by Jon F. Merz
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t kill those people and you’ve made a big mistake here.”
I smiled at her. Something about the tone of her voice was a bit unsettling, however. “Well, we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we? If you’ve nothing to hide then you should be home in a few hours. Otherwise…” I let my voice trail off.
“Otherwise what?” Eva asked. “If it turns out that those scalpels have DNA on them, who will execute me? You?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“And would it hurt you to do that to me? After the kiss we shared earlier? After the invitation I extended to you? Would it hurt you to have to end my life?”
“No.”
Eva leaned back away from me. “How can you be that cold?”
“I have to be that cold,” I said. “It’s my job to protect our people from others who would see it harmed, who would expose our existence to humanity. I can’t afford sentiment when it comes to doing my job. If it turns out that you are indeed the killer, then I will shoot you and be done with it. Not because I hate you, because I don’t. But because that is the consequence of your actions. Justice must be served and I will do so if necessary.”
“In that case,” said Eva. “I’m rather glad I didn’t sleep with you.”
I laughed. “I don’t blame you for feeling that way.”
“Let’s get this over with,” said Eva. “God knows I’m going to need a stiff drink before this night is done with.”
34
By the time we got to the Council building, Arthur and Niles were both down in the garage. Arthur was carrying his Mossberg and I noticed Niles even had a pistol strapped to his side. That said, he was apologetic and deferential to Eva when he helped her out of my car.
“I’m sure we’ll get this all straightened out in no time,” said Niles. He shot me a look as if to say, you’d better be right about this.
Eva stepped out and looked at me. “I’m not angry with you, Lawson. I know you have a job to do. I just wish you would have asked me directly instead of entering my home without permission and then assuming I was the killer because of the bag you found.”
“If I’m wrong,” I said. “Then I will give you a most heartfelt apology. Deal?”
“Make it dinner and maybe I’ll forgive you,” said Eva. She smiled and allowed herself to be led away by Arthur.
Niles came around the car and took the bag from me. “They in here?”
I nodded. “A whole bunch of scalpels. Can the Ferrets do what’s necessary?”
Niles shrugged. “Perhaps. Depends on how well they’ve been cleaned. If she’s really the killer then at least we know she’s off the street here, right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Why were you so apologetic to her just now?”
“Because some of us have to work in this building on a daily basis,” said Niles. “And I don’t need Ava making my life hell because you had the audacity to suspect one of her friends.”
“They’re friends?”
“Not great ones,” said Niles. “But you know Ava will take advantage of any opportunity to give you a rash of shit if she can. And you bringing in someone she knows will just give her more ammunition to use against you.”
“If that’s the case, then I’d better hope that Eva turns out to be the killer.”
“Only time will tell,” said Niles. “You going to come in and wait for the results?”
“They could take hours,” I said. “I’ve got other things I’d rather be doing quite frankly.”
“Like?”
“Working out for one.”
Niles grinned. “All right then go. I’ll call you as soon as we have something to report.” He started to leave and then paused. “You really think it’s her?”
“Who else could it be?”
“I don’t know. That’s why we have you,” said Niles. “I hope you’re right.”
“So do I. But even if I’m wrong, at least I didn’t put a bullet into her.”
Niles chuckled. “You know as well as I do that won’t be enough to stem Ava’s wrath.”
“Then I’ll deal with the consequences,” I said. “See you later.”
I was back at the box working on thrusters when Lilith came in and walked over with a big smile on her face. “Hi Lawson.”
“Hey.” I grunted out another two reps and threw the bar down. I hate thrusters. But I need to get better at them, so I had a goal this year of being able to string twenty-one reps together without breaking. I was thankful I still had ten months to go to achieve that goal because so far, it wasn’t going all that well.
“Thrusters again?”
I told Lilith my plan for thruster domination and she nodded. “That’s how I feel about front squats. I can’t stand them.”
“But squatting is so good for you,” I said. “And it happens to look absolutely marvelous on you, by the way.”
She smiled. “I didn’t know you’d even noticed.”
“I notice everything,” I said. “Even if it looks like I don’t. I hear everything, see everything, and know exactly what’s going on around me at all times.”
“Really.” Lilith grinned. “I guess I’ll have to remember that in the future, huh?”
“Just saying,” I said. “It comes with the job, you know?”
She nodded. “Are you going to be working out for much longer?”
“I’ve got some other lifting to do. Why?”
“Would you be interested in a home-cooked meal tonight?”
I looked around the box. There was no sign of Manny. “What about-?”
“He’s traveling for work,” said Lilith. “No one will be home except for me. It’s a big house and I wouldn’t mind some company. You know, if you’re interested.”
“I might be.”
She smiled. “I’m going to do the WOD and then head for home. Can you be there in a couple hours?”
“I could do that.”
“Good.” She tucked a piece of paper in my hand. “That’s the address. I’ll see you later then.” She turned and walked away. I watched her butt for several seconds before I remembered that I had to do several more sets of thrusters. I got back into it and managed to get through what I needed to do without wanting to vomit, which was normally how I felt after doing thrusters. I finished up my other work and headed for the shower.
If Manny was out of town, then I would finally get some time to ask Lilith exactly what the hell was going on here. I didn’t think I wanted any sort of love affair with a married woman, but I wouldn’t mind a friends-with-benefits-type arrangement. As long as things didn’t get messy or complicated, it would be a good outlet for both of us if we ever needed it. And Lilith looked like a lot of fun besides. The real question would be if she could handle the reality of it. A lot of women flirt when they think theres no chance of anything happening beyond it, when they think the guy they’re flirting with won’t ever be daring enough to make a serious move. But that plan goes to shit when you come across someone like me: someone who will absolutely be bold enough to say, yeah, let’s go for it.
The question was: what sort of woman was Lilith? Was she the all talk and no action, or did she actually have the courage to back up what she pretended to be? Only time would tell.
And I intended to find out.
Lilith’s home was in Jamaica Plain off of Sedgwick Street down by where the old library used to be. In times past, I would go to that branch and check out stacks of books that I would then take over to the Arboretum, sit down under a tree on a warm day, and read until I fell asleep in the gentle breezes. Some of my fondest memories were of going into the library and finding some great books to read.
The home itself was at the top of the tallest hill in Jamaica Plain, an old mansion with sprawling grounds and centuries old linden trees dotting the landscape. In the night, their withered and wintered branches looked spindly and barren, crooked fingers that twisted in all shapes and directions like the trees were deep in the gr
ip of arthritis due to their advanced age.
I pulled the SUV up the drive, noticing that a fresh coat of snow lay on the asphalt, marked by a single trail of tire tracks. Those would belong to Lilith’s car, I guessed.
The front porch of the house was held up with massive old columns giving it the appearance of a stately home that no doubt belonged to a rich family far back in the day. The architecture showed great attention to detail with intricately carved facades and stonework. And a giant double door barred my way from entering the house. If this had been Halloween, I would have suggested they turn it into an awesome haunted house, because it certainly could have been an amazing one.
I rang the doorbell and waited. A minute went by before Lilith finally pulled the door open. She was dressed in a black cocktail dress with spaghetti straps that showed off her toned arms. It came down to mid-thigh and hugged her hips and the rest of her curves in just the right way. If she’d wanted to make an impression, she certainly had.
“Wow.”
She smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You most certainly should,” I said. “You look incredible.” I was mostly used to seeing her at the gym without the benefit of makeup and she looked good enough then. But now, when she’d clearly had time to make herself up and spend some time fixing her hair, she looked even better.
Dangerously better.
“Come in.”
I stepped inside the house and despite its size, there was a coziness to the place. A coat rack stood to one side, and Lilith took my coat and hung it up there. She led me into the kitchen, which was a huge chef’s to-do outfitted with a six-burner Viking stove, and an elaborate set up with pans and all manner of knives and tools scattered about the place.
“You could turn this joint into a restaurant,” I said. “And something smells pretty wonderful.”
Lilith had her back to me, but turned her head just enough to eye me with a grin. “I hope you enjoy it, Lawson.”
“So far so good,” I said.
“How about a drink?”
“That’d be great.”
She led me to a pantry that was set up with a huge array of spirits and even a wine fridge beneath it. She turned and faced me with a mischievous look in her eye. “See anything you want?”
I grinned and let my eyes rove over her body. Damn right I did. But not yet. I wasn’t in a hurry to rush this along. Not just yet. “The Bombay Sapphire will do nicely.”
She handed me the bottle. “I won’t even presume to know how you like it, but you’ll find everything you need right here. There’s tonic water in the fridge along with lemons and limes if you like those as well. I’ll be in the kitchen checking on dinner.”
“Great.” I made up a drink for myself and then headed back to watch her cook. She had an apron on now, but it did nothing to diminish how incredibly hot she looked. I sipped my drink and sat down at one of the bar stools in the kitchen at the island.
“So, what are we having?”
“An old family recipe,” said Lilith. “It’s a beef stew but probably unlike any that you’ve had before.”
“How so?”
Lilith smiled as she set the lid back on top of the pot that presumably held the stew. “Most stews are pretty basic but this one uses spices that you can only find at a specialty market I know about. It’s more of a Lebanese variety of stew than what you might find here in the west.”
“And it’s an old family recipe?”
She nodded and took a sip from a glass of red wine I hadn’t noticed until now. “I learned it from my mother and she from hers a very, very long time ago.”
I sipped my drink. “It couldn’t have been that long ago. You can’t be any older than me.”
She put her wine glass down and came over to where I sat, pushing her way between my legs and kissing me hard on the lips. I set my glass down and wrapped my arms around her, kissing her back hard. Her hair smelled incredible, intoxicating, and her lips tasted like candy. Our tongues wrestled and my hands started wandering all over her body. She moaned slightly, pressing forward with her hips into my groin, finding the growing resistance there, which only caused her to press harder into me.
I wanted her. I wanted this woman badly and before tonight was over, I intended to have her.
But then she pulled back away from me, breaking our seal. She smiled and nodded at the pot bubbling away on the stove. “If we’re going to have some fun, I think we’d better fortify ourselves with a good meal first.”
35
Dinner was delicious. Lilith obviously knew her way around a kitchen and despite the fact that I’m not all that crazy about beef stew, something about this dish made it especially tasty. I suspected Lilith had added some blood to it for our benefit and stamina. I could feel the slight uptick in my energy level as I ate and asked about it.
Lilith smiled. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt for later on.”
Later on. I grinned. “Are we really going to do this?”
“Don’t you want to?”
“Oh yeah, I do.” I looked at her. “But are you sure you want to? You’re married, after all.”
She sighed. “I’m married to a man who thinks life ends when you hit middle age. That there are no surprises left, that’s there’s little to aspire to anymore. Even when he’s in the gym, he does the bare minimum which is how he’s lived his entire life.”
“If that’s the case, then why the hell did you ever agree to shack up with him? Why not just go out and find someone better? Someone you had more in common with?”
Lilith took a sip of wine. “Because Manny provides a steady income and I like my life. For the most part. Look in my closet and you’ll find jeans that cost two hundred dollars. Do I need two hundred dollar jeans? Of course not. But do I like them? Absolutely.”
“So you traded passion for boring security,” I said. “And how has that worked out for you? Are you truly happy?”
Lilith shrugged. “Now that Manny is having typical male problems with his equipment, he’s given me his permission to go out and do what I need to in order to stay…satisfied.”
“So he knows about this?”
“Not exactly,” said Lilith. “He’s away and when he goes away, I think he assumes I do whatever I need to do to stay happy. He never explicitly asks, but I think he knows anyway. It’s a strange system, most likely, but it works for us.”
“And I’m not the first you’ve done this with?”
Lilith smiled. “You’re not going to be jealous about my other flings, are you?”
“I just like knowing what I’m getting myself into,” I said.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” said Lilith. “I can’t get pregnant.”
“Why not?”
“Medical issues relating to the birth of my first child. Let’s just say that I don’t have to bother with birth control, which is not as bad as it sounds. In fact, it takes a whole lot of stress out of the equation.”
I nodded. “Fair enough. But uh, where is your kid?”
“She didn’t survive the birth. I barely did myself. It was a horrible, traumatic time and frankly, I’d rather not relive it just now if that’s okay with you.” She drank her glass of wine down without stopping and then refilled it.
“Sorry,” I said. “You’ll have to excuse my inquisitiveness. It comes with the job.”
“Mmm,” said Lilith. “And what was that job again?”
“International law,” I said. I thought I saw a gleam in Lilith’s eye. Almost like she didn’t believe me.
She held her glass up in my direction. “And just how fascinating is international law, anyway? Does it drive you wild?”
“It’s all right, I guess.”
“Because you don’t really seem like the lawyer type, Lawson. Has anyone ever told you that before? That you don’t look particularly lawyer-esque?”
“Not really.”
She leaned back in her chair slightly. “I used to have a friend
who was a lawyer and you and he couldn’t be more different. He was obsessed with his briefs and the latest legislations and all of that rigamarole. You, on the other hand, ask a lot of questions. Like you’re always trying to find out things. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a detective.”
“Is that so?”
“Very much so,” said Lilith. She rose from her seat and came over to me. “Why don’t we continue this conversation in the living room.
I stood and followed her into the room where we sat on the couch close to each other. Lilith leaned in and kissed me hard on the lips. When she broke away, she took a deep breath.
“Why do I love kissing you so much?”
I laughed. “I don’t know.”
She stared into my eyes. “I do. It’s like I’m looking into the abyss when I stare into your eyes and it’s like I can taste all of the danger in the world when I kiss you. Like you’ve been so close to death it’s almost contagious and I can feel everything that you’ve ever experienced.” She shook her head. “I’ve never kissed anyone like that before and it’s exhilarating.”
“I knew I was a good kisser and all, but-“
Lilith kissed me again and then straddled my lap. Our tongues melted together and I was already sliding her straps off her shoulders, exposing her breasts. She pulled my head to her left nipple and I closed my mouth over it, gently probing with my tongue before sucking it.
Lilith moaned and started writhing on my lap as my hands found her ass and squeezed it, before lifting the hem of her dress up over her hips and discovering she wasn’t wearing any underwear.
She nuzzled at my neck, her tongue flicking over my ear, as her hands starting ripping my shirt off. I was desperate to get out of my pants and she started fumbling with my belt buckle. We were trying to do too much at once and we fell off the couch onto the floor, our limbs a twisting mess of desire.
“Lawson…”
Her voice was husky and coaxing and I managed to slide the rest of her dress off, exposing her entire body for the first time. I leaned back and took it all in. She was amazing. Every inch of her body looked as though it had been sculpted by the gods themselves.
