Layers Off (21 page)

“My parents are dead, you fuck!” I spat back. Except the conviction in my words wasn’t exactly as strong as I’d hoped it to be. Why wouldn’t it be?

My split-second view of Allie’s shocked face told me she recognized the name by which they called me as well. But she didn’t let on that she knew anything about my past. Donato’s focus remained on me.

“Who exactly are you again?” Sam asked. I felt proud she found the courage to ask.

“My name is Peter Donato. I’m the son of Christopher Donato – the man Kendra killed.”

C
HAPTER
19

The room fell silent as three pairs of eyes stared at me, waiting for an explanation. Donato indicated with his gaze for the security guards to leave us, and they did. The room, stripped of any decorations, blurred into a gray haze of walls, chairs, and the table. Near the ceiling, a red light blinked on a camera. What was happening here? There was no way this was legal at all. And why would they accuse me of murder?

“I didn’t kill anyone! I want my lawyer too. Are we under arrest?”

Donato simply sat on the desk’s edge, smirking.

“We’re not. He’s not a cop, and they handcuffed us by force. We’re being held against our will, unlawfully. You’ve picked the wrong people to bust, asshole.” Laura tugged on her handcuffs for the umpteenth time as if by some magic they would break this time and let her free. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if the cuffs miraculously fell off her wrists – at least for her.

“You have no cause to hold us. And, believe me, you’ve just messed with the wrong group of women,” Allie warned in a more forceful voice. I’d never heard her speak with such authority. Despite her growing stomach, she could definitely stand her ground for a pregnant woman.

“Save your breath, pretty face.” Donato seemed unfazed. His phone buzzed and he checked the message. Frowning, he mumbled, “Shit!”

That had to be good for us, didn’t it? I wished Julian were here. And Tristan, and Gabe and James. I wish one of us knew what to do.

“Someone’s messing with the...” He stopped himself before he finished. “I’ll be right back.” And he left.

I heard four long exhales, including my own, echo through the room.

“Allie, I’ve never seen this guy, and all I did to Donato was what I told you. I grabbed his balls and squeezed them.”

“When did this happen?” Laura asked, suddenly more interested in my story.

“When I was in high school. My teacher harassed me and was on his way to sexually assault me. Apparently this asshole is his son.”

“But you didn’t kill him,” Sam stated.

“Of course not! Don’t you think I would have remembered that?”

“Just like you remembered never shooting a gun?” Allie’s eyes widened.

Was it possible I could forget a murder? The same way I’d forgotten that I shot guns and rifles and had trained for the Olympics?

“Ah, fuck!” I felt my jaw tighten on its own. Those nightmares I’d had could have been real! The gun I’d seen in my hands, the spilling blood. The images that had haunted me for years. But still… could I really have murdered someone and forgotten about it? And if I had, then why? Was it in cold blood, or premeditated? I didn’t think I could kill anyone. I’d rather people like Christopher Donato were thrown in jail with a lonely cellmate.

“K, that hair pin you have… Can you scoot closer to me?” Laura wiggled her hands. The sound of the chain against the metal chair sent a wave of chills over my body, but I pulled through.

“Hold on.” I pulled the chair across the linoleum floor.

“This still doesn’t make sense...”

As Sam started analyzing our conversation, the door knob wiggled back and forth. I held my breath, freezing mid-way to Laura. All four of us stared at the only exit out of the claustrophobic room as if it was the gateway to heaven. And if it was, I swear four angels just stepped through – disguised as Julian, Tristan, Gabe, and James.

Another sound of four long exhales resonated.

“Are you hurt?” Julian knelt at my side, and out of nowhere was holding a metal thread between his lips while he fumbled with my cuffs.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“We’re getting you out.” He removed the tool from his mouth and quickly kissed me. His mouth tasted like cold wind, and I wondered how he’d bypassed the security at the casino. “Did they hurt you?”

I dismissed his questions because obviously we weren’t hurt; not physically at least. But I couldn’t deny that this ordeal had scared the living shit out of me.

“No, I mean what are you doing
here
, in Vegas. Like two and a half thousand miles from home?”

“Oh? You think we’d let you four be on your own, on the other side of the country, when all that ever happens is one of you ending up at the hospital or buried when you venture on your own?” Tristan spoke up.

I guessed that was meant more for Allie and Laura, as those two always found trouble before it found them. And I couldn’t really blame Sam for ending up underground. I’d been the one who’d coerced her to do the illegal money exchange for me that got her kidnapped. But at least I’d been high and didn’t know any better. Now, when I honestly hadn’t done anything wrong – or at least I thought I hadn’t – people from my past were out to get me anyway.

Perhaps Julian had been right to keep my past a secret all along.

“Were you spying on us?” Allie asked.

“We weren’t, but when James called—”

“You were spying on us?” Laura accused James.

“I was following a job order, babe.”

“Don’t babe me, just get these damn cuffs off so I can wring little Donato’s neck.”

Yeah, Laura had the mouth of a shark combined with Batman’s courage.

“Hold on with the wringing.” Gabe added, “He’s got some major muscle behind him and we need to be careful.”

“I still don’t get how or why you got here.”

“When James told us you were staying at this casino, we were on the plane within an hour. And it’s a good thing we were. I thought you said you were staying at the Mirage?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.

“This casino is owned by Donato’s father – Peter’s grandfather. He’s in Congress.”

Odd chills swept through my body. Just the mention of Congress reminded me of when my parents were alive. My father always had to deal with a load of crap. From laws passed under the public’s eye when the press’s attention was focused on world issues to bills approved for the convenience of specific states and their governors. That branch of our government had shadier shit going on than Toronto’s mayor.

By this time my hands were freed. Julian rubbed my wrists and whispered, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I knew what he was referring to, and honestly, despite a lurking panic attack, I’d managed to control my anxiety. Yes, the memories of my torture were still there, but now that I’d been undergoing therapy, at least I could handle them.

“Yeah, I’m okay. What about Pucker?”

“He’s with Emma. Let’s get out of here.” He kissed my head.

“Tristan, we need to call the police,” Allie argued.

“This is beyond the police, Allie.”

“Then someone better have a good explanation for this,” Laura mumbled under her breath. I was afraid I didn’t really want to hear their reasoning for sneaking around in a casino, with hundreds of cameras everywhere. But if I knew Julian and Tristan, those were already jammed, and the brothers had a plan to get us out of here without being noticed. The red light on the camera was turned off, I noted.

Julian grasped my hand, opened the door, peeked around in each direction, and motioned me to follow him. His entire demeanor changed, reminding me of the time he and Tristan led me through the upper corridor on the train. To my surprise the hallway was empty – the two guards who had stood there earlier were simply gone. Whatever disappearing powder the Cross brothers carried with them, I wanted some too.

He placed his finger to his lips and turned to a staircase. The Scooby gang could walk down the middle aisle during mass and go unnoticed. Everyone followed Julian up four floors before we heard noises in the stairwell from above us and from below. The echo of drumming feet approached from both directions. My head whipped from looking up and down, my heart raced, and I felt like I belonged on a farm in Oz next to the Scarecrow. Following the men’s lead, Allie and Laura both appeared calm. Sam, on the other hand, had the same fear-stricken face I imagined I did. Threats and danger had never touched my nerves so deeply before I’d been kidnapped, but now, after having been held against my will and knowing what could happen – the mere thought was enough to practically release my bladder.

“We need to split,” Gabe whispered.

“Stay safe,” Julian murmured to his brother, as Gabe and James bumped fists.

Tristan kissed Allie and scooted up the stairs, Gabe and Sam ran one flight down with James and Laura, while Julian pulled on my hand and we turned into a hallway on the floor we stood.

“What now?” I whispered, waiting for Donato to burst through the door at the other end of the hall.

“We have a room booked at the other end of the hall.” I’d never seen a man run on his tiptoes, but Julian did. It reminded me of a scene when Fred Flintstone went bowling.

We reached the mid-point of the L-shaped hotel when a security guard opened the staircase door through which we’d just left. We scooted behind the corner just in time, but the other end of the hall was beginning to open as well.

We were stuck.

At the same time, the door knob of a hotel room beside us turned and I pushed through pulling Julian in with me, and then quietly locked the door.

“Kendra?” the man asked. “What are you doing here?”

Thank God I’d been sitting close to Laura while she gambled, because some of her luck had definitely rubbed off on me. Apparently we’d run right into Sean’s room.

“You know this guy?” Julian’s tone held a hint of jealousy I couldn’t deal with now.

“Yes. Sean, this is my boyfriend, Julian. Julian, Sean. The security’s chasing us. They’re trying to hold us against our will and without a lawyer. They refused when we asked to call the police. Please let us hide here until they’re gone.”

Julian’s brows rose, but of course Sean’s attention was completely on me.

“Of course. Are you in some kind of trouble? Do you need a lawyer?”

“This is beyond the law for now,” Julian answered. “If we want a chance at any kind of fairness, we need to get back to New York first. I have a room we need to get to at the end of the hall.”

“If they find us... Sean, please trust me. We’re the good guys.”

I was sure that any way I tried to explain murdering someone would sound wrong to him. It was better to leave out the details. Julian’s arm tightened around me as Sean considered what I’d said for a moment.

“Stay here; I’ll see if they’re gone.” Our host left his hotel room.

“How well do you know him?” Julian whispered when the doors closed.

“I bumped into him on the casino floor. He spilled his chips and was very kind. I knew he’d help us because he sort of liked me.” I felt my cheeks heat.

A rumble vibrated in Julian’s chest as if he’d growled from deep inside.

“He’s s a genuine man. That’s all,” I assured him.

Someone cleared his throat from the outside hall.

“We’re looking for these people. Have you seen them?” I recognized Peter Donato’s voice.

“Yes, yes I have,” Sean answered.

I felt my jaw drop and eyes widen to probably double their size. Julian’s jaw tightened as he put his hand on the doorknob, waiting for the guard to break down the door. His lips formed a perfectly straight line.

“A few minutes ago before I got off on my floor. I was coming up to get my credit card. They were in the elevator and pressed the parking button.”

I exhaled and Julian let go of the doorknob.

“Thank you sir,” Peter said. I assumed he then communicated through his walkie-talkie. “They’re heading for the garage. All units, to the garage.”

A few seconds later, Sean came back inside. “It’s clear. You can go.”

“Thank you, Sean. I really owe you big time.”

Julian handed him a business card, “If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate.”

“I can tell you’re sincere. And I hope whatever troubles are following you, you’ll be able to put them to rest soon.”

With that Julian guided me out and to the end of the hall toward the room he’d mentioned.

He squeezed my hand, saying, “I wanted to do this differently, but we don’t have a choice anymore. Please forgive me.” His eyes held apprehension as he slid a key card through the slot of one of the rooms.

The door swung open. At first I could only see bright light behind two darker silhouettes. And then I stood there with my mouth open, feeling my soul leave my body for a moment and then return in confusion. How could this be? I didn’t even notice when we entered the room and only felt being nudged inside, toward the two people waiting for us.

I hoped I wasn’t dead, just like I thought my parents were – because they stood right there, in front of me, alive and in the flesh.

C
HAPTER
20

My mother’s trembles vibrated through my body. My father held his arm around her from behind. I noted his fingers holding the fabric at her waist, as if he was holding onto reality itself. They both had new wrinkles, ones I’d missed watching blend into their faces, so seeing them now, older, made this so unreal. Her eyes were the same, though, caring and filled with hope. Despite my mom’s strict rules, I could always count on her to defend me and protect me, like any mother should. A memory flashed through my mind so quickly, I wondered whether it was real. She was on the phone, yelling at someone. I’d never heard her cuss as much as she did that day. It was at a shooting practice. Her voice was loud enough for me to hear from under my head muffs.

“...touch her...bastard...kill...”

And then the memory was gone.