by TJ Hamilton
“There’s a meeting tomorrow with Nick’s lawyer about his will.” Liz approaches the subject softly. “Simon and I can just pass on the details to you if you don’t want to go.”
“Am I even invited? What about his family?”
I see sadness and sympathy swirl in her blue irises. “He didn’t have family. He was a ward of the state since he was eleven.”
What? Why didn’t I know this?
“We have to update our will every month with the agency. It was done a week ago. So yes, Mia, I would very much say you are likely to be included in his will.”
“Then I’ll come. I want to hear everything for myself.” I want to be a part of everything that remains of Nick. I owe his honour my full attention. My heart doesn’t want to let him go yet either, and I feel it swell at the very thought of hearing the last words he left. Maybe this will bring some closure?
My drifting mind is interrupted by Liz’s caring smile. My face studies hers for a moment. She is not overly beautiful but she is definitely striking. Her pale-blue eyes, blonde hair and bronzed skin makes her as regular as the local beach girls of Bondi, but it’s her towering height, perfect teeth and Julia-Roberts smile that make her so different to most women.
“It’s at one tomorrow afternoon … at the agency.”
I cringe at her words.
“You won’t be anywhere near the boss … Here.” She holds up a watch. “It’s like mine; it will unlock the side entrance.”
I strap it around my wrist and hug Liz. She takes a moment before she reacts and wraps her arms tightly around me. My heart softens for my friend. She’s obviously not used to the feeling of someone hugging her.
“See you tomorrow.” I make my way down to the basement car park.
The Mercedes kicks to life with a rumbling purr. The hard drumbeat of Tool’s “Forty-Six & 2” thumps loud on the sound system. I press the back arrow for the song to start at the beginning. A tingle shoots up my spine and I grin like the Cheshire Cat. I softly push my foot against the pedal and the car answers me with a roar. I giggle and put the car into gear and launch out of the car park. A memory flashes before me and I’m reminded of the last time I drove a car. It was my father’s much-loved Porsche Carrera, and like this moment, it too was just after he died. I took it out for a joyride before my mum could find out. I was seventeen and licenced, but Mum would never have approved. It’s a memory that I’ve long forgotten until now.
The same thrill courses through my veins and I cruise towards the eastern edge of the city. The car engine coaxes me to drive it faster … like I did when I stole my father’s car. Faster, Mia. Faster, Mia. Faster … I hear every time I change gears. The entrance to the underground motorway—the Eastern Distributor—approaches me and I know I have a fairly straight-through run to Tench’s house from here.
I press my foot down more and the engine opens up. The faster I drive, the harder my heart pumps. The heavy drumming in the music thumps through my whole body as I weave past traffic. I speed up when I see some traffic lights ahead that threaten to turn red. The engine responds with a vicious growl and I drive faster than I ever have in my life. Arriving at Tench’s street quicker than intended, I pull over at the top of it to catch my breath. That was such a thrill! No wonder Nick loved this car so much, and it deserves this kind of music to be played while driving it. I start laughing maniacally until my jolts of laughter turn into jolting sobs. How am I ever going to get over Nick? We were meant to live our lives together after this was over.
“What am I supposed to do with that, you fucker?” I screech in anger.
“Do with what?” Liz’s digitalised voice amplifies through the car speakers.
I snap out of my state and feel a burn rise over me. I’m always being listened to, or watched, or tracked.
“Nothing. I had a moment.” I inhale at the end of the sentence.
“You can come back, you know.”
I shake my head at Liz’s voice.
“I’m fine.” I wipe my hand across my cheek to discard the last rolling tear and inspect my makeup in the flip-down mirror.
I’m fine, I repeat to myself as I throttle down the street.
The guards at the front gate office stop what they’re doing the instant the car pulls up. I roll my window down and smile as effortlessly as possible. Little do they know how much of an effort that actually was. All four guards walk out of the office and slowly inspect the car.
“Nice ride, Miranda. This is hot.” A blond guard rubs his forehead with the palm of his hand.
“She purrs like a kitten,” another guard behind him adds with a dazed look.
“You have no idea,” I coo. “Can I go in, or are you going to stare at my car all day?” My right brow spikes arrogantly.
All four men scurry back into the side office, scrambling over one another to press the button that opens the gates. They glower at one another for the lapse in professionalism shown over my distracting ride.
I smirk as I pull into the driveway, stopping in front of the grand entrance to Tench’s mansion. He stands at the front steps as I park. His look is hard to gauge. His eyes seem dull … unimpressed. He stands still and watches me make my way out of the car, not offering to get my door like he usually would.
What’s wrong with him? When I get to the step below him, I lean up for a kiss, hoping that he reciprocates my offering. He doesn’t look at me, not taking his eyes off the car for one second.
“You know I couldn’t get this particular edition SLS into the country because Mercedes had already sold one to someone in Sydney and the arrogant pricks didn’t want anyone else to have it here … No matter how much money I threw at them they wouldn’t budge.”
Trust you to do something like this, Nick Davis. I smirk at my thoughts. I’m sure Nick bought it so that he had something over Tench.
“Oh, you think that’s funny, do you?” Tench’s coffee eyes meet mine.
Strangely, I feel like I’ve missed Tench’s alluring eyes over the last couple of days. He reaches around and pulls me to him. I feel his erection push against my belly and a quick pulse charges across my body. Maybe I just need to fuck the sad memories away? I shrug at him as he leans in.
“Where the fuck have you been for the last couple of days?” he says as he sucks on my bottom lip.
For someone as complicated as Tench, he is so easy to me. I shrug again and smirk. “I’ve had a rough couple of days. Just take me upstairs,” I order.
Tench’s eyes flash to mine and I feel his lips stretch in a smile.
“Cheeky Miranda.” He pulls away from me, grips onto my hand and drags me through the grand marble and wood entrance of his mansion.
I lie naked on Tench’s enormous bed and watch him unbuttoning his shirt above me. The delicious dragon stares out from his bulging left pec. As he pops more buttons open, my eyes are drawn down and I notice the new ink-work across his abs. The words alis volat propriis curve in a semicircle above his belly button, stopping either side of the jutting muscle at his hips. My eyes lead further down that muscle until it reaches past the line of his pants. I pull myself back away from the enticing distraction and run my fingers gently across the raised edges of the fresh ink.
“She flies with her own wings,” he whispers sweetly.
My chest feels tight and I look up at him with a softening inside me. He marked himself for me? I can’t help myself any longer and I reach up to pull him to me, kissing him hard the moment our lips meet. I want his lust for me to fill every deep cavern that aches for someone else. I need to fuck the sad away.
I force his shirt past his bulging shoulders and he grabs the sleeves from his arms. I hear the fabric tear under his pounding pressure. Tench is exactly the kind of mess I need to scatter my grief and distract me right now.
He grips around my hips, tighter than necessary, and forces his legs between mine as he pulls me around him. His body intoxicates me so much that I naturally submit to him without even acting. I fee
l the heat of his long rod against me. I know we’re going to have unprotected sex again, but something tells me to give Tench this. He was technically the last person I had sex with before my boyfriend died, so I’m safe. It’s my heart that’s fucked and that damage was done before Nick died. I was fucked up then, so there’s no difference now.
I close my eyes and anticipate Tench entering me. Holding my breath, I feel him stretch me with a yearning ache as he enters me. He feels wonderful, like he always does. He drives himself into me again and again until I’m saturated from him. I want to let myself go, but something stops me. Why can’t I come? I tense in frustration.
“I want to feel you come all over me, Miranda,” Tench growls.
Oh, great! He thinks I’m about to come. I continue the performance and let Tench believe that he’s making me orgasm. Right now, I’d rather be punched in the face than this. I’d better get my mojo back soon or else this is going to be harder than I’d thought.
Tench throbs inside me. I feel him start to peak towards his climax. I do love this feeling more than anything. I love the power I feel when a man satisfies himself because of my body and my actions … maybe it’s a whore thing? The familiar feeling brings me back up to my climax, my nipples harden and electricity starts to course within me again.
“Harder,” I plead.
Tench grips onto the back of my hair. Here he is. This is the Tench I know. My eyes involuntarily roll back into my lids. Nothing else around me matters other than the heated electricity running through my veins. I give into him. In the midst of my passion, I hear the distant music playing throughout the mansion. Somehow, Jeff Buckley’s sorrowful “Hallelujah” sends me over the top and everything within me releases all over Tench. I don’t care for his needs right now … I need this.
FOUR
The moment my eyes open, I realise that I’ve had the best sleep in days. I stretch out and roll over. Tench is gone, as usual. Right! Better get to work. My bags should still be down in the car, unless Toni moved them, which wouldn’t be an issue. Even if he searched through them, he wouldn’t find any of the equipment. All of the bugs are hidden within face products, makeup and hair accessories. My firearm is in a concealed compartment within a suitcase and the ammunition rounds are inside tampons.
I sit up and see yesterday’s clothes spread in every corner of Tench’s vast bedroom. There’s such a strange familiarity about being here that makes it borderline enjoyable. Seeing my clothes strewn across the floor like this doesn’t make me as uncomfortable as I’d thought it would.
I throw my discarded clothes back on and decide to head to my car. Just as I get to the foot of the stairs and dash towards the entrance, I hear Mrs Oktar laughing from the kitchen. My aching heart begs me to run and wrap my arms around her for the motherly affection that I so desperately crave at the moment. But I have to pull myself together and act like nothing’s wrong, which was easy until I heard Mrs Oktar.
Tench’s right-hand man, Toni, interrupts my thoughts by bursting out of the kitchen door. The kitchen has a perfect view past the sitting room to the entrance of the house, so Toni immediately sees me. Kicking back into my role, I smile broadly and Toni reciprocates. His arms stretch out wide and he wraps me up in them, his body engulfing me. Toni has always seemed way too soft for the callous murderer that I’ve studied in my notes. Between him and Tench, they have racked up the most kills. I just wish I knew what Sally had been planning on telling me.
“Nice bloody car, Miranda. I’ve got your bags up in the spare bedroom for you.” He holds me out in front of him.
“As I knew you would.” I smile. “I’ll grab a quick shower and then I’ll be back down once I’ve freshened up.” I wink to let him know that I need girly space and his eyes soften.
The poor guy is always so shy. I think I’m the only woman he’s ever been close to.
I bound up the stairs, two at a time, towards the spare bedroom … my room. I grab my smallest suitcase and lock the bathroom door at the same time. I need this room monitored first and foremost.
In my toiletries bag, I quickly find the tube of Kiehl’s shampoo and conditioner and insert a hairpin into the hole near the join and the secret compartment pops open. I grab everything inside it and flick through the packets until I find the smallest bugs. I put four around the corners of the bedroom and two in the closet that leads through to the bathroom. This will give me an extra four minutes if I ever need it.
I turn on the iPhone that Liz coded into the bugs and watch the vacant bedroom on the screen. I need to find somewhere within this bathroom to hide my pistol. The long narrow drain at the base of the shower is the only decent hiding place in the entire room, but it could be the most obvious. I put the firearm into a snap-lock bag to protect it from the water, and pop the stainless-steel casing from the drain’s entrance. The pistol fits nicely into position. It will have to do for now.
I turn the shower on and wash the remnants of last night’s taste away. I feel better already.
I pick out a loose summer all-in-one playsuit in watermelon and pull my hair back before heading downstairs. Tench sits with his back to the door as I enter the kitchen. I press my finger to my lips for Mrs Oktar to stay quiet and throw my arms around Tench and whisper, “I missed you this morning” into his ear.
Mrs Oktar beams a bright smile and continues prepping her meal. Tench grabs hold of my arms and pulls me around to his lap. He kisses me all over my face and holds it between his strong hands.
“I miss you every day you’re not here.” He smiles back.
“Well, I’m here now. My brother came home from being away for a long time, so I had to spend some time with him.”
Tench’s eyes light up. “Your brother? You never talk about your family, you know?”
Of course I know this, I snigger to myself. “There’s not much to tell. My father … and mother are dead, and all I have left is my twin brother.”
“You’re a twin? Why don’t you invite him over here? I’d love to meet your last remaining family member, especially a twin. Is he much like you?”
Tench, you are way too predictable. “Yes, he is a lot like me.” I smile.
“So, where’s he been? What does he do?”
My mind races quickly. “Nepal. He’s an adventure travel consultant. He finds fun things for rich guys to do with their money.” Where the hell did that come from?
Tench laughs. “My interest in meeting your brother has just been piqued. What an interesting person he must be. So he is very much like you, then? You find fun things for rich guys like me to do with my money.” Tench pulls me to him again and kisses me with soft longing kisses. I pull away and laugh at Tench basically calling my brother a male prostitute. I wonder if Simon’s watching right now?
Mrs Oktar clears her throat. “Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds, but would you like breakfast, dear?” she asks with a warm smile.
I slide off Tench’s lap and finally give Mrs Oktar the hug I wanted. She smells of flour, honey and nutmeg all mixed into one. Her round body feels caring and squishy in my arms; it’s warm and homely. I wonder what’s going to happen to her when Tench gets locked away forever? I almost want to warn her to run away now while she can, before shit turns bad.
“What’s brought this on?” She holds me out.
I guess I wasn’t the hugging type … until I met Nick. Now I crave that love again, but know I’ll never get it.
“I just realise how much I missed being here,” I say, looking straight at Tench.
He smiles as if he’s just heard everything he’s ever wanted to hear. “Toni said you had a lot of luggage with you this time. I want you to stay as long as you like. I’ll be going over to Russia next week though, but make yourself at home while I’m away.”
This is my chance. “I can come with you. I have a friend over in Russia that I haven’t seen for years …”
Tench’s head twists sideways and he stares at me, attempting to cut into my soul. Maybe I
’ve come on too strong? Maybe he likes me more when I’m not so available?
“… or I could just stay here and spend time with my brother,” I add, hoping I haven’t sounded too eager for him.
Tench sighs and holds out his arms for me. “How can I ever say no to you, Miranda? I would love for you to join me. I have a lot of business to do while I’m over there, though, so I won’t be able to be with you the whole time.”
This sounds too good to be true! “That’s fine. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do with my friend, anyway.”
“Who is this friend?” Tench is not giving up getting information out of me today, and I’m going to give it.
“We were roommates when we were ballerinas. She left to be in the Russian ballet and I left to come home to Sydney. That was a long time ago.”
His eyes widen in delight. I can see he’s relishing in the parts of my past that he has wanted to know since he first met me.
“You never wanted to join the ballet yourself? From what I’ve seen, you are a beautiful dancer.” He brushes a strand of hair from my face.
I shake my head. “I came home because my mother was very sick. I had no choice but to make money, fast.”
None of what I tell him is a lie. My mother was sick, but she never died—just her soul did. For me, she is as good as dead.
Thoughts of my past make me wish things had been different. The choices I made in my life were the wrong ones. I just hope this path I’m on now isn’t a bad choice either. How can it be? I’m doing something good for once. I’m doing something selfless; I’m doing this for Sally and Nick. I’m righting all the wrongs in my life.
“You should start dancing again.” Tench still cups the side of my face.
