Sonata

by Kenya Wright

  Shalimar slipped her hands down to my cock. It hardened under her grip.

  She whispered, “I’m so wet.”

  My cock jumped in my pants. It wasn’t supposed to. Now wasn’t the time, but how long had I yearned for her? Craved a moment like this?

  “Let’s go on the bed and talk about this some more.” She pressed her soft lips against mine.

  I fell into her sweet kiss.

  “I swear to you, that I would never put Eden in danger.” She stepped up and gave me a long, warm hug. Something I’d needed for the past three years. Something I’d dreamed about.

  “We can talk about this. We can even go to Jean-Pierre together and work this out.” She leaned back. “I want to do this together. In fact… I want to do a lot of things together with you.”

  Lies. All lies. I want to believe them, but I can’t. Eden’s life depends on it.

  I let out a long breath and studied her. “Is that the best you can do?”

  She widened her eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “You want to do a lot of things together with me? I fucking dedicated a restaurant to you.”

  “I didn’t tell you to do that.”

  “I delivered every gift that could be imagined. Cars. That fucking apartment you didn’t even live in and put up on Airbnb. The cat. The dog. Both, you dumped in a shelter. The money. The protection—”

  The smile cracked at the edges. She gritted her teeth. “I didn’t ask for any of that.”

  “But now you’re asking for it?” I grinned at her. “Because now, you want to do a lot together?”

  She scowled at me with her dark eyes under those thick lashes, that I now realized were fake. I leaned in further. It wasn’t that I was annoyed that they were fake. It was just that I was struggling to figure out what part of Shalimar was real. And what part of what I thought I had with her was real.

  She placed her hand on her hips. “I don’t like how you’re talking to me.”

  I stared at her, deadpan. “You want to sit on the bed. Let’s do it.”

  She opened her mouth in shock.

  “Go ahead.”

  Sighing, she slowly strolled past me, rubbing against my cock as she passed. When she got on the bed, she did so in the most seductive way, slowly bending over, so I could get a fabulous view of her ass under those sheer panties. She took her time, crawling to her pillow. Once she got there, she twisted over, revealing hard nipples that poked at the sheer material.

  “Hmmm.” I unbuttoned my suit jacket and lay it on the desk. Both guns lay in my shoulder holsters exposed to her. I took the guns off one by one and placed them near the table further away from the bed.

  She watched them with fear hinting at the corner of her eyes. “Why did you say hmmm?”

  “What’s the plan?” I took off the holster and came her way. “You think your pussy will make me forget that you helped kidnap Eden?”

  “I didn’t help—”

  “You did.” I jumped on the bed.

  She shrieked.

  I landed next to her. “So?”

  She blinked.

  “Let’s see if it will work.” I slipped my fingers along her thigh. “Let’s see if your pussy can make me forget that Jean-Pierre will be here in an hour or so, and I won’t be standing in his way when he comes.”

  She moved my hand from her thigh. “I didn’t know anything was on the necklace.”

  I raised my hands, grabbed a long strand of hair, and twirled it around my finger. “No?”

  “No.”

  “When did you get the necklace?”

  “W-weeks ago.”

  “And it must’ve gone to Eden’s apartment first? That’s where Celina mailed it.”

  She opened her mouth and then closed it.

  I didn’t want to, but I had to. I grabbed her arms fast, twisted her to the other side of the bed, and had her on her back. She gasped. Her chest rose and fell like she’d been running.

  “Celina mailed the necklace to the apartment. Right?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “The necklace arrived at Eden’s place. You grabbed it. Days later, someone killed Eden’s roommate and cat. Why? They thought the fucking necklace was still there.”

  “I…let me up.” She pushed against my chest.

  “Talk! Goddamn it! Before you get Eden killed, or before Jean-Pierre kills you.”

  She trembled. The appearance of strength and seduction disappeared. “Y-you won’t let him do that.”

  “Is that your plan B? Hoping that I’ll save you from Jean-Pierre?” I frowned, leaned all the way towards her, so that only a half an inch was left from my nose to hers. “Baby, I’m going to fuck you and then I’m going to give you to him.”

  I nipped at her lips.

  She shook again.

  “And when I’m done slamming my cock into you, and spilling all over that tight ass, I’m going to hand you to Jean-Pierre, with a fucking bow on your head.” I laughed. “Sorry. You probably don’t want me to mention the word bow right now. Only my cousin could take part of a musical instrument and incite fear and terror with it.”

  She swallowed. “Okay. Okay.”

  “Oh, you’re ready to talk?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” I got off her. “Take your clothes off when you talk to me.”

  “W-what?”

  “Take your fucking clothes off.” I got off the bed and ran my fingers through my hair, while I paced. My cock was rock hard in my pants. I’d come close to tearing away the sheer panties myself.

  Don’t fuck her. Just get answers.

  Shalimar slipped off her bra. “W-when Celina was in Prague, she called and said she was sending something to Eden, and that I had to make sure Eden wore it all the time. She had a whole story for me to tell her, about her mother owning it or something.”

  I drank in her breasts. My heart pumped faster. “Then what happened?”

  “I knew that Eden wasn’t in Belladonna city. She was in Paris. Celina didn’t know. So, I-I didn’t know that the necklace would be super important or anything. I just waited for it to get there, as if Eden was in the city.” Her hands shook as she slipped off her panties.

  Pay attention.

  I turned away. “So, you went to get the necklace from Eden’s apartment?”

  “I was managing the Candy Shop, so I came about four days later, but it was early in the morning. I grabbed it. Her roommate wasn’t even home yet… I didn’t think that it would be that important. It was a necklace for Eden, from her aunt.” She hugged her naked body as she sat in the bed, looking more innocent and scared than I’d ever seen her. “I took the necklace to my place. My mom and sister had begun living with me… Mom still hadn’t recovered from her… ex-husband’s suicide with a chainsaw.”

  Louis had aided in her step-father’s suicide, but that was none of my concern. The man had molested Shalimar. Everyone was lucky I hadn’t dealt with him personally.

  “What happened next?”

  “I worked at the brothel, got home, made dinner, and watched the news with my mother and sister.” She swallowed. “That’s when I heard about Eden’s roommate being killed that morning. He’d come home to these people in his place. Celina called that night and she was pissed; screaming and yelling.”

  Tears fell from Shalimar’s eye. “C-Celina hadn’t wanted him to die. She wanted to know why Eden didn’t have it on. Where were her Russians in Belladonna? Where was Eden?”

  “And you had to tell her everything?”

  “She knew that her Russians were watching Eden, but she also knew that Jean-Pierre would be watching her too. The… necklace would’ve been more guarded than Fort Knox.”

  “But Louis and I had killed all of her Russian guards, while she was gone. And Eden was now in Paris. No one was guarding Eden’s place. And the necklace led the Devil there?”

  “Yes. So…the next thing she told me to do was. . .”

  “What?”

  Another tear le
ft her eye. “She told me to run.”

  “You left Belladonna city the next day with the necklace?”

  She nodded. “I was heading to someone she knew in Montreal. I made it there that night and called my apartment. My cousin answered and told me that my mother and sister had been killed.”

  “Damn it. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because nothing else mattered after that.” She looked off in the distance. “I decided to take control of the matter. I didn’t meet Celina’s friend in Montreal. I went back to the airport, thinking it would be safe enough.”

  “That was a good plan.”

  “And then I decided to go to Paris and…”

  “Give the necklace to Eden.” I walked over, sat down on the bed, and held her. “Why didn’t you call me? Jean-Pierre? Why didn’t you tell Eden the truth?”

  “Because Celina had enough of my lying to her. And Celina was the only one who I knew I could trust.”

  “But you didn’t even listen to Celina about going to Montreal.”

  Something wasn’t adding up. She wasn’t giving me all of the truth. There’d been another reason why she come to Paris.

  Shalimar looked at the walls. “I’ve been reading about this house. There’s been nothing else to do. I’ve been googling this address all day.”

  “What?”

  “It’s because of all the people that keep knocking on the door and asking for onion soup.”

  “Shalimar, you’re making no sense. What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “An old woman owned this house.” Shalimar pointed in the direction of the living room. “On Sundays, she made that part into a small restaurant. It seated six people. She made this really good onion soup. It must’ve been delicious, because people still knock on the door, when Sunday comes. Every damn Sunday that I’ve been here.”

  “Goddamn it! Tell me what’s going on.”

  “That woman roams these halls. Her ghost.” Shalimar hugged herself. “Some Sundays, I even smell the soup.”

  “This situation is making you crazy.”

  “No. That woman was crazy. She sat in this tiny house and made soup for others. That’s what she’ll be known for. No one even knew she’d died. Never checked in on her. They didn’t know she’d died until they came for the soup.”

  “What does this have to do with soup?”

  “I won’t be that old woman. I won’t only be remembered for onion soup.”

  “I want to help you.”

  “Why?” She glared at me. “Because you’re the knight in the fairytale? This isn’t one.”

  “How do you know this isn’t a fairytale?” I lowered my voice. “There’s definitely a princess.”

  “But she’s not a damsel in distress.”

  “She will be, when the dragon or lion comes for her.”

  Shalimar blinked.

  “Am I getting warm?”

  “Fuck you, Rafael. Even if this was a fairytale, you would be the villain.”

  “Some villains are good.”

  Silence came.

  “Tell me everything, Shalimar. That’s the only way I’ll be able to save you. What’s the tracker attached to?” I sighed. “It’s not the necklace that they want. What’s inside of the necklace, and who are you running from?”

  And then she did something I thought she wouldn’t do anymore this evening.

  She lied.

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know what it is?”

  She shook her head yes, but she whispered, “No.”

  Goddamn it, Shalimar!

  I rose. “Where did Celina take whatever it is from?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Another lie.

  She leaned back on the bed and spread her thighs.

  And now we’re back to the pussy tactics.

  Letting her go, I took a deep breath, trying my best to calm my racing heart. It irked me that Shalimar wouldn’t just trust me. “Close your fucking legs.”

  She pouted. “No.”

  “If you’d told me this from the beginning, Eden wouldn’t have been caught.”

  She didn’t blink or move.

  And then something dawned on me. “You’re smart enough to know there would have been a chance Eden got caught.”

  She nodded yes, but said, “No…I-I…didn’t think that—”

  “You knew there was a chance.” I rose from the bed, so I wouldn’t strangle her. “You knew, but you didn’t care. You wanted Eden grabbed or hurt or. . .”

  Tell me I’m lying, Shalimar. Come on. Say it. I’m lying.

  Another tear left those beautiful eyes. She wiped it away.

  “Your mother is dead. Your sister too.” I backed up. “You’re hurt. In pain. You want someone to pay.”

  Her sweet sad face shifted to anger.

  I lowered my voice. “And Eden is in Paris, having a romantic adventure with Jean-Pierre.”

  “I wouldn’t have done that.” But she nodded.

  “You did do it.” I rubbed my face, feeling more heartbroken than I’d ever been. “I’m more shocked that Celina supported your new plan.”

  She turned away.

  I cursed under my breath. “Celina didn’t know about your new plan. She didn’t know you were going to give it to Eden.”

  “W-when she realized I’d come to Paris, she told me to go somewhere else.”

  “Where?”

  She kept her mouth shut.

  Enraged, I stormed over to the shelf and turned it over. “Where?!”

  Books and plants toppled, crashing onto the floor. Horror shook her body as she widened her eyes. Some of my men rushed in, saw what was going on, and hurried out.

  “Where goddamn it?!” I stepped over the mess. “Where did Celina want you to go?”

  “T-to Japan.”

  Celina rushed for new resources. Somehow, she had a contact with the Yakuza, or maybe, it wasn’t that she’d already had a contact. Perhaps it was that she could give them what she took from Misha.

  “What’s the tracker attached to?” I charged for the bed.

  She jumped up from it.

  I prowled her way. “What the fuck is it?”

  “Wait.” She waved her hands. “Look. C-Celina is in Paris. She’s forgiven me, and she’s going to have everything covered f-from here on out.”

  I leaned my head to the side. “But Celina doesn’t know that Eden is gone, does she?”

  “I-I just found out from you.”

  I cocked a brow. “What is attached to the tracker?”

  “I’m not saying anything else.”

  “You fucking will.”

  “Celina will already be—”

  “You don’t have Celina to worry about anymore, Shalimar.” I fisted my hands. “I wish I could be the man to get the answers from you, but I’m not him. I can’t hurt you. I can’t make you talk. I can’t.”

  Her chest rose and fell. I hoped she was thinking it through. I prayed that she’d finally decided to let me know it all, so we could save everyone.

  I waited.

  Silent minutes passed as I studied her.

  She wouldn’t budge.

  Fuck. Jean-Pierre will have to talk to her. And I won’t stop him. I won’t limit him.

  Shalimar knew what she was bringing to Paris, and she let it happen. If Eden died, then Jean-Pierre would die too. And that meant that Shalimar would’ve been part of killing him.

  “I love you, but I don’t love you more than Jean-Pierre.” I backed away. “I suppose that was probably the problem from the very beginning.”

  “W-where are you going?”

  “Goodbye, Shalimar.”

  “No.” She hurried my way and grabbed my arm. “Please. Just give me time.”

  “Eden doesn’t have time.”

  She wore a sullen look on her face. A whole river of pity ran through me. “You say you love me, but you never did. You just loved the idea of loving me. You just wanted to be like Jean-P
ierre, but you’re not. That’s why you need him to come to me. You’re not him.”

  “You’re right.” I took my arm away and left.

  “Rafael!”

  I paused but didn’t face her.

  There was truth to what she’d said. Jean-Pierre’s obsession for Eden did make me wonder about love. I thought I could get it with Shalimar, but perhaps it was only because she was the first woman I’d seen after Jean-Pierre’s start of war. His need to fight for Eden… had triggered something in me. In all of us. Louis. Giorgio. We all moved different after those years. We earned more. We fought more. We had purpose, for the first times in our lives, and it had nothing to do with death, or money, power, or fucking reputation.

  Jean-Pierre—Le Boucher—the dark monster that brooded the halls and depressed the shit out of us no matter where we were—Jean-Pierre was in love. And he walked differently when he was in love. He smiled. He brightened. He talked with a song in his voice. And it all had been infectious. Like a virus infecting right at first contact, never letting go.

  Shalimar walked around me, still naked. Still exotic and beautiful. But this was the first time I allowed myself to see the truth.

  I didn’t care for Shalimar. I loved the idea of loving her.

  “You’re mad.” She spat the words at me. “You’ve been wanting to fuck me for all these years. To touch my pussy one more time, and I haven’t given you that option. So, now what? You go tell Jean-Pierre on me? Listen. I’m supposed to meet Celina tomorrow. Come with me. Talk to her.”

  “You won’t make that meeting with Celina, but I can pass on the message.”

  “I will make that meeting, because it’s in all of your best interests to not touch one inch of my skin.”

  “Because?”

  “I’m the only one that knows what’s going on.”

  “Besides Celina and Misha.”

  She blinked.

  “If we don’t get answers from you, we’ll get the answers from them. Jean-Pierre is pretty motivated today. And he has a subtle way of persuading people to talk. At times, it’s music to my ears, but most would disagree.”

  “Fuck. You.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Not even if you paid me. Not that you could afford me.”

  She slapped my face.

  I rubbed my jaw.