First Vidrik thought it was just him, but when he rechecked the surroundings he saw at least a dozen eyes pointed in Ida’s direction. He was not at all surprised; he had known her potential from the beginning. He felt incredibly alive and light on his feet, his skin tingling all over. The colours around him grew bright and vibrant. The sound of chatter and music rushed in and filled his ears as though he were hearing it for the first time, while the influx of energy pulsing through his body threatened to overwhelm him. What was going on? Then he made the connection. He took hold of his smartphone and snapped a photo of her — for later. Her posture, her smile, the way she was glowing. It was pure perfection.
“There you are, my queen,” he whispered to himself.
“Lace is like icing on a cake. You need to use just the right amount,” said Ida, squinting one eye and signalling a tiny amount with her thumb and index finger.
“Are you sure you’re talking about icing?” said another woman, mimicking Ida’s hand expression and causing the entire group to break out into laughter.
“I agree,” said Claudia with a thoughtful nod when the fever died down. “I have always felt this.”
“My mother used to wear too much of it,” said Ida, shaking her head disapprovingly.
“Tina, I want Ida to design me something,” declared Claudia. “Please connect her with my agent.”
“Of course,” said Tina, smiling politely and stepping forward after having had her attention somewhere else. “Oh, Ida, darling, you have something on your cheek.”
“Do I?” said Ida. “One moment.”
She pulled her handbag forward and began digging inside for her makeup mirror. Her motor skills felt off from one too many cocktails. Maybe it was best to slow down. Why though? She was having such a good time.
Her hands latched onto a round object inside her handbag, and she pulled out her pocket mirror and snapped it open, raising it to her face to see what Tina meant. There was a tiny, barely noticeable black speck on her face. She cleaned it off with her fingertip, wondering why Tina would even bother pointing it out. Maybe Tina had meant something else. She moved the mirror to the other side of her face but saw nothing. Her attention shifted temporarily to the background, and she felt her gaze drawn to the plants beside the elevator. There was someone there, standing by himself and staring in her direction. He was wearing a black turtleneck. Her arm flinched hard when she finally recognised him, and she gasped as a violent pain exploded in her chest.
15
While Ida had her attention on her pocket mirror, the rest of the group’s focus had shifted away. Only Tina remained watching her with a curious expression.
“Got it?” asked Tina.
“What?” said Ida, looking up from the mirror and shaking her head.
Tina leaned over and inspected Ida’s cheek.
“Yes, it’s gone,” she said with a tight-lipped smile. “Another drink?”
How the hell did he find me?
“Ida?”
“Yes,” said Ida. “Let’s get another drink.”
“Ok,” said Tina, already walking in the direction of the bar. “The girls had to go to the bathroom. They said they’d join us later.”
“Ok,” said Ida.
“Are you ok?” asked Tina. “Have you had too much to drink?”
“No, I’m fine,” said Ida.
Keep it together.
“You sure?”
“Yes,” said Ida. “I need to go to the bathroom quickly. I’ll meet you at the bar.”
“Ok, hurry back. My friend just texted me. He’ll be here any minute.”
“Ok, great. I’ll be right back.”
Ida walked to the bathroom while trying to not appear in a rush, doing her best to avoid looking in the direction of the plants. Inside she ignored Claudia and Sophie standing at the sink and went straight into the cubicle, where she broke out into a sweat and began shivering. What was she going to do? Should she tell Tina about Vidrik? Should she call the police? Should she try to escape? Could Tina even help her? Probably not. They were on a rooftop, thirty-three levels above ground. He would easily hunt her down. The police would be no use against him. Or would they? She felt helpless, unable to think straight, unable to escape the feeling that Vidrik was going to find her and kill her.
The shivering would not stop. Ida wanted to scream out loud or kick something. Oh, God. Think! What else could she do? She dug into her handbag and found her wallet, searched between her receipts and business cards until she found the paper that Frederich had given her. She could scarcely believe what she was about to do. There was no other choice. She reached into her handbag again and took out her phone, ready to dial the organisation which months earlier had tried to kill her.
The adrenaline had caught up with Frederich once he made it back to the Stern and Dolly. The driver’s seat felt claustrophobic now. He was acutely aware of the sound of his breath, could feel every micro-droplet of sweat covering his body. He knocked his fingertips continuously on the dashboard, unable to hold back the raw energy inside him. The seconds seemed to pass slower for him than they did for the outside world. He resorted to deep breathing and tapping his foot while intently watching the inside of the pub, ready to pounce on the tiniest movement Bibby made.
The last
