Annihilate Me (Vol. 3) (The Annihilate Me Series) (11 page)

“You both need to leave,” Tank said to Alex and me.
 
“I’ll take care of security and explain
what happened.
 
They’re coming this
way.”

I swept my red cape over Immaculata’s face as if a bull had
just been stabbed and now was bleeding out on the floor.
 
“Fine.
 
Let’s leave.”

Alex was looking at me intently.
 
I wasn’t sure that I recognized every emotion on his face,
but I knew one of them—surprise.
 
Maybe even a touch of horror.

“No one fucks with you when I’m present,” I said to him.
 
“No one.”
 
I reached for his hand and we started to move through that
part of the crowd that had seen what just happened.
 
They turned to watch us as we passed.
 
Tongues clucked in distaste, though I
did hear one man say, “Well done.”

“Are you all right?” Alex asked.

“Just a little wet.
 
Nothing a girl from Maine can’t handle.”

“You Maine girls sure are tough.”

I shot him a sidelong glance, and saw a trace of humor in his
eyes.
 
“That woman tried to
humiliate you.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t care about me.
 
I care about you.
 
She
crossed a line.”

“She did—with both of us.
 
You matter as much as I do, Jennifer.
 
Money doesn’t define a person or how
one should be treated.”
 
He
paused.
 
“I’m generally not into
violence, but I’m kind of glad that you slapped her.
 
She threw her drink at you.
 
What you did was warranted.”

“I slapped her twice.”

“And hard.
 
She
really went down after that last swing of yours.”

I took a breath to settle my nerves and looked up at him as we
hurried to leave.
 
He squeezed my
hand in an effort to diffuse the situation.
 
I had to shake this off or the rest of the evening would be
ruined, and I wasn’t about to let that happen.
 
If I did, Immaculata would have won.
 
I took another breath and squeezed
back.
 
“She did squeal like a pig,
didn’t she?”

“Oh, yeah.
 
She
squealed like a big ol’ hog.”

“Don’t make me laugh.”

“Why not?
 
You’re
beautiful when you laugh.”

“Not with my makeup dripping down my face.”

“Actually, it isn’t.
 
You’re fine.
 
Knowing
Bernie, I have a feeling that he only uses the best.
 
Seriously.
 
You
wouldn’t know that anything had happened.”

We cut left and started toward the staircase.

“You do realize that no one is ever going to invite us anywhere
again?” I said.

“Are you kidding?
 
At this point, we’re a dependable main attraction.
 
Wherever we end up next, they’ll
probably have a ring set up for us.”

I groaned.
 
“The
board is going to slay you tomorrow morning when those photos hit.”

“No one took photos of the brawl.
 
Just of us having a kiss.
 
What’s wrong with that?
 
That’s a fine bit of exposure for Wenn.
 
If the
Post
is smart enough to
use the right photos, the board should be delighted.”

“They won’t be so delighted when they find out what happened
here tonight,” I said as I took the stairs.
 
I lifted my dress and hurried down to the lower level with
Alex at my side.
 
“At this point, I
think we have a...certain reputation.”

“Better than having none.”

“What is it with us?
 
Apparently, we cause a commotion wherever we go.”
 

“Look at it this way.
 
We’re the new Burt and Liz.”

I laughed at that.
 
“Oh, not that.”

“It’s true.”

“Well, maybe on one level,” I said as we moved through the room
and toward the double set of doors that led to the street.
 
“But do you want to know the major
difference between us and them?”

“Sure.”

I stopped him dead in his tracks.

“I’d never divorce you,” I said.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

He looked as if he was about to say something, but I put a
finger to his lips.
 
“Call your
security detail.
 
Let them know
we’re leaving.
 
Then let’s go to
your apartment so I can shower and get this sticky champagne off me.
 
After that, we can have a martini and
relax.
 
OK?”

“I have a bit more than that in mind, but we’re pretty much on
the same page.”
 
He pulled out his
cell and texted three numbers.
 
“They’ll be here in a minute.”

And they were.
 

When they came, they found us waiting in the entryway.
 
There were four of them, all with
concealed guns and all trained to kill.
 
I wondered if they had any leads on the shooting at this point.
 
I wondered if they ever would.
 
Alex said we might never know who shot
at us that night.
 
He said that, in
his experience, the mystery might go unsolved.
 
The idea that someone could do what they did to us, drop out
of sight, and leave us with the knowledge that, at any moment, our lives could
be at risk was unnerving to me.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous when we stepped out
into the night.
 
In fact, a part of
me was terrified of being so exposed, regardless of the men flanking us in a
kind of cocoon.
 

We left Peachy Van Prout’s mansion on Park, quickly crossed the
sidewalk, and stepped into the waiting car, which appeared to be
bulletproof.
 
Then we were inside,
thankfully without incident, only to arrive at Wenn moments later, once again
safely.

Are they lying in wait?
I wondered when we took
the elevator to his penthouse.
 
And
if they are, when will they arrive?
 

*
 
*
 
*
 

After I showered, I quickly blew out my hair with a dryer,
moisturized my face, and brushed my teeth with a toothbrush marked “Jennifer”
in Alex’s handwriting.
 
Then I went
to the drawer that held his T-shirts.
 
But instead of T-shirts, I found a drawer filled with expensive
lingerie.
 
I smiled at the sight
and was touched by what I saw.
 
I
went hunting for something that would please him.

After a moment, I found perfection—a lilac-colored satin
halter slip with flirty lace and an open back.
 
It felt sexy and luxurious when I put it on—so light
that it felt as if I was wearing next to nothing.
 
Better yet, it was just long enough to cover the bruise on
my thigh.
 
There was nothing I
could do about concealing the cut on my arm though.
 
There was no covering that because the whole idea behind the
lingerie he chose for me was about hiding as little as possible.

I went back into the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and
decided that my hair and face needed a touch-up to complement what I was
wearing.
 
After adding a little bit
of foundation, some gloss to my lips, and texturizing lotion to give my hair a
sleeker, tamed appearance, I checked myself in the mirror.
 
I turned in front of it and thought
that Alex might appreciate the look.
 
I certainly hoped he did.
 
After all he’d been through, I didn’t want to disappoint.

When I went into the living room, I found him leaning back on
the sofa wearing only a white cotton robe, which was open at the chest—and
what a chest it was.
  
Otherwise, with his legs spread, it was clear that he was naked
beneath.
 
He’d made us martinis,
which sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa, glistening in the lights of
the Manhattan skyline just beyond them.

“Just let me look at you for a moment,” he said.

I wanted to make him happy, so I did what he asked.
 
I turned around once and then I blew
him a kiss.
 
“That’s quite a bit of
lingerie in there for one girl,” I said.

“You’ll have plenty of time to make good use of it.
 
And then we’ll order more.
 
Martini?”

“Is that even a question?”

He patted the seat next to him.
 
“Come over here before I come over there.”

“Coming, doctor.”

“I think you’re the only ‘nurse’ I’ve been happy to see in two
days.”

I snuggled next to him, and draped one of my legs over his as I
kissed him on the neck and then on the lips.
 
He handed me my martini.
 
We touched glasses and sipped.
 
Ice-cold perfection.
 

“You are rather adept at making these,” I said.

“These, I can handle because they’re not rocket science.
 
Anything more complicated, and I’m
lost.
 
But thank you.”

“Thank
you
.
 
Good vodka can cure the world.”

“Is that all it takes?”

“In some situations.
 
What happens in your bed can cure a host of other problems.”

He smiled at that.

“Alex, I’m sorry about tonight.”

“What for?”

“I shouldn’t have slapped her.”

“The first or second time?”

“I’m serious.
 
She’ll probably sue me.”

“Let her.
 
You’ve
got me behind you.”

“That’s not what concerns me.
 
We’re a couple now.
 
I don’t want to embarrass you, and I’m fairly certain that I did
tonight.”

“By protecting yourself?
 
Come on, Jennifer.
 
She
threw a drink in your face.
 
She
set us up.
 
She deserved it.”

“It was like a scene out of a bad movie.”

“I’d watch that movie again, but I’d change one part.”

“What’s that?”

“That she didn’t douse you in champagne.
 
That was a cheap shot.”

“At least it wasn’t cheap champagne.”

“We can agree to that.
 
Nothing but the best for Peachy.”

“Do you think Dufort will call?”

“No question.
 
We’ll nail down a relationship between Wenn and Streamed.
 
It’ll happen.
 
Now, no more talk about tonight.
 
I know you’re concerned about all that happened, but there’s
no need to be.
 
Tomorrow, in the
Post
,
the world will see exactly how I feel about you.
 
That makes me happy.”

“That was some kiss you gave me.”

“Wait until later, after these martinis.”

I hooked my arm through his and moved closer to him.
 
He seemed to enjoy that and kissed me
lightly on the cheek before kissing me more meaningfully on the mouth.
 
I wanted him now, but was it the right
choice?
 
The doctor gave him his
‘golden pass,’ but was he really well enough?
 
Or had he demanded to be released tonight?
 
I’d never know, so I decided to change
the subject.
 

“Tank is a good guy,” I said.

“He’s a gentleman and a brute.
 
He’s one of the best on my team.”

“I think he took a liking to Lisa.”

He furrowed his brow at me.
 
“He met Lisa?”

“Let’s just say that Lisa gave him no choice.”
 
I told him what she did and how they
met.
 
“Apparently, she’s ready to
date again.”

“I like her a lot.”

“I’m glad.
 
She’s
the best.
 
Always has been.
 
I want her to be happy again.
 
Enough with the zombies.”
 
I held up my hand.
 
“Let me rephrase that because her new
book is a best-seller, and I’m nothing if not proud of that.
 
What I mean is that it’s time for more
than just her books.
 
She deserves
to be in a loving relationship, which hasn’t exactly happened for her in the
past.
 
I wish you could have been
there when she met Tank.
 
Instant
chemistry.
 
They’re going to meet
for coffee.”

“And that makes me happy.
 
He’s been wanting to settle down for a while now, but it’s difficult to
meet people in the city.
 
Usually
the best way is through a friend.
 
I’m glad you introduced them.”

“As if I had a choice.
 
The moment I mentioned that he was a former Marine, there was no
stopping her.”

In the entryway, where I’d left my clutch on a side table, I
heard my cell phone buzz and then ding.
 
For a moment, I just froze.
 
It could be Lisa, but it also could be another threat.

“Don’t answer it,” Alex said.

I felt a ribbon of fear trace through me.
 
“Don’t you think I should?
 
If it’s another threat, we’ll need to
tell your team.
 
We can’t ignore
it, Alex.
 
If it’s a threat, your
team needs to know.”

I got up.
 
He
followed me into the entryway.
 
With my heart pounding, I opened my clutch, noticed the letter I’d
written to him, and pulled out my phone.
 
Alex stood behind me, looking over my shoulder as I turned it on.
 
It was an email.
 

“I don’t recognize the address.”

“Let me have the phone.”

“We’re reading this together.”

But there was nothing in the email itself to read.
 
This time, the subject line was left
vacant.
 
I saw that there was just
an attachment.
 
I knew in my gut
that it either would be a photo of me or a photo of Alex.
 
I took a moment to try to steel myself
for what was to come, and then I downloaded it.
 
It was a photo taken of Alex and me at tonight’s party.
 
It had been shot when we were leaving
after the fight with Immaculata.
 
We were still on the second floor when it was taken.
 
Our eyes had X’s over them, which gave
me a chill.
 
In the center of the
photo were two words written across our torsos:
 
DEAD DEAD.

I handed him the phone, closed my eyes, took a breath, and
pulled myself out of the situation so I could think clearly.
 
I wasn’t going to overreact as I had in
the past.
 
If I was going to be
with Alex, this was part of the deal.
 
I knew that now.
 
And there
was no way that I was going to live without him.
 
So, this was the life I was signing up for.

And so be it.

What had to be done now was obvious.

“Peachy invited two hundred guests,” I said.
 
“We need to get that guest list from
her tonight.
 
Give it to your
team.
 
Whoever has a vendetta
against you, for whatever reason, was at that party tonight.
 
They’ll be on that list.
 
Your team needs to go through the list
and see if Wenn has had any negative interactions with anyone who was there
tonight.”

“That could be dozens of people.”

“Dozens are better than none.
 
Once your team gets the names, they need to share this photo
and the list with the FBI.
 
Let me
see the phone.”

He gave it to me.
 
I didn’t look at us, but at our surroundings.
 
“When this was taken, we were midway across the room.
 
See that giant gilt mirror there?
 
I remember seeing that.
 
It was imposing.
 
I remember looking at it.
 
It was right in the middle of the
room.”
 
I spread my fingers out on
the screen to enlarge the photograph to search for more clues, but the screen
was too small.

“Where is your computer?”

“In my office.”

“I’m going to forward this to your email so we can have a
better look at the photo.
 
OK?”