Deadly Expectations (62 page)

I got it.
 
Marie’s waitress friend had told him that so she could bring up the cluttered tray of deserts instead of just Keith’s baby cake.
 
She was up in a few minutes to get our dishes and apologized to Keith.

“We had a run on it … big family here for dinner ordered a round for their table.
 
We had to put candles in all the pieces.
 
Shouldn’t be too much longer.”

She left and came back for the rest of the plates.
 
Marie wasn’t even nervous.
 
I guessed that she was in on the pranks even though she wasn’t happy about the friendly bets.

When the waitress finally came up with desert she started with Paul and me, then worked her way around the table skipping Keith and Marie before going back to them.
 
Keith was talking to Paul and not paying attention to the cake being set down all around him.
 
Marie first, then she put the little pink and blue cake in front of Keith.
 
She rested her hand on his shoulder to get his attention off of his conversation with Paul before she made off back down the stairs.
 
I quickly glanced at Marie while Keith looked down.
 
Her grin was huge and she looked like she was about to vibrate off her chair.
 
Paul had noticed the cake as soon as it was put down and slipped his arm around me.

“Is this what you were up to?” he whispered.

“Mm hm.”

Keith was picking up his fork to dig in then he paused.

“Marie?” he asked then he looked over at her.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, practically bouncing in her seat.
 
He gently put his arms around her and I spotted tears in his eyes as he buried his face in her hair.
 
There were tears on her face too when I looked away.
 
After they came up for air there were handshakes, then I took a couple of bites of my desert.
 
Marie was right.
 
It was the best.

When I looked up and they were gone.
 
I elbowed Paul and tipped my head toward their empty chairs.
 
He shrugged.
 
The little smirk on his face told me he knew where they had gone and it wasn’t long after our desert plates had been cleared that I knew for sure.
 
Keith sat down pink cheeked and Marie’s shirt was
misbuttoned
.
 
She had an extra button hole up top.

“Buttons,” I whispered to her across the table, resting my fingers on the collar of my shirt.

“
Oopsie
,” she said as she started to fix them, “Keith wanted to make extra sure.”

She had turned toward him for a little privacy but when he saw her hands undoing the buttons he took her elbow.

“Not here,” he said softly and she laughed as he took her back to the stairs.

“Extra, extra,” she called back to me.

Everyone called it an early night.
 
Keith and Marie were gone a lot longer the second time and when they came back he brought our bag up with him.
 
He said we could come back same time tomorrow, just like today.
 
It would be just as busy upstairs the next two nights but by Monday we would have it to ourselves again.
 
We had originally planned on leaving the next day but Paul figured if we only did one night at each of the stops we planned next we would be back on schedule if we stayed until Thursday.

As soon as we got in the door Paul made sure I had my bag in hand and shoved me in the bathroom.

“Go change,” he ordered.

I started with the purple.
 
It didn’t stay on long and when Paul was almost asleep I crept into to the bathroom and put on the black one.
 
Paul laughed and begged for mercy and it stayed on a little longer.

Chapter 46

It was Monday at dinner.
 
I felt like all we had done was eat since we found Keith and his part of the family.
 
Paul had spent Sunday hung over again so Marie had taken me around the mall some more.
 
We didn’t complain about Keith tagging along.
 
They’d been inseparable for the past two days, which they could easily be forgiven for.

Patrick nudged my shin under the table with his foot just after dinner came up.
 
I thought he was just rearranging his legs but then he did it again so I looked up.
 
He looked puzzled.

“Anna,” he said, “I have a question about my … homework.”

I nodded back even though I hadn’t given him any.

“I’m not sure how to describe it.
 
Can I show you?”

“Now?”
 
I asked.
 
I had no idea what could be so urgent that we had to sit with our eyes closed while our food went cold.

“Yes,” he said firmly.
 
“It’ll just take a moment.”

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

“Come to me please,” he said.
 
I relaxed and cast my sense to him.
 
“Ready?
 
Follow.”

He shot toward the entrance and quickly disappeared.

“Slow down … I lost you,” he came back and led me out into the mall.
 
I strained to keep my focus.
 
I had no idea how he had been coherent and looking that far away.
 
He stopped at a man coming toward us placing his sense in him.
 
I read him too.

“What do you make of it?” he asked.
 
But I was already pulling what I could.
 
He was Damian’s.

“I need a minute Patrick.”

I had been able to read the intentions of the first three of Damian’s men quite by accident so I tried to do the same on purpose.
 
I felt my eyes roll up as I jumped back along his line, rewinding his past few days.
 
A taxi ride, the bus, anonymous travel … he wasn’t supposed to be here.
 
Should be in
Calgary
.
 
Hadn’t told anyone … just gotten bored.
 
So much for absolute loyalty in this one.

“Holy shit,” Patrick exclaimed.
 
“How are you doing that?”

“Sshhh,” I told him.
 
I had no idea he’d be able to see what I was doing.
 
The man had come down to where the restaurants were … very close.
 
I watched as he was seated just below us.
 
Stupid coincidence but then why wouldn’t he eat at the best restaurant at the arguably the biggest tourist attraction in the city.
 
He didn’t know we were here and nobody but Patrick and I knew about him.
 
The man couldn’t find out any of us were here.
 
I decided I would deal with him.
 
If I did it quickly he wouldn’t have a chance to tell anyone where he had snuck off to or about me.
 
Then I could be sure that Keith and his group were kept hidden.
 
I pulled back into myself and felt around for my napkin and cleared the man from under my nose.
 
Patrick was looking at me when I opened my eyes.
 
He had the sense to keep quiet.

As I thought my food was almost cold.
 

“Eat … then we’ll talk,” I told him.
 
Paul looked puzzled so I just shrugged.
 
“Stupid reader tricks.”
 
I explained.
 
He seemed to lose interest.
 
I kept my focus gently on the man downstairs.
 
The restaurant wasn’t busy so I didn’t think Keith or anyone at the table would go downstairs.

“Patrick?” I said when we were done.
 
We took our napkins and went to the corner to sit down.

“What was that you did?” he asked right away.
 
“He’s like us but I don’t know him.”

“I do … in a way.
 
Please remember the ground rules … nobody knows that I can do it except Paul but he doesn’t really understand it.
 
That man is very loyal to my other mate … do you know who that is?”

Distaste showed on his face but he didn’t say anything.

“I feel loyalties as well as fingerprints.
 
I don’t know the man but his loyalty is to the other line.
 
I have a sort of affinity to them.
 
I don’t know how, but I can see where his line has been and where it will be.
 
Then I know what he’s done and will do.
 
I can only do it with that line … not the others.”

Patrick nodded.
 
“That was intense … I saw where he’d been the past couple of days.
 
You did that?”

“Yes.”
 
I thought about what I would say next.

“He’s not supposed to be here.
 
He’s hunting me.
 
Should be in
Calgary
but he decided to come up here for a couple of days for R and R I suppose.
 
By some bizarre coincidence he chose to have dinner downstairs.
 
No idea we’re here.”

“So we let him go?”

I shook my head.
 
“Patrick … I’m going to take him out.
 
The man he’s loyal to will think he disappeared in
Calgary
.
 
You’ll all be safe.
 
This place won’t come in to it at all.”

He looked alarmed.
 
“No … you can’t do that alone.”

We were leaning closely together.
 
“So we leave his body in a hallway around here?
 
They’ll be all over this place.
 
I can do it … away from here.
 
There is a child to protect now … we can’t take any chances.”

“But what about Paul’s child?”
 
Patrick demanded.

“Follow me,” I closed my eyes and waited for him, then I took him back to the man and ran his line forward.
 
Images of leaving the restaurant then startled that I’m walking beside him.
 
A service hallway, his knife, then
it’s
dark, the smell of dirt and pine.
 
My face in a blue glow that blinds him in the dark.
 
Pain, his knife hits something soft, more pain then warmth down his chest in the cold.
 
Weakness, numbness, my blue face standing over him.

Suddenly we were looking at each other as his line ended.
 
Patrick looked a little green.

“See … no problem,” I whispered.
 
“It’s what I do.”

“You can tell Paul if and when my absence worries him, otherwise I’ll be in touch when I get back …
swear
on Keith’s son’s life Patrick.
 
Not a word.
 
And I swear I’ll keep him safe too.”

“I hate
this a
lot … I can’t find fault in your logic.”

“No, you can’t.”

“I swear Anna.”

I watched the man on the floor below while he finished his dinner, then desert and coffee.
 
He paid and made a stop in the restroom before he left and walked back in to the mall.
 
I’d slipped my steak knife up my right sleeve blade first.
 
It was crude but it would do.