The Mistaken

by Nancy S Thompson

  “Be a good girl and stay put.” Without another look, I turned and headed out the door.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Tyler

  For my plan to work, there were several items I needed to attend to immediately. I visited the concierge who helped make arrangements for Hannah’s flight back to Seattle. She printed off the electronic ticket and placed it in a small envelope. I also had her make arrangements for a Town Car to pick Hannah up at the hotel and drop her off at the airport in time for her flight in the morning, paying extra for a personal escort up to the security gate.

  Next, she helped me locate a shipping company. I made arrangements with them to pick up Hannah’s BMW at our hotel and ship it to her residence on Seattle’s Eastside. The bill of lading was faxed to the concierge. I had her put all the paperwork for the airline ticket and shipping into a large manila envelope. I scratched Hannah’s name across it with a thick black marker and handed her the key to Hannah’s car.

  Lastly, I needed to find a quiet, private corner to make another phone call to Nick, or Alexi, since I wasn’t sure who would answer. I was prepared for either, so while I was disappointed, I wasn’t surprised when I heard Alexi’s voice. His tone was more serious than it had been the last two times I’d spoken to him. I think he was tired of playing games.

  “Tyler, my friend, so good of you to call.” He addressed me with his usual sarcasm, his concise articulation aggravating me more than usual.

  “Alexi.”

  “I hear you are nearly back in town. I hope the girl is well. We need her in top form, after all. I cannot afford damaged goods, you understand.”

  I was relieved he didn’t know we’d made it back into San Francisco yet. I was a little surprised though, knowing he was probably watching us from a distance. I couldn’t rely on him telling me the truth. As long as Hannah stayed put, she would be safe until I saw her off to the airport. After that, I would be face to face with Alexi, and he would have to deal with me alone.

  “She’s fine,” I answered. “Now put my brother on the phone.”

  “In a moment. First, I want to make arrangements to meet—you, me, and the girl.”

  “Not so fast, Alexi. I need to speak to Nick before we get down to business.”

  He barked a command in Russian, snapping his fingers impatiently. Loud voices called out in the background as Alexi handed the phone over.

  “Tyler?” It was Nick. His voice was even rougher than before, thick and garbled.

  “Nick, are you all right?”

  “Ty, remember what I told you—” he began but was cut off. He yelled out from far away. “Stay away, Ty. Don’t come here. Don’t come looking for me!”

  Then his voice faded away altogether. It killed me inside to hear him calling out so desperately and not be able to come to his defense. It was difficult to control my temper when Alexi returned to the phone.

  “You see, my friend, your brother yet lives, but I think he could use your help. I suggest you bring the girl and meet us at the tea house. Nine a.m. sharp. And Tyler...this is your last chance to make it right, so do not fuck it up. For your brother’s sake.”

  Alexi hung up before I could say anything else. I glanced at my watch. I had nine hours left to lay the ground work and get Hannah away from the hotel. It was time for me to go back to our suite and get started. I prepared myself by ordering six shots of tequila at the hotel bar. It was enough to set me on edge, yet not so much that I was overly impaired, given how much alcohol I normally consumed. I downed all six shots quickly then ordered a bottle of beer to take back up to the room.

  It was dark and quiet in the suite. Hannah had gone to bed, as I’d suggested. I was hesitant about taking the next step, nervous even, but I had little choice. I stood in the doorway to her darkened room and stared over at her resting form. I walked over to the bed and stood next to her. She was sleeping on her side, turned away from me with just a sheet pulled up to her waist. It was easy enough to tug the sheet away from her body without her feeling it. Hannah lay exposed to me, with only her undergarments covering her tempting curves.

  I allowed my eyes to roam over the alluring silhouette of her body, recalling the sweet moments we had shared earlier. My pulse, already accelerated with thoughts of my plan, quickened even more as the heated blood rushed through me. My muscles were taut, and I grew hard with desire. I wanted nothing more than to climb into bed beside her and repeat it, to show her that I could be just as giving as she had been. But, as aroused as I was, I knew I could never go there again. I would have to be satisfied with the precious memories she had given me.

  With a reluctant sigh, I took the end of the cold, sweating bottle of beer and touched it to the side of her bare leg just above her knee. I slowly swept the chilled vessel up her thigh, over her hip, to her waist, and along her ribs. She startled awake with a quiet gasp, turning to look back over her shoulder as I loomed above her in the dark.

  “Ty?” she called out in sleepy confusion.

  “Mm. How lovely you look, Ms. Maguire,” I taunted her menacingly then returned the bottle to my lips for a long pull.

  She drew a sharp intake of breath. “Ty, what are you doing? Are you drunk?”

  She tried to pull herself up in bed, but I swung my leg up and over her. I straddled her body at her hips and knelt down on the bed, pinning her in place. When she attempted to scoot out from under me, I pushed her back down by placing the bottom of the bottle against her chest, just below her chin. She shivered in fear while I leaned down to stare at her with a devilish grin.

  “Oh Hannah, relax, it’s just one beer,” I pulled back to take another drink, “to wash down a few shots.”

  The fear in her eyes was plain, even in the dim city light outside the window. Her soft voice trembled as she spoke. “What’s wrong? Why are you drinking again?”

  I chuckled. “Why should there be anything wrong? I’m just…reliving old times.” I smiled and continued to stare into her frightened eyes.

  “Ty, please. Get off me.”

  She pushed against my chest with a half-hearted effort. I leaned down farther and pressed my lips against hers, kissing her until she was breathless. I sat back up and finished the beer then threw it against the wall where it crashed in a loud spray of shattered glass. Hannah jumped with a sharp yelp, her hands cupped against her ears.

  I looked back down at her and slowly ran my hand up her arm, along her shoulder, and up to her throat, where I allowed it to linger. Very gently, I wrapped my fingers around the silken column of gleaming pale skin. My other hand entwined in her hair. I pulled my face to within an inch of hers and gave her a gentle but quick shake. She screamed out my name as the first tears began to roll over her temples. She pressed her eyes tight against me and wrapped both her hands around my wrist.

  I gave her one more sharp jolt. “Open your eyes, Hannah!”

  When she complied, I lowered my mouth to hers and kissed her slowly, drawing my tongue over her lips then plunging into her mouth. She didn’t fight me at all, though I could feel how frightened she was as her body tensed and trembled. I pulled myself back and stared into her panic-stricken eyes, laughing softly at her fear.

  “How well do you think you know me, Ms. Maguire? I mean, we’ve spent nearly every second of the last few days together, shared the most intimate of moments, the threat of death looming over our heads. You’ve seen me at my barbaric worst. My most broken and vulnerable. You’ve heard my pathetic tale of lost love and family betrayal. But you don’t really know me. Do you?” I paused and held her gaze. “No,” I laughed bitterly, “you don’t know me at all.”

  I released my hold on her throat and pushed away. As I swung up off her, I grabbed her by both arms and forced her up off the bed with me. I wrapped my arms around her back, pinning hers to her sides while my mouth rested near her ear.

  “That fear you feel right now, Hannah? I suggest you remember it well.” I loosened my hold, pulled back, and looked her in the eye, then I
kissed her again, one last time, tenderly at first, and then with all the hunger and desire I had for her. I left her shaking, stunned, and silent.

  I pushed back from her and walked away; throwing onto her bed the manila envelope I had stuffed into the back of my waistband. I hesitated in the doorway and peered back over my shoulder. Hannah stood there alone in the dark. The tears in her eyes sparkled with the reflection of the city lights. Her arms were drawn up and pressed in front of her chest with her fists tucked firmly under her chin like a frightened little girl.

  I was struck still in my tracks. That was exactly how she looked only two days ago, just before I pushed her down onto her bed and savagely tried to rape her in a haze of drunken retaliation. The image of that morning lingered in my mind then merged into the one before me now. The sight of this poor broken woman, abused for my base need for revenge, left me shaken and nauseous. All the more reason to see this finished. I clenched my jaw tight to keep myself from running back to her, from wrapping my arms around her and begging for her forgiveness yet again.

  “You’re going home in the morning, Ms. Maguire. Make certain you’re ready,” I said then left the room.

  I heard her collapse back onto the bed, crying quietly. I left her confused and frightened, angry and betrayed, and, worst of all, hurt, but it was for the best.

  For her, at least.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Tyler

  As the sky blushed early the next morning, I returned to the hotel lobby and paid the bill of all current charges, with my own money, not Hannah’s. Once back in the suite, I could hear Hannah in the bathroom. I seated myself in one of the large living room chairs and waited for her. She finally emerged, freshly showered. Her eyes were red and swollen with pale purple shadows marring the porcelain contours beneath them. I felt a moment of regret for my deceitful performance last night, but my resolve was firm, and if she was angry and hurt, or better yet, afraid, then she could leave me behind without looking back, and remember me as nothing more than a bad experience.

  “All packed?”

  Startled, Hannah came to an abrupt halt before me. She glared at me for a brief moment then looked away as she searched around the room.

  “Yes,” she replied, her tone bitter and flat.

  “Then what are you looking for?”

  “My car keys,” she answered without looking up.

  “Don’t worry about it. You won’t need them.”

  With a loud sigh, she hitched both hands onto her hips and glared at me. “Excuse me?”

  “I said you won’t need them. You’re flying home. I’ve already had your car shipped back. Didn’t you look in the envelope I left for you last night?” I asked, but she refused to respond. “All the arrangements have been made. The bill of lading for your car is in there, your boarding pass, plus all your cash; I even paid back what we spent. And a Town Car is waiting downstairs to take you to the airport. I’ve already spoken to the driver and given him precise instructions. He’s bringing an assistant to escort you all the way to security. So you’re all taken care of.”

  Hurt blossomed across her face yet again, but she smoothed it over with an icy stare. “You don’t control me anymore.”

  I chuckled at her remark, rose from the chair, then walked over and stood in front of her. Although I loomed over her, and she couldn’t hide the alarm in her eyes, she stood up to me without backing down, her chin raised defiantly. Though not surprised, I was duly impressed with her bravery, but I was dismayed that I would have to continue with my charade. I reached down and took her hand, turning it over to kiss the inside of her wrist.

  “Oh, Ms. Maguire, I beg to differ,” I said with cool confidence and a hint of a smile pulling up at the corner of my mouth.

  Hannah ripped her hand from my grasp, pulled it back then slapped me hard across my face. The noise cracked like a whip off the walls. She took a step back and bore into me, contempt burning in her eyes. “I guess you were right. I don’t know you at all. Goodbye, Mr. Karras.”

  Hannah stormed back into her room and grabbed her bag, purse, and the manila envelope. She returned a moment later and paused at the front door. She turned back to face me, as if she had something else to say.

  “Hannah, I’m—”

  She held up her hand with her index finger singled out. “No. It’s Ms. Maguire now. Isn’t it?”

  I pressed my lips together and sighed. “I’ll escort you down to the car.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I think you’ve done enough already.” Though her tone was bitter, she looked at me with what I could only call longing in her eyes.

  I gazed back and felt my heart soften, my resolve slip. I wished I didn’t have to do this, but I had no choice, so I hardened my expression and tipped my head at her.

  She turned away and slipped through the door.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Hannah

  I wasn’t even through the door yet before I started crying again. I thought I’d cried away all my tears last night, that I had none left to shed, but they came back just the same. I felt deceived. I was angry that Ty had allowed me to comfort him as I did, offering him my forgiveness for every despicable thing he’d done to me, only to cast me aside as if it meant nothing, as if I were but a distraction to his real problem.

  I was confused by the way his mood always seemed to shift from one extreme to the other. It was as if he had two personalities: one mean and manipulative, self-serving and hateful, the other tender and caring, remorseful and loving. I had come to care for the latter and despise the former. More than anything, Tyler had frightened me, and the tentative trust I’d held in him was gone.

  Having all those feelings didn’t lessen the pain I felt at leaving. I still hadn’t sorted out the strange pull he had on me, and I was embarrassed, even horrified, that I could have any tender feelings for him at all after everything he’d put me through. But there was something there, as strange as it was, and right now it hurt more than I could bear.

  I exited the elevator and crossed the lobby to the auto entrance where brightly colored taxis and sleek limos lined the curb. I looked around for some sign of who was to take me to the airport and noticed a tall gentleman in a black suit and tie. He leaned casually against the side of a polished black Mercedes and held a sign with “MAGUIRE” written neatly across it in bold letters. I walked up to him with a wan smile, my heart still aching and my nerves raw.

  “I’m Hannah Maguire.”

  He tipped his head and grinned. “Going to the airport, ma’am?” he asked with a heavy European accent.

  “Yes, I suppose I am.”

  With a courteous nod, he opened the door. I climbed in and sat down. My nose wrinkled at the aroma of fresh tobacco. The driver took his seat and looked back at me in the mirror.

  “I should have you at your destination shortly, ma’am,” he informed me in his awkward, clipped tone.

  As he locked the doors, a slight chill ran through me, and I couldn’t help but feel trapped somehow. I shook it off though, telling myself it was just the past two days of fending off attackers that had gotten to me. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, determined to relax.

  Soon this nightmare would all be over, and I would be back home where I belonged.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Tyler

  It was done. There was no going back, no matter how I felt about Hannah. I hated to see the pain in her eyes, knowing full well that I’d put it there yet again. Though it would haunt me forever, I would accept it, because she would be better off without me in the end. But still, I felt her absence acutely. Just having her near helped me stay calmer than I would otherwise, so with her gone and the task of facing Alexi and Dmitri ahead of me, I was a jumble of nerves. There was no putting it off though. I had just over thirty minutes to get to Dmitri’s Tea House in the Outer Richmond. I flagged a cab and gave the driver the address.

  When I arrived, Alexi’s black Mercedes was parked in front of t
he restaurant. I nodded at the tall man leaning against it and pulled open the restaurant door. He followed me in, close on my heels, the strong smell of cigarettes preceding him. Two more large men with sidearms bulging beneath their jackets met me as I entered. One put a hand out to stop me while the other patted me down for weapons.

  As they searched me, I strained to see into the darkened room, looking for exits, additional men, and anything I could use as a weapon, should the need arise. The guards found nothing and let me pass, though I felt their eyes trained on me as if I had a bull’s eye painted on my back. Alexi’s voice called out from the private banquet room in the rear.

  “Ah, Tyler, my friend, come,” he said, oozing a polite charm. “Come and join us. Please, back here.”

  I crept cautiously through the main room and into the next, spying Alexi with two other men seated at a table, each expensively dressed in a finely tailored suit and tie. Sitting next to Alexi was Dmitri Chernov, a heavy-set man whose age was prominently mapped out on his markedly creased face. Though I had never met him in person, he was well-known in The City, repeatedly featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, sometimes in the crime section, but most often in the society and political pages. Across from him was a third man I did not recognize.

  Four more intimidating men held watch directly behind them, their shoulders crammed together awkwardly around the small table. Everyone scrutinized me, each set of eyes looking me up and down deliberately. Only Alexi had a broad grin plastered to his face, accompanied by a measured glean which glowed in his eye. I walked up and stood in front of their table. Alexi gestured to the empty seat directly across from him.