by K. M. Hodge
“Wow.” His gaze raked over her. “You look more beautiful than I remember.” He reached for her hand and guided her to the messy bed.
Her hair fell in front of her face and he tucked the loose strands behind her ears. “Bluest eyes....” His lips grazed against hers and she stopped breathing. A wide smile broke out across his face. “This is so surreal.”
“Kiss me,” she said as she breathed again.
Her words moved him to action. His full lips obeyed her command and his hands rose from his sides to touch her bare skin. All her fears washed away in the rising tide of their passions.
***
Sally tip-toed across the messy apartment to the bathroom. She surveyed the room and tried not to touch anything. Clothes, including a red thong and a matching lacy bra, littered the floor. Above the toilet lay a half-empty wholesale box of condoms. Sally picked up the prescription bottle on the sink—anti-anxiety meds. She placed them back where she found them and quickly used the bathroom. When she finished, she made her way back into bed with Alex. Just a few more minutes, she told herself.
Alex opened his arms and welcomed her into his embrace.
“You're quiet.” He sounded almost as unsure as she felt. “I don’t remember you being this quiet.”
She tightened her hold on his midsection and nestled her head against his chest where a puckered scar marred his pectoral. It looked like a bullet scar. She didn’t want to know who had shot him or who’d left their underwear on his bathroom floor. She glanced at his clock. Midnight. “Shit. I have to go.” She sat up in bed and turned her back to him.
He touched her skin and she knew at once what he was looking at. “Sally—”
“It’s nothing.”
“Like hell it's nothing.” His voice rose and he inched over to her, pulling her closer. “It looks like someone put a cigarette out on you.”
Sally turned her head and met his angry gaze head on. “He did.”
Alex’s brows lowered and his jaw clenched and unclenched. “He? Your husband?”
“Yes.” Sally got up from the bed and grabbed her pants to slip them on. “My husband.”
Alex threw off the sheets and stalked over to where their clothes lay in a heap. Alex grabbed hold of one of her arms. “Is that why you’re in such a hurry to leave?”
“No. He's on a fishing trip.”
Alex’s features softened a little and he stroked her cheek “Then stay.”
“I’ve got to go.” She tugged herself free from his grasp.
“Can’t you just stay a little while longer?” He slipped on a pair of black boxers. “Please. Don’t go.”
Sally looked up at him as she lifted her sweater up and over her head. The wool fabric shimmied down her bare torso. Where did my bra go? She would have to go without it. She was already so late for the sitter. People would talk. She would need to find Jude so they could be seen going home together. “I have to. The sitter’s waiting.”
This stopped Alex in his tracks. “You have a kid?”
“Yes, a son.”
Alex staggered backwards into the beat-up wooden chair in his tiny kitchenette. “How old is he?”
Without thinking, Sally replied, “Five.”
Alex’s gaze widened. “Sally—”
“He’s not yours, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“We never used any protection back then.” His face paled and his breath quickened.
“I got pregnant after you left.” She hoped he would believe that her son wasn’t his. She would need to hack into her son’s records and change the date of his birth. “He’s not yours.”
Alex slumped forward. “Can I see you again?”
Sally shrugged on her coat and slipped back into her shoes. She didn’t have an answer for him. A part of her shouted yes while the rest of her shouted to run from the apartment and never look back. This man could ruin her in so many ways. Her feelings for him alone could drown her. If her old man ever caught wind of Alex being back.... Well, she wasn’t so sure she would survive his rage this time. More than once he’d threatened to take the boy away from her. So, for her son’s sake, she shook her head no. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
Alex’s face fell, wounding her further. “Is there any hope that you’ll change your mind?”
Sally turned and ran out the door, leaving his question unanswered. She didn’t trust herself to stay a minute longer, without promising to love him forever or begging him to help her raise their son together like some big happy family. She was a block away when she realized she’d forgotten her phone there. She hailed a cab and went straight to the MDNA.
***
MDNA Headquarters
Unknown Location
November 23, 2005
1:00 AM
~~~
“Well, hey there, dirty girl.” Jude tugged her coat so she fell into the seat beside him. “Sooo…?”
Sally spun the chair and activated one of the computers. Did it not go well? He thought for sure he’d made the right choice when he saw them walk off together after the show. Now, he wasn’t so sure.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He watched as Sally hacked her way into the birth and death records for the county. It was something he’d recently taught her. There on the screen was Zane’s birth certificate.
“Sal, what are you up to with this?”
“Covering my ass, because odds are, he’s going to check. He’ll want to confirm if the boy is his, even though I said he wasn't.”
Jude yanked the chair so she faced him. “Why are you hiding him from his father?”
“Because I can't risk it.”
“Risk what?”
Tears began to fall down Sally’s cheeks and the anger that had tightened his chest began to give way. He pulled her into his lap and held her while she cried.
“He’ll want to be a part of his life. He's that kind of a guy. And, Billy, everyone…” Sally swallowed hard. “Despite all the talk, everyone thinks he’s Billy’s boy.” Jude tucked her hair behind her ears. “He’s threatened more than once to take Zane away to hurt me. He’s got the weight of the mob behind him.” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “It's not hurting anyone if I lie to Alex.”
Jude took a slow, deep breath. “It hurts everyone, Sal. Just in a different way.”
***
Unknown Building
Ocean City, Maryland
November 23, 2005
Noon
~~~
Billy stood waiting outside the big boss’s office. The man liked to make people sweat it out before meeting with him, but Billy didn’t let it get to him. His boss worked with the men from Virginia and ran the day-to-day operations of the business. Billy had only met him once, but he remembered the man as big and powerful—someone to admire.
The outer door of the office opened and a young woman with blonde hair and a pin-up girl’s body stepped aside to let him in. “He’ll see you now.”
Billy couldn’t wait to be the man in charge with hot girls at his beck and call, instead of having to pay for it like he did now. He followed the chick and tried very hard not to grab her swaying hips. The golden street rule—never take a sample of the product—kept him in check.
Cherry wood lined the windows and walls of the room. A few shelves held some books and antique looking weapons. The books made him anxious. He couldn’t read worth shit, but that normally hadn’t mattered in his line of work.
“Take a seat, Billy.” The boss man pointed at the leather chair on the other side of his desk.
“Sure thing, boss.” Billy sat down in the leather seat, which seemed to swallow him up, making him feel even smaller. “What did you need to see me about?”
“I hear you’ve started freelancing.”
Billy froze. His mouth went dry and his palms got cold and clammy.
His boss continued. “I think you know the policy on taking outside work.”
Billy wet his lips and nodded
. “Yes, sir. I do.”
“Good. Then you’ll cease and desist all outside contract jobs immediately and not take on any more. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.” He clutched his hands together to keep them from shaking.
“Good. Since you seem to be itching for more work, I have a special job for you out of town.”
“Thank you, sir,” he said. “I won’t let you down.”
“Natalie will fill you in on it.”
Billy sat in the chair, too afraid to move.
“You’re dismissed to go back to DC.” The boss waved at him like he was shooing a fly. “That means you can go now.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” Billy scrambled to his feet.
The hot secretary stood waiting for him in the outer office with a manila envelope. She handed it to Billy and his skin prickled. He’d have to have one of his men read it.
“Thanks,” he said, eyeing the girl one last time.
I’ll show them. I’m not just some idiot mechanic.
***
Alex’s Studio Apartment
Washington, DC
November 23, 2005
Noon
~~~
Alex pulled out another cigarette and lit it. He sucked in the sweet tobacco, then let the smoke leak out the side of his mouth. His head pounded as his anxiety worsened. Sally. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. He wanted to trust her that the kid wasn’t his, but he needed to know for sure. So, that morning at work he’d snuck on-line and looked up the kid’s birth certificate. Not his. Another blow to his wounded heart. He called the service, ordered lunch, and headed home to wait for the girl.
He paced back and forth across his dump of a studio apartment while he waited. When the doorbell rang, he scrambled to answer it.
“Took you long enough,” he said as he pulled the leggy blonde inside.
“Sorry I’m late, there was an accident—”
Alex opened his wallet, took out a handful of twenties and tossed them on the table beside the woman. “I don’t care.”
The woman stripped out of her dress, letting it pool at her feet.
“That’ll get you two hours.”
“Perfect. You’re my lunch today.”
Alex stripped out of his clothes and led her over to the bed. He knew he should worry about his current state, but he couldn’t. Right now, he simply needed an itch scratched and this blonde would be just the fix he needed. Then maybe he could go back to work and focus on the job instead of on the unattainable blue-eyed blonde from Maryland.
***
La Rue
Salisbury, Maryland
November 23, 2005
8:00 PM
~~~
Sally zoned in and out as Michael droned on and on about his work. She tried to guide the conversation in the hopes of getting some useful information from him regarding the work and his clients, but he kept droning on and on about some new finance law, nothing helpful for her investigation. She nodded and smiled in all the right places, but for the life of her she couldn’t stay focused. Coffee, she needed coffee. And not that fancy French crap either. Just a plain old cup of Joe.
“Are you ready to order?” the waiter asked.
Sally looked up at the young man and blinked—still caught in the web of her daydream about coffee and the naked man responsible for her being so tired in the first place.
“Madam?” The man smiled down at her.
Sally’s face exploded with heat as she looked down at the menu in front of her. “Um—”
Michael took the menu from her and smiled. “We’ll have the Pissaladières to start. Then the lady will have Coq au Vin and I will have the Moules Marinières.”
The waiter smiled. “Wonderful selection, Monsieur. Might I recommend pairing your dinner with our 1990 Muscat Blanc?”
“Bring us a bottle to start,” Michael said as he laid his napkin on his lap.
Sally did the same, and tried in vain to shake all thoughts of Alex away as their waiter scurried off in the direction of the bustling kitchen. She didn’t know how she felt about Michael ordering for her, but she let it go—for now.
Michael stared at her like he was waiting for her to jump at his command. “So tell me a little bit about yourself.”
Sally slid her feet out of her shoes and rotated her ankles. She let the silence fall between them just long enough for Michael’s smile to crumble a little bit. Then she slipped her feet back into her shoes. “There’s nothing really to tell. I live a rather boring life.”
He leaned towards her. “You, my dear, are anything but boring.”
Sally forced herself to smile at his comment. The room suddenly felt crowded. She needed a moment to get herself back in the game, before she blew it.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Sally said as she stood. “I’m going to go powder my nose, as they say.”
Michael stood as she walked away from the table, just like the men in the old movies used to. She could feel the weight of his gaze following her every move. As she slipped into the bathroom, her shoulders dropped. She leaned against the bathroom wall and breathed for a minute with her eyes closed. When she opened them, a stout woman in uniform stood by the sink, staring at her. Sally gave her a weak smile.
“Hi.”
“Miss.”
Sally glanced away from the attendant and checked her reflection in the mirror, but didn’t recognize the woman staring back at her. Jude had surprised her with the red dress—a thrift store find—and his sister had spent a good hour putting make-up on her. She looked like a high-priced hooker—the kind that sat at the end of bars in fancy hotels.
She went into one of the empty stalls and sat down on the toilet—giving herself a moment without the attendant staring her down. Her silver watch tick-tocked loudly, reminding her she needed to get back out there. She flushed the toilet, and then washed her hands.
When she returned to their table, their wine and appetizer had arrived. Michael’s pinched face made her stomach flip-flop.
“I thought maybe you snuck out the bathroom window,” he said, as he stared down at his food.
“That only happens in movies,” she said.
A small smile cracked at the corners of his mouth and his shoulders seemed to relax a little.
“Besides,” she continued, “there weren’t any windows. So you’re stuck with me for the rest of the evening.”
“I promise not to bore you anymore with work talk.”
Sally let out an exaggerated sigh. “Phew, what a relief.” Michael stiffened a little and looked up at her. She smiled and he relaxed again. “You’re not used to being teased, huh?”
He turned a little red and choked on a laugh. “No, I guess not.”
“Loosen up a little. Life is entirely too short to be that serious.”
His smile widened and his foot brushed against hers under the table. She took a drink of her wine—a big one—and slid her foot out of her shoe. She brushed it up Michael’s pant leg and his smile deepened.
“I grew up in a small town in Maryland. I couldn’t afford college, so I went to work at the local grocer and I’ve been there ever since.”
“Never married?”
Sally paused for a beat. “No.”
“I find that hard to believe. You’re very beautiful, smart, and incredibly sexy.”
“Maybe I just haven’t found the right man yet,” she said. “What about you? Have you ever been married?”
Michael looked away and his smile faded. “Yes, once.” He took a drink of his wine and set it back down in front of him. “She passed away from cancer a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s fine.”
“Did you have children?”
Michael shook his head. “What about you? No kids?”
“No, no kids.”
Sally’s chest tightened, but she let out a slow breath and relaxed again. His studied gaze made her nervous. It was his job to read peopl
e—to suss out the truth and expose the liars.
Michael reached across the table for her hand and she let him take it. “You look very beautiful tonight. It’s taking everything for me not to ask for a check and whisk you off to my place.”
“It’s only been two dates.”
Michael tightened his grip on her hand, but smiled with a confidence that worried her. Her girl of mystery appeal would get stale sooner rather than later and “no” would no longer be on the menu of available answers.
The waiter brought them their dinner and they fell into an easy conversation of banalities. The food tasted amazing and she found herself enjoying the man’s company. It surprised her that he genuinely seemed to want to know what she thought about things—a first for her. After dinner, he helped her from her seat and hooked his arm with hers. They walked out into the chilly night arm-in-arm, and into the shadows of the building.
Sally shivered and he brushed his hands up and down her arms to warm her up. “I can’t believe I forgot my coat.”
“I can think of way to keep you warm.” He kissed her softly on the lips but then pulled away. “Sure I can’t tempt you to coffee at my place?”
Sally smiled and looked away. “Not tonight, but I would like to see you again.”
Michael kissed her again, but more insistent this time, like he didn’t care if she enjoyed it or not. He tasted of garlic and wine. He stepped back with her until he’d pressed her against the restaurant wall. When he finally broke the kiss, she gasped for air. A frightening smile snaked across his face and, for the first time that night, she saw the killer in him. The man who wouldn’t think twice about taking her against her will right then and there for all the world to see or, worse yet, having her killed.
She smiled back at him, as best she could, but an unmistakable tremble rolled through her body, which made his smile widen like a Cheshire cat’s.
A moment passed and Michael stepped away. He took her by the arm and aimed them towards the curb. For a second, she wondered if he would make her come to his place. “Let me catch you a ride.”
Sally let out a sigh of relief as he hailed down the cab. He opened the car door and helped her inside. To her surprise, he tossed a handful of bills at the driver and then turned to her. “Goodnight, Sally.”
