Trained To Kill (19 page)

"I know you can..."

"No, I don't think you do. You see me
as a tiny, helpless female. Believe me when I say I'm
not."

"I do believe you, but Iz, you are not
infallible."

"I'm aware of that Alex. I'm not an
idiot. I took precautions."

"And none of those precautions was
telling me where you were going?"

"I was still...we were...we had just
talked in the car. I wasn't ready. I would have told you if he had
incriminated himself."

Alex shook his head and
paced.

"Ok, that's done, there's no changing
it. How about we make a rule that we tell each other before we do
reckless things."

"Oh, are you going to call me and tell
me before everything you do at work?"

"Maybe," a hint of a smile gathered
around Alex's lips.

Isa thought about what DeCarlo knew
about her. Alex would run when she told him what she had done. He
would have to. A cop couldn’t live with a murderer.

Isa got up and put on her winter gear.
“I have to go.”

“
Right. Tell James I said
hi,” Alex said wryly.

It was Isa’s turn to sigh,
“Alex…”

“
I know, I know. I’m
sorry.”

“
I told you, if this is
too hard for you, us trying to become friends? I understand. Now
that you’re not investigating anymore, maybe we should take a break
for awhile and see if we can really just be friends.”

Alex stood with his hands on his hips,
his head down as he thought. “Maybe you’re right. If you won’t give
me a chance, there’s no point in torturing myself.”

Isa studied his face for signs of
sincerity. What she saw assured her, so she went to
leave.

“
Goodbye Alex.”

“
Goodbye Isa.”

Isa left and ran to her car. She was
going to be late meeting James. It was their second date, and she
had been looking forward to it. So why did her stomach feel like
she swallowed a lead weight?

She sat and contemplated Alex’s front
door for a minute before driving away. She didn’t regret what she
had done to Rosenthal and Riley. It was done anyway, and nothing
could change that. But, she couldn’t help but wonder what Alex’s
reaction would be if she told him.

She saw it going two ways. Alex wasn’t
the type to overreact to something like that, so he would either be
sad, sad for her and for their situation, or he would be conflicted
about his duty and his feelings for her and have to walk away to
think about it. It would probably be both actually, but the real
question was what would he feel compelled to do about it? Could he
forget it? Or would he feel it was his duty to report it? That was
what she couldn’t risk.

She was meeting James at his house. He
lived in an apartment above his shop on the Upper West side. She
could see some furniture through the window. She followed the
building around and went up the stairs.

James opened the door before she could
knock. He was smiling hugely and holding a bottle of
wine.

“
Hey perfect timing, I was
just opening it,” he gestured with the bottle. “Come
in.”

“
Thanks,” she said
stripping off her outer gear. James set the bottle down and helped
her, throwing her coat over a chair. She began to wander as James
wrestled with the corkscrew.

His house was cozy, but it was also a
big space. The kitchen, living, and dining area were all one big
open space with his handmade furniture sectioning off the areas.
There were two hallways, one to the left and one to the right
behind the kitchen.

She made a circle and came back to
James in the kitchen. He handed her a glass and tapped his against
it.

“
How are you?”

“
Wonderful. How are
you?”

“
I’m great. I sold a huge
commission today for some offices downtown. They want me to outfit
the entire floor.”

“
Wow,
congratulations.”

“
Thank you,” he said
two-pointing the wine cork into the trashcan. He put his apron on
and stirred something on the stove. He had something bluesy on the
iPod.

“
What are we having,” Isa
asked smiling at his obvious joy.

“
Angel hair pasta with
olive oil and pepper. Salad. Dessert.”

“
Sounds great.”

“
I’m a pretty god cook. I
won’t lie.”

“
I can’t cook anything, so
we’re yin and yang.”

James looked at her suspiciously,
“Nothing? Come on. I bet you can scramble eggs. Everyone
can.”

“
I suppose I could, but
the last time I tried, I forgot about them and they burned to a
crisp.”

He looked over his shoulder laughing
at her, “That is pretty bad.”

“
I told you.”

“
Ok then,” he said nodding
at her. “Come here.”

“
What?”

“
Just come
here.”

Isa inched closer to the stove, and
James pulled her around between his body and the stove. “Here,” he
said handing her the tongs he had been fussing with.

“
Ok,” Isa held them like a
switch blade. “Now what?”

“
Just toss the noodles
around in the oil until they’re evenly coated.”

James kept his body close to her,
barely touching, with one hand on her hip and the other resting on
the counter beside her. Isa concentrated on the food and not his
hand. She did ok until he told her to add more oil.

“
Oops,” Isa said dumping
in too much. She pushed back from the stove in reaction, and bumped
against him.

“
It’s ok,” he laughed. He
grabbed a spoon and a paper towel, getting as much out as he could.
“There. Saved.”

“
I’m sorry,” Isa
said.

“
It’s not a big deal.
Cooking is all about experimentation.”

“
Ok, well I think my
experimentation should stay out of the kitchen.”

He smiled and added some mushrooms to
the mix, “Nah, it just takes practice. How did you learn all those
languages? Practice.”

“
Yes, but there are some
things people are just naturally gifted with learning.”

James laughed, “Ok, ok. No more
cooking.”

Isa smiled back and drank her
wine.

They continued to chat while he
finished up, and Isa helped him set the table and serve.

She asked him to describe building a
piece from start to finish, and she could hear the love he had for
his work in his voice. It was nice to hear. Passion about something
always made people seem more real to her. It made them
human.

“
That’s amazing that
you’re so passionate about it, and that you get to do what you love
for a living. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way about
something.”

“
Nothing? What about the
dojo. You opened it because you love martial arts
right?”

“
Yes, but that’s
different. It’s a business. I’m not a teacher.”

“
Why don’t you teach
there?”

“
Ah…it’s more of a place
men gravitate toward, and I think a lot of them wouldn’t be too
keen on a female instructor. I know that’s sexist, but it’s the
truth.”

“
Well, can you add classes
for women? Maybe self-defense classes and go from
there.”

Isa nodded in agreement, “That might
be something to try out.”

James smiled and got up to fetch more
wine. “Would you like dessert now?”

“
I can wait.”

“
Alright. I want to show
something.”

“
Ok.”

James held her hand while making their
way down the hallway behind the kitchen. He let go briefly to
unlock a door and took her down a flight of twisty, metal
stairs.

He flipped some lights and a cavernous
room lit up, dimly.

“
Damn, it’s cold. I’m
sorry I didn’t think about that.”

“
It’s fine,” Isa said
walking over to a long table with a band saw. “This looks
medieval.”

“
That splits the wood.
Come here, I’m almost finished with this piece.”

She looked the bench over and ran a
hand down the sanded finish. “It’s beautiful.”

“
It’s mahogany. This is a
commission for a wedding present.”

“
You’re really
talented.”

“
Thank you.”

When she sat down on it, he sat beside
her and put his arm around her, “What do you say we christen it for
the newlyweds?”

Isa chuckled, “What did you have in
mind?”

“
Well nothing too
scandalous, it is really cold down here.”

Isa laughed and pulled his head down
for a kiss. This was easy and fun. This she could
handle.

James was a good kisser. He went
slowly at first, so they could learn each other’s moves. But soon,
he was sweeping his tongue around hers and tilting her head back
for better access. He pulled back and he was slightly out of
breath. “A little too scandalous?”

“
No, I think it was just
right.”

“
Let’s take this party
upstairs. I’m freezing my balls off down here.”

Isa’s laugh rang in the cavernous work
room. They hurried upstairs and resumed what they had been doing on
the couch. James became more adventurous and slid his hand under
her shirt and up her back. He was smoothing his hand up her flat
stomach and Isa was bending backward slightly to give him better
access, when her cell phone rang. It was in her pocket, so it was
hard to ignore, especially when she recognized the ringtone for her
own house.

“
What the hell,” she said
pulling the phone out. “I’m sorry. I need to take this.” Renée
would never call from the landline this late if it wasn’t urgent.
“Renée?”

“
Chère, I need you to come
home now,” Isa heard the phone move and a man’s voice in the
background, ‘Scusi’. “Bella, your lovely housekeeper was kind
enough to let me in out of the cold.”

Isa stood up, fists clenched. “What
the hell are you doing in my house?”

“
Waiting for you
bella.”

“
If you touch one hair on
her head, I swear to God…”

“
Relax Isadora. I’m not a
pazzo, a madman.”

“
I’ll be there in 20
minutes.”

“
I’ll be waiting.” She
heard the dial tone.

“
Isa? What...?” James
stood up next to her.

“
I’m sorry. I have to
go.”

“
Is everything ok? Who’s
Renée?”

“
My friend. My
housekeeper.”

“
Oh, ok. Do you need help?
That sounded bad. Let me go with you, or call the
police.”

Isa hurriedly threw on her coat and
scarf, stuffing her hat and gloves on her pockets. “No, no. It’s
ok. It’s nothing for you to be worried about. Honestly.”

“
Well it doesn’t really
seem that way,” James said, holding his hands out in confusion then
fisting them on his hips.

“
You’re right, I’m sorry.
I’ll try to explain later, but I have to go.”

Isa pecked him on the lips and
ran.

Chapter 24

She entered her penthouse and Renée
came hurrying out of the kitchen as worried as Isa had ever seen
her.

"Chère…"

"It's ok Renée," Isa patted her hand.
"Why don't you head on home."

Renée studied Isa's face and what she
saw put her at ease. "Ok chère."

Isa stood where she was waiting for
Renée to gather her things, staring at DeCarlo, never taking her
eyes off of him. Renée kissed her cheek and left, digging out her
cell phone as she went.

"What are you doing here?" Isa's voice
resembled a glacier.

"Waiting for you, bella.” He stood up
and waited for her to come over. Isa sat in the armchair and he sat
after she had. Perfect gentleman. A gentleman that murders people.
You're one to talk, Isa thought.

"What do you want?"

"I told you I wanted to see you
occasionally."

"It's been two days."

Rafael laughed and it did even more
marvelous things to his face. "I am sorry, but I could not help
myself. I finally get to talk with you and I could not wait any
longer."

"Why? What do you want with
me?"

"I want to get to know you
better."

"From what you told me you already
know enough."

"Not at all. I know a few facts. I do
not know you."

The emphasis on the last word set
Isa's heart racing. That can't be good, she thought.

"Per favore," Rafael said. "I just
want to talk to you like normal people do."

"We aren't normal people,
Rafael."

He stilled at the use of his given
name, but he puffed out a laugh and smiled at her. "You see, this
is what I mean, you are incredible. I have people that have worked
for me for years that do not know my real name."