by Zara Chase
There, she’d admitted it to herself. For the first time in her entire adult life, she was completely and comprehensively in love. But Ty was still in love with a ghost, and Jodie didn’t have the first idea how to fight against the specter that was her late best friend. It seemed disloyal even to try, so she’d just have to keep her love for Ty a closely guarded secret.
The following morning, Consuela and Marcel were full of their night of passion and chatted about the sightseeing they’d done on the short walk to the restaurant, saving Jodie from saying much about her own activities. She smiled at Ty as they set to work but was grateful for the presence of the others, which precluded any personal conversation between them. She caught him looking at her with a slight frown creasing his brow several times as they fell into the now familiar routine of morning prep. But if he sensed her anxiety, there was no opportunity for him to comment upon it.
At last, just when Jodie’s nerves had reached breaking point and she was having second and third thoughts about what she planned to do, Ty dismissed them for their two-hour break.
“You still look tired,” he said to her, slipping an arm around her waist when they were briefly isolated from the others. “You worked too hard yesterday. Go and get some more rest.”
“I will, if you don’t mind.” She stood on her toes and pecked his cheek. “I lack your stamina.”
“Yeah.” A slow, sexy smile chased away his frown. “We’re gonna have to work on that. But not now.” He patted her backside. “Off you go. I’ll see you later.”
“Jodie.” His voice stopped her as she was about to leave the kitchen with the others. “You absolutely sure you’re okay? You’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course I would.” She couldn’t meet his eye and hated lying to him. “Everything’s cool. Like you say, I’m just tired. I’ve had a lot to take in.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
The others had gone on ahead, so she was able to nip across the road to the taxi stand and slip into a cab without anyone asking awkward questions. She gave the driver the address Belikov had given her and set about making herself more presentable as the cab wended its way up a series of increasingly steep and winding streets. She released her hair from its ponytail and brushed out the tangles, leaving it loose. She applied a little mascara and lip gloss and replaced her flat pumps with a pair of three-inch heels she’d brought along in her oversized purse—the same ones she’d changed into to get her legs noticed in the restaurant last night. She was wearing her short black skirt and a white shirt. Hardly seduction material, but that wasn’t the purpose of her visit.
The cab journey lasted ten minutes and the car pulled up outside a pair imposing wrought iron gates with an entry phone system. The house beyond them was large and rambling, just as she had imagined it would be, and was completely enclosed by a high brick wall. There were notices everywhere in several languages stating that it was private property and that guard dogs patrolled. No shit! Jodie paid the fare and gave the driver a healthy tip for agreeing to wait for her. The last thing she needed was to be stranded on this mountainside if things went pear-shaped. He nodded, opened a newspaper, and disappeared behind it.
Taking a deep breath and a moment to remind herself she was doing this for Ty, Jodie got out of the cab and pressed the bell. Someone answered in Russian. She replied in English, giving her name and saying Mr. Belikov was expecting her. A short time later the gates swung open and she scrunched her way up a pristine gravel driveway toward the house.
There were a dozen cars parked in that drive, confirming that what Belikov had told her the night before was true. He was giving a lunch party and would be interested to know what she thought of the catering arrangements. He was impressed by the spread she and Ty had supplied the night before and might be interested in employing her as a full-time chef, if she was looking for a permanent position. Jodie pretended to be delighted at the opportunity and readily agreed to come along today and check the operation out for herself.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have gone anywhere near Belikov on his own territory. But these circumstances were far from normal, mainly due to the conversation she’d overheard between Belikov and his minder. It was the mention of the name Gloria Arden that had caught Jodie’s attention and occasioned her eavesdropping. It was an unusual name. It also happened to be the name of the dresser who worked for the agency representing Flavia and who had traveled with her, doing for other models on the circuit, too. She and Flavia had been great friends and Jodie had met her a few times. She was as wild as Flavia, and although she was supposed to be the responsible one, it wouldn’t surprise Jodie if Gloria had been the one to encourage Flavia to get into drugs—using and couriering.
Belikov had been downright furious the previous night when his minder delivered a message from Vasin to the effect that Gloria had appeared unexpectedly in Nevella and had the latest consignment in her possession. Gloria obviously wasn’t supposed to come anywhere near Belikov’s safe haven with contraband that could see him put behind bars for years. Belikov, with a party to host today and guests staying in his house, had given orders for Gloria to be kept out of sight in the wine cellar until he had time to deal with her himself.
A shudder had passed through Jodie at his cold, emotionless tone and hard, expressionless eyes. But she was also aware that this was the best opportunity she’d ever have to find out about Flavia’s fate. She’d never be able to look at herself in the mirror again if she wimped out, so must put aside fears for her own safety in order to help Ty.
The imposing door opened before Jodie could knock and long before she was ready to be shown inside. Belikov greeted her with great charm and civility, offering her a drink and an opportunity to meet his guests. She tried not to flinch when he snaked an arm around her waist in an overly friendly manner, his fingers drifting dangerously close to her backside. His intention couldn’t have been clearer. He might or might not be in need of a new chef, but he definitely had other duties in mind for Jodie. In your dreams, asshole!
Jodie declined the drink, reminding him of what she’d told him the night before in that she didn’t have long before she needed to return to work.
“I admire your dedication, my dear. That’s rare nowadays, but I insist you have just one.”
He snatched a glass of what appeared to be pink champagne from a waitress’s tray and thrust it into her hand. Still with his arm around her waist, he took her from one group of guests to the next. They were prominently male, mostly Eastern-European, and all appeared interested in her and the manner in which Belikov was taking such a keen interest in her. Belikov didn’t explain why she was really there, leaving the impression that she was either his latest squeeze or a high-class whore.
Jodie was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. The situation was slipping out of her control and time was getting on. If she didn’t get back to Hadleigh’s in time, God alone knew what Ty would do.
“I really do need to see the kitchen,” she reminded him in a quiet aside, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. “Otherwise I’ll have to come back another day. I can’t let my fellow contestants down.”
“Certainly you must come back,” he purred, “but since you seem so dedicated…” He snapped his fingers and a thug disguised in a decent jacket materialized. “Show Ms. Norton to the kitchens and introduce her to Anton.”
As she followed the thug across the room, she became aware of another man staring at her with open suspicion. She glanced in his direction and shuddered. If Belikov frightened her, this other one gave her the screaming heebie-jeebies. Ruthless, cruel, and merciless was her first impression of him. She had no doubt whatsoever that she was being given the evil eye by Vasin, Belikov’s fixer and the man Ty was convinced had killed Flavia.
Jodie was glad to reach the kitchen and no longer be in Vasin’s line of sight. But Anton wasn’t much better. He was rude, arrogant, and clearly felt threatened to have anoth
er chef invade his territory. He was too busy to talk to her, which suited Jodie just fine. She wandered around the spacious kitchen, watching the way the man treated his employees as though they were a lesser species. Overcompensating for a small penis, she thought, stifling the amusement that supposition engendered. She would rather starve than work for the man. Fortunately, he didn’t take much notice of what she was doing and everyone else appeared too terrified of Anton to spare her more than a passing glance.
At liberty to do as she pleased, more or less, she wandered into an adjoining room, searching for the door to the wine cellar. She found it at the third attempt, pushed it open, and glanced over her shoulder to ensure no one was watching her. Then, taking a deep breath to quell her nerves, she walked slowly down the steep, winding steps into the depths of the unknown.
* * * *
“Where’s Jodie?” Ty asked Consuela when she failed to return to work with the others.
“I assumed she was here.” Consuela spread her hands. “I knocked on her door, but there was no answer. So I looked inside and there was no sign of her. Her bed hadn’t been disturbed.”
“Did she actually go back to the hotel?” Ty asked, a nasty feeling creeping through him.
“I didn’t actually see her,” Consuela replied. “I just assumed—”
“She got into a taxi,” Hans said, looking up from tying on his apron. “I saw her being driven away in it when we walked back.”
“Oh, I think she said something about going into town for a few things,” Consuela said. “I remember now.”
She was covering for Jodie, Ty thought, his blood running cold as his fears for her safety intensified. He’d been worried about her all day. There was something different about her since last night’s party and he couldn’t put his finger on quite what it was. But he was convinced now that she was up to something, something that involved Belikov and his band of murdering thugs.
“Get started without me,” he said, tearing off his apron and dashing out into the street.
The only place to get a taxi in Medina Valley was from the stand directly opposite Hadleigh’s. He went across there and asked the two drivers waiting for fares if they’d taken her. His worst fears were realized when one of them told him they’d heard the woman he described asking to be taken to an address in the hills.
And address that belonged to Belikov.
He thanked the driver, dashed back to Hadleigh’s, found Leo in his office, and told him what had happened.
“Shit, man, what the fuck does she think she’s playing at?” Leo grabbed his car keys and the two of them ran to his Jeep in the parking lot.
“I have absolutely no idea,” Ty replied, grinding his teeth as he willed Leo to drive the hairpin bends even faster than he already was, which was dangerously fast. “First I’ll rescue her, then I’ll whip her ass for disobeying me, after which I’ll most likely throttle her for scaring the shit out of me.”
“Cool it, buddy,” Leo replied. “Belikov knows better than to try any funny stuff here in Nevella.”
“Yeah, but does Vasin?”
“Belikov will keep him on his leash. Besides, they don’t know who Jodie is, do they?”
“I sure as hell hope not.” Ty fell to momentary brooding. “But if that’s the case, why has she gone to his place? I warned her what he’s like with women.”
“We’re here,” Leo said curtly, pulling up a short distance from the gates so his car wouldn’t be seen and recognized. “And that looks like her taxi, waiting for her.”
Both men jumped out and questioned the driver, who confirmed he was waiting for the lady from Hadleigh’s. Leo paid him off and he drove away.
“Now what?” Ty asked. “We can hardly ring the bell, but if she’s in there, in trouble, I’m sure as hell not gonna sit about out here, either.”
“Looks like he’s got company,” Leo said, nodding to the cars lining the drive.
“We need to think of a good reason to ring that fucking bell,” Ty said. “Either that or we scale the wall.”
“We might be able to get over the wall if we go around the side,” Leo reasoned, “but we have absolutely no idea where Jodie is and can hardly expect to wander around the house looking for her without being challenged.”
“Then we’ll just have to ring,” Ty said adamantly. “Belikov knows who you are. We could simply tell the truth—say Jodie’s gone missing and we’ve traced her here. I’m betting the bastard said or did something to make her think she could play Nancy Drew when all he really wants to do is get into her panties. I saw the way he was looking at her last night. Like he was a starving man and she was the main course.”
“Easy tiger,” Leo said, placing a hand on Ty’s arm. “Something’s happening.”
They watched as the gates opened to allow a car to exit.
Chapter Thirteen
The wine cellar was fully stocked with neatly labeled bottles in floor-to-ceiling racks, not a speck of dust anywhere. Belikov’s “old” cellar was clearly very recently put together. Welcome to the world of the nouveau riche. Jodie could barely see and was in danger of falling flat on her face. She felt about on the wall and found a light switch. She risked flipping it on and the cellar was bathed in a dull yellow light. Feeling a little less afraid now that her sight had been restored to her, she tried to think where Gloria would be, if she was indeed being kept in the cellar. This was an old house. There could be a labyrinth of passages down here. Or perhaps she’d misheard Belikov’s instructions. Her understanding of Russian wasn’t that good and he’d been whispering at the time.
Shaking off her negativity, Jodie continued to prowl around the cellar. She had passed the room where the wine was kept and ventured into another one that appeared to be a storeroom. Or, more accurately, a junk room. But there was no sign of anyone being kept there and nowhere else to look. Jodie cursed. All the risks she’d taken had gotten her precisely nowhere.
On the point of abandoning her search and getting back to Hadleigh’s, she heard a sound that caused her heart to thud and a cold sweat to break out across her brow. Had she been missed? Had someone come to search for her already? She remained stock-still, trying to identify the sound and gauge the direction it was coming from. Everything down there echoed, playing havoc with her sense of direction, but she was pretty sure it was someone sobbing with despair. A woman’s voice. And it was close by.
Unless Belikov had a whole cellar full of captives, it had to be Gloria. Feeling vindicated, Jodie followed the sound to the other side of a rotted partition that Jodie hadn’t yet investigated. She did so now and found the sobbing woman curled into a fetal position on a ratty blanket. She was dirty, her face was swollen as though she’d been repeatedly struck, and one wrist was handcuffed to a ring in the wall. The stench of human waste almost overpowering. How had Jodie not noticed it before now? Presumably fear for her own safety and concentration upon finding Gloria had affected her olfactory senses.
“Gloria?”
The woman flinched at the sound of Jodie’s voice and curled into a tighter ball in an ineffectual attempt to ward off more punishment, presumably. Then, appearing to recognize that it was a woman speaking to her, she glanced up through terrified eyes and let out a startled gasp.
“I know you,” she said. “You’re with them?”
“I’m here to help you,” Jodie replied. “God knows why. Are you hurt?”
“Just scared shitless. They’re going to kill me.”
“Not if I can help it. But first, we have to get that handcuff off.” Jodie glanced helplessly at her purse, wondering if there was anything in it that she could use to pick a lock. Even if there was, she wouldn’t have a clue how to start.
“Behind you,” Gloria said, suddenly seeming much less scared.
Jodie whirled around, her pulse racing, thinking someone was behind her. There was no one there.
“Don’t do that!” she said, placing a hand over her thudding heart.
“The
key. They keep it on that hook.” Gloria waved frantically with her free hand. “Just out of my reach, so as to taunt me.”
Thanking every deity she could think of for arrogant, overconfident prigs inflicting mental and as well physical torture upon Gloria, Jodie grabbed the key, and hands shaking, released Gloria’s wrist. It was chafed and her legs wobbled when she tried to stand, but apart from that, she appeared unharmed.
“Who are you?” she asked. “Why are you helping me?”
“Jodie, and we’ll talk later. Right now, we need to get out of here.”
“You…you were Flavia’s friend. That’s where I know you from.” Gloria clasped Jodie’s arm. “Thank you.”
Jodie shook her off, unable to bear being touched by the woman who was partially responsible for what had happened to Flavia.
“There’s a side door to the kitchen,” Jodie said curtly. “The kitchen workers go in and out that way all the time, to a store I think, or to nip out for a smoke. Out best chance is to get out through it. The house is full of people and I don’t know the layout, so the kitchen it will have to be. Stay close behind me and don’t talk.”
Jodie grabbed a bottle of wine from a rack to use as a weapon, if necessary, hoping it was a rare vintage. Then the two women crept up the stairs. Jodie paused when they reached the top of them, pushed the door cautiously open an inch, and peered through the crack, half expecting to be met with the barrel of a gun or a meaty fist. When she wasn’t, she felt emboldened. She had no idea how long she’d been wandering around in the cellar. It seemed like forever but was probably no more than ten minutes. Hopefully she hadn’t been missed yet.
She was about to step out when she saw a sight that made her blood run cold. Vasin was prowling around the kitchen like a man who was looking for something. Or someone. Jodie didn’t kid herself. She recalled his expression of cold mistrust and knew he had to be looking for her. It could only be a matter of time before he checked on Gloria. They had to get out before he did so or they’d be sitting ducks.
