Page 74 of Stripped

Pim turned on her. "Well, maybe I needed you. For once, maybe you could have put me first."

Wraith followed them both. Taking the key from Pim's shaking hand, he opened the door to the stairwell. "Maybe we should take this inside," he said to both of them.

"No, it's fine. She's leaving." Pim stormed up the stairs, leaving him alone with her mother.

"Christ, she's always been such a difficult girl," she said to Wraith, extending her hand. "I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced. Aileen Martin."

"Robert Wraith."

"Well, Robert, tell her I'll see her at the gala and I hope she'll be a bit more grateful by then."

* * *

Pim set down her bag. Someone had cleaned her flat; the red paint was gone, the ruined couches had been removed and the living room stood bare. Wraith came up behind her, putting his arms around her. "She's gone."

"Thomas or Viktor?" she asked, looking around.

"Thomas. From how you've described Sokolov, this doesn't seem like his style." He was right. This was base, it lacked class and sophistication. She pulled out of Wraith's embrace. "I need to borrow your phone. Christ, everything's been taken from me. I don't even have a phone."

Wraith pulled one from his coat pocket. "Compliments of Gabriel," he said, handing it to her. She took it, looking at it suspiciously. "Don't worry, it's not bugged."

"I need to call Peter."

Wraith took the phone back, and bringing up Peter's number on the screen, he called it, putting it on speaker. Pim gave him a dirty look as he laid it on the counter. "I need to know what's going on. You'll play by my rules, or I'll take it away."

Her eyes grew wide. Rules?

"Hello," Peter's voice said.

"Peter, it's Pim."

"Thank God. Where are you, darling? And please say Glasgow."

"I'm at my flat, picking up a few things for tonight."

"Okay, darling, head over to the Old Fruitmarket as soon as possible."

"I thought we were performing at the Glasgow Film Theatre?"

"There's been a change of plans. You're performing at the after party. The venue is better and they're giving you the prime-time spot. It will be just you and Paul. I want you to do the black swan coda and pas de deux. I've reworked the choreography for the end."

"Peter, did you send my mother tickets to the gala?"

"No. I don't even know your mother. I thought she was in Canada. Why?"

"Someone sent her tickets."

"They're hard to come by. We were only given three extras. The board was given tickets, though. Maybe one of them sent theirs to your mother as a courtesy to your grandfather. He did leave the company a very generous endowment."

"Maybe," she said, rolling her eyes at Wraith.

"Bring a black leotard. I'm changing the costumes."

"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up.

"What's he up to?" Wraith asked.

"What rules? What did you mean when you said I'll play by your rules." She stood up.

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