Scarlet Masquerade (17 page)

“I don’t mean to pry, but could you tell me a little about Ms. Lockwood? She has been so generous and I would like to send her a thank you gift. Perhaps flowers, or candy. Something to show my appreciation.”

“I’m sure that isn’t necessary, Ms. Graham. I’m not sure there is much I can tell you about Ms. Lockwood. She is generous, so I’m not surprised by her gift to the university. I can tell you she is very fair with her employees as well.”

A.J. watched as Clarissa smiled. Somehow she knew Clarissa wouldn’t be deterred from her mission on finding out more about her. Clarissa had a dogged determination that A.J. had seen personally when they were together. Listening again, she heard Clarissa continue her line of questioning.

“Well, perhaps you can tell me if she likes the symphony, the theater or perhaps she has a favorite restaurant or vintner? I would really like to thank her with a personal gift that she would appreciate.”

“Well….”

“Please, this has been the most generous gift we have ever received and I just can’t be happy with a simple note and two VIP tickets to the masquerade ball. I am sure you understand my dilemma. Surely you’ve been in a similar situation with her generosity?”

A.J. knew she was trying to appeal to Gail’s softer side. She didn’t have the heart to tell her it wouldn’t work. Gail had been with A.J. for almost as long as Kevin and wasn’t a push over.

“Well, I can tell you, I honestly don’t know what her favorite restaurant is or her favorite wine. Sorry. But, perhaps she would appreciate something personalized from you. If you have a favorite photographer or something simple, I’m sure she would appreciate that. She seems to love black and white photographs.”

A.J. was shocked that Gail had noticed such a minor detail. She did, in fact, love the dramatic style of photography. She had several around her office and more in her penthouse. The drama of the black and white contrast reminded her of her past and it was a journey she took willingly. Perhaps it spoke more of how she saw her life, black and white with few areas of gray.

Pulled back to the two women, A.J. watched as Clarissa thanked Gail for her candor and quickly left. A.J. started to close the door when she heard Gail call her name.

“Ms. Lockwood?” Opening the door slightly, A.J. looked at Gail and then the elevator. “Don’t worry, she’s gone,” Gail said, walking towards A.J.

“How did you know?” A.J. knew she had been discrete in her observance of Clarissa, but something had tipped off Gail.

“Perhaps it was the quick intake of breath when I mentioned the photographs in your office.” A.J. watched Gail smile as they walked down the corridor. A.J. smiled back at the older woman and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“You are full of surprises, Gail.”

Clarissa fanned herself with the envelope from A.J. Lockwood. The faint scent of cologne wafted by her nose. While it wasn’t familiar to her, she knew it was A.J. Lockwood’s. Who else’s could it be? Perhaps Gail’s? No. She had smiled at Gail’s common perfume when she first met the woman, something a lot of the older professors at her university wore. The cologne was fresh and inviting, alluring. Clarissa debated with herself on whether she should open the note or wait until she was alone. The pedestrian traffic around her was distracting and for some reason she felt the need to be alone when she read the note. If Ms. Lockwood had taken the time to write it, she wanted to take time to give it her full attention.

Clarissa’s cell phone buzzed in her pocket and she quickly collected it and put the note in her purse. Carol’s number streamed across the screen, causing Clarissa to smile at her friend’s impatience.

“Couldn’t wait could you?”

“What? I was worried. Can’t a friend be worried?”

“Of course you can, but what were you worried about? Geez, it isn’t like she was going to ask for the money back. Besides, I didn’t even get to see her.”

“She? Wait. You mean A.J. Lockwood is a she?”

“Yep.”

“No Shit. Now, I really am sorry you didn’t get to meet the infamous A.J. Lockwood. I bet she’s some battle axe that eats kids for breakfast.” Carol chuckled, “Oh, Clarissa, I’m sorry you wasted your time, but at least you got a big fat check anyway.”

“Ever the optimist. Well, if it is any consolation, she sent me a note.”

“What does it say?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t opened it yet.”

“Why haven’t you opened it?”

“I want to give it the attention it deserves, so I’m waiting until I get back to my office.”

“Oh, well, I’ll wait for you then. I want to see what it says. This is exciting, kinda like getting a gift you’re just waiting to unwrap.”

“Carol, you’re being a little dramatic don’t you think?”

“What?”

“Look, I’m almost back, so wait for me in my office and we can read it together.”

“Okay, hurry. I can’t wait to see what she says.”

“Okay, Okay.” Clarissa snapped her phone shut and laughed again. Carol was acting like a kid who just couldn’t wait for Christmas.

###

A.J. opened the envelope and removed the two tickets first. She quickly read the short note thanking her for her donation and asking her to attend the masquerade ball as Clarissa’s guest. Her disappointment quickly evaporated as she thought about the personal invitation to be her guest at the masquerade ball. She thought she might attend, but the invitation made it a certainty that she would. She had worried that she might have to cancel her plans to attend when things had changed so rapidly in the past couple of days. But now she felt excited at the possibilities of seeing Clarissa, talking to her and possibly sharing a dance with her. She would have to make sure her costume was appropriate for the time period, but most importantly, her mask needed to hide her identity until she was ready to reveal it.

A.J. pulled Kevin’s cell phone from her pocket and began looking through the text messages. As she scrolled through them, she spotted a few from Brax letting Kevin know where he was. But as she continued further down, a text message from DM jumped out at her.

Kevin, Good Job. Finally. After all these years she is within my grasp. Call me for further instructions. DM

A.J. felt her body quake as she read the text. DM had known the whole time. But where was he and what was he waiting for? Clarissa wasn’t safe anymore and now she needed to act fast or lose Clarissa forever. A.J. wrote the number on a piece of paper to give to Selene, then finished scrolling through the call list. Other than her number and Selene’s, Kevin didn’t get many calls. Lucky for her.

A quick call to Gail with instructions to find a costume for the masquerade ball and A.J. was set. She needed to talk to Selene and then make sure Kevin was handled and she would be ready to plan how she would approach Clarissa at the ball. It had to be subtle or it would scare Clarissa off. So much had happened to Clarissa in the last few days, A.J. was surprised she hadn’t run already. How much Clarissa could take was beyond her. While she wasn’t easily dissuaded, she had no history on Clarissa and could only guess what kind of torture she had to endure with De Marcus. A phone call later and Selene and A.J. would meet at a coffee shop close to campus. A.J. didn’t want Selene too far from Clarissa, just in case something happened.

As A.J. walked in, she spotted Selene. Selene’s appearance hadn’t changed in decades. Her long frame barely fit into the small chair. Selene stretched her long legs casually into the aisle of the coffee shop, causing anyone walking by to step over them. Clearly, she didn’t care if she was impeding traffic. Selene was Selene and she didn’t make apologies for being bold, aggressive or threatening. One look at her and it was clear by her body language, she wasn’t someone to mess with. A.J. watched Selene flirt with a young, obviously college-aged girl, but never the less too young for Selene. Smiling at the girl, Selene slipped a piece of paper to the young woman before she walked away. A.J. didn’t blame the young girl for flirting with the gorgeous woman. A.J. herself had fallen for Selene’s dark looks and charming demeanor, but that was a century ago and A.J. didn’t have time to stroll down memory lane today.

“Aren’t you a little old for her?” A.J. said, pulling a chair out, turning it backwards and straddling it.

“Not really. I was turned when I was thirty, so that makes me, what, eight or ten years older than her.” Selene’s smile didn’t reach her eyes, letting A.J. know she wasn’t in a kidding mood.

“Yeah, if you don’t add those two hundred years, or fangs, you could be great dating material around here.” A.J. looked back at the young woman and hoped her thoughts of persuasion were working on the woman.

“Don’t do that.” Selene crouched forward at A.J.

“Don’t do what?”

“Quit fucking with her mind. I felt it and I don’t appreciate you mucking in my business.”

“Look, you need to stay focused on the task at hand. After that, you can do whatever you want. Besides, don’t you have women at that club of yours?” A.J. had heard Selene owned a local bondage club, but wasn’t surprised. Selene had owned one ever since A.J. had known her. Somehow it seemed appropriate, given Selene’s propensity for violence and torture.

“Yeah, but not young beautiful women like that. Most women don’t dabble with that stuff until they’re much older. I like ’em fresh and untarnished.” Selene winked at the girl as she returned and slid a hot cup of coffee towards Selene.

“You drink that stuff?” A.J. had never adapted to the taste of coffee. In fact, she had just adapted to an occasional meal and glass of wine. Scotch, now that made her blood warm. The earthy peat smell and taste made A.J. yearn for home and her farm. Shaking the memories off, A.J. got back to the business at hand. “Let’s get back to business. So—”

“Where’s Kevin?” Selene wasn’t known for her patience decades ago and clearly she hadn’t learned any yet, either.

“He’s handled. He won’t be an issue for us, but I don’t know if he had a chance to relay any information to whoever he’s working for.”

“Are you sure Kevin was the leak? Maybe it was Brax?”

“Brax couldn’t pour piss out of a boot, let alone know who he was going to be guarding. No, it was Kevin. He gave Brax his orders and he was the only one who had any idea Clarissa was around.” A.J. cursed her trust in Kevin once more. If anything happened to Clarissa she would never be able to forgive herself, not now that she knew Clarissa was alive.

“Well, you know him best. But I’m curious. You’re not usually this careless. Getting lazy in your old age?”

A.J. stared into black onyx eyes as she thought about Selene’s statement. Had she lost her edge? She had been careful for decades, no centuries, protecting herself. It only took one well placed individual to split the seams of the well sown fabric that was her life. A.J. roughly caressed her chin as she thought about everything that had happened since finding Clarissa. She had almost lost her before she had even had a chance to talk to her. No, she had placed too much trust in the wrong person, but that would never happen again, not if she wanted to continue living.

“Not if I’m sitting here with you and he’s…” A.J. looked down at her watch, “sitting in a freezer right now.”

“Dead?”

“No, but he’s on ice, so to speak. When the masquerade ball is over this weekend, I’ll handle him. So no, I haven’t lost my edge.” A.J. wanted to make sure Selene didn’t overestimate her worth and wanted to send a strong message, just in case anyone else was listening. Smiling back into the black onyx eyes, A.J. watched Selene nod her head in understanding.

“I put out feelers and if he talked to someone, I can’t find ’em. So I have to assume he didn’t have time to report back to his handler. Doing so would have put another assassin on Clarissa quick, and I haven’t seen a soul, living or dead, anywhere around her.” Selene leaned towards A.J. again. “Look, people like this don’t wait for an opportunity, they create them. That’s what happened last night. Brax wasn’t on the case but two days before he reported that there was someone else following Clarissa.”

A.J. looked up from her folded hands, her brow furrowed.

“You look surprised, A.J. What did you think I’d do last night after the first asshole attacked me? Sit back and wait for orders from a mysterious employer? I’ve known who you were and who the caged bird was. It’s what I do and how I’ve stayed alive this long.”

“I knew it wouldn’t take you long to figure it out. I should have put you on the case in the first place.” It hurt A.J. to admit she had made a mistake based on her past with Selene, but it was hers and hers alone to shoulder. “Let’s get back to business. The masquerade ball is this weekend and I’m attending. I don’t know how it’s going to play out, but I’m willing to risk rejection to protect Clarissa.”

“I don’t think that’s such a great idea, A.J. I think you need to play this right or you could risk losing what you value again, but this time forever. If you’re not careful, she’s gonna run and this time you won’t find her.”

“Look, I don’t plan on a big confrontation at the masquerade ball. It wouldn’t be prudent for either of us. Besides, we have a history and I’m hoping that she’ll remember what we had.”

“What kind of history?” A.J. could see the suspicion in Selene’s narrowed eyes. What would she tell Selene? How would she explain their history and did she even need to? Selene worked for her, not the other way around.

“It’s not important.”

“It is to me. I need to know what I’m walking into now that I’m on the hook for two dead vampires. I’ve now made myself a target for whoever hired them and I’d like to know why.”

A.J. tapped her lips with her index finger as she tried to control her agitation. She wasn’t in the mood for questions she didn’t want to answer. But more importantly, she wasn’t sure she was ready to admit that Clarissa had been her one and only true love. She also wasn’t sure she was ready for the questions that would come when Selene found out she hadn’t been the one to turn Clarissa, especially when she didn’t have all the answers.

Standing, Selene tossed a few bills on the table and grabbed her jacket. “Look, I don’t have time to try and squeeze a few answers out of you. I’m done.”