Blood Always Tells, Hilary Davidson [good book club books .txt] 📗

the inside of her jacket. There were a dozen tiny white pills, plus a gram of white powder.

Trinity’s eyes went round as she took it. “What’s this?”

“Your order.”

“But… there’s only a gram here.” She was panicking, even though she was getting down on her knees in front of the coffee table to prepare her fix.

Polly’s instructions from her brother had been more complicated than usual. Her normal job was only to drop off packages for Trinity. Tonight, she was supposed to ignite the woman’s perpetual panic and fan the flames of her fear. Her brother hadn’t explained why. All he’d said was to make sure Trinity snorted the powder quickly.

“I told you, our courier had an issue. We’ve got more product coming in, probably tonight. I’ll be over again later if at all possible. We just didn’t want to keep you waiting any longer.”

Trinity was busy inhaling the cocaine through a silver tube, first one long line into one nostril and then switching sides.

“Okay, I get it,” she said, cutting two more lines and inhaling them. She pressed one hand to her chest. “You can go.”

“Sure,” Polly said. “See you later.”

She walked down the long corridor, thinking how hideous the apartment was. What woman put up photographs of herself everywhere? The Unsmiling Tsarevna probably deserved pity, but Polly couldn’t find any in her heart for her. What an easy life that spoiled woman had. When had she ever had to exert herself? Polly had been working her whole life, it seemed, and she didn’t imagine that would ever change.

She took the elevator downstairs and said goodnight to the doorman. He smiled and gave her that little half-wave he always did. She walked out the front door, zipping the front of her coat. She almost walked into the tall man standing like a wall in front of her. He was big and black as the night. His teeth shone white when he smiled.

“Good evening.” His voice was surprisingly soft, barely above a whisper. “Don’t I know you?”

“No, I don’t think so. Excuse me.”

He blocked her way. “Even if you don’t know me, I know you.”

“You’re mistaken.”

His dark eyes gleamed. “Now that I see you up close, I know I’ve seen you more than once before. You’re Tom Klepper’s girlfriend.”

At the sound of Tom’s name, she froze. “Who—who?” she asked, sounding like a defective owl.

“I bet you didn’t know Tom kept photographs of you,” the man said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“So, why were you visiting Trinity Lytton-Jones?” the man asked.

“Who?”

“Come on. You’re not even trying.”

“I don’t know her.”

“Then who were you visiting? That elevator only goes to her apartment, you know.”

Polly just stared at him.

“Let’s go talk to Trinity, see what she has to say.” The man put his hand on her back, propelling her into the building.

“You back already? I guess you forgot something upstairs?” the doorman asked them. He was an idiot, that one. He wouldn’t even try to stop them.

The man pushed the elevator button and it opened immediately. He nudged her inside.

“Please.” She was almost whimpering. “Let me go. You’ll get me in trouble.”

“With who?”

She couldn’t tell him that. The cardinal rule, should she ever be so stupid as to get caught, was to never say a word. She’d always been careful, and the combination of her youth and her beauty let her fly under the radar of suspicion.

At the top, the elevator doors opened to an empty foyer.

“Why don’t you ring the bell?” he suggested.

She did. They waited. There was no sound from inside the apartment.

The man touched the knob and pushed the door open. “Didn’t even have to bump the lock on that one,” he murmured.

There was no sound inside the apartment.

“Trinity?” he called out. “It’s Desmond. Where are you?”

No answer.

He walked along the corridor holding Polly’s arm.

Trinity was in the living room, sprawled on the rug. The man rushed over to her, touching the Unsmiling Tsarevna’s neck. “What the hell did you do to her?”

Chapter 49

The man got to his feet and Polly froze. He came close to her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. She could feel her brain rattling in her skull. “Tell me what you did!”

“I didn’t do anything!” Her voice was a whisper, but there was urgency in it. “Please let go of me.”

The whites of his eyes were stark against his skin. The more they showed, the more frightened she was. She’d seen that look in her brother’s face, and it always terrified her. It meant there was going to be a fight. It meant there would be blood.

“You’re going to tell me who you are and what you were doing here. How did you kill her?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Stop playing games with me!” The man’s harsh voice crashed through her head. She hated noise, and shouting made her want to curl up in a fetal position.

“I’m not!” She tried to stay calm. Her brother didn’t like it when she cried. He’d punished her for weeping enough times that her eyes stayed dry now, no matter what happened.

“Why did you try to kill me last night?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You distracted me so your brother Max could strangle me.”

“No!”

“I hate to tell you this, Polly, but Costa already blew your cover. I talked to him when he came downstairs. He didn’t know your real last name, but I do.” He stared at her, as if figuring out a riddle. “You’re Polina Brantov.”

She tried not to react.

“What do you know. Polly Brantov.” The man’s voice was soft, but she wasn’t going to let it fool her. He was capable of violence. “You have two brothers. Their names are Max and Valery.”

She inhaled sharply, feeling suddenly as if she were drowning.

“It’s okay,” the man said. “You don’t have to answer. I know about you, and I know about your family. My sister knew your brother Max. Or Maxim. What does he prefer to be called?”

“Only our parents call him Maxim,” she answered. “No one else does.”

“Did