As I left Aslan followed close behind. When we entered the performance room I noticed Katja sitting at the base of the stage. She appeared lost in thought. I then looked over at the table. To my surprise there were several middle-aged women seated there. I turned to Aslan to ask, “Women?” He shook his head and whispered to me, “I know, it is strange, but it takes all types as they say.” I walked over to Katja and held out my hand. She looked up and in an instant I could tell she had been through agony and wanted to escape. She had the same look as puppies at a dog shelter desperately hoping you will remove them from their cage and take them home with you. I could not save her at that moment, so I just initiated the routine.
I wanted so much to talk with her, to comfort her, but all I could do at that moment was quickly whisper into her ear, “Make it look good, I have a plan.” Her body seemed to relax from the extreme tension in her muscles. Within minutes it seemed she was able to even enjoy herself. Knowing that women generally like some tenderness and romance when observing lovemaking, I began to ask her questions and play like we had first met. I figured I could then slip some communications to her without Aslan noticing. Suddenly, to my sheer delight, I heard Aslan’s phone ring and he excused himself from the room. Now was my opportunity! I whispered into Katja’s ear, “Tomorrow just act as if Adlan is sitting right next to you at lunch, and only speak good of him!” After a moment I then warned her, “Look, they are on to you. They may have ways to overhear our conversation tomorrow. Just remember, sip on the drinks tomorrow night but do not drink very much at all – do as I say and live!”
She found the opportunity to whisper back to me a moment later, “I am scared but I will do as you say.” Just then Aslan returned and took his seat. The rest of our talking was intended as part of the act, nothing more. After an hour of me trying to show her my feelings we finished and moved over to the table. The women laughed and introduced themselves; they were attending a Pagan convention and this was a birthday present for the one sitting in the middle. As Alsan observed us I made sure to glare at Katja as if I were upset with her. She caught the hint and frowned and roll her eyes as I and the woman on the end of the table began to discuss Pagan beliefs. Aslan seemed bored. At that I turned to the middle-aged overweight woman celebrating her birthday. To say she was unattractive would have been a compliment. I asked, “Would you like a special celebration with my friend here as a present?” Katja looked shocked and Aslan nervously sprang up and warned, “The show is all. We follow the law. Nobody buys sex here!” I quickly noted, “If they are paying for a show but then an entertainer merely does it for free, a good-will gesture of women’s solidarity, is that legal?” The woman was laughing and shaking her head. Aslan then noted, “If payment is made for a show and everyone understands no money is for anything else then that is not illegal.” At that Katja glared at me as the woman’s friends were laughing and saying, “Go for it!” She turned bright red as they urged her on. Finally she asked, “Where?” and they all said, “Right there!” as they pointed to the stage. Katja looked like a trapped animal. I sympathized with her but I had to make sure Aslan trusted me. Aslan looked at Katja, cleared his throat, and pointed to the stage. The woman stood up and her friends applauded as began a little strip-tease. Within minutes the woman and Katja were on stage in a performance of their own as the woman’s friends cheered and clapped. Aslan walked over and sat next to me and commented, “You are one cruel bitch.” I smiled at him, “You have no idea.”
After that portion of the performance I barely looked at Katja. And as we both left and went to the dressing room Aslan followed closely behind and then took her by the arm and pointed to the stairs. He handed her the envelope with the tip and she dutifully walked up without even retrieving her things in the dressing room. As I was getting dressed he commented, “Nazir is lucky to have someone he can trust.” I stopped and looked at him, but remained silent. He sighed, “Here is your money. I will see you here at noon and I will call a cab for you both.” I thanked him and resumed putting my clothes on.
When I arrived back at Tiffanie’s she greeted me with some home-made cupcakes. She seemed happy that I was home by 10:30 and asked how much I made. I replied that it had been a female audience and I only got the standard five hundred dollars. She laughed, “Good money still!” and we sat and watched TV. I could tell intimacy was not in the cards so I just snuggled up with her and relaxed.
The next day was the moment of truth in so many ways. When I woke up I asked if she were working later in the evening. She sighed, “I was supposed to but Eve’s curse caught up with me this morning.” I told her I understood and then said, “Tiffanie, I have a lunch appointment and then I have to go see my baby in Seattle. You understand, don’t you? I mean, I may not be home for a couple of days.”
She pouted, “I understand. You have the night off?” I said that I might work a short shift and then leave directly from there. She gave me a hug and said, “Enjoy that baby of yours and say hi for me, okay?” I said I would definitely do so. As I opened the door Tiffanie asked, “You never told me the name of your baby. In the case I might someday be her stepmom I should know.” I turned and lied, “Nicole” and she said, “That’s a nice name. I can’t wait to meet her.” I left fairly certain that Tiffanie was too simple, too conventional to have a future with me…but maybe there was a chance.
When I arrived at the club I saw Katja and Aslan standing outside the entrance. I barely parked before a cab showed up. Katja got in and Aslan opened the front door for me. He wished us a happy afternoon and waved goodbye as we left.
I took note of the Middle Eastern appearance of the driver and suspected Aslan knew this guy and he would report back anything said. So I merely asked Katja if she would enjoy a Mexican meal. She replied, “Sure. Not at the place we usually go to, please not there.” I gave the driver the directions to a different place and we soon arrived.
When we were seated Katja immediately asked, in an obviously irritated manner, “Why in hell did you do to me what you did last night? You prostituted me to that…that woman!” Before I could say a thing in my defense she shook her head, “It was not so much that she almost smothered me but I swear she had no sense of hygiene! I doubt that woman has showered in days! How could you…”Just then the cab driver came in through the door and I cautioned Katja, “Shut up you idiot and play along if you want to live.” As the driver took a seat only a couple tables from us I said, in a loud voice, “Maybe you better learn who is in charge! You don’t like what Nazir and I do then you can go screw yourself!” As I said that I nudged her leg and quickly scribbled, “DNA!” on a napkin and looked down at it until she took the hint. She caught on quick. Her face went totally pale and she began to bite her lip as her mind filled in the blanks. I took the napkin and quickly blew my nose on it to hide any evidence as the cab driver was staring and drinking a cup of coffee.
We both play acted a conversation. I then, loud enough I hoped the driver could hear, asked, “Do you have any relatives who have worked here in Portland?” She answered rather loudly, “None I know of. Why are you asking?” I shook my head and started eating my meal, again taking notice of the driver. At that I had to make this look like two very good friends having lunch. I reached out and took her hand. A moment later I moved my chair closer to her, grabbed her chest and started kissing her. My affection had a purpose but was still genuine. After a moment I quickly whispered in her ear, “Trust in me and I will save you.” She giggled and bit my ear before whispering, “He beats me almost every night. He makes me do things that…” she stopped in mid-sentence and began to choke up, “The cop almost killed me the other night. I am terrified he will kill me next time.” I took a quick glance at the driver who was still watching but who I then noticed was cleaning up some coffee he had spilt. I then began to caress her neck with my tongue before whispering, “Like I said last night don’t you dare drink anything I give to you tonight. Trust me!” At that I heard the waitress loudly clear
her throat. She was standing right next to us and staring with what could only be described as an evil eye. At that moment Katja dropped to her knees and began to cry. She covered her face and screamed out, “You promised me you would love me forever! Please don’t go.” I looked up at the waitress, “Breaking up is never easy, is it?” She shook her head and took the pot of coffee in her hand to the driver. She said something to him in a hushed, scornful manner but he cried out, “Shut up! Just go lady!” and the waitress immediately left the area.
I reached down to Katja to help her up. She immediately stood and grabbed me in a frightened embrace. I told her, “Okay, there is a party tonight after work. But come on Petra, Nazir is my boyfriend.” She released me and asked, “Maybe we could work something out?” I replied, “Maybe! Look, I have to use the bathroom. You want to join me?” The guy became erect in his chair as I continued, “I should not have eaten those beans.” As we finally were alone I took out my cell phone and typed, “No listening devices?” She shook her head. I took her and held her close to me as I asked, “Are you willing to do everything I tell you tonight?” She nodded her head. I had to know though. I cautioned, “It might mean fulfilling your vow for revenge. Are you willing to do that?” She whispered to me, “Give me an ice pick and I will ram it through every one of those bastard’s skulls!” I was nervous about the time we were there so I assured her, “It will all be over really soon, okay? And when it is we have the rest of our lives together, I promise.” Her crying gave way to more of a whimper and she again clutched me in a tight embrace. I finally said, “Look, pretend like I just made it clear that it is over between us, and play along with everything as if your life depended on it because if that driver is monitoring us this could either mean we both live, or we both die!” She nodded her head and tried to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes.
What occurred next was acting at its best. She stormed through the doors, crying and yelled back at me, “You told me I was special. I still love you…please…” At that the waitress rushed in and got in Katja’s face, “I want you two out of here now!” I rushed over, “Sorry about that. Look, I would like some dessert, okay?” I pulled out a ten dollar bill and said, “Here’s a tip in advance.” She began to smile and say, “Sorry, I will bring the dessert menu right away.” When she left I turned to Katja, “See, everyone is a whore for the right price.”
As we sat there eating our ice cream two couples came in and sat down. I looked around the room perhaps in a state of paranoid curiosity but I knew all I had to worry about was that hideous driver. It was then I thought I saw an older black man drive through the parking lot in a Lexus, and for a split second I thought he looked like one of the two old guys from the performance night. I took a deep breath and realized I indeed must be in the hyper-paranoid state. Nevertheless, we played the role that I had insisted upon and it seemed Katja’s periodic crying episodes helped make a breakup talk all the more convincing.
Once our “date” was over, which was signaled by the driver as he stood and cleared his throat we all left the restaurant together. I was proud of Katja’s ability to follow my lead, but I wondered what would happen when the final act of our grand play presented itself to her. I for some reason felt a sense of relief that it seemed we had found the “smoking gun” and pretty well established that Myers and Smith were connected to the Zagriev brothers and all were corrupt and amerced in vile crimes. I just knew they all had conspired to kill my family. Maybe my relief and pride at my investigative skills was going to be my downfall though. Maybe I should have been more nervous. After all, what I was planning was something extremely dangerous – and I knew that as well. Perhaps this warm but somewhat overcast day would be my last one upon the face of this earth. The thought was sobering as we headed back to the club; but for some reason I had no intention of calling Nicole or Matt – besides, it was in the middle of the night for them and I would not be anywhere I could use the internet when they were awake. I wondered what they were thinking, or dreaming about at that very moment. I turned to look at Katja, who was staring out the window in silence and wondered what she was thinking as well. Yet the play was still only in the beginnings of the final act, and I could not let the driver get any impressions I did not want him to have. So Katja would have to wait for a few more hours before we could talk again without fear…well, I could not really guarantee that I suppose.
We arrived back at the club around 2:30. Katja was met by Adlan and they quickly disappeared. Nazir came out and asked, “Discover anything?” I sighed, “Not really. I do feel like she is hiding something. Nazir commented, “I too have this feeling. Maybe we should cancel the party. Leave the rest to Aslan. This is no longer your concern. Besides, in a couple of weeks we can be absolutely certain. Maybe patience is best.” Horrified I shot back, “Patience? No way. And don’t forget, I expect my pound of flesh as well! You can’t…” He laughed, “Settle down, you want customers to hear? Okay, we have your party as you wish. Oh, you want your pound of flesh boiled or fried?” I repressed my fear as I replied, “I prefer fried foods.” He laughed again, “You really are crazy. Maybe I should let you work with Aslan once in a while.”
I kissed Nazir and said I had to go home and freshen up for the evening. As I drove off, mostly confident in my plans except…yes, I did wonder if maybe I too was the prey in this elaborate scheme. Could Katja have been getting information for the Zagriev brothers on me? What if all this was a hoax to trap me? I have to admit that while I trusted my instincts that Katja was being honest, what if she had developed some sort of “Stockholm Syndrome” and had fallen in love with Adlan – as I had with Vincent when he held me captive? If I was the mouse that was being played with I was going to be in for a huge surprise to be sure. Yet this was not something I seriously thought was the case – at least I hoped not.
When I arrived at Tiffanie’s I checked the items in the trunk one last time. It was a tight fit, but everything was in place – Nicole’s gun, the needle with its deadly contents, the tranquilizers, the sleeping bags, wire and flashlights. Everything was there except I had forgotten rope! I suppose that meant a quick stop at the store before I went to the club. I went into the apartment and greeted Tiffanie. Just to keep any signs of suspicious plans at a minimum I gave her a passionate kiss and asked her to sit with me on the sofa. I then suggested we both ask for some time off and drive to California and spend time on the beaches. She liked the idea and said that while I was away, seeing my baby girl, she would look on the internet for fun destinations.
So after dinner it was time to say goodbye to Tiffanie. When she kissed me, and expressed excitement over our planned vacation, I could not help but wonder if I would see her again. Maybe this was indeed goodbye – goodbye to everything I knew and cherished in this life. Yet just like a soldier preparing for a dangerous mission I had to put those feelings aside and just head out the door and do what had to be done. My destiny awaited me.
Chapter 18
On the way to the club I stopped and bought rope and ran my plan through my mind just to see if there was anything I had not considered. Of course it all depended on whether I had the full trust of the Zagriev brothers, which I believed I did, and if Katja was willing to do what was expected of her. And what was this plan? Well, I hoped to get us all together for the purpose of Nazir exposing Katja, but of course that was all just the bait to get all three of these men in one room. I would then serve refreshments – the tranquilizers could be put in any drink, alcoholic or not. Then bind the men, take them to some remote location and interrogate them to make absolutely sure Myers and Smith were involved with the fire as well as the demise of Katja’s sister. Of course they would get their final reward – an injection of poison and a burial at my favorite disposal site on the Columbia River. And what were my goals for afterwards? Take out the two cops! It was based on a lot of assumptions, the most important being that nobody would care about these men’s whereabouts once everything was accomplished, but I had abso
lutely no other choice. As for the cops I had not figured that one out yet.
When I arrived at the club Nazir immediately took me to the office. He grumbled, “Nobody crosses a Zagriev!” My heart stopped. He continued, “I think you are right. That Russian whore…if she thinks she can get the best of Nazir Zagriev…” I interrupted, “That’s a beautiful name you know.” He looked at me in a way I had never seen, almost a deep sort of analytical expression, and asked, “You really want that baby? When this is over maybe I give you that wish.” I faked a smile, “That would be nice.” At that he asked, “You think we get the Russian drunk tonight we can get her to admit why she is here?” I took his hand, “It can’t hurt.” He shook his head, “You know…I should wait a couple of weeks. I will know for certain when I get a special letter in the mail.” I assumed he was talking about the DNA lab test I supposedly sent off; little did he know that he would never see those results. Anxious to make sure he would not change his plans for the evening I unbuttoned my pants and while slipping them off seductively asked, “Why wait for anything?” He laughed and shook his head, “Why indeed?”
Of course I had to suffer the indignity of Nazir aggressively pulling me onto the couch and then, to my dread, asking, “Shall we start working on making that baby now?” Repressing my horror I replied, “Let’s start tomorrow, okay? I expect a nice candlelight dinner first.” He laughed and proceeded with his usual humiliation. Yet this time I had the comforting realization that this was the last time I had to endure it. With the ultimate conclusion worked out in my mind it actually made the experience psychologically exciting and I dare say pleasurable, in a sado-masochist sort of way. Suddenly the experience ceased to be an ordeal and I actually caught myself connecting, in some perverse way, to Nazir. And while it might have been a temporary loss of sanity I screamed out, “I love you Nazir!” My outburst did not interrupt him, nor did he reply. After he was finished I grabbed him in my arms and held him tight. I tried to kiss him but he turned away and struggled to break my embrace. Once he stood up I for some reason played with fire, “Don’t forget your promise about a baby.” He reached for his pants and laughed, “No rush. We talk about it tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow we start, maybe next month. Who knows?” I replied with faked enthusiasm, “Nazir, we will make such a beautiful child together. I look forward to it so much.” He was smiling slightly as he said, “Okay, but it is work time and the customers will be waiting. Give them a good show.” I said I would and asked, “If there are not many customers this evening why don’t we close early for our little get-together?” He thought a moment and said, “Yes, few people come in here on Wednesday night so sure, I will let the other girls go home early and we will wind everything down.” I told him that was a splendid idea. I also asked what refreshments were available and he said everything was set – caviar, crackers, snacks, fruit juice for Adlan and I as well as alcohol for everyone else. I replied, before rushing out the door, “It will be fun in more ways than one my love!”
Descent Into Darkness Page 27