Page 78 of Rekindling Desire

“Damien, be careful,” Ella said before sliding into the back seat of Deidra’s car.

I held the door open and peered inside. Wearing one of the outfits I’d chosen for our trip to Ashland, Ella was dressed for her day at the office. With her hair styled up, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Then again, this morning with sleep in her eyes and her warm, soft body at my side, she was also striking.

“I will. I’ll see you at Corporate.” I hadn’t told Ella my plans for the morning, but that didn’t stop her from figuring them out.

“Please don’t get in a fight with your brother.”

I clenched my jaw. “It’s not my goal.”

Ella waved as they pulled away. For a moment, I stood there, contemplating my next move.

I hadn’t been to Amber’s place since the night I left her.

That night, I’d given her back her key. It hadn’t occurred to me until last night that she’d never returned mine. That was how she had gotten into my house. It wasn’t technically breaking and entering if she had a key. That didn’t explain how she got into Ella’s place. As I was driving to Amber’s place, I wondered if she’d be home or if Darius would be there. The closer I got, the more I hoped I’d see both.

My phone rang through the speakers of my SUV. The name on the screen was Anthony. I hit the green icon on the steering wheel. “What do you have for me?”

“The woman entered Ms. Crystal’s house by blocking the lock of the front door.”

“How did she block it?”

“It’s simple. When Ms. Wilmott was at the door earlier in the morning, while Ms. Crystal went back inside, Ms. Wilmott placed a thin magnetic strip over the strike plate, thus blocking the latch bolt from engaging. Ms. Crystal probably thought she’d locked the door, but in reality, the latch never engaged.”

“How the fuck would Amber know how to do that?” I asked.

“She probably watched a YouTube video. It’s an effective means to prevent someone from securing a lock.”

I shook my head. “Do you have proof?”

“I know I’m correct. There’s limited physical evidence. She undoubtedly took the strip with her after she left. There is residue and in the original video of their morning altercation, I’ve been able to slow it down. There are a few frames where she appears to be touching the doorjamb. Would my evidence hold up in a court of law? Doubtful.”

Fuck that.

I was the judge and the jury in this case. Amber was lucky I wasn’t also an executioner.

“Is Ms. Crystal’s house now secure?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are her cameras up and running?”

“With the upgrades we discussed. My crew and I are on our way to your house now to complete the additions we discussed last night.”

I said the first thing that came to mind, “Don’t let the cat out.”

“I didn’t see that you had a cat.”

“Well, I do now. She used up one of her nine lives yesterday. I’d rather her stay at eight.”

“I’ll let my crew know.”

“Contact me once the job is finished,” I said.

As our call disconnected, I entered the same neighborhood I left over a year ago. Though Amber worked between Chicago and Indianapolis, the last I recalled, her residence was in Indy. I approached the home where she’d lived. The door to Amber’s garage was closed, hiding whether her car or Darius’s was inside. The clock on the dashboard told me it wasn’t yet eight in the morning.

“Be home,” I said to myself as I got out of the vehicle.

The walk up the sidewalk was a sick sort of déjà vu. As I scanned the front of her place, I deduced that not much had changed in the past year. With pent-up energy, I rang the doorbell and waited. I rang it again. Peering through the sidelight, I saw movement. This time, I banged on the door.

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