Sex, Murder and a Double Latte (31 page)

The cocktail waitress placed the beer in front of Anatoly, and he drank half of it in one swig. “I would hate for you to be sacrilegious.” He then lifted my drink and held it in front of me.
“L’chaim.”
He pressed the glass against my lips and slowly tipped it forward. If the acoustics in the room were better he would have been able to hear my heart pounding.

My cell phone rang again, and Anatoly put the glass down while I snatched the phone out of my purse. “Hello?”

“Sophie, it’s Marcus. Get out of there. Get as far away from him as humanly possible.”

“Why?’

“I found the hatchet. It was duct-taped to the underside of his bed. Sophie, it still has bloodstains on it.”

I looked up at Anatoly. He was smiling at me and wiping off the drops of the red liquid that had spilled onto his fingers.

CHAPTER 19

“Alicia knew that if she wanted to live she would have to face the man who coveted her death.”

—Sex, Drugs and Murder

“S
ophie? Did you hear me?” Marcus asked. “You need to get your ass out of there.”

“I heard you.” I smoothed a wrinkled cocktail napkin. “You know I’m always here for you, Leah. Just give me a few minutes and I’ll head on over.”

“Where shall we meet—the police station?”

“No, no, why don’t you meet me out by the car. That way I won’t have to worry about waking Jack.”

“You want Dena and me to wait in Mary Ann’s car until you have a chance to talk more freely?”

“Exactly.”

“Should I take the hatchet?”

“No.” I rolled my eyes for Anatoly’s benefit. “Don’t do anything. Just wait for me.”

“Okay, but hurry, Sophie. It’s a bad idea to hang out at the scene of a crime, and it’s an even worse idea to hang out with a murderer.”

“Right, well, see you in a bit.”

“You are an extraordinarily dedicated sister,” Anatoly said.

“What?” My voice sounded small to me. Everything seemed small except Anatoly, who had become enormous.

“Are you really going to rush out and comfort her right now?”

I was seeing him for the first time. He was human. “I have to go to her. She’s my sister, and her life…” He had killed JJ Money and allowed an innocent man to go to prison for it, he had killed his mentor, he had killed a woman with a hatchet, and then come back to my apartment to seduce me and had not even been shaken or rattled. “Her life’s a mess right now…” He had been calm and charming. “She needs me.” Perfectly charming.

He scrutinized me over his beer. “Are you all right? You look pale.” He gently lifted my hand. “You’re shaking.”

“I just—I just didn’t expect this. I thought that she and Bob were really going to make it. That theirs was the real thing. But it wasn’t. It was an illusion, a lie, and now…now everything’s falling apart.”

He squeezed my hand.

“Things, and people, aren’t always as they seem. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but one that is taught over and over again.”

I pulled my hand away. “I have to make a stop in the ladies’ room.”

“All right. I’ll settle the tab.” He was acting concerned, but there was a note of suspicion in his voice, as well. I had to pull it together before I gave everything away.

I tucked my phone back into my purse. “I’ll be right back.” I brushed past Jason just as he was hanging up his cell phone. There was a thin layer of sweat covering his features. So it had finally become real to him. I knew that before this he hadn’t truly believed that Anatoly was a cold-blooded killer any more than he believed he was going to become a vampire. He clung to the fantasy the way most children clung to the idea of the Easter Bunny. They would swear to its existence, but if they ever met a real six-foot, smiling, egg-throwing rabbit they would run for their lives. I suspected that’s what Jason wanted to do right now.

There were a few women already in the bathroom fixing their makeup. I stood behind them and stared at my reflection. I wasn’t supposed to be there. None of this was supposed to be happening. I should be having drinks with Dena, working on my next book. I wasn’t supposed to be fighting for my life.

One of the women assumed I was waiting for a space by the mirror and cleared out. I took a step closer and pretended to look for a lipstick. I needed to call the police. I watched as the other woman walked out. There was a very big problem. I couldn’t tell the police what I knew without admitting to them that my friends and I had broken into his apartment. That would not only get all of us in some boiling water, but it would leave room for the possibility that we had planted the hatchet. I looked back up at the mirror. The room had taken on a surreal, nightmare-like quality. How could none of us have thought of that? I was in exactly the same position I’d been in before the evening began.

My cell phone rang again. This time it was Jason. “What the fuck are you doing in there? We have to get the hell out of here.”

“I’m going to invite him to my place for a drink.”

“What?”

“Marcus has a key to my apartment. Call him and tell him to go up there right now and hide. The bathroom—behind the shower curtain would be perfect. Tell him to bring the phone in there with him. He is in no way to make himself known to Anatoly. I’ll find him when it’s time.”

“Are you mental? Time for what?”

“Just tell him, Jason.”

“I can’t believe—got to go.” The line went dead.

I replaced the phone and dragged my lipstick across my lips. “This is it,” I whispered. “The game ends tonight. That fucker’s going down.”

I made an attempt at fixing my hair before rejoining Anatoly. “I was just on the phone with my sister again. I changed my mind, I’ll deal with her tomorrow. Tonight, I want to spend with you.”

“Oh?” His eyes fell to my newly painted lips. “Do you want another drink, then?”

“No, no this place is way too packed. Let’s go somewhere a little more intimate.”

“I’m open to suggestions.”

I reached up and lightly caressed his shoulder. “My place can be intimate.”

Anatoly’s eyes slanted. “You want to bring me up to your place?”

“Mmm-hmm, don’t worry. I haven’t sharpened the kitchen knives in ages.”

“Good to know.”

“So is that a yes, or are you scared?”

He cocked his head to the left. “I think I can handle myself.”

“Good.” I dipped my finger into my Bloody Mary and sucked the liquid off. “Did you bring your bike?”

“Yes.”

“Then parking will only be a problem for one of us. Why don’t you follow me? That way you won’t have to wait in front of my place while I look for a spot.”

“All right.” Anatoly stood up and started to put on his leather jacket. “By the way, if you were worried about that crazy man who’s been staring at you all night, I used the time that you were in the bathroom to speak with him.”

I dropped my keys. Anatoly retrieved them for me. “What, um…what crazy man?”

“The one who felt the need to share his colorful views on art during Balardi’s opening at Sussman Gallery. Didn’t you notice him? I thought I saw you looking at him earlier.”

I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I just shook my head. Anatoly took me by the shoulders and turned me around so that I was facing Jason’s direction. Maybe a vampire had found him, because all of his coloring was gone. He didn’t look up. He just sat there studying the bubbles in his beer. I tried to relax underneath his grip. “He looks a little like him but I don’t think he’s the same guy. The other guy was skinnier.”

“That’s him. He’s been talking on his cell phone all night. Kind of like you.”

I tried to laugh but it came out as more of a gasp for air. “What did you say to him?”

“I told him that it would be very unwise of him to be following you if that was what he was doing. He claims that he’s here waiting for a friend who’s running late. The way he’s been looking at me makes me think otherwise but it doesn’t matter. I don’t think he’ll give you any problems, he doesn’t have the same bravado this evening.”

“Well, he’s probably just embarrassed that you remembered him. God only knows what he was on that night.” I linked my arm with his. “Come on, we have better things to do than stand around here talking about that freak.” I led Anatoly out of the bar.

Jason didn’t follow.

“My bike’s right here—would you like a ride to your car?”

“No, I think I’ll walk, I need the fresh air.”

“You’ll get plenty of fresh air on the bike.”

I patted my hair. “I just fixed myself up. Besides, I parked pretty close. Just get yourself situated and I’ll be by in a minute.”

Anatoly pulled some gloves out of his helmet. “You’re the boss.”

God, I hoped that was true. For this to work I had to be the one in control, from start to finish. I started to walk away but Anatoly grabbed my arm and pulled me in for a deep kiss. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

“Yeah, but it never hurts to be reminded.” I cautiously removed my arm. “There will be plenty of time for that at my place.”

When I got to my car I placed a quick call to Marcus to verify that he had gotten the new instructions. Apparently he had, because the instant he picked up he started screaming at me about my state of mind. I quickly repeated what I had said to Jason and turned my phone off before he could argue further. No one was going to talk me out of this, not now. As I passed Baja Cantina, I saw Anatoly pull in behind me. There was no longer even a choice.

Near my place I found parking and walked him up to the apartment. I opened the door for him and he slid past me into the living room. My eyes immediately went to the base of the cordless phone. The receiver was missing. Obviously, Marcus had done as I asked and was in the bathroom with the phone. I smiled and took a step closer to Anatoly. “Thanks for giving me another chance.”

“No problem, I—”

I didn’t let him finish. I laced my hands behind his head and pulled him down to me. The kiss lasted for what felt like a year before he finally came up for air.

“You’re all business tonight.”

“That’s right.” I leaned in and grazed the nape of his neck with my teeth. “All business.”

“This is a side of you I haven’t seen before. You’re much more…aggressive.”

“We’ve been close to this on a few different occasions.” I was now nibbling his ear. “I haven’t been with someone in over two years. I’m not interested in setting any new world records.”

“God forbid.” He kissed me again. This time his tongue explored the regions of my mouth while his hands slid down my back. Then lower.

“Let’s go into the bedroom.” I took his hand and showed him the way, casting a quick glance at the partially open door of the bathroom as we passed.

We were at the foot of my bed now. Somehow I managed to take a moment to turn on the radio. Anatoly’s kisses were growing increasingly passionate. He used one of his hands to hold me in place while the other went to my inner thigh.

“Wait…” I whispered.

But Anatoly didn’t stop. “Wasn’t it you that said we’ve let this moment come and go too many times? No more waiting. I want you now.”

I tried to push away from his chest. “I want you too, but we have to use protection.”

Without missing a beat, Anatoly reached into his back pocket. “Got it.”

I shook my head at a speed that should have given me whiplash. “I hate condoms,” I lied. “I have a diaphragm in the bathroom. Give me just a moment?”

Anatoly hesitated. “I suppose if you prefer…”

“I do.” I disentangled myself, then gave him a final gentle kiss on the collarbone. “It will only take a minute. Don’t move a muscle.”

Anatoly’s expression betrayed some kind of inner battle, but he didn’t stop me from leaving the room. I closed the bathroom door and pulled back the shower curtain.

Marcus was standing there holding the phone like it was a loaded gun. “What the fuck do you think you are doing?” he asked in a low whisper.

I took a step forward. “Hit me.”

Marcus just stared at me.

“Don’t question it, just do it. Give me a black eye now, and then go out the bathroom window. You scaled up Anatoly’s two-story building, you can scale down my three-story one.”

“My God, you have finally lost your mind.”

“Do it now, or he may kill us both.”

Marcus’s expression had changed from one of anger to one of bewilderment.

“Sophie, are you coming?” Anatoly’s voice traveled through the door.

“I’ll be right there. Why don’t you turn the bed down?”

“Your wish is my command.”

I exhaled and started to turn back to Marcus when I felt the back of his hand land heavily against my cheek. I suppressed a cry of pain and surprise as I staggered backward. Marcus caught me before I lost balance. His left hand went to my injured eye.

“Sophie…”

“Go.” I pointed toward the window. “Tell the others to go home and not to call. Tell them my life depends on it.”

“But…”

I pointed to the window again. Marcus shook his head and handed me the phone. He caressed my hair one last time, then climbed out the window. I dialed the three numbers.

“911 emergency.”

“Please help me,” I whispered. “He’s going to kill me.” I then pressed the mute button. They had all the information I wanted to give them for now and I certainly didn’t want them to hear anything that would expose this for being the setup that it was. I covered the earpiece with my hand so Anatoly wouldn’t be able to hear the dispatcher’s questions. I exited the bathroom, leaving the light on and quietly closing the door behind me. I tiptoed to the kitchen and tossed the phone out onto the fire escape. They would have plenty of time to trace the call. I put my hands on either side of my neckline and tore my shirt open. Buttons flew everywhere. I heard Anatoly knock on the bathroom door, and then the creak of the door opening.

“I’m in the kitchen,” I called out, “getting us some champagne.” I climbed on top of a chair and pulled down an empty wine bottle that had been waiting to be recycled. Holding it I leaned against the counter and counted the seconds until he found me.