Craving (20 page)

His story had a ring of truth, and I spoke thoughtfully. “They might have made up the story about her being dragged into the van to incriminate you further.”

Katherine leapt in. “I saw Dante with Nanette. She didn’t behave like someone in fear of a stalker—and I
can
produce witnesses. The other students at the séances.” Her eyes darted between myself and Dante. “I also overheard her telling Dante that she’d argued with Ash.”

He grunted assent. “I remember feeling sick when we were playing cards. I think they slipped something into my drink.”

I cast my mind back to the few times I’d seen Dante before now. I would have described him as non-violent, despite his hardcore appearance. He seemed more inclined to run from confrontation than get involved, and his protectiveness for Katherine was clear. And his concern for Suki, the efforts he’d made to contact Gabe—while making sure she stayed safe—all sounded in his favor.

I struggled to believe his story about the arrangement he had with Alistair, but I found it difficult to accept he could be a cold-blooded thug. “I know firsthand how evidence—even compelling evidence—can be manufactured. It looks as though someone is trying very hard to place you at the scene of the crime.” I gestured to one of the chairs and watched as he gingerly took a seat, perching on the edge as though ready to flee. “Okay.” I sat at the table. “How are we going to fix this?”

J
osh gazed at me while scratching his chin and yawning briefly. “Way I see it, you need somewhere to lie low while the police get to the bottom of this.”

I shrugged. Being hunted as an attempted-murder suspect was just an added complication and one I had yet to think about.

“How long do you have to make up the missing money for Alistair?” Before I could reply, he leaned forward and jabbed a finger at me. “I haven’t paid you yet.”

Now I was completely lost.

He must have seen the confusion on my face as he nodded at me. “For the séance at Suki’s. I hired you to get Gabriel out of Suki’s life, so it’s only fair that I pay you. How much do you still owe Alistair this month?”

“I, ah, don’t know exactly.” I’d been so sideswiped when I heard about the dud notes, I hadn’t paid attention to the details. Another example of me not checking the small print—and the loan was academic now, in light of the new deal.

Josh sniffed, an air of impatience settling around him. “So let’s say I’m paying you four grand for the job at Suki’s. Is that fair?”

I almost choked. I definitely spluttered, causing Kitten to stare at me. “Four grand? You must be crazy, man. I wasn’t going to charge you anything.”

He just grinned back.

I groped for the right words, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. “I can’t take your money, Josh. I really—”

“I really don’t think you have much choice. How the hell will you raise it otherwise? You need to keep a low profile at the moment, and I can help with that too.” He tapped away at the laptop and pulled up a map of the Anglesey coastline, off the coast of North Wales. “We’ve bought a weekend cottage in a quiet village. You can housesit for a couple of weeks if you like.” His dark blue eyes were intense when he stared at me. “What do you say?”

What could I say?
I have to hand you over to Alistair in order to wipe out my debt forever.
I wanted to find a reason to hate Josh, to make it easy on my conscience when I betrayed him, but it was hard not to like him. And why did Alistair want him, anyway? Distracted, I missed his next words. I looked up to see Kitten shaking her head, her hands raised in a clear
no thanks
gesture.

Her eyes darted to me and back to Josh. I saw a fetching red blush steal across her cheeks as she spoke firmly. “You’ve got the wrong idea, Josh. There’s nothing between Dante and me. I’m heading down to Cornwall from here.”

Huh
? I narrowed my eyes at her, about to speak when Josh turned to me.

“Look, I’ve got some calls to make, and then I need to get back to Suki’s house for the last of the moving vans. What are we going to do about Gabriel?”

Kitten fiddled with one of her fingernails, worrying at a ragged edge and refusing to meet my eyes.

My stomach slowly churned at the remote look on her face.

“Dante?” Josh clicked his fingers in front of my face, and I dragged my concentration back from the unhappy girl opposite. “Do we need another séance in Suki’s house?”

“Yeah.” I spoke firmly, grasping at a thin straw. “Another séance—and I’ll need Kitten’s help again.” She stiffened at my words and peeked up at me through her trailing fringe. “You will help, won’t you, baby? I really need you for this.”

Josh paused, and then stared at us in turn. “Can you meet me back here later? Maybe we can do the second séance this afternoon and then head straight over to Rhosneigr. And Dante,” he hesitated a moment. “I was thinking we could leave your bike in my trailer and save you riding there. Go in the car with us.”

I scrubbed tired hands over my face. “Look, Josh, I don’t know what to say. You’re bending over backwards to help, and you know fuck-all about me.” I crossed my arms and tried not to wince at the twinges of pain across my chest. “Why are you doing this?”

His previously mobile face stilled, and anger flickered in the depths of his eyes. “You’re my best shot at getting rid of Gabriel.” He spat the name out. “I’ll do pretty much whatever it takes to protect Suki.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled noisily. “Be ready to go in two hours.” His voice softened when he looked at Kitten. Reaching out, he placed one hand on her sleeve. “You may as well come with us, Katherine,” he cajoled, and her lips curved slightly.

“I don’t know. I need to think about it.” He nodded and withdrew his hand.

Minutes later, Kitten marched back into our room and stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I sighed and leaned on the door. “Kitten, can we talk, please? Baby?”

I heard the toilet flush and then a tap running. I waited, shifting only when I heard the door lock releasing. She’d slicked her hair back and dragged the damp mass into a tight ponytail. Her cheekbones stood out, sharp and angry.

“I have to go out as well, I need to try to get some stuff from my father’s. I don’t even have a change of underwear, let alone my passport or anything useful.”

She didn’t look in the mood for a cuddle so I stuffed my hands into my pockets before they reached out. Her chin tilted up, she straightened her back, and glared at me.

I nodded and tried a smile, but it fell on icy ground. “So why don’t I come with you?”

10.2 Katherine

I stared at Dante and tried to contain my surprise at his suggestion. Before I caved in and said something I’d regret, I forced myself to think logically. “Why? I mean, why would you want to?”

He sank onto the sofa with a little sigh. Unshaven and rumpled, he looked even more desirable than before. “Kitten, I’ve got a lot of shit going on at the moment. And I… I don’t want to be alone.” Silver eyes showed the vulnerability he tried so hard to hide.

I swallowed hard, as I tried to regroup. “Shouldn’t you be thinking about Nanette, instead of trailing around behind me?” I was behaving like a bitch, and he visibly flinched.

“I’m worried fucking sick about Nan. My oldest friend has been knifed and left for dead, and I’m the chief suspect—and I’m being threatened by someone you really don’t want to upset.” His eyes bored into me. “And if all that wasn’t bad enough, I’ve hurt you.”

Despite the warning voice in my head, I stepped toward him. Hope flickered in his eyes but I kept myself stern. “Yes, you have. Why did you go back to Nanette?” It came out as a whisper.

“I went for the card game. Nothing more.” His voice roughened. “I never wanted to hurt you.” He rubbed one hand across his forehead and sighed. “I’m sorry, Kitten.”

Something inside me softened, and I took another tentative step in his direction. This time, I lifted my hand, hoping he’d take it.

Hope flared on his face, and he reached out, lacing his warm fingers with mine.

The skin contact made me feel weak at the knees. I took a deep breath and tried to think over the zinging of blood in my veins. I swear I felt more alive every time I touched Dante.

“You’re not forgiven yet.” I stumbled over the words, trying to maintain my stern expression and failing.

“You’re too good for me, Kitten.” Keeping our hands linked, he stood up and closed the final distance between us, wrapping his free arm around me.

I dipped my head to rest against his chest, engulfed in his embrace. It felt as though I’d come home.

He dropped a gentle kiss on the top of my head and sighed deeply. “I don’t want you to become another casualty of my fucked-up life. Everyone who means anything to me, ends up getting hurt. Or worse.”

“Hey,” I murmured, unwilling to move. “I’ve managed to fuck-up my own life, I didn’t need any help from you.”

I heard a muffled laugh. “Baby, you don’t even come close.”

Burying my nose in his shirt, I inhaled the rich, sinfully erotic scent that I now associated with Dante. A hint of leather, something dark and spicy, and a whole lot of sexy. Lifting my head, I pressed my lips hard against his, catching him by surprise. “I’m still mad at you.” I stroked his bruised cheek with my fingers, skating along his jaw and grazing his mouth.

He groaned softly, pulling me closer and nuzzling my hand.

“Really, I mean it.” I tightened the hand meshed around his and relished the squeeze he gave me back. “I don’t share well, Dante.”

He gave me a crumpled smile. “Neither do I.”

At that moment, I wanted to throw caution to the wind and fall into bed with him, stroking and petting his artwork and tasting his skin, but I hesitated.

“We’ve got to be back here soon.” Without consciously thinking about it, I’d already accepted that Dante would come along. “And keep your tattoos covered.”

* * * *

Half an hour later, I instructed the cab driver to wait at the bottom of my father’s driveway. Dante had paid for a cab to take us back to Wilmslow where I drew a wedge of cash from my emergency bank account, the one my father knew nothing about. It would be good to have my purse back and get my hands on my bank cards. I wore Dante’s leather jacket but still shivered, with nerves as much as the cool air.

Hand in hand, I led him round to the kitchen entrance, and we walked in without anybody noticing. His strong grip reassured me that for once, I wasn’t alone. I half expected my bedroom door to be locked, for a giant padlock to have appeared, but I was wrong. The door opened with its usual gentle click.

I stared at the empty room in disbelief. Even the curtains had gone. I’d picked the fabric, a vibrant swirl of peony flowers, when I first moved in. They were my mother’s favorite flowers. The bed, wardrobe, and drawers had all gone. My bookshelves, stuffed with books and papers, overflowing on the lower shelves—all gone. Every single thing I’d owned had been wiped out as if I’d never been there.

“I don’t understand.” Dante wrapped both arms around me from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder. “Have we got the wrong room?”

Blinking back tears, I shook my head, unable to speak. The photos of my mother.
Gone
. My collection of paperbacks, photo albums, CD’s, and DVD’s had taken years to amass. Some of those books had been like old friends. My research notes and studies were all backed up in cyberspace, but the thought of replacing all the textbooks was painful. And as for my clothes… I would have to replace everything. “He meant it.”

“Meant what, baby?”

“That I couldn’t ever come back.”

“
Bastard
.” He breathed the word onto my neck and hugged me tighter. “Sorry, Kitten.”

A soft footstep behind us caused me to spin round. Marina stood in the open doorway, her eyes locked onto Dante.

“I’m sorry, Katherine.”

I frowned. I would have expected condemnation from my stepmother, not almost-friendliness. “I asked Grayson to wait, to see if you came to your senses, but he wouldn’t.” She glanced over her shoulder, and then smoothed her immaculate hair. “It’s not too late. If you promise to do as he asks, he might let you come back.”

Without taking my eyes off her, I clutched Dante’s hand. “That’s not going to happen. I only came back to pick up some of my things. Do you know if he kept my passport?”

She shook her head and smoothed her hair some more. “I don’t know, I’m sorry. He’ll be back soon, you really should go.” With a series of rapid, jerky movements, she tore through her handbag and emptied the contents of her purse, shoving a bundle of notes and coins into my hand. “I wish it were more, but Grayson doesn’t like me carrying cash.”

I tried to refuse, but she insisted. Even more surprising was the impulsive hug, possibly the first she’d ever given me. “If I find anything of yours, how can I contact you, Katherine?”

I swallowed, a lump of tangled emotions trapped in my throat. “Sam and Ellie,” I croaked. “I’ll be heading down to Cornwall in a few days.”

10.3 Dante

I held Kitten secure in my arms as the taxi made its way back to the hotel. In my head, I catalog the things I’d like to do to her father. It was a good distraction from all the other problems waiting for my attention. Alistair’s voice rang in my head on a constant loop:
Five days
.

She sat quietly, her face pale and drawn, only becoming more animated when we pulled up at the entrance and she paid the driver. “Will you come to the shops with me, Dante? We can walk into Knutsford from here.”

You become mine for eternity.
There had to be a solution. A way out of this clusterfuck.

“Sure.” I caught a flash of color in the corner of my eye—it was Ingrid, sitting on a low wall with her feet swinging. She waved a bright, yellow mitten at me and fiddled with her knitted hat, shoving it further back on her head. I turned to Kitten. “I just need to talk to someone, will you give me a minute?”

She probably thought I wanted to make a phone call so I dropped to a crouch in front of the wall and pretended to adjust my boot buckles. “Ingrid. Where have you been, munchkin? I missed you.”

Her giggle warmed my heart. I was so pleased to see her, I’d even agree to a twelve-hour marathon of playing I-Spy. “I’ve asked a friend to come along, Dante.”