The Mistaken (35 page)

She pushed against my chest with a half-hearted
effort. I leaned down farther and pressed my lips against hers,
kissing her until she was breathless. I sat back up and finished
the beer then threw it against the wall where it crashed in a loud
spray of shattered glass. Hannah jumped with a sharp yelp, her
hands cupped against her ears.

I looked back down at her and slowly ran my hand up
her arm, along her shoulder, and up to her throat, where I allowed
it to linger. Very gently, I wrapped my fingers around the silken
column of gleaming pale skin. My other hand entwined in her hair. I
pulled my face to within an inch of hers and gave her a gentle but
quick shake. She screamed out my name as the first tears began to
roll over her temples. She pressed her eyes tight against me and
wrapped both her hands around my wrist.

I gave her one more sharp jolt. “Open your eyes,
Hannah!”

When she complied, I lowered my mouth to hers and
kissed her slowly, drawing my tongue over her lips then plunging
into her mouth. She didn’t fight me at all, though I could feel how
frightened she was as her body tensed and trembled. I pulled myself
back and stared into her panic-stricken eyes, laughing softly at
her fear.

“How well do you think you know me, Ms. Maguire? I
mean, we’ve spent nearly every second of the last few days
together, shared the most intimate of moments, the threat of death
looming over our heads. You’ve seen me at my barbaric worst. My
most broken and vulnerable. You’ve heard my pathetic tale of lost
love and family betrayal. But you don’t
really
know me. Do
you?” I paused and held her gaze. “No,” I laughed bitterly, “you
don’t know me at all.”

I released my hold on her throat and pushed away. As
I swung up off her, I grabbed her by both arms and forced her up
off the bed with me. I wrapped my arms around her back, pinning
hers to her sides while my mouth rested near her ear.

“That fear you feel right now, Hannah? I suggest you
remember it well.” I loosened my hold, pulled back, and looked her
in the eye, then I kissed her again, one last time, tenderly at
first, and then with all the hunger and desire I had for her. I
left her shaking, stunned, and silent.

I pushed back from her and walked away; throwing
onto her bed the manila envelope I had stuffed into the back of my
waistband. I hesitated in the doorway and peered back over my
shoulder. Hannah stood there alone in the dark. The tears in her
eyes sparkled with the reflection of the city lights. Her arms were
drawn up and pressed in front of her chest with her fists tucked
firmly under her chin like a frightened little girl.

I was struck still in my tracks. That was exactly
how she looked only two days ago, just before I pushed her down
onto her bed and savagely tried to rape her in a haze of drunken
retaliation. The image of that morning lingered in my mind then
merged into the one before me now. The sight of this poor broken
woman, abused for my base need for revenge, left me shaken and
nauseous.
All the more reason to see this finished.
I
clenched my jaw tight to keep myself from running back to her, from
wrapping my arms around her and begging for her forgiveness yet
again.

“You’re going home in the morning, Ms. Maguire. Make
certain you’re ready,” I said then left the room.

I heard her collapse back onto the bed, crying
quietly. I left her confused and frightened, angry and betrayed,
and, worst of all, hurt, but it was for the best.

For her, at least.

Chapter
Thirty
-
Five

Tyler

As the sky blushed early the next morning, I
returned to the hotel lobby and paid the bill of all current
charges, with my own money, not Hannah’s. Once back in the suite, I
could hear Hannah in the bathroom. I seated myself in one of the
large living room chairs and waited for her. She finally emerged,
freshly showered. Her eyes were red and swollen with pale purple
shadows marring the porcelain contours beneath them. I felt a
moment of regret for my deceitful performance last night, but my
resolve was firm, and if she was angry and hurt, or better yet,
afraid, then she could leave me behind without looking back, and
remember me as nothing more than a bad experience.

“All packed?”

Startled, Hannah came to an abrupt halt before me.
She glared at me for a brief moment then looked away as she
searched around the room.

“Yes,” she replied, her tone bitter and flat.

“Then what are you looking for?”

“My car keys,” she answered without looking up.

“Don’t worry about it. You won’t need them.”

With a loud sigh, she hitched both hands onto her
hips and glared at me. “Excuse me?”

“I said you won’t need them. You’re flying home.
I’ve already had your car shipped back. Didn’t you look in the
envelope I left for you last night?” I asked, but she refused to
respond. “All the arrangements have been made. The bill of lading
for your car is in there, your boarding pass, plus all your cash; I
even paid back what we spent. And a Town Car is waiting downstairs
to take you to the airport. I’ve already spoken to the driver and
given him precise instructions. He’s bringing an assistant to
escort you all the way to security. So you’re all taken care
of.”

Hurt blossomed across her face yet again, but she
smoothed it over with an icy stare. “You don’t control me
anymore.”

I chuckled at her remark, rose from the chair, then
walked over and stood in front of her. Although I loomed over her,
and she couldn’t hide the alarm in her eyes, she stood up to me
without backing down, her chin raised defiantly. Though not
surprised, I was duly impressed with her bravery, but I was
dismayed that I would have to continue with my charade. I reached
down and took her hand, turning it over to kiss the inside of her
wrist.

“Oh, Ms. Maguire, I beg to differ,” I said with cool
confidence and a hint of a smile pulling up at the corner of my
mouth.

Hannah ripped her hand from my grasp, pulled it back
then slapped me hard across my face. The noise cracked like a whip
off the walls. She took a step back and bore into me, contempt
burning in her eyes. “I guess you were right. I don’t know you at
all. Goodbye, Mr. Karras.”

Hannah stormed back into her room and grabbed her
bag, purse, and the manila envelope. She returned a moment later
and paused at the front door. She turned back to face me, as if she
had something else to say.

“Hannah, I’m—”

She held up her hand with her index finger singled
out. “No. It’s
Ms.
Maguire now. Isn’t it?”

I pressed my lips together and sighed. “I’ll escort
you down to the car.”

“That won’t be necessary. I think you’ve done enough
already.” Though her tone was bitter, she looked at me with what I
could only call longing in her eyes.

I gazed back and felt my heart soften, my resolve
slip. I wished I didn’t have to do this, but I had no choice, so I
hardened my expression and tipped my head at her.

She turned away and slipped through the door.

Chapter
Thirty
-
Six

Hannah

I wasn’t even through the door yet before I started
crying again. I thought I’d cried away all my tears last night,
that I had none left to shed, but they came back just the same. I
felt deceived. I was angry that Ty had allowed me to comfort him as
I did, offering him my forgiveness for every despicable thing he’d
done to me, only to cast me aside as if it meant nothing, as if I
were but a distraction to his real problem.

I was confused by the way his mood always seemed to
shift from one extreme to the other. It was as if he had two
personalities: one mean and manipulative, self-serving and hateful,
the other tender and caring, remorseful and loving. I had come to
care for the latter and despise the former. More than anything,
Tyler had frightened me, and the tentative trust I’d held in him
was gone.

Having all those feelings didn’t lessen the pain I
felt at leaving. I still hadn’t sorted out the strange pull he had
on me, and I was embarrassed, even horrified, that I could have any
tender feelings for him at all after everything he’d put me
through. But there was something there, as strange as it was, and
right now it hurt more than I could bear.

I exited the elevator and crossed the lobby to the
auto entrance where brightly colored taxis and sleek limos lined
the curb. I looked around for some sign of who was to take me to
the airport and noticed a tall gentleman in a black suit and tie.
He leaned casually against the side of a polished black Mercedes
and held a sign with “MAGUIRE” written neatly across it in bold
letters. I walked up to him with a wan smile, my heart still aching
and my nerves raw.

“I’m Hannah Maguire.”

He tipped his head and grinned. “Going to the
airport, ma’am?” he asked with a heavy European accent.

“Yes, I suppose I am.”

With a courteous nod, he opened the door. I climbed
in and sat down. My nose wrinkled at the aroma of fresh tobacco.
The driver took his seat and looked back at me in the mirror.

“I should have you at your destination shortly,
ma’am,” he informed me in his awkward, clipped tone.

As he locked the doors, a slight chill ran through
me, and I couldn’t help but feel trapped somehow. I shook it off
though, telling myself it was just the past two days of fending off
attackers that had gotten to me. I leaned my head back and closed
my eyes, determined to relax.

Soon this nightmare would all be over, and I would
be back home where I belonged.

Chapter
Thirty
-
Seven

Tyler

It was done. There was no going
back, no matter how I felt about Hannah. I hated to see the pain in
her eyes, knowing full well that I’d put it there yet again. Though
it would haunt me forever, I would accept it, because she would be
better off without me in the end. But still, I felt her absence
acutely. Just having her near helped me stay calmer than I would
otherwise, so with her gone and the task of facing Alexi and Dmitri
ahead of me, I was a jumble of nerves. There was no putting it off
though. I had just over thirty minutes to get to Dmitri’s Tea House
in the Outer
Richmond. I flagged a cab and gave the driver
the address.

When I arrived, Alexi’s black Mercedes was parked in
front of the restaurant. I nodded at the tall man leaning against
it and pulled open the restaurant door. He followed me in, close on
my heels, the strong smell of cigarettes preceding him. Two more
large men with sidearms bulging beneath their jackets met me as I
entered. One put a hand out to stop me while the other patted me
down for weapons.

As they searched me, I strained to see into the
darkened room, looking for exits, additional men, and anything I
could use as a weapon, should the need arise. The guards found
nothing and let me pass, though I felt their eyes trained on me as
if I had a bull’s eye painted on my back. Alexi’s voice called out
from the private banquet room in the rear.

“Ah, Tyler, my friend, come,” he said, oozing a
polite charm. “Come and join us. Please, back here.”

I crept cautiously through the main room and into
the next, spying Alexi with two other men seated at a table, each
expensively dressed in a finely tailored suit and tie. Sitting next
to Alexi was Dmitri Chernov, a heavy-set man whose age was
prominently mapped out on his markedly creased face. Though I had
never met him in person, he was well-known in The City, repeatedly
featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, sometimes in the crime
section, but most often in the society and political pages. Across
from him was a third man I did not recognize.

Four more intimidating men held watch directly
behind them, their shoulders crammed together awkwardly around the
small table. Everyone scrutinized me, each set of eyes looking me
up and down deliberately. Only Alexi had a broad grin plastered to
his face, accompanied by a measured glean which glowed in his eye.
I walked up and stood in front of their table. Alexi gestured to
the empty seat directly across from him.

“Sit, please. Have a cup of tea. It will refresh and
energize you.” With calculated civility, he poured me a cup then
slid a creamer my way. “Earl Grey and milk for the Englishman, eh,
my friend?” He winked and smiled, but it was anything but
friendly.

I had the uneasy feeling I was being maneuvered
somehow, like a bait dog being forced into the pit. I remained
silent and took my seat next to the stranger who glared at me
without an ounce of humor. Dmitri had a similarly sour look. With a
sharp clap of his hands, Alexi brought my attention back to
him.

“Tyler, we are all surprised that you do not have
the girl with you. Why did you not bring her as I asked?” Alexi’s
grin turned serious. Contrary to what he’d said, he didn’t look
surprised, and that had me worried.

“She’s in a safe place. Don’t worry, you’ll get your
merchandise once I’ve seen that Nick is well.”

Dmitri and Alexi turned to each other and shared an
amused look and a remark spoken in Russian. I found both
disconcerting. They were entertained by my discomfort. Dmitri
looked over at his men and gestured with a snap of his fingers. Two
of them jumped up and disappeared into the kitchen, returning a
minute later with Nick. His flannel shirt was torn and open, his
jeans splattered with blood. They dragged him roughly by the arms,
both of which were fastened behind his back. He couldn’t even walk
on his own. I jumped up out of my seat as they hauled him into the
room. The remaining two guards popped up. One stood in my path
while the other restrained me from behind, both my arms locked in a
full Nelson hold.