Read Online Dangerously in Love by Michele Kimbrough - Free Book Online

passed.
    Hill stood in the doorway, leaning against its frame. Adam noticed and walked toward him, putting his arm around Hill’s shoulder and ushering him into the study. He patted Hill’s shoulder as he introduced him to the rest of his crew. Adam clipped a cigar and handed it to Hill then lit it.
    There were lots of things Hill didn’t like about this day—moving the trunks that clearly served as caskets, watching Adam kiss Caitlin, and fraternizing with criminals who, three years ago, he might have defended. But what he did seem to enjoy was the cigar. It had a sweet aroma and left a grapelike taste on his lips. He really enjoyed it far better than the first time he and Adam had had a cigar together. This time there wasn’t any pain and blood involved.
    Through the plumes of smoke, Hill noticed Adam’s full bookcases. He wondered if Adam read any of those books. He walked closer to look at the titles on the spine. There were a lot of the classics, bound in leather. He knew that was mostly a decorative touch. He bent down to look at the books on the lower shelves.
    “Looking for something?” Adam asked.
    Hill shook his head. “I appreciate the cigar and the liquor,” he said then threw back the cognac. It went down quite smoothly. He set the snifter on the desk. “But you have me on a tight deadline, so I should get back to it. I’m sure I can find my way out.”
    As he roamed the halls, he ran into Rosemary. “How do I get out of here?”
    Rosemary showed him the way. As he went, he noticed the architectural details of the house. They were magnificent. Just then, he had an idea how he’d finish the landscape.
    Lightning flashed. A storm rolled in, and rain beat against the house like a million rapid taps of an old manual typewriter. Gabe and Ty were scurrying to the truck. Hill stood at the door, looking at the landscape. He was pleased with the work they’d done. It was almost finished. Then he’d get far away from the Church residence.
    The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Something was wrong.

16

It was one in the morning. Hill careened from lane to lane, maneuvering around the slow moving traffic. He was in a hurry, and it seemed nobody else was. There weren’t many vehicles on the road, but there was a pocket of traffic that just barely hit the speed limit, slowing him down—and keeping him from getting to her quickly.
    He was in a hurry because Caitlin had called. She said she’d had trouble sleeping again. When he answered, his voice was groggy.
    He said, “Yeah, who’s calling?”
    She said, “Cate.”
    He popped up as if spring-loaded and sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you okay?”
    “Come see me,” she said simply.
    His tires crunched along the gravel driveway at the rear end of the property. Caitlin had told him to park back there, and she’d meet him in the golf cart to ride him to the main house. Rosemary was asleep in her quarters, and the other help had gone home for the evening.
    As Hill strolled through the foyer and down the long corridor with Caitlin, he couldn’t help but admire the fine art hanging on her beautifully painted walls—Picasso, Warhol, Ortiz. Exotic rugs accentuated each room. As he admired the blonde-stained floor boards, Caitlin told him that some of them had been reclaimed from the old cathedral where the famous Fr. Montegne once studied. Exposed beams were also stained in the same color. Iron spindles adorned the staircase. The ceilings were high, the chandeliers hung low.
    Off to the right, moonlight poured into the sunroom. Floor-to-ceiling windows allowed light, no matter how scarce, to brighten the space. It was furnished sparingly but expensively. A fireplace—large and white with an ornate mantle and exposed brick—was the focal point. “If it was rare or unique,” Caitlin explained, “Adam had to have it.”
    “What’s going on, Caitlin?” Hill asked, concerned something had happened. “You sounded distraught on the phone. . .”