Craving (7 page)

My stepmother, Marina, was first. From her position halfway up the stairs, she oozed glamor and glided down the last steps as though she were attending an Oscar’s ceremony. Her gown—she’d never wear something as basic as a dress—reeked Paris made-to-measure, and I recognized her four-inch heels as Christian Louboutin. Gray eyes regarded me with an element of sympathy. I’d always been an object of pity for her. “Your father would like to see you.” There was a long pause during which she arranged her delicate features into a smile. “And George is waiting for you in the library.”

Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and walked down the hallway. George stood flicking through a set of first editions. He turned at the sound of my footsteps, a smile already on his face.

“Katherine. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it in time.”

I stepped toward him and accepted the dry kiss on my cheek. “Yes, I know. Marina told me. I had a tutorial this morning I couldn’t get out of, and then the traffic was horrendous.” George held a full champagne flute, and I eyed it longingly. How quickly could I make my escape?

He bought my easy lies. “We need to talk about the wedding.” Watery, blue eyes raked over me, taking in my faded jeans and cotton shirt, distaste wrinkled his brow. As usual, his tailored pinstripe was immaculate. “My Japan trip is likely to be brought forward. How would you feel about March?”

My stomach contracted. I fought to keep my voice level. “I don’t finish my coursework until May, you know that.”

“It’s October now—we’re right at the start of the academic year. What’s to stop you from postponing it for a couple of years and picking it up later? Your father thinks it’s an excellent idea.”

I refused to hold this discussion here and now. God knows how long I thought I could put it off, but distraction usually bought me breathing space. I turned away to one of the many vases of fresh flowers and fiddled with the elegant stems. “Tell me about the Japan trip again. Who will you be visiting?”
I have to delay until May.

George puffed up with pride and explained, in tedious detail, the various dignitaries and politicians he’d be meeting with.

I pasted a smile on my face and pretended to listen.
I’m not ready yet.
My argument wasn’t with George. He was a perfectly decent man, but if I were to choose a husband, I would want someone a little different. Closer to my age would be good. A sense of humor was essential. Not so pompous.

And definitely
not
one of my father’s business partners.

3.7 Dante

Kitten had also returned to Manchester today, but I could guarantee she was seeing a different part of it than me. As I spun out a pint of beer in a backstreet pub and waited for my contact, Z, to show, I calculated that Wilmslow was probably five miles from here. She’d mentioned a function. I imagined her dancing and drinking champagne, all dressed up and elegant, with a flock of handsome city boys trailing behind her. While the physical distance between us may only be a matter of miles, the social gulf was impossible.

Z appeared at the end of the bar, a scrawny guy with bad skin and even worse dandruff. He waited to catch my eye, perpetually scratching his head.

I watched the cloud of white flakes snowing onto his shoulders and wondered again if Z was a nickname or his initial. Conversation was non-existent and it was safer that way for all concerned.

He nodded toward the doors. I left my empty glass on the sticky bar and sauntered outside. As usual, a child’s stroller had been left under the streetlight for me. A small parcel wrapped in translucent cellophane lay on the seat. Yep, you wouldn’t ever find the gorgeous Kitten on my side of town.

Within the hour, I’d taken up residence in the yard behind a popular nightclub. Business was brisk. Drugs would never go out of fashion.

S
uki and I exchanged mock awestruck glances as the parking valet took my car key. This wasn’t a party, it was a demonstration of extreme wealth. While Suki may be used to socializing in such elite circles, I had to work at maintaining my composure.

Clouds of twinkling fairy lights adorned the trees along the private driveway to the house, and immaculate green lawns rolled away from a graceful Georgian mansion. A waitress smiled as she greeted us with champagne.

I stuck close to Suki, fending off eager questions.

Yes, I’m an old friend of Suki.
She’s my lover, my soulmate, my fiancée.

We go back ages.
We met two months ago.

Yes, of course I knew Gabriel.
The bastard tried to kill me when he knew Suki had escaped.

My phone chirruped, and pleased, I slipped away to take the call, leaving Suki talking to a group of men in suits. This ongoing pretense frustrated the hell out of me. I couldn’t wait for the day when we’d go public with our relationship. I stepped across the flagged courtyard, looking for a quiet spot. The only light came from the rising moon and another cluster of fairy lights, but it was enough to see a wooden bench next to a honeysuckle-covered partition. I took advantage of the peace to talk to our mutual friend, Jon.

His cheerful banter washed over me as I realized, with a start, that an argument had erupted on the other side of the partition. I’d come out for privacy, and that had just been shattered. I was about to walk away when the heated discussion caught my interest.

A young woman’s voice was clearly agitated. “Please don’t make the announcement tonight. March is too soon. I need more time.”

A man’s voice, our host, if I wasn’t mistaken.
Angry
. “This is not what we agreed to, Katherine. You promised you’d give this serious consideration.”

“Serious consideration is one thing. Being bludgeoned into a marriage I don’t want is something else entirely.”

“George is a good man.”

“He’s nearly as old as you!”

They went silent, and I wondered if they’d moved away. Then I heard a scuffling noise that chilled my blood and a soft yelp of pain. I stood up, ready to step into the fray and paused as the man spoke again, his voice cold.

“Don’t forget. It’s not just me you’d be letting down.”

Heavy footsteps moved away, but I’d heard enough. As I strode toward the edge of the partition a few steps away, a girl came flying round the corner, and we collided. Shorter than me by several inches, she had a soft, generous body and dark hair, tied back off her face. She was quite young, too. I’d guess early twenties, although with tears escaping her huge eyes, she could easily be a teenager.

We spoke together.

“I’m sorry…”

“Are you okay?”

I grabbed her arms instinctively and found I could read her emotions clearly. Frustration. Anger. A little fear and despair. I’d always had the ability to ‘read’ women, to pick up on how they felt, and with some it was easier than others. Sometimes I could hear their thoughts, but not this time. It could be a useful talent, but most of the time it made me feel like a freak.

I sucked in a quick breath, relaxed my hold, and walked her to the bench.

She slumped onto the seat and sank her head into her hands. “God, I’m sorry for barging into you.” Her fingers pressed into her temples. “I guess you heard our conversation.”

“Some of it.” I could sense something else about her. She was in pain. “Look, this is a strange question, but do you have a headache?”

The fingers stilled, and she stared at me. I saw pinpricks of fairy lights reflected in her eyes. “My head feels as though I have an axe buried in it. Are you a doctor or something?”

“No, but I’m good with headaches. Would you like me to help you?”

“Sure.” She swallowed nervously. “What do I need to do?”

“Just sit right there.” I moved to stand behind the bench and placed my palms on her shoulders, keeping my touch gentle and non-threatening.
Ouch.
I felt it straight away. I closed my eyes as I concentrated, visualizing the center of her pain. It felt as though I sucked it right out of her head and absorbed it into mine. My synapses burned hot, the pain compressing tight for a few seconds, then it dissipated. I exhaled slowly and opened my eyes, taking a deep breath while the dizziness cleared.

She scrubbed her face, the words pouring out of her mouth. “Oh, my God. That’s amazing. How on earth did you do that?” She stood up and turned to face me, a beaming smile on her face as she reached to shake my hand. “I’m Katherine Fitzwarren.”

“Josh Delaney. I’m an old friend of Suki’s.” I released her hand and smiled at her. “It’s probably none of my business, but that sounded pretty heavy. I don’t know your father at all, so if you want to unload on a total stranger, I’m more than happy to listen.”

She hesitated, clearly torn. Shame and guilt whirled around her in a torrent of confused emotions. “I guess we sometimes have a difference of opinion. It’s nothing serious.”

A diplomat, like her father.
“No matter, the offer still stands.”

I hate the lying.
Her unspoken words rang clearly in my head, and I schooled my face to stay calm.

Light footsteps tapped across the courtyard in our direction. Suki. “Josh, there you are.” She smiled at the girl next to me, but it looked awkward. “Hey, Katherine. I didn’t get a chance to introduce you to each other.” Lines of strain criss-crossed Suki’s forehead and, uncaring of what Katherine may think, I moved forward to wrap my arms around her.

“Are you ready to leave?” I spoke quietly into her ear, feeling her tremble against me.

“Grayson has some kind of announcement to make first, then yes please.” I held her a moment longer, releasing her when more footsteps approached. It was like Piccadilly-bloody-Circus out here. This time, it was one of the waitresses.

“Excuse me. Mr. Fitzwarren is looking for you.” She smiled at Katherine before hurrying back to the house.

Behind me, Katherine sighed. Another wave of anxiety gathered around her. Her curious, yellow-gold eyes met mine. With another huge sigh she moved to pass me and paused, her eyes drawn to my left wrist. To my Talisman, peeking out from under my shirt cuff. “Excuse me. Your wristband, it’s very unusual.”

My lie was automatic. “I’ve had it years. Can’t even remember where I got it.”

“That’s funny.” She spoke absently, looking back at the house, her brow furrowed. “I’ve seen someone else with exactly the same thing, and that’s what he said too.”

4.2 Katherine

Suki’s friend looked as though I’d slapped him in the face. “You’ve seen another one?”

In the distance, standing just inside the open French windows, I could see George staring. As I watched, he raised his hand to beckon to me.
God
. Every instinct told me to turn on my heel and run away, run as fast and as far as I could. Common sense yelled to hold my ground. I swallowed hard as I tried to get my erratic breathing under control. My hands curled into fists. I had to keep calm. I couldn’t give them any indication of my plans.

Josh spoke again, his voice urgent. “Have you–”

“
Later—
we can talk later. I need to go.” Without even waiting for his reply, I forced my legs to move. One step at a time. Toward the house. Toward George.

The main drawing room was full of people, most of them strangers to me. I stood next to my father in a little circle of space, George to our side. They wore identical smug smiles. I waited dutifully, like the obedient daughter I was, while my father announced our engagement, our wedding plans for next spring, and then encouraged me to show off the ridiculous diamond I wore. I accepted congratulations and made small talk. I even managed to look adoringly at my fiancé.

It was an eternity before I could claim a need for the bathroom. I headed away, my head down—and stopped, my escape blocked.

“Katherine, I need to talk to you.”

I recoiled, shocked by the interruption. It was enough of a struggle to hold myself together, without trying to barge past the man in my way. Josh, again, Suki standing next to him. I searched for a suitable put-down and failed.

He reached out and rested a hand on my arm. “Please.” Dark blue eyes gazed at me, his face soulful and appealing. “I only want a minute. It’s really important. You said you’ve seen another Talisman, another bracelet like this?” He held out his wrist.

I examined the worn leather band. It looked almost identical to Dante’s. “My, uh, friend’s version has different symbols, but it looks the same.” I lifted my eyes to his face. He made my headache go away, the least I could do would be to tell him about Dante. But not here, not where my father, or George, could find me.

Suki must have understood my concern. “Should we go somewhere and get a drink? Can you escape for a little while?” I grabbed the chance. With cell phone and wallet in my pockets, I followed them outside and waited while the parking valet retrieved a Jeep. My mind skittered in circles, leaping from one thought to the next with no order. I jumped when Suki touched my arm, gesturing toward the open car door.

My heart raced as I leaned back against the seat and finally allowed myself to relax a fraction. I might have to continue with this farce for the moment, but not for much longer. Please God, let me escape soon.

* * * *

We ended up in a small country pub, all dark oak beams and leather banquettes. The evening had turned chilly, and I was grateful for the roaring fire as I inched my stool a little closer. I kept seeing a mental image of Dante kissing Nanette. He was probably in bed with her now, and the thought scraped me raw. Why did I keep thinking about him? Now that he was gone, I finally admitted the truth. I’d wanted to kiss him, feel his lips on mine. I craved the intensity of that silver gaze, remembering the way his smile lit up his face.

“So,”—Josh regarded me over his glass of juice—“could you tell me where you’ve seen one of these before?” His eyes looked dark and wary as they raked my face.

I shook myself mentally. “There’s a guy I just met.”
Walks like a panther
. “He’s taking part in the research for my dissertation, and I saw him yesterday.”
He made me feel special.
“He has a bracelet that looks almost identical.” I took a breath before I said his name. “Dante.”

Josh’s reaction was immediate. “
Dante
?” His hand jerked against the glass, sloshing orange juice over the table. “Shit!”

We both grabbed the paper napkins at the edge of the table and mopped up the spill.

“It was dark when I saw him.” Josh spoke more to himself, sitting back and reaching for Suki. As I watched, they meshed their hands together. It jolted me out of my Dante-induced dreaming, and I stared. I thought I remembered something about Suki separating from Gabe just before he died, but even so, he’d only been dead a few weeks.

“What does it mean?” Suki sounded puzzled. Her eyes met mine, her cheeks coloring under my gaze. “I know what you’re thinking, what everybody’s thinking. But sometimes appearances can be deceptive. Gabe was not the wonderful man you think. Behind closed doors…he was a lot different.”

This struck a chord. “I know what you mean. My father is
different
in private, too.”

Josh let out a ragged sigh. “What else did Dante say about his bracelet?”

“He didn’t. Where did you get yours? What’s so special about them?”

His fingers teased with the leather as he spoke. “It’s the only thing I have from my mother. As far as I know, she died when I was a baby.”
That’s what Dante had said.

“And what do those symbols mean? Are they significant?”

“It’s the name she gave me. Raphael. The script is ancient Hebrew.”

“Like the angel?” I gave it some thought. “The symbols on Dante’s are different. Do you suppose that’s a name as well?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea, but I’d really like to talk to him. Can you give me his number?”

“No, I don’t have it.” The disappointment on his face was heartbreaking. “But he’s doing something for me, so I should speak to him soon. Should I ask him to call you?”

He leaned forward, suddenly energized. “Our last meeting was a little strained—he might avoid me like the plague. Maybe you could help me.”

4.3 Dante

I could have called Z and bought a second batch of tabs to sell, but I really wasn’t in the mood. The combination of a disturbed night’s sleep, a long ride back from Cornwall, and a vague longing for Kitten, all led to a general feeling of weariness. I decided to quit while I was ahead and find somewhere to sleep.