Evan Arden 05 Irrevocable (11 page)

“Who’s in the room with me,” I say.  My temple starts to throb.  “Who’s in the bed.”

“Who do you think is there?”

My knuckles have gone white.  I’m not expecting going into so much detail, but her voice is calm and reassuring.  It’s a deliberate tone on her part, but the knowledge doesn’t stop me from being affected by it.

“I’m afraid I’m alone.”  I barely hear my own words.  “They left me alone for days at a time.  No water, no food—just the sand and the heat.”

I untwist my fingers from the steering wheel and wipe the back of my hand over my lips.  It comes back damp with sweat.  I let out a shaky breath and nearly miss my exit.

I need to get back in control.

“What do you do when you wake up?” Felisa asks softly.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”  She pauses, but I don’t have a different response.  “Do you go back to sleep?”

“If there’s a hooker with me, yeah.”

She nods and her eyes glisten with knowledge.  Rinaldo has told her about my nightlife.

“Having someone in your bed helps you sleep.”

“Most of the time.”

“Do you think it helps to bring you out of the dream, back into reality, when you realize you aren’t alone?”

I have never thought about it that way, but something about her words sounds right.

“I suppose so.”  I glance over at her, expecting some kind of self-satisfied look on her face, but there isn’t one.  She’s not making any judgments about me, and she’s not feeling all justified in her questions.  Her hand twitches as if she wants to reach out and touch my arm, but she doesn’t move.  Her eyes are soft—caring.

There’s a hint of pity, though.  It’s enough to bring me out of the trance the memories have induced.  I pull off the main road and onto a smaller one.

“I don’t think I’ve been out here,” Felisa says.  “Where are we?”

“A little nature preserve west of the city.  It’s a nice relaxing place.”

We drive a little farther before I turn right onto a dirt road.  There’s no one around, and the trees hang low all around us.  Some of them brush against the car, and I hope they don’t leave scratches on the bumpers.

I still need to get that damn sticker off.

“This really is the middle of nowhere,” she remarks.

“It’s a good place to get away from it all.”  I look over and give her a half-smile.  “It’s usually pretty damp and humid around here, too.  No sand.”

“Do you still feel like you are trying to escape, Evan?”

She’s still putting forth her best effort.  I have to give her props for that.

“Maybe.  Sometimes I just like to deal with other things that upset me.  Like today.”

“What’s upsetting you now?”  Her tone is slightly different.  The confidence has dropped a little.  She looks away from me and glances at the woods on the other side of the window.

I slow the Camaro to a stop at the edge of the woods and reach around the back for my duffel bag.

“There have been a lot of changes since I left,” I tell her.  “New people around, and I’m not sure who I can trust.  Trust is a big thing with me.  Some people think they can just walk in and have someone else vouch for them, but I know opinions can be swayed by a smooth-talking politician.  It’s easy to get wrapped up in other concerns and forget who you’re talking to.  I’m rather protective of Rinaldo and his family, and not knowing the people close to him…well, that bothers me.”

“I noticed you and Paulie don’t seem to get along.”

“Paulie is careless and not all that bright,” I say, “but he’s loyal.  Stupid, but loyal.”

“It’s good to know Rinaldo has you on his side.”

“I will always protect Rinaldo,” I state with a grin.  “A lot of the time, he doesn’t realize what I’ve saved him from, but it still happens.”

Yanking the duffel into my lap, I climb out of the car and open the passenger side door.  Reaching in, I take Felisa’s hand and start to pull her out as I swing the duffel’s strap around my shoulder.

“Evan?” Felisa pauses and pulls back on my hand.  “Where are we going?”

“To a favorite spot of mine.”

She hesitates, and I can see the hint of fear in her eyes.  She seems to have realized she can’t trust me, and she’s right.  It’s way too late now, but she’s definitely right.

“I think maybe I’d like to go back.”

“Do you?” I ask as I pull her forward a bit more.  She grasps a hold of the emergency brake to anchor herself into the car.

“I didn’t realize how far we’d gone.”  She glances over her shoulder at the empty road behind us.  “It’s getting late, and Rinaldo will start to wonder why I didn’t meet him.”

“Rinaldo didn’t ask you to meet him today,” I tell her.  “He’s spending some much needed time with his wife.”

I reach over and grab her hand off the brake, then pull her from the car.  I bump the door with my hip to close it, making sure I have a firm grasp on Felisa’s arm the whole time.  She’s still got a deer-in-the-headlights look in her eye, but she’s figuring it out quickly.

“Evan…what are you doing?”  Her hand wraps around mine as she tries to pull at my fingers.

“Just what needs to be done, Felisa.  It’s nothing personal.”  I laugh aloud.  “Actually, that’s a complete and total lie.  This
is
personal.  Quite personal.”

“Does Rinaldo know you’re with me?”

“No.  As far as he will ever know, you just disappeared.  If you’re found, I’m fairly certain the gangs will get the blame for it.  Those bastards.”

I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth and shake my head.

“Evan…Evan, please!”  She pulls at my arm ineffectively.  “I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you.  I’m loyal to Rinaldo.  I swear I am!  I’m not sure if you realize what kind of relationship he and I—”

“Oh,
believe
me”—I stop and turn on her—“I know
exactly
what you and Rinaldo have going on.  Why do you think you’re here?  Did you think you were going to be graced with my cock, too?”

I grab her arm and shove her through the brush at the side of the trail.  A few feet into the woods, a clearing opens up.  The large hole dug in the center of it looms ahead.

“Evan!  Evan, no!”  Felisa begins to really fight me now.  Her fingernails dig into my arm painfully as she kicks at my legs.  She twists and turns, but I have a good grip on her.  She only slows my progress toward the hole.

She screams as loud as she can, and I let her keep it up until she goes hoarse.

“No one can hear you,” I say.  “That’s why we’re all the way out here.”

We reach the edge of the hole, and I wrap one arm around Felisa’s throat as I reach around and pull a pair of gloves out of the bag.  Once they’re in place, I grab the Ruger.  The silencer isn’t necessary way out here, but I always have a contingency plan, and the sound of shots do travel through the air farther than screams.

“Rinaldo will find out!  You know he won’t like this!  He’s not going to forgive you for this, Evan!  You can’t do this!”  All of her words are pointless.

I shove her down to her knees next to the hole and kneel across the backs of her legs to keep her there.  I drop the bag from my shoulder to get it out of the way.  I check the chamber of the Ruger once more before placing it against the back of her head.

“Please, Evan, please!”  She’s crying now.  “There are things you don’t know!”

“Sometimes I have to save Rinaldo from himself.”  I lean back a bit and pull the trigger.  A muted thwack echoes through the trees.  Felisa falls to the ground at the edge of the hole, and I kick her inside with the toe of my boot.  Her body falls awkwardly into the rocks and clumps of dirt at the bottom, but there isn’t any reason to jump down there and straighten her out.

I toss the gun in after her, then pull the T-shirt over my head, wipe the blood off of me with it, and add it to the pile along with the gloves.  If anyone ever finds her, the weapon should be easy enough to trace and the color of the shirt a blinding clue.  Grabbing the shovel, I get to work.  Once the hole is filled, I cover it with brush and smooth out the tracks leading up to it.  I toss the shovel into the back of the Camaro.  It doesn’t fit well, but I just need to drive far enough to ditch it somewhere.  There’s a change of clothes in the back as well, and I quickly button up the shirt I find there.

As I reach for the gearshift, a glint from the sun through the leaves reflects off something between the passenger seat and the center console.  I reach down and feel something cool against my fingers.  I pull on it, but it doesn’t want to give, so I yank harder.

With a snap, half of Felisa’s diamond tennis bracelet flies into my hand.  It must have fallen off when I pulled her out of the car, and now part of it is stuck in the track for the seat.  I reach down and grasp the end with my fingers and manage to get another piece out.

I take the two pieces in my hand.  Together, they’re about the size of her wrist, so I think I got it all.  I glare at the jewelry and consider tossing it out the window, but it’s too close to her body.  I need to get rid of it somewhere else.  There’s a lake not far off the dirt road right before I get back to pavement, so I drive to the edge of the water.

“Some pussy just isn’t worth it, boss,” I whisper to myself as I throw the bracelet far off into the lake.  I can barely hear the splash before it sinks into the murky green water.

*****

I turn up the radio on the way back into town.  It’s playing some classic rock, and I tap my fingers against the steering wheel and hum along.  It’s a little early still, but I veer off a few exits before mine to pick up Alina.

I’m not actually tired.  I’m a little elated.  That is, until I get to Alina’s corner and can’t find her anywhere.  Loretta is there, standing close to one of the whores I’d taken home weeks ago—the one I nearly ended up shooting.

She’s still got gum in her mouth.  Evan at this distance, I can see her chewing it.

I don’t stop.  I pull around to the gas station and wander around in the convenience store for a little while.  I buy cigarettes even though I already have a full pack, and it takes me three or four days to go through one.

Back in my car, I troll the streets a while.  There are hookers everywhere but not the one I want.  I end up pulling into a drive-through fast food place and eating a burger while leaning against the car.  It doesn’t sit well with me, and by the time I’m out looking for Alina again, my anxiety is right back where it was at the beginning of the day.

I make three trips around the block before I see her.  She wasn’t there a few minutes ago, but now she’s hanging out with the gum-smacking whore.  I pull up and call over to her.  Alina smiles as she drops into the passenger seat.

“Hello, Evan.  I haven’t seen you for a while.”

Not for my lack of looking.

“Been busy,” I respond with a shrug.

The silence is comfortable as we head back to my apartment near the river.  It’s unseasonably warm this evening, and the windows are down a bit.  Alina closes her eyes against the wind, and there’s a hint of a smile on her lips.

She turns to me and starts to ask something about putting the radio on but stops.  In my peripheral vision, I see her widen her eyes and close her mouth quickly.  I glance down in the direction where she’s looking and turn my arm toward me so I can see the back of it.  I notice some dark brown spots on my arm.

It’s blood.

I don’t know how I missed it.  I thought I had wiped it all off.  There’s nothing I can or will say, so I ignore her reaction and continue to drive.  As soon as we reach our destination, I head for the shower, feeling uneasy and a bit idiotic.  I should have washed off more carefully before going to find her.

Alina’s already in the bed when I finish.  She’s noticeably tense as I slide in beside her but tries not to show it as she turns toward me and wraps her arm around my head.  With no words spoken, I close my eyes and go to sleep.

In the morning, I wake up early.  I can’t remember any dreams, but my muscles are still tense.  I take another shower to try to relax, but it doesn’t help. I’m still aggravated when I walk back across the hall with a towel wrapped around my waist, dripping wet.  Alina is standing beside the bed in her bra and panties, reaching down to strap on her shoes.  Her back is toward me, and as she bends over, the clear view of her ass covered in black lace grabs my full attention.

I’m hard seconds later.

Maybe it’s the rush of a kill.  Maybe it’s just seeing her bent over like that.  Maybe it’s memories of Lia.  It could even be that it’s just been a while, and I want to get off.

None of that seems right, but I can’t pinpoint my reaction either.  I just want her.

Now.

Coming up behind Alina, I place my hands on her thighs.  I run my fingers up to her hips and pull her up against me.  She startles briefly, and I realize she didn’t hear me come back in the room.  She recovers fast though.  She stands, drops the skirt in her hand, and reaches up around my neck with one hand.

Grinding against her ass, I move my hands around to her stomach and then up to her breasts as I press my lips against the side of her neck.  Her tits feel good in my hands—firm and soft, just the right size.  She tilts her head to give me access to her throat as she closes her eyes.  I press my lips against her neck for a moment, inhaling the lingering scent of lavender.