“Sounds like she and I have a lot in common,” Natalie said, smiling.
“You certainly would have.”
Natalie caught the past tense in Xander’s response but didn’t think it was the right time or place to inquire. She left Xander alone with his thoughts. As they continued climbing higher into the darkness, Xander zoned out as he peered through the window at the stars. He missed his mother more than words could ever say. He missed the way she would dance in the kitchen to Madonna as she cooked dinner for the family. The way she laughed when he would do some of his impressions for her. Most of all, he missed the way she always had time for anything and everything he and his sister ever needed. It was going on fourteen years now since the tragedy.
Fourteen years.
Xander couldn’t believe how the time had passed. How much his life had changed and how many terrible things he had seen. It was now almost as long ago as he was old when it happened. Contrary to the old adage “time heals all wounds,” the pain of losing both his mother and father that day had yet to loosen its grip on him. It continued to drive everything he did, to this day.
“Isn’t it breathtaking?” Natalie asked him as she, too, gazed out the window. Xander looked from the window to her, pausing for a moment until she turned to him and looked him in the eyes.
“Yes, absolutely breathtaking.”
Natalie smiled, knowing full well he meant her; then she looked back out the window at the seemingly endless rows of stars––so bright up at that altitude where no other lights could diminish their shine. Xander had a feeling that Natalie was really enjoying being on the plane with them. She seemed in real life to be a lot like the characters she played in most of her movies. A rare combination of qualities that he thought only existed in those movies. She was charming, funny, smart, feisty, and she had an infectious laugh. Looking at her now as the moonlight poured in over her iconic and effortlessly beautiful face, he hoped he hadn’t made a mistake bringing her along.
She sat with her legs crossed forcing her sundress halfway up her thigh, uncovering a toned, tanned, and gorgeous set of legs. Xander unbuckled his seat belt and popped up to go and get a few blankets and pillows from Amy. He handed a couple to Kyle and Annie, then went to Natalie, took her hand, and nodded for her to come with him. She obliged, unbuckled her seat belt, and rose to join him.
“You saw my eyes getting sleepy?” she asked him as they made their way to the back of the plane.
“Saw you getting a little chilly, too,” he replied. “If you need anything, just let me know.”
He laid a pillow on the couch for her, and still standing, he gently wrapped a long wool blanket around her. She laid down on the couch and gave him a smile.
“Thank you. I will. Goodnight, Alexander.”
“Goodnight, Natalie.”
She settled in and before long drifted off to sleep. Xander sat on the couch opposite of her and grabbed his iPad, which Sam had left for him in his briefcase. Before he hung up the phone with her earlier at the launch party, she informed him that she had e-mailed him the file on tomorrow’s target. The night had been as good as it gets, and the excitement of his first Derby horse running for the roses tomorrow was a lifetime dream come true. However, the sobering reality that kept his nights sleepless and his days filled with darkness came rushing back to him as he opened the target’s file.
Target #43 Erik Kulakov:
−5’8”
-145 lbs.
−43 years old
−Dark brown hair
−Brown eyes
−Louisville, Kentucky
To employers and coworkers, Erik Kulakov is a quiet, to-himself ninth grade biology teacher. To a lot of other people around his neighborhood and especially his students at Shelby High School, he is the dealer of a new and devastating form of heroine called krokodil (crocodile). It is desomorphine, a synthetic opiate many times more powerful than heroine, that is created from a complex chain of mixing and chemical reactions, which the addicts perform several times a day. It has become an epidemic in Russia because of how cheap it is to make and the ease with which one can purchase the needed ingredients. The drug gets its reptilian name because of the effects it has on its users. At first, injections of this drug begin to leave the skin scaly, hence the name crocodile. After the user becomes addicted, the user’s skin eventually begins to fall right off the bone, literally causing its users to rot to death in a gruesome and painful way. The reason Erik has been able to do this for over four years now, completely undetected by law enforcement, is because the main ingredient can be found in over-the-counter painkillers.
For years he has been supplying area residents and students with this homemade killer. Over fourteen deaths have been attributed to this at Shelby High alone, the school where Erik still teaches and has taught for years. He preys on the addicted young women, often forcing them to pleasure him in exchange for their next fix. In recent months, we have placed our private investigator on the task, and Erik has become more and more brazen; we have captured evidence of young women leaving his home with baggies in hand and multiple bandages on their bodies. Several of the girls have turned up dead with autopsies showing signs of rape as well as the effects of the drug.
“Is everything okay?” Natalie’s sleepy voice snapped Xander out of his trance.
Xander clicked off his iPad and placed it on his lap. “Me? Of course, just catching up on some Derby news,” he replied over the steady hum of the jet’s engines.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you. You just looked so sad.”
“Sad? Maybe that’s just my reading face?”
“Maybe. Well, get some sleep, stud. I need you to show this California girl how to get back to her real-world roots tomorrow,” Natalie told him as she tried to lighten his mood. She heard him when he said he wasn’t sad, but she could tell there was more to that story.
“Yes I will, Hollywood. Thanks for the concern. By the way, if it’s real world you’re looking to get back to, tomorrow will be about as far away from that as you have ever been,” Xander replied, sinking to a lying position on the couch. She smiled as she closed her eyes. To Xander, it was as if she could see straight into his soul. He wasn’t sure that was a good place for anyone to see, much less an undeserving sweetheart like Natalie had turned out to be. Underneath the glitz and glamour-filled surface, Xander’s was a dark world. He had never even thought about bringing someone into that world. But then again, he had never spent the night with Natalie Rockwell, either.
7
What Goes Up...
“Mr. King.” Amy placed her hand on Xander’s shoulder. “Mr. King, we’re going to be landing in just a few minutes.”
“Of course. Thank you, Amy,” Xander said as he roused from sleep. “I’ll wake the others. What time is it?”
“Seven,” she replied. “I have coffee in some travel cups for everyone.”
“Thank you, Amy. You’re the best.”
“Good morning, handsome,” Natalie said, still lying on the couch. “We almost to Kentucky?”
“Hey, gorgeous.” He smiled. “We land in ten. You sleep okay?”
“Like a baby. You know, I wasn’t sure how I would feel when I woke up this morning.”
“Yeah? What’s the verdict?”
“Excited.”
Xander smiled as Natalie sat up and Amy handed them both coffee.
“Good morning, you two,” Sam said, spinning in her chair. “Big day, boss. You ready for this?”
Natalie assumed of course that she meant a big day at the races. Xander knew she spoke of something else entirely.
“Born ready,” he replied. “What about you, Miss Natalie? You ready for your first Kentucky Derby?”
“I am really excited for this!”
“Me too!” Annie chimed in from her seat across from Kyle’s, toward the front of the plane.
“You kids have fun last night?” Natalie asked them.
“I sure as hell did,” Kyle i
nterrupted. “But I have a feeling today is gonna be even better.”
Everyone agreed and buckled up in their seats as the plane began its descent into Lexington. Xander loved the scenery into this airport. As beautiful as his ocean view could be from the back of his home in San Diego, in a completely different way the scenery here was just as spectacular. If not more so. Acres of rolling hills lined with what looked like an endless maze of wooden fence, intertwining with each other as they crisscrossed over the perfectly manicured Kentucky blue grass. As if it wasn’t beautiful enough already, the sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, casting a majestic orange glow over the land below. It was just as enchanting to him now as it had been when he was a boy.
Moments later, the plane touched down safely, and as it taxied to its spot at the airfield, everyone gathered their things and said good-bye to the jet’s staff. Amy opened the door of the plane and pushed a button to lower the stairway. The cool May morning air filtered in around them. The scent of honeysuckle and freshly mowed grass tickled their noses. Annie clutched her arms in a chill.
“Don’t worry, Annie. I just checked the forecast and it’s supposed to get to 75 degrees today,” Kyle told her.
“It’s going to be a perfect day,” Natalie said, flashing Xander a grin.
At the bottom of the stairs, one red Ferrari and two black Mercedes sedans with drivers holding open the back doors awaited them. A woman in a fitted black dress jumped out of the front passenger side door of the first Mercedes with a bounce and a smile. Her jet-black, chin-length hair bobbed up and down with each quirky step she took. Xander had always loved her nerdy bangs and black-rimmed reading glasses. He thought, without needing words, they explained so well her infectious personality.
“Xander! How was the San Diego launch?” Melanie asked, running up and hugging him. She gave Kyle the same hero’s welcome.
“It went great. Melanie, this is Natalie and her friend Annie.”
“I thought Sam was playing a joke on me when she told me the name of Xander’s guest for the Derby. I am such a huge fan and it is such an honor!” Melanie exclaimed. Natalie bypassed her outstretched hand and went in for a hug. Melanie’s face lit up as she mouthed “oh my god!” to Xander over Natalie’s shoulder. Melanie extended the same hug to Annie.
“The honor is mine. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh good! You’re sweet! I knew it. I told my mom I just knew you would be the nicest person,” Melanie said. Natalie gave Xander a smile, which he quickly returned.
“Okay, good lord . . . I’ll see all of you at the house,” Sam said from her Ferrari. Xander could tell she was over this Natalie situation. She hated complications, and had warned Xander many times that that was all a love interest was. He knew she was right, of course, but that had never stopped him before.
Just a few minutes after leaving the airport, Ron made a right from Versailles Road and in front of them was a large gated entryway. The two harpsichord-shaped wrought iron gates were held in place by two grayish-colored stone columns. In the middle of the iron entryway, where the two gates met, was a crown of the same material—the same crown that adorned the tail of Xander’s plane. Natalie noticed a plate in the middle of the stone column on the right. Usually this is the place where you would find the name of the farm or ranch. Instead of naming his horse farm, however, Xander had chosen the words “Love Like a Prince. Live Like a King.”
“That’s an interesting choice of words. Are they yours?” she asked Xander.
“The quote? Yes.”
“What does it mean exactly?” she asked.
“You tell me.”
“Okay.” Natalie thought for a moment. “Hmm, I think it means that though you must always strive to achieve your highest level of greatness, you can never let that journey keep you from cherishing what really matters in life. Basically, be all the things a king is, but remember to enjoy life through the unjaded eyes of a prince? That close?”
Melanie said, “Wow, Xander . . . she is good.”
8
Planning a Hit Before Breakfast
Melanie pressed the button on the remote, and in a slow inward motion the gate opened to one of the most beautiful things that Natalie had ever seen. It was like a painting. The driveway continued in front of them down a long and perfectly straight path. Massive oak trees lined both sides of the road as far as her eyes could see. She looked to her left, and off in the distance white wooden fencing encased the entire entryway. As if it were planned, three gorgeous Thoroughbred horses frolicked in a field as the yellow glow of the sun shimmered off their brown, sleek-haired backs. As the driver pulled forward inside the gates and Natalie took all of this in, she gasped out loud at its splendor. Xander always loved seeing first timers’ reactions to his property. It gave him a sense of pride that no other material thing he owned had ever quite been able to give.
The trees stretched on. In the distance she could see what looked like might finally be their end. The sun was breaking through the open slots in the branches, and as they approached a circular driveway, it shined its rays across a fantastic neoclassical Southern mansion. She knew this term from her research for the role she had played in Wild Roses, a film where she’d played the daughter of a racehorse trainer.
We should have filmed here, Natalie thought as she noticed a glistening pond off to the left of the mansion. The driver brought the car to a stop at the front of the house. There was a large gray front door, and over it was a gorgeous circular window that she was sure let a wondrous amount of light into what was undoubtedly a spectacular foyer.
They all walked toward the house as Annie and Natalie continued to marvel at their surroundings.
“Natalie, Annie, I’ll show you two to the fitting room where you can pick out your dresses,” Melanie said, unlocking the front door. “Jonathan just texted me that breakfast is ready and being served on the patio. Don’t worry, we have heaters if you get cold, but the view will warm you right up. You’ll be able to shower and get beautified after we eat, so don’t worry about any of that right now.”
Melanie opened the front door, and sure enough, Natalie’s inclination about the grandeur of the foyer was dead-on. Dark hardwood floors greeted them at the doorway. Two winding staircases cascaded down both sides of the room and joined together at the top to form a balcony. It was as if Rhett Butler would be sauntering in from around the corner at any moment. The ceilings must have been twenty-five feet, and a magnificent chandelier pulled everything together from the center of the room.
Xander said, “Okay ladies, you’d better go see if those dresses will work. But don’t take long or we might have to start on breakfast without you.”
“We’ll be there in just a few. I’m starving!” Natalie assured him.
Melanie ushered the girls down a long hallway filled with pictures of Xander and his family. Natalie stopped and admired them along the way. Pictures of a young Xander in baseball uniforms and in family pictures with his mother, father, and sister. He looks just like his dad, she thought and wondered if they were still close. Since she had found out on the plane last night that Xander’s mother was deceased, she also morbidly wondered if his dad had passed as well. She thought that was probably the case because none of the photos with his father seemed to be recent ones. Xander looked so happy in all of the photos. Not that he didn’t seem happy to her now, but there was certainly a sadness in his eyes. Natalie walked on down the hall and noticed a picture of Xander in uniform. She leaned in and noticed that he was being given a medal. The writing on the table banner behind him read “Navy SEALs,” and under it, “The only easy day was yesterday, it pays to be a Winner.”
“Come on, Natalie,” Annie called for her. “Come have a look at these dresses!”
* * *
“Do I need to go over everything with you or did you get a chance to look over the file I e-mailed you?” Sam asked Xander as she walked out to the raised patio where Xander and Kyle had just sat down.
A large assortment of breakfast foods was spread across the large stone table.
“I’m good, Sam, thank you. I’m not really into planning a hit before breakfast.”
Sam ignored him. “So, you know where everything will be waiting for you at the track when it is time to take him out? And Kyle, you know—”
“I said we’re good. Thank you, Sam. Now sit down, relax, and have some breakfast.”
“Yeah, relax. Jesus,” Kyle chimed in.
“Don’t.” Sam pointed while locking him in a death stare.
“All right, you two, do I need to separate you?” Xander interrupted their staring contest.
Sam stood from the table and turned to Xander. “I’ll be inside tracking the target and making sure everything will be ready for you.”
“Thank you, Sam.”
Sam walked back inside, but not before shooting Kyle another glare. She would never have involved him in such serious matters, but Xander insisted. It hasn’t bit them in the ass, yet.
“Man she is wound tight,” Kyle said.
“Thank God. Between me and you goofing around all the time none of this would ever come off without a hitch the way it always does if she wasn’t that way.” Xander took up for her.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Hey, speaking of goofing off, Annie was a real shot of life on the plane last night.”
“I know, we heard everything. It wasn’t awkward at all,” Xander said sarcastically.
“Whoops!” Kyle laughed. “Seriously, though, Annie was unbelievable. You think Natalie will actually let you sleep with her?”
“Kyle.”
“What? Oh, don’t tell me you actually like this one? X? Uh oh, what is that little grin I see?” Kyle teased.
“Honestly, I don’t know if it’s because I loved her so much in that movie or what it is, but—”
“But what? I was kidding, but holy shit . . . you really like her. Xander King with feelings other than lust? Well, I never!” Kyle laughed.
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