Shadows of Our Past

by Tanya Jean Russell

  “We’re expecting some visitors and wondered whether you could bring them over and do formal introductions when they arrive?”

  He smiled his agreement.

  “Would you like any beverages while you wait?”

  “No, we’ll wait for our guests, thank you.”

  Watching Neil walk back to the room entrance, she smiled. Dressed like a butler from a BBC period drama, he would add a real touch of class making the introductions. And knowing about Marek’s obsession with English pomp and ceremony, she hoped the grandeur and sense of importance would warm him up to a more open discussion.

  The steady hum of conversation in the room meant that they were able to speak without fear of being overheard.

  “We have around twenty minutes until Marek Berishka is supposed to arrive and we need to make sure we look the part when he does,” Amory explained to William. She gestured to the two-seater sofas clustered around their table.

  William visibly flinched. Despite having no interest in him, she felt her ego take a dip. It was one thing not to be interested in someone, but it was another thing entirely to have that person physically recoil at the thought of sitting next to you.

  “Look, it’s not my idea of a great time either, but Berishka won’t tolerate my presence unless he thinks I’m just some woman you’re sleeping with.”

  William frowned but moved to one of the two-seater sofas. She placed the laptop bag with the recording tablet on the floor. It didn’t have much of a range but as long as any conversation took place within a couple of hundred meters they would catch every word. The RAC Club might be pretty huge but the whole setup was designed to encourage intimate discussions.

  She sat against the arm of the sofa and advised William to move right next to her so he was in the dominant pose.

  “Berishka will respond to me being submissive to you. Everything we know about him suggests he sees women as lower class, so you need to bond with him by tapping into that. Show him that I’m no threat to him as you have the control.”

  William slowly nodded, clearly uncomfortable, and she knew he wouldn’t be happy with the idea of being ungentlemanly. Looking at him carefully she took in his pale complexion and the tightness around his eyes. They were the only physical signs of the tension he was feeling which told her just how well he was handling this. Resting her palm on the top of his thigh for effect, she reminded herself that he might be a pain in the ass but he was out of his depth and probably terrified.

  “William, this is my job,” she said for what felt like the hundredth time since starting this assignment. “Please trust me, if we both play our parts this will work. The better we do this today, the quicker I’ll be out of your house and your life will be back to normal.”

  As his spine visibly straightened at her words, she felt the familiar satisfaction that came with doing her job well, but in its wake was a strange sensation that rolled through her gut, and an image of Jackson. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought it was regret. Giving herself a mental shake, she refocused on the job and lifted William’s hand to place it on her own thigh so it hitched the hem of her skirt a little higher.

  “You need to shift slightly so you are leaning toward me. That way you won’t be looking at the door when Berishka arrives,” she said.

  At his frown she explained, “It’ll give you the appearance of being relaxed, as though you’re more interested in me than him.”

  He nodded his agreement and twisted, shifting closer to her.

  She focused on evening her breathing and ignored the lack of personal space by using her training to absorb the details of the room. She had selected a table in the corner so they would have a clear view all around them and couldn’t be approached unexpectedly. With only three exit points, the room was filled with a mixture of deep brown leather chairs. They ranged from wingback chairs and overstuffed sofas surrounding walnut coffee tables of different dimensions, to more formal high-back dining chairs clustered around higher tables, clearly designed for more practical work to be done.

  The center of the far wall was broken by a limestone fireplace which would reach as high as Amory’s shoulder, and a real fire was kept burning by Neil who regularly added additional logs from the neatly stacked pile on the right of the hearth. The gilt-framed pictures crowding the walls were of traditional country scenes, depicting what she supposed would historically have been perceived as very male pursuits such as hunting and fishing. All in all it was a study in stereotypical men’s clubs.

  The main entrance to the room was in the opposite corner, and there was a discreet fire exit to the side of their sofa. She estimated that, when full, the room would seat around sixty people. At the moment there were just nine other people who were working away together on laptops or chatting over steaming silver coffeepots with homemade biscuits on matching silver platters, all presented with much ceremony by Neil the room manager. He was an immaculately dressed man with a wiry figure and receding grey hairline. Every inch of him was groomed, from his neatly trimmed eyebrows through to his manicured hands. She was always a little in awe of people who managed to look so well put together despite their demanding jobs. She could come apart just leaving her room.

  The second entry point was further along the same wall as the main door. This one, however, was fitted with swinging double doors marked in and out. Clearly it was the access point used for catering, marked up to prevent staff banging into each other as they used the solid wooden doors.

  Assessing the groups of people around the room, she satisfied herself that they were not linked to Berishka. It wouldn’t be uncommon for someone in his business to set up extra security before arriving somewhere, despite the difficulty of securing membership to this club. It was that fact that had made Holly flag this venue as the preferred one for this meeting. They had hoped, and that hope had paid off, that Berishka’s love of opulence and exclusivity would outweigh his usual security measures.

  Noticing the entrance door begin to swing in, she grabbed William’s shirt to twist him round back to face her and pulled him close. The steadying hand he placed on the arm of the chair made it appear that he was blocking her in place. Her heart rate increased as she saw Neil bringing two powerfully built men over to their table.

  She whispered one last reminder to William, smiling sweetly as she did to make sure she looked like she was saying something appropriately adoring.

  “Focus and get Berishka to open up.”

  She had expected Berishka to arrive early or late, either approach commonly used tactics for unsettling the other party and asserting authority. That he was exactly on time almost felt like a slap, a way of saying he had true power and didn’t need to play such games. She forced William to stay in that position, whispering to each other, until Neil politely coughed to alert them to the presence of their guests. Amory hurriedly pushed William away.

  When the man standing a pace behind Berishka ran his eyes slowly down the length of her body and back up, she found the flush of embarrassment she’d been hoping to be able to generate came naturally. His gaze rested uncomfortably on all her more intimate areas as he made his inspection and she felt violated.

  “Excuse me, Your Grace, madam, may I present your guests, Mr. Marek Berishka and his associate, Mr. Pavol Novak.”

  William rose and stepped forward, confidently shaking Berishka’s hand.

  “Great to see you again, my friend,” he exclaimed, clasping Marek’s outstretched hand with both of his palms. Nodding to Pavol, he gestured to them to take a seat.

  “I had not realized you would have company,” Marek stated in clipped tones. Only the slightest twinge of his native Slovakian accent came through as he stared at Amory.

  “Ah, yes, this is Olivia, my new assistant, she and I have plans for later. Please don’t concern yourself though, she is very discreet.”

  She resisted the urge to clench her teeth as both Berishka and Novak studied her. She was used to dangerous people but the
possessive way they looked at her made her blood boil. Berishka quickly moved his gaze, keeping an alert eye on the wider room. Novak took his time studying her, finally meeting her eyes with an open leer.

  “I can see you want to pass the time, William, but I can provide you with better,” he sneered, addressing William without breaking eye contact with Amory.

  Dipping her eyes in an effort to appear the meek woman she wanted them to dismiss her as, she tried to ignore the fire that crept up her spine at his tone. He truly saw women as interchangeable property.

  Having been assessed and dismissed by the men, she took the opportunity to study Marek Berishka as they discussed horse racing. Despite the months of work it had taken to get the investigation to this stage, none of them had ever seen more than a couple of grainy pictures that were supposed to be of Marek, yet as he’d looked markedly different in each one, they figured he had some great prosthetics to hide behind. But there wasn’t anything artificial about his features.

  In the flesh he was imposing, physically bigger than his colleague, although they both looked like they could, and would, enjoy crushing skulls with one bare hand. The sense of power they projected was expected—after all, you didn’t make it to the top of the criminal underworld by being gentle—but its sheer force was almost overwhelming.

  She had been around more powerful and dangerous men than she cared to remember, and Marek was no different. Estimated to be in his early forties, he looked younger in person. Both men had Slavic features and dark hair, however, whereas Marek’s face was pockmarked and scarred, Novak had the sort of looks that would turn heads. If you didn’t know anything about him, that was.

  Even to her uncultured eye she could see everything they wore was of the highest quality, but while they both appeared gentlemanly at first glance, despite the way their muscles strained against their suits, Berishka exuded violence and suppressed energy under the veneer of civility. Novak seemed positively humane next to him. Knowing the truth about him made his projection all the more chilling.

  The conversation lulled as Neil came to take drink orders, and Amory avoided making eye contact as she ordered mineral water for herself and large whiskies for the three men. As William corrected her selection of whiskey, she could see Neil subtly raise an eyebrow at her change in demeanor.

  Once the drinks had arrived, William tried to move the conversation to how he could help Marek. Marek glanced toward Pavol who frowned and looked at Amory pointedly. William cut off his half-finished sentence and suggested Amory go and refresh her makeup.

  At the pre-agreed instruction she pushed an expression of concerned vanity across her features and raised her right hand to her face, fingertips gently touching her cheek as if worried her makeup was fading.

  “Of course, sir,” she responded to William deferentially before nodding to Marek.

  “Please excuse me, gentlemen,” she said as she rose to leave the room with her handbag, the laptop bag conveniently staying in place.

  Walking out of the room, she spun around at the sound of muted footsteps behind her, finding herself face to face with Neil.

  “Are you alright, madam?”

  Surprised, Amory replied, “Yes, of course!”

  “It’s just that I noticed your companions were behaving a little less than gentlemanly and I wanted to let you know that I can call security if you are uncomfortable.”

  She smiled at him, his concern warming her. She spent so much of her time dealing with the murky underworld that it was easy to lose perspective and forget that there were decent people in the world. She placed a reassuring palm on his arm.

  “Thank you for asking but I’m good.”

  He frowned slightly as though unconvinced by her words, but after a beat he nodded and with a last smile she continued to the toilets.

  Looking in the enormous mirror, she tried to estimate how long they would need and how long she could reasonably stay away. Having retouched her makeup to be sure it looked fresh and to add to the impression she was completely in William’s control, she tried to pass a bit more time by playing with the delicious-smelling Moulton Brown soap and the jet drier. She resisted the urge to make handprints on the shiny surfaces that surrounded her, only the thought of the poor soul who had the job of keeping them gleaming stopping her.

  Rubbing the remainder of a squirt of hand cream into her wrists, she figured it would be safe to return. Either they’d said what she needed or they hadn’t, but if she stayed here much longer it would start to look suspicious.

  As she stepped back into the members’ room she flashed a friendly smile Neil’s way. His concern had lifted her spirits. She might not have needed anyone’s protection for a very long time, but it was nice to know it was there all the same.

  As she reached the table Marek and Pavol stood, and William hastily joined them as Marek held out his hand for William to shake.

  “We will see you at the weekend also, Olivia,” Berishka said.

  Despite the smarmy tone, it was the gleam in Novak’s eyes that set all the hairs at the nape of her neck prickling. So much for her improved mood. Plastering on a smile, she managed a vaguely polite response as they left, before settling into an armchair once the two men had left the room.

  William started to explain, but she cut him off with a wave of her arm.

  “Not here, we have the rest of our plans to follow through first. You can explain once we’re there.”

  ****

  Plastering on her best giddy smile, she lifted William’s arm to place it around her waist as they headed to the Sofitel Hotel, only three hundred yards from the RAC Club. The public fawning was somewhat wearing, so she was pleased that the deferential treatment William’s title provided meant they were checked in and shown to their room in what must have been record time. It was certainly a lot faster than Amory’s own experiences the few times she’d stayed in hotels.

  Removing the recordings from her bag, she took William’s microphone as he pulled the tape from his leg.

  “Okay, fill me in.”

  William gave her the rundown of the conversation she’d missed.

  “Damn it. Sounds like we didn’t get anything to use.” She resisted the urge to hit something. All this waiting, and nothing.

  William sucked in a deep breath.

  “Marek has invited himself to the ball and he is going to stay at the house,” he said, clearly concerned about whether or not he had done the right thing in agreeing.

  Okay, she thought, this wasn’t in the game plan. Actually, her DCI had ordered William to cancel the ball to save money, but they had a much better chance of getting something if they had a longer time frame with Berishka. Thankfully William hadn’t actually sent out the cancellations yet. She knew because she’d been nagging him for days for a list of names to make sure it was done.

  “That’s good,” she said. “You did well.”

  Her blood chilled despite her positive words and she fought the shudder that threatened to roll through her body at the idea of sleeping under the same roof as those animals. It wasn’t the first time she’d dealt that sort of threat so she wasn’t about to freak out this time. Besides, she had to keep up a professional front for William, they had to keep him onboard. As she continued to quiz William he emptied the little bottles in the minibar.

  “It would have made things a lot easier if Marek had let something slip today, but we knew it was unlikely he’d implicate himself so easily,” she said. The words were a reminder to herself as much as to reassure William.

  She ignored William staring at her as she perched on the edge of the bed and pulled off her heels with a sigh of relief.

  “You know, Olivia, you’re not bad looking.”

  Raising her eyebrows, she looked up at him startled. Was he trying to say something nice? If so it was a first, but his expression wasn’t giving anything away. She didn’t want to have to figure out how to handle him in this mood so she grabbed the maid uniform from its hanger in t
he wardrobe and darted into the bathroom before he could expect her to reply.

  Chapter Fourteen

  As she changed into the shapeless blue uniform, tension coiled in her stomach. Anticipation seemed to crawl across her skin as her thoughts raced through the range of plans they would need if they were going to make the most of having Berishka and his sidekick under William’s roof. And make the most of it they would. She was going to do whatever it took to put the man out of business. Swallowing hard, she fought against the anger that was clouding her mind. Anger at all men who felt women were some kind of interchangeable property, most especially men like Marek Berishka. A man whose actions were so abhorrent that they haunted her dreams. Looking in the mirror at her makeup-free face, she thought of one name. Katja. That was enough. Her hands tightened on the sink, her jaw tightened. Let them come. She could deal with anything if it meant getting justice for Katja.

  Stepping out of the bathroom she took in the ever-growing pile of empty bottles next to William who was sprawled on the bed, and decided to ignore the fact he’d continued to hit the minibar heavily while she’d changed. If he needed to get smashed after meeting with Berishka then she wasn’t going to try and stop him.

  “They’re coming on Friday?” she double-checked.

  William shifted awkwardly, taking two attempts to get himself onto his elbows. He squinted at her as though trying to figure out what she’d said. Just as she was about to give up on any kind of reply from him, he squinted at her and answered, “Yes, but do not start with me. I am the one who has two criminals coming to stay in my home.” He stood unsteadily as he spoke.

  She forced herself to take a breath before replying. Losing it with William wouldn’t help any of them.

  “This is a good thing,” she repeated. “We have a chance to get the evidence we need. That is what this is all about and now you have a chance to get off the hook.”

  “I’ve got to meet my colleague and set plans in motion. Remember not to leave the room, and don’t answer the door or phone before I return. People need to think we’re otherwise occupied in here,” she said, reminding him.