Novels 03 After Twilight, page 24
“So you and Alex were—”
Max shook the gun at her. “I was the mastermind behind the forgeries. Me. Not Alex. He was only useful as our front man. Alex was always the charming one, even when we were little, but it takes more than charm to get through life. You need intelligence. And fortunately, I have that area well covered.”
“You organized the forgeries.” She eyed the door to the hallway. If she could distract him and make a run for it …
“I wouldn’t try it, Kirstin.” He raised an eyebrow, looking eerily like Alex. “You’d be dead before you made it out of the chair.”
She sighed and leaned back. Surely if she could keep him talking, there’d be another opportunity. “What gave you the idea?”
“Rico’s talent.”
“But I thought you were—”
“Incarcerated? I was. But so was Rico.” He smiled at the professor, but there was no mirth reflected there.
“Rico?” Kacy turned to the professor. The little man looked miserable.
“Enrico Gienelli—” He inclined his head. “—at your service.”
“But what about the university, Milan?”
He shrugged. “A useful alias.”
“You mean you’re not an art historian?” Kacy felt like her world was tumbling into a great chasm, taking her spinning along with it.
“No, no, I am. It’s just that I find it useful to keep my other life separate.”
“And Eduardo Baucomo?”
He shrugged again, looking very Italian. “My better half.”
“So Braedon was looking for you?”
“In a way, yes. Of course, he thought it was you and I’m afraid it was useful for me to let him.”
“And to try to break us up.” She glared at him, satisfied to see him flinch.
“I’m sorry, Kacy. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt, but it was a matter of self-preservation.”
“Enough with the pity party. I’ve got other things to do with my day. In fact, the truth is, I think we’ve come to the end of the line.” Max studied her over the barrel of the gun. “How my brother thought someone like you could ever replace me is totally beyond my comprehension, but I guess he’s paid the price for his misplaced trust.”
A flicker of guilt fluttered through her mind. It had been her fault Alex had gone out in the storm.
Max smiled, his lips thinning to a fine line. “You did kill him, didn’t you?” It was almost as if he sensed her agony, pouncing on it like a cat toying with a mouse. “Maybe not with your bare hands, but with your wiles and your words. How does it feel to know you’ve killed a man, Kirstin? Or was Alex not the first?”
“I’ve never—”
“You’re just like the rest of them,” he cut her off. “Prancing about, seducing and beguiling. Lying, saying you loved us when you didn’t. You knew you were leaving, and still you called us your little men. Telling us we were the center of your world, all the while knowing we were nothing to you. Nothing.” His voice rose in pitch, sounding almost childlike, his eyes clouded, and Kacy realized he was lost in memory, talking to someone else, someone from long ago.
She inched off the chair, poised for flight, waiting for her moment. She glanced at Mac. He was breathing. She could see his side moving up and down. She bit her lip, indecision tugging at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the professor nod, his eyes signaling her.
Go.
She shot upright. Max’s eyes cleared and he leveled the gun, clicking back the hammer.
Kacy tried to get out of the way, but something hit her hard, driving her to the floor as the gun’s report echoed through the parlor.
Chapter 25
“I DON’T KNOW what the hell is going on, Matt, but I sure as hell intend to find out.” Braedon paced in front of the phone, turning each time he reached the end of the cord.
“That’s two hells in one sentence. I’d say something has you pretty upset.”
“Save the analysis and tell me what you know.” He hadn’t meant to snap at Matt, but damn it, he needed answers.
“All right, but at some point in the near future I would like to know exactly what’s going on.” Matt’s voice held a ring of exasperation.
“As soon as I know something, you’ll know something, okay?” He had a hell of a lot to discuss with Matt, but right now Braedon didn’t have time to talk about it.
“Fine. In the meantime, I’ve got some information about your pseudo Italian.”
“What?” Braedon tightened his grip on the phone.
“Seems the good professor né Enrico Gienelli was in Rikers the same time Max Madison was.”
“I think I was really hoping there wouldn’t be a connection.” His mind started whirling, pieces falling into place.
“Yeah, and it gets better. They were roomies.”
“Son of a bitch.” He stopped pacing, his heart taking up the rhythm.
“Something like that.”
Panic knifed through him. Kacy was with Baucomo/ Gienelli—or whoever he was. “Matt, I’ve got to go.” He slammed the phone down, knowing that he had to get to Kacy, and he had to get there now.
He ran into the front room, skidding to a stop beside the bar. Caitlin was talking with a man in coveralls. “When did Fin leave?”
“Excuse me.” She smiled at the man and then turned to look at Braedon, her brows knitting together, her irritation obvious.
He didn’t give a damn, but he forced himself to keep from grabbing her and shaking the information out of her. It wasn’t really her fault. She had no idea what was at stake. “Just tell me when he left.”
“I don’t know. Not long ago. He was waiting for the painting. The framer was delivering it and the man was late. As soon as he got it on the wall, Fin waylaid me and headed out the door.” She met his gaze. “Is something wrong?”
“I hope not. I sure as hell hope not.”
Kacy froze, waiting for another shot. Something heavy covered her body. Dead weight. She tried to shift, to see what it was. Cautiously she turned her head.
Eyes. Wide, sightless eyes. Eyes attached to a face.
She screamed, surprised to find that no sound came out. Only a harsh, hissing exhale of breath.
With concerted effort, she shoved the body off of her. It rolled onto its back, one lifeless hand still draped across her chest, palm up, entreating her.
The professor.
Tears welled in her eyes. The little man had saved her.
“What a fool.”
Max.
Instinctively Kacy tried to scramble away, but there was nowhere to go. The coffee table blocked her on one side and the professor’s body on the other. At least his hand wasn’t touching her anymore. The tears slid down her face as she looked at him. He’d never meant her harm, of that she was certain.
Max towered above her, his eyes wild, the gun still pointing at her. “The stupid bastard.”
Anger rose past terror and she found her voice. “How dare you speak of him like that.”
“I’ll speak of him any way I please, Kirstin. I am in control of this situation, not you.” For emphasis he clicked the hammer back again.
Terror shoved past anger again, and she felt her hands trembling as she pressed against the table, one sharp corner digging painfully into her shoulder.
“In a way,” he continued almost absently, “it simplifies things.” He watched her, a look of satisfaction spreading across his face. “Yes. A professional spat, shall we say. Between forgers. It’s perfect. Two for the price of one.” His smile widened, and he aimed the gun. “Say good-bye, Kirstin.”
She closed her eyes, knowing it was too late. There was nowhere to run. If this bullet didn’t get her, the next one would. She wondered what it felt like to die. Wondered if she’d see the professor.
Wondered if Braedon would miss her.
Mac whined, and she snapped out of her lethargy just before the gun discharged again. She dove under the coffee table, forcing her body into the small space.
Max laughed. “This is quite entertaining, Kirstin, but I’m afraid I haven’t time for games.”
She pushed herself farther under the table, knowing it couldn’t really protect her, but appreciating its solid comfort nevertheless.
Max squatted, the gun resting casually against his knee. “Shall I say good-bye to Braedon for you?”
“I don’t think you should say good-bye to anyone just yet, Max.”
That voice. She’d know it anywhere. In fact, she’d heard it recently, whispering her name. Gooseflesh crawled along her arms and the hairs on the back of her neck rose to attention. It was true. She hadn’t been mistaken.
“Alex?” Max’s voice was choked. He rose slowly, and from her cramped position she saw him thrust out his hand, almost as if to ward off his brother.
“Give me the gun, Max.”
He obeyed in a dreamlike fashion, his movements jerky, his hands shaking.
Alex took the gun and smiled at his brother, the charm of the gesture failing to reach his eyes. Why hadn’t she noticed before how cold his eyes were? “Come out from under the table, Kirstin.”
She shook her head, her arms and legs refusing to budge an inch. He reached down and closed a warm, strong, living hand around her arm and yanked her to her feet. She slammed her head on the table, the pain biting into her, momentarily making her dizzy.
“What, no welcoming kiss for your long dead husband?” He jerked her forward, his lips pressing against hers. She shuddered with revulsion, wondering what she’d ever seen in this man.
He stepped back, a tiny smile twisting his lips, and turned toward his brother, the gun dangling from his hand. “Hello, Max. Long time no see.”
“I thought you were—” Max stood staring at his twin, his eyes wide, his mouth still moving, trying to form the rest of the sentence.
“Dead?” Alex slowly rubbed a lazy finger down the barrel of the gun. “The reports were greatly exaggerated, I’m afraid.”
“Where the hell have you been?”
“Paradise.” His lips curled into what should have been a grin, but somehow it came off more like a caricature of one. His eyes remained empty, icy.
Kacy took a step backward, toward the door.
Alex spun around, his hand closing on her arm. “Not thinking of leaving, I hope. Why, we haven’t had a chance to get reacquainted yet.” He ran the barrel of the gun across her cheek, the cold metal making her shiver. “Sit over there, where I can see you.” He motioned toward the sofa.
“Let me check on my dog first.”
“He’s fine. And if he isn’t, well, there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. Now sit.” He pointed the gun at her.
Reluctantly she walked toward the sofa, stopping quickly to check on Mac. He was breathing easily and the bleeding seemed to have stopped. He whimpered a little when she rubbed his head.
“Now, Kirstin.”
She made her way to the sofa, stepping around the professor, trying not to look at him.
“I don’t understand this, Alex. Why didn’t you tell me you were alive?” Max had regained his composure and stood facing his brother, his mouth drawn into a tight line.
“Because I didn’t want to.” Alex tilted his head and watched his twin, a look of contained amusement playing across his face.
“I don’t understand.” Max was repeating himself and he looked deflated somehow. As if someone had given him his favorite dessert and then taken it away.
“It’s simple, Max. I wanted to disappear. I had a few— problems. So I decided to start a new life.”
“But the storm—”
“Provided an excellent opportunity,” Alex finished for him.
“But, Alex.” Two dark heads swung around to look at her. So alike. So different. “I saw you on the pier. The wave smashed into you. You were there and then you were gone. There’s no way you could have faked that.” Her mind was spinning.
Reality was a lie.
She hadn’t watched him die. He was here, in front of her.
With a gun.
“I didn’t plan the wave.” He shrugged. “But when I came ashore a few minutes later and heard you screaming my name, I recognized a golden moment and seized it.”
“So you left me there, thinking you were dead?” Kacy tightened her hands into fists, trying to contain her emotions.
“Regrettably, I had to. As you are no doubt aware, I had some very outstanding debts and some rather unpleasant creditors. But more important—” He shot a look of loathing at his brother. “—I had a millstone around my neck.” He focused his attention back on Kacy. “I’d already set the plans to disappear in motion. I was merely waiting for the right time. The storm provided the perfect alibi. Dead is dead, after all.”
“Apparently not.” Kacy almost let her anger get the better of her, forgetting for a moment who held the gun.
“I knew he never loved you.” Max sounded childlike, as if he were gloating. He’d obviously missed the significance of his brother’s words.
Alex smiled at Kacy, his eyes exploring her body, mentally undressing her. She pushed back into the sofa, trying to put more distance between them. “I don’t think love was ever a part of it. But there was a certain chemistry. Wasn’t there, Kirstin?”
Tears welled again. She scrubbed them away, angry that she’d let him get to her. But then that’s what Alex was good at. Manipulating people.
He smiled at her, a crooked smile that had once seemed so enchanting. Now she saw it for what it really was. An artifice. An actor, wooing an audience. The look carefully contrived to gain maximum effect. She shuddered.
“I can see why you wouldn’t have contacted her. But why would you want me to think you were dead? We’re brothers. We’re twins. You’re a part of me. My other half.” Max’s gaze was tortured, filled with hurt and confusion. “I’ve lived my life for you.” He took a step toward his brother and Alex moved back, keeping the distance the same.
“Well, you see, that was the problem.” Alex sighed. “The fact is, you made my life a living hell. I couldn’t breathe. I had no life of my own. I didn’t even have an identity apart from you.” He narrowed his eyes, his loathing written across his face. Kacy almost felt sorry for Max.
“But I …”
“What? You loved me.” The word was spoken as if it were a curse. “Max, you smothered me. Always telling me what to do, how to dress, what to think, how to live. I’m surprised you didn’t give me a daily pissing schedule.” He waved the gun in the air, his composure slipping. “I hated your meddling.”
“Meddling?” Max gasped. “I was taking care of you. Without me, you wouldn’t have been anything but a charming loser. You needed me. And I was there for you. I even went to prison for you.” He was almost screaming.
“Well, now, there was a really stupid thing to do. I’d have beaten the rap. But no, instead, my idiot brother comes charging to the rescue and takes the fall for me,” Alex said, his voice filled with derision.
“You ungrateful son of a bitch.” Max’s face was ashen and he spoke in a low voice, barely above a whisper.
“This is exactly why I had to disappear.” Alex was in control again, his voice light and conversational. “You can understand that, can’t you, Kirstin?” He turned to look at her and Max followed suit. They stared at her, identical looks on their faces, waiting for an answer.
Suddenly she felt like she was facing Tweedledee and Tweedledum. A totally insane moment. Reality caving in on itself, leaving a nightmare from which she wasn’t likely to awaken.
She nodded.
There was no right answer, and thankfully the twins didn’t seem to care. They turned to face each other again, Max red-faced and angry, Alex looking amused.
“I can’t believe you’ve been alive all this time and haven’t tried to contact me.”
They were back at their dance again, one moving forward, the other moving away.
“Believe it.” Alex smirked.
“What about the money? My money?” Max screeched.
“I used it to buy an island. My island.”
They continued to circle each other, sounding more like little boys than grown men.
“I want my money.”
“I’m afraid you can’t have it.”
They stopped moving, Max standing across from his brother, the anger fading from his face. He laughed. “This is crazy. I can’t believe I’m really seeing you. That you’re alive.”
Kacy watched the brothers with horrified fascination. Alex smiled slowly, the expression still not reflected in his eyes. “Now you see me.”
His hand twitched and the gun exploded.
A crimson flower burst into bloom on Max’s forehead. He opened his mouth, astonished, and then dropped to the floor with a sickening thud. With a whoosh, he exhaled once and stopped breathing.
Alex looked at his brother dispassionately. “Now you don’t.”
Chapter 26
KACY SCREAMED, THE sound resounding off the walls of the little room.
“Shut up,” Alex snapped. “Or you’ll be next.”
She clamped down on her fear, trying desperately to rein it in, staring at the body. Bodies. Her eyes darted between the two fallen men. The professor and Max. Blood was spattered everywhere, on the wall, across her carpet. She tightened her hold on sanity and forced herself to look at Alex. “What happens next?”
He was calm almost to the point of being comatose. It was eerie. His face was devoid of all emotion. He’d just killed his brother, and he was standing there as though he were waiting for tea.
“It’s interesting that you should mention that, Kirstin.” He pointed the gun at her and she sucked in a breath.
Sanity and insanity struggled for control, sanity winning by a nose. “If you’re going to kill me, too, just go ahead and get it over with.” She glared at him. Anything was better than waiting and watching him stare at her.
“Darling, you wound me. I have no intention of killing you.” He waved the gun at her. “Yet.” He smiled, the gesture devoid of humor. “We’ve only just found each other again. And I do so want to rediscover the carnal side of our union.”
