Sashasaid, in English this time, “Luca, drop the knife.Let go ofhim.”
Laughter rumbled against Laurie’s ear.He wasn’t surprised.Hecouldn’t see how Sasha had a hope in hell.He was just as Laurieremembered him—upright, slender, beautiful.His dark eyes somehowfull of their own light.Perhaps he was hoping to influenceLuca—Luca, forGod’s sake, a name like a crown of daisies on a bear—by charmalone.Well, it should work, from Laurie’s point of view.Joyseized him, despite the terror of the moment.“Sasha!Oh, God.Sash!”
“Yes.It’s all right, ves’tacha.You’ll be okay.Just stay verystill.”
Lucadragged him back another step.He was still laughing, but it had anedge to it, as if for some reason he was afraid.“Don’t be stupid,Alexandru.Your father wants to talk to you; that’sall.”
“Fine.I’ll talk.Just let him go.”
The gripon Laurie slackened.“All right.Give me the gun, and he’syours.”
The gun.Sasha shifted, and Lauriesaw that his hands were not empty.There was a dull, blue-blackgleam between them.Laurie observed, with nausea, how Sasha’sfine-boned fingers curled around the grip.He knew bugger all aboutguns, but this was a serious one—heavy and large, with what heguessed to be a silencer thickening its muzzle.He swallowed,sucking in a breath as the pressure vanished from his throat.Aforeboding seized him.
“Sash,” he whispered.“No.Don’t give it to him.”
“It’s okay, Laurie.Stand away from him.He’ll let yougo.”
Lucadid.Sasha advanced a couple of steps, his gaze on Luca unwavering.The gun clicked—the safety going on, Laurie guessed—and he held itout in one steady hand.“Take it.All right.Now, let’sgo.”
Lucabacked up toward the door.Sasha followed calmly after, smilingfaintly.“Don’t go with him,” Laurie said, low and urgent.“Don’ttrust him.He’s gonna hurt you.”
“Don’t worry, Laurie.I’ll come back to you, okay?I loveyou.”
Lauriewatched the flicker of disgust pass over Luca’s face.It didn’tbother him, though he thought it pretty rich from somebody who’dbeen about to rape him.What bothered him was the grim smile thatfollowed it.The hardening.Luca, to this point, had not had timeto do up his pants, and the gaping fly lent an element of grotesquecomedy to the scene.He reached the door.Laurie, whose job it wasto read and reproduce human faces, to portray convincingly theirmillion nuances of feeling and intention, saw what he meant to do.“Sash!No!”he cried, and reached out to grab Sasha’s arm.“He’sbeen sent to kill you.”
Lucaswung the gun on both of them, snapping the safety catch off.Heaccorded Laurie a glance of acknowledgement—almost respect.“Notbad, gajo.”Then he turned the muzzle and his full attention ontoSasha, who had stepped to Laurie’s side.Who was already trying toget in front of him, to shield him.“Come on, Alexandru,” Lucasaid.“I’m not your father’s fucking errand boy.I’m his assassin.You know that.”
“Yes.I do.But not here, Luca, for God’s sake.Not in front ofLaurie.”
“He won’t have long to grieve.You’ve been on the run too long,Sandru.Told too many people our secrets.Too much pillow talk.Iknow you’ve been trying to watch over him, but it’s no good.‘Myson and his friends,’ your father said.You know I have to takeboth of you—then anyone else you’ve been playmates with.Come on.Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
“There isn’t anyone else!Luca, there isn’t even him.I’ve toldhim nothing.Let him go!”
Laurie drew one breath.Sasha had moved right in front of him.Hesitantly, as if frightened, Laurie crept up close to him.He putone hand on his shoulder—passed the other around his waist.To doso, even now, was food and drink to him, sunlight at last on hisskin.He pressed his face to Sasha’s shoulder, as if hiding.Sashagave a kind of moan and tried to reach back for him, blindlycaressing.“Ah, love, don’t be scared,” he whispered.“I won’t lethim.I won’t let him.Luca, for fuck’s sake.Let him go!”
Lucawould not.Laurie knew this.He knew nothing about guns, assassins,or the terrible world that had encompassed his, but he knew men’sfaces.And he knew how to act.
He shoved Sasha aside.He was a boy in a play who had beenheld at gunpoint too long and had cracked.He was the coward, theone who broke down and pleaded for his life.Sasha, caught offbalance, had dropped to his hands and one knee by the sofa.Laurielurched forward.“Oh, God, don’t!”he wailed, flinging out hishands at Luca, seeing how the gesture brought the gun muzzleswinging in his direction.A defensive instinct.Good.“I don’t want todie!”He allowed his legs to give.A proper stage collapse had tobe done with care.You always hurt yourself a bit.Trying to guardyourself, to save yourself with an outstretched hand, spoiled itentirely.And yet the movement had to be controlled, impactabsorbed in carefully tensed muscles.You had to be able todie.
He fellat Luca’s feet.Heard his growl of contempt, and that was fine withLaurie too.Contemptible men were not dangerous.They clutched atyour ankles despairingly—not to distract or unbalance you.They didnot uncoil, drive one gouging fist into your balls, and snatch yourgun.
Luca’sreflexes were good.His grip closed on thin air an inch behindLaurie’s exit lunge, his leap back and away.Laurie would havechoreographed it better for the stage—so bold a move deserved abetter coda, not an undignified thump onto the sofa as he misjudgedhis footing and the little table in front of it knocked his kneesout from under him.Instantly he scrabbled back up.
He waslucky, he knew, not to have shot himself.He held the gun as he hadbeen taught in props class, straight and true, pleased at leastthat he had the right end of the thing trained on Luca.“All right,you bastard!”he snarled.“That’s it.Get the fuck out of my flat.If you ever come near me or Sash again, I’ll…”
Hetrailed off.Partly it was an uncertainty about how on earth heshould finish the threat.He could kill, he thought, but it wouldhave to be in hottest blood.It would have to be a man who wasattacking him or hurting Sash—not staring at him, disarmed, inabsolute bewilderment.And partly it was that someone was laughing.Not Luca.This sound gave Laurie nothing but pleasure.He hadseldom heard it.His dealings with Sasha had been too intense formuch comedy.Laurie glanced at him without altering hisaim.
“Sasha.What?”
“Give that to me.”Sasha was getting to his feet, holding outone hand.His eyes were bright with laughter, tears beginning tocatch in his lashes.
“Why?I’m okay.”
“Yes.But you can’t use a gun.And Luca knows it.You’renotthatgood anactor.”
Laurie swallowed.It was fair point gained.Already Luca wasshifting, his own grim smile beginning.“Oh?”Laurie whispered,edging toward Sasha, keeping his fierce mask in place.“Andyoucanuse one,right?”
“That’s right.I’m sorry, ves’tacha.So much I should have toldyou.”He met Laurie’s eyes, and carefully, carefully, lifted theweapon from his grasp.He sobered absolutely.“Yes.I can use agun.Forgive me, Luca.You should never have come here.”
