Allegra's Shadow

by Dana Sanders Hill

  He had to tell her. She had to know….

  When he spoke, his voice was gruff and shaky. “Mariah, I can’t get enough of you. I can’t –” His thoughts fragmented as he let out a roar and soared to an awesome, shuddering ecstasy.

  Their bodies still moist from lovemaking, Mariah buried her face against Anthony’s throat while her trembling limbs clung to him. After the firestorm subsided, she could feel his uneven breathing on her cheek as he held her close with one arm. The fingers of his other hand glided up her spine until they reached the nape of her neck, then delved into her thick hair and cupped the back of her head. They held each other for a few minutes.

  Mariah pulled back and sighed in pleasant exhaustion. A deep feeling of awe and peace entered her being. Though what she and Anthony shared over the past few weeks was beyond physical, the emotional floodgates burst open for both of them tonight.

  Mariah, I can’t get enough of you. I can’t….

  And the sound that erupted from him…so primal, with a force that could’ve blown the doors off their hinges.

  She gloried in that moment. As a lover, Anthony was fierce, tender, and considerate, but he never exposed that degree of vulnerability to her before, and it humbled her.

  She relaxed her arms around Anthony’s neck as she perused his face, feature by feature, while his eyes took her in and his nostrils flared as if she were a breath of fresh air he needed to inhale. Mariah’s left hand swept from the back of his neck to his damp forehead. Her fingertips danced over his brows and skimmed down his nose, tracing the his childhood scars.

  When her forefinger brushed his firm lips, his mouth opened, sucking it into his warmth, his tongue swirling from the base to the tip before he released it. Mariah quivered. She laid her palm against his cheek and he leaned into it, his lids lowering.

  “You need to hold me down more often,” he said. A trace of humor colored his voice and his eyes came up to study her. With light fingers, he curled the damp tendrils of her hair behind her ears.

  Mariah regarded him with amused wonder. “Only if doing so will make you roar like King Kong. I’m surprised the walls didn’t cave in, with all the noise you made.”

  “Mmm hmm.” Anthony’s hands skimmed down to her backside and he grinned back with no trace of embarrassment.

  “I’m sure some people staying on this floor will give us funny looks tomorrow.”

  “No doubt.” He palmed Mariah’s cheeks, kneading the luscious flesh. “Especially since you probably put a hole in the wall.”

  Mariah ignored that, even if he was probably right. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone called the hotel staff or 9-1-1 to make sure everything was okay.”

  “Want to see if we can make that happen?” he suggested, a devilish glint in his eye.

  Mariah gave him a glance of utter disbelief and before she could answer, he lifted her off his lap and headed to the bathroom.

  #

  Still fuming about the mystery woman who got away, Diablo sat in worn recliner with a beer in one hand as he watched late night TV. He tried to get answers from the bartender she spoke to–her name was Stacy–but Stacy only said that the woman was interested in Divine, not him.

  Strangely enough, he believed her.

  A knock on his door broke his thoughts and made Diablo jump out of the recliner.

  #

  After Anthony and Mariah made love twice, Mariah fell asleep, her body curved into his. Anthony stared at the TV, his mind racing. He had to be honest with himself. He’d insisted on the trip, not only for her benefit, but for his. Mariah was in a rush to return home, and this mini-vacation delayed that.

  Anthony caressed her arm and dropped a kiss on her forehead. He had an indefinable feeling of rightness with Mariah and he wanted her in his life. The problem was getting her to see that they’d be good together.

  Anthony pushed the concern aside for now. He’d worry about that when the time came.

  The next morning while Mariah brushed her teeth, Anthony knocked on the bathroom door. She opened it with wide eyes, wearing only her panties and toothpaste foam on her lips. The faucet was on, a thin stream of water running down the drain. Mariah hit the “Off” button on her battery-powered toothbrush. “What?” she asked, but the word was garbled.

  Anthony held up his cell. “Just got a call from the private eye. When we found out that Diablo was the one who followed you, I had him do some digging.”

  “And?” Mariah eyes enlarged.

  “He went by Golden Fingers to see if he could get a glimpse of Diablo and his car. He did, and ran the license plate. His name is Delroy ‘Diablo’ Cruz.”

  “Is he sure Diablo’s the right guy?”

  Anthony nodded twice. “He matches the bartender’s description, right down to the droopy eyelid. But you don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

  Mariah leaned over the sink, rinsed her mouth and toothbrush, and then turned off the faucet. “So he’s being questioned?” She returned the toothbrush to its charger.

  “No. According to the private eye, the local paper reported that he’s dead.”

  Chapter 12

  Mariah was able to control her gasp. “Dead? How?”

  “Shot to the chest. When Diablo didn’t show up for work, his cousin went by his apartment and found his body.”

  With the threat of Diablo gone, Mariah was finally able to relax, and the next several days were the most fun she’d had in years. She and Anthony attended a Mystery Dinner, enjoyed the hotel’s indoor/outdoor pool, played miniature golf, and visited Busch Gardens twice (at her insistence).

  “I’m so glad he convinced ya to go,” Gran D said over the phone the night before they were set to leave.

  Mariah’s smile broadened in approval. “It’s been great. I needed a vacation.”

  “I told you so,” Anthony bragged from the bathroom.

  #

  As Anthony drove down I-64 toward Richmond, Mariah felt a certain sadness that their vacation was ending. When Anthony told her they were going out of town, she vehemently rejected the idea. Now, she was glad he didn’t give up. Sometimes he knew what was best for her more than she did, and she appreciated him for that.

  But in the back of her mind, she knew the good times couldn’t last. She had to finish Allegra’s business and go home. A part of her wanted to take that final step toward Anthony, but she was still gun-shy. She knew he cared about her, but was he in love with her? No, she doubted it. Men fell in love with women like Allegra. Besides, she’d been in a one-sided relationship before, and she couldn’t do it again. So, as much as she loved Anthony, she couldn’t give up her life in Hackensack for him, and she didn’t expect him to leave Raleigh for her.

  #

  A few nights later, Mariah accepted Thomasina’s dinner invitation. Anthony promised to pick her up at Allegra’s after and take her back to his place. It had rained over the past three days, and the more substantial showers usually fell in the evening. By the time the two women returned to Allegra’s, the trees swayed and warm drops of water began to fall. The duo got out of the car, trying to cover their hair with doggie bags. As they walked up to the house, passing by Mariah’s car, a figure came rushing up behind them.

  #

  While Mariah was gone, Anthony went home to walk Ming. The meteorologist forecasted a heavy storm later this evening, so Anthony wanted to get some things done before the weather became too dangerous and unpleasant.

  He was going to propose to Mariah tonight, and he had to pick up her ring before the jewelry store closed.

  He couldn’t wait anymore. He loved her spirit, her shyness, her sense of humor. He wouldn’t be a perfect husband, but he was the right one for her, and she had to know that he would protect her with his life.

  #

  “Mariah, look out.”

  Her purse went one way and her doggie bag another. Mariah instinctively put her hands out to stop her inevitable fall from causing worse damage. She landed on both hands
and one knee with a painful thud. Before Mariah could roll over, someone pounced on her. She felt stinging slaps and scratches at her back and neck.

  Right then, the sky seemed to mimic what was happening on the ground. Within seconds, light rain became heavy, violent. It pounded Mariah like pellets.

  Mariah reared up, driving her elbow into the person’s solar plexus. A gasp in pain…a weakened grip. Before the attacker could recover, Thomasina shoved the assailant to the ground and sat on the person while they were face down on the driveway pavement.

  Mariah pushed herself to her feet and limped to her purse, which flew several feet away in the struggle. She pulled out her cell and dialed for help.

  “Let me go.” Mariah’s attacker started ranting and struggling against Thomasina’s greater strength and weight, but to no avail. “Sneaking onto your property and throwing a rock through your window wasn’t enough to keep you away from my husband, you slut.”

  Rainwater flattened Mariah’s hair to her head, streamed down her face and clung to her eyelashes. She bent down and stabbed Cheryl Chisholm with a hostile glare. “I never slept with your husband, and my sister’s been dead for weeks. Ask Leland. He put a flower on her grave.”

  Cheryl’s halted, her mouth slack with disbelief. Then, she exploded. “Liar.”

  While they waited for the cops and Thomasina held Cheryl down, Mariah ran into the house and returned with a large umbrella that shielded herself and Thomasina.

  By the time the police arrived, Cheryl Chisholm admitted that sat in front of Allegra’s for a few hours a night over the past two days, waiting to catch Mariah.

  Mariah might have known this if she hadn’t been with Anthony, and if Beth were around–she would’ve recognized Cheryl’s car–but the woman went out of town over a week ago.

  She’d had enough of Allegra’s drama, Mariah decided fervently as she watched the officer handcuff Cheryl Chisholm, put her in the back of the police car and drive away. The sight of this rich woman — dark hair plastered to her head, wet dirt covering her expensive, sleeveless dress and Manolos, mascara running down her cheeks in black rivulets, and hate-filled words dripping from her lips — solidified Mariah’s decision.

  Forget the rest of Allegra’s belongings. She was going home. She had Allegra’s important documents, the photo album and other keepsakes. The rest of the furniture would be sold with the house.

  “Can I use the bathroom?” Thomasina asked when they entered the house, rain water pooling on the porcelain floor. She looked down at her wet, dirty pants.

  “Sure,” Mariah replied, distracted as she folded up the umbrella and put it in the stand by the door. Streams of water flowed to the floor, spreading out into a small puddle. Her teal blue cami, jeans and sneakers were soaked and splattered with dirt. Her hair was a lost cause.

  “There’s a towel hanging on the rack.” Her knee throbbed and she limped upstairs to dry off and clean up her scratches while Thomasina used the half bathroom on the first floor. As she inspected herself in the mirror, Mariah was thankful Cheryl hadn’t scratched up her face or clawed out an eye, but she did have some abrasions on the back of her neck and arms.

  When she came back downstairs, somewhat drier and less dirty, Thomasina was still in the bathroom.

  “Thanks for tonight,” she called out.

  “No problem. She was crazy.” The toilet flushed and then water ran in the sink.

  Mariah walked toward the living room and Thomasina joined her a few moments later. “Are you going to tell Anthony?”

  Mariah shook her head. “Not tonight. There’s no sense in worrying him.”

  “Why was she after you?”

  “Because Allegra was sleeping with her husband, and since I’m here, she thought I was, too.”

  Thomasina’s eyes bulged. “What? How’d you find out?”

  “Allegra’s next-door-neighbor happened to see Cheryl arguing with her a few weeks before she died. Beth was able to get the license plate. I gave it to Anthony and he passed it on to a private eye.” Recalling how Cheryl confessed to picking a rock from the trail and creeping onto the property to hurl it through the window nearly gave Mariah a headache.

  “How awful.”

  Mariah nodded sadly. She changed the subject. “Anthony told me about Thomas’s marriage proposal.”

  “I wasn’t surprised that Allegra turned him down,” Thomasina admitted. “They were too much alike, and the marriage would’ve failed. He just couldn’t see that. Then when she died…he couldn’t handle it.” She shook her head. “Her death made me realize how lonely I’ve been, so I finally got up the nerve and adopted a kitten.”

  Despite what had happened tonight, Mariah felt a slight smile tug at the corner of her lips. “When?” She sat down on the couch. Thomasina followed.

  “Last week. That’s why I haven’t called or stopped by.”

  “What breed?’

  “A domestic shorthair from the shelter.” Thomasina strolled forward and pulled out a red phone from her purse that sat on the coffee table. “Pets were a no-no when I was a kid and I felt bad when my mother got rid of Anthony’s dog.” She passed the cell to Mariah.

  Mariah took it and her mouth curved in an automatic smile. On Thomasina’s wallpaper was a small face with orange and white markings and bright green eyes. “So cute.” She handed the phone back.

  Thomasina returned the phone to her purse. “Mariah, what really happened that day I came by? I don’t think it was a just a random scrape.”

  Mariah’s smile wavered a little. “Anyone ever tell you you’re psychic?”

  Thomasina was about to answer when a whooshing sound made them bolt from the couch and jump out of their skin.

  “What was that?” Thomasina’s voice quivered her eyes wide.

  Mariah’s expression mirrored Thomasina’s. “I don’t know.” She got up and ran to the window by the door, briefly flicking on the outside light. “No wonder,” she replied, relief evident in her voice as the two women returned to the couch. “It’s the wind. It’s really picking up outside.” Rain slashed against the windows, the sky was nearly black and the trees swayed heavily now.

  Thomasina closed her eyes for a moment. “Oh.”

  Mariah swallowed and said, “Now…about you being psychic.”

  The other woman shook her head with humor. “I’m not. I just watch people. I can tell that you’re in love with Anthony.”

  There was a trace of laughter in Mariah’s voice. “Is it that obvious?”

  Thomasina didn’t answer. She reached out and placed her hand on Mariah’s forearm. The scratches from Mariah’s first encounter with Cheryl Chisholm had faded somewhat, but they were still visible. “What happened?”

  Mariah let out a deep breath. “Let’s just say tonight’s not the first time that woman and I met. Now back to the kitty. What’s her name?”

  “Pooh Bear,” Thomasina answered.

  “Pooh Bear,” Mariah repeated. But something tickled the back of her mind, and when she realized its source, horror spread across her face. “Oh, God,” she whispered with fearful clarity as the other woman’s eyes turned malevolent and her fingers dug into Mariah’s soft, already injured flesh. “Call Anthony. Tell him not to pick you up tonight.”

  #

  As Anthony turned onto Allegra’s street, his cell phone rang. He answered it, even though he wasn’t supposed to while driving. “Hey.”

  “Um, I-I’m not feeling well right now. I’m going to stay here tonight. Can you come by tomorrow?”

  His brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

  “Just a stomachache,” she insisted. “I ate too much.”

  “But your clothes are at my place.” A niggling feeling churned in Anthony’s gut. “Mariah –”

  “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow,” she promised, “by making you dinner. How about some salmon and asparagus?”

  The question hit Anthony like a sledgehammer. Mariah hated asparagus.

  In a split s
econd, his instincts turned into full-blown dread…

  #

  Carefully, Mariah hung up the phone. Thomasina snatched it from her and tossed it onto the couch. She began to shake as the fearful images built in her mind. “What’s going on, Thomasina?”

  She cried out as Thomasina’s hand gripped her already-injured wrist in a vice, one much stronger than Cheryl’s had been. Her lips trembled.

  “I’d always admired Allegra. She was so confident and beautiful. I often wondered what it was like to be her, to have people stop and stare, hang on her every word, to have men fight to be with her. I’m thirty-seven years old and I’m still a virgin, did you know that?” She let out a harsh breath. “People don’t notice me, or even know I exist.”

  “Anthony cares about you.”

  “He doesn’t matter. He never mattered. But Allegra did. She took me under her wing a few months ago, and I thought things were going well.” Her mouth contorted. “Then she backed off; she dumped me a week before she went to Nassau.”

  Mariah remained silent.

  “Obviously, Allegra didn’t say anything to Ms. Della, or she would have never told me that Allegra came home early from her trip. Something told me to visit Allegra that night, so I listened. She’d just finished some Thai food. I could smell it. I asked to come in and talk and she let me.” Thomasina’s chest heaved. “But I could tell by the way she didn’t turn on the alarm that she wasn’t going to let me stay. When I asked Allegra why she shut me out, she said she felt that I was smothering her. In the beginning she showed me how to shop for clothes and makeup, some things I still haven’t worn.”

  Mariah swallowed. “Why did she feel smothered?”

  “I wanted to be like her…and the more time we spent together, the more I found myself thinking about her all the time. She said I called her too much during the day. Then there were a couple times when we went out… I asked her what she was going to wear and then I showed up at her door…wearing the same outfit.” Thomasina shrugged. “I meant no harm. They say imitation’s the highest form of flattery.”