We last read Chapter 41, in which Raven Tristan begins her research of Sapphire Angel, trying to fight off doubts about what should now be obvious — Beth Harper is Sapphire Angel. Tristan vows to uncover every last secret about the superheroine. Meanwhile, Beth returns to Pennsylvania and pays a visit to Ethan, her best friend, to use him as a sounding board concerning her confusion over Conner. She reveals her secret to Ethan, having to transform to Sapphire Angel for him to believe her.
After he gets over the shock, Ethan urges her to call Conner and make dinner plans. She hesitates, as she plans to scope out the tower on Wheldon’s land as Sapphire Angel later in the night. She relents, though, and calls Conner, figuring she has time to do both dinner and visit the tower. Conner takes her call, and agrees to meet her for dinner.
This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Or to start at the beginning of book 2 (this story), click over to the Prologue of Power Play.
Thanks for reading!
When Conner had picked Beth up at her apartment, she had been running late as usual. She had initially worn a short summer dress with bright colors, before changing into a conservative navy dress that flattered her figure and stopped at her knees. As she finished getting ready, Conner waited in her living room, and didn't make a single wisecrack about her decor. When they left, he fumbled for the apartment door and the car door, and dropped his keys. Cocky, confident Conner Bennett was nervous, which she found to be both cute and unusual. At least he no longer seemed annoyed by the situation with Nick Hunt.
The restaurant was less than a five-minute drive from her apartment. Casual yet elegant, Cafe Sicilia was one of Beth's favorite restaurants, and sat among Harrisburg's busy Second Street eateries. It was a BYOB establishment, and Conner had brought two bottles of wine with him. She winced at the sight of the alcohol, thinking back to how much she had imbibed during their last dinner in Harrisburg. Not tonight. As excited as she was to dine with Conner, she would not miss out again on seeing Wheldon's tower.
They talked about the StarPrime investigation for the first part of dinner, as Beth avoided the wine. Conner followed her lead, only taking a few sips from his glass.
"I don't think I've ever seen a case with so many disjointed pieces, all pointing to trouble without proving it," Conner said. "Someone shot and killed in the woods. A witness blames the shooting on the sale of the nuclear plant, but who keeps getting scared off. There's a tower we can't get near. A building in the woods. A cop with a bogus suspension. Sapphire Angel poking around. Oh, and there may be a U.S. senator involved in all of this. Am I missing anything? There's got to be a solid piece of evidence out there somewhere."
"That's the important stuff. Do you really think Richard and Olivia will rubber stamp this deal if we don't find a smoking gun?"
"They will. Richard is a nice guy, but doesn't have the backbone to rock the boat, unless we come up with something big. And don't forget that Olivia is MacGregor Lockheed's daughter. We saw Wheldon meeting with Lockheed's aide in Florida, which means Lockheed is involved in this mess. And he's a political animal. I'm sure he has Olivia doing his bidding."
"Have you had any issues with her since the conference?" Beth asked. "You pressed Wheldon hard. It wouldn't surprise me if he complained to someone."
"Not yet. I popped into the office after getting back in town today. She was fishing, asking me about the trip, but I don't think anyone else has talked to her about the conference yet. And you're right. She's not a big fan of yours, although she seems intrigued by you in a way I can't put my finger on."
After discussing Oliva for a few minutes, their conversation turned to other matters, including their families. Beth gave a boiled down version of her family dynamics, not wanting to get into the drama of her relationship with her mother. She spoke lovingly of her sister, but didn't mention the frequent conflict between them. Conner claimed to have the most boring family in America. "Leave it to Beaver — that's my family," he stated.
"That seems to be about your pace," she said with a teasing grin.
As they spoke, Conner reached across the table and took her hand. For the next hour they talked non-stop, with Conner holding her hand most of the time. After the waitress cleared the table and disappeared, Beth glanced at the clock on the far wall.
"Yea, I'm tired, too," Conner said, noticing her glance. "Long day, with all the travel."
When the waitress returned, Conner asked for the check. A few minutes later he had paid, and they were walking down the sidewalk. He reached over and took her hand in his, and Beth's heart beat in excitement. He led her to a bench, and they sat nestled up against one another. They continued to talk, and it grew even later.
Beth heard the chiming of the bells on top of one of the city's churches and counted off the tolls. 11 p.m. If she was going to get to the tower, she would need to leave soon.
"Conner, I should probably get home. You, too. We're no good to anyone if we're exhausted."
"Sure," he answered.
They walked to his car together, and ten minutes later were pulling up in front of her apartment. He jumped out, rushed around the car, and opened her door for her. She smiled and nuzzled up against him as they walked up the sidewalk. He put his arm around her.
When they reached her front door, they turned to each other, and an awkward moment of silence hung in the air.
"Can I kiss you?" he asked, holding her gaze.
She nodded. Beth stood on her tiptoes to meet his lips as he leaned in toward her. His lips were warm, and she melted into him as she kissed him, clinging to a handful of his shirt at his chest. He held her with one hand on her back, and the other on the back of her head.
Time froze as she sensed every tingle of her body, every touch on her lips, and every point of contact of his hands on her back and head. But just as soon as it started, it stopped, and they both came up for air, their eyes locked on one another.
She realized the silly grin on his face probably matched her own. She buried her face in his chest.
"I've wanted to do that for a long time," he said. "That kiss in Florida only made me want it more."
"Me too," she whispered, clinging to him. They both said nothing, enjoying one another's presence. After a few moments, she realized he was must be waiting for her to invite him in. She heard Ethan's voice in her head, warning her not to freeze up and push him away. But she also saw Wheldon's tower in her mind's eye.
"Woah," she said, holding a hand to her head and squinting at the ground. "Suddenly I'm not feeling too well." She held her other hand to her stomach.
He leaned back from her, holding each of her shoulders and studying her. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Concern was written on his face.
"Yea, I'm fine. Probably just something I ate. I should just call it a night and lay down."
He frowned. "I really don't like leaving you if you're sick."
"I'll be fine," she insisted. "I just need to take it easy. It's been a long few days."
His mouth closed in a thin line and he nodded. "Alright."
Beth got on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Goodnight. Thanks for a great night." She turned and unlocked her door.
"Goodnight," he said as she waved and closed the door behind her. She watched through the window as Conner went to his car and drove away. When he was out of sight, Beth darted to the back door of the apartment and headed out to her car. It was time for Sapphire Angel to get to work.
Raven Tristan had spied Beth Harper through each step of her busy night. Harper's night had started with a visit with Ethan Moore, followed by dinner with Conner Bennett, and seemed to end with a return home and a kiss from Bennett. Except it hadn't ended there. Tristan had trailed Harper as the girl left her apartment a few minutes later and drove to Stanley Devor's house. When Harper left the old man's home a short while later under the cover of darkness, the little blonde woman seemed to be in a hurry. Tristan followed her prey as Harper took the same route she had taken during her previous, unsuccessful pursuit.
As Harper navigated the same winding country road, Tristan kept her distance. She didn't need to be close this time. Unlike the first time, Tristan wasn't frustrated when she rounded the bend onto a straightaway and Harper's car was gone. This time Tristan had been glancing down at the screen of her computer tablet, which sat on the passenger's seat. The screen displayed a map of the area, along with a dot representing the tracking device attached to Harper's vehicle.
Tristan had seen the dot leave the roadway just ahead. She tapped the screen, marking the spot. Tristan drove past the spot and went for another half mile before pulling off on a wide shoulder. She exited the car, throwing a backpack over her shoulder.
She stayed under cover of the trees as she backtracked toward Harper's exit point. As she walked and watched the screen, she recognized the feeling growing inside of her. It was the intoxicating rush of anticipation and excitement. She felt it whenever she was close to a breakthrough in one of her investigations. It was enough to quash any worries she harbored about Wheldon and his plans.
After almost five minutes of trudging through the woods, she found a place under dense cover at a bend in the road, far from where Harper had exited the roadway. Tristan pulled night vision binoculars from the backpack and aimed them at the spot where Harper had disappeared. Minutes stretched on, and the dot representing Harper's car remained stationary at a spot perhaps 75 yard into the woods.
Two minutes later, as Tristan grew impatient, she caught movement. A vehicle came into site, exiting the forest and driving onto the blacktop. Tristan inhaled sharply. Even in the darkness, the lines of the car were unmistakable. Sapphire Angel. The superheroine's car accelerated away from Tristan's hiding spot and within seconds disappeared from sight.
Sapphire Angel was gone, but Tristan needed to be careful. Not only might she return, but the superheroine might have hidden surveillance equipment in the woods. Surveillance devices were no match for Raven Tristan, though. The best way to defeat technology was through better technology, and Tristan always had better technology. She would identify and disable any surveillance, and then she would prepare a surprise for Sapphire Angel.
This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Or to start at the beginning of book 2 (this story), click over to the Prologue of Power Play.
Thanks for reading!
I appreciate any comments or email.
Is this what you meant by saying that the garage would play a bigger role at some point? Because we came pretty close to it, but didn’t really go inside it.....anyways, hopefully something gets done to stop Raven spying on Sapphire soon. Girl freaks me out whenever she appears.
Oh, well. Time to (probably) scope out Wheldon’s tower!