by Ivy Barrett
“I understand why you hate me,” Blue volleyed. “But what did Tamara ever do to you?”
He stepped out of the shadows and into the dusky twilight, features tense and conflicted. “An eye for an eye.”
“That makes no sense.” Blue shook her head. They were only a few feet away now. They no longer needed to yell.
“Her mother destroyed my life!” His tone grew thick with bitterness and grief. “She took my daughter, the only woman I ever loved, and corrupted her spirit, twisted her into a willing whore.”
“So you turned Petra’s daughter into a whore,” Tamara mused. Or at least created the appearance that she was promiscuous. It all made a sick sort of sense. “But why did you kill Mort? Blue is obviously still alive.”
“Mort was an abomination who deserved exactly what he got. The things he did to women were beyond disgusting.” Madness overtook Fenton’s expression, confirming Tamara’s suspicions that this was not a rational man.
“And the bomb?” Blue challenged. “You left me there to die.”
Fenton turned on her, pleading with his eyes. “I was trying to save you, baby. The explosion would have destroyed your body, but fire cleanses sin. Only fire can purify a soul so corrupted by evil. It’s not your fault. I know that. They did this to you, but you must be purified.”
Acting on impulse, Tamara lightly scanned Fenton’s mind. Before she could ascertain the intensity of his mystic power, he spun toward her and sneered.
“Demon!” He crossed himself and backed away. “I know your tricks. I feel your phantom fingers caressing my brain and squeezing my balls. I will not let you enthrall me!”
Jericho stepped out of the trees, a pistol in his hand. Paul was a step behind him.
“On your knees,” Jericho ordered Fenton.
Fenton looked at Jericho as if he didn’t quite understand what he was then he raised his hands as if he meant to comply. Tamara remained on guard, suspecting it wouldn’t be that easy. At the last minute, Fenton spun to the side and sprinted for the trees. Paul dove for him but missed. Jericho fired a warning shot that made Fenton veer sharply to the right.
She lunged for him then, catching him around the hips as he passed at an angle. Her bare knees hit the pavement and she cried out, but she grasped her wrists and refused to let go. Fenton twisted and shoved against her shoulders. He even got in one good punch before Jericho reached them. And then all hell broke loose.
Sirens sounded, lights flashed and a small army of Enforcers seemed to appear out of thin air. Someone helped her to her feet and she saw the three cruisers from which the officers had really emerged. Still, it was more fun to imagine them springing up out of the pavement.
“Are you all right, ma’am?”
“I’m fine.” And except for a couple of skinned knees, she was unharmed.
Blue clung to Paul as Fenton was loaded onto one of the cruisers. Mercer told her that they would need a statement, but he assured her it could wait until she was feeling better. The show of civility made Tamara smile. Had Drake managed to beat some manners into Mercer or was he just putting on a show?
“How much of that were you able to record?” Jericho asked Drake as the crowd began to thin.
“Every word.” He grinned. “It was a beautiful thing. Case closed without firing a shot. We can’t ask for more than that.” Drake gave Tamara a quick hug. “You can go undercover for me any day. You’re a natural.”
Mercer and Drake climbed aboard the last cruiser, leaving the civilians alone in the empty lot. “How the hell did you do that?” Paul asked as they watched a cruiser fly away. “Are you an Enforcer or something?”
“Something.” Jericho laughed. “I’ve always had a sort of love-hate relationship with the Enforcers.”
“What’s going to happen now?” Blue asked, clearly shaken by the rapid turn of events. Her gaze kept shifting toward the fire and tears gathered in her eyes.
“This is the beginning not the end,” Tamara insisted. “You’re free for the first time in your life. The danger is behind you forever. You understand who and what you are now. You can shape life into whatever you want.”
“But I don’t know how to be anything else.”
Blue’s obvious vulnerability tore at Tamara’s heart, but she wouldn’t relent. She was not her mother. She couldn’t peddle flesh and trade on people’s happiness. She would never be a madam. “Then learn. It was my mother’s sponsorship that got you into this life, so I’ll sponsor you if you’re willing to work your way out. I’ll pay for your education as long as your grades are good. But you have to be willing to work.”
“Accept it, Blue,” Paul urged. “You’ll never get an offer like this again.”
Blue crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. “I accept. Thank you.”
Paul wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her an encouraging squeeze. “I guess this means I’m unemployed too.”
Tamara smiled. “I’m afraid so. If and when I rebuild, what I put on this land will have no resemblance to the Dark Star.”
He nodded, but his eyes were sad. “Can’t say I blame you. Good luck with whatever you decide.” He turned Blue away from the fire and they walked off across the lot.
Jericho spun Tamara around and kissed her deeply, his fingers spread in her hair. “Is this how you saw the night ending?”
She laughed. “Yeah, I planned it all this way.”
“Well, I can never tell. You’re seriously crafty.” He reached down and pinched her bottom. “That was a good thing you did with Blue.” He settled his arm around her shoulder and they headed back to the Fantasy Forum.
“It started me thinking.”
He laughed. “That’s always dangerous.”
“Why don’t I build a college or a trade school, some sort of center that can help people escape—”
“The pleasure industry?” The challenge in his tone was unmistakable. “Careful, Professor, you’re coming precariously close to stepping on my toes. Don’t forget I make my living in the pleasure industry.”
“It’s not the same and you know it. But I didn’t mean just the pleasure industry. I meant any situation that could be bettered with more education and more options. I’ll keep the costs as low as possible and offer scholarships for those who can’t afford to pay at all. I’ll…” His rich, warm laughter derailed her train of thought. “Why are you laughing at me?”
“I’m not.” He turned her to face him and gazed into her eyes. “I think you’re amazing. And just when I think I have you figured out, you do something even more amazing.” He brushed his mouth over hers then nipped her bottom lip. “Are you ready to admit you love me yet?”
“No.” She hid her smile as she turned away. She had accepted that she was hopelessly in love with him, but he was already too arrogant. Instead she threaded her fingers through his and gave his hand a playful squeeze. “You’re going to have to be satisfied with lust or find a way to convince me you’re worth loving.”
“That sounds like a challenge.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “It is.”
“You’re on.” Before she could guess his intention, he bent and tossed her over his shoulder. He strode on toward his hotel while her laughter floated off into the smoke-filled night.