Matters of the Heart Read online

  An eRedSage Publishing Publication

  This book is a work of complete fiction. Any names, places, incidents, characters are products of the author’s imagination and creativity or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is fully coincidental.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or any portion thereof in any form whatsoever in any country whatsoever is forbidden.

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  Red Sage Publishing, Inc. P.O. Box 4844 Seminole, FL 33775

  727-391-3847 eRedSage.com

  Matters of the Heart

  An eRed Sage Publication All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2019

  eRedSage is a registered trademark of Red Sage Publishing, Inc.

  Visit us on the World Wide Web: http://www.eRedSage.com

  ISBN: 9781603100953; 1603100954 Matters of the Heart eBook version

  Published by arrangement with the authors and copyright holders of the individual works as follows:

  Matters of the Heart © 2019 by Helen Colella

  Cover © 2019 by Lacey

  Printed in the U.S.A.

  ebook layout and conversion by jimandzetta.com

  Matters of the Heart

  ***

  By Helen Colella

  TO MY READERS:

  Greetings and salutations!

  Thank you for reading my first romantic suspense novel!

  Although I’ve been writing for many years now, it’s nothing but pure joy and excitement to be sharing Matters of the Heart with you; it’s been a fun and challenging time creating a story for your reading pleasure.

  Over the years my husband and I have owned, operated, and sold several food establishments: The Golden Eagle Restaurant (NJ), The Farmhouse Tavern (CO), The Osprey (CO), and Crosby’s (NV). Matters of the Heart combines elements from all these places, a ton of memories, my vivid imagination, and a dash of poetic license.

  I hope you enjoy the book and will take time to let me know your thoughts via email: [email protected].

  Best of reading, Helen

  READER ALERT!:

  Amanda Conifer struggles to keep her faith in and love for the man of her dreams, Nick Dalton alive despite the warnings from her extended family members, the perils of the unscrupulous Crestview Committee and her own self doubts.

  Chapter One

  Rush hour traffic tested Amanda Conifer’s patience. Pelting rain crashed against the car’s front windshield. Booming thunder drowned out her iPod favorites. Tidal wave splashes distorted her road perception. The windshield wiper barely cleared the window. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and concentrated on keeping on the I-25, from the Tech Center toward her condo in downtown Denver.

  April showers, my eye. This is a deluge. If it were snow, I’d have my suitcase packed, tucked into the trunk of my SUV, and be on my way up the mountain for a weekend skiing in my beloved Rockies. She glanced in the rear-view mirror, shrugged and shook her head, then refocused on the traffic. For now, I just want to get home without hydroplaning, being in an accident, or killing myself.

  “Amanda. Amanda. Amanda,” she scolded herself while reviewing the events of her day at the bank and deciding the superstition of Friday the thirteenth had some credence to it. “You missed a meeting, misplaced the final papers for the Benson mortgage, insulted a co-worker by telling him ‘go beyond the paperwork and deal with real people with real concerns.’ What were you thinking?”

  A sudden, uncontrolled laughter came upon her as she recalled the look of surprise on the customer’s face when she’d collided into him, splashing her coffee down the front of his sports jacket. How embarrassing was that? Then like a bumbling idiot, she’d stumbled through three apologies and an offer to have it cleaned.

  He’d frozen as if in shock, then had shaken his head and let out a long, frustrated sigh. “Not to worry, Bank Girl. Accidents happen.”

  His eyes had held her attention, and the smile that had followed caught Amanda’s heart by surprise. The charisma this tall, handsome young businessman exuded had sent a pleasurable shiver throughout her body. For an instant, she couldn’t find any words to respond to his, “Promise me you won’t give it a second thought.”

  So smitten by him, she had stood there, speechless and grinning like a young, insecure schoolgirl colliding with the boy she crushed on from a distance. Playfully, she’d crossed her heart then after composing herself, had directed him to Ted Chester, the bank officer he was looking for, and then had gone on her way.

  Back in her office, she had sat and daydreamed, no, romanticized about her brief encounter with the could-be-man-of-her-dreams, or at least somebody she’d like to get to know better—a lot better. Overtaken by the encounter, later in the day, she’d relayed the story to a co-worker-friend.

  “I could feel the magic, that instant connection my grandfather calls a once-forever moment. Too bad I can’t find some way to act on it.” Her loud sigh had carried her into a momentary dreamlike state where she’d let fantasies take over.

  Her friend had laughed and teased, “Look at you, girl, you’re beside yourself—totally hypnotized by this guy. If I were you, I’d gather all the pertinent info I could about him then get him back here on some ‘bank business’ a.s.a.p.”

  “You know I can’t do that. Bank business is confidential. Besides, with my luck, if I did get the opportunity to run into him again—” she’d shaken her head, “—he’d probably run the other way knowing I’m such a klutz.”

  A boom of thunder drew her back to the reality of the moment and forced her to refocus on driving. The usual half hour drive had grown closer to taking up the better part of an hour of road time. Instead of going straight home, she decided to make a quick detour and stop at Whole Foods Market in Cherry Creek to pick up one of her favorite dinners: a grilled, citrus chicken salad. She parked near the entrance, dashed in, and went straight to the salad bar.

  Surprised by the lack of crowds, she managed to find what she wanted, pay for it, and be back on the road again all within a few minutes. She drove a short distance, turned into the driveway of the Aspen Peaks Condo Complex, and pulled into her personal parking place. After gathering her belongings, she dashed to her ground level condo unit.

  At the front door, she adjusted the groceries, an unopened umbrella, and her black leather briefcase so she could get the key into the lock. Click…she turned the knob, removed the key, and elbowed open the door.

  “Home at last.” A rush of cold, damp air sent an uneasy chill across her as she stared at an unusual darkness. She hesitated before entering and mumbled, “Now, what’s this all about?”

  * * *

  The meeting of the Crestview Project Committee convened on schedule in downtown Denver. After the social amenities took place, a lively discussion prevailed. Everyone present felt a need to voice his or her concerns before the plan could be officially launched. Stakes were high, but the projected outcome, one of extreme wealth, lured the group into a state of euphoria, making today’s vote the final determination as to whether they would proceed or not.

  When all votes were counted, the results yielded 100% approval. This sealed the deal between the Committee members and set everything in motion.

  “There’s no turning back once I launched the first event of our skillfully designed plan. We’ll proceed in a timely fashion, make adjustments as needed, and come up smelling like roses…oops, I mean money!”

  Enthusiastic cheers echoed the room, even though each member of the Committee knew the possibility of losing everything they had worked years to achieve, from political position to social status in the community to complete financial ruin to prison time. They disregarded the risks a
nd dangers and solely focused on the anticipated success.

  “Before we adjourn, I’d like to ask you to remember what Wall Street’s movie mogul, Gordon Gekko, said.” The distinguished looking moderator paused to look each attendee in the eye before he continued with, “‘Greed is good.’”

  His sinister laugh filled the room with nervous excitement.

  “No doubt a man possessed with unquestionable wisdom.” He picked up his wine glass and added, “So let’s salute him, our mentor of sorts, and go forward.” Everyone raised their wine glasses and toasted with a spirited, “Hear. Hear.”

  Within minutes, a text-message lit up a select group of smart-phone supporters across the state with the good news, “IT’S A GO!” It also signaled one party in particular to start the process…immediately.

  Chapter Two

  Amanda stood in the doorway, reconstructing her morning routine. All thoughts indicated she’d done nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, she considered that because of her morning mania at work, maybe she had left a window open, and maybe the bulb in the timed foyer lamp could have burned out, and…. She stopped herself from dissecting her shortcomings, shrugged, and backed up toward the door to give it a quick push with her foot. She moved toward the wall switch, flipped on the overhead hall light, and discovered the darkness still prevailed.

  “Ugh! What a mess,” she lamented. This heavy rainstorm must have caused an electric outage. She dropped her umbrella and briefcase on the green-striped upholstered bench sitting in the foyer, took a few more steps toward the kitchen, but stopped and froze in her tracks. What was that sound? She listened with care for several seconds then scolded herself for being so paranoid. “Relax, Amanda, it’s only the rain beating against the window.”

  Before she had a chance to move, a strong arm grabbed her from behind, and a hand wearing a latex glove covered her mouth. The groceries crashed to the floor. Fear consumed her.

  “Welcome home, sweetheart.” A man’s raspy, mocking voice surrounded her and filled the entrance hallway. He yanked her back against his body. His spicy cologne didn’t mask the alcohol-laden breath.

  A deep nausea filled the pit of her stomach. A muffled scream caught in her throat. Her survival instincts kicked in. She twisted to wrench herself free and yanked at his arm to break away.

  “Easy does it, honey. You’re not going anywhere until I finish with you.” He tightened his hold on her. “Someday, you’ll thank me for this.”

  Despite the fear, shock and confusion, Amanda didn’t stop her effort to escape the intruder’s grip, but soon realized his muscular body, strength and determination to dominate her was no match. I don’t stand a chance. All I can do is pray he doesn’t kill me.

  “Let me go!” she screamed. “Let me go!”

  “Not a chance of that happening until I’m done with you.” A low, menacing laugh followed. “I’m going to help you understand a few things and why you should stay where you belong.”

  The sight of the black ski mask reinforced the horror of the moment, yet she managed to take advantage of the few seconds her arms and hands were semi-free. She pounded against his chest and thrashed about, hoping for a window of advantage, but the intense pain and warm trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth where he slapped her face caught her by surprise.

  Her attempt to scream again lodged in her throat. Her cheek went numb, and her head grew dizzy, and it all filled her with more confusion and fear.

  “Please,” she pleaded. “Just take what you want and go.”

  He grabbed her long auburn hair and dragged her down the hallway toward the bedroom. “Shut up, bitch!”

  Once in the room, he flung her toward the bed, causing her to lose her footing. She crashed into the nightstand and whacked her wrist with such a force that the intensity of the pain spread up her arm then back down to the tips of her fingers. Her long, wailing moan indicated a serious injury. Before she had a chance to ready herself for the intruder’s next move, whatever it would be, he kicked her in the ribs, then with brutal force, jerked her up and threw her onto the bed like a rag doll. He beat on her body, sending her in and out of reality.

  In one brief moment of clarity, she heard a second voice filter through the madness.

  “Hold on there, partner. We don’t want to kill her.”

  Two of them? What were they saying?

  “…rough up…jackal. Big gamble.”

  She fought hard to stay alert before a mysterious darkness consumed her, and she sank into a black abyss.

  * * *

  The second man on the scene grabbed the attacker’s arm.

  “You might have overdone it, my friend.” He unbuttoned the jacket of his Armani suit and leaned forward to get a better look at Amanda. “Whew, she’s out of it.”

  He carefully examined her limp body. “Good thing I came along and stopped you.”

  “Don’t worry, she’s going to be fine. Maybe a few broken bones, but she’ll survive. There’s more to the spoiled bitch than meets the eye.” The attacker quickly peeled off the ski mask and shoved it into a jacket pocket.

  “I can only imagine you have good cause for the strong language and forceful action. However, I hope you’re right about her physical stamina. There’s too much at stake to have to cover up a murder or anything else. All we need to establish is a robbery gone wrong.”

  “That’s exactly what you got, nothing more, nothing less.” The assailant handed his partner in crime some latex gloves. “She’ll be out for a while, so let’s finish the job a.s.a.p. and get out of here.” They walked to the foyer. “You take the kitchen and office. I’ll do the bedroom and the living room.”

  Within a few minutes, both men had ransacked her home with such force, one might think a tornado had whipped through the rooms. Drawers and cabinets had been emptied onto the counter space. Tables, chairs and pillow had been overturned and tossed about. Clothing, papers and books lay scattered in heaps all about the room. The two vandals moved from room to room, surveying the helter-skelter of Amanda’s home. They nodded, satisfied with their work, and made haste to leave. But before he exited, the attacker motioned toward the bedroom.

  “Meet you outside,” he said. “I want to check on her before we leave.” He grinned. “I’m not totally insensitive.”

  He walked down the hallway and stood in silence alongside the bed watching her breathe. He leaned in and tenderly kissed her forehead. When he spotted her grandmother’s handcrafted quilt folded at the end of her bed, he gently drew it up and over her blood-stained clothes.

  “Sleep now, Mandy,” he whispered before he left.

  Outside her condo, the two men shook hands, raised the collars on their jackets, and walked briskly across the courtyard through the puddles.

  The Armani man spoke first. “Thanks for your help with the physical intimidation. It may be all we need to advance our cause.”

  The attacker whipped out a Colorado Rockies baseball cap, adjusted its comfort, and asked, “Forgetting something?”

  “Not by a long shot, pal.” The man reached into the inside pocket of his suit-jacket and removed an envelope. “You can count it if you’d like.”

  “No need. I trust you.”

  “Good. Consider this bonus money and the beginning of what kind of cash that’s coming for all of us.” His eyes narrowed. “Besides, you earned every penny.”

  “It was my pleasure. She needed to be taught a lesson.” He paused and tapped the envelope in the palm of his hand. “And I, well who doesn’t need a few extra bucks?”

  He kissed the envelope and shoved it into his jacket.

  “I hope the Committee won’t be disappointed.” He gave a quick tilt of his head toward Amanda’s condo entrance. “She can be stubborn.”

  Armani man gave a salute, indicating the end of their meeting. “It’s all a waiting game now.” He made his way down another path, to a condo just across the courtyard from hers, and unlocked the door. Before he disappeared into his building,
he heard a shout from behind.

  “Don’t forget, if you need me for anything else concerning Miss Conifer, don’t hesitate to call. I’d be delighted to disrupt her world in any way possible.”

  Within a few seconds, the sound of a truck roared out of the complex parking lot and sped away into the rainy night.

  Chapter Three

  Amanda awoke, startled and confused by the darkness surrounding her. It took a minute to remember what happened before fear gripped her again. Not daring to move, she listened hard for signs of the monster that had hurt her.

  The only thing she heard was the calming rhythm of the rain’s gentle patter against the window. Not feeling totally safe, she lingered a while longer to be sure the danger had passed, to control her trembling, and to fight the extreme pain that trespassed through her body. Lying there, she noticed her grandmother’s handcrafted quilt covered her. She gasped in disbelief. What kind of a lunatic assaults me, tucks me into bed, and comforts me with a blanket? Bizarre!

  Satisfied enough time had passed, she made her move to get help. “Okay,” she told herself. “You have to muster up all your strength. Take a deep breath and do it now!”

  The first attempt to move sent her into a panic. The overwhelming pain that flashed through her body not only shocked her, but also alerted her to the extent of her injuries and need to get help. Inch by inch, she diligently tugged at the quilt and managed to uncover herself. As it slid off, a sense of relief washed over her, and although covered in blood, she was completely dressed. “You’re alive, and he didn’t rape you. Be grateful. You’re going to be okay.”

  Chimes of the antique clock her grandfather had given her as a housewarming gift surprised her. She counted along with each soft chime. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.” She’d been knocked out for a long time, too long. Now, it was time for her to take control of the situation.