by Susan Lewis
Minutes later Rhiannon’s eyes closed as Galina eased her head beneath the water again to wash away the soap. Holding her breath, Rhiannon waited for Galina to finish, feeling the long tangled strands of her hair winding around Galina’s fingers. It was a while before she sensed Galina’s hand on her face, holding her beneath the surface. A quick fear bit into her chest. She attempted to lift her herself up and felt Galina resist. She spun her head to one side, then took in air as Galina’s hand fell away.
‘Do you remember those stories I used to tell about my grandmother?’ Galina asked as she settled Rhiannon back against her knees and began to soap her hair again.
Rhiannon’s eyes were wide as she stared at the shower and wondered if she had imagined the pressure of Galina’s hand.
‘Yes,’ she answered vaguely. ‘Yes, I remember.’
Galina smiled. ‘Gosh, it all seems such a long time ago now, doesn’t it?’ she said, her hands massaging Rhiannon’s head in small circular movements. Then she was gently drawing her back under the water.
Rhiannon wanted to resist, but for some reason she couldn’t. There was nothing to be afraid of, she was telling herself. Galina didn’t mean her any harm. This was just the way it used to be at school, Galina washing her hair, then her washing Galina’s. There had never been anything sexual in it, nor menacing. So why was she afraid now?
The water closed over her face and Rhiannon’s heart contracted as Galina’s hands circled her throat. Trying not to panic, Rhiannon pulled herself up, but her hair was trapped beneath Galina’s leg. Her eyes flew open, but she could see nothing in the milky translucence of the water. Then Galina’s hands seemed to float away, leaving her free to rise.
‘Me now,’ Galina said, passing Rhiannon the shampoo.
Turning to face her, Rhiannon took the shampoo and watched Galina’s eyes move over her breasts.
‘Did he touch them?’ Galina whispered.
Rhiannon’s heart stood still.
Galina smiled. ‘Of course he did,’ she said and turning around she arched her back until her head was in the water.
‘I know you don’t want to talk about Max,’ she said as she sat up again and Rhiannon poured shampoo on to her hair, ‘so I will say only this: for your own sake, don’t let him touch you again. If you do, then please believe me, Rhiannon, you won’t be the only one who will regret it.’
Rhiannon was silent. There was nothing she could say, especially when she had no idea whether what she had just heard was a straightforward threat or a genuine warning. She looked up as the telephone started to ring and unhooking the receiver on the wall beside her Galina answered it.
‘No, this isn’t Rhiannon,’ she said, turning in the water so she could see Rhiannon’s face, ‘but she’s right here, I’ll pass you over.’
Rhiannon looked at her and knew instinctively that this wasn’t a call she was going to welcome.
‘It’s Susan Posner returning your call,’ Galina smiled.
Max’s eyes were on Ula as she closed the study door behind her and crossed the room to join them. Ramon was there, having just flown in from Memphis, so too were Maurice and Ellis. White sunlight was filtering through the blinds, spilling over the island of desks where, for the moment, their computer terminals lay idle. Outside, the gardeners were strimming the lawns while the pool man dragged his nets through the crystalline water.
Though Max was still watching her as she sat on a sofa Ula could tell that his thoughts were elsewhere. A full day and night had passed since he’d slept with Rhiannon, a time during which Galina had returned from Chicago and the charges of insider trading had been dropped. What Max thought of any of it was known only to him, for he’d spoken to no one with, Ula thought, the possible exception of Galina. And how Galina was reacting to the fact that he’d spent the night with her best friend only days before their wedding was something Ula had yet to find out. Just as the press had yet to learn exactly whom Max had paid off this time to get the charges against him dropped.
Ula’s eyes came to rest on Maurice who was sitting in a club chair, an ankle resting on one knee as he sipped his coffee. He was watching Ellis jotting down a number he was being given by someone at the other end of the phone.
When Ellis had finished Max glanced at Ramon.
Ramon started to speak. Ula watched him, as entranced by his accent as she was by what he was saying.
‘With regard to the murder of the photographer,’ he began, ‘the Memphis police are looking for a smartly dressed man in his early forties. They have no particular leads, but it is their belief that the man is not from Memphis.’
‘I thought they were following some kind of gangland theory,’ Ula said.
‘They are,’ Ramon confirmed. ‘Which doesn’t rule out the smartly dressed man.’
‘Do they have any idea at this stage why the photographer might have been killed?’ Maurice said.
‘If you are asking do they know anything about the photographs of Galina, then the answer is no, they do not,’ Ramon answered frankly.
Max’s eyes moved to the window and remained there as Ula said, ‘And what about your own enquiries, Ramon? Did you find out anything new?’
‘At this stage all I can say is that should it ever get out that there were any photographs of Galina, Max will become an immediate suspect in the murder.’
All eyes went to Max as he said, ‘Is there any evidence to say that I was in Memphis that day?’
‘Not that anyone has located so far,’ Ramon said. ‘But you were in Memphis that day, so the evidence is there to be found, should anyone decide to go looking.’
‘Is anyone likely to do that?’ Ellis asked.
‘Anything is possible,’ Ramon answered.
‘So the bottom line’, Ula said, ‘is that you haven’t managed to find out who did kill the photographer?’
Ramon’s eyes went to Max. ‘No,’ he said.
A short silence followed, then Maurice said, ‘But if we do manage to find out who killed the guy then presumably we’re going to find out who’s giving Galina her cover.’
Ramon looked at him long and hard. ‘That is my belief, yes,’ he responded. Then returning his gaze to Max he said, ‘I have seen the photographs, the beatings are becoming more brutal.’
They all looked up as Max got to his feet and walked to the window. ‘I presume’, he said when finally he turned round, ‘that without a lead to whoever killed the photographer the chances of a connection being made to Galina are remote.’
Ramon nodded. ‘But reality has to be faced. If this man, whoever he is, wants to put you in the frame for murder, then there is every chance he will succeed. You were in Memphis at the time the crime was committed, it was your girlfriend who was photographed and beaten and at least one of the descriptions of our mystery man who was seen at the studio around the time of the killing fits you perfectly.’
Max smiled. ‘Of course,’ he said.
Ula watched him closely, aware that her heart was slowing as he continued.
‘And let’s not forget the attempted blackmail,’ he said. ‘Only hours after the man shows up at Southern Belle’s offices demanding a fortune he’s found shot through the head.’
‘Which means,’ Ramon said, ‘this is a very clever frame-up.’
‘Or’, Max responded, ‘that I did it.’
Ula looked at Maurice and Ellis whose faces were as pale as her own. Then returning her gaze to Max, she said, ‘Where is Galina now?’
‘At the apartment with Rhiannon,’ he answered. ‘They’re joining us here in the morning to fly down to Vegas.’
Considering the fact that Max’s and Rhiannon’s night together had been splashed all over the press, Ula was amazed that Galina could bring herself even to speak to Rhiannon now, never mind share an apartment with her. And the very idea that Rhiannon was still going to stand as Galina’s supporter would, at least to some, seem even more bizarre than Galina’s stunning choice of venue. But Ula was used to Galina
’s outrageous last-minute ideas, just as she was used to the way Max indulged them. The rest of the world would probably think he was crazy for going along with it, for anyone less likely to be found getting married in Vegas was hard to imagine. But Max only ever overruled Galina on things that mattered and to him, Ula knew, the location of where they got married couldn’t have mattered less.
Chapter 21
GALINA WAS IN infectiously high spirits as the Romanov company jet began to circle Las Vegas airport preparing to land. Having had no problem catching her excitement, the children were chattering incessantly while clambering from Max’s lap to Galina’s and even venturing elsewhere in the plane to make new friends. At least Aleks did, Marina seemed to prefer her daddy’s lap or quizzing Galina about anything from her favourite things to why she, Marina, couldn’t have her ears pierced. They were cute children, Rhiannon thought as she watched them, surprisingly unspoilt considering their father’s wealth, though like most kids she imagined they could be a handful at times. They had inherited Max’s dark colouring and Slavic looks, though Rhiannon guessed the blue eyes must have come from their mother.
Apart from Max’s inner circle, Rhiannon knew no one else on board, though she’d been introduced to them all before leaving LA. They were mainly, she’d gathered, Romanov’s most senior executives who’d flown in from various parts of the country to attend the wedding. There were also two of Conspiracy’s make-up artists, a couple of dressers and a hair stylist who had come along to assist Rhiannon and Galina. What any of them made of this last minute re-route to Vegas Rhiannon had no idea, but it was clear from the brief conversation they’d had during the flight that Maribeth Courtini, the head of Primaire’s operations on the West Coast, was as stunned by the sudden change in plan as Rhiannon. But the decision was Galina’s and if appearances were anything to go by Max was perfectly happy to go along with it.
Seeing him for the first time since they had spent the night together had been even more difficult than Rhiannon had expected. They’d met at the airport just before boarding the plane. All eyes had been on them, watching and waiting to see how they would respond to each other now, just two days after their betrayal of Galina had been publicly revealed. Rhiannon had taken her lead from Max, greeting him warmly but politely, as though they had never exchanged more than a formal hello in their lives. Her embarrassment had been excruciating as she’d wished herself anywhere in the world rather than where she was, and though the expression on his face told her nothing, she was sure he must feel the same way. There was a moment, just a fleeting second, when their eyes connected, but then he was letting go of her hand and turning away to greet more guests. Forcing herself to continue up the steps of the plane, Rhiannon had fallen in beside Ramon, taking his arm and smiling, while feeling herself breaking apart inside. How could he appear so cool and unmoved by what they had shared, when they both knew that it went far beyond the mere act of making love? But if that were true, why hadn’t he called her since? Why had he made no attempt to see her? Because, she reminded herself harshly, today he’s marrying someone else and you were just what the rest of the world thinks you were, a one-night stand that wasn’t as discreet as it should have been.
Glancing across to where he was sitting beside Galina now, Rhiannon’s heart turned over. He seemed so relaxed, so content with his life and amused by his children. And the way he was behaving towards Galina could leave no one in any doubt of how very much he loved her. But Rhiannon could feel herself fighting it, telling herself it was only an act. She wondered if Galina had told him about the call from Susan Posner. It would account for his coolness towards her, his refusal to look at her. But she had shaken Susan off, told her that she was going back to London much earlier than she’d expected so wouldn’t be free after all. Galina had heard her say that, but what had Galina told Max?
The temperature was over a hundred degrees as the wedding party descended the steps of the plane and walked the short distance to a fleet of limousines that was waiting to transport them to the hotel. Rhiannon travelled with Maribeth, Ramon, Ellis and Ula. She was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people moving about the streets. It was as if half of America with its vests, tattoos, quivering, sun-burned flesh, crew cuts and winner’s smiles, was oozing in and out of the towering, flashy hotels that rose like great vulgar phoenixes from the burning dust of the streets.
As the others talked and laughed, pointing out the vast Mississippi steamboat with its thousands of twinkling lights and hooting funnel, the Egyptian pyramid and sphinxes, the pirate ship where some kind of mutiny was currently being staged, Rhiannon could only wonder at what she was doing there. She gave no outward sign of her distress, but she desperately needed to speak to Lizzy, to try to get some kind of balance on the way she was feeling, for left alone with it like this she was driving herself insane.
But what could she say? Lizzy, I’ve fallen head over heels in love with Max Romanov. I’ve never in my life felt like this about a man before. I never even knew it was possible to feel this way. I only have to think about him and I’m wet. I only have to look at him and my heart feels as though it’s going to collapse under the sheer weight of emotion. Is this love, Lizzy? Or is it just lust? Please Lizzy tell me, make me understand what is happening to me.
‘Oh my, will you take a look at this?’ Maribeth laughed as their limousine swept into the driveway of the Mirage Hotel. ‘This must be the waterfall that erupts into a volcano at night,’ she said, as they all turned to look at the glistening lake in front of the hotel where a mountain of water was gushing over the edge of a cliff.
‘Are you serious?’ Ula cried. ‘A volcano? This I’ve got to see. Ellis, you’re sitting on my skirt,’ she complained, tugging it out from under him. ‘Did you remember to bring the ring, by the way?’
‘Ramon’s the best man,’ Ellis interrupted. ‘Ask him if he’s got the ring.’
‘Do you have the ring?’ Ula demanded.
Ramon’s eyes were brimming with laughter. ‘Max has the ring,’ he told her.
‘Oh God!’ Ula gasped, suddenly spinning round in her seat to look out of the rear window. ‘Did they remember to go to City Hall to get their licence? They were supposed to do it as soon as we arrived.’
‘Ula, shut up,’ Ellis grumbled, starting to climb out of the car as the chauffeur came back to open the door and a swarm of jockeys and porters descended.
As Rhiannon followed the others into the hotel foyer she felt her mouth fall open in amazement. She had never seen so many people in a hotel lobby, nor so many gaming machines in one place. There were thousands of them, row upon row of shiny, blinking, number-rolling, wheel-spinning slot-machines stretching as far as the eye could see, which had to be at least a quarter of a mile. And the noise! The hoot and whistle, bleeps and sirens and constant cascade of tumbling coins was like an endless musical score playing backwards on a fairground organ. More amazing still was the vast aquarium of sharks that was set to one side of reception and the tropical forest of imported and plastic palms that lined the route to the elevators, passing through the heart of the gaming area with all its bars and restaurants, change booths and raffle prizes and where batallions of new and seasoned gamblers were trying their luck at anything from roulette to craps to common-or-garden bingo. As they walked through, Rhiannon noticed signposts directing them to the white tigers, the dolphins or the boxing arena where a heavyweight, all-star match was taking place that very night. It seemed that there was nothing this hotel couldn’t cater for.
They were whisked straight up to the penthouse floor where an exclusive check-in service was laid on for VIP guests. Ula dealt with it, while Rhiannon was shown to a suite which compared easily in size with the entire cul-de-sac she’d grown up in. She was given a welcome glass of champagne to sip while the room attendant demonstrated how the room responded to various switches and buttons.
Apart from the gimmickry, the suite was tastefully furnished with French-style antiques and marble floors
. The vast double bed was draped in pale brocade and the ceiling above was mirrored. Smiling to herself, Rhiannon was on the point of entering the bathroom when the main door opened and Galina came bounding in with her entourage of make-up artists, dressers and hair stylist.
‘Hi!’ she gushed, signalling to the porter to bring in the luggage. ‘Isn’t this wonderful?’ she cried, throwing out her arms and spinning around. ‘Do we have an apartment each? I specifically told Ula that we must have an apartment each.’
‘The second apartment is through here, ma’am,’ the porter told her, passing through the wet bar and pushing open a door the other side.
‘OK, that’ll do me,’ Galina responded after taking a look. ‘You have the bigger one, Rhiannon.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Rhiannon cried. ‘It’s your day, you take the big one.’
‘No, I insist that you take it. No arguments now, not today. Besides, I’ll only be here for a couple of hours so you might as well make yourself at home right away. Max is next door with the kids, but the kids are moving in with Mrs Clay later on in the day so that we can have the place to ourselves. Everyone’s staying until Monday, by the way, so we can lose our fortunes tonight and win them back again tomorrow. I just can’t wait to get started, can you? Do you play blackjack? I just love blackjack. It was all I could do to make myself walk past it just now. Actually, Max dragged me past, but he’s promised we can play tonight.’
From the frown that had settled on her face it was clear that she wasn’t paying much attention to what she was saying. ‘You know, I really think we should have Marina in here, don’t you?’ she said. ‘After all, she is a bridesmaid and she might like to get ready with us. What am I saying, of course she’d like to get ready with us. Belinda, go fetch her, will you? And tell Aleks he can come too if he likes.’
