Page 33 of Kept 2
As he turns to get another bottle, I lean forward and hiss.
“You being here will bring death to me. Get out of here. Don’t involve me in any of your hunter shit – I put the journals back in the library at Ereston – I don’t have anything you want, and you certainly don’t have anything I want.”
“You’re wrong,” she says, her voice now ice, “I do have something you want, something you need very badly if you are going to save your friend’s life, not to mention your own – information.”
I gasp.
“How do you know about Margarita?”
“You are playing a deadly game, blindfolded,” she growls, “be smart, use whatever brains are in that tiny cook’s head of yours and listen to your betters.”
“Betters?” I rise and look down at her, “no wonder Nicholas snapped all your bones, you bitch. Fuck off. I don’t want your help.”
“Everything alright, ladies?” Ricardo laughs, returning with the bottle and casting a quick, amused glance at my face.
“Yes, Lucy was just leaving,” I add between clenched teeth, “she had forgotten an appointment.”
“Well, swing by for dinner tomorrow night at our house,” Ricardo suggests magnanimously, “it is our night off. I have not met any other friends of Josephine’s, and I’d like very much to know more about her. She tells me so little about her past – perhaps a friend can fill in the blanks,” he winks conspiratorially at Lucy.
“I’d like that very much,” she says, all fake friendliness, “I’ll pop by tomorrow for the address.”
I stay silent, breathing hard through my nose, as she puts money on the table, more than enough to cover her bill, and leaves.
“Why did you do that?” I round on him as she leaves, “if I’d wanted to invite her to bloody dinner, I would have done so.”
“Why are you so angry?” he frowns, “I thought she was your friend. Are you jealous? Do you think I might fuck her on the dining room table?”
“I couldn’t care less if you do,” I shout, angrily scooping up the money and shoving it hard against his chest, “and she’s no friend of mine.”
“OK, OK,” he raises his hands in defeat, “I will change our plans when she comes tomorrow. Now come on, calm down, you are beginning to resemble a Sicilian housewife. Let’s lock up and go home.”
“You go,” I say, still bitter, “I’ll clean up and prep for tomorrow.”
“There is no need, my cousin and his team are organised for the weekend shifts, you know this.”
“Nevertheless,” I turn and walk away from him, shrugging off his hand as he reaches for me. “I’ll come home when I’m ready.”
He grumbles and leaves, and when I am finally alone, I pull out my phone and dial Blake’s number. I’ll give James a blast he will never forget if he is responsible for sending his sister to me. How the hell he found me, I have no idea.
But the line is dead, no doubt James had given up on calling me since I’d blocked his number so long ago. On a whim, I sigh and call Margarita.
“Hi, it’s me.”
“Josie,” she says, her voice hitching, “I thought you were never going to speak to me again, I’ve tried calling you, but you blocked me.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry about Bali. I’m sorry about trying to convince you to give yourself to Nicholas. Please, c’mon, let’s just go back to being friends. I miss you.”
“I’m sorry too,” I sigh, “I know you can’t resist Jerry. They are almost hypnotic in their beauty, it’s impossible to describe unless you’ve felt their allure. I should have cut you some slack.”
“How do you know?” she breathes.
“Because I spent a month or more in the same room as Nicholas, although he was in disguise as someone else. The moment I met his eyes I…”I pause to gather my thoughts, “it was like I was just drawn to him and, truth be known, I miss him, I…” I swallow hard, “I can’t believe he wants to kill me, but I’ve read his journals, Margarita, I know him inside and out – heisgoing to kill me. And, you know what Shakespeare wrote:
I do not set my life at a pin's fee;
And, for my soul, what can it do to that,
