by Ethan Egorov
He followed her into the room and watched as she made certain to lock it behind them. She did indeed have a suite, which Trent was grateful for. He needed all the distance he could between them at the moment. He couldn’t help but allow his heart to beat fast just seeing her standing in the doorway looking demure and knowing that she was everything but. “Hey, um…I brought this box you wanted me to Kristina. I hope that I’m not interrupting anything too…important?”
“No, you actually for once have great timing. My client has been delayed so I probably won’t even meet with them until tomorrow night. What that means is my calendar and my dance card are both free tonight. Come on in, have a seat and don’t be shy.” Kristina took the box he offered her and cocked an eyebrow at him. She really didn’t expect him to show up, let alone take her up on her birthday offer. In the past he would have dismissed the gesture or laughed it off. “Trent, let me go ahead and pour us some bubbly, huh…come on, it is still your birthday weekend and we are getting ready to begin a new year.”
Trent followed Kristina to a lounge chair which was in the room next to the master suite. It was also directly across from the bar area which made it perfect for entertaining. He took off his jacket and made certain that his Colt was still secure before plopping down in its softness. Kristina took his jacket and hung it up then poured both of them tall glasses of champagne. She walked over to him and placed her arm on his shoulder before handing him the glass. “Relax Trent, you know champagne doesn’t have a kick to it. This will just be enough to take the edge off tonight. You seem nervous, though I really don’t know why. It’s not like both of us haven’t been here before.”
“Kristina…um”
“Trent, now that’s enough. You are always so damned tense. Well not tonight. Here. Let’s have a toast. To Trent, in the new year may you not always be so uptight!” She then clanked her glass against his and despite the nervousness and anxiety in his gut he downed the glass with her. He felt the slightly warm liquid hit the pit of his stomach and did smile slightly. She may have had a point. After all, he had worked hard for the majority of the year, what was wrong with letting himself go for once? Why should the burden of taking care of the family fall squarely on him? After all, he did have siblings didn’t he? “Hey…Kristina?”
“Yeah slugger?”
“Can we do another?”
“Oh, absolutely darling. Let me keep filling your glass.”
The champagne overflowed in Trent’s glass as Kristina poured several more drinks. She then straddled him as he was in the same position on the lounge chair and took off his ball cap. She began running her fingers through his hair and cooed, “So before we get this party underway, do you have what I asked you to bring?” Her breath was warm against his ear but it still sent shivers up and down his arms. She was doing her best to seduce him and he was finally willing to give in. It didn’t seem like she was with anyone, so why not? He’d spent the better part of the year mourning Rachelle and even though he didn’t need the drama of a relationship he somehow knew that with Kristina it would be easier. There wouldn’t be any pressure, it would all be low-key. After all, he certainly wouldn’t have to explain the long nights to her, she was accustomed to the lifestyle. He smiled up at her with already glassy eyes and only murmured back, “The box…oh my yes. I certainly brought that with me. I thought you were joking about it, but I sat in on the counter by the closet when you first come in. On the table over there.” Trent’s arm was heavy and his motions were languid as he pointed towards the door. He suddenly felt himself growing warm and the room was starting to spin also. Damn. That girl could make a drink.
“I tell you what. Why don’t you sit here like a good boy and when I get back we’ll go in the bedroom, what do you say?”
“Yeah, um sounds good.”
Kristina eased herself off his lap and he took a deep breath and swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. She made it a point to make her movements slow and languid as she took her time walking to retrieve the box that contained the sexy lingerie. He couldn’t help but let his eyes roam over her body. She wasn’t really all that different from the other women that he’d been with in terms of the shape or feel or her body, but she affected him more deeply than anyone he’d ever known. “Damn.” He muttered under his breath as she rounded the corner to the bathroom. “What was that, Trent?”
“Nothing…I’m just checking a message.” He didn’t know why he couldn’t just bring himself to tell her how he felt, instead he hoped that she would just read between the lines. Trent frowned and sighed deeply. He seemed to be sobering up, or at least his thoughts were. She wouldn’t read between the lines and of course the notion of them being together was a laugh. Things like that never happened to guys like him. Kristina would soon tire of his busy schedule just like Rachelle did and soon get bored with his lack of wanting to travel to exotic locations or even go out on the town. Trent was in more modest terms a homebody who preferred simplicity over luxury. She would simply move on from him and pick another boring guy with loads of cash. He would give her the keys to his kingdom and she would repay him by sleeping with him occasionally. She would continue her own work when he was away on business trips and he would be none the wiser. “Fuck me. Fuck my life.”
Kristina had just emerged from the bathroom wearing the white low-cut chemise when he almost fell out of his chair. Silhouetted by the dim light of the bathroom she was stunning. If he had any chance of going to Heaven, surely this is what the angels looked like. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head to make certain he was awake. Yes, this wasn’t a dream. “Kristina… wow, oh my God. You’re fucking beautiful.”
She took a few steps towards him and said, “You are a poet, aren’t you?” Before they could continue their conversation though, Trent heard the click of the gun before the bullet had a chance to even escape from the barrel. He leapt from the chair and ducked his head as a shot rang out. It ripped through the soft fabric of the chair and embedded itself into the hotel wall. “Kristina! Get down!” Trent made a mad dash for the woman and when he reached her in the doorway, she looked at him in fear. “Trent, what the fuck’s going on? Who the fuck did you piss off?”
“Funny I was going to ask you the same thing. What’s this job you’re on?”
“I don’t even have the details yet. I told you they were delayed. Come on, we have to get out of this room, we’re sitting ducks here!” They quickly scurried to the door and another shot sounded. Trent turned behind him and scanned the room. The assailant wasn’t in sight. They weren’t anywhere he could get a decent shot at least. “Come on, hurry. Just make it to the elevator! Run!”
Kristina led the way and Trent trailed behind her. The shots still sounded in the distance, but as they progressed toward the elevator the more distant they became. Trent quickly looked behind him once more and only saw the gleaming silver barrel of the gun reflecting the hallway light. He pulled out his Colt and fired a couple shots back in the general direction of the weapon. This was enough to buy some time for Kristina to bang on the elevator buttons until one finally opened for both of them to slip into. She then quickly shut the doors and his the button for the ground floor. When they reached the lobby, they knew they would be safe, because they could easily get lost in the crowd. If either one of them was a target, the killer couldn’t really get a clean shot off in the droves of people.
The elevator doors opened and the room grew silent. Trent and Kristina ran out of it, still panting and breathing heavily. All eyes seemed to fall upon Kristina who was still in nothing but her lingerie. Trent shrugged his shoulders and calmly said, “Um… this isn’t what it looks like. There’s really nothing to see here. We were just out of ice.”
Some of the wealthier clients frowned in disgust while the party continued without missing a beat. Kristina and Trent walked to the alcove by the front entrance and crouched down in the corner. “Hey… it looks like it may be clear for now. I don’t know what’s going on, Kristina
, but I know that you’re in danger. Are you telling me the truth that you really don’t have any more details on the job you’re supposed to do?”
“Why the fuck would I lie to you Trent? Listen to yourself. That woman you with made you paranoid or something. No for the last time, I really don’t know. The meeting is tomorrow night. I just thought me and you could have a little fun before then. I guess not now. You really know what a girls’ turn offs are.”
“Oh yeah…I know their turn-ons too.”
“Well I’ll tell you getting shot at isn’t one of them. I suggest you go back to your little Crackerjack apartment and not come out until you get whoever is tailing you off of your trail. I’m going back to see if I can get in touch with my client. They won’t be happy to find out that their new hire has already destroyed their hotel room. They may not even let me take the job now. This is bad for business Trent. I just…. I can’t. Go.”
“Kristina! Do you think I wanted this shit to happen? I had no clue that it was going to go down like this. What do you say that after we get this mess ironed out and before you skip town again like you always do that we have some actual quality time together. No drugs, no booze, no slinky outfits, no pressure, just me and you and our dreams…like when we were younger. You remember, don’t you Kristina?”
For a few moments her eyes became hollow and she seemed small and fragile once again. Of course she remembered. How could she forget, he certainly couldn’t no matter how hard he tried. She looked pale and her eyes suddenly became rimmed with moisture. “Trent… you know that was ages ago. We were both different people then. We were so young. So full of life. I mean, we were practically kids.”
“Yeah…but what does that change? It doesn’t change how I feel about you Kristina. You’re still that girl with the wild eyes and warm soul I was in love with years ago.” Her eyes suddenly became steely and she cleared her throat. She looked at him with a hard resolve and only said, “No. Not at all Trent. I’m not that girl anymore. I’ve changed more than you can ever comprehend, and I’m sorry if this somehow has broken your rather nostalgic image of me. I think it’s best if you leave. Don’t you dare come back either, not unless I ask you to, though I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
“Kristina…what the fuck?! I don’t understand. Ya know what… I guess you’re right. You haven’t changed at all. I don’t know who I was kidding. I’ll see you around… maybe next lifetime Kristina.”
“Yeah. Keep dreaming, Trent.”
Trent didn’t say anything else, he just watched as Kristina turned swiftly and walked back through the crowd to the elevator once more. He half-expected to hear shots again, but was comforted by the fact that he did see Kristina get in the elevator without any issues. Despite the fact that his mind was still whirling about her sudden change of heart, he walked out the hotel into the dark, cold night. The air was chilling but it was fresh against his skin. He was glad for that as it did seem to sober him up some. He looked around him suspiciously for a few minutes and sighed deeply. He didn’t really know what to do at this point. He hadn’t really found any indication of who targeted Saul’s wife and none of his contacts had messaged him. The only thing that resembled at clue he had was the orange baby blanket and he did get a glimpse of a silver gun in the hotel. That really didn’t help him any though, since his wife had been stabbed and not shot. Frustrated he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a few numbers. He would just give up for the evening and go home. After all it had been a long couple of days and he really hadn’t gotten much rest. He would try to sleep on the situation and start fresh in the morning. Besides, he knew that if was going to get to the bottom of the situation he would definitely have to put all thoughts of Kristina on the back burner. She was many things, but at this point she was a distraction. He wished that he had never went to the hotel to begin with, but the damage was done. While he waited on the driver he leaned back against the brick wall of the alley by the hotel. It was cooling on his head and felt good. He probably never would have asked Kristina to slip into something more comfortable if he hadn’t been intoxicated. He really didn’t know what kind of champagne it was but it certainly did pack a punch, normally he could drink almost an entire bottle of liquor before he was even tipsy. As the driver pulled up to get him, Trent realized that something was amiss. He wasn’t that much of a lightweight. He’d been drugged.
The short drive back to the mansion was made significantly longer thanks to a traffic accident that caused a pile up for miles. There wasn’t really anything that Trent could do in that moment except sit back and look at his phone in frustration. He had tried messaging his father, but had yet to get a reply. Knowing that it would be over an hour before he made the short trip back he dialed a few numbers on the phone and called his brother. “Hey Tommy, I know you’re there. Tell whatever hooker you’re with to wait and call me back.” He knew his brother was out. When he wasn’t running the restaurant he was out on the town living the true gangster lifestyle. Tommy was the front man and he did his job well. He didn’t really get his hands dirty on many jobs, yet he did paint the family in a good light and most of the community would never think the family was responsible for the drug deals, murders, and even money laundering that went on the city. He was good at his job, but he was also a playboy. The driver inched up a few feet and Trent looked at his phone impatiently. He suddenly had a thought and he pulled up his social media. He looked at Kristina’s page. She put on a good front as well. From her profile she seemed vivacious and outgoing, she listed her career as independent contractor and sometimes referred to herself as a consultant.
There were various pictures of her doing outdoor activities including rock climbing and even sailing. It seemed that during her absence from his life she had taken advantage of living the single life, using her jobs to give her a lifestyle of fun and adventure. Kristina listed her interests as good humor, exotic travel, and fine wine. She certainly sounded like a catch. She didn’t tag herself in a relationship with anyone and even her last relationship was nowhere to be seen on her profile. It was like she wanted to keep that part of her life a secret. After all, how could she find her future husband or even serious boyfriend if she listed herself as attached to any other fling she may have been having.
He shook his head he couldn’t believe that she had turned into the woman she had. Somewhere along the say she’d lost her edge. When they were teenagers she was fearless and swore that she would always be different. It appeared that now she was simply going through the motions trying to blend into society wanting the finer things life had to offer. Still though, he swore that deep down the Kristina he knew still existed. He certainly didn’t need the finer things in life to be happy. That was Tommy’s deal. He was just as happy slumming it at the deli as he was at any five star restaurant. Before he could think about the situation anymore, his phone began ringing just as he had zoomed in on one of Kristina’s pictures. Tommy’s face popped up on his screen and he swiped to answer it. “Hey, brother! What’s going on?”
“Hey ya, Trenton. You know how it goes. It’s the annual Fincastle Poker invitation so you know I had to come throw some money away. What’s up? You never call unless there’s something bothering you.”
“Um…yeah. Can you go somewhere a little more private?”
“Yeah. Hey give me five and I’ll call you back, okay?”
“Sure. I’m not going anywhere.”
It didn’t take long for Tommy to call Trent back and in that time period traffic had begun to flow once more. “Hey Trent, what’s up?”
“Hey…um you’re alone right?”
“Yeah. So why the secrecy, what’s wrong?”
“Have you talked to pop today?”
“Briefly. He was going to go to lunch with a colleague. I think he was going to a place on the other side of town.”
“Well I think there’s something wrong. I can’t get in touch with him.”
“Maybe he’s asleep and turned off his phone. You know h
e has trouble forgetting to charge it. I think you’re overreacting Trent.”
“I think that you should cut your poker weekend short. It may not be safe.”
“You’re paranoid, brother. Geez. I think that liquor must still be in your system from the other night. I’ll come home if there’s something wrong with pop.”
“No, you don’t understand… I just spent the last couple hours getting shot at in a hotel. I think that this feud has escalated to another level, Tommy. I’m on my way to Pop’s now. Meet me there.”
“Fuck…what the fuck, Trent?! Shit. Okay…I’ll be there just give me a few. I’ll catch a car and hopefully traffic won’t keep me.”
“I’m about half an hour out, but it’s moving now. I’ll see you soon, Tommy.”
Trent finally arrived at his father’s mansion and when he got out of the car, he nodded at the driver and pulled out his Colt. He held the cold metal against his palms and looked around before walking to the door. He was wary and on edge. There was something that felt amiss to him, but at the same time he questioned whether or not Tommy was right. Was someone really just after Kristina in the hotel and he just happened to get in the way? It was quite possible, when she finished her jobs there was always the possibility of retaliation and this was something that she had a track record of.
