The Guilty Innocent Read online

  “Who were the visitors you had last night, Nikolai?” Dmitri asked coolly, his eyes bore into Nikolai's, it made me nervous, it made Nikolai nervous.

  “Just some friends from out of town.” Nikolai lied, he fought to keep his voice calm and smooth. Dmitri's eyes narrowed slightly as he drew another deep puff on the cigarette.

  “Don't lie to me, Nikolai, don't lie to us. Do you have something on the side? The boss would hate for you to be working on an outside project,” Dmitri warned.

  “I don't have anything on the side, Dmitri! Besides how do you know about them, are you watching me!?” Nikolai asked, concealing his mounting fear with anger.

  Dmitri chuckled softly. “Of course we are. The boss knows you're sleeping with Lidiya, and he doesn't like it, he wants you to stop.” Dmitri finished his cigarette, then ground the remains into the glass ashtray. The moment had grown tense and Nikolai's hands began to sweat and shake.

  “Sure...fine. I could do that. Tell the boss I meant no disrespect.” Nikolai said, his voice slightly shaky. I began to hear the soft distinctive sound of a telephone ringing, it drew me out of my sleep. I awoke and groggily realized that my cell phone was ringing.

  Chapter Six

  Day Four

  The room was dim and my eyes didn't have time to adjust as I fumbled towards the table where I had set my cellular the night before to charge the battery. Immediately, I snatched up my cell phone and clicked it on to rid my ears of the annoying ringer. I made a mental note, switch ringers for crying out loud!

  “Hello?” I greeted in a hoarse voice. At the same time, I looked up to see Sergio, Devin and Elise watching me from across the room. They gazed at me for a few seconds then went back to their comfortable positions.

  “Natasha, this is Warren, how is everything going?” he asked

  “Oh, great things couldn't be better!” I said sarcastically. “Let me tell you what's been going on thus far.” I filled Warren in on the past twenty-four hours. He listened quietly on the telephone as I reiterated all of the details.

  “Do you want me to tell Darian that they found his politician list?” Warren asked.

  I then realized that he was offering himself as the middle man, the link between us and Darian, and I was extremely grateful to him for that.

  “Yes, Warren. I would really appreciate that.”

  “Okay. Give me the number to your hotel room just in case. I'll continue to call your cell phone when I want to get in contact with you.” Warren said. I could hear him ruffling through papers, I supposed he was looking for something to write on. “Okay, I'm ready, give it to me.” I told him our hotel information. “Great.”

  “Warren, how is Darian?”

  “He's doing fine, he's been drinking the synthetic blood...as you instructed,” Warren chuckled. Then he grew silent, I could tell that he had something on his mind. “I really hope you guys can get to the bottom of this. I'd really hate to see what kind of damage Darian can do in desperation.” I could tell he was dreading that possible outcome as much as I was.

  “We're doing the best we possibly can. Make sure you tell Darian the news and keep in touch.”

  “Will do.” Warren said, and then he hung up the telephone.

  I clicked off my cell phone and looked at everyone asleep in the room, it was dim because of the closed curtains. Thankfully, my eyes had adjusted to the dimness while I was speaking with Warren and I could see everyone clearly. I wondered what time it was, I turned my cell phone back on. I looked at the clock on the blue lighted display. It was 8:42am, I had no idea what time Nikolai was going to meet with Dmitri, but I remembered seeing the sun shining brightly through the windows of the restaurant. So I figured, now would be a good time to scope out the restaurant and wait for Nikolai to arrive so that we could gather more information from him and this Dmitri person.

  I turned on the table lamp and made my way closer to the bed were the others lay. Elise and Sergio awoke, their eyes alert and staring back at me.

  “I had another vision, I know who Nikolai has to meet today but I don't know what time. It's early, I think we should scope out the restaurant, you know, see what we can gather.” I suggested.

  I stood over the bed searching their expressions for confirmation. Elise slowly sat up on the bed, she ran her long, delicate, slender fingers through her waist length brown hair. She gazed at the furniture across the room...at least I think that is what she might have been looking at-anything but me. Sergio climbed over Devin's prone body, stepping out of the bed. He stretched his tall muscular form, every muscle in his body moving in a unified motion beneath his cafe au lait toned skin...I must say, I enjoyed the view. I looked at Elise, her gaze had shifted towards Sergio and I could tell that she too, enjoyed the view. Devin began to stir on the sheets, he lifted his head up lazily and looked first at Sergio and then Elise and me.

  “What's up?” he asked as he wiped his eyes with the back of his fingers, then he focused on me. “What time is it?” he asked, his eyebrows creased as he scanned over the room.

  I checked my cell phone again, better to give them the most current time. “8:56 am, we really need to get a move on. I don't know what time they will meet.” I said urgently as I walked into the bathroom.

  It was as beautiful as the rest of the huge penthouse. The deep white porcelain tub was big enough for two or three people! The frosted glass shower was built for two and the double marble sink with matching toilet and bidet was grand. I adored the peach and white marble floor, though, it was a bit cold. I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth all at the same time so that not one moment would be wasted. I opened the bathroom door and looked at Sergio, Elise and Devin sitting on the bed. Devin was leaning against Sergio as if he was his big brother. I don't know, maybe he is in a way. I thought it was wonderful to see that degree of closeness and loyalty. Loyalty is always important. It was high on my list of moral values and above all, respect and tenderness. I especially look for those qualities in the men that I'm interested in. My last boyfriend was the “great pretender”. He played the role of the loving and tender boyfriend, it was only an illusion. He broke my heart. However, his leaving me was one of the best things that could have happened. It took me a few months to get over my depression due to our breakup and other hardships. With Annette's help, I had begun to become myself again...only I was stronger than the old me. I knew what I wanted out of this life and what I would want from my lover. Respect, tenderness and patience. I learned in my short time that a lot of men can only play a role for so long and then they began to reveal their true selves...which turns out to be mostly disappointing.

  Xavier, Warren and Darian were different. I know I haven't known them long, but it's something about their personalities tells me that they are true to themselves and others. When I look at any one of them, I feel as though I'm looking at an open book. I don't know, maybe my frame-of-mind is scrambled by all the events of the past seventy hours. I do know this...I have been extremely happy with them in my life, thus far.

  Leaving the bathroom, I walked to my suitcase, I hoped Elise would have her own bathrobe, I forgot mine and I borrowed the complimentary bathrobe that was hanging in the bathroom. Elise entered the bathroom only to immediately reemerge, her eyes glaring hard at me.

  “I cannot believe you took the bathrobe!” she said, in a heated tone.

  “Well, I needed to cover myself!” I said defensively.

  “That's what a towel is for! I think, being the person who paid for this room, I should get the robe, don't you!?” she asked in a snappy manner.

  I really did not like her, every time I think she is beginning to grow on me, she turns around and makes herself less likable. “I'm sorry, I just reached for the robe, but if you're going to act like a complete bitch about it, you can have it back!” she was beginning to piss me off. I walked towards her, my hands going for the belt on the robe to untie it.

  “Keep the robe, she has her own.” Sergio said as he climbed off of
the bed. Both Elise and I looked at him, I was really beginning to like Sergio.

  “Is this how you think it will be, Sergio?” she asked, her hands on her hips as she glared at him.

  “How what will be?” he asked, a frown on his face, his eyebrows creased, he was plainly agitated.

  “You telling me what to do, how I should behave, simply because I chose you as my king. Remember, I still rule the Pride, I have the ultimate power, all decisions are mine!” she said heatedly, a finger pointed at her chest.

  “How can I possibly let that little detail slip my mind?! You remind me every fucking chance you get!” he walked closer to her and I stepped to the side. “You know what, Elise. I have done nothing but love you. I have wanted to be your mate, but you refused me and for what!” he looked into her eyes. “What the fuck are you afraid of? Why do you push me away for a man who doesn't want you!? Darian doesn't want you! You're risking your fucking life for a man who doesn't want you! Are you even fit to control the Pride?!”

  Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widened. I hated being in the room. I looked at Devin noting that he remained silent on the bed, his eyes watching Elise and Sergio intently. I began to remove some clothes from my suitcase as I inconspicuously monitored their heated argument. Yeah, so I was being nosey, sue me.

  “I can tell that you want me, yet you deny us...why?” he asked in a softer tone, he took one step closer to her. “What is it about me that makes you refuse?” he whispered softly, it was almost as if his feelings were hurt and I wondered just how long he had desired Elise, how deep was his longing for her total companionship?

  “I do not want to discuss this Sergio, we don't have the time.” She said, flat out ending any further discussion on the matter. Then she looked around the room. “Besides, we are not alone.” She turned away from him, heading into the bathroom, closing the door behind herself.

  I felt sorry for Sergio. In my personal opinion, I think he is too good for her. But, maybe he knows the real Elise and I'm just seeing the jealous, bitchy outer shell that she may be using as a defense mechanism. All women have it, you have to, it is the only way you would survive. Sergio walked away from the bathroom door, he sat back on the bed, his eyes trailed over to me.

  “She's just jealous of you,” he looked back towards the bathroom door. “I ought to be able to recognize the signs,” he said offhandedly.

  Devin climbed out of the bed and stretched his limbs again. He was not nearly as tall as Sergio and a damn sight smaller in muscle mass. His body reminded me of a gymnast; muscular, slender yet powerful. Devin was wearing black pajama bottoms, his chest was bare and I'm not at all ashamed to say that I peeked at his suck-able, dark nipples. Indeed, both Sergio and Devin were beautiful eye candy.

  “Well, I'm going to use the other bathroom, this one has a few too many issues,” Devin stated with a devilish grin. He walked towards the door, then turn to me. “John is gorgeous and I can tell that he wants me. I like the way he looks at me,” Devin smiled. “Do you know if he's with anyone?” he asked.

  I was shocked, I don't get too many men asking me about potential “hook ups”, I also did not know the answer.

  “Oh lord, not you too!” Sergio exclaimed from across the room. He laid down on the bed, his hands resting on his stomach, eyes staring at the ceiling. “Am I the only one here...that's not fucking a corpse or at the very least not lusting after one?” he asked, raising his head slightly to look at both Devin and me.

  “Well, at least my object of affection is willing.” Devin said offhandedly, then he paused and frowned. He looked at Sergio's expression, we all knew he had struck a cord in Sergio. “I'm sorry, I did not mean that.” He walked back towards the bed, Sergio eyes were still locked on him.

  “No, you were right...perhaps I have been the fool,” Sergio said sadly. He laid his head back, looking at the ceiling again. Devin's expression was sad, I could tell that he loved and respected both Elise and Sergio. It must be painful for him to see them in such turmoil.

  “Still, I had no right to say that,” Devin protested.

  Sergio chuckled deeply in his throat. “You had all the right, it was your opinion.” Sergio looked back at Devin and smiled. “If you want to pursue him, I'll keep my opinions to myself, but I will say this...I don't agree.”

  Devin chuckled. “That's good enough for me,” he said gleefully, then he gracefully walked towards me. “You did not answer my question earlier,” he reminded me.

  I had forgot about the question, then I remembered. “Oh, I don't know...I don't think so, but I really don't know. It's best that you ask him yourself.” I said, giving Devin my best advice.

  He smiled at me, nodding, then he left the room. I watched Sergio a little bit longer as he gazed at the ceiling then I left the room, walking into the other bedroom. It was not quite as well adorned as the “master” bedroom, but it was luxurious. There was one king size bed with burgundy satin covers. Thick black and burgundy velvet drapes covered these windows as well. There were two burgundy chairs and a divan in the room and best of all, it had its own private bathroom. I could hear Devin showering and I decided to dress quickly while I still had privacy. I put on a pair of hip hugging blue jeans and a t-shirt that had “Naughty” written on the front, where my breast could punctuate the bright pink lettering. It was one of my favorites, not to mention the enormous amount of attention I received whenever I wore it. Hey, a girl likes to have a little bit of attention every now and then, even if it's just for fun. Fifteen minutes later, Devin exited the bathroom, his dark brown, wavy, short cropped hair was damp, water beaded his body. He had a towel wrapped around his waist.

  He smiled at me. “Hey Natasha.”

  “Hey, I just wanted to see the bathroom.”

  He chuckled. “Be my guest.” He walked towards the bed, stopping short in front of John and Xavier, his eyes focused on John's resting form. He gazed at John with a mixture of lust and interest.

  I kept to my own business and headed into the bathroom. There was a deep porcelain tub against the wall, big enough for two people and a frosted glass shower that was made for one. I admired the angelic carvings on the porcelain pedestal sink. I looked towards the toilet and was tickled pink that there was a bidet next to it as well. I had never used a bidet and wanted to just once.

  I hovered over the low porcelain basin and pressed the button. A cool rush of water sprinkled on my nether region, it tickled. I giggled as the water cleansed me. When I felt I had enough, I rose from the bidet and dried myself off. I stepped back into the bedroom and noted the time on the little digital clock on the dark redwood table next to the bed. The time was 9:35! We had wasted forty minutes arguing and playing with bidets!

  I headed back into the other bedroom, Devin was pulling on a pair of black pants. A moment sooner, I might have been unintentionally “mooned” not that it would have been a bad thing coming from Devin. He was wearing a form fitting white-shirt, which he tucked inside his pants. He fastened his pants and began to put on a pair of black boots. Elise sat by the mirror brushing her hair. I looked at her clothes, she wore a dark green ribbed turtle neck cashmere sweater and black slacks with black leather three inch heeled boots. I sat down on the chair, she turned around and looked at me, her eyes trailing over my body. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable, but I refused to let her know that. The bathroom door opened, Sergio stepped into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his tapered waist. He grabbed the clothes that he had laid out on the bed and walked back into the bathroom. Three minutes later, he reemerged fully dressed in a black t-shirt, jeans and boots. All he needed was a black ski mask and his outfit would have been complete.

  He looked at me from across the room. “So what are we to do exactly?” he asked.

  Okay that was my cue, I rose from the chair and reached for my coat as a sign for them to get their own “I had a vision, I saw Nikolai and this other person named Dmitri talking. This Dmitri seemed to know about our visit to Nikolai's apartment a
s well as the fact that Nikolai is sleeping with the boss's woman. I got a bad feeling from the vision, but I think that if we get there in time, we can take both of them and make them tell us everything we need to know.” I said, feeling a little more useful and important. “What do you think?” I asked as I looked at the three of them. They gave each other questionable glances, then Sergio shrugged.

  “I'm all for it, let's go,” he said as he reached for his leather bomber jacket. Devin pulled on his blue jean jacket and Elise pulled a long black trench coat over her shoulders. I looked at them and smiled. Elise reminded me of one of those Persian cats that constantly sits around looking pretty. We left the hotel and Devin hailed a cab. The four of us climbed inside and Elise told the cab driver the address. We arrived at the restaurant twenty minutes later. The traffic in the morning was almost as bad here as it was in Chicago. The four of us climbed out of the cab and entered the very restaurant that I saw in my vision. We were seated right away, after a few minutes, a waiter approached our table to take our order. The three shape-shifters faces seemed to light up as they watched the waiter coming towards us. Devin quickly took the advantage, placing his order first.

  “I'll have the steak and omelette meal along with a side of apple pancakes, waffles, hashbrowns and raisin toast. Thank you.” He said smiling at the waiter.

  Sergio went next. “I'll take the same thing he's having, only can you add another twenty-ounce steak to the order?” he asked, the waiter nodded as his hands jotted down their orders. “Good, may I also have a pitcher of juice-orange, apple, it doesn't matter and a pitcher of milk.” He completed his order then stacked his menu on top of Devin's.

  Elise closed her menu and looked at the waiter. “I'll have the two pork chops with a western omelette, hashbrowns and strawberry crepes. Thank you,” she said modestly.