“Hi.” She looked away from him, grabbing a mixing bowl and dumping some flour into it. Olly leaned back against the door.
“I’ve got to talk to you.”
“Okay.
“About Tommaso Winter.”
She stiffened. “What about him?”
“He’s not a good person, Inca. I don’t want you around him.”
She slammed the bowl down. “Jesus Christ. Really? It’s getting really old, Olly, really very old.” He saw tears in her eyes. “Please, Olly, just go.”
He took a deep breath in. “Just listen to me; there was a murder in Seattle last night. The victim was stabbed to death, no motive, no robbery. Her body was found on the grounds of the hospital. She … Inca … she looked just like you. I did some digging.” He put a piece of paper down on the counter. “Seventeen women of Asian descent murdered over the last few years and guess who was in the cities when the women e died? That’s right—Tommaso Dario Winter. All of the women were repeatedly stabbed in the stomach, some of them disemboweled. Like your birth mother. Like Jasmine Khan. All the women look like you.”
Inca was staring at him, her mouth open. “I don’t believe this. I don’t believe you. Have you actually gone insane?”
“Inca—”
“No. No. Shut up. Just shut your mouth. Tommaso’s harmless. He’s been a good friend to me. Both of them have. And you come in here and accuse him of ... are you actually fucking insane? Do you have any proof he has committed any crime at all, let alone slicing and dicing some women who, gosh, happen to look like me? You know how many Asian people there are? Lots of them look like me, and some of them get murdered. But somehow this translates into Tommaso Winter is going to kill me?”
Olly winced. “I’m just trying to protect you.”
She threw the mixing bowl against the wall, shocking him with the depth of her distress. “You don’t get to do that anymore; do you understand me? You don’t have the right.”
Olly ached at the anguish in her voice. He reached for her, but she backed away from him, hurt in her eyes.
“Just stop it. This isn’t fair, Olly. I can’t—” She put her face in her hands, and he heard her sob. Just once. “Please, Olly, you have to stop.”
“I can’t just stop caring about you. I can’t stop it. I love you.”
“No! You don’t get to say that to me again. Ever.” She was angry now. More than that. Furious. “God, I was so stupid to think, to let myself hope we could still be friends, but you’re making it impossible.”
She was sobbing now, and Olly managed to get his arms around her. Inca struggled with him, but he wouldn’t let go. She went limp, burying her face in her hands.
“You can’t just hold me and think that it’s going to make everything okay. I won’t let you do this to me again. You’ve broken me, Olly, and you can’t fix me this time.”
He let her go then, her words cutting into him, fracturing what was left of his heart.
“Please go.” She turned away from him.
Olly’s throat was closed, his shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.”
She looked at him then, and he saw the heartbreak and the endless loss in her eyes. “It’s not good enough.”
After he left, Nancy quietly slid back into the kitchen. Inca was still crying, albeit silently, and her mother wrapped her arms around her. “It’s okay, darling.”
There was a knock at the back door then, and Nancy opened it to see Luna outside. “Hi,” she said uncertainly.
Nancy pulled her in out of the cold. “See if you can cheer Inca up. Your brother’s just upset her.”
Luna’s mouth formed a line, but she rolled her eyes. “That’s what he’s good at.”
“I’m okay,” Inca said shortly, wiping her eyes. She didn’t look at Luna. There was an awkward silence, then Luna looked at Nancy.
“Look, Inks, why don’t you stay with me tonight? I bet you could do with a girl’s night in for a change. Although I know, it must have been hell trapped in the luxurious mansion with those two gorgeous billionaires.”
Inca looked sharply at her old friend, then realized she was grinning at her. She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Utter hell.”
Luna shifted her weight to her other foot. “Well? What do you say? Chili and a Friends marathon like the old days?”
Inca smiled. “That sounds good to me, Loons.”
“Don’t call me that. That okay with you?” She looked at Nancy, who shrugged.
“Fine with me. I’m not Inca’s keeper.”
“Will Tommaso be okay with it?”
Inca bridled a little. “Of course. He’s not my keeper either.”
“Just kidding. Jeez, you do need to chill out.”
“Sorry.”
Inca tried to relax and tried to forget about the scene with Olly. Luna let her off the hook for a while, distracting her. They chatted about work as Luna had flitted around the tiny kitchen of her apartment, throwing together the makings of a red-hot chili. They balanced their plates on their laps as they ate, watching re-runs of Friends. Inca felt the tension of the day leave her. She helped Luna do the dishes after, and then they collapsed back on the couch.
“Okay.” Luna grinned slightly as Inca rolled her eyes, then reached over to squeeze her hand as she saw the exhaustion in her friend’s eyes. “Inks, I’m sorry, but you need to talk to me. I feel like you’ve been withdrawing from me since Tommaso—and I think Tyler and Nancy feel the same way. The only person you seem to have time for is Tommaso or his brother. You really at the ‘living with stage’ with him already?”
Inca pulled her legs up to her chest. “I’m not living with him, if that’s what you’re asking. It was just a matter of safety; then we got snowed in.”
“Seems like it. Sure he doesn’t think you are officially living together?”
Inca rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know.” She winced at the fake sentiment of her reply.
You know what Tommaso wants. What Raffaelo wants. What you want.
She got up and paced around the living room. “I just want to get on with my life, sell the business, move,” and she turned away from Luna then, “move away. I can’t move on here with Scarlett’s murder and how things are with your brother.” She heard Luna’s distressed gasp, but when she turned back to her friend, Luna’s face was hard.
“So, running away?”
Inca sat back down next to her. “No. Well, not exactly. I’m going to Italy with Tommaso and Raffaelo for a while,” she added, seeing Luna’s expression. “Just getting my shit together, is all.” Mentioning her trip, she thought about what Olly had said earlier.
“Luna, you’ve met Tommaso and seen us together. Do you honestly think Tommaso would try to kill me? Or be capable of murdering all those women?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t think a little distance is the worst idea.” And for some reason, Inca felt a wave of terror at her friend’s reply. She shook her head, staring at her friend’s pale face.
“I don’t believe you.”
She got up from the couch and paced around, trying to keep calm. Luna watched her in silence, gnawing on her bottom lip.
“I know, Inca. I know he’s my brother, and I have to side with him, but there’s something about those twins. Both of them. Both of them seem like they’re … obsessed with you.”
Inca felt her face grow hot and she looked away from Luna’s penetrating stare.
“Oh, my God.” Luna breathed out a long, shocked breath. “You’re sleeping with both of them.”
“Shut up,” Inca hissed as if anyone could hear them. “It’s not like that.”
Except it was. It was exactly like that. She sat down and put her head in her hands. What have I become?
“I have to say, I’m impressed.” And Luna really did sound it, to Inca’s amazement. “Of everyone I’ve known, you are the last person I would expect to do that.”
“Can we please not talk about my sex life?” Inca was trembling now, and Lun
a put a hand on her arm.
“Inca … it’s okay. But maybe we shouldn’t tell anyone. Especially not Olly.”
Inca listened to her in silence, staring out of the window over to Olly’s house. The light from a TV flickered at the window. Otherwise, the house was still. Luna watched her. Finally, Inca looked at her, and her eyes were cold.
“Tommaso would never hurt me. Ever.”
Luna hesitated. “Olly’s been watching your house. We know this. He’s crazy jealous over Tommaso. Would he have seen anything?” Her voice trailed off as Inca flushed bright red and dropped her gaze. Luna gave a little gasp of distress. “Inca?”
“I don’t see how Olly could have seen us, but you never know. I still don’t believe Tommaso would hurt me. I never will believe that. I’d rather believe Olly would be the one who …”
Luna looked as if she would be sick any moment. Inca went to her and put her arms around her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. You have to stop worrying about me; it’s not your responsibility. I can look after myself. Your brother is a mess, yes, but he’s not violent.”
Luna pulled away from her. “I think you’re blinkered when it comes to Tommaso. Olly wouldn’t have said anything if he didn’t have reason to believe what he said.”
Inca went very still. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
Inca slowly reached down to grab her purse. “I think I should go.”
Luna turned away from her. “Well, that’s your thing, isn’t it? Like I said, running away.”
When Inca, still upset over the row, got back home, Nancy and Tyler were out and she breathed a sigh of relief. On the drive home she’d tried to make sense of the row with Luna. Inca felt bad; her friend was obviously conflicted, and she hadn’t helped any. She parked the truck and pulled out her cell to call Luna. No answer. She considered leaving a message, then ended the call. She’d apologize in person tomorrow.
Alone in the house for once, Inca reveled in the solitude, stripping the linen from the bed, gathering together dirty clothes and towels, loading up the washer, breathing in the scent of the detergent. She cleaned her bedroom, noting while she did the things that had changed without her noticing. A photo frame missing, books, records taken from the shelves in her room. She scanned the collection of vinyl that she had collected over the years, trying to see if they were just out of place. She frowned, trying to remember if she’d loaned them to anyone or if Nancy had been donating stuff to Goodwill without telling her. It seemed unlikely.
Sighing, she sat down on the bed. Should she call Tommaso or Raffaelo and tell them to come get her? No, she needed a night away for her body to recover, if nothing else. And besides, if she was going to go to Italy soon, then she wanted to spend some time with her parents.
And her friends. Olly. She shouldn’t have lost her temper with him. She would go see him in the morning and apologize, but warn him off Tommaso. She knew in her bones that he would never hurt her—or anyone else.
What about himself?
Inca pushed that unbidden thought away, not knowing where it came from.
When Nancy and Tyler came home, she spent the evening with them before turning in. When she went to bed, she fell asleep almost immediately.
Raffaelo knocked on Tommaso’s door. His brother was sitting up in bed, reading something on his laptop. He pushed his headphones from his head as Raff waved at him.
“Just wanted to say goodnight, brother.”
Tommaso smiled. “Goodnight, Raff. It seems strange without Inca here, doesn’t it?”
Raffaelo nodded. “It does. Well, goodnight.”
Raffaelo went back to his own bedroom and stripped. It did feel strange without Inca in his arms, or at least in his bed. Their bed. He had to admit, their three-way … arrangement … seemed to fit them so naturally. What pleased him even more was that Tommaso seemed more stable than ever, despite the weirdness of the situation.
Raffaelo lay back and closed his eyes. Straight away he saw her lovely face and imagined her skin next to his.
I love you, Raffaelo …
He heard her voice as clear as if she were here now. The scent of her skin, the silky feel of her cunt as his cock pushed inside her. God, he wanted her so much, all of the time. He couldn’t wait until they were in Italy and free to love each other without the fear of stigma. Raffaelo had never in his life felt as wiped out by love as he did for this woman. He was still smiling when he fell asleep.
Down the hall, Tommaso sat up and re-watched the same piece of video over and over again. It was the day they had indulged in tying Inca up, but the few seconds he was watching were of Raffaelo’s cock driving in and out of Inca’s vagina. His brother’s passionate, driving thrusts were hypnotic to him, the way his dick pulled in and out of her cunt, then the ecstasy on Inca’s face when she came.
Tommaso watched it, his own hand stroking his rock-hard cock. He couldn’t figure out why watching his brother fuck the woman they both loved turned him on so much, but it did. So badly. He was almost more obsessed with watching them fuck than fucking her himself—although that was always, always glorious. The few times they had taken her at the same time—God—he had been in heaven. The complete domination over her body. He cued up another video: Inca straddling Raff, their gazes locked, his hands stroking her belly, finger-fucking her navel in the way she liked while she slammed her hips hard against him, taking him in all the way.
Tommaso watched the scene over and over then jerked off, muffling his groans in his pillow. He went to the bathroom to clean up, and when he caught sight of his disheveled sight in the mirror, he almost crumpled. His green eyes were heavily circled with dark shadows, his complexion that of a heavy drinker—which he wasn’t. Puffy and seedy. The face of an addict.
What the hell is wrong that you jerk off to videos of your brother and your girlfriend?
“Mio Dio.” Tommaso Winter sank to the floor and put his head in his hands. What is wrong with me?
What the hell is wrong with me?
The next morning, Inca knocked at the door to Olly’s apartment. No answer. She knocked again and pressed her ear against the door to try and hear if the shower was running. It was early, she realized; maybe he was still asleep. She was about to knock again when the door opened. She jumped back a little and gave a nervous giggle. He had a towel wrapped around his waist.
Olly blinked, then smiled. “Hey … hey what are you doing here?” He laughed and shook his head. “I’m sorry … I mean hi, come on in.”
Inca smiled, a little taken aback—she’d expected him to be withdrawn, maybe a little cold. He waved her in, shoving a pile of dark clothes off the bed for her to sit.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you.” She glanced down at his towel, then reddened.
“Hey, no, look, you’re not—but do you mind if I just hop in the shower? I just worked out; I’m all sweaty and gross.”
She waved him away. “You go ahead.”
He grinned and went into the bathroom. “Anyway, this is a nice surprise. How are you?”
Inca blew out her cheeks, relieved the awkward atmosphere she’d feared was nowhere in sight. “I’m good … look, I wanted to apologize for last night.”
There was a small silence, then Olly stuck his head out of the door and smiled at her. “Let’s forget it. We were both, well, emotional. Friends?”
“Of course.”
He grinned and disappeared again. “It’s me who should be apologizing.” She heard the shower crank on. “I was a jerk. Forgive me?”
“Of course.”
She heard him chuckle, then the door closed. She shifted on the bed, looking around the room. It was untidy. Clothes were strewn everywhere; Inca realized she had always thought of Olly as so organized. The mess surprised her. The window was open, a cold breeze blowing the curtain. She walked over to the window. The room on the first floor had a view out to the forest, the trails marked. She saw a couple walking their dog and a jogg
er or two. The other side of the woods was the beach, and she stood on her tiptoes trying to see if she could see the water from here. Nope.
She moved away from the window and her foot kicked against some papers. She bent to pick them up. It was a manila envelope, addressed to Olly. With a start, Inca saw her realtor Mindy’s return address in the left-hand corner. She frowned—she had had no idea that the two knew each other. In fact, when they’d met a few weeks ago … then she saw the date. December sixth.
December sixth. The day before Mindy had called her to tell the apartment above the Sakura was gone.
Her heart was thudding. She looked up and listened. The shower was still running, and the scent of apple shampoo drifted underneath the door. Olly was humming to himself. Quickly, Inca prized open the envelope and pulled out the papers inside. Then all the breath left her body, her heart slamming against her ribs.
The deeds to the Sakura apartment.
She sat down on the bed hard, only just acknowledging its rumbling creak. She read the papers quickly. The letter was signed by a partner of Mindy’s, Jeb Verdona, a fawning sycophant who was full of clichéd platitudes and realtor-speak. He expressed surprise at the large amount Olly was prepared to pay at such short notice to secure the property. Olly had bought the Sakura apartment. Olly. Inca couldn’t get her head around it. She rechecked the dates again. Definitely the day before Mindy had called her.
Inca gritted her teeth; the next moment she heard the shower shut off. She pushed the papers back in the envelope and shoved it back under the bed. She got up and went to the window again, hearing him open the door to the bathroom. She needed a moment to arrange her expression, to erase the shock she felt. Olly had bought the apartment from under her.
Bastard.
“You can turn around. I’m decent.” Olly chuckled, then saw her pale face. “You okay?”
She turned, nodded, and tried to smile. “You have a great view from here.” God, so trite, she cursed herself. Olly didn’t notice. He nodded.
“It’s a great location. Not as good as your abode, of course.”
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