The Scene (25 page)

“Or she,” I interrupted.

“Or she
,” he agreed.

“Or they.” As my theory suggested.

“Either way, there are so many possibilities I do not know why you believe Malcolm or Dominika, or I for that matter, have anything to do with it.” I raised my eyebrows questioningly and took the risk of looking at him. “Alright, I can understand Dominika. Malcolm I do not see. And myself, well, I know I am not a murderer.”

“But I don’t. Hell you could be taking me to an abandoned warehouse as we speak. Where you plan to cut me and drain me and bathe in my blood. Wow, wouldn’t that be ironic.” My stomach tightened at the possibility. While I knew there was something off about the man in the driver seat, I doubted greatly he actually committed any homicides.

I hope
.

“Yes it would be.”

My phone vibrated violently in my lap. I jumped out of my skin. The conversation I was involved in was a strange mix of suspense and light hearted camaraderie.

             
Why am I so jumpy?

There was always a chance I was going to end up dead. There was also a possibility, no matter how badly I denied it
, I would die at the hand of Cyrus. Jumpiness explained, I let out a sigh and answered my phone.

             
“Yeah.” Rude, I know. Too fucking bad.

             
“Dylan, ya?” My favorite overstuffed Hawaiian teddy bear.

             
“Sam. Couldn’t live without me, huh?”

             
“Ya.” He chuckled like Santa Claus. “Hey Dylan, you seen Reggie? She ain’t back. I call and call. She no answer.” His voice held concern.

             
“No. She wasn’t at Embrace.”

             
“Man, Dylan. I hope she okay. You be okay too, ya?”

             
“Yeah, Sam, you too. If I see her, I’ll give you a call. Is this your cell number?”

             
“Ya, t’anks, Dylan.” For the first time he didn’t sound overly happy. In fact, he was downright dreary.

             
We hung up then. I wasn’t really concerned with the whereabouts of Regina, but for whatever reason, Sam sounded worried.

             
“What did Sam want?” Cyrus asked.

             
“He was looking for Reggie. You didn’t see her in the club, right?” I would swear I didn’t. Then again, I was half blind and viewed the majority of the space at warp speed.

             
“No. She should turn up. I am not concerned with her.”

             
“Me either. Okay, this is driving me nuts. I have to ask you. Why do you talk like that? Like your English teacher is sitting on your shoulder. You didn’t act like that when we first met. You were…normal.” I was running a big risk looking at him, but for now it was only the side of his head. I was safe.

             
“Normal? Thanks. Malcolm says I am not believable as a young, attractive model if I appear too intelligent. It is all about appearances with Malcolm. With you, I thought, I was safe to be myself.” His words weren’t what I expected.

             
“That’s another thing. Suddenly, you’re divulging a lot more information than the usual cryptic surrender of verbiage you release. For the most part anyhow, you’ve not completely let me down. You’re still dodging a lot of my questions though.”

             
“Perhaps the time has come for you to know more than you were originally aware. There is also the possibility, I feel the more you know, the safer you will be.”

             
“I’ll be safe when these fuckers are in prison.”

             
Or dead. Yes. I would be safe when all bad guys were fucking dead.

CHAPTER 25

“Would you like me to walk you up?” I was looking at the side of his head when he turned to me.

Shit
.

             
“When did we get here? I wasn’t even paying attention.” We were parked on the street in front of my apartment.

             
“We have been parked here for seven minutes.” He smiled that dazzling smile.

             
“Oh.” I could literally feel my cheeks flush with blood.
That fucker made me blush.

             
“Well, would you like an escort to your door?” he asked again.

             
No, no, no, no.
“Yes.”
Dammit
.

             
In a flash, he was unbuckled, out his door, and opening mine. I regretted my unconscious decision the moment it left my idiotic lips. I allowed the man to walk me to the steps. Then proceeded to follow him up the steps, hand in his, to the door.

             
“Would you like assistance with your keys again?” The smile spread across his face like frosting on a cake. Sweet, enticing, and ultimately bad for you.

             
“Yes.”
Do I know any other words?

             
He reached his hand out for my key ring. Without looking, I snatched them from my handbag and handed them to him. My fingers grazed the palm of his hand. That one slight touch revealed scorching heat emanating from Cyrus. Like magic, he had the key in the hole and the latched turned over without the slightest effort. We stood for a heartbeat at the entrance to my home. His hand traced the line down my back making me shiver. He let out a laugh that could have woken the dead from a wet dream. His hand remained in place at my low back as I made the attempt to step over my threshold. The heat emanating from his hand would have caused me to sweat under it if it had been left there long enough. Everything inside me was telling me to not let him in. It was a bad choice. Nothing good could come of it. Well, everything inside me but one. That one thing told me amazing things could come of it. That one thing told me to say yes, again. I looked up into those pure green eyes against my will.

Stop. Danger
.
Warning
. There may have well have been red lights flashing over my head. I didn’t stop.
Damn you freewill, don’t fail me now!

He was staring into my eyes so intently I was almost lost in green lust. His face moved closer to mine and he smiled with only one side of his mouth.

Well, that’s a weird smile.

             
Penetrating sound squawked from by purse thwarting all advances at once. A part of me was pretty pissed we were so rudely interrupted. The rest of me was grateful to whoever decided to call me at that moment. I dug my phone from my purse and looked at the face-plate.

             
Okay, maybe I wasn’t so grateful.

             
“I have to take this really quick.” I smiled at the beautiful man now standing in my living room and turned toward the kitchen.

             
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to call you. So much for wanting me to come over.” I had nonchalantly made my way out of earshot, just in case.

             
“Well, hello to you too. I have a job you know.” He was far too relaxed. Nothing as he had been hours before.

             
“Yeah, well, I had to take care of some sleuthing by myself, thanks to you.”

             
“Why are you whispering?”

             
“I have company.” Instinctively my head turned to said company. I now stared into open air where the man once stood. I quickly looked around the living room, nothing.

             
“Who?” A glimmer of the overbearing Mike was shining through, finally.

             
“Hold on.” Still whispering, I tip toed down the hall and checked the bathroom, nothing. My eyebrows dropped and I made my way to my bedroom. I shoved the door open wide expecting to catch him lying in my bed. Nothing.

What the fuck?

              “What are you doing? I can hear you breathing, loud. Who’s at your place?” His voice was scornful.

             
“No one apparently.” If I am being honest, I was a little disappointed Cyrus was nowhere to be found. I checked the porch just in case I was wrong, nothing.

Damn
.

             
“What’s going on here, Dylan? You’re being really shady.”

             
“Nothing. It’s not a big deal. What’s up?” I asked still looking for my missing man.

Where did Cyrus go? I wonder if I pissed him off answering Mikes call. How would he even know who was calling? Unless, he was eavesdropping.

             
“Are you coming over or not? It’s after eleven you should probably get over here before dawn hits.”

             
Smartass.
“I don’t know. Where were you?”

             
“Work shit. Went over the ME’s prelim of the newest girl. Are you coming?”

             
“Not like I would have five minutes ago.” I said snidely.

             
“What?”

             
“Nothing. Yeah I’ll be over. Let me get some stuff together and I’ll be there. Hour or two, k?”

             
“Okay, hurry up.” He seemed distracted. I guess nine dead chicks will do that do you.

             
“Yes sir.” I hung up then.

Damn Mike.

              I gathered some overnight stuff and threw it in my favorite canvas tote. I’m fairly low maintenance, so it wasn’t much to pack. Toothbrush, make-up, jeans, wife-beater, huge t-shirt for bed, and extra hair-tie. Done.

             
Before I left, I checked once more for my phantom fellow. Closets, under the bed, behind the shower curtain, cabinets. So that was a little too far, but you get the idea. He wasn’t there. I locked up tight and headed out for Mikes. I pondered the evening’s events as I drove in silence. Query number one: where did Cyrus go and why? Query two: what was Tatum thinking? Query number three, and this one was really rubbing me the wrong way: what the fuck did that Hungarian bitch say to me?

             
It was after midnight by the time I walked up Mike’s driveway. My sneakers made no noise on the cooling concrete. I rapped quietly on the front door and waited. It was two full minutes before Mike emerged at the entrance.

             
“Good morning, sunshine.” I didn’t bother waiting for an invite as I pushed past him.

             
“Take you long enough?” He shut the door and locked it immediately.

             
“Eat me, Michael.” I regretted it the minute I said it.

             
“If you play your cards right.”

             
I ignored him and plopped down on the sofa. He did too. Mike kindly allowed a full cushion space between the two of us. The TV in the living room was off and the distraction free silence created an odd tension in the room.

             
“Were you in bed?” I couldn’t take it anymore.

             
“Nah, just hanging out in the quiet.” He kicked his feet up on the coffee table and slouched into the seat.

             
“Alrighty then. Do we have to hang out in the quiet?” I’m not big on quiet moments.

             
“Wouldn’t be the first time we hung out in silence. Never bothered you before.”

             
“We were screwing before. Now, it’s different.”
Now, it’s just awkward.

             
“Can’t just sit in silence with me anymore? I see. How about some reading material then.” He slid a file folder across the table with his foot.

             
“What is it?” I picked it up.

             
“If you have to ask, you obviously aren’t committed to your case.” He looked at me; I met his eyes. They are a beautiful aquamarine, familiar and comfortable. Nothing like the green ones I was avoiding previously. I could look at him and say no. A lot.

             
“More case files? I can read this? No catch?” I was finding it hard to believe.

             
“No catch. I figure she was put there for you, you have the right to see her.”

             
“Thanks Mike, that’s…that’s really thoughtful.”

             
“You got it.” He stood up and stretched. “And we were doing a lot more than screwing, Dylan. I guess you forgot. I didn’t.” He padded on bare feet to the kitchen and flipped the light on.

             
I really didn’t have time for his shit right now. There were bigger fanged-fish to fry. Ignoring his comment I opened the off-white folder and immediately skimmed it for photos. Before I knew it, I was staring at a photo of me. Dead. A ‘shock to the system’ is an understatement. Full color, head-to-toe, photo of a dead girl. A Dylan Hart dead ringer. No wonder these boys were so concerned. I figured she would just be a fat brunette, I was wrong. Down to the green eyes and freckles she was me. I must have been stuck on void when Mike came back in.

             
“Hey. Here.” He handed be a high-ball glass filled with ice and booze. I took it. “Dead ringer, huh?” His words mimicked the thoughts in my head.

             
“I thought the same thing. I didn’t expect…”

             
“Her to look that much like you.” I nodded, agreeing with him. “Babe, I thought she was you.” I ignored the babe thing. “Took me a good minute to compose myself enough to realize it wasn’t.”

             
“Why would someone do this?” I was in shock.

             
“You were targeted.” My head turned on pivot to meet his eyes once again. “From my professional stand point, you were the target. Either they thought that was you, or they did it intentionally to scare the shit out of you. It could have been a message left just for you.”

             
“Or you.” I said.

             
“No. This was about you. If it was left for me, I’m not scared. You’re right here with me. I know you’re not dead and you won’t be.  Not if I have any control over it, anyway. Whoever’s killing these girls, knows who you are and what you’re up to. Have you thought about who you’ve been in contact with surrounding this?” He was drifting into cop mode. Fine with me. It’s better than ex-boyfriend mode.

             
“Not really.” He looked at me disapprovingly. “Hey, fuck you. It’s been a long day. I almost died. I had my life threatened in a foreign language. I busted in on Tatum banging a Primus. And I was left at the bed sheets.”

             
Fuck
.

             
“What? You need to explain every last one of those statements. Start with the last one.”

             
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Ugh. Is this really important?” I knew he wasn’t going to let any of it go. “Fine. When you called a friend was over and they left while I was in the kitchen talking to you.” There. Simple little white lie.

             
“You had a friend in your bed that walked out while you were talking to me?” It was obvious he wasn’t buying it.

             
“No. Not exactly. We were nowhere near the bed, in fact. I shouldn’t have invited him in, but he’s the closest connection I have to the people I think might be responsible for this.” I held up the full color glossy as a reference.

             
“And you were planning on fucking him?” The word was harsh and made me flinch when he said it. In fact, hearing it out loud made me realize how ridiculous the idea was that Cyrus Atossa would want to sleep with me.

             
“No. I hadn’t planned it. Dammit, Michael, this really isn’t the problem at hand is it?”

             
“The hell it isn’t. A dead girl is dumped behind your apartment and you invite strange men into your house? A strange man who you yourself claim is tied with the ‘vampire’ community. Do you know how stupid that was? You put yourself in a situation that could’ve ended badly. And then he off and leaves you alone? What the hell kind of man is that? Obviously, you don’t mean that much to him. If you ask me, he either wasn’t interested enough to stick around or he’d gotten what he came for and saw no need to wait for you. Either way, it was stupid!” His breathing was thick with anger.

             
I wanted to scream at him. Thank him for making me feel like more of an idiot. I was already feeling so vulnerable when it came to Cyrus and his bullshit. The last thing I needed was Mike rubbing it in my face that I was, likely, not good enough.