Deadly Expectations (58 page)

“Andre played the same games only he made sure that he never moved up.
 
There was no place else for someone who liked what he did so much.
 
He knew the war end and he wouldn’t get by back home with such a bad habit.
 
The front line was the only place for him.”

“Are you sure?” Paul asked.

“Yes.
 
I don’t feel any tie to Damian in any of the men we met last night.”

“Alright.”

“Why didn’t they ask about the blue light?” I asked Paul.

“They don’t know what to make of you.
 
They did ask me.
 
I told them I’d only seen it once before when you were concentrating really hard and you had it under control.
 
I said you didn’t understand anything about it and I was making sure it stayed that way.”

“I guess that’s the best answer,” I agreed.
 
“I hope I did a good job of being a good obedient mate for you last night.”

“The best,” he said, smelling my clean hair.
 
“I know you don’t like being treated like a kid.
 
I appreciated it.
 
I don’t have to worry about you not being able to look after yourself or play your part with the men.
 
You’re a lot more than they think you are.”

“How am I supposed to teach him?” I’d thought about it as I was falling asleep the night before and hadn’t come up with anything.
 
“The only solid relation I have to work with is you, me, and her … and I don’t think I want him touching her.”

“Marie is Damian’s sister,” Paul said.
 
“We don’t take mates in our own line.
 
Maybe better to not bring that up either.”

“I’ll see if he’ll talk about relations he knows.
 
There’s probably something there we can work with.
 
Has he always been able to read?”

“Yes, but just matching us from before to us now.”

“You’re not pleased that Keith asked are you?”

“No … I don’t like you sharing something with someone else that you can’t share with me.
 
But it would have been a huge insult to Keith had I refused,” he admitted.

“We never tried.”

“I know I can’t,” he said giving me a weak smile.
 
“My father tried.”

“Okay.
 
Can I get you anything?”

“No thanks.
 
If my stomach keeps behaving I should be able to manage lunch.
 
We’re expected after one sometime.”

“Alright.”
 
We sat quietly on the couch trying to get a little more energy back.

“Do they think I think she’s a boy?”
 
I asked him.
 
I was trying to make sure we had all our notes compared.

“I told them you didn’t want to find out ahead of time.
 
Of course they think she’s a boy and believe that’s what I think too,” Paul said.
 
“And the same Daytona story we told the Colonel.
 
Better to stick as close to the truth as we can.
 
Less chance of getting caught on a lie.”

I felt the same way.
 
He was starting to think like me.

“Okay … I need a nap if we’re going to be out that late again tonight,” I told Paul.

“Yeah,” he said and joined me.

Chapter 44

I fell asleep right away and woke up suddenly on the cold ground staring at a pair of men’s dress shoes.
 
Couldn’t move; not even my eyes.
 
There was heavy breathing above but I couldn’t see the man making the sound.
 
Then footsteps behind me and the shoes turned.
 
They pushed the blood they were in around the toe of one foot as he pivoted.
 
I would have been able to smell the blood if I had been breathing.

“Anna—.”

 
Alina’s scream was quickly muffled and cut off as he stepped over me to her.
 
There was struggling and he dragged her back to where I was.
 
Her feet bounced as he threw her into the wall.
 
She started kicking but he was pressed in close to her, air wheezing in and out of her lungs.

One of her shoes came off and landed in my blood.
 
Slowly her feet kicked less and less and the sounds in her throat stopped.
 
I waited for the blood to start flowing down her legs.
 
The dream would be over.
 
Then I would wake up and shake it off.
 
I’d hold on to Paul and push what I was seeing from my mind.
 
It took so long but eventually it did … slowly at first, then faster, as it ran down her legs and onto her shoe.
 
Finally just a trickle as her foot curled up and trembled once.
 
Then again.

Drop her, I thought, please wake me from this.

He did.
 
I didn’t.

His heavy breathing paused so he could swallow.
 
Alina and I were both strong.
 
We both struggled and he’d had to work for the pile of bodies on the floor.
 
I lay still and didn’t wake up.

His heels came up as he squatted next to us.
 
He was doing something to her I couldn’t see.
 
He’d taken her life.
 
Couldn’t he just leave her alone now?
 
Then he turned to me and put his hand on my neck feeling for a pulse I suppose.
 
I knew I didn’t have one.
 
He put his hands on the side of my face and turned me to face him.

It was Paul.

“Anna … God I love you Anna,” he said quietly.
 
“I’m so sorry.
 
I hope it won’t have to be like this next time.”

“Bastard!”
 
I yelled and pushed myself up in bed.
 
Paul was already sitting.
 
He tried to hold me but I pushed him away and landed on my feet beside the bed, backing into the wall and breathing hard.
 
I felt his hand on my neck making sure I was dead before I realized it was my own hand, convincing myself I was alive.

After a few gasps I realized I was awake and got my bearings.
 
Then I almost dove back into bed and grabbed him tight.
 
My eyes closed and I tried to relax.

“That sucked,” I said.
 
“I thought I was still dreaming.”

“Sshhh,” he said.
 
“Sshhh.”

“I’m sorry,” I said after a few minutes.
 
“I didn’t know where I was.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”
 

I shook my head.
 
I didn’t want to have that dream ever again.
 
Damn Pilot.
 
He should have spared the bit about Paul hurting me and done what Lieutenant Nielsen had.
 
Sent me straight after Damian.
 
Given me a knife and pointed me up the fucking hill.

“It was the dream where he killed Alina and me again, but this time at the end he knelt down and held my face to his … I woke up.”

“I wish you had more good dreams,” he said.

I tucked my head under his chin.
 
“The good things all happen when I’m awake.
 
Do you ever get nightmares?”

He stroked my hair.

“I went through some bad spells … drinking, dreaming.
 
Not being alone any more helps.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
 
Sorry for asking.
 
Sorry for intruding.
 
Sorry to hear that.
 
Sorry for leaving you alone for so long.

He moved his hand to my stomach.

“She’s getting big … how long now?” he asked.

I was glad to change the subject.
 
She seemed to like when he touched her; we could feel her move.

“Fifteen weeks … beginning of April now if we don’t lose any more time.
 
She moves more for your hand than for mine.”

“We should get going … it’s almost two,” he sighed.

“Mm,” I said.

After changing out of the clothes I’d been sleeping in into jeans, black runners, and a long sleeved stretchy T-shirt I put my hair up and touched up the makeup.
 
Paul was dressed more casually like the men we met the night before.
 
Keith had been dressed better, like his waiters, to help out when the restaurant was busy.
 
It was Friday so I guessed it would be.

Paul bagged up our cash, guns, and my pearl earrings while I was changing.
 
His clothes from the previous night and my dress were in the hotel dry cleaning bag.

“Keith has a safe we can put the bag in for the evening so we can get the room made up,” he explained.
 
That was good.
 
I didn’t want to have to spend the night guarding it between my feet.
 
Paul stopped at the desk to ask the room be done.

When we got to Keith’s the waitress showed us right upstairs.
 
There were five men at the table but not the same five as the night before.
 
Keith and Patrick were missing and there were two others we hadn’t seen before.
 
Paul was behind me so I reached across him and grabbed the railing.
 
He bumped in to me.

“Anna?” he asked as he pushed a bit but then he saw the two new ones and stopped.
 
I started to carefully assess them both but their presence had taken me by surprise so it took a moment to be able to focus.

“She’s protective of you,” Keith’s voice whispered behind us.

“Yes,” Paul replied quietly, “very.
 
She’s one of my best.
 
You don’t want to be the man who tries to get to me past her.”

Keith didn’t comment.
 
Part of me wondered exactly what it was Paul told him I did.
 
I would have to ask him later.
 
It only took a minute to learn what I needed about them.
 
I let go of the railing and took Paul’s elbow.

“What’s holding up the train?”
 
Patrick’s voice from half way down the stairs.

I turned to apologize to them and had to cover my mouth to stifle a laugh.
 
Both were shaved bald.
 
Completely, shiny, bald.
 
I didn’t comment; I was very glad I hadn’t taken the bet.

“Marie hasn’t seen it yet … she’s going to kill me,” Keith said.

Paul patted his back.
 
After Keith introduced us to the two we hadn’t met he took us down the other stairs to his office to lock our bag in his safe.
 
At least we didn’t have to worry about the cleaning staff finding the things in it and I tried not to worry that we wouldn’t get it back.
  
Paul wouldn’t have given it to him for safe keeping if there was any concern about that at all.

When we got back upstairs I pulled Paul aside.
 
Keith was arranging lunch and Patrick was waiting to get started with me.
 
It was going to be hard to look at him for a while without laughing.