Tsea (3 page)

As quickly as the thought came, it fled. Carlos had been right in front of me – and then on top of me – when the body was flung through the windows. And even if he
was
The Executioner, why would he go to so much trouble to see me home safely?

Unless this was how the Executioner worked? Maybe he buttered up the girls before he killed them. And maybe Carlos was working with accomplices which could account for why he was beside me when the body was delivered via window. It could account for why he hadn’t been caught yet.

The possibilities were driving me crazy. I groaned and leaned back in the sofa. If Carlos was The Executioner, I wished he’d get it over with and kill me now. The suspense was just as torturous. I inched slowly away from him toward my phone which I’d carelessly placed on the stand at the other end of the sofa.

“Are you okay?” Carlos inquired.

My heartbeat ricocheted against my ribcage. “I’m fine.”

I gritted my teeth and subtly grabbed my cell from the desk, hiding it underneath a portion of my thigh. “How about you? Are you okay?”

His eyes glanced down and then a slow, understanding smile crossed his face. It was so devilishly handsome, I nearly choked. How twisted would it be if I was attracted to my own murderer!

“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Jade.” Carlos soothed.

I shook my head. “Afraid?” – I laughed nervously – “I’m not afraid. Who’s afraid?”

“You’re biting your bottom lip the way you did last week when that guy tried to manhandle you.” He pointed to my mouth, which I was indeed gripping in my teeth. “And you keep glancing down at your phone.”

Managing to relax just a tad, I loosened my hold on the device. “How does a simple bartender know so much about this case?” I tapped my chin and leaned closer, “are you with the police?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’m just a regular guy with bills to pay. Just like anybody else.” My eyes raked down of their own accord as I pictured the muscles on his arms, chest and back. Carlos Fuentes was the farthest thing from a regular guy.

“I should go.” He stood and made his way toward the door. “Lock up tight for the night and don’t come back to work unless you have to, do you understand me?”

“That’s ridiculous!” I railed. “I have bills to pay too.”

“You want to lose your life over this?”  He stepped forward.

I tilted my head and rested my hands on my hips, ready to go a few rounds with this stubborn, obnoxious bartender. Carlos had pushed me around – literally – all night. I’d listened to each of his instruction, well kind of. But we were standing in
my
house, discussing
my
life. I refused to be pushed around anymore.

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” I insisted, wishing I’d kept my heels on so that I could match his height. Carlos would have towered over me anyway but I always felt more confident in my heels.

“This isn’t a joke, Jade.”

“Do I look like I’m laughing?” I threw my arms out and poked him in his well-defined chest. “You’ve been nothing but bossy all night. I don’t take orders from anyone and especially not from you.”

“
That
I know,” he muttered.

I took it as the insult that it was. “You think you’re so untouchable, Carlos Fuentes?” I poked his chest with each word, slightly stunned by the rock hard mass beneath his black T-shirt. “I know you. You are an entitled, arrogant, presumptuous, pain-in-the-butt!”

“Would you like another vowel or do you need a moment to consult a thesaurus?” He arched a dark eyebrow.

I seethed, preparing to order him out of my house, when he dipped his head close to mine and whispered.

“I know you too, Jade Hunter.” I glared at him, ready to hear the adjectives that men had flung my way since I signed up for this gig. None of them were pretty or flattering in the least.

But Carlos surprised me. “You are ”–he closed his eyes–“ funny, smart, caring.
Incredibly
sexy.” He opened his eyes and his dark gaze held me unwaveringly. “And broken.”

I sputtered. “I am not…”

“It’s something you hide,” – Carlos interrupted – “under all that witty banter and that sharp temper.” His hand darted out and, with a gentleness that belied the strength in his arms, he ran a finger down my cheek. “I’m not trying to order you around or tell you what to do. See here?” he pointed to his chest, “I’m broken too. I know how it feels and I don’t want you to feel that way. I don’t want you to get hurt anymore.”

His words wrapped around me like a blanket on a chilly night. I could do nothing but stare into his eyes, spellbound. Carlos drew me by my shoulders and kissed my forehead softly. I gripped his arms, the chaste touch rocking my world more than anything I’d ever experienced.

Without another word, he stepped back and disappeared through the door. I leaned against the back of it, faintly recalling his reminder to lock up. Tonight was the longest that we’d ever spoken and I was still left with more questions than answers.

Who was Carlos Fuentes and why on earth was I disappointed that he’d kissed me on the forehead and not on the lips?

I finally gathered my composure and leaned away from the door. Taking off the lights, one by one, I took a bath and then prepared for bed. Unfortunately, I could not rest. The shadows shifted and I imagined The Executioner, a faceless figure, looming over my bed. I saw the sharp tool that he used to murder his victims. It wigged me out so, when I eventually drifted off, I dreamed of severed heads and tortured screams.

Stoker hated it when they screamed. This little one was as loud as another he remembered in Belize City. Surely she had pursued the wrong career. With lungs like that, this little missy could have made it big in opera.

“Sh, sh,” he winced. The abandoned property was far enough away from civilization and deep underground so that no one would hear her screams.

But they were still annoying.

The girl continued to make a racket. Stoker sighed and doubled her dose. The drugs would have to work double time to get her to shut up. He turned around and stared at her face. She had such pretty grey eyes and an innocent air. What on earth was she doing in a strip club like
Mickey’s
.

Something about her reminded him of his mother. She’d been small too, birdlike. The men that paid for her company often slapped her around just because they could. It angered Stoker, reminded him of his impotency.

This cruel world had to realize just how dangerous these women were. The police had managed to hush his other gift. Surely they would not be able to quiet the next sacrifice.

Whether or not I’d wanted to stay away from
Mickey’s
, I was summoned the next day. All the Mickey Girls past and present stood in a circle around the scene of the crime as police officers roamed the room.

“Why are we here?” Lila inquired, tossing her dark hair behind her shoulder. Her creamy, fair skin was perfectly made up in the light of day.

“I think they want to question us.” I replied.

None of the other girls knew about the serial killer yet. I was wrestling with the desire to warn them. I’d decided to sit back and let the police handle things their way for the time being. If they didn’t say anything, I would speak up. Our lives were too important to leave things to chance.

“Why didn’t they just do it at the precinct?” Leah, Lila’s twin, pointed out.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged.

“And where’s the new girl?” Iva inquired. “I thought all the Mickey Girls were supposed to be there.”

“Probably nursing a hangover. Manuel’s covering for her. She was pretty plastered last night.” Lila laughed.

Before I could add my own insult to the mix, a short man in the beige and blue police uniform entered from the direction of Manuel’s office. The deputies that were roaming the hall stiffened so I figured that the newcomer was someone very important.  He held a clipboard in his hands and walked with an upright stature.

Manuel followed close behind him, his face inscrutable. For the first time, I experienced a mixture of feelings when I looked at him. After the way Carlos’s touch had affected me last night… something had changed. My tie to
Mickey’s
was closely intertwined with my affections for Manuel. He was always surrounded by beautiful women in scanty clothing. I liked to keep an eye on him.

“Good morning, ladies. I’m Detective Sheldon.” The officer with skin leathered from years beneath the hot, Caribbean sun, and dark brown eyes, glanced at each of us. He seemed to hold a general distaste which most Mickey Girls had become immune to.

There were two different types of men: the kind that undressed us with their eyes, even if we were out of costume, and the kind that judged us. Few found a sweet middle ground. Mickey Girls were so used to the differing reactions that we could barely tell the difference anymore.

“Good morning,” we returned as if we were back in primary school and greeting a teacher that had just entered the classroom.

“Last night, the body and head of one … April Kelly, was thrown into the premises of
Mickey’s Club
.” He cleared his throat. “You have all been called today for questioning.”

The girls gasped and I inhaled right along with them. What was going on?

“You can’t think any of us did it!” Lila yelled. “We were all right in here when it happened!”

“We weren’t even on duty that night!” Iva Hickley defended on behalf of the other Old Guards. The Old Guards were girls that had been with
Mickey’s
since its inception. Though some, like Iva and April, had moved on to other positions in more formal escort services, they could be counted on to return to
Mickey’s
in a pinch.

“Anyone that has any acquaintance with the deceased may hold pertinent information in the apprehension of the suspect. You will not be placed under arrest. I simply ask that you take precautions.”

“Are you saying this could happen to us?” Leah held a hand to her throat.

I stared grimly at Detective Sheldon, wondering if he’d give us the full story today or keep it to himself. “These are perilous times, ma’am. It’s important to be safe, just in case.”

It was a rather vague runaround, but I accepted it. The girls had been duly warned.

“We’ll start with Ms. Borden?” He glanced at his clipboard.

“Okay!” Lila and Leah stepped forward as one.

The detective shot them incredulous looks but shrugged his shoulders and walked into the VIP lounge.

“Just sit tight, girls.” Manuel assured the rest of us. “This will all be over soon and then we can get back to our lives.” He dipped his head and then stalked back to his office. I followed him, scurrying in my white button-down blouse, skinny jeans and black heels.

“Hey,” I smiled when I locked the door behind us. Moving to where he sat on the other end of the desk, I massaged his shoulders. “How are you holding up?”

“How do you think I’m holding up?” He snapped.

I winced. Manuel wasn’t mad at me right now, I reminded myself, he was caught in an impossible situation. I forgave the tone and continued to run my hands down his shoulders.

“What did the police find out?”

“Absolutely nothing,” he ran a hand through his thick hair and down his temples. “I’m going to have to close down while they scour the place for evidence. At least I talked them out of running yellow tape around the whole building.”

“So we’ve got a few free nights then?” I asked hopefully. Manuel and I hadn’t had a moment to ourselves in a while and with Essence moving in on the scene, I wanted to make sure we were still good. Whatever I felt with Carlos was temporary. Manuel and I had history.

“No way,” Manuel shook his head and grinned, his dark eyes twinkling. “I’m thinking of having a pop up.”

“A pop up?” I inquired.

“It’s Saturday night. Our biggest night yet.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “It sucks that April croaked, but I figure there’s a way to play this so I don’t lose too many sales.”

Something about his insensitive tone rubbed me the wrong way. I drew back. “Do you hear yourself?” I flicked a tendril of hair away from my face. “Someone
died
. She was a Mickey Girl, a friend. That’s a big deal.”

“Baby,” Manuel stood, the office chair creaking with the movement. He advanced with his arms out toward me and an easy smile on his face. He wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my neck. “Don’t be like that.” Manuel ran his hands down my arm. I melted beneath his touch as all my misgivings fled “You know you’re my favorite.”

I preened. That’s right. I was number one. I kissed him on the lips, hard. “You better not forget it.”