Promises After Dark (After Dark Book 3) (18 page)

I come out of the hotel and notice that the weather has definitely changed. The lucid blue skies have disappeared to be replaced with heavy low white-grey cloud that sucks all the light out of the day and seems heavy with snow. The temperature has dropped further and my feet feel numb in my shoes within a few moments of walking. I can’t really wear jeans and biker boots to my business appointments so I’m reduced to wearing the one pair of thin shoes I brought with me when I thought I was coming on a weekend jaunt, not a business trip. There hasn’t been time to buy anything else. Luckily the jacket I brought keeps me toasty on top but it doesn’t cover my thighs and my skirt is not particularly warm. Well, it’s only a few blocks till I get to the subway. I thrust my hands further down into my pockets, shove my chin down into my turned-up collar and walk faster to get my blood circulating.

Nevertheless, by the time I get to the subway station, I’m shivering and I head down into its warm atmosphere with relief. Down in the station, I look for the platform that will take me uptown to the right area. I’ve often found it confusing working out where I am and where I’m going, despite the simple grid system. Once I came out of the subway and didn’t realise I was facing the wrong way, so I started walking the mirror image of my route, heading in exactly the opposite direction. It took a while before I realised my mistake. I want to take a train that will stop up in the early hundreds, which I’ve read is the northern edge of the Upper West Side. I’ve looked at the map and while the address is not in the area I’ve become familiar with, it doesn’t seem too far away.

A train comes rumbling into the station and I think it’s the one I want, so I get on and sit down. I reach for my map and guidebook and instantly curse mentally to myself. I can see them right now on the little table in my room where I put them down at lunchtime and didn’t pick them up again. All my information is tucked inside my guidebook. I don’t even have the address of the dealer I’m supposed to be visiting.

I take out my phone and do a search on my email to find the details that Caroline sent me and I’m relieved to see that her email is there, along with the itinerary attachments. Good. When I get out at the other end I should be able to find where I need to go.

After a while I look up, becoming vaguely aware that we haven’t stopped at a station for a while now. In fact, I can see that we’re passing through stations without a pause, hurrying on uptown.
What’s going on? Why aren’t we stopping?

My stomach swoops downwards as I realise that I must have taken an express train by mistake, one that races up towards the north missing out all the midtown stops. I feel a dart of fear – where will it stop? I imagine it flying up the length of the island, through a tunnel under the river and out into the upper boroughs of New York, depositing me in some strange faraway place.

I’m going to miss my appointment!
I think, panicked.

The train rattles on and I try to keep calm. It’s perfectly simple. I can just catch a train back. There’s no need to worry, it’s going to be fine. The carriage is quite empty now, just scattered about with solemn-faced, silent New Yorkers. I hope I don’t look frightened. Horror stories of helpless tourists attacked and mugged start to flit through my mind.

Don’t be so silly. Just keep calm and you’ll be fine.

At last the train comes to a stop. I pick up my bag and get off, trying to give the impression that this is exactly where I meant to come. On impulse I put my ticket in the barrier and head out of the station. Once I’m above ground I’ll be able to access my emails and load a map so that I can see where I am.

Outside, it’s dark and now that I’m away from the well-lit centre of town, the sparkle and glitter of Manhattan is almost completely gone. I have no idea where I am, except that the streets are in the high 100s. I try to click on the attachments that Caroline sent so that I can view them. It might be quicker to walk to wherever this dealer is. While they’re loading, I try to open my map app, so that I can get some directions and locate my position.

I wait for ages, clicking and reclicking.
Shit! Why can’t I access anything?
I’m obviously out of range. I take out my phone battery and try rebooting it, but with the same result. I can’t get Internet access.

Shit, shit, shit!

I look around and see a man lingering nearby. He’s standing between me and the subway entrance, his back against a wall and his hands in his pockets. While he isn’t exactly looking in my direction, I can’t help feeling that he’s aware of me, maybe even watching me. And here I am, standing alone, fiddling with an expensive phone. What if he’s about to mug me?

There has to be a café or a bar nearby, I think, maybe one with Wi-Fi. I make an instant decision, turn away and start walking in the direction I think will take me towards downtown. I feel better as soon as I’m moving, but it’s bitterly cold now that I’m out of the station. I shiver and start walking as fast as I can, keeping my eyes open for a place I can get out of the cold, but I seem to be in a very residential district, walking down block after block of apartment buildings. There are shops, but none of them look like the kind of places I can walk into and warm up or find an Internet connection. Each time I see another, I decide to press on. It’s so cold my hands are numb and I can hardly press the buttons on my phone, which is still constantly loading but never delivering. My cheeks feel leathery under the biting wind and my feet have almost no sensation of the path as I walk along it.

Then I realise that the man I tried to avoid is walking behind me. I see him out of the corner of my eye and know with a nasty swirl of fear that he is following me. I recognise his hunched shape, the hands in the pockets.

Oh God, is he going to attack me?

I pick up my pace but my freezing feet refuse to go much faster. They are so numb that I stumble as I walk.

Damn this phone!

I daren’t take it out of my pocket now in case this guy wants to mug me for it. I need to get into a shop, any shop. But now I’ve decided that, I can’t see anything likely as I stumble along in the darkness. I tell myself to go up to a front door, any door, and knock or ring the bell. Surely someone will help me. But somehow I can’t find the courage to approach a stranger like that. I’ll hold out for a shop, I tell myself.

He’s coming closer to me. I’m frightened now. I’m lost in the darkness of a strange city, I’m freezing cold and I’m about to be attacked. I can hear his footsteps getting nearer. He’s gaining on me.

I won’t let this happen. I won’t let him hurt me.

I spin round to face him. I can’t make out his features in the darkness and I try to speak bravely but only hear a quavering voice come out of my mouth: ‘What do you want? Is it my phone? Do you want that?’

He stops when he sees that I have. His eyes glitter in the darkness but he says nothing.

‘Well? Why are you following me?’

Still the man says nothing but simply gestures to the road. A huge black car is pulling up at the side of the kerb right next to me. The back door opens and a voice says roughly, ‘Beth, get in at once.’

It’s Andrei Dubrovski.

Chapter Eleven

I’m so incredibly relieved to see him and to be out of the biting cold, but it comes out as anger.

‘What are you doing here?’ I shout as soon as I’m in the car. Andrei leans across me and pulls the door shut. ‘Why are you following me? Did you have that man tailing me all the way? Don’t you have any idea how frightened I was?’

Andrei stares at me from burning blue eyes. ‘You should be grateful. You clearly had no idea where you were, and your clothes are completely unsuitable for this weather. Yes, that man is working for me.’

‘But . . .’ I shake my head in disbelief. ‘How on earth did you know where I am?’

He gazes at me as the car glides smoothly into the road and heads south. ‘You’ve been staging quite a disappearing act, haven’t you?’

‘What are you talking about?’ I glare at him. ‘Because I don’t tell you where I am, I’ve disappeared?’

‘Correct.’ I noticed that his gloved hands are clenched. ‘You refused my generous offer of the Four Seasons for you and your friend. Then you also gave up your reservations at the Washington and left. It was only when you appeared at my apartment that I picked up your trail again but then you refused to tell my housekeeper your plans – and didn’t take your flight home. I’ve been extremely concerned.’

I look at him, noting the stubborn thrust of his lower lip and his cold eyes even while thoughts are whirling around my head.

I refused the Four Seasons and . . . disappeared? Then who booked the Soho Grand? If it wasn’t Andrei then . . .

‘But how did you find me after that?’

‘You were playing silly games with me when you refused to tell me your whereabouts,’ he says tersely. ‘I guessed you must have stayed at Mark’s request so I spoke to his sister. She kindly gave me your itinerary. I put a man on your trail to ensure your safety and I decided to meet you after your appointment tonight. Apparently, you’ve been dining by yourself in your room. I thought that seemed rather sad.’

‘How sweet of you!’ I say sarcastically. I’m furious that he thinks I’m so weak and helpless that I need a big man to take care of me. If I hadn’t been freaked out by the man following me, I would have sorted out my situation without any trouble. It was annoying, but getting lost was not the end of the world. ‘Does it make you feel like the strong guy to rescue me from the situation you helped to engineer?’

‘You’re being very childish,’ he replies. ‘I don’t understand why you won’t accept what I’m willing to give. Why turn down the Four Seasons? Where did you go?’

I don’t reply to that. I need to think about the little twist that events have taken. Instead I say, ‘Where are we going? I have an appointment. I’m already late.’

‘Not any more. I cancelled it.’

‘What?’ Fury rushes up inside me. ‘How dare you? That’s my job! How dare you interfere?’

‘I’m your employer too. I’ve explained to that dealer that you’ll be seeing him tomorrow morning instead. We’re going back to your hotel to collect your things and then you’ll be staying in my apartment.’

‘What? No! Anyway, I’m going home tomorrow. My flight is in the evening.’

‘Not necessarily,’ Andrei says carelessly.

This is getting weird. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You don’t need to fly home on a commercial flight that gets you in at some ungodly hour in the morning. We can fly back together.’ He smiles at me for the first time, a chilly smile. ‘This is the perfect opportunity for us to spend some time together. I believe this city is considered very romantic. I would like to show some of those aspects to you.’ He leans towards me and despite everything, I can’t help feeling the pull of his physical magnetism. ‘Beth, let me do this. You keep pushing me away. Believe me, we would both enjoy ourselves a great deal more if you stopped doing that.’

I’m holding my breath, my eyes wide. He has so much power because he isn’t afraid to do exactly as he likes. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to resist his extraordinary will. I feel helpless like a toy or a possession, and I don’t like it at all. No relationship should be like this.

‘Now, we’re going to get your things and then I’m taking you out for dinner.’ He leans back in his seat. ‘And that’s the end of the matter.’

There’s not much I can do. I need to get back to midtown anyway, and it’s freezing outside. I can’t pretend this isn’t better than struggling back to the hotel by myself. All right, let Andrei think he’s got his own way. I’ll go out for dinner with him, but I’m getting on that flight tomorrow no matter what he thinks.

The traffic in central Manhattan is crazy and the streets are thronged with people doing their Christmas shopping or seeing a show or going to parties. The atmosphere is festive and the air is full of Christmas songs as they pour out of shops or from carol singers standing on street corners. I wish Dominic were here. I feel myself yearning for him. I want to ask him something as well, something that really can’t wait any longer.

We finally arrive at my hotel.

‘Go and pack. Get them to bring out all your luggage,’ orders Andrei. ‘I’ll wait here.’

I give him a defiant look as I climb out of the car but I do as he says. Will I have to stay in that cold, soulless apartment of his? Well, it’s okay by me as long as it’s only for one night, and there’s a lock on the bedroom door. If Andrei thinks that tonight is his lucky night, he’s in for a re-think in the very near future.

Fifteen minutes later, I emerge from the hotel, a porter following behind with my luggage. The car door opens and Andrei beckons me into the comfortable interior, tipping the porter with a fifty before we go.

‘Good.’ He looks at me with a satisfied expression, a smile playing over those stubborn lips. He’s in a happier mood now that he’s got his way. I can tell he thinks everything is going smoothly.

I’ll only go so far along this path,
I think but I say nothing. There’s no point in antagonising him this early in the evening.

When we reach the splendid Victorian Gothic apartment building on the edge of Central Park, Andrei is practically humming, and he seems very pleased with himself. The car passes under the ornate archway into the private courtyard and we go in. I keep silent the whole way. After all, I can be pretty stubborn myself when I want to.