Scarlet Masquerade (9 page)

Something about Carol’s boyfriend was making Clarissa nervous. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it was clear he was already having a huge affect on Carol. The hickey, if it was only just a hickey, was strange behavior for a male his age and profession. Clarissa suddenly had an urge to meet Carol’s boyfriend. The sooner, the better.

Pulling out her notebook, Clarissa found the number for Knight-Pharmaceutical. A minute later, she had confirmed her appointment with someone Clarissa figured was the person who ran interference for the head of the donations department.

###

A.J.’s office door opened a crack as Kevin peeked around the corner looking for A.J.

“A.J.?”

“What, Kevin?” The darkened room clearly reflected A.J.’s mood. She had been pissed with herself for her rash decision to dispense with Mike Tyler earlier. She had wanted to keep a level head when she met with the young man, but he had done everything he could to push her buttons, and she felt he had left her with few options.

“Um, I heard you had a meeting with Mike Tyler earlier. How did it go?” Afraid he knew the answer, he stood by the door just in case he needed a quick retreat.

“Let’s just say Mr. Tyler’s working remote for a while. What do you want, Kevin?”

Fidgeting with the door handle, Kevin felt the door yanked from his grip. A set of steely eyes glared through him.

“A.J., I just got a call from our grant department. Professor Graham’s coming over this afternoon to discuss a possible donation from Knight-Pharmaceutical. What do you want me to do?”

“Write her a check.” A.J. slammed the door shut, then flung herself against her leather couch so hard, she practically knocked the breath out of herself. She hated when she lost her temper with people she worked with, but lately, she had been on edge and it was showing.
It’s all Clarissa’s fault
, she thought, rubbing her temples. Everything was fine until she saw Clarissa, not once but twice. Now, Clarissa would be at the company, A.J.’s company. On the same floor as A.J.’s office, and close enough that A.J. would be able to feel her energy, and reacquaint herself with Clarissa’s scent. A.J. wasn’t sure she would be able to maintain a safe distance if Clarissa were that close, close enough to touch.

“A.J.,” Kevin whispered through the closed door. “How much?”

“How much what, Kevin?”

“How much do you want me to write the check for when she gets here?”

Jumping up, A.J. pulled the door open so hard it slammed against the wall, burying the handle. A.J. could see perspiration dot Kevin’s upper lip as he avoided making eye contact with her. He was playing the subordinate role well. He knew his place in the pecking order and A.J. knew he would never step beyond it, not any more.

“Sit down.” A.J. pulled the door out of the wall and quietly closed it behind them. She crossed her arms as she watched Kevin still avoid eye contact with her. Something was wrong. She knew it because she knew Kevin. “What’s going on, Kevin?”

“What do you mean?” Kevin quipped, running his hands down his slacks.

“Why are you so nervous? This doesn’t have anything to do with Clarissa, does it?” A.J. leaned closer to the nervous man and he flinched with the motion. Her voice lowered to a menacing level as she asked him again, “What the fuck is wrong with you, and you better tell me now. Understand?”

“Look, we might have a problem.” Kevin twisted his neck and an audible pop echoed in the room.

“I told you, Mr. Tyler’s working remote, not six feet under, if that’s what you’re worried about.” A cold stare met frightened eyes.

The tension in the room was palpable now, and A.J. was past losing her patience. Within a second, A.J. had leapt over the coffee table and was straddling Kevin, his neck in her crushing grip.

“Listen, I’m past twenty questions. What the fuck is going on?” Spittle dropped from grimacing lips moving closer to Kevin’s neck. “Now, or I snap your neck.”

A gurgling sound pushed passed Kevin’s windpipe as the veins in his neck started bulging. A.J. licked her lips and moved closer. An audible pop as A.J.’s fangs broke from their hiding place made Kevin’s eye bulge, as he tried to twist out of the relentless death grip. Clawing at her hands, Kevin gurgled again and tried to sit-up.

A.J. relaxed her grip waiting for Kevin to answer her question. “Well? What’s the problem?”

“The guy I sent over to watch Professor Graham—” A.J. started tightening her grip again as Kevin talked. “A.J., please.”

“Kevin, this doesn’t sound good, and I told you what would happen if he screwed up.” Slowly, she applied more pressure.

“Someone else is watching her, too,” Kevin blurted out, trying to avoid passing out from the tightening on his neck.

A.J. stood, pulling Kevin up by his collar, snarling with her fangs still fully exposed. “Who? Who’s watching her?”

“I don’t know, but I wanted you to know as soon as possible, especially since she is coming to the office. Her being here might blow our cover, especially if the someone following her is a vampire.”

A.J. dropped Kevin on the sofa and stepped over his limp body. Leaning against her desk, she scrubbed her face with her hands, trying to make sense of the past few days. She had been on edge, but she figured it was because of Clarissa. Now, she had to consider other possibilities. First seeing Clarissa, then the attack in the park, and now someone following the same person she was. It wasn’t a coincidence. She didn’t have those. Instead, she found life had patterns and reasons for why things happened. Now she needed to find out what those reasons were.

“You’re gonna meet with Clarissa today,” A.J. said, turning to her desk and taking out her checkbook. “I want you to chat her up, find out what she’s been up to. That is if she’ll tell you anything. She hasn’t lived this long being stupid, so you’re gonna have to be patient and careful.” She handed Kevin a check, then took out a bottle from her desk and tossed it to him. “Here, take two of these. They’ll relax you enough so you won’t give off any extra energy she could pick up on.”

“A.J., she’s gonna know. Like you said, she’s been around a long time.” Kevin was still rubbing his neck when he felt a trickle of blood cover his palm. “Geez, A.J., what’s gotten into you?”

“I’ll be in the other room watching the interview on close circuit T.V. Just tell her you need some background information for the application process. Tell her it’s something we do for all grants and donations.” A.J.’s body reeled at the thought of being so close to Clarissa. She knew it was a bad idea, but she stopped being logical a week ago when she saw Clarissa in that bar.

“A.J.—”

“Just do it, and if you can’t do it, I’ll find someone else who can.” A.J. moved close enough to Kevin that she could feel his fear. It was rolling off him in waves. “Have I made myself clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Good.” She sat down in her chair and steepled her hands as she thought about what to do next. “What do we know about the person following her?”

“Nothing yet. Our guy just picked him up this morning when she left for work. I told him to stay as close as he could.”

“I want you to put another person on her. This one watches both of them, our guy and the other one. If this guy makes the tail we have on Clarissa, chances are he won’t figure we have two.”

“But A.J….” Kevin said, wringing his hands, “I only have Selene available.”

“I know, I know.”

“She’s the best and you know that. You wanna tell me what the deal is between you two?”

A.J. knew Clarissa would be in good hands. She just didn’t want her in that set of hands. A.J. didn’t want Kevin to know that she and Selene had a history and the last thing she wanted was to relive that history anytime soon. “Nope, and I don’t want her to know I’m involved in her hiring in any way. Understand?”

“What do you want me to tell her?”

What did A.J. want Kevin to tell her? It would be sticky and Selene would sniff out a lie quickly. A trained assassin over one hundred and fifty years old was not someone to be played. Whatever Kevin told her would have to be believable, or Selene would ask questions.

“Tell her it’s a private contract, she needs to keep her distance, and that someone wants Clarissa dead. That should keep her on her toes and deadly.”

“Anything else?”

“Yeah, tell her she’ll get a big bonus if she keeps Clarissa alive without her knowing it. Remind her there is another person working the case, too. I would hate for her to accidentally kill him, thinking he was the enemy.”

“Okay, you’re the boss. I’ll let you know what she says.”

“Kevin,” A.J. said, waiting for Kevin to turn around and face her. “She doesn’t know I’m involved. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.”

As Kevin reached for the door, A.J. whispered, “Sorry about your neck.”

“I know.”

The Knight-Pharmaceutical Research Center was a monstrosity of glass and steel, and standing under its huge cantilever entrance sent a chill through Clarissa. Its sterile look reflected the sunlight onto the other smaller building it dwarfed. A huge glass door was opened for her as she moved towards the entrance.

“Good morning, Miss. May I be of service?” a stout gentleman asked, ushering her in to a direct contrast to the exterior. Dwarf Aspens and other deciduous plants were strategically planted to create a picturesque environment. It gave the appearance of a primeval forest indoors. The only thing Clarissa noticed missing from the picture were birds chirping or hopping from the treetops. It was clear the intent was to give one a sense of what was missing outside in the concrete jungle.
But why?
Clarissa wondered.

“Miss?”

Clarissa was drawn back to reality as she scanned the last of the interior landscaping.

“Impressive isn’t it?”

“Very.”

“So, how can I direct you?”

“Oh, I have an appointment with the director of grants and funding.” Extending her hand, “My name is Clarissa Graham. I believe they’re expecting me.”

Looking down at his clipboard, he noted the time and highlighted her name. “Do you have any identification?”

Pulling her faculty ID from her jacket, she flashed it at the guard. After closely inspecting it, he handed her a detailed map of the building with a highlighted path directing her exactly where to go. As she stood in the elevator, Clarissa’s palms started to sweat thinking about what she would say to the grant manager to convince her to donate to the university. She could only imagine what Knight-Pharmaceutical already donated to have the huge research center at the university and it wasn’t like a masquerade ball was as prestigious.

Clarissa stood dumb-struck when she exited the elevator on the third floor. If she thought the atrium was breathtaking, the décor on this floor was staggeringly expensive. The first thing that caught her eye was the enormous stained glass ceiling. A renaissance scene that reminded her of her own childhood graced the entire expanse of the ceiling. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought someone had delved into her past and recreated it. And there it was, right before her eyes. A chill went through her as she stood transfixed, staring at it. The craftsmanship was brilliant and no detail was too small, including the bees that hovered over a budding rose. In fact, that particular rose was from France, strange that she would remember.

A moment later, a tall man exited one of the doors and walked toward Clarissa, holding out his hand. “Good afternoon, you must be Mrs. Graham. My name is Kevin Armstrong.”

Confused, Clarissa shook his hand. A surge shot through her when he grabbed hold of her hand. “I’m sorry. I thought I had an appointment with Ms. Reinhold?”

“Well you did, but she was called into a meeting and asked if I would take her place. I assure you I’ve been briefed, but if you would like to reschedule I can call her assistant and do that for you?”

Time wasn’t Clarissa’s friend at this point. She needed to replace that donor and if Knight Pharmaceutical couldn’t help her, then she needed to find another soon.

“No, no please. I was just expecting Ms. Reinhold.”

“Please, this way then,” he said pointing to another door. “I have us set up in the conference room.”

Clarissa had a strange feeling as she followed him, almost as if she knew him. “Have we met before, Mr. Armstrong?”

“I don’t believe so, Mrs. Graham. Why?”

“Ms. Graham.”

“I’m sorry, I just assumed that you were married. Please accept my apologies.” Kevin dipped his head in apology and opened another door, allowing her to pass.

“Please have a seat. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, tea, water perhaps?”

“No thank you, I’m fine.” Another surge shot through Clarissa’s body, catching her off guard. Feeling light headed, she turned quickly grabbing for the chair. “Perhaps I’ll take some water, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, I’ll be right back.”

Clarissa eased herself into the chair and looked around the room. Perhaps the fact that she missed lunch was the reason for her being lightheaded, she reasoned. Clarissa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and then another. Rubbing her temples, she tried to relax. She needed to keep her wits about her and now wasn’t the time for her to get overly stimulated. That could have disastrous results.

“Here we go,” Kevin said, passing Clarissa a bottle of water and a napkin.

“Thank you.” Clarissa took a deep breath and tried to relax again.

“Okay, I have the paperwork here for our donation process. I’ll need to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind, and then we can see where this leads.”

Clarissa watched as Kevin shuffled through the paperwork, rearranging it in some order. As they went through the questions, Clarissa could start to feel herself becoming more agitated. The sporadic surges were now one continuous tingle, and she knew what that meant. She was about to change, and soon. Something was wrong, and she knew it. She had been having these feelings for the past week and now they were starting to take control over her ability to stay grounded.