"Detective Richter? Detective Melanie Richter?"

Melanie groaned and tried to open her eyes. It took a moment, and even after she did, she had to double check she wasn't in a dream. Mel found herself in a palatial bed, softer than any she had ever slept in before. She was covered to her chin by black silk sheets, and she could feel the whisper of silk pajamas against her skin.

"If you're up for it, I'd like to talk."

Melanie blinked again and focused on the source of the voice. With a swallowed gasp, she saw it was the same man who had rescued her from the alleyway. In the gentle afternoon light coming in through the floor to ceiling windows behind her, he was even more impressive and more handsome than before. He had changed clothes, wearing a charcoal wool suit, black shirt, and blood red tie. He radiated power."Who are you?"

The man smiled, and Mel was again amazed at how white and how long his teeth were. His dark brown eyebrows were large, but not unkempt in any way, and as he smiled, they seemed to curl up on the sides in imitation. His nose was regal, straight and strong. He had a cleft chin, what Mel's father had always referred to as a "butt chin," and a strong jaw line. He was cleanly shaved, and the first word that came to mind to describe the man was powerful. Despite her nervousness and fear, she felt a surge of attraction towards him. "Well, I am glad you can talk," the man replied instead of answering. "If you had stayed unconscious for much longer, we would have had to put in an IV line."

"Who are you?" Melanie repeated, struggling to sit up. She gasped as her left shoulder flexed, and pain flared throughout her body. "Where am I?"

"Please, relax," the man said, gently laying one hand on her right shoulder and urging her down. Melanie could feel an electric tingle in her skin where he had touched her shoulder."I promise, no harm will come to you here. If you struggle, though, you will tear your sutures, and you are already going to have an impressive enough scar as it is. My name is Keith Waldwyck. Welcome to Lockwood Towers. You're in the penthouse, currently."

Lockwood Towers. Melanie knew that name. It was one of the most expensive real estate locations in the entire tri-county area and had won numerous awards for its environmentally friendly design and structure. Rumors about the developer were abound, but nobody knew anything for certain. "Why am I in a high-rise instead of at a hospital?"

"For your safety, Officer Richter. After we escaped last night, those other police officers called in the death of your comrades. You are currently wanted on suspicion of a double cop killing. Their official story was very different from what I observed and know, so I decided to keep you here until you could explain things to me."

"Oh God," Melanie despaired, closing her eyes and leaning back into her pillows. "I'm a dead woman."

"Would you mind explaining to me what you were doing running from six other officers, including a silberjager?"

"A what?"

"Later. You first."

Melanie pondered for a second, then decided she had nothing to lose. "Two months ago, I was working on a kidnapping case in Washington Heights when I observed two police officers conduct a deal with suspected Triads. I later followed the Triads and figured out that they were kidnapping college girls from near the university for sex slavery in China. These Triads were paying off a group of corrupt cops to derail investigations, dispose of bodies, and basically cover it all up."

"Go on."

"What I didn't know was just how big the conspiracy was. When I brought the whole thing to my Lieutenant and Internal Affairs, I found myself transferred to the Southside. There, I found out that most of the precinct was dirty, and last night they figured was as good a time as any to hunt me down. They wanted to pin a drug deal on me, but when I figured out their plan, it turned into what you dropped into the middle of. Speaking of which, where did you come from last night? And how did we get up to the roof so quickly?"

"I'm a..... naturally good jumper," Keith replied. Mel's cop instincts rang. He was hiding something. "As for where I came from, I tend to go walking when the sky is clear. And finally, it was two nights ago, not last night."

Melanie gasped, her head spinning. Two nights? No wonder she felt so weak. "So what now?"

"Now, it is time for trust. I must reveal to you Detective Richter that I am well aware of the corrupt nature of the police force in this city. I am the leader of a group that has had dealings with these corrupt individuals before. We try to remove them from power, but their influence is strong within the political sphere."

"I see,” Melanie said, noting the cryptic way Keith was talking. She was a little suspicious, but for now, she’d have to trust him.

"Unfortunately, you do not yet, but time will come. For now, rest. I must go, there are things I must do. Someone will bring you food, or you may use the rest of the penthouse as you wish. I only have one request."

"What's that?"

"For your safety tonight, please don’t try to leave the penthouse. I can only assure your safety inside this suite." Keith got up to leave, powerfully striding towards the oaken bedroom door. Melanie admired the man's build, which she could see clearly for the first time in his tailored Italian suit. Keith was masculine, she decided. It was the only word that could fit him.

"I'm not worried about those cops. I have friends."

Keith stopped, the doorknob held within his powerful hand, and looked back over his shoulder. There was a mysterious light in his amber eyes. "It is not the corrupt police you should worry about. There are greater dangers this night. I shall see you tomorrow."

Keith opened the door and walked through, closing it softly behind him. Mel felt a shiver course down her spine at his last words. She lay there for another ten minutes before her body demanded she get up. Moving gingerly so as to avoid jostling her throbbing shoulder, Melanie found her bearings before standing up on the warm dark oak floor. After a moment of dizziness passed, she walked out the door she had seen Keith leave through earlier and found herself in a dark green paneled hallway, which seemed to lead to the main living area. While Melanie wanted to explore, first things first. She had to use the bathroom, her bladder was about to burst.

The bathroom was huge, easily larger than the living room of her own small apartment. Like everything she had seen so far in the penthouse, it had a dark forest motif. The bathtub and shower in the corner were done in beautiful granite flecked with gold, while the sink was done in black marble. Melanie took care of her needs and took a deep drink of water from the sink. It was filtered somehow, tasting purer and sweeter than even the Evian she would occasionally indulge in.

Melanie made her way to the main living space, where she was knocked breathless by the opulent decor. Whoever Keith Waldwyck was, the man had money and taste. Every item, from the raw stone fire pit that adorned the center of the room, to the rugged leather couches that surrounded the fire pit, and the bookshelves that lined three of the walls, spoke of a rugged, intelligent mind at work. It bespoke of a more natural time, a more primal, yet no less intelligent era. Melanie was impressed.

As she made her way down into the center circle, Melanie heard a discreet cough coming from off to her left. Startled, she whirled to see a woman standing in a small doorway off to her left. How did she sneak up on her? Melanie was a cop, trained to listen to every sound, but that woman was silent. She was obviously related to Keith, with the same brown hair streaked with black, amber eyes, and pale skin. But where Keith was the epitome of manhood, this woman appeared to be the feminine version of him. Easily six feet tall, she dwarfed Melanie's five foot eight.

"I apologize for startling you, Miss Richter," the woman said. Mel shook her head, waving off the apology.

"It's not your fault. And please, call me Melanie, or Mel if you like. You are...?"

"I am Kimberly Waldwyck, Keith's sister. Keith asked me to make sure you were cared for tonight. I’m sure you’re hungry, would you like something to eat?"

Melanie was thrilled as her stomach reminded her of its presence. "I would love that. What do you have?"

"I do hope you’re not vegetarian, but we do have quite a selection of meats. Any favorites?"

Melanie thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. Any pastrami?"

She thought she could see Kimberly smile slightly. "Pastrami it is. I can make a grilled pastrami on rye with sauerkraut. How does that sound?"

Mel smiled but held her hands up. "You don't need to go through all the trouble. If you point me in the direction of the kitchen, I can make it."

Kimberly shook her head firmly. "That wouldn’t do. It isn't correct to have a guest do such things. Please, sit and enjoy the fire, and I’ll be back quickly. I haven’t eaten either, so if you do not mind, I’ll join you."

“Um, of course." Mel turned back to the fire pit area and settled herself down onto the plush brown sofa. Now that she had a moment, she carefully prodded at her left shoulder. It was encased in gauze, so there wasn't much she could directly feel, but she was sure there were stitches underneath the bandage. She could move her arm, though, which meant that the bullet hadn't cracked any bones. That was lucky at least.

Within five minutes, Kimberly was back with two plates, both holding sandwiches. While Melanie thought her sandwich was large, it was nothing compared to Kimberly's, whose overflowing monster of a sandwich had to contain at least a pound of pastrami. How in the hell she maintained her figure while eating like that, she couldn’t fathom. "I have a high metabolism," Kimberly said in way of explanation, handing Mel her own plate.

Mel shrugged and tore in. She was ravenous, and for the next few minutes, the only sounds in the room were the two women tearing into their food with relish. Finally, Mel sat back, her growling stomach satiated for the moment. "Thank you, Kim, that was delicious."

"You’re welcome. It is not often I get to make food for others. I enjoyed it."

"So you live here with your brother?"

"Here and at our family estate in the mountains."

Family estate, huh? This family had to have more money than Mel could even imagine. "So what do you do?"

"Do?" Kimberly looked confused. Mel nodded.

"Yeah, you know. Are you a student, a lawyer, a painter, do you play with children all day?"

Kimberly nodded in understanding. "I assist my brother with the family business."

"Which is what exactly?”

"Mostly real estate, but we’re involved with some natural resource ventures as well. Sustainable forestry, alternative energy research, and other such things. Keith handles most of that, I assist in the real estate issues."

"I see. Any projects I know of?"

"Well, you're sitting in one of them," Kimberly said matter of factly. "We have not publicized our names in the investment, but that's how we like it."

"How mysterious."

"We prefer to be anonymous. Fame is too constricting for my brother and me."

The two continued to talk long into the night, swapping stories and information. Melanie was surprised to learn that Kimberly was much older than she thought, almost 40, while Mel was only 29. As physically different as they were, however, they shared much in common, with both of them enjoying nature, culinary arts, and a physical lifestyle, although Kimberly preferred yoga to Mel's Jeet Kun Do. "You must share with my brother," Kimberly said after Mel told her about her experience in the martial arts. "He’s also a warrior, and you two would have a lot to talk about."

"I might enjoy that," Mel said, yawning as fatigue washed over her. As intriguing as Kim made him sound, she was still a bit skeptical about her surroundings. “Why am I so tired? I've been asleep for two days."

"Stress, physical injury, and a huge sandwich in your stomach can do that," Kimberly replied. "Here, let me help you to your room."

"But I have so many more questions. Where is Keith? Why are you protecting me?

"He is out for the night, we’re protecting you because you are a good person, and you and my brother can discuss that in the morning," Kimberly said in way of answer, helping Mel to her feet. While she may have looked willowy and slender, Kimberly's pull was strong.

"Thank you," Mel quietly said, turning and heading back towards the bedroom. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"If you wish," Kimberly replied, gathering up the plates. "Good night, Melanie."

"Good night, Kimberly."