Promises After Dark (After Dark Book 3) (27 page)

Mr Dubrovski commented: ‘I’m deeply saddened by the end of my professional relationship with Mark Palliser. Unfortunately his mistaken authentication has cost me a great deal of money and I intend to sue for damages and compensation. I hope that further suggestions of financial misconduct will prove to be false.’

Please direct all further enquiries on this matter to the Office of Andrei Dubrovski.

I drop the piece of paper onto the desk with a gasp of horror. So he wasn’t bluffing. He intends to do this. I cover my face with my hands, trying to process what I’ve just read. But he’s given me a grace period. I can only guess that he’s going to give me one last chance to change my mind and save Mark.

I think of my friend lying so weak and ill on the bed in the conservatory, and I’m sure that this will kill him.

I take a deep shaking breath, and burst into tears.

Dominic sends a car for me and I climb into its interior, grateful that I’m going to be insulated from the outside. The Christmas cheeriness is too much to bear when I’m feeling so miserable; even the prospect of seeing Dominic is not making me feel much better. The lights blur in front of my eyes as I well up again thinking about the terrible trap I’m in. Dominic persuaded me that I didn’t need to worry because Andrei wouldn’t carry out his threat but it looks now as though Andrei was in fact deadly serious. He’s prepared to sacrifice Mark if I don’t do what he wants.

On my way to the rendezvous I wonder, as I’ve been wondering all day, whether I should tell Dominic that it’s all over. I could spin some line about how I don’t love him any more, or I could scream and shout, tell him I saw him with Anna last night and accuse him of everything I can think of – and then storm out. Then I would go and live with Andrei, and somehow I would manage to stand it because I’d know that I’d saved Mark, and Dominic too, if Andrei will do as I ask and leave him be. Just when I’ve resolved that the only way out of this is to concede to Andrei’s demands, the car comes to a halt in front of a large, white-fronted house. I look around and realise that we’ve arrived in Marylebone, just off Wimpole Street.

The driver gets out and opens the door for me, and gestures me towards the huge black front door, a potted bay tree on either side.

I go up and press the large bell push in a brass surround. A moment later, the door swings open and Dominic stands there, handsome in dark trousers and a pale-blue checked shirt that somehow makes his eyes browner than ever.

‘You’re here!’ He’s beaming as he opens his arms to me and, despite my resolution in the car to resist him, I throw myself into them, desperate for the comfort of his closeness.

‘Hey, Beth, what’s wrong?’ he says, kissing the top of my head.

I try to speak. I’ve rehearsed what I want to say in the car and now I ought to deliver my speech with conviction – I need to tell Dominic that it’s over and we’ll never see each other again – but the reality of being with him shows me the total impossibility that I could ever do it. I’m swamped with guilt because my inability to deny myself the joy of Dominic means that Mark is going to be destroyed. I feel the tears rush up to my eyes again and sob into Dominic’s chest.

‘You’re crying! What is it?’ He pulls me inside and closes the door. We’re standing in a marble-floored hallway beneath a huge brass lantern.

I look up into his eyes that are full of tender concern. ‘Oh, Dominic! It’s Andrei. Look!’ I wipe away some tears and pull the press release out of my bag and press it into Dominic’s hands. He takes it, unfolds it and scans it quickly

‘I see,’ he says grimly.

‘What do you think?’ I try not to wail but my voice rises as I say, ‘He’s actually going to ruin Mark after all! To get back at me!’

Dominic refolds the paper and hands it back to me. ‘Don’t worry,’ he says. ‘It’s not going to happen.’

‘What do you mean? He’s prepared this release. It’s obvious he’s serious. The only reason he’s delaying must be to give me one last chance to change my mind.’ I grasp Dominic’s hand. ‘I can’t bear it!’

He holds my hands tight in return. ‘You’re not going to be blackmailed like this, don’t you worry. Listen, we’ve got a visitor or two coming. After that, everything will be clear.’

I shake my head as though waking up and look around. ‘Where are we? Where is this place?’

‘Do you like it? This is my new house.’

‘What?’ I stare about the huge hallway. ‘Your new house?’

‘I think so. I’m still deciding. I wanted to ask your opinion first. What do you think so far?’

I look around. The place seems strange because there’s no furniture, except for a few isolated tables, chairs and lamps. ‘It’s lovely,’ I say. Then I look back at him. ‘Rather different from Randolph Gardens!’

He smiles. ‘Yes. A little bigger. Would you like to look around?’

‘I’m not sure, to be honest,’ I say, sniffing a little. ‘I’m not really in the mood. I’m sorry.’

He takes me in his arms again. ‘Hey, don’t be unhappy. I promise, it’s going to be all right. You’ll see.’

‘When did you get to London?’ I ask him, muffled a little against his shirt.

‘Yesterday.’ He pulls back so he can look into my face. ‘I didn’t want to tell you in case what I was doing didn’t work out. But I think it’s going to be fine and I swear I won’t let Andrei hurt Mark – or you.’

I gaze back.
Are you going to tell me about Anna? What happened between you last night?
I remember the way they were laughing together – it’s hard to believe what bitterness there’s been between the two of them. I wonder whether Dominic really has it in his power to stop Andrei sending out that press release, and starting Mark’s destruction.

‘Come on,’ he says coaxingly. ‘Come and see the house. I really want your opinion.’

‘Okay,’ I say, a little reluctantly. ‘I’ll look.’

He takes me over the house, full of enthusiasm. It’s certainly a wonderful place with five storeys of rooms, all with the graciousness of the Regency style mixed seamlessly with modern comfort and the luxurious touches of beautiful bathrooms, a gym and a cinema room. When we finally return to the ground floor, Dominic is keen to know what I think.

‘Well – do you like it?’

‘I think it’s gorgeous,’ I say honestly. ‘But it’s huge. All this, just for you?’

‘Too much?’ He looks a little crestfallen.

‘It’s very grand but . . .’ I think about Andrei’s chilly palace on the edge of Central Park and then of Georgie’s cosy, lived-in brownstone, and I know where I’d rather live. ‘Perhaps it would be more homely with some furniture in it,’ I say with doubt in my voice.

Dominic starts to laugh.

‘What?’

‘You’re so sweet – and so right. I’m getting carried away. I don’t need this house – not yet, anyway.’ He kisses me gently on the lips. ‘Why don’t we look for somewhere together?’ he asks.

I almost stop breathing.
Together? Live together?
The idea is a wonderful one that makes me want to dance with joy. Then I rebuke myself. No, he can’t mean that. He means he wants my advice looking for somewhere.

‘I value your judgement,’ he goes on. ‘And . . . I want you to feel at home wherever I am.’

‘I’d love to help you choose a place,’ I say tentatively, not wanting to misunderstand him.

‘Beth,’ he says, taking my hands in his and standing close to me. ‘I want a little more than that. I want—’

A loud noise rings out through the empty hall, making me jump violently.

‘Ah,’ says Dominic. ‘My visitor is here. Don’t be shocked, Beth. Wait and see.’ He strides over to the front door and opens it. In the doorway is a beautiful silhouette, slender and shapely, with an unmistakable pair of cheekbones. It’s Anna. She cranes her neck to accept a kiss from Dominic on each cheek and then sways into the hall on high heels.

‘What a perfectly lovely house, Dominic,’ she announces. ‘Do tell me this is yours.’

‘I’m still deciding,’ he says with a sideways look at me.

She walks right up to me and fixes me with a look from those slanting green eyes. ‘Beth. Hello. How are you?’

‘I’m fine, thank you, Anna.’ I try to sound cool and composed. ‘How are you?’

‘Amaaazing,’ she purrs. ‘As usual.’ She spins on her heel and faces Dominic. ‘Are you going to offer me a drink?’

‘Of course,’ he says. ‘Champagne?’

‘You know me too well. I can’t resist.’

‘Let’s go downstairs.’

We follow Dominic down to the huge kitchen that’s been extended into the garden with a wall of glass and is a minimalist creation of white gloss surfaces and polished concrete. He goes to the fridge, takes out a bottle and opens it, pouring the wine into glasses that are waiting on the bench.

I’m still waiting to hear what exactly Anna is doing here, but I’m determined not to leap to any conclusions. I’m going to trust that Dominic knows what he’s doing.

He passes each of us a glass of champagne and holds one up himself. ‘To our joint ventures,’ he says with a broad smile. ‘And success.’

Anna holds up her glass and clinks it against Dominic’s. ‘To our success.’ She turns to me. ‘Beth – success.’

I let her clink her glass on mine, but say nothing. I can’t forget the fact that she dropped drugs into my drink at the catacombs party, and attempted to sabotage my relationship with Dominic so that she could have him herself.

We all sip our champagne and I feel the bubbles prickling over my tongue.

‘So Anna,’ Dominic says. ‘You remember what we talked about last night. Have you come to any decisions about what you’re going to do?’

‘I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t,’ she returns coolly. ‘You know that. We just have to be certain that this will work. We can’t afford failure.’

‘Between the three of us, we can make it work,’ Dominic says adamantly. ‘Between us, we have the information we need.’

‘But you need what I know,’ Anna remarks with a coquettish tip of her head. ‘I have the key.’

Dominic leans towards her, his eyes suddenly intense. ‘And are you going to give me the key?’

‘I might.’ She flutters her eyelids at him, and I feel a rush of jealousy spiralling up inside me.

She is completely shameless. I’m standing here and she’s flirting with Dominic right in front me! She’s unbelievable! Is anything really worth this?
I try to control myself.
Mark is worth this.

‘I don’t owe you anything, Dominic,’ she says, suddenly still.

‘No. But this isn’t about me,’ he says. ‘It’s about Andrei.’

A bitter expression crosses her face. ‘Yes.’ She sounds convinced again. ‘Andrei. He’s going to be sorry about the way he treated me.’ She slides her gaze over to me. ‘I’ve no interest in helping you, Beth, but if that’s part of the bargain, so be it.’

I keep quiet, sensing that there is a delicate balance here and I mustn’t upset it.

‘So,’ presses Dominic. ‘What can you tell us?’

‘I can tell you that Andrei knew that painting was a fake from well before the time he decided to buy it.’

I gasp and despite my resolve not to say anything I can’t help my words escaping me. ‘He
knew
?’

‘That’s right,’ she says, cocking an eyebrow at me. ‘He paid over two million for something he knew was going to be proved a forgery.’

‘But
why
?’ I say, amazed. ‘What could he hope to gain from that?’

She laughs mockingly. ‘My darling, you’re so naïve. Andrei’s money laundering, of course. He’s deeply involved with the criminal underworld and he does extremely well out of cleaning the proceeds of drugs and crime, which in turn smooths his path through many of his more difficult deals and makes him more money.’

I stare at her. Then I turn to Dominic. ‘Did you know about this?’

‘No,’ he says firmly. ‘Not a thing.’

‘He didn’t,’ says Anna breezily. ‘Andrei told only me. He should have remembered that when he decided to throw me aside in the way he did. But I don’t think he suspected I would tell you. And . . .’ she shrugs ‘. . . he paid me a lot of money as a severance bonus that he probably thought would buy my silence.’ Then she turns to face me. ‘The real question is, Beth – did
you
know?’

‘Me?’ I’m stunned. ‘Of course not. Why would I?’

‘Because you are the one who is putting the two million back through Mark’s accounts, just as has happened with the many dozens of art purchases that Andrei has made over the years.’

I gasp. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You heard me. Mark has been vital to the whole operation. He’s very kindly allowed Andrei to put a great deal of money through his business.’

A white light of anger bursts inside me. ‘Are you telling me that Mark is a criminal – a money launderer?’ My voice rises. ‘There is absolutely no way – Mark is completely honest, an utterly genuine man. He would never do such a thing.’

Dominic extends a hand towards me as if to calm me down, but I’m facing Anna, my eyes blazing.

She shrugs, unmoved by my fury. ‘Perhaps he is not a criminal, perhaps he is simply an innocent. But he has facilitated the laundering of a huge amount of money.’