Rifling through her guest room chest, she gathered up any weapons Tristan had left and stowed them with her clothes...including her guns. Sydney’s skin pricked with discomfort being in this condo. Goddamn vampires. If she hadn’t insisted on working this case, nothing would have happened, and she could have gone about life not knowing all the evils that existed in the supernatural world. But, she also wouldn’t have known love...desire...ecstasy...Kade.
Sydney gathered a few treasured pictures of her family and friends, and looked around once again to see if there was anything else she wanted to take with her. She decided that maybe it was too soon to gather all her things. She would go back to the office, rest a few days and then come back to pack up her stuff.
After locking up the condo, she carefully laid her hanging clothes flat in the tiny trunk of her convertible and squeezed the large suitcase into the passenger seat. Tight fit, but it would have to work. Silently saying goodbye to her home of seven years, she took off toward the station.
The parking lot buzzed with activity as she parked her car. She checked twice to make sure it was locked, before she padded into the station. Waving hello to her fellow officers, she slumped into her chair and flipped on her laptop. Her plan was to bury herself in her work. Forget New Orleans for a little while; forget vampires and mages, forget the ache that was burning a hole like lightning throughout her gut, missing Kade.
Hours later, after a mountain of paperwork, she sighed in exhaustion. She was startled as Tony slammed a cheesesteak down on her desk. “Hey girl. What’s up? Thought you could use one of these. Now, I know they don’t have these babies down in the Big Easy,” he grinned.
Her mouth watered as the scent of fried onions and cheese teased her nostrils. “Oh. My. God. Thank you, Tony.” She couldn’t wait to tear into it.
“Yeah, I have been called a god by certain women. And funny you say so...women do usually like my ten inch...just not a steak sandwich,” he busted out laughing.
Sydney punched him in the arm. “Real nice, Tone. You're a smooth talker, you.” She bit down into the sandwich letting the grease, soft bread and steak entice her senses. “Okay, Tony. Did I ever tell you how much I love you?” she grinned, wiping her mouth.
“Yeah baby. I know you want it.” He smiled seeing that she was starting to get back to normal. “Hey, if I knew all you needed was a steak sandwich, I would have fed you last night.” He straightened in his chair, a serious expression washed over his face. “Seriously, Syd. You need something, I’m here. There's no going it alone. We all get pummeled down by this job every now and then. You and I both know it. I don’t know all what happened down there in New Orleans, but this is just a bump in the road. You’re tough. It’ll be all right.”
Sydney avoided the heavy conversation by nodding and stuffing her mouth full of steak and pickles. She wished lifting her spirits was as easy as eating a sandwich…although the cheesesteak was pretty damn good.
“Delivery!” The station secretary dropped a small Fed Ex envelope on her desk. Kade? She ripped open the package only to find a key and a small, engraved card. Tristan. The key and address to the rental property. Shoving away the rising disappointment, she fingered the black, shiny key, which was attached to a copper, Liberty Bell key chain. Only in Philly, she grinned to herself. What was she thinking...that Kade would call her? Text her? Send her a card? She was the one who up and left without saying goodbye...after making love, at that. Waves of guilt flooded her mind. Why did she do that to him? He said he loved her, wanted her to stay. Why wasn’t that enough for her? But he didn’t seem to really understand that she had responsibilities. She did recall him saying that they’d work out the details, but she’d been so freaking impatient as usual. She didn’t even try to talk to him. Nope, she just panicked, overwhelmed by emotions and ran back to Philly. Shit. She needed to call him tonight and set things right.
In the past twenty-four hours, she may not have cleared her mind entirely, but she knew one thing to be true, Kade was hers. She loved him. With each passing hour, her heart cried out for him as she yearned to be in his arms. Rubbing the key, she shut down her laptop deciding she couldn’t wait one more hour to call him. Once she got to her new place, she’d sit down, call him, apologize for leaving, and possibly beg for his forgiveness–okay, only if necessary–and figure out a way to make this work. Maybe they could work out some kind of long distance relationship. Face Time and Skype were wonderful technologies when it came to phone sex these days. If their relationship progressed, maybe she could get a job at the NOLA PD. Myriad thoughts and solutions swirled in her head. Before she lost her nerve, she needed to get out of the station and make the call.
Tapping Tony on the shoulder, not wanting to interrupt his phone call, she mouthed the words “thank you” and waved goodbye. Jumping into her convertible, she pulled the top down, cranked up the radio, and set the GPS to the address on the card. Her heart sang in joy knowing that it wouldn’t be long before she heard the loving tone of Kade’s voice again.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sydney gasped at the sight of the newly built, Penn’s Landing, riverfront condo building. Swanky. She could not believe Tristan would let her live in this place rent-free for a week or so, let alone the couple of months she’d planned on. She had a feeling she’d never want to leave considering the incredible view of the river and city. Why wasn’t Tristan living in this fabulous location? She knew he dabbled in real estate, but had no idea that he owned a place down on the waterfront.
Sydney double checked the address before pulling her car into the valet parking. A bellman approached her car and leaned forward. “Excuse me, Miss, but do you need assistance with your luggage?”
Sydney coughed trying desperately to compose herself, hoping she was in the right place. “Uh...yes. I have some clothing in the trunk, a few bags. My friend, Tristan Livingston, is letting me stay in his condo for a while.”
“Of course, Miss. We’ve been expecting you. I’ll take your keys, park your car, and bring your things to you shortly.” Smiling, he opened her car door gesturing for her to get out.
She gave him the keys confidently striding toward the door where another bellman awaited her. “Hello...I’m Sydney Willows. I....”
“Greetings, Miss Willows. My name is Bernard. Welcome to Riverfront Estates. As Fred indicated, we’ve been expecting you. Please follow me, and I will escort you home.”
Home? Sydney obediently followed Bernard having no idea where she was going. It dawned on her that Tristan failed to provide her with the condo number. She didn’t want to appear as if she didn’t belong, so she trusted that she’d figure it out from Bernard eventually. Standing in the elevator, Sydney noticed the numbers went up to forty floors. Nervously playing with the key, she tried to remember which button Bernard pushed. The elevator was moving, but no numbers were illuminated.
As the elevator settled and the doors slid open, she saw a small foyer that led to a lone set of double doors. “Your condo, Miss. Do you need me to open the door, or show you about? Your bags will be up in just a little bit via the service elevator.”