My car choked and spluttered to life as I turned the key and started the engine. I could see a couple of girls look over as they stepped out of their own coupe, laughing at the state of my banger. I didn't care - recently I'd come to love the little quirks of my car. I think it was the knowledge that they weren't forced on me any more; they were by choice. If I wanted, I could buy something much nicer but, right now, that wasn't a concern.
I put the car in gear and hit the accelerator, lurching it forward as smoke came gushing out of the exhaust. I laughed lightly to myself. If it gets any worse, a change might well be forced upon me.
The journey to Adam's park was a simple one and didn't take long. By the time I got there my phone clock was ticking towards 8 PM, so I quickly parked at the side of the road and stepped out. I didn't suppose I was meant to park there, but I didn't think the wardens would be around at this time.
I walked in through the main gate and into the park, the entrance shrouded by a couple of large and lavishly leaved trees. I'd been here a few times in the summer to sunbathe, but not at night. Right now I doubted many people would come here in the night-time - it wasn't particularly inviting.
The main area in the middle of the park was largely open, with pockets of trees around the sides to obscure the inside from the roads surrounding it. There was, however, one large tree alone in the center, cast far from its brothers and standing isolated in the large expanse of open greenery. Underneath I knew there was a bench, a place for lovers to sit and watch the world go by under the sun. It was a common proposal spot apparently, or so I'd heard.
As I approached I could see the silhouette of the bench and a man sitting upon it. I checked my watch again - 8.03 PM. I knew Kyle was an absolute stickler for time, so being late was never advised when meeting him.
He stood as I got nearer, his figure small under the imposing tree, and walked slightly from under its shadow. A slight sense of dread hit me as the figure loomed closer, still impossible to decipher in the darkness, as thoughts of Mr White flooded my mind. It was ironic - when I danced for him I thought of Kyle, and now I knew it was Kyle under the tree, my thoughts were set on Mr White. His intentions for me, as Jen had revealed, were unsettling, and made the idea of dancing for him again all the more off-putting.
As I inched forward my mind returned to ease as I recognized the contours of Kyle's body, his chiselled jaw and wavy hair clear to the eye. His eyes flashed under the glowing moon as he finally emerged into the light, away from the shadow of the tree. He wore a look of concern on his face, his lips unable to curl into a smile at seeing me.
He hugged me and planted a kiss to my cheek but nothing more. His eyes still swam with worry as he spoke. “What's going on Alice? I told you not to text me or call me, it might not be safe.”
It was why he'd brought me out here, out into the middle of the park under a large oak tree: to avoid prying eyes. He seemed shifty, his eyes darting to the left and right.
“I needed to speak to you about things. This is getting out of control Kyle. Look at you - are things really that bad?”
His lively eyes squared on me. “You don't know my father. Secrecy is paramount Alice.”
“Then is it worth it?” I asked quickly. “If your father's that much of a nutcase then maybe this isn't such a good idea.” I gestured with my hands between us.
His voice grew colder for a brief moment as he spoke. “My father is not a nutcase. He's an important man Alice. He has a lot of interests that need his attention, and he doesn't give any slack at all to keep everything in line.”
“I know that Kyle, but you're his son. Surely there are different rules for you than everyone else.”
He looked away briefly before returning his eyes to mine. “I wish that were the case. If anything, the spotlight is even more on me because I'm his son. It's the same for all of us, for all of his businesses.”
All of us. What was he talking about. “What do you mean 'all of you'?”
“My brothers Alice. We're all under the microscope.”
“You have brothers?” It was the first I'd heard of it.
“Four.”
“Four!” I exclaimed. “You've kept them quiet.”
“It hasn't been relevant. Suffice to say, our father has a plan for each of us, a role he likes us to play. I run the club, but the others, they take care of his other interests.”
I was beginning to understand things more clearly. It sounded like Kyle's father had been - still was - some sort of mafia boss, or at least someone heavily involved in crime and/or other questionable endeavours and enterprises.
“What sort of interests?”
He shook his head. “Look, I've said too much already. I can't talk about this stuff, about him. I don't want you getting involved in this Alice.”
He continued speaking, cutting me off before I could disagree, before I could ask what 'this' actually was.
“So why are we here?” he asked again, getting back round to the topic at hand. “Your text was abrupt. Is something wrong?”
“I spoke to Mrs Jones,” I said fast, “she told me that you'd canceled my sessions, that I was no longer to see her.”
He nodded. “You don't need to any more. You've nothing more to get from her. Nothing.” His voice had a weight to it.
“Are you trying to protect me Kyle?” I asked. “What Jen said, that she grooms people for prostitution - is that true?” I had a slight smile on my face as I asked, despite the seriousness of the topic. The idea that Kyle was pulling me away from things and protecting me was highly appealing.
He smiled and kissed me. “I'd do anything I can to take you out of this Alice. But if anyone asks, it's because you don't need more tuition.”
He wasn't really answering my question. I knew he felt guilty for that side of the business, for his involvement in it. I guessed that with other girls he would turn a blind eye, ignore it. With me though, with me I knew it became all too real. I knew the idea of me turning to prostitution was abhorrent to him,
“I've something I need to tell you too Alice.” His voice grew more grave, his eyes more sullen.
“Mr White wants to see you again. He wants you to perform once more.”
My eyes narrowed slightly as I heard the name. “Perform. You mean, dance? Just dance, right?”
“I told you Alice, I'm not going to let anything happen to you.” His eyes were set on me, his hands at my shoulders. “I don't want you to be part of any of this any more. I want you to quit.”
My head was all over the place. I was completely torn and divided on several levels. I needed the money and knew that there was no way in hell I'd be able to earn anything like what I did doing anything else. At the same time, while I'd struggled to engage with it at first, erotic dancing made me feel free and sexy. Speaking the God's honest truth, I'd even say I enjoyed it.
But then there was the other side of the coin. If anyone at college found out, anyone in a position of power or authority, I could be thrown out, my dreams of a future career dashed. And then there was Kyle: if I wanted to be with him, be with him properly, I'd have to stop dancing. Even then, relationships with ex dancers were said to be off-limits. Something also told me, something deep down in my gut, that Mr Logan, Kyle's father, wouldn't let me slip from his grasp so easily.
I looked into Kyle face and it told me all I needed to know. Words were one thing, but his expression said it all: he really did want me to quit. I could see that the idea of me exposing myself to other men was becoming harder and harder for him to handle.
“I can't quit,” I said finally, “not yet. I need the money Kyle.” It was the easiest reason to come up with.
“Forget the money,” he said quickly, shaking his head, “I can support you.”
&nbs
p; I knew there was no way that could be the case. And even if he could, there's no way I'd accept any money from him.”
“You know that can't happen Kyle.” I didn't explain why. I think he knew, deep down, that I'd never accept it.
He nodded glumly. “I guess. Please Alice, just be safe, OK.” There was a foreboding to his words that didn't seem necessary. After all, I'd danced for Mr White twice already, and for many others, all without a hitch or hint of a problem.
“I always am,” I said, before kissing him under the moonlight.
Chapter 34
I stepped out from the car and headed in through the lobby of the Globe Hotel. The grand entrance and lavishly designed interior wasn't a foreign sight to me any longer, so failed to draw my eye as it had on previous occasions.
Immediately I could see the familiar face of the concierge smiling happily at another guest as I walked in, busying himself in offering any help and advice he could. His gaze drew up and he spotted me once more as I walked towards him, a knowing smile spreading over his face.
He nodded his head slightly down as I approached him and spoke in his usual official tones. “Good evening Miss Newton, so nice to see you once more. I assume you'll be taking a further visit to room 640? Mr White has quite an appetite today.” He hushed his voice with his final words so as to keep them from anyone else's ears, a slightly abashed look on his face.
“I will,” I said, his last comment slightly confusing me. Quite an appetite today - what did he mean by that?
I walked over towards the lifts and stepped inside, pressing the button for the 6th floor. I felt the usual pang of excitement as the lift slowly ascended, this time mixed with a lingering feeling of doubt and nerves. The last time I'd come here, Jen had warned of Mr White's intentions, a thought that didn't sit happily in my stomach.
I stepped out as the lift opened and turned to my left, eyeing the number 640 on a door down the hall. I knew the drill from before:
Knock on the door, wait for a response. Go in, lock the door, and dance until he is satisfied. Then leave.
All in all, a pretty simple nights work. I knew that Mr White wasn't much of a talker. I knew he'd be sitting there in the shadows, unwilling to reveal his face, his true identity. Fine by me.
I knocked on the door as I reached it and waited for the usual growl from inside. It never came. I knocked again, this time accompanying my knock with “Mr White, I'm here,” as I did.
Once more, no voice issued from within.
I steadied my hand and reached for the handle, turning it to open the door. The scene inside was as usual: a darkened room, lamps lit in the corners, a single spotlight highlighting the center of the room. Beyond I could see the armchair, hidden in the shadows, and the shape of a figure sitting there as always.
But things weren't as always. Something was off.
I crept closer into the room and spoke again. “Mr White, are you there?”
Once more no sound came from the room, from the chair, from the shadow.
My pulse began to soar as I stepped closer, moving in towards the spotlight, trying to get a better look at the figure in the chair. I could see the shape of a man's head, not upright against the back of the chair, but slumped to one side, the neck arching and laying the head to rest on the shoulder.
I whispered again, my voice quieter now. “Mr White, are you OK?”
He didn't answer.
My breathing was heavy now as I inched closer to the chair, the figure coming into vision, the shape of his body and features of his face growing in clarity. His eyes looked to be half open, staring forward with a vacant gaze. His heavyset body was completely unmoving, his chest failing to raise in breath.
Then, suddenly, I saw it, my eyes growing accustomed to the dim light. A knife, plunged deep into his heart, nothing but the handle issuing from his flesh. I staggered backwards slightly as the vision dawned on me, his shirt soaked in blood. I looked to the floor to see that it had seeped onto the carpet, through the chair, everywhere. In the dim of the room it had been hard to see. Now it was all I could see.
My hands were shaking as instinct took over and I stepped forward, reaching for his neck. I searched quickly for a pulse but there was none. His heart had given in, cut through by the blade in his chest.
I turned and looked back towards the door. I'd forgotten to shut it, leaving it open a crack. I could hear people walking past down the hall. I thought about crying out for help, but my voice stayed hidden.
They might think I had something to do with it, that it was me.
I stepped back from the body and ran for the door as the footsteps disappeared, pulling my phone right out of my handbag as I did. I quickly slipped my head round the door to see nothing, emptiness, before shutting it as quietly as possible.
I dialed Kyle's number on my phone and listened for his voice. It rang over and over before going dead. I rang again, hoping, praying, for a response, for help.
The line clicked to life and I heard his voice, once more stern at the other end.
“Alice, I told you NOT TO CALL THIS NUMBER! I will be in tou....”
I cut him off before he could do the same to me. “He's dead,” I said, trying my best to keep my voice down for want of someone hearing through the wall.
“What are you talking about? What's going on?”
“Mr White is dead,” I said again.
I could hear his breathing increase down the phone as the words sunk in. “You're with Mr White? What are you doing there?”
“To dance, what do you think! I came to the hotel as usual and he's fucking dead Kyle. There's a fucking knife in his heart!” The thought was making me want to spew.
“OK Alice, stay calm. Where are you now? Come on Alice, where are you.”
“In the room.”
“OK, that's OK. You need to leave right now. No one knows who you are there. No one knows your real name. Just walk out the front of the hotel, get in the car, and tell the driver to take you to the club. OK, can you do that?”
I nodded to myself without realizing that he couldn't see me.
“Can you do that Alice?”
“I can.”
“OK, do it now, and act calm. I'll meet you at the club.”
I turned to the door and listened for movement. There was none, no sound of footsteps or voices out in the corridor. I quietly opened the door and stepped out, shutting it behind me. If nothing else, this would be my last visit to room 640 at the Globe Hotel.
I gathered myself as I walked along the corridor, trying to correct the shaking at my knees. I kept my composure, a trait instilled in me by Mrs Jones. For that I was thankful.
I entered the lift as it opened in front of me, stepping in with a couple of other men who couldn't help but eye the cleavage beneath my coat. The journey in the lift felt like it lasted a lifetime as it kept opening at every floor, more guests stepping in as it descended.
I stepped off quickly as it opened to the main foyer, trying to plant the most casual smile on my face as I could. I sensed the concierge eyeing me up as I left, but didn't look towards him, instead heading straight out into the night as per Kyle's instructions.
I stepped into the waiting car and gave the driver his orders, the privacy in the back seat finally giving me the chance to unleash my emotions. My eyes welled up and I breathed heavily as I scrambled for a drink, spilling whiskey to the floor as I hastily filled a glass.
I sunk it down, the liquid helping to numb me as my mind tumbled in several different directions, questions bombarding my brain.
Who killed him? Why? Would they think it was me when they found him? Would I go to jail?What the fuck was going on?!
The thoughts forced me to sink another whiskey as the car zoomed
forward. Kyle would know what to do. I could trust him, rely on him. He'll make things all right.
I hoped to God I was right.
Chapter 35
I stepped quickly out of the car and looked at the club. I kinda though that maybe Kyle would be waiting for me outside, there to comfort me and escort me in. But no, not with our arrangement, not with all the secrets. What I'd just witnessed in room 640 was just another element to add to the fucked up nature of my life.
I was still jittery as I walked in past Mace, although the whiskey had helped to settle me slightly. I gingerly walked down the steps and along the corridor away from the beating tones in the club behind me, knocking at the door as I reached the room at the end.
I could hear Kyle's voice inside, saying “come in” with his usual official, managerial tone.
As soon as I walked in he was up and towards me, rushing from round the side of his desk just as the door closed. He came straight in and hugged me tight, his strong arms around me just what I needed.
“You're OK now Alice,” he said as the tears began to flow from my eyes, “it's OK.”
He led me over to a sofa at the side of the room and sat me down, fetching a couple of drinks and perching down beside me.
“Here,” he said, handing me the glass, “it will settle your nerves.”
I took the glass of whiskey - my third - and took a sip.
“Tell me Alice, did anyone there know you? Did anyone at the hotel know your name?”
I thought for a moment as the whiskey warmed my system. “No, no one. I - I think I mentioned my surname to the concierge the first time I went there months ago but I never said my first name.”
Kyle was nodding, his eyes pensive. “OK, that's OK.”
“But who could have done this?” I asked him, “what the hell's going on Kyle?”
“I don't know Alice, I'll have to talk to my father. He may be involved, or it may be completely unrelated. I'll get to the bottom of this, don't worry.”
The Logan Brothers - Books 1-4: (EXPOSURE, CRASH, TWIN PASSIONS, and ADDICTED TO YOU) Page 13