Page 55 of His Beautiful Revenge
Lucian grinned. “Maybe we could watch a film together? Relax?”
She nodded, careful not to seem too co-operative.Lull him into it.Now he thought she was on her period, she could get away with not …god,she didn’t even want to contemplate sleeping with him, but if that’s what it took …
As they watched the movie—some dumb action film—she was noting everything in the room she could use as a weapon. Lucian kept looking at her and she didn’t want him to grow suspicious. She leaned her head against his chest to hide her eyes from him and continued her stock take. Lucian might be be stupid, but he’d removed anything she could potentially grab—ashtrays, glass jugs, anything. She sighed. The towel rail or the toilet tank lid were still her best bets.
By the time the film was over, Norah was exhausted. Whatever was going on inside her was draining her energy and she lay her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. She felt the bed shift as Lucian got up. She heard the toilet flush a few minutes later and then the bed dipped as he lay down beside her. She kept her eyes shut as he kissed her mouth.
“I love you,” she heard him whisper. She kept up the pretense of being asleep and it was only when she heard his snores that she opened her eyes and stared at him.
I hate you. I hate you, and if I get the chance, believe me, Lucian, I will kill you.
Tara lit one cigarette after another, sitting out on her balcony. Norah Reddy was alive and Lucian—god, the stupid fucker actuallybelievedhe would have a happy-ever-after with her.Jesus.
Tara had been fretting all day, ever since the FBI had come to see her. She had no doubt that Giacomo had sent them to her. They had asked her questions about Lucian and their affair. Did she have any contact with him?
She’d given a command performance. Luckily, after the last call with Lucian, she’d dumped the burner phone she used to talk to him. God bless the sense that had made her use one in the first place. If the FBI had gotten hold of that, they would have found not only Lucian’s number but the hitman she’d hired to kill Carmel Price.Fuck, what a mess.She should have told her contact to kill Norah a long time ago,. Then none of this would be happening.Damn you, Lucian.
If she could just find him then she would end Norah herself—andLucian. Make it look like a murder-suicide. She allowed herself a fantasy of that for a second, then pushed it away. Lucian was wise to her; he wouldn’tevertell her where he had Norah.
So …what to do? She sat, lost in her thoughts when it came to her. She could have laughed out loud. So simple.Deflect and protect.
Tara picked up her phone and called her agent.
They had decided to meet atThe Anthology,and use it as a base. Fred, her distress at Norah’s abduction making her unusually subdued, brought them all coffee from the place a block away. Zulika hugged her. “Are you okay?”
Fred shook her head. “I want to kill him, Zul, with my bare hands. The fucking wanker.”
Zulika nodded. “There’s a pretty big queue.”
Fred lowered her voice. “How’s Giacomo doing? He looks terrible ...for him, anyway.”
“Not good.” Zulika sighed. “I knew he loved Norah …but even I didn’t realize how much. If she …doesn’t come back, I don’t think he’ll survive it.”
She suddenly felt a wave of light-headedness come over her and she swayed. Fred gently steered her into a chair. “Have you slept at all?”
“Not much.” Zulika had to admit she felt wiped out and Fred frowned at her.
“Dude, you’ve been sick. You have to pace yourself. Here, have some of this.” Fred handed her a hip flask and Zulika grinned.
“Seriously?”
Fred snickered. “It’s just orange juice, I swear. You need the sugar hit.”
Giacomo and Orlando came in. Zulika noticed Giacomo didn’t look at the floor where Norah’s blood had stained it. Her heart ached for him.
“I’m just frustrated,” he was saying to Orlando. “It’s as if they’ve disappeared off of the face of the earth.”
Fred was switching the big-screen T.V.. on—it was an automatic thing now. She hit the mute button so they wouldn’t have to hear about nothing new over and over.
Giacomo’s phone rang. “Yeah?” He listened for a while, the others silently waiting for him, then he gave a frustrated sigh. “Well, okay, take the net wider. Yeah, Fresno. Anywhere you can think. What? What about her?”
They watched as his expression changed from frustrated to angry. “You have to be kidding me. Which channel?”
Fred, reading his mind, handed him the T.V. remote and he flicked over. “Okay, I got it. I’ll call you back.”
They all watched as Tara stood at a podium. Giacomo turned the sound up. “As a friend of Mr. Conti’s, and of late, of Ms. Reddy’s, I do feel it is my job to advocate for them. Please, if you have any idea on Norah Reddy’s whereabouts, please get in contact with the police. Her life could depend on your information.”
“What the actualfuck?” Zulika was on her feet, but Giacomo held up his hand.
