by Riley Moreno
“Mr. Belitrov?” Regina called.
“Leo,” he said in her ear and Regina whirled around her heart in her mouth. Leo Belitrov stood exceedingly close a large knife in his hand. “Please call me Leo. Is that for me?” he pointed to the bottle of wine in her hands with the knife. “Thank you. Please, have a seat,” he indicated to the chair where a large cheese platter was set on the coffee table.
Regina placed her files on the table and her briefcase on the floor and took of her suit jacket. Her purple silk blouse shimmered in the light. “I wanted to discuss the stance we take for the defense.”
“No shop talks before dinner, please,” Leo said pleasantly. “We’re having my famous coque o vin with chocolate mousse for dessert,” he said chopping a few mushrooms on the chopping board his back to her in the attached kitchen.
“I really think we should discuss,” Regina said but stopped when Leo turned around and gave her an appraising look.
“You’re far too serious, Regina,” he said. “Doesn’t your boyfriend object to how career driven you are? Or let me guess; you don’t have time for a boyfriend.”
“My personal life has nothing to do with the case,” Regina smiled tightly. She was stunned at how true his analysis of her love life was. Her last boyfriend had broken up with her exactly for this reason, and that had been five years ago.
“True, but I’d like to get to know the woman defending me,” he said coming to her with a glass of red wine. He sat next to her on the large sofa, his eyes following her as she sipped the wine. “I’d like to know you intimately; what you like, what you dislike, where you come from, where you aim to go.”
Regina felt her skin tingle where his eyes touched it.
“Your brother came to see me,” she said to move the conversation away from her. His blue eyes were making her giddy.
“Dimitri? Why?” he asked his curiosity piqued.
“He wanted to show support,” Regina said. “He says he was at a friend Solomon’s reception at the time.”
“Yes,” Leo said with a small frown. “He made an appearance.”
“Your brother didn’t come to see you in jail,” Regina said and saw his eyes flicker with annoyance.
“We’re not on great terms,” he minced his words. “He’s the hot headed one and holds a grudge longer than most people.”
“Did he ask to accompany you to my office today?” Regina asked all of her suspicions about Dimitri ringing true.
“No,” Leo said, “We haven’t talked since he started sleeping with my wife,” he said vehemently.
Regina did a double take. Too many thoughts were competing for attention in her head. So Dimitri didn’t ask to accompany Leo, yet he was very keen on the details of the case, he knew that Leo knew of his relationship with his wife, but did everyone know of this sordid relationship or did the brothers keep it quiet? It was certainly the first Regina had heard of it.
“Were you two planning on getting divorced,” Regina asked.
“No,” Leo sighed, resigned to the conversation. “I’d toyed with the idea on many occasions but Zoya would always plead against the divorce, something about her father not being able to stand the shame. She came from a traditional Russian family.”
“And the baby,” Regina asked.
“It must have been Dimitri’s,” Leo said getting up to pace the floor. “I would have divorced her then, of course. It would make no sense to keep up the charade.”
“Do you suspect Dimitri?” Regina finally asked.
“I haven’t ruled him out,” Leo said, his mouth pressed, “he wasn’t too pleased with the division of the stock in our fathers will.”
“But you think your brother is capable of human trafficking? Even murder?” Regina asked stunned.
Leo gave her a lazy smile making her heart skip a beat then gallop in her throat. She had no control on the way her skin turned hot and cold in his presence, the immediate coiling in the small of her back and the intense wetness between her legs.
“You’d be surprised at what men are capable of, Regina,” he said leaning down till his face was inches from hers. “And I told you, no shop talk before dinner.”
Regina threw caution to the wind, leaned in the rest of the way and kissed him. It was light, a testing of the waters; she pulled back slightly only to be engulfed completely by his arms, his lips pressing firm and intense on hers. She darted her tongue across his lower lip and the kiss intensified.
His hands trailed the low scoop of her neckline and plunged roughly in to squeeze her breasts, his other hand unbuttoning her blouse. Regina unbuckled his belt and pulled roughly on his pants till she got to her prize.
It was purely animal; her need matched his own and they met like crazed lovers; their lips clashed and pulled apart, teeth grazed skin and nails raked the back of thighs. Regina felt like she was bucking on a stormy sea and Leo’s arms were the only thing that kept her from drowning. He stared in to her eyes as he thrust in to her; again and again, harder and deeper, his breathing harsh and warm on Regina’s heated skin. Regina locked her legs behind him, taking him in deeper as she moaned, reaching the crest of flight as he buckled and grunted against her; both holding each other tenderly as they came back down from the heights.
Chapter Four
A Clearer Picture
Regina stretched languidly like a jungle cat. The sheets were warm and Leo’s arms felt like home; she didn’t want to leave but it was already 5:45 am. If she wanted to get a change of clothes and make it to work on time she should leave now.
She gingerly removed Leo’s arms and stepped out of bed, collecting her panties off the floor. Her clothes were still in the living room. Regina pulled up her panties and regarded Leo with a warm smile. It had been a fantastic night; Regina had loosened up for the first time in years and just enjoyed a meal for the sake of it. They had eaten in their underwear, sitting on the kitchen counter, licking mousse off each other’s fingers then making love on the kitchen floor.
They had talked for hours about their lives, their childhood, their first flings and everything in between. Regina didn’t remember laughing so much in her life. She hadn’t been this carefree since her father died when she was twelve.
They’d made love again, in bed, less intense, slower, and gentle and she had felt a deep kinship with him; who sloughed her worries away and let her be even if it was for an evening. She bent down and kissed Leo on the forehead, completely enraptured by his slow breathing and the way his eyelashes fluttered in sleep.
She dressed as she walked around the apartment, fixing her hair as best she could with her fingertips. Regina was about to walk out when she reconsidered and turned back. She pulled out a pen and her legal pad and tore off a piece of paper.
Leo,
Had a great time last night.
Must go to work now.
Thank you for everything.
R
Regina placed the note next to the cheese plater where Leo wouldn’t miss it. She picked up some grapes from the fruit basket for breakfast and took the elevator down to the parking lot.
~*~
Donald Quick was waiting in her office when she arrived. She glanced at the clock on her office wall; it was 9:05 am. I’m five minutes late and he shows up to my office to enquire about it? Regina fumed internally, all of her good humor from last night gone.
“You’re late Miss James,” Donald said with an oily smile.
“Are we keeping track of employee timings now?” Regina asked. “Because if we’re doing that you should suspend Melanie Brice; she never shows up before ten.”
“I was just making an observation,” he said, “how are you coming along on the Belitrov case?”
“It’s coming along fine,” Regina said frowning, “Do you not trust me with the case, Donald? This is the second time in twenty four hours you’ve asked me about the Belitrov case.”
“Just concerned,” Donald said and Regina saw that he was sweating. “What progress are yo
u making?”
“I have a rough draft,” Regina evaded.
“Let’s hear it,” Donald said taking a seat.
Regina was flustered and a little offended by his questioning. She set down her briefcase and leaned against her desk casually so as not to betray her annoyance.
“Leo Belitrov didn’t kill his wife because he didn’t care enough to,” Regina said. “The police found none of Mr. Belitrov’s possessions at his Silver Lake house, no clothes, no books, music, golf set or ski equipment. All of that was found at Mr. Belitrov’s downtown penthouse where he had taken them six months ago when he and his wife decided to separate.”
Donald nodded for her to continue.
“Furthermore, Leo Belitrov not only wanted to divorce he was aware of his wife’s affair with his own brother, Dimitri Belitrov for months,” Regina said, “he knew about that even if he didn’t know about the baby. According to Zoya’s doctor she found out about the baby a week before she was murdered. The only reason they didn’t divorce was because Zoya wanted to keep up appearances for her father.”
“But doesn’t that show you motive?” Donald said with a wide grin. “Man knows of his wife and brother, feels impotent because he can’t even divorce her; finds out about the baby, refuses to raise the baby as his, last straw that broke the camel’s back!” he finished with a loud clap and got up to leave. “Insanity is your only defense, really.”
“I have a psyche evaluation scheduled for Mr. Belitrov for this afternoon,” Regina said. “His first hearing isn’t until after new years. I have more than a month to prep but thanks for dropping in.”
“Oh by the way,” Donald asked casually when he was half out the door, “doesn’t he have an alibi? I mean, that’s the first thing isn’t it? If he has an alibi we’re in the clear.”
“Mr. Belitrov has instructed that we prepare as if we don’t have one,” Regina said carefully.
“But there is one?” Donald asked looking at her intently. Regina nodded. “Has he shared it with you?”
“Yes,” Regina said lightly a sense of danger prickling the back of her neck.
“Well what is it?” Donald asked in exasperation.
“I’m sorry,” Regina said, “Mr. Belitrov has asked that I keep that to myself. Client confidentiality.”
“Well he’s the firms’ client and I’m a senior partner,” Donald said.
“Even so,” Regina shrugged, “I’m afraid I can’t tell you.”
Donald looked at her with narrowed eyes for a minute, assessing her. Regina looked back steadily. He finally shrugged and walked out. Jeffry walked in immediately after.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Regina said honestly, “but I have a very bad feeling about this.”
“Oh, this came in for you yesterday,” Jeffry handed her a file, “Came in from Brian Ludgate’s office a few minutes after you left.”
“Thanks,” Regina said taking a seat at her desk and opening the file. They were divorce papers filed by Zoya Belitrov on the 24th of November. Regina frowned ferociously at the papers and picked up her phone.
“Larry Spellings office,” a musical female voice said.
“Hi, this is Regina James from Quick, Sherman and Bale, could you tell Mr. Spelling it’s regarding his client, Zoya Belitrov.”
“Please hold.” Regina tapped her pen against the desk and chewed her lip thoughtfully. Leo had said that he had wanted a divorce but had held off because Zoya had never wanted one. But these documents she’d filed on the day she was murdered said otherwise. Yet, why would Leo be upset at something he’d wanted all along?
What was going on Zoya? Regina thought.
“Hello Miss James,” the man on the other line sounded elderly, “how may I help you?”
“I wanted to ask about the divorce papers Mrs. Belitrov had filed,” Regina said, “It says here that she wanted a divorce due to irreconcilable differences.”
“Well they had been separated for about six months,” Larry Spelling said, “no physical contact, no communication, nothing. They hadn’t been in the same zip code for six months.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t give any details as to why their marriage ended,” Regina said and berated herself for the personal interest she was taking in this. His wife was dead after a long estrangement and Regina wanted to find out why, not only for the case but also to piece a picture of the man together for herself.
“Can you swing by the office?” Larry Spelling asked. “I’d really be more comfortable talking about this face to face.”
“Of course,” Regina said checking her daily planner to see if she could spare some time, “I only have the next two hours free if that works for you.”
“Excellent,” Larry Spelling said. “I’ll see you in a few minutes then.”
Regina hung up and picked up her briefcase and the file with the divorce papers.
“I’m going to Larry Spellings office,” she told Jeffry on her way out. “I’ll be back in time to meet the Birch’s.”
The drive was uneventful and Regina reached Larry Spelling’s office in record time and parked in the basement parking of his building. She was shown in to his office almost immediately. He was a short slight man with round gold rimmed glasses. Hair as fluffy as cotton candy adorned his head and a hooked nose dominated his face.
“Miss James,” he greeted her with both hands out, “come sit. Wilma, coffee,” he said to his assistant. “Now, you wanted to know about Zoya Belitrov.”
“Yes, please,” she said.
“Zoya was Russian and I don’t mean of Russian descent I mean born and bred. She still had the trace of an accent when I met her. She’d met Leo at one of her father’s hotels in Russia and they had been married two months later. It was impulsive and, of course, didn’t turn out too well.
“Now Zoya’s father, he’s a typical Russian man; expects the children to be above board, no divorces, no failure of any sort and so Zoya, though in a miserable marriage, didn’t want a divorce. Her father wouldn’t hear of it. So they separated but didn’t make their separation public.”
“But then why the divorce now? What changed?”
“Zoya, as you know was with child, and it wasn’t Leo’s. This upset her greatly; she wanted the child to know their father and she thought it cruel to expect Leo to give the child his name, to never be able to have his own family because he was legally bound to her.”
“And who was the father?”
“She wouldn’t say,” Larry Spelling shrugged. “But she was in love with him.”
“Do you think,” Regina asked thoughtfully, “that maybe the father did it, murder her? Maybe he didn’t want the child.”
“It’s all speculation,” Larry Spelling smiled at her sympathetically, “I can understand how important it is for your case but conjecture won’t stand in court.”
“I’m aware of that. Will you repeat this information in court if I call you as a witness?” Regina asked.
“Of course,” Larry Spelling said.
“Thank you for your time Mr. Spelling.”
“Always my pleasure, dear,” he said, “and if you have any more questions please feel free to call.”
Regina felt her phone buzz in her pocket as she walked towards the elevator bank. She pressed the button for the elevator and pulled her phone out. It was a text message from Leo. The elevator door opened and she stepped inside.
Osborne says another shipping tonight. I’ve called authorities. Join me?
Regina didn’t know what to say. As his lawyer she wasn’t obliged to join him in his private investigations but she knew he wasn’t asking her as his lawyer.
Yes
She watched the little envelope close and move off in to the super information highway to Leo. She looked up when the elevator doors opened and beheld only darkness. The basement parking was completely dark. Regina stepped out and looked around cautiously, one hand one the elevator door so it wouldn’t close a
nd plunge her in darkness.
“Hello!” she called and didn’t know why. “Is anyone there?”
Of course there isn’t, silly, she upbraided herself.
She searched through her phone and turned the flashlight on. In the thin beam of light she walked towards where she thought her car was. It was eerie and nerve wracking, the sound of her heels on the concrete floor bounced off the walls and attacked her eardrums like birds of prey, and her shoulders hunched in dread.
Stop it, she scolded herself. Regina unlocked her car and sat inside. Her fingers were shaking badly but she finally managed to start the car, flooding the dark basement with her headlights.
Regina screamed.
A hooded man stood in front of her car with a gun pointed right at her.
She didn’t think, her mind was a scarlet blank. Her hands and feet moved of their own accord and she reversed the car, ramming in to the car parked behind her, her head ducking down as gunshots ringed in the closed space and holes erupted in her windscreen. She slammed her foot on the accelerator and charged forward, hitting the man, toppling him over and driving over him in her mad rush to get out of there.
She breathed heavily when she reached the sunlight but she didn’t stop; she drove all the way to the nearest police station then collapsed in her seat.
Chapter Five
Blood Brothers
Regina had been sent home. She was in no fit state to see clients after the attack on her. The police officers had taken down her statement, sent immediate patrols to the office complex and found only shattered glass. They were keeping her car as evidence and were sweeping through it for bullets.
Regina should have been terrified and she was for a while but now she was getting angry. Who had wanted her dead and why? And how had they known where to find her?
She was pacing her living room floor, her hair wet from the long shower she’d taken. She was wearing an oversized shirt that reached her knees, her feet were in socks and she was drinking her second glass of wine.