Shadows and Intrigue (A Viator Unmasked Story)

by Erin Lausten

  ****

  A sharp knock pulled her away from the Discovery Channel. Heartbeats punctuated her quick steps to the door. He couldn’t possibly know her room number.

  A shadowy figure loomed in front of the door. Just enough light filtered through the peephole to illuminate Carlo’s sharp features and intense eyes. A smile slipped across his lips as he looked at the door. It was as if he knew she was staring at him. Her fingers shook as she reached for the knob.

  The door opened a crack, halting when the chain lock reached its stop point. He raised his brow in mock surprise. “Were you not expecting me?”

  “I…sure. I just figured it wasn’t happening because you didn’t know how to get a hold of me.”

  “Ah. I see.” He stepped toward the door, his voice lowered to a seductive register, “Are you perhaps frightened, my Mona Lisa?”

  She lifted her fingers from the side of the door, but his hand closed over them, imprisoning them in his hard grip. “I do not want you frightened of me.”

  “Then your technique is a little off.” She pulled at her hand and he let go with obvious reluctance.

  “Please let me take you to dinner. I promise not to alarm you further.”

  “Right.” Lisa took a deep breath and shoved the door closed. She had to decide. Quick. Running to the side of her bed, she snatched up her phone. With a few clicks Robert was set to speed dial and she threw the slim phone into her purse.

  Carlo was leaning against the wall beside the door when she opened it. “You know, I could have stayed in there. You don’t have to act like it was a sure thing.”

  He pushed away from the wall and chuckled. Taking her arm, he led her to the stairs. “I believe in the power of positive thinking. I would have been sorely disappointed had you decided to not join me. So I did not think of it.”

  A rich glow gathered in her chest. She tried to temper it with reason. The man was far too arrogant for her taste.

  Once safely inside the cab, Lisa took a moment to really look at him. His dark hair shimmered a bit in the city lights. The iridescence reminded her of crow feathers. Sharp and strong features added to the stark intensity of his eyes. He watched everything with harsh appraisal, as though in that one gaze he could take measure and pass judgment.

  He seemed larger than life. Not so much creepy, but more like he walked in a world that had nothing to do with her. A world that ran by different rules. She shifted her gaze and caught him watching her.

  “So what do you do?” she asked.

  He let a moment pass then answered with slow deliberation. “I am a consultant for powerful men. The work is particularly specialized.”

  “Specialized?”

  “Quite.”

  “Did you know you have a habit of saying nothing that means anything?” she asked. He had walls built up high behind his well-formed words. Did he even know what hid behind his smooth responses?

  He laughed and a hint of a genuine smile passed before being quickly hidden away. “I have had too many years of secrets. It may take a while before I begin to show them to you.”

  “Hmm,” she said and left it alone, not quite sure that she wanted to know.

  “And you. What secrets does a beautiful librarian with a sharp wit and intoxicating eyes have to hide?”

  Lisa blushed at the compliment and turned her head to the passing scenery. The cab had slowed and the driver seemed to be looking for somewhere to pull over.

  When the cab stopped at the curb Carlo came around to open her door. His hand held hers in a firm but respectful grip. She could nearly imagine the cab was a brilliant coach and the dirty street had been replaced by an elegant walkway toward a palace. He made her feel like a lady about to attend a ball. All done with a smile and simple opened door.

  She would have returned the smile, but a blaring horn interrupted the scene. He placed his hand on her arm and hurried her to the sidewalk. The cab rushed off to join the slow-moving traffic. Bright lights poured from the restaurant into the night. Soft laughter and quiet music made the place inviting and magical.

  He escorted her in, speaking smoothly to the maitre d’ as they waited to be seated. The room had the simple touch of design meant to imply good taste and expensive offerings. With a nod, the maitre d’ led them down the aisle past tables and booths positioned to provide the most privacy for the guests, without limiting the number of seats. They were shown to a table tucked into the shadows of the room.

  As Carlo pulled out her chair, the maitre d’ placed the menu on the table with a flourish, recited the wine list, and offered suggestions. Carlo requested a bottle of something she couldn’t place. Her knowledge of wine was limited to the occasional bottle at Thanksgiving and Christmas. She had a feeling this was something quite different from the basic white zinfandel.

  “What is it that you desire?”

  She started at his silky voice and looked up at him with parted lips. What kind of question was that? It was certainly not first date conversation. But then nothing about Carlo had been the norm. He pointed a look at the menu beneath her fingers and she blushed.

  Grabbing at the small laminated page, she made a show of perusing the options. The maitre d’ returned and proceeded to open the bottle, provide Carlo with the taste, and completed the ritual with two sparkling glasses of wine. Lisa was grateful for the chance to pull herself together.

  When the man left, the waiter arrived and took their order. Lisa assumed Carlo planned to pay, but she chose something within her budget nonetheless. You could never be too sure.

  Carlo looked at her over the fluted glass as he tasted the wine. Lisa eyed hers, suddenly feeling quite out of place.

  “You were about to tell me your secrets, Mona Lisa.”

  Lisa grabbed the glass and took a quick sip. The wine tickled her tongue and the dryness hit the back of her throat. Not unpleasant, but different. “I don’t have secrets. Not like you. I’m just a librarian. I love books and people. I have a cat that stares out the window all day and I pay my bills on time. That’s about it. No woman of mystery here.”

  His lip turned up at the corner. “And yet, you do not smile.”

  “I do smile. I smile a lot. I just don’t smile for you.”

  He laughed at that and placed the wine glass down. “I have interrogated trained men and made them reveal all their secrets in less time then I have had with you. Yet you do not acquiesce to my demands.”

  His hand snaked out and took hers, his thumb rubbing a small circle at the base of her palm. “I wonder if you are perhaps not much more than you say. Perhaps you are quite adept at hiding behind your hometown American facade. Within you lies a great mystery. It can be the only thing that explains it.”

  “Explains what?”

  He pulled her hand toward his and placed a searing sweet kiss across her knuckles. Her insides jumped and her breath caught in her throat. He looked up from her hand with the same intense eyes. “It would explain why I am so enchanted by you.”

  “Oh boy,” Lisa breathed. Pulling her hand from his, she rose. “I have to go to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”

  He moved to stand but she put out her hand. “No, it’s all right. I promise I am coming back. I just need a quick break.” She turned and fled toward the elegantly scrawled sign for the ladies room. A breather was exactly the thing she needed.

  Several women smiled as she sailed into the bathroom. Gold fixtures reflected in large plate mirrors. The scent of green tea and honey hit her senses as she washed her hands. Dabbing a damp towel at her eyes, she let the coolness soothe her nerves.

  After a few minutes she took a fortifying breath, pushed open the swinging doors, and reentered the main room. A flash of worry crossed Carlo’s face before he caught sight of her returning. Perhaps he wasn’t quite as certain of her as he seemed. Standing as she approached, he put out a hand and helped her to her seat.

  “Where did you learn to act like a gentleman?” she asked.

/>   “Florence. My family is one of the oldest in the city. My mother insisted all of her sons learn the courtly graces.” He returned to his seat and placed the napkin on his lap. The salads had arrived while she’d been away. Sun-dried tomatoes in herbs and oil mixed as a savory and tangy experience she’d never be able to replicate at home.

  “A secret of yours for the one I just shared,” Carlo said.

  Lisa raised a brow. He returned the challenge with a smoldering stare. She gave in and said, “My favorite dessert is strawberry shortcake. But on biscuits, not that spongy stuff they sell at the grocery stores.”

  “I shall endeavor to remember that, cara…” he paused and then quickly recovered. “Tell me your dreams, Mona Lisa.”

  “Why did you stop calling me that? You called me cara mia yesterday. Why have you stopped?”

  He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and looked away. Now who was keeping secrets? The game they played was invigorating. They picked out the pieces of each other from the veiled expressions and cautious comments, but it could get exhausting. What would happen then?

  Keeping her eye on him, she lifted the wine to her lips. “Come now Carlo, I know you have an answer for me.”

  His nostrils flared as he responded, his eyes hot as he appraised her. “The expression is trite. Meaningless. A false endearment that has no place in your presence.”

  Lisa caught her breath and her eyes widened. His gaze fell to her lips and she knew, for once, exactly what he was thinking. Her voice was harsh and breathy when she said, “For the life of me I can’t figure you out. It is a little unnerving.”

  His eyes snapped up to hers and he said, “The sentiment is shared.”

  She sat back with relief. “Oh good, because I was beginning to think I was—” A crash interrupted her comment. Glass shattered at the main entrance and several screams echoed through the room.

  “Benanati, you bastard. I know you are in here!” A shot was fired and plaster fell from the ceiling. Carlo grabbed her arm and pulled her beneath the table. Cursing in Italian, he looked out toward the front of the restaurant.

  “Carlo Benanati! I know you are in here you coward!” Another shot rang, this one sending a lamp careening into the floor beside their table.

  “Is she looking for you? Is she an old girlfriend?”

  His jaw tightened as he responded, “Hardly. The woman and I have no love lost between us.”

  “Well that’s obvious. She sounds like she wants to kill you.” Lisa’s heart pounded at an impossible rate. Just when she felt the date was looking up. She stared at Carlo and shook her head. She really needed to start listening to her intuition more often. “Why does she want to kill you?”

  “She feels she has reason.”

  Between clenched teeth, Lisa responded, “And do you think she has reason?”

  He turned his face to hers and smiled. “I imagine if I were in her situation I would. Yes.” Suddenly, he grabbed her by the chin and dipped down for a kiss. His lips moved like hot metal against her. The hand at the back of her head tightened as he poured his passion into her. Bright lights flashed behind her eyes and liquid fire built up within her belly.

  His tongue teased her lips open and surged within her, a taste that left a promise. When he pulled away, her chest heaved with the force of unfulfilled desire. His thumb to her lips, he traced a line from one end to the other. “I promise I am not done with your secrets, my dear Mona Lisa.”

  He laughed at her wide-eyed astonishment. Then he began to fade away. His body shimmered before her, falling into the background like a mirage on a hot road. Lisa gasped and grabbed for him, but her hands fell through his body to the floor. He was completely gone.

  Lisa couldn’t believe what she’d seen. How had he? What on earth? She placed her shaking fingers to her lips.

  Suddenly, the table above her flew away and landed across the aisle. Lisa flashed her eyes to a woman with tightly bound blond hair and a face full of fierce determination. “Where is your companion?”

  “Gone,” Lisa squeaked.

  “Gone? And what was his name?”

  Lisa tipped her chin in defiance. The frightening blond just lifted a gun and snarled in a thick Slavic accent, “If it is Carlo, he is undeserving of such loyalty.”

  A tick along her jaw was the only reaction Lisa provided. The woman snorted and lowered the gun. “Humans are such stupid creatures.” She reached down and propelled Lisa to her feet. Her voice low, she growled, “If you are of sound mind at all, you will avoid him. He is an evil man with no thought beyond his own desires and needs. He will use and destroy you.”

  Lisa just glared back. What could she say against such vehemence? She had no evidence to the contrary. He may very well be who the woman thought he was.

  The woman grunted in disgust and pushed Lisa away. Sirens wailed and several pots crashed in the kitchen. The rest of the room sat like it was empty, though Lisa spied a foot beneath one of the booth tables. It seemed no one would be coming to her rescue.

  When she returned her attention to the woman, she’d already begun to fade from view. Lisa gaped. This really couldn’t be happening. Once the woman had completely gone, Lisa sat heavily in a chair. People did not just disappear in thin air. What on earth had she gotten herself involved in?

  ****

  Lisa threw her purse down on the bathroom counter and started the water in the shower. The police had insisted she stay and make a statement. It seemed everyone in the place knew she had been the woman with the target. A woman abandoned to face the assailant alone.

  At least, that was how the cops saw it. Lisa was just confused. The whole experience had been ridiculous from the start. She didn’t know what was harder to believe. That Carlo could just disappear into thin air or that someone that intense and mysterious could be intrigued by a simple woman like her. When it came to secrets, he certainly won the day.

  She put her hand under the water. Satisfied with the temperature she left the room to undress. The hotel echoed with emptiness as she pattered across the tile to the carpeted bedroom. Flicking the light on, she stopped at the sight on the bed.

  A single rose lay across a cream colored paper. Her fingers shook as she reached down to examine the letter. The penmanship was as bold and intense as the owner.

  My dear Mona Lisa,

  I find that our time together has been cut painfully short. An apology would be a far cry from what is owed to you, and yet, I cannot bring myself to provide such assurance. I will never regret the time I spent with a woman such as you. Perhaps soon I can return to discover what truly lies behind your smile.

  Carlo

  The soft mattress depressed as Lisa sat and lifted the rose to her nose. The rich scent filled her senses and the letter fell from her hand onto the floor. She smiled.

  The End

  Dear Reader

  Thank you for reading my story! Carlo is a character that originally appeared in Unexpected, the first novel in the Viator Legacy Series. From the start, he was the gentleman that played bad so good I had to know more. This story is only an introduction to his personal adventure. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for this particular viator. Be assured, we will see more of Carlo and the spunky Lisa in future stories.

  If you are intrigued by the world of the Viator and wondering where Carlo might have disappeared to, take a look at Unexpected, now available online at a number of fine retailers. To discover more, visit my blog at https://erinlausten.wordpress.com

 

  Forever Yours,

  Erin

  Unexpected:

  Viator Legacy Series Book 1

  For two thousand years, the Domus served as a guiding light to the Viator, a people born with the ability to travel through time. Now, faced with a threat to their very existence, Derian is tasked with protecting a woman whose abilities may be the one thing that could save them.

  Hailey MacIntyre is thrust into an adventure through time and discovery. No
one prepared her for the dramatic changes that crashed into her life one fateful afternoon at the wrong end of a car-jacker’s gun. Now she’s running for her life with new talents she never knew were possible. Will she find herself the unwitting accomplice to the destruction of the Domus or the savior to a people she didn’t know existed?

  Discover Unexpected now at an online retailer near you. Or visit Erin’s blog at https://erinlausten.wordpress.com