Damaged Goods (32 page)

At moments like this he felt that God had designed her just for him, and that he could never be worthy of this special gift. She deserved the finest wine, gourmet meals, cruises to the islands, and so much more.

“I should have at least brought flowers,” he said, his thought leaking out through his mouth.

“Ever the romantic,” Cindy said, leaning to kiss his arm. “You could always read me some poetry.”

“Ha! You know I don't get poetry. And besides, as much as I'd like to lie here with you for a week, I got to get my ass in gear. I have a very long day ahead of me.”

“We all do, baby,” she said, pulling open a drawer in her side table. “It's the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Did you know?”

“Not one of the dates I mark on my calendar.”

“Well, lie back and listen,” Cindy said, retrieving a small book from the drawer.

Hannibal lay back, lowering his eyes to half-mast. Cindy sat cross-legged on the bed, the sheet pooled around her waist. She held the book the way parishioners do on Sunday when they are about to launch into a hymn. Hannibal listened while his eyes traced the curve of her full breasts and the inverted “V” of her rib cage.

“This is by one of my favorite local poets, Cybele Pomeroy. It's called Summer Solstice.” Cindy cleared her throat before reading the lines in slow, solemn tones.

“Too hot for spring,

But summer's yet to peak.

By counting, it's half over.

But sixty-one days later,

The heat smells like

Eternity.”

Afterward she lowered the book, establishing eye contact with Hannibal even as she blocked his view of her breasts. He could see by the movements of her eyebrows that she expected some reaction from him. He was sure that the short poem held some deep meaning, but for the life of him he could not imagine what that might be, so he said what he always said when someone read him poetry.

“Pretty.”

“Pretty?” Cindy said, dropping the book back into the drawer. “You're hopeless. Didn't you feel the desolation, the sense of resignation in those words? It's never been so hot, and it feels like it might never end. The longest day is a metaphor for, oh, never mind.”

“Hey, I think I started this conversation with saying that I don't get poetry.”

“You don't want to get poetry,” Cindy said, standing, “which is why you'll never get it.”

Hannibal swung his feet to the carpet. “Well regardless of how the stars are aligned it's going to be a long day for me, but at the end of it I should be at the end of this case and collecting a fat payoff.”

“Yeah, long day for me too,” Cindy said. Hannibal thought he saw stars in her eyes as she stared through him. “A long day of anticipation. Tomorrow morning when trading starts I'll know just how successful our offering has been. Tomorrow's the pivotal day. All my work and planning has led up to this. I just don't know how I'm going to get through this day.”

Hannibal felt that she was already gone someplace, leaving him behind. He stood and headed for the shower.

“Well, babe, I know how I'll get through it. I've got a party to go to.”

The White Tornado slid into a parking space a little more than a block away from Rod's house, facing the bulbous sun hanging low in the sky but still far from surrendering to the night. Hannibal mentally went over his simple plan for the hundredth time before stepping into the street and heading for Rod's house.

He had thought through his straightforward tactics on the long drive back down to Virginia Beach, and again after the short nap he caught on the beach. He had gone through all the motions in his mind, considered what could go wrong and reviewed his exit strategy. He didn't need back up for this,
but it was wise to be prepared and to have his head in the game all the way. Mostly though, he thought about the number of people who would be happier if he were to execute the monster known as Rod Mantooth. Of course he wouldn't be a killer to please anyone, but if all went as planned, it might be that someone else would take care of the problem soon.

Loud southern rock alternated with hip-hop sounds blasting from Rod's house. As he mounted the steps to knock on the door, Hannibal could already smell the alcohol. He wondered how well he would fit in tonight. He'd settled for simplicity - tight new jeans and a bright red sleeveless Puma tee shirt that matched his shoes. The shirt was half tucked in because he knew that Huge paid two hundred dollars for the white Helmut Lang belt he was wearing and it seemed sacrilegious to cover it up.

The woman who answered the door had Angelina Jolie's lips and waterfalls of dark brown hair flowing down around her shoulders. Between the twin cascades he could see a bit of studded black leather at her throat. She glanced only briefly at Hannibal's face, and quickly lowered her gaze.

“Good evening Sir,” she said. “May I ask your name?”

“They call me Smoke.”

The woman nodded and stepped back, pulling the door open. Hannibal stepped inside, ignoring the woman as he assumed he was supposed to do. The room was dark, the air thick and laced with marijuana smoke. The music boomed from the stereo on Hannibal's right, the baseline so insistent that he could feel his heart beat falling into synch with it. He removed his glasses and hung them on the front of his shirt. As his eyes became accustomed to the gloom he saw three men he didn't recognize, all white, and three women following and fetching for them. The girls varied but were all well proportioned and dressed to display their assets in tight, short skirts and open shirts or plunging necklines. Everyone seemed to be dancing and drinking, which, Hannibal supposed, was what made it a party.

When Rod came toward him the others parted like a human Red Sea in his path. A large, hairy hand thrust forward and Hannibal shook it in a fierce grip.

“Dude,” Hannibal shouted, “This is off the hook. Thanks for the invite. Now where's the beer?”

Rod let a hearty laugh burst out of him. “There's a keg in the kitchen.”

Hannibal slipped off in that direction, while Rod returned to his other guests. A blue bulb burned over the sink, allowing Hannibal to find the beer, and others to reach the table that served as a well stocked bar. A second table was groaning under the weight of shrimp on ice, Swedish meatballs, hot wings, chips and dip. Hannibal filled a glass from the keg and was just tipping it to his lips when he felt fingers squeezing his ass. Mariah pressed her breasts into his back and breathed vodka fumes over his shoulder.

“I been thinking about you, G.”

“You been on my mind too, Shorty,” Hannibal said, turning. “You want to dance?”

“I want to fuck,” she said, staring into his eyes. Hers looked like Alaskan Husky eyes in the blue light. “But we'll have to wait until the initiation starts. I'm on call to Rod until then.”

“Okay,” Hannibal said, slipping an arm around her waist. “Until then, why don't we go out where the music is and get a groove on?”

With six couples dancing, the front room was just about full. Hannibal knew he wasn't a good dancer, but none of the other guys were either so it hardly mattered. Partners switched often, but Mariah danced more with Hannibal than anyone else. The way she was cutting through the vodka supply, Hannibal was astonished that Mariah could continue to shake it so hard and remain vertical. The new girl, Missy, looked very happy, getting the lion's share of Rod's attention. Derek and Sheryl also looked happy together. She wore her collar with pride, and Hannibal thought that maybe this was what she wanted all along, like a woman who flirts with
another man to make her lover jealous enough to propose. In her mind, did the collar equate to an engagement ring?

Then he noticed that the other three women also wore collars or more subtle chokers. Missy's neck was bare, but so was Mariah's to Hannibal's surprise. So she didn't belong to Rod after all.

One of the unknown couples left, then a second. The men shook hands with Rod, thanked him for the invitation and complimented him on the good time. The women actually knelt and bowed their heads. This was an interesting parting ritual that Hannibal thought would certainly not go over well if Cindy were a guest. He had never seen it before, even in the chat rooms, so he figured it must be one of Rod's innovations. Before long Hannibal found himself sitting on the sofa with Rod, their heads bobbing in rhythm to the dance grooves. Mariah and Sheryl moved their bodies in a mesmerizing way in the middle of the room, as if locked in some sort of competition to see who could find the most enticing gestures. Rod pulled out a small pipe, lit it, and inhaled deeply before passing it to Hannibal. Hannibal put the stem to his mouth, but then pulled it away as if he had just remembered something.

“Man I got to tell you,” Hannibal said, exaggerating a slur in his voice, “You really know how to par-TAY.”

“You ain't seen nothing yet,” Rod roared over the pulsing music. His irises were almost as big as his eyeballs. “Wait till you see the Rod man in about a month. I am going to open the biggest, hottest club in Washington. Might even give you a job if you want to go back up there.”

Hannibal nodded and handed the pipe off to Derek who was walking past. “I can see you got big plans, man, like you got an ironclad lock on the future. But tell me something. How can you be so sure it's all going to go your way?”

For a second, Rod looked confused. “It just is. You see, I have a destiny. The big score's been waiting out there for me for years. It can't avoid me. It's…”

“Your destiny. I get it.”

Rod's reaction to Hannibal's skepticism was interrupted by the third couple saying their good-byes. The music continued to throb, smoke still filled the air and the lights were still dim, yet some subtle change came over the house as Rod closed the door and the only people present were those who were with Rod the day Hannibal met him. Missy continued to dance like a woman in a rap video, but each move took her a little closer to Rod. Sheryl was dancing toward Derek. Mariah pressed closer and closer to Hannibal, but his eyes stayed on Missy. She reminded him of the women cast as African priestesses in old movies. She appeared to be in an ecstatic trance, her eyes glazed over, and her mouth agape. As she came within Rod's reach he threw an arm around her. His hand sank into her hair and he pulled smoothly rather than yanking or tugging. Missy gasped, bending backward before her knees buckled and she sank to the floor.

Mariah's teeth scraped Hannibal's neck and he turned to face her.

“Let's go upstairs, lover,” she whispered. “He'll be busy for quite a while.”

“I'll go pick us a room,” Hannibal replied. “You get us a couple more drinks.” With a deep nod Mariah headed for the kitchen. Hannibal climbed the steps just ahead of Derek and Sheryl, not wanting to see her face and not wanting to see what Missy was probably doing to Rod in the living room. Hannibal turned into the first room, farthest from Rod's. Once inside he slipped a tiny plastic bag from his pocket and palmed it. Almost show time, he thought.

Mariah entered the room less than a minute behind Hannibal and closed the door. Her left hand was wrapped around the neck of a half-full vodka bottle. Her right held two glasses. She placed them all on the dresser and turned quickly into Hannibal's arms. Her kiss was hot and deep, her tongue swollen in his mouth. He gripped her shoulders and with
slow, steady pressure he pushed her away. As their lips parted, Mariah stretched forward to nip Hannibal's shoulder with her teeth. In response Hannibal squeezed her shoulders until she whimpered in pain.

“You think you got a hook in me?” Hannibal asked with unaccustomed ferocity. “You ain't shit to me, girl. Don't you ever even think about marking me, understand?”

“Yes, Sir,” she replied. His stern tone seemed to arouse her even more. She stood staring up into his eyes, panting softly, and he wondered if he caused the same frission of fear she felt from Rod. Looking down into her waiting face he felt, for just a moment, the rush of power that comes from having total control over another human being. It thrilled and sickened him.