Chapter 1

The phone rang at five in the morning and Sam Reisert groaned, pulling a pillow over her head. Who in their right mind would be up this early? And why were they calling her?

The answering machine picked up and she heard her recorded voice "This is Sam, I'm either not here or I'm screening my calls, leave a message and maybe I'll get back to you."

"Sam, it's Lisa. Get out of bed and pick up the phone."

Sam managed to roll over and grab the cordless beside her bed.

"Lisa? What's going on?"

"I'm in Chicago on hotel business, and I thought we could meet for breakfast."

"You woke me up at this ungodly hour for this? Jeez Leese, I'm glad to hear you're in town, but couldn't we do lunch instead?"

"My day is booked from eight o'clock to midnight, so no. Is the coffee shop next door to your apartment building still there?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well get dressed and I'll meet you there in an hour." Lisa hung up and Sam sat for a few more seconds with the phone still to her ear, letting her brain catch up on what had happened. She was really not a morning person.

A long, hot shower managed to wake her up enough to get downstairs, and by the time Lisa arrived, the caffeine from her Grande Mocha was beginning to kick in.

Sam got up to hug her sister, noting that she looked much happier than the last time they had seen one another a few months back.

Maybe she's finally managed to put everything behind her. Sam thought hopefully.

"So, how is the hotel business?" She asked as they settled down with their coffee and muffins.

"Great, actually. Things are running smoothly for once." Lisa knocked on the table, a superstition both of the girls had picked up from their mother. "How's college?"

"Don't get me started." Sam sighed. "I don't know why all the professors feel the need to double our workload right before spring break, but my sanity is beginning to go."

Lisa chuckled, drawing a glare from her younger sister.

"So, are you only in town for a day, or will you be here tomorrow?"

"The meetings are today only, but I have the next few days off, so I'll probably stick around. You didn't think I'd miss my baby sister's 21st birthday, did you?"

"Please tell me Dad didn't ask you to baby-sit me."

"He didn't, and I won't. I figured we could go out together and have a little fun."

"Fun? I didn't think you had that word in your vocabulary, Leese." Sam teased. "You're usually all work and no play."

"Well, I think it's time for a change."

The next evening, Sam slipped into a dark pair of jeans and her favorite shimmery black tank top, then teased her short brown hair into a 'playfully messy' style. She was thrilled that her birthday had fallen on a Friday this year, and the Friday before spring break, which was even better. She wouldn't have to worry about being too worn out to focus on her schoolwork.

As she was finishing up her makeup, she heard a knock on the door.

"It's open, Leese!" She shouted.

A few seconds later she was finished, and she walked out into the living room, where she expected to find her sister waiting. No one was there.

"Lisa?" She poked her head into the kitchen, but it was empty as well. There was no one standing outside the door, either.

Sam wandered back into the living room, feeling a little creeped out. Then she heard a voice coming from her bedroom. She couldn't make out what they were saying. There was a heavy candlestick on the end table in the living room, so Sam picked it up, holding it as a weapon, and slowly turned the knob on her bedroom door.

"Hey Sam, I was just making a quick call." Lisa said when she saw the door begin to open. "What are you doing with that candlestick?"

"Nothing." Sam looked sheepish as she backed out of the room and returned her weapon to its place. Paranoid much?

The two sisters walked down the street to a nightclub that Sam had discovered a few months before. It was off the main strip, which meant it wasn't as crowded as most clubs. You could actually walk across the room without feeling as though you had been molested by a dozen strangers.

"Sam, I have to use the bathroom. I'll be right back." Lisa half-shouted to be heard over the music. Sam gave her a thumbs-up and settled down at the corner table they had found.

"Excuse me, Miss?" A waiter appeared next to her with a tray bearing two drinks. "These are for you and your friend."

"We haven't ordered yet, you must have had a mix up." Sam replied.

"No, they're from the gentleman over at the bar. A pair of Sea Breezes."

"Which gentleman, exactly?" Sam asked, curiously surveying the bar.

The waiter pointed, and then stopped, wrinkling his brow.

"I guess he moved. He was there a moment ago."

"Well, if you see him, thank him for us." Sam said. The waiter nodded and placed the drinks on the table.

Well, I wonder who our secret admirer is? Sam thought as she sipped her Sea Breeze and continued to scan the crowd.

"I'm back." Lisa announced as she slid into her seat. "You ordered already?"

"No, these were ordered for us." Sam's smile disappeared when she saw Lisa's expression change. "Leese, what's wrong?"

"A Sea Breeze…" Lisa's mind was flashing back to memories she thought she had put behind her. "Sam, who sent these?"

"Don't know. He disappeared before the waiter could point him out. What's going on?"

"We have to go."