office. Oh…did Francine file that extension? I’ve got to remind her to do that.” She snapped her finger, “Oh yeah…I need to make sure Nate reschedules that meeting for next week too.”

  Scrolling to the next message, “You’ve got to be kidding me….”

  Alex watched Braylee and truly wondered if she knew how to do anything else but work. “So much for you knowing how to chill?”

&
nbsp; She’d heard the last words he’d spoken, “Hmm…what? What about chilling?” Lifting her eyes from her phone to his in utter bewilderment.

  He glanced down at her phone and then back to her, “Chill. Relax. Something you clearly have never mastered.”

  Braylee ran her fingers through her hair, “I just needed to answer these few texts from Nate before I called him.”

  “Right. How many do you have? Never mind, I’m sure it’s double digits. You think it might be easier just to call him and answer all of his questions in a single phone call? You know that ONE phone call that we agreed too? Or, would you rather I just turn the car around and take you back to the office?”

  Braylee pursed her lips, “You’re right. We did agree on one phone call.”

  “Actually, we agreed no cell phones. I was trying to have mercy on you, but it seems if I give an inch you’ll take a mile. You literally don’t know how to chill.”

  She scrunched up her eyebrows. She knew how to relax. And, dammit she was going to prove it to him even if it killed her. Picking up her cell phone she quickly dialed Nate.

  He answered on the first ring, “Hinsdale and Associates.”

  “Hey, Nate…it’s me.”

  “Where the hell are you? Are you okay? I was ready to come find you.”

  “I’m fine. Alexandro and I needed to check something out. How are things at the office?”

  “I have everything under control.”

  “Good…Well, um…we won’t be back today, and we won’t be available by phone either.” She turned away from Alex and whispered into the phone, “Unless it’s an emergency. If it’s an emergency, just text me. I’ll have my phone on vibrate.”

  Alex shook his head as he pretended not to be listening.

  Nate laughed, “Really? You won’t be back for the rest of the day?”

  “No. And, what’s so funny?”

  “I’m just thinking…Mr. Manchetti must be something else to get you out of the office.” Nate threw his head back and laughed even harder, “Oh…and I guess I won’t need to change the batteries out of your Violator anytime soon either.”

  Braylee peeked under hooded eyes at Alex who was completely focused on the road. She whispered, “It’s not like that and shut up.”

  Nate smiled to himself, “We’ll hold it down here. Have fun. You deserve it.”

  “Thanks.”

  Braylee disconnected from Nate and turned her phone on vibrate. If Nate were to text her, she would know because she’d had her programmer change her phone to buzz more so than vibrate for his calls.

  She flashed Alex a brilliant smile, “There. Business is all taken care of. I’m going to prove to you that I’m more than just a brilliant legal mind. So, for the rest of the afternoon, I’m all yours.”

  Alex made a turn that took them away from the hustle and bustle of the city. He held out his hand to her, “Give me your phone.”

  Braylee blinked a few times, “Wh…wha…what? Why? I turned it off.”

  “Because I don’t trust you with it. Did you turn it off or put it on vibrate?”

  Busted. Well, maybe she could spin it, “Vibrate is almost the same thing as off.”

  He wiggled his fingers as if saying come here, “No, it’s not. Give me the phone.”

  Braylee huffed like a petulant child, “You’re such a slave driver.” And then she reached into her purse to pull out the phone before placing it into his hand. However, she didn’t release it…not just yet.

  “If Nate does text me, you’ve got to promise to give it back okay? He won’t text unless it’s truly an emergency.”

  After what seemed like an endless stretch of time, Alex’s nod was almost imperceptible. But, it was enough to get Braylee to release the phone. He put it into his inner jacket pocket for safe keeping.

  Braylee snuggled into the car, “So…where are we going?”

  “I just feel like driving. Is that okay?”

  It had been a long time since Braylee didn’t have her day completely planned. It felt weird but if that’s what her client needed to clear his mind, then she’d ride along to wherever he wanted to go.

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Chapter 12

  They’d been on the road for about an hour before Alex started to relax. Nothing calmed him more than being on the open road pushing the limits of what the Lykan could do. To his surprise, Braylee didn’t say anything about the speed of the car. She seemed to be enjoying the ride or was scared to death to say anything. However, he didn’t think she was afraid of too much.

  Speeding down the roadway in this car was exhilarating. Braylee couldn’t believe that she’d spent months handling all the legalities for the Lykan Hypersport but had never actually sat in one…until today. She frowned to herself. When was the last time she did something outside of work?

  Technically, being with Alex was work too. He was her client, and he needed her. She would have done the same thing for any other client wouldn’t she? Except none of her other clients had ever shown up in her dreams. She understood he needed some time to get his thoughts together. But, after everything he’d recently learned, she just didn’t want him to be alone.

  A thought suddenly occurred to Braylee, who said he needed her or would be all alone? Just because he’d given her a few mind-blowing kisses didn’t mean he needed her. After all, she had invited herself on this little jaunt.

  When Alex spoke, it startled Braylee out of her thoughts.

  “You have a family?”

  “What? Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

  “Do you have a family?”

  Braylee spoke softly, “Yes. I’m lucky to still have both my parents and I have a younger sister.”

  “You are very lucky.” His gaze pierced hers, “It was three of us. I’m the oldest; then there was Luciano and Fabi. My father died when I was thirteen. It’s just been us guys, my mother, and Cecily for a long time.”

  Alex faced the road and slowed the car down as they coasted for a while.

  Braylee did her best to keep her voice light but was curious to know who Cecily was to him. A sister perhaps? Hopefully.

  “Cecily?”

  A hint of a smile graced his face, “My niece. She’s fourteen. I’ve been raising her since…” His voice trailed off.

  She placed her hand on top of the one he had resting on a gear. “That’s right you did mention that. She’s very lucky to have you.”

  “My mother recently flew back home to Italy. We decided it was best to try to keep things as normal for Cecily as possible. I didn’t want to uproot her from her friends and everything else to send her away with my mother.”

  “Where is her mother?”

  “Hmm…long story but Luciano met someone who was only interested in his money. He had to pay her not to abort Cecily. She signed over all of her parental rights the day after she was born, and we haven’t heard from her since.”

  “Wow. That’s a lot for anyone to deal with but especially a teenager. Luciano sounds like he was a really great guy.”

  Alex sighed, “Luciano was a great guy. Smart as a whip. You would have liked him a lot. Cecily thinks her mother died in childbirth. As long as I’m alive she will never know the truth and since you and I have that lawyer-client thing, I’m not worried about you telling her. Anyway, I just wish we’d had more time.”

  Whipping the car onto the side of the road, he took a deep breath, “Braylee, I know I may be overstepping my bounds but one thing this experience has taught me; Life is precious, and we should not to take a moment for granted.”

  Braylee’s heart was beating a mile a minute.

  His finger was feather soft when he turned her face into his, “You are an amazing lawyer, and I know you love what you do but I hope you take some time to enjoy your family…and life.”

  Again, before Braylee could respond he kissed her. It wasn’t gentle like earlier but demanding and needy. He took off his seat belt and pushed her back into the seat of the car as h
e took what he needed.

  He was angry, hurt, and in pain. His kiss reflected all of it. There was no place to run this time, and there was no way to fight what was happening between them. Wasn’t it just last night that she’d made the decision to keep things professional? Now here they were picking up almost exactly where they left off. Her body had been on simmer ever since.

  Alex took all that she had to give. He cupped her neck as he ran his other hand up her thigh…but he didn’t stop there. He continued his exploration until his fingers reached the edge of her satiny underwear. Braylee arched up into his hands as his fingers edged underneath and skimmed her…there. It didn’t take much to be ready for his touch. She was already burning up on the inside as her wetness trickled down onto his fingers. Alex skimmed along her core before thrusting two fingers inside her.

  She tore her lips from his as her hips lifted from the seat, “Mmm…agh…yes.”

  He continued to plunge his fingers into the cavern of her body as she clenched tightly around them. Their breathing was uncontrollable. Alex bit down on her shoulder barely able to control his anticipation of replacing his fingers with himself. Just the thought almost made him lose it.

  He removed his hand from her neck and took one of hers in his while he continued to build her closer and closer to orgasm. He needed a release, and he wanted Braylee to give it to him. Alex placed her hand on his erection. He was hard. Very hard. She squeezed him through his pants.

  It was hard for Braylee to concentrate when he was making her feel the way he was. Breathless, she could barely put together a coherent thought, “Alex…I…can’t…”

  He could feel the tremors around his fingers. Moments later, she came apart in his arms.

  Her chest heaved up and down as Braylee fought to catch her breath. That was one of the most intense orgasms she’d ever had.