Page 98 of Fury

I swallowed hard, averting my gaze. “No, I’ll be fine.”

“I insist. You need anything else, you call me. I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

He leaned over me and planted a kiss on my mouth. Not quick, not slow. No tongue. But a kiss that was more than a goodbye peck. He pulled back and let out a long breath as if he’d just taken a drag on a quality cigar and he was appraising the flavor. “You’re welcome.”

He brushed past me. My door jerked open, and Turo DeMarco’s well-soled footsteps passed into the night.

26

Iopened my door a crack.The security chain stretched taut across my narrow view of Turo’s face.

“What is it?”

“Good evening to you too, baby.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Let me in.”

“No.”

“I have something I need to discuss with you.”

“Like what? The weather? The stock market crashing? Clinton’s latest affair?”

He let out a laugh, his face relaxing. “No.” His eyes traveled down my short kimono, lingering on my bare legs.

I pushed the door shut, but he quickly jammed his hand against the edge of the door, catching it. “This is business.” One of his eyebrows lifted as he slanted his head against the door jamb, his eyes piercing mine. “Let me in.”

Clenching my jaw, I unlocked the chain, opening the door for him. He entered, the shoulders of his expensive black trench coat brushing against me. His reddish blond hair was slicked back, his face freshly shaved, and with him wafted in the brisk scent of citrus cut with a dose of anise, almond, and musk. He stood in my living room, glancing at my work table which was strewn with drawings torn from my sketchbook. Drawings I hated. Drawings that were uninspired and bland. I hadn’t been able to work. I’d been distracted and moody. And anxious, very anxious. In the handful of days that had passed, I’d been avoiding Tania and friends from school. I still hadn’t heard from Finger.

Turo turned to me, his polished leather shoes catching the light from my work lamp. “I did some homework,” he said. “Took me a while. Had to go through a lot of different channels, but I’ve been doing this a long time.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You fascinate me.”

I raised my eyes level with his. “Why?”

“I’ve always liked you. You have a certain something. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s interesting. You keep to yourself. You don’t play games. You’re sexy as fuck.”

“I’m your girlfriend’s friend.”

“Yes, you are. From the beginning I needed to make sure Ciara wasn’t hanging out with some lowlife or someone who was using her to get to me. It’s happened before, and I had to deal with both of them. Can’t be too careful.”

“No, I agree, you can’t.”

“I checked you out and didn’t come up with much. Then you came to me for help, because you knifed a man to death. Well, that set off a mellifluous kind of music in my ears.”

“Did it?”

“Yes.”

“Again, your point?”

He leaned in close to me, his lips at my ear, his pricey manly scent attractive, asphyxiating. “Your secret is safe with me, Rena.”

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