After relating to Aslan the story of one of their rare arguments and the outcome, Quinn was surprised when Aslan said, “He wanted to make you mad.”
Quinn’s lips parted in surprise. “Why would he want to make me mad?”
“He felt guilty. You were right. Only, Denis had the hardest time admitting he was at fault about anything—not right there in the heat of the moment. He made you mad so you would leave him alone. That’s why he came back later and groveled.” Aslan hesitated. “He used to do the same thing with me.” He scratched at the back of his head, ruffling his hair. “I think he couldn’t admit weaknesses because of all his military ancestors and that Prussian pride thing.”
Quinn nodded, smiling. “Yes! He would square his shoulders when he got mad, like this…” She demonstrated.
“And his chin would come up,” Aslan added.
Sadness touched her. “Have you learned anything about the bombing yet?”
Aslan turned the cup on the saucer so the handle circled around. “These things take time. Because I am not a world authority, I must use back doors. You understand?”
“I get the impression Noah could hack his way into anything. He stripped the laptop he gave me down to a skeleton.”
“You mustn’t mind Noah. He has different demons from the rest of us. Suspicion is always the first emotion he feels. It isn’t personal.” His smile was small. “Besides, if Noah was an inch less skilled than he is you would still be in the States and probably dead.”
“I thought it was Mitchell who saved me?”
“Oh, Mitchell will tell you he did,” Aslan said. “Modesty is not one of his faults.” He got to his feet and glanced at his watch. “I will see you at lunch. Thank you.”
It was the way he finished every conversation. They would meet at lunch and they would be the only two at the table. Everyone else was still doing whatever they did during the day.
The conversation at lunch could be about Denis, or a dozen different subjects, all of them innocent and normal. The ball season in Vienna. Winter and Christmas activities in Innsbruck. Music.
Aslan was not a natural music lover. Denis had developed his appreciation for good music. Once he understood Quinn was as natural a musician as Denis, the conversation turned to music more often.
The day after their first music discussion, a compact music player appeared in her bedroom, loaded with hundreds of classic music tracks, including all the music which she had mentioned in her conversations with Aslan.
His memory was flawless.
On the fourth day after she had emerged from the bedroom, Aslan announced the entire household would attend the early Christmas festival in Innsbruck that night. Including her.
Quinn’s heart skipped a beat and hurried on. “We’re going into town?”
“You need color in your cheeks,” Aslan said. “Everyone attends the fair. It’s a traditional thing. Dress warmly, though. The fair is held in the town square and ends with the lighting of the Christmas tree.”
Quinn chewed her lip. “I don’t have any clothes beside what I’m wearing.” She looked down at the gym pants she had been washing in the bathroom sink and hanging to dry on the shower rail overnight.
Aslan, who was an elegant dresser, had failed to notice anything about her clothing or appearance. Now, though, his gaze flickered over her from head to foot. “Do you even have a brush?”
“A comb,” she amended.
He shook his head. “I should apologize. I have been so focused upon what you can tell me, I didn’t notice. I will fix that.”
Aslan went away. She did not see him for the rest of the day. While she ate her solitary lunch at the dining room table, Toni strolled into the room wearing a heavy coat and carrying another over her arm. She dropped the second coat on the table and rested her hand on the back of the dining chair Aslan used. She cocked her hip. “Whenever you are ready.”
“Ready for what?”
Toni rolled her eyes. “I’m taking you shopping. Boss’s orders.” The idea clearly thrilled her.
Quinn’s heart leapt and bounced. It wasn’t just the possibility of finding a way to make a phone call to Dima which made it jump that way. It was also the prospect of stepping out into fresh air and sunshine. She longed to feel cold air on her face. It had snowed for three days. Today, it was cloudless and the sky pure blue. The sun was strong in the window, although she didn’t doubt the heavy coat Toni had brought with her would be needed.
Quinn put on the coat and looked down at her flat shoes.
Toni rolled her eyes again. “Our first stop will be the shoe shop,” she declared. “Hurry up!”
Innsbruck was a picturesque tourist town, surrounded by mountains. At every turn Quinn glimpsed a postcard-perfect view.
Toni didn’t seem to notice the view. She strode at her usual pace, which Quinn discovered was difficult to keep up with, even with her long legs. Toni headed straight for the shoe shop as promised, where Quinn found a pair of winter boots which would protect her toes. She happily swapped her flats for them. The flats were put into a shopping bag for her to carry.
Toni next took her to a large department store, where Quinn selected jeans and trousers, sweaters and tunics. Toni didn’t seem to have any regard for expenses. Whatever Quinn seemed to like she put on the pile of clothes to be purchased. While Quinn tried on garments for size, Toni sat on a chair near the register, working on her cellphone. She had no interest in what Quinn was trying on. She didn’t seem to care for fashion even though she was always dressed in interesting outfits which made the most of her long figure.
Toni also instructed Quinn to find something suitable for evenings. Quinn found a simple little black dress with long sleeves, which would suit nearly every occasion.
Quinn had no possessions whatsoever, so the purchases included lingerie, an overcoat which fit her, gloves and a scarf, a hat, even a handbag, although Quinn had nothing to put in it. There were bathroom items to buy, including a brush, pins and elastic to control Quinn’s thick hair.
They wandered in and out of shops as items in windows caught Quinn’s eye. Toni was good at spotting what captured Quinn’s attention and would steer in that direction. She was emotionless in the task, taking no pleasure in it.
Most of their shopping centered on the big town square in the middle of Innsbruck. The square had been decorated for the festival that night, with a Christmas tree taller than all the buildings around it, built at one end. The short day was already growing darker and all the lights were glittering, as they moved across the square once more.
There were many cafés who kept chairs and tables out in the middle of the square. Tourists sat in the chairs, watching Innsbruck residents prepare for the festival. Many more of them wandered the square with cameras, taking photos of anything of interest. Every direction they looked was of interest, for mountain peaks soared right over the town. Local women wore dirndls and the men dressed in Tyrolean national costume. Everywhere Quinn looked was a view which begged to be photographed.
As they crossed the square, Toni took out her cellphone and checked the time. Quinn glanced at Toni as she frowned down at the screen.
Then Quinn tripped over her new boots and nearly fell flat on her face. She trembled. Leela and Lochan sat at a table nearby. Their heads were together, as they peered at photographs on their phones.
Quinn made herself look ahead, as she would if she had not spotted them. She glanced at windows. Shopping had lost the little charm it had held.
Toni considered her. “You’ve gone all pasty again,” she said, her tone dry. “You really are weak, aren’t you?”
“How about I put a bullet through your gut, then see how you cope with a whole afternoon of shopping and walking?” Quinn’s voice shook. As Toni thought she was exhausted—which she was, anyway—the shakiness would not surprise her.
Quinn hefted the shopping bags in her hands and frowned down at them. It gave her an excuse to look sideways again. She glanced a
t the table where Leela and Lochan were sitting. Neither of them had looked up. Had they even seen her?
What to do? How could Quinn catch their attention?
Her heart had skyrocketed and now beat in her ears and her mind. Her breath came faster. This was her chance.
Leela and Lochan sat out in the open. She couldn’t approach them. Although, if she could get away from Toni even for a few minutes, it would be enough to find a phone and make a call.
It looked much easier in the movies. The perfect distraction always happened just in time to offload the suspicious companion, dash around the corner and make the call. Yet Quinn didn’t even know where there was a phone she could use. She didn’t speak German and couldn’t ask someone. Besides, everyone used cellphones these days.
Perhaps she could steal a phone from someone. Or pay them to use it. Except she had no money.
The farther they moved away from Leela and Lochan, the more frantically Quinn’s heartbeat. She was running out of time. She had to do something.
“A washroom,” she said desperately. “There must be a washroom somewhere I can use.”
Toni looked down her nose. “You mean a toilet, don’t you?”
“Whatever they call them here, yes.” She looked at Toni expectantly. “I’m kinda in a hurry,” she added. She shifted on her feet and realized she wasn’t lying. The tension in her stomach pressed upon organs and the pressure was rising.
Toni rolled her eyes. “This way.” She abruptly changed directions and headed for the side of the square where they had just come from, angling away from the tables and chairs where Leela and Lochan sat.
The washroom facilities were inside the department store where they had begun their afternoon. Toni strode through the store toward a side door which carried no signage, or even hinted there was a public washroom behind it.
However, when they stepped inside, there were two broad doors bearing the universal man and woman symbols. Quinn walked toward the lady’s door with deep relief.
Toni gripped her elbow, holding her back. “Give me your bags.” She took the bags Quinn held out to her. “Three minutes, then I come in after you.” She leaned against the wall opposite the door, the bags at her feet. She crossed her arms, impatient.
Quinn didn’t care. She pushed inside and into the nearest cubicle, moving fast because the pressure was building.
Just as she was about to pull up her jeans and re-fasten them, a hand appeared under the bottom of the wall, from the cubicle beside her. On the palm rested a cellphone. The screen was on and a text message was visible. At the top of the message, Quinn saw her name.
Her heart beating in a way which made her feel sick, Quinn bent and picked up the cellphone. The hand disappeared.
She read the message.
QUINN. THE LIP GLOSS IS A TRACKER.
What lip gloss?
As Quinn thought the question, the hand reappeared under the wall. A small tube of lip gloss rested on the palm.
She picked up the lip gloss and put it in her jeans pocket.
The cellphone vibrated in her hand. The volume was muted. A new message appeared.
PUT THE CELLPHONE IN YOUR PANTIES UNTIL YOU REACH THE HOUSE. THEN HIDE IT WELL.
Most people did not sign their text messages, so Quinn was relieved when a second brief message appeared.
DIMA.
The toilet in the next cubicle flushed. Quinn got to her feet and fastened her jeans. Then she pushed the cellphone deep inside them. She would have to walk carefully and slowly, although she had been walking that way all afternoon. Now she was so tired, she had even more reason for taking her time.
Aware that time was ticking on, Quinn washed her hands and stepped out into the corridor once more. As she pulled the door open, she saw the woman who had been in the cubicle beside her disappearing through the archway into the main department store. She had mousy brown hair. Quinn didn’t know them. Toni had not recognized them, either.
Toni straightened from her lean against the wall and stepped forward. “Lift your arms.”
“Excuse me?”
Toni made an inpatient sound with her tongue and teeth, grabbed Quinn’s wrists and yanked her arms out to her sides. A man emerged from the men’s washroom as she did it. He made a surprised sound, then stepped around Quinn’s hand with a lurching motion, rolling his eyes as he did it. God knows what he thought they were doing.
Quinn had never been patted down in her life. Even in airports, the security guards waved an electronic wand over her, when she was pulled aside for searching. Toni seemed to have no hesitation in laying her hands on Quinn’s body. Her fingers pressed into her sides, under her armpits and even cupped her ass.
Toni thrust her hands between Quinn’s thighs and squeezed them. She even snapped Quinn’s bra back, perhaps wondering if something might fall out it when she did. She slid both hands down each of Quinn’s leg, to the top of her boots. Then she pushed the jeans up and dug her fingers in the top of Quinn’s boots.
Toni stood back with a frown. She had found nothing and did not seem happy about it.
“Finished?” Quinn said. She was glad Toni was not standing too close to her. It was likely Toni could have heard her heart racing like an overtaxed steam engine, if she had.
Quinn was mortally aware of the rigid case of the cellphone tucked into her jeans. The thick denim had hidden the shape of the cellphone from Toni’s fingers.
Toni turned on her boot heel, with an inpatient click of her tongue. “We’re late, hurry up.” She took off at her frantic pace, leaving Quinn to gather up all the bags once more and hurry after her as commanded.
Quinn would have been more than happy to go back to the house. She was exhausted and also frantic with relief. She wanted to go home and examine the phone. She also wanted to get it off her body. The fact of the phone sat in the forefront of her thoughts. If anyone discovered the cellphone on her, it would be bad. She wasn’t certain how bad it might get. In Aslan’s eyes, she would move from being Denis’s innocent fiancé to someone with a hidden agenda. If Aslan was the man Dima said he was, then that discovery would not end well.
By the time they returned to the square, it had filled up with people wearing heavy coats, scarves and hats, mittens and more. The tourists were far less than they had been before the sun set. Many of the people in the square knew each other. This was a festival for the residents. There were children among the adults.
They were using the chairs and tables the cafés used for their patrons. The cafés had closed. Instead, people carried lanterns hanging off poles. It was a magical, fairytale setting. The music was a light, cheerful background to the noise and chatter of the people gathering near the Christmas tree.
Toni weaved between clumps of people and Quinn followed. She found herself facing one of the larger tables. Aslan sat there with Mitchell and Noah. They all had their hands around steaming cups. A jug sat in the center of the table.
Mitchell turned over two more mugs, picked up the pitcher and poured a dark liquid into the mugs. He pushed one toward Toni, who picked it up and dropped into the spare chair beside Mitchell.
Aslan pulled out a chair next to him for Quinn. She dropped the bags with relief and settled carefully on the chair as the cellphone dug into her flesh.
Aslan pushed the mug toward her. Quinn sipped curiously. It was wine. It was also hot and flavored with what she could only call pumpkin pie spices. This, she suspected, was mulled wine. It was an interesting taste.
Aslan asked how her shopping went. Quinn could tell he was not interested. She gave him a summary of her purchases and thanked him for the garments. He shrugged it off, then turned back to speak with Noah and Mitchell in a low voice.
Around them, more people were sitting at the tables, talking among themselves. Some drank from mugs just as Aslan’s group did. Others were pouring beverages from thermoses or drinking directly from the flasks.
The music grew louder, until they were talking under the sound
of Christmas carols. In front of the Christmas tree, a podium was set up and a microphone set on top.
A woman in a fur coat stepped behind the podium and spoke in rapid German. Everyone clapped as she moved back. A man in a dark winter coat took her place. He had an air of authority which made Quinn suspect he was the mayor.
He spoke briefly, with many smiles and nods. People clapped here and there. The applause was half-hearted or wildly enthusiastic, which made Quinn sure this was the mayor.
A woman in high-heeled boots and a short coat which exposed most of her thighs carried to the mayor a box with a large red button.
She held up the box, while everyone cheered and clapped and the mayor pressed the button.
Behind them, twinkling lights climbed up the height of the Christmas tree, turning on layer after layer. Then the star at the top of the tree radiated with bright white light, before fading to a golden, cheerful color.
The children in the audience went wild with delight.
It seemed to be the end of the formalities. Shortly after, the music swelled in volume. It became dance music, with a steady waltz beat which made Quinn’s toe tap in time.
She was not the only one to respond to the beat of the music. Couples collected in the open space between the tables on either edge of the square. They danced among others who still stood watching the tree or talking to each other.
The number of people standing diminished and the center of the square became a huge dance floor. Quinn watched with delight, as couples circled around in time to the music.
“Do you dance?” Mitchell asked her.
Quinn’s delight froze. She uncrossed her legs so she could put both boots on the ground and keep them there. “I don’t dance at all,” she said, injecting a tone of regret.
Aslan was still talking to Noah, their heads close together, so they could not be overheard. At her comment, though, Noah’s gaze shifted toward her. Aslan was still talking and although Noah’s chin did not move, his black eyes examined her.
Quinn’s breath caught. She held still. If she didn’t react, he would not spot the lie. She knew that from long experience. Brazen bluff worked more often than people believed.
Hunting The Kobra Page 8