Crossing the Line (14 page)

Aleksei woke, reached for Katya and touched an empty bed. Other than the hum of the air-conditioning there was no sound in the apartment but he knew she wouldn’t have been able to get out. He slid his hand to his cock and wished she was lying next to him.
Why do I like her so much?
He’d never particularly cared about any of the women he’d fucked. It hadn’t bothered him that after they’d been in his bed, he’d paid them to fuck other men to sweeten business deals. If they were willing to do that, it told him everything.

Katya was different. She didn’t try too hard, wasn’t desperate to please, and when she’d come, he believed it. He knew the difference. The thought of men forcing themselves on her made him furious. To his surprise he found himself actually wanting to make her world right again. Though while he was glad Viktor had dealt with the rapists, he worried he now owed the man even more. He also worried over what exactly had been done to them. Viktor didn’t understand subtle.

Aleksei reached for his robe and slid his arms into the sleeves, tying the cord loosely around his waist. Katya lay asleep on the couch, dressed in her old clothes. Her backpack and violin lay on the floor, her fingers resting on the case. He was disappointed she wanted to leave but not entirely surprised. He’d have been astonished if she’d managed to get out of the apartment. He controlled almost everything electronically and could turn on the lights, adjust the air conditioning or set the security alarm from the other side of the city.

He called Park, told him to buy a selection of pastries before he came to pick them up, then made coffee. Last night he’d had a taste of Katya’s passion, and he wanted more, wanted to hear those little moans again when her body coiled toward release knowing he’d made it happen. But he recognized how hard it must have been to let him fuck her. You didn’t just get over a brutal rape. He could be patient.

There was still something innocent about Katya despite what had happened to her. Maybe that was the attraction. Though there was still a niggle in his gut that told him she was hiding something. A coincidence her uncle owed money to Viktor? He wasn’t a believer in coincidence yet what else could it be?

Once he’d showered and dressed, he packed an overnight bag with clothes for them both and hung a dress for her to change into. He hoped she’d enjoy a night in a smart hotel, a chance to swim the pool her aunt had failed to provide.

After Park delivered the pastries, Aleksei woke her by stroking her lips with his tongue. “You need to wake now, sleeping beauty. Come and eat.”

Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled, then frowned as if she’d forgotten she was supposed to be wary. He laughed and went to sit at the table.

“Where did you plan to go if you’d found a way out?” He poured coffee.

“Work.” She sat opposite him.

“They’ll have to manage without you. There’s somewhere we need to go.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Then don’t, but I’d really like you to. The hotel has a lovely pool.”

“A pool?”

He laughed. “Have I found the way to your heart?”

“Maybe.” She smiled.

Katya stripped off in the bathroom, unsurprised when he joined her in the shower. But she surprised
him
when she pushed him back to the wall and pressed her lips against his. She was shocked by how much she wanted him. Last night when he’d told her how beautiful she was, how good she felt, how hard she made him, her resolution to keep him at a distance had faded to nothing.

She wasn’t doing this just to find out about Petrenko. She was with Aleksei because she wanted to be. She hadn’t thought she could let anyone touch her ever again, but he was kind. He made her smile. He’d held himself back for her.

Maybe he was the one.

“Katya, Katya,” he groaned.

He lifted her by the hips, pushed her back against the tiles and surged into her. Water poured over his face, and she thought how sexy he was, how hot, how perfect. She spread her arms over his back and he pressed his face into the junction of her neck and shoulder.

“Fuck,” he gasped. “No condom. Oh God. I’ll pull out. I promise. Can’t…fuck, you feel so good.”

Katya had forgotten too and was scared by how much she didn’t care.
I’m so stupid. I know enough about him to know this is reckless.
But she still came, shuddering into orgasm and dragging him with her. But he pulled out at the last minute and let her legs slide down as he spurted against the tiles. She held him tight, stroked his back, kissed the soft skin of his neck. He could have stayed inside and he hadn’t. She respected him for that.

“You make me forget myself,” he whispered. “I’ve never done that before.”

“Forget yourself?”

He groaned. “Forget the condom. Jesus. You’re bad for me.”

“As you are for me.”

The smile they passed each other made Katya’s gut clench, made her hope.

“Can I wash your hair?” he asked.

She nodded. “Can I wash yours?”

“That’s not going to take you long.”

“Maybe I’ll wash other bits too.”

He grinned. “Help yourself.”

She took his hand and soaped his fingers as she stared into his eyes. This was not a man to fall for but she had the horrible suspicion it was too late.

After they’d washed, they dried each other. Her heart clenched at his gentleness, and the tentative smile on his face. That he wasn’t yet confident of her made her like him more, made her want him again. She knelt and ran her fingers over the star tattoos on his knees.

“My father did them when I was ten,” he said.

“Ten? Why?”

“I came home from school with a broken arm and a bloody nose. He asked who’d won.” He gave a short laugh. “Not me. He tattooed my knees before he took me to the hospital, said it would help me remember never to kneel to anyone again.”

“That’s cruel.”

“It worked.”

“Maybe I should have held out a bit longer, got you to beg,” she said.

“I never beg, especially not for sex.”

I’m an idiot. And I forgot why I’m even with you.
She was one of many and a fool to think she meant something. Katya pushed to her feet and pulled a brush through her hair, her heart heavy.

Aleksei came up behind her and clutched her hips. “I got pretty close to begging last night, little cat. You tease and don’t mean to. It turns me on.” He kissed her neck.

The lump in her throat refused to go down. How quickly she’d lost sight of her purpose. Find Petrenko and if he’d killed her family, take her revenge. She’d been carried away by passion she couldn’t afford to feel. Aleksei had been kind last night. She liked the breathy sounds he made, the way he touched her, his desperation. But he wouldn’t want her if he knew she’d used him to get at another man.

Her lungs felt choked. What if she went down too hard, swam too deep, climbed too fast? What if she fell in love?

* * * * *

Ethan stepped into his office and his phone rang.

“Hi, Ethan. Frank wants to know if you have a minute,” Luisa said.

“I’ll be right there.”

She tossed him a broad smile when he walked in and he hoped she hadn’t read more into last night than he’d intended. That damn kiss on the cheek.
I’m an idiot.

“Thanks for last night,” she said. “You didn’t have to pay, after all I invited you. Maybe we could do it again. My treat.”

“Great.” He didn’t think so. He hurried through to Frank.

“Take a seat,” Frank said. “I’ve just had the police commissioner on the phone.”

Ethan wasn’t surprised. “He’s not happy.”

“Reaching for his blood pressure tablets as we speak.”

“I was about to write my report.” He ran through what had happened at the house and Frank’s face was grim by the time he’d finished.

“What’s your take on this?”

“Burroughs was tricked into going with his abductors, and persuaded to call his friends. More than one man was involved. A single guy wouldn’t have taken the chance of three arriving together. But the mutilation looked like the work of a one man. Same type of cut, the genitals neatly severed.”

Frank winced.

“The ME will probably have some ideas but the guy seems expert with a knife. He sliced away clothing without cutting the skin to ribbons and knows enough about anatomy to find the femoral artery. Although he slipped up with Setter. Could be his size. Heavyset guy. The whole operation was well prepared and executed, but risky. The place could have still been under surveillance. They were careful not to leave obvious forensic clues so they’re familiar with police procedure. The victims were positioned so they could see each other. Putting one guy’s genitals in the mouth of another was further humiliation. I’d go with revenge for a sexual crime.”

“Connected to your Russian girl?”

He didn’t want it to be but… “Yes.”

“Do we need to be officially involved?”

“Not yet.”

“You think she’s dead?”

Oh God.
He shook his head. “No. I think these guys were punished for something they did to her. Probably rape.” The word caught in his throat. “Frank, let me run with this. I want to find the woman but I don’t want the FLPD breathing down my neck.”

“Okay, but careful. Don’t crush toes. This is their case. At the moment it has nothing to do with organized crime.”

As he came out of Frank’s office, Luisa stood. “Ethan, I wondered if you were free tomorrow night. I’ve invited a few friends for drinks and a BBQ. A welcome to Miami. Lindy and Tom are coming. Frank and his wife Rita will probably stop by. Not for too long.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Rita says he turns into a pumpkin at nine. About seven? Here’s my address.”

Ethan didn’t feel he could say no but his head churned with worries about Katya. The thought of her being raped made his stomach roil. Were these murders the consequence of her being attacked? They had to be, so who the hell had she gotten involved with?

Park drove Katya and Aleksei to a private airfield north of Miami. Although Aleksei had told her they were going to a birthday party and he wanted her to play her violin, he hadn’t said they’d fly there.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Phoenix.”

“In that?” She stared at the plane they approached.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s very small.”

“Big enough. Don’t worry.” He squeezed her hand.

The pilot who emerged to greet them looked younger than her. Three people were already on board. A huge guy with a shaven head who introduced himself as Bruno, a tanned blonde about Katya’s age called Sylvie, and Nik.

“Nik’s going to take photographs of a development I’m interested in,” Aleksei said.

Once they were airborne, Aleksei took out his computer. After he’d typed in a few commands, he turned the screen toward her.

“Cambrian Meadows. What you think?”

It was a plan for an exclusive gated community. She clicked onto the other pages.

“Why do you need a house in Phoenix?”

“I don’t. They’re looking for investors. Think it looks interesting?”

“Should I ask what benefit the development would bring to the local community or is it a matter of profit?”

“What do you think?”

“Profit.”

“See how well you know me already?”

“Is it in an earthquake zone or an area prone to flooding?”

“No, good points though.” He slid his hand up her leg, under her dress and she crossed her legs. “Shall I make the earth move for you?”

“No.”

“I did last night. Have you ever been fucked in a plane?”

“No.”

He bent his head to her ear. “I’ll give you five thousand dollars if you give me a blow job right now.”

Did he really think she would? Where was the man she’d been with last night and this morning? “Yesterday you offered me six thousand for pressing a button.”

He laughed. “Okay, I’ll make it ten. We can move if you’re worried about the others or I could make them step outside.”

“Not funny,” she said.

“Not joking.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “You disappoint me.”

“What’s the matter?” His jaw tensed. “You act like I’ve got two heads, yet we’re not so different.”

“We have nothing in common.”

“We’re both from Moscow. Our paternal grandfathers had dachas at Peredelkino. You have a good degree in chemistry from Moscow University. Professor Rachman thought you were a fine student. Hardworking and imaginative though not gifted. I have a degree in encryption and computer technology from the same institute, though sadly we weren’t there at the same time. I wasn’t deemed brilliant either, but what do they know? We both had older siblings. Shame about your sister. I could have used a contact in Almaz-Antei.”

For the first time she understood how blood really could run cold. Glacial water surged through her veins.

“I’m careful, Katya. Being careful keeps me safe.”

She gave a short laugh. “So you know where I went to school, who taught me, where my sister worked. Big deal. You don’t know me, what I like, what I hate, what I believe in. What’s my favorite food? What makes me smile?”

Being angry and frightened was a dangerous combination and loosened her lips. “I don’t understand you,” she whispered. “One moment you’re kind, the next cruel. You use people and see nothing wrong in it. You make me think you care about me and then act like I’m a whore.”

He leaned back in his seat, his cheek twitching. “I don’t think you’re a whore but you’re no angel. Last time I checked, killing someone was a criminal offence.”

She glanced at the others. Sylvie’s mouth was open, Bruno smirked and Nik looked pale and wide-eyed.
Oh fuck. Why did he say that?

“It was self-defense,” she said.

“But he’s not around to give his side of the story. How do I know you didn’t smother your aunt and kill your uncle when he discovered what you’d done?”

She forced a smile to her lips. “You don’t.”

Aleksei tightened his mouth and then sighed. “Was that our first argument?”

She turned to look out of the window. Was she like Aleksei’s other women, thinking she could change him, make him only want her? Wasn’t this the way men like him operated? Make you love them and then abuse you? Was the request for a blowjob a test? Had she failed or passed?

* * * * *

The ride from the airport to the sprawling resort at the foot of the Camelback Mountains seemed endless. Aleksei drove her in one rental car. The others went in another. Aleksei declined help with the luggage and Katya grabbed her violin. He hadn’t spoken as he drove, presumably still mad because of her attitude on the plane. She was just as mad at him.

Her eyes widened when she saw the hotel lobby, a glittering palace of marble and crystal filled with fresh flowers. Their large suite was also impressive. It overlooked the gardens where workers were setting out tables and chairs on a lawn. Beyond the glistening swimming pool, Phoenix shimmered in the distance under a heat haze, rounded hills erupting from a flat plain, as though the city had developed mammoth boils.

“Ooooh.” She sighed the word.

Aleksei came up behind her. “Speaking to me again?”

“I thought you’d stopped speaking to me.”

“No. I have something on my mind other than you. I’m sorry. This isn’t too high?”

Ah, he’d noticed.
“It’s not being high I don’t like, it’s edges. They make me think I’m going to do something stupid.”

“I can’t imagine you doing anything stupid. You’re very…thoughtful.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “Want to go for a swim?”

Her heart lurched in excitement. She unfastened her violin case and took out her black bikini. He stripped in front of her, threw his clothes on a chair. He had a good body, tanned and muscular, hard abs that didn’t come without regular working out. Katya was still holding her bikini when he pulled her into his arms.

Their departure to the pool was a little delayed. His hands, his mouth, his tongue, his lips. She was falling under his spell, every cell in her body tingling with desire. How could he turn her off and on so fast? What chance did she have?

* * * * *

Aleksei led her down to a large oval-shaped mother of pearl pool and she couldn’t wait to get into it. People relaxed in front of yellow cabanas, soaking up the sun like golden statues. He signaled to a poolside attendant who brought over two large towels and placed them on lounge chairs, flattening out the creases. She’d never seen luxury like this.

Sylvie was already in the water, Bruno on a lounger using his phone. There was no sign of Nik. Katya had tried to talk to Sylvie on the plane but she hadn’t been very friendly. Bruno plain scared her. She wondered why Aleksei needed him.

Katya pulled off her sandals and slid into the warm water with a quiet groan. Dipping below the surface, she swam to the mosaic floor, sliding her fingers along the tiles. When she surfaced, Aleksei was beside her. She scooped up a mouthful of water and squirted it at him before splashing off in the opposite direction. He caught her ankle, pulled her under and she came up spluttering and laughing.

When Aleksei shot water from his mouth back at her, she felt a surge of pleasure at the chance to play. He put his arms around her and she slithered out of his grasp, went under and came up to launch herself at his back and push him down. When Aleksei didn’t come up, she ignored him at first and then reached to drag him to the surface. He pulled her into his arms and she wanted to lick the beads of water from his eyelashes.

“I thought you’d drowned,” she said.

“And you wanted to save me? I’m touched.”

She pushed the hair from his eyes. “I didn’t want to swim in water polluted by a giant rat.”

“You could have given me CPR.” He bent to kiss her and suddenly backed away before their lips met. “Stay in the pool. I have to make a call.”

A little hurt he’d not followed through with the kiss, Katya floated on her back. This was almost perfect apart from Aleksei’s mercurial mood swings. The water was fabulous. The sun wonderful. Then Bruno jumped in, splashed water into her mouth and she stood up coughing. How quickly she’d forgotten what all this was about. Whether she liked Aleksei or not, he was a means to an end. She’d wait for the right moment and ask him again about Petrenko.

Aleksei sat on the lounger, slipped on sunglasses and reached for his cell phone. Max Hastings had arrived, his family trying to persuade him into the water. The birthday party had been organized by his daughters. His wife vacationed in Europe and Hastings should have been celebrating in Venice with her, but he’d arranged for something to come up and bought his wife’s sister a ticket to go in his place. Aleksei knew Hastings never intended to go to Venice. His daughters’ insistence on organizing his party had been awkward, but in the end was no problem.

“Check out the blonde in the pool,” Aleksei said into his phone. “Red suit.”

He saw Hastings smile. Aleksei switched off his phone.

Katya climbed out and squeezed the water from her hair. The bruises on her body were fading.

“Enjoy that?” Aleksei asked.

“Wonderful.” She lay next to him and sighed.

Aleksei watched Hastings from behind his sunglasses. His daughters had finally coaxed him into the water and jumped in after him. The husband of one daughter talked on a cell phone, the other held a baby. A happy family scene. Max Hastings was rich, successful, respected and a fucking idiot.

Katya reached out and brushed her fingers against his. Aleksei rubbed his thumb over her palm, pleased by her initiating the contact.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for this. You brought me sunshine.”