Sydney had to admit she'd met Sloan Roberts only about a dozen times and never had a
Still, that hadn't stopped her from being the center of attention most of the evening--at least, until the fireworks.
'Is Eli bored to smithereens?' Kyle asked.
With a sigh, Sydney looked over toward the railing, where Eli had stood just a minute before. But he wasn't there anymore. She started to glance around the rooftop.
Suddenly, one of the women at the party let out a shriek, 'Oh, my God! Oh, my God!'
There were screams from people on the roof of the apartment building next door, and they weren't looking at the fireworks display. Some of them pointed to Kyle's building.
Sydney raced toward the banister, where one of the party guests stood, gaping down. Sydney glanced over the railing, and for a moment, her heart stopped.
There, suspended four stories above the stone patio, was her son. Eli clung to a storm drain along the roof's edge. He had nothing beneath him to break his fall. The gutter let out a groan--as if it might give and snap off at any moment. Eli looked terrified. Sydney could see him trembling. He had tears in his eyes. With one hand, he tried to grab at the bottom of the railing, but it was just out of his reach.
'It's okay, honey!' she cried out to him. 'Don't try to move!'
Without thinking, Sydney immediately kicked off her shoes, then hoisted herself up over the banister. She scooted along the roof's edge until she was almost directly above Eli.
The other party guests didn't seem to know how to help. Frantic, they gathered toward that side of the roof. 'Help me get something down there to break his fall!' one man cried. Then he and another guest ducked inside. Howard kept screaming that they should call the police or the fire department. Kyle had gotten down on his stomach and thrust his arms through the bars in an effort to retrieve him, but Eli was too far away.
The gutter creaked again, and Sydney could see it buckling from Eli's weight.
'Oh, God, Mom, help...please...' he whispered.
'You're going to be all right, honey,' she said, crouching down. The heels of her bare feet stuck out over the roof's edge. She gripped a railing bar with one hand, then reached down to her son. Through the bars, her brother grabbed her arm with both hands. Kyle clung to her so tightly, it almost cut off her circulation.
Fireworks lit up the sky, accompanied by loud booms and blasts. But no one was looking up.
'Hold on!' somebody was yelling from a rooftop across the way.
Four stories down, two of Kyle's friends ran out to the patio with sofa cushions and pillows. They made a pile directly below where Eli was dangling. One of them ran inside--obviously for more objects to cushion the impact should Eli fall.
Sydney managed to get ahold of Eli's wrist. The storm drain let out another yawn. She braced herself. 'I have you,' she said, tightening her grip. 'You can let go of the gutter now. I won't drop you, honey, I swear.'
Eli bit his lip so hard it started to bleed. He let go of the gutter.
The sudden weight almost pulled her down, but Sydney held on. Wincing, she started to hoist him up, but Eli was heavier than she thought. For a moment, she thought he might yank her arm out of its socket.
Howard got down on his knees, then reached between the bars and grabbed Eli under his arms. That lightened the load incredibly. Two more partygoers reached out to help pull him up to the railing. Eli was able to swing his leg up to the edge of the roof and then he lifted himself. 'Thank you...everybody,' he gasped, trying to catch his breath. 'I--I'm really sorry...'
Sydney heaved a sigh of relief. She suddenly felt so depleted and woozy she thought she might faint. But she clung to the banister.
'Are you all right?' Kyle whispered to her. 'How's your back? Did you pull anything?' He was referring to her old injury.
Catching her breath, Sydney nodded. 'I think I'm okay,' she murmured.
Eli took hold of her arm and helped her climb back onto the other side of the railing. Kyle threw his arms around both of them. Everyone on the rooftop broke into applause--as did people on the roof across the way.
'Okay, next on
The guests laughed. Some continued clapping. Howard declared he needed a drink.
Sydney's heart was still pounding furiously. With one arm around Eli, she waved at the people on the roof across the way. They were applauding, too. No one was looking at the fireworks pageant's big finale.
Nor was anyone looking toward the rooftop of another nearby condominium, where a man stood alone with his arms folded. The building's windows were all boarded up, and except for that lone man, the place looked deserted--and ready for demolition.
Unsmiling, the dark stranger watched Sydney wave and blow a kiss to the people on the rooftop next door.
She didn't look over toward him. Obviously, all this time, she hadn't noticed him there.
No one had.
CHAPTER FIVE
'No, really, I'd like to know,' Sydney said, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. 'Be honest. What the hell were you thinking?'
Slouched in the passenger seat, Eli stared at the dashboard and said nothing. His lower lip was a bit swollen from biting it too hard earlier tonight. Headlights from an oncoming car briefly illuminated his face, and then he was in the shadows again.
Their lane wasn't moving at all, total gridlock. Kyle had been right. The post-fireworks traffic was a nightmare. But Sydney had been so upset at Eli for pulling that stunt, she couldn't stick around the party and make small talk with people. So they'd bid everyone a hasty good-bye about ten minutes after the fireworks show had ended.
Sydney had the car window open, but there wasn't much of a night breeze. Still, whenever some idiot within four blocks let off a firecracker, she heard it--loud and clear. Though that happened about every two minutes, it still startled her and made her flinch every time. Her nerves were so frayed. 'Look at me, I'm still shaking, for God's sake,' she said, letting go of the wheel for a moment to show him her tremorafflicted hands. 'Were you trying to give me a heart attack back there?'
'I said I was sorry,' he muttered.
'So what exactly were you trying to do?' Sydney pressed, grabbing hold of the wheel again. Traffic started to move--at a crawl. 'And please, don't give me that
Frowning, Eli turned and gazed out his window. He sighed.
Sydney waited for an explanation. She wasn't sure if he'd lowered himself down to that storm drain for some attention or for a dumb thrill. She knew he'd been bored at the party. Perhaps all of Kyle's guests fawning over her had made him feel insignificant--and angry at her. Or maybe he was still upset at her for tearing him away from his home, his father, and his friends in Chicago five weeks ago. He certainly hadn't asked to be relocated to Seattle. And he still had no idea why she'd suddenly decided to leave his dad, a well-respected Chicago cop and all-around terrific guy.
Sydney couldn't tell him why she'd done that, not until Eli was older. If he knew the truth right now, it would wreck him. And the poor kid was already miserable and confused enough.
'Well?' she said, her tone softening. 'C'mon, Eli, tell me why you did that, and I'll try to understand. Were
