“And does that story explain how I got Zaza back from Joseph?”
“It does, actually. I’ll explain on the drive back to the hotel. Get in the car, while I finish off here.”
“What’s left to do?” she asked.
Starting the fire that would erase the evidence of my blood and explain why Joseph ended up outside.
Our fight had caused some destruction in the living room. A side table had its legs broken. The decorated tree listed, leaning precariously close to the fireplace with its crackling flames.
It didn’t take much for the dry fir to ignite. Same with the bough I tore from the mantle. I dropped that flaming length on the spot where I’d bled and walked out the door.
I stepped past Joseph, his face frozen in a perpetual sneer but before I got into my car, I snared the knife I’d used to slash Allegra and with careful prying, wedged the knife’s handle in the gap left behind by the gun that fell from Joseph’s frozen fingers. Not perfect, but I figured by the time Joseph was discovered, in the chaos of the fire and whatnot, the oddity of the grip wouldn’t matter.
With the stage set, I headed to the car and got in as Zaza exclaimed, “Mio, Bru.”
Hell yeah, I was hers. Nicky put a hand on my thigh as we set off, a silent claim that meant everything.
On the way to the hotel, I detailed to Nicky what our story would be when the cops showed up to ask questions. And they inevitably would. After all, Joseph kidnapped Zaza in front of witnesses.
“They’re going to assume I killed him,” Nicky whispered.
“Not unless they think you have a freeze-ray gun. Don’t forget, while Joseph has a few bruises from our knuckle fight, he doesn’t have any killing wounds on him. So here’s how we tie things up in a nice little bow.”
It began with Allegra, who, unhappy with Joseph’s abduction of Zaza, reached out to Nicky and arranged to return the child. Soon as we got to the hotel, I’d have my buddy Gary plant a text message trail that Nicky could show the cops. At the same time, I’d also have Gary wipe Joseph’s threats to Nicky. When Allegra met up with Nicky to hand over Zaza, she spoke of how she feared Joseph’s wrath when he discovered her betrayal but she couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
If the cops weren’t idiots, they would then surmise that in a rage, Joseph killed Allegra and his henchmen. The reasoning behind his shooting of the guys didn’t have to be as clear. Could be the police would think those guys tried to intervene or that Joseph got pissed when he realized they’d allowed Allegra to leave with Zaza. A struggle inside the chalet led to the tree falling in the fireplace, but Joseph, who’d chased Allegra outside, didn’t notice. He was too busy killing Allegra, slashing her in a rage with the knife he held. Only as he went to enter the house did he realize the flames had taken hold. With no jacket or car keys, he stayed close to the fire assuming it would keep him from freezing, but…
Nicky interrupted. “Why wouldn’t he have gone to the neighbors?”
“I guess we’ll never know. Maybe he had a heart attack and never had a chance.”
“He actually did have a heart condition.” Her lips pursed. “The story isn’t perfect, but it’s surprisingly plausible.”
And that was all the police needed when they came knocking at our hotel door the next morning. I answered wearing a bulky sweater that hid my bandaged arm.
When asked why we were at the hotel instead of the chalet, we explained we’d rented the room to keep Zaza and Nicky hidden from Joseph. We were of course appropriately appalled when we heard of his murderous rampage and death. I was also very gracious and signed a few autographs when they recognized my name.
With the police handled, our alibi and story accepted, we could return home. A home that felt familiar and strange after all that happened.
Zaza and Percy didn’t seem at all discombobulated, but Nicky and I were subdued. Probably because we knew we’d have to discuss what happened next.
Being in love was all well and good, but my home was in America, the chalet was a rental, and decisions had to be made.
Eventually.
Or so we decided that night in the hot tub after we put Zaza and Percy to bed.
“Do we have to figure it all out now?” she asked as she began to peel her bathing suit, slowly revealing her breasts.
“No, but we will need to have a plan for when I finish this book.”
“My plan is for us to make love.” She sank down into the water and drifted toward me.
“Hell, yeah.”
There was nothing tender about what happened next. Not unexpected. We’d both been through a traumatic experience. The frantic need to celebrate our survival had our lips and teeth clashing hard. Forget foreplay.
Despite the way water made sex harder, she pushed herself onto my cock, grunting as she wedged it in.
