Deception of the Heart (26 page)

And that was when hell broke lo
ose.

It was a nightmare, plain and simple. As she fell, she looked up, her eyes widening at the sight of Jon, her heart leaping in excitement for one insane second. He was here! Her joy was fleeting. She felt Pete drag her up, his gun against her ribs. He’d try walking out with her as a hostage. She could think with sudden clarity, hoping that Jon would not do anything stupid and get hurt. She wanted to yell that he couldn’t help her. She was desperate to protect him. He wasn’t Pete the scholar, for God’s sake. The man who pressed the hard barrel of his gun into her ribs was a criminal, tough and desperate to succeed. Which he did, in a way. Daniel’s family was destroyed. Or did he really?

She had to wonder why Jon was here. How did he know where to find them
, and why wasn’t he at the Spitieris’? Wouldn’t that be his priority given the situation? Unless… unless there was no situation, of course.

‘Don’t move, or she dies
.’ Pete’s hoarse voice made it clear she wasn’t the only one to reach that conclusion. She heard the gun click, the metallic sound something she had seen in enough movies to know what it meant. Pete laughed, the sound hysterical and insane in her ears. ‘Or maybe she dies anyway, huh? Maybe she dies first, and you go next, Jonathan? Should I kill you first or let you suffer as she dies?’

She didn’t hear the shot. Not right away anyway. Even later when she tried to think about what transpired, she couldn’t hear it. There was always silence, ominous and all encompassing.

The only thing she felt was Pete’s grip easing up on her shoulders, his hand sliding down in a gesture that was almost a caress. His knees buckled, and he slouched on the ground, his gun glistening against the dark ground In slow motion, he fell forward, his body shaking in spasms that gave the eerie impression of laughter. She was frozen, unable to move even an inch away even though her toes were crushed under Pete’s body. She felt his jerky movements, wave after wave finding its way into her flesh.

It stopped almost instantly, though she couldn’t tell if it was seconds or hours
later. He didn’t move anymore, an island of serenity in the bustling sea of activity that sprung to life all around her. She saw Bernard and some other men she didn’t really recognize. Bernard was still holding a gun, his grim expression telling her his hand pulled the fatal trigger.

And then there was Jon. He was at her side in a
second, pulling her away from Pete with strong, firm hands that felt incredibly warm against her frozen skin. She looked down and noticed the pattern on her dress. Red stains were splattered all over the embroidered front, as if an artist’s paintbrush had slipped and sent a shower of ruby red rain droplets to mar the whiteness of her clothes. Her neck and arms were covered with them too, scarlet little droplets burning against her skin. She felt sick. She tried to wipe them off, her moves more and more frantic. She managed to free herself from his hands, brushing off his suddenly unbearable touch.

‘
Go away!’ she demanded, her voice high and thin, panic bubbling right under the surface and threatening to turn to hysteria. ‘Just go and leave me, now.’

He hesitated for a second, taken aback by her outburst.
She stepped away, her body shaking so much she could barely stand.

‘Melanie, listen,
it’s over. Come with me…’ His urgent voice barely registered in her head as she stared at Pete, crumpled on the slate-colored floor. There was an ever-growing puddle of red, sticky blood all around him. His golden hair was streaked with it in a disturbing pattern.

‘
He’s dead,’ she said, her voice still too high. ‘He is dead. You shot him. Just like that, you guys shot him. In the head, just one shot…’ She heard a weird laugh, and it took her a second to realize that it was hers. Laughing hysterically as she backed away, her eyes stayed on his pale face.

‘
We had to, or he’d shoot you or one of us.’ Jon ignored everyone else, still talking only to her. ‘I know you’re in shock, Mel, but it’s ok. He can’t hurt you anymore, all right?’

‘
Come with me.’ A woman was at her side, calm and reassuring. Melanie blinked, surprised to see her face, open and friendly. So that was what the Spitieris’ maid did in her free time. The absurdity of the whole situation finally caught up with her.

‘
Come, we’ll walk to the car,’ the woman insisted, making eye contact with Jon.

‘No
.’ Melanie shook her head, stepping back again. Her foot slipped on the blood and she almost fell, regaining her balance in the last moment. ‘No, no, no!’

She
was yelling now, her voice shrill with helpless anger directed at everyone in general and one man in particular. She hated him! She felt the woman take her arm and lead her away anyway, her lips set into a determined line.

‘I don’t want to go
anywhere with you,’ she told her, her outburst over. She was like a tired child, her chin quivering and eyes filling with tears. ‘I don’t want to see any of you ever again.’ She turned back to Jon, still standing next to Pete and watching her with hooded eyes. ‘Do you hear me?’ she yelled, tears spilling over and smudging Pete’s blood on her cheeks. ‘I don’t want to ever see you again! You cold-blooded, lying bastard. You and your agency, I hope you all go to hell. What happened to putting people in jail and trials? Is killing the only option you know?’

She let the woman take her to an ambulance wait
ing outside. The police were everywhere, lights flashing in the velvety darkness. The press was there too, of course. She ignored them, her eyes focused on the door of the ambulance. She felt like a puppet, wooden and stiff, each step an effort.

The drink and pill
she received in the ambulance calmed her down, which was a good thing. She watched the personnel bustle around her, her shoulders wrapped in one of those scratchy, dark emergency blankets. She felt sleepy and numb. The noises and colors blurred into a kaleidoscope of images she was too tired to try recognizing. A nurse dabbed at her face, wiping away blood and chatting pleasantly without waiting for a response. Melanie let her do whatever she wanted, her own gaze staring into the distance without seeing anything.

‘
Melanie?’ She looked up to see Bernard sit next to her, his dark eyes very warm. Why? Her brain was too fuzzy to come to a conclusion. Why did he look so smug?

‘We did it
.’ He pressed her hand, and she shrunk back, trying to break free. ‘We managed to stop Pete and his men without blowing the cover. The same thing happened at other locations, you know.’ He grinned, all his tiredness and grimness wiped away. He might just as well be a grandfather chatting with his favorite granddaughter. She nodded, too tired to answer.

‘
You knew what he really planned, didn’t you?’ she asked hoarsely, not surprised when he nodded. It all made perfect sense now…

‘
Yes, we did,’ Bernard admitted, his brows pulled together in what she imagined looked like chagrined expression. ‘We figured it out literally in the last hours, though.’

He was trying to tell her they didn’t mislead her on purpose. Somehow she doubted they’d let her
know their secrets, even if they had known it all along. The discovery she wasn’t trusted hurt enough to make her stronger. Who said anger couldn’t help one get their act together?

‘
It doesn’t matter.’ She shrugged, her eyes vacant. ‘I want to leave, Bernard.’ She glared at him, her gaze a pure challenge. ‘Or am I under some kind of arrest? Because you certainly suspected me of some kind of collaboration up to this very moment, didn’t you?’ She wasn’t stupid, and she didn’t want him to think he could bullshit her.

‘
You should spend the night at Daniel’s house after we talk to the police. I imagine they will just want a brief conversation now, but tomorrow you’ll need to go to the station. They need to get your statement, and I’d be happy to help you translate.’ Jon had approached without her noticing, his voice startling her yet again. ‘You shouldn’t be alone now, Melanie. Unless you really want to leave, then you’re free to do so, of course.’ He hesitated, his voice rough as he added, ‘And no, you haven’t been a suspect for quite some time now. Just not the best at pretending, that’s all. Bernard worried you might not be able to lie convincingly enough, and I had to agree with him.’

‘
Wonderful.’ She smiled a brittle smile that was as cold as she felt inside. ‘Thanks for your help, I guess. I’ll talk to the police as soon as they want me to. Afterward I am going back to my hotel and booking a flight home. There is nothing to keep me here after I give my statement.’ She saw him open his mouth to say something before changing his mind and nodding.

‘
He’s right, you shouldn’t be alone tonight,’ Bernard intercepted, his voice concerned. Why he would act as if he cared was beyond her understanding. He sent her there, misinformed and naïve, after appealing to her sense of righteousness and fairness. He made Jon make love to her to help his operation! He obviously didn’t care about how she felt and if she was able to stay alone, for god’s sake!

‘I’ll be fine,’ she said calmly, thanking the nurse and
standing. ‘The worst part is over, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you be celebrating your victory?’

‘
We will soon.’ Bernard nodded, his smile unwavering and patient. ‘I was hoping you’d decide to join us at Daniel’s house for that reason, Melanie. There will be no party, of course, just a gathering of friends and our grateful host. He is grateful, to you too.’

She was sick of being manipulated
, of being told exactly what she wanted to hear and being made to feel needed and wanted. She was past the naivety that made her walk into Jon’s trap as stupid as a lamb going for slaughter.

Bernard
tried again, appealing to her affection for Daniel and playing the guilt card if she was to refuse. Why? Did he want her to sign some confidentiality forms? He didn’t need to worry. She would not talk about them ever again. She’d hope that each passing day would make them fade in her memories a bit more.

‘As I said, I’ll be fine,’ she repeated, her voice stronger now. ‘
As for me coming to Daniel’s house, there is absolutely no reason. We aren’t friends, and he doesn’t need to be grateful to me. If you hadn’t wondered about my involvement, we wouldn’t be here talking in the first place. So for once, let’s stop the charades and call things what they are.’ She smiled bitterly, her tone final. ‘We are casual acquaintances, nothing more.’ She looked at Jon, her words for him and him alone. ‘And as acquaintances, it’s time to say goodbye. Now let’s go and talk to the police, please.’

She walked on, not looking back
to see if he followed. She couldn’t do it. She worried that if Jon asked her once more, she’d break down and beg him to stay with her. She would humiliate herself, and her dignity was the one thing she still had. He respected her right now, and she would make damn sure it stayed that way. There was nothing else. Bernard seemed to have accepted her choice, disappearing quietly and leaving them alone. She wasn’t quite sure where she was going, but she could make out some police cars parked nearby, so she kept walking. At least, she tried. She was confronted with Jon’s tense body, blocking her way.

‘
You can’t walk away from me like that.’

He ruined the moment. Just like everything else, he ruined her last desperate attempt to
preserve some shreds of her seriously damaged dignity.

‘
You can’t walk away, Melanie.’ He stepped closer, reaching out tentatively to touch her hand. She stepped backward, her instinctive reaction losing its effect as her heel caught yet another crack and she swayed, about to hit the ground again. His arms caught her just in time and refused to let go.

‘You have to listen to me, please
.’ Was he the same man who’d looked so invincible only minutes ago? She glanced up into his face, amazed by the transformation. He looked… unsure and worried. His dark eyes watched her face with a pleading expression that tugged at her heart and made refusal impossible.

‘
Why?’ she demanded, sounding harsher than she felt. If he thought she would just swoon into his arms and be grateful for his return to the Dr. Jekyll stage, he was wrong. ‘What else is there to say, Jon? You don’t need to pretend anymore. It’s over, as Bernard just said. Don’t worry about me. I am a big girl and can handle it, I promise. If you’re worried about me going around and making some kind of indiscretion, don’t.’

‘
I don’t care about that one bit right now.’ He shook his head, his dark eyes pitch-black. ‘You might be able to handle it being over, but I can’t. I don’t want to either. I want to handle it with you, not alone.’

She must have looked as flabbergasted as she felt, because he explained, his voice as patient as if he was talking to a child.

‘I can’t tell you how I feel about the way we met, Melanie. I wish it was different. I wish I just saw you somewhere on the street or in a coffee shop, stopping my heart with one look of those brown eyes. I wish I’d had time to approach you and try to charm you, to buy you coffee and chocolates and talk about everything. I wish I’d had time to ask you what was your favorite color and your favorite dish, to buy it for us to share and to see you starting to trust me, slowly but steadily.’