The Big Blind (Nadia Wolf) (24 page)

“I’ll keep it for today then give it back tomorrow.”

“Do you want to borrow one of my cars?”

“That’s nice of you to offer, but no.”

“If you change your mind, you know where I am.”

“I do.”

“David filled me in on what happened with Dagor. From his description you were exceedingly convincing.”

“I was so convincing he wanted to become my big daddy.”

“Do you know what you’re going to do tonight when you meet him again?”

“David is suppose to figure that out.”

Greyson parked in the chapel lot. He called Remy to pick him up then escorted me to my apartment. I opened the door expecting to see Gus wanting his food. He wasn’t there. He wasn’t on the couch or bed. He was nowhere.

“Greyson, did you happen to see Gus this morning?”

“No, but I wasn’t focused on Gus.”

“David put him on the bed last night as a barrier between us. I told him Gus wouldn’t move the whole night. He must have. Where could he have gone?”

“Did you lock the door last night?”

“Yes. But you said it was unlocked this morning.”

“Someone must have entered your apartment last night.”

“To steal Gus? Who in their right mind would do that? I must not have closed the door properly.”

“Perhaps we should search the building. Frankie might have seen him.”

Greyson and I walked down to Frankie’s apartment. I knocked on his door.

Frankie opened the door dressed in a purple leotard, leggings, and sweat band.

“I’m in a hurry,” he said in a flutter. “I’m late for my pole dancing class.” He scurried out the door and locked it behind him.

“Have you seen Gus?” I asked. “He’s not in my apartment.”

“No. Sorry. I’ve got to run, sweet cheeks.”

“Oh, okay.” I said as I watched him race down the stairs.

“I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to Greyson,” he shouted as he turned the corner and disappeared from view.

“I don’t know whether to be more amused at him taking a pole dancing class, his outfit, or him calling me sweet cheeks,” Greyson said.

“At least you’re amused.”

We traipsed down to the first floor. Since my body was tight with fiery pain, Greyson stooped to look underneath the waiting room couch and desk. I stole a few peeks at his firm butt as he bent over. I had a serious case of gutter brain every time he was near.

We searched behind the chapel decorations and pillars. No Gus.

A lump formed in my throat. Stupid cat! He’s a pain in the ass, but I still loved the fur ball.
Where the hell is he?

Greyson kissed the top of my head. “Contact the shelters and vet clinics. See if they’ve found a stray cat the size of a watermelon. His size will make him stand out. You’ll have a better chance of finding him.”

“This was why I didn’t want to put Gus on a diet. He wouldn’t be recognizable if he was skinny.”

“Yeah, that and he attacked any thing that was a possible food source.”

I chuckled, but it was short lived. “I hope I can find him.”

“I hope so too.” Greyson glanced out the window. “Remy just drove up. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to leave.”

“Don’t worry about it. I have to leave for the theater in a couple hours.”

“I’ll see you at the theater. I was able to secure front row seats for some VIPs and me.”

“I hope I don’t embarrass myself on stage.”

“It’s still entertaining if you do.”

I narrowed my eyes.

He chuckled. “You’ll do great. I’ll see you later.”

I trekked back upstairs searching in corners Gus might have hidden. No Gus.

Chapter 16

I carried my costume into the theater. I was still wearing my sweatpants and t-shirt. I wasn’t going to change until the last minute. I could only imagine what torture the full body jumpsuit would inflict.

As I rounded the corner to enter the backstage area, I heard Lupier talking in harsh whispers to Catarina. He spotted me as I entered. His smile of greeting disintegrated as he surveyed my oversized sweatpants and scorched skin. His lips tightened into a thin line.

Catarina barked with laughter. “Did any one order lobster?”

“Catarina, we’ll talk later,” Lupier said in a tone that directed her to disappear.

“We’ll settle this later,” she said. Before she sauntered out the door, she smiled sweetly at me. “By the way, Nadia, dinner with Greyson was wonderful. The best part was
dessert
.”

I glared at her as she retreated from the backstage and out the door. “Why was Catarina here?” I asked.

“It’s not important. What happened to you?”

“I fell asleep in the sun.”

“You fell asleep in the Vegas sun? Are you stupid?”

My teeth ground together. “No, I’m not. It was an accident.”

“You look ridiculous.” He gestured to me. “Like a ridiculous raccoon. How could you do this?” His eyes zapped to my raccoon eyes. “You are no longer bella and no longer my assistant. You will be the one to disappear.”

“Not into the fire. I’m already burnt to a crisp.”

I watched the anger twist his face. His jaw was rigid and his eyes were narrow; every muscle twitched. I wondered at his anger. Surely, it couldn’t all be my fault because I was burnt. He already knew I was a disaster waiting to bring his stage to its knees. So, why the anger? My eyes glanced over to where Catarina exited realizing he wasn’t forthcoming about Catarina.

“No, not the fire. You deserve the scorpion coffin.”

My heart froze into an ice cube. “The what?”

“The scorpion coffin. They will not harm you . . . unless you don’t disappear.”

“I don’t know how to disappear.”

“Yvette will show you. I am tired of you. Go!”

“I refuse to do it.”

His eye twitched. “You will do it because I have a contract with you for this performance.” His smooth Italian accent slipped revealing he was one-hundred percent Vegas. “We’ve already sold out the performance. If you cancel you’ll have to pay the ticket sales loss.”

“How much?”

“Twenty thousand.”

I gulped. “You said the scorpions won’t hurt me?”

“As long as you disappear you’ll be safe.”

I nodded.

“Get out of my sight.” As I turned to leave, he called, “There will be no pie for you.”

At least there was a silver lining . . . no pie.

I found Yvette’s dressing room and listened at the door just in case she was entertaining again. I didn’t want to interrupt her a second time, especially since she had to teach me to disappear properly before scorpions stung me to death. She needed to be extra happy. When I didn’t hear anything, I knocked.

“Come in,” she said.

I opened the door and peeked in.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said. “I was hoping it was Jason.”

“I could come back.”

“No. Come on in. He hasn’t been sniffing around my door as much. I think he’s a little afraid of seeing you here. Jason’s not one for office gossip. Between Catarina hanging out and you assisting Lupier, it’s getting a little too close for his comfort.”

“Are you a couple?”

She smirked. “We keep each other company.”

“Lupier sent me here. I need to learn the scorpion trick.”

Her eyes slid to me. “Really?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Did you refuse to sleep with him?”

“No. I would have, but he became furious when he noticed my sunburn.”

“You look like a burnt raccoon.”

“That’s what he said. Also, no pie for me.”

She chuckled. “Be happy.”

“I am.”

“Let’s get started. You’re going to need time to practice this little number.”

“There’s only a couple hours before show time.”

“Start praying.”

Lupier’s fake accent amplified on stage grated against my nerves. The show started thirty minutes ago and my number was next. I shrugged on the red costume, wincing as the material pricked at me.

I breathed in and out to help reduce my stage fright, but somewhere between in and out, I hyperventilated. I wheezed in air grasping at my chest. Playing magician with scorpions made my knees lock with terror.

Yvette didn’t bring the scorpions out during the rehearsal. She said it would rile them. I didn’t complain. I’ve only seen a scorpion once, and it was behind glass at the zoo. Even safely behind glass they made me freeze with fear.

A stage hand pushed me. “You’re on.”

“Oh, God.” I hurried through the curtain towards my impending doom.

Lupier ignored me as he addressed the audience with a fantastical tale about the horrors of scorpions. He weaved in colorful imagery about those who periled at the mighty scorpion’s tail. I nearly wet myself by the time he finished the story.

“And now ladies and gentlemen, Nadia Wolf will tempt fate and lay in a glass coffin while scorpions invade. Will she escape the coffin or be buried in it?”

The lights lowered. A blinding spotlight lit up the coffin. Fast suspenseful music filled the air. Lupier’s words raced through my head; arachnid, venom, stinger, tail, thousands, deadly, and excruciating pain.

I paced, what could be my final steps, to the glass coffin and climbed in. Once I laid down, Lupier closed the lid with a sneer and padlocked it for every one to see. His hand edged over the box containing the scorpions.

“Will she escape or die?” He asked with a haunting tone.

With one fluid motion, he slid open the door releasing the scorpions into a short glass tunnel that led to the coffin. I gaped down at my feet as the scorpions scurried towards me with their tails in the air.

All I had to do was press the smoke button which would release smoke into the coffin, hiding me from the audience. I’d instantly fall into the trap door below me. I was supposed to wait until the scorpions were close enough to freak out the audience.

Forget the audience, I was freaked out. I pressed the button. I pressed it again. Nothing happened. Lupier narrowed his eyes at me but smiled for the audience. I pressed the button rapidly. Nothing happened.

The first scorpion entered the coffin followed by a few more. Led by the tunnel, they were coming right at me. They scurried around my legs and up on my pants. With each crawling leg of the scorpion, my heart beat faster until it was wild and out of control. I had to escape.

I banged on the top of the coffin lid.

“Get me out of here!” I screamed.

I pushed against the lid. It didn’t budge. A scorpion crawled on my neck with its tail high in the air. Its legs prickle my skin sending spikes of ice down my spine.

I screamed as I frantically clawed at the glass . . . my coffin.

Lupier stared wide-eyed into the coffin. I gritted my teeth and slammed my knee into the coffin lid. The glass splintered. I pushed through the glass shards. My actions were no longer mine. Adrenaline surged through me as I exploded through the remaining glass, throwing myself on Lupier. We crashed to the ground. The scorpions fell off me and onto Lupier. His face bleached white as he screamed in a frequency higher than a dog whistle. He shot up, flinging me off him and bolted backstage.

The curtain fell. An arm looped around my waist heaving me to safety.

“Another fabulous show,” Greyson said, ushering me from the scorpions scurrying around the stage.

Stagehands surrounded them. No one budged close enough to capture one.

I held onto Greyson as the adrenaline rush wore off. “Where did you come from?”

“The front row.”

“The scorpions . . .”

“You don’t have to worry about them.”

“The trap door didn’t open.”

“I rather figured that when you vaulted from the glass coffin.” He surveyed my face and arms. “You have a couple of cuts from the glass. I bet your knee is all banged up too.”

I didn’t feel any thing. I was numb.

“Let’s get you out of the costume and into your t-shirt and sweat pants. You’ll feel better.”

I nodded and led the way to the dressing room. Lupier was rounding the corner.

“You . . . you . . . raccoon!” He shouted. “You ruined me!”

“Your coffin didn’t work.”

“My equipment is in perfect condition. You’re the bumbling idiot that can’t even press a button. I’m going to sue you. You’re going to be sorry you stepped foot on this stage.”

“I was sorry the minute I met you.”

He let out a strangled sound. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyers!”

Greyson shoved a business card in his hand. “Have them call my lawyers.”

Lupier’s eyes rounded as he inspected the card forced in his hand. He sputtered curses as he turned on his heel.