cotton.
“No, no. Don’t faint. Be strong.” His voice dropped to a bare whisper. “People are looking at us. You mustn’t let them think something is wrong. Please, for Anthony’s sake.”
Taking the glass of water he placed in her shaking hands, Lexie managed to take a sip. Clutching the edge of the table she willed herself to be strong. Forcing one deep breath in and then out of her lungs, she took another. Slowly, carefully, she pulled air into her lungs and then pushed it out. When the routine task of breathing once more became somewhat automatic, she turned to the young man who crouched next to her.
“I’m sorry. So sorry, Alexis. I didn’t want to show you that photo. Please believe me.”
Looking down at the picture of Anthony’s mutilated body, Lexie asked in a voice that came from another part of her soul. “Where…where did you get this?”
He stared at her as if testing her ability to hear what he said.
“From the man who killed him.”
The roar in her ears drowned out all the sounds in the room except his quiet voice.
“How…how…?”
She couldn’t finish her question.
“Alexis, I must talk to you. I think they’re following me. If they see me with you, they’ll know that I saw them. We’ll both be killed. Do you understand? You are in great danger. As I am. I must talk to you. Alone, away from here. Somewhere we cannot be seen.”
Lexie shook her head. The warning dancing through her brain reminded her to trust her intuition. It had saved her life on more than one occasion. She shook her head and held up her hands.
“No, I cannot go with you. You must come with me. I can protect you. My team can protect you.”
His expression turned to stone. Then his eyes filled with tears.
“No one can protect me. If they find out I am with you, they will kill us both. I am a marked man.”
His voice shook. “I’m leaving now. Don’t follow me. Please.”
When he stood up, Lexie grabbed his arm. Rage took her breath. She would kill him herself before she would let him go without telling her what he knew.
“No! Don’t go. Please tell me how you got this picture. NOW!”
Something in her face must have convinced him because he slunk back down in his chair and faced her. Sweat beaded on his upper lip. A nervous twitch tugged at the corner of his eye. He stammered when he spoke.
“I was at a party. We were promised girls and quality drugs. I…I got stoned and fell asleep in a corner of a back room. When I woke, I overheard these men talking. A large man was bragging that he had done what they told him to. That the ‘cop’ was dead. That Beloi would never bother them again. He showed them a photograph—I guess to prove he’d done what they said. I pretended that I was still passed out, unconscious. I lay on the floor until they left. When I tried to sneak out, I saw the big man with dark hair and a mustache sitting at the table-- either asleep or passed out drunk. I saw the photo on the table. I…I…had to see if it was my friend.” He put his head in his hands, then looked up at her agony written on his face. “I’m so sorry.”
Lexie stared at him, struggling to make sense of what he was saying. Just for a second, she thought that she caught the slightest trace of an accent. She had a fleeting thought that he might be one of the men they would meet tonight. One of the dealers Bella told her about. But, no, he didn’t fit their description at all. Good God, he was blond. He was an American, she was sure. Dear God, how to get hold of Jake, Brady, anyone--without blowing their cover or hers.
As though he could read her mind, the young man whispered. “Please meet me. You must come with me. Alone. I will tell you everything I know. Everything I can about the man. But you must come alone. I can’t trust anyone and neither can you. If you do not, I promise you, I will plunge this knife in my heart, rather than face the wrath of these evil men who killed Anthony.”
Lexie glanced down at the flash of the blade resting on his knee. His expression was fierce, agonized. She hesitated, trying to assess his intent. But even as she hesitated, she knew she couldn’t take the chance. She had to know everything he knew. She nodded her agreement.
He breathed out a sigh and nodded. “I will be in the alley behind the club in five minutes. I will be hiding where you can’t see me. If you are not alone, you will never see me again. Don’t let me down, Alexis. You’re my only hope. I am a desperate man.”
He stood and bowed slightly to her, then turned and walked to the exit.
Lexie sat for a long moment considering her options. She wasn’t sure that she could stand, wasn’t sure that her legs would hold her or that she could walk from the room. Even though every fiber of her being shouted a warning, she knew she would meet him. Just as clearly, she knew that she would meet him alone. She recognized a kindred spirit. She was as desperate as he was.
The decision galvanized her, flooded her with resolve. Standing, she turned to see Clint staring at her, his expression stern, questioning. She plastered a big smile on her face and waved to him. Walking close to his table, she gave him a thumbs up sign and headed for the bar. Brady came out of nowhere and bumped into her. When she stumbled back, he caught her and pulled her close to him, his voice a harsh whisper in her ear.
“What the fuck was that about, Lexie?”
She smiled up at him.
“Relax, honey. That little boy wanted what they all want. To show me the prize he thinks no other man has.”
Lexie saw that angry concern had replaced his usual teasing humor. She punched his arm and said loud enough for the men at the surrounding tables to hear, “Now, stop teasing me or you aren’t going to be my favorite blond haired surfer dude.”
Pointing to the table in front of them, she pulled away from Brady and threw her arm around an unsuspecting youngster who choked on his beer and flushed bright red.
Putting more distance between her and Brady, she crooned to the blushing object of her attention, “What do you think, surfer boy? How about I get us both a beer and we get to know one another?’
The kid’s Adam’s apple bobbled in his throat as he croaked out something that sounded like agreement.
Ignoring Brady’s frown, she waltzed away, heading for the break room at the back of the club.
~~~
Breathing hard, Lexie stripped off her costume and yanked her clothes out of her locker. Refusing to look at the hideous photo, she buried it under the scraps of red satin.
Fortunately, today she’d worn sweats and boots. Some guardian angel must have been watching over her, she decided as she tested her kama blade that she always carried in her boot. She wasn’t crazy. She knew she was taking a chance. Tossing her costume in her locker, she slammed the door shut, engaging the lock. Staring in the mirror, she was struck by her eyes. They were as intense as the man’s she was meeting. She turned quickly, determined not to second guess herself.
At the doorway, she hesitated, looking both ways down the narrow hallway, half expecting to see Brady or even Clint lurking in the shadows. But the long expanse was empty. She forced herself to walk confidently when she longed to race to the end. There was just one blind corner to go before reaching the outside door. As she turned the corner, she suppressed a scream. The cold metal at the base of her skull and the ominous click left nothing to the imagination. Neither did the accent laden voice thick with distain.
“Well, well, well. Look what we have here.”
A large hand twisted her hair, viciously jerking her head back against the gun barrel. His voice was low, seductive in its evil.
“You are more beautiful than we were told. I’m glad to know that the Boss isn’t greedy. He always shares. After he’s had his fill, of course.”
Chapter 24
