Strangers (36 page)

Ethan didn’t miss the fact that Kate’s level of anxiety had gone up a notch or two.

“Yeah, she’s one of his most ardent fans, a truly lovely girl.”

“Did he go out with her?”

Ethan made sure Kate saw his shoulders slump.
“Kate, I know you don’t want to hear this, but your relationship with Charlie is going to end in disaster.
All his relationships end in disaster and you’re the one who’s going to get hurt.
Charlie sleeps with a different woman every week.
I’ve just had one of them on the phone telling me how he slept with her and both her daughters.”

“Charlie told me about that.”

Ethan was surprised.
“What he doesn’t know yet is that she’s threatening to go to the papers unless he admits he’s an addict.”

“He’s given up coke and cigarettes.
And he doesn’t have a problem with alcohol.
He hardly drinks,” Kate said.

Ethan laughed.
“She means he’s a sex addict.”

“Oh.”

“He can’t help himself, Kate.
He’s not going to change.”

“He can.
He has.”

Ethan put on his best understanding smile.
“This is just another of his brief and passionate affairs, Kate, nothing more.
You’ve been a good influence on him but it won’t last.”

He saw her mouth tighten.
“Hey, look on the bright side.
Being with Charlie has made you very sought after.
You could have a date every night of the week.”

Ethan winced.
The scowl told him that was not the right thing to say.
Change the subject fast.

“Have you made that selection of underwear for me to show my friend?”

Kate brought it out of the spare bedroom and wrapped it in a couple of supermarket carriers.

“Great, I’ll be in touch,” Ethan said.

He laughed as he walked down the stairs.
This couldn’t have worked out better.
There was a flurry of interest when he pushed open the outer door.

“Shouldn’t Kate be in hospital?”

“Is Charlie coming to see her?”

“Hey, Ethan.
How’s she feeling?”

It was only then that Ethan realized he hadn’t even asked her.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Kate?
It’s me.
Open up.”

Kate opened the door to find Lucy clutching an opened bottle of white wine.

“Are you all right?” Lucy asked.

“Yes.”

“Thank God.
What the hell happened?” Lucy bowled into the apartment.

Kate sighed and closed the door.
“How did you find out?”

“If you owned a TV, you’d know.
It’s been on the six o’clock news.”

Kate felt as if a fist had slammed into her head.
Instant headache in more ways than one.
“Did they give my name?”

“Yes.”

Kate’s knees wobbled and she sat before she fell.

“I have to ask you this, Kate,” Lucy said, “Nick insisted.
I don’t want to lie to him and say I asked when I didn’t.”

“No, I won’t do an interview.”

“That’s what I told him.
Right, now let’s have a drink and you can tell me everything.”

Lucy stalked into Kate’s kitchen, opened a cupboard, took out two glasses and poured the wine.
Kate’s mind raced as she went through the implications of this making the news.
None of them were good.
Lucy handed her a glass.

“Did it hurt?”

“Only when I realized what she’d done.”

“Can I look?”

Kate put down her glass and pulled up her top.

“Whoa, nasty.
What did Charlie say?”

“Haven’t spoken to him yet.” Kate was beginning to think she’d never speak to him again.
What was he doing that was so important he didn’t have time to check how she was?
Kate remembered Natalie’s seductive giggle and tensed.

Lucy slumped on the couch.
“Why on earth would this Tiffany woman think stabbing you would make Charlie go back to her?”

“She didn’t think, just lashed out.”

Kate hesitated.
Now they were alone, this was a chance to say something about Nick and Armageddon, but she was torn.

“If you knew something bad about Charlie, would you tell me?”

“After not realizing what a prick Richard was, yes,” Lucy said.
“But God, Kate, you only have to read the papers.
Charlie’s always in trouble.”

“Would you want me to tell you something bad about Nick?”

There was a long pause before Lucy answered.
“Go on, then.”

Lucy’s mobile rang and they jumped.

“Hi, what’s up?” Lucy said.

Kate waited.

“It’s Fax.
He’s downstairs and wants to talk to you.
Can I buzz him up?”

Kate nodded.

A few moments later, Fax stood in her apartment, his camera bag over his shoulder.
He was white-faced and shaking.

“Kate, I’m sorry.
This is all my fault.”

“I thought you’d destroyed those photos,” Lucy said to Fax.

“I did, on my computer.
I’m sorry, Kate.
I’m sorry I took them, even more sorry I gave them to Richard.
I thought it would make him see what he’d done.
The bastard probably sold them to Simon and some woman almost killed you because of them.”

Fax pulled his fingers through his hair.

“I wasn’t almost killed,” Kate said.

“Here, you look worse than Kate.” Lucy pushed her wine into his hand.

“I feel terrible.
I wish I’d never met Richard Winter, or sodding Simon Baxter.” He took a slurp of wine and coughed.

“You know, I don’t think you’re cut out to be a press photographer,” Lucy said.

“I know.” Fax sighed.

“Except you are a photographer and you’re in my apartment and all the other press photographers are outside on the pavement.” Kate smiled.

“I wouldn’t take your picture,” Fax blurted.

Lucy sighed.
“You see?
Too nice.”

“You think I’m nice?” Fax’s mouth twitched.

Kate’s eyes jumped between the pair.

“You’re kind of cute,” Lucy said.
“In an occasionally annoying way.”

“And not married,” said Kate.

As they turned to look at her, Kate shrugged.
“If you take Lucy out for a drink, I’ll let you take a photo of my back.
Sell it and use the money to go somewhere nice.”

Fax blushed.
“I couldn’t do that, but…would you like to go for a drink sometime, Lucy?” His fingers twisted the stem of the glass back and forth, sloshing the liquid.

“I can’t tonight,” Lucy said.

“Tomorrow?”

“Working.”

Kate heard Fax’s confidence gurgling down the drain.

“Wednesday?” he asked, slumping deeper into the couch like a tired dog.

“We’re going to Rachel’s gallery in Holland Park,” Kate said.
“You could come too.”

“You know I’m seeing someone?
Sort of.” Lucy’s eyes met Kate’s.

Fax straightened up and took a deep breath.
“Yes, but maybe you’d rather see me.”

“Maybe I would.” Lucy smiled and drew a wide beam from Fax.

Kate thought he had a lovely smile, but not as nice as Charlie’s.
The thought cramped her heart.

“What time at the gallery?” Fax asked.

“Around seven,” Lucy said.

“Great.” He jumped up.
“Well, I better go.”

He looked desperate to leave before Lucy changed her mind.

“Take a picture of my back, Fax.”

He hesitated.
“Are you sure?
I didn’t bring my bag up with me because I thought I’d get a picture.
I don’t leave it on my bike in case—”

“Just take the picture.” Kate tossed her top onto a chair and turned to face the wall.
“They’ve already got my face.
It’s only my back.
Maybe they’ll leave me alone then.”

And maybe Charlie would see it, she thought.

“Does it hurt?” Fax asked.

“It aches a bit.”

“Thanks, Kate.”

Lucy went with him to the door and came back grinning.
Kate wondered if she’d forgotten what they’d been talking about before Fax arrived.
Lucy dropped on the couch, dropped her smile and said one word, “Nick.” Ah, that would be a no.

“He was in the ladies washroom at Armageddon with a woman called Sylvie.
They were in a cubicle.
Fucking.
Nick asked me not to tell you.” When Kate had told her everything, Lucy had her head in her hands.

“I’m sorry,” Kate said.

“I know her.
Sylvie Dacre.
She works for the BBC, the lying two-faced bastard.
Both of them.” Lucy sat up and took a deep breath.
“Nick was supposed… He’s coming round tonight.
I have to go.”

Kate hoped she’d done the right thing.
Was it was better to know the truth, even if it hurt?

She kept the phone unplugged, the door buzzer disconnected, but the mobile nearby.
Kate wouldn’t chase Charlie, but she sent one message.

I’m OK, but miss u

xx Mermaid

Charlie didn’t call or text.
Kate tried to convince herself he didn’t know what had happened, but her disappointment grew to the point that she sank into a physical and emotional slow-down.

She spent the next day in the apartment, kept away from the windows and ignored all knocks at the door.
She concentrated on her sewing and the jigsaw.
She heard nothing from Charlie.
How could he not know what had happened?
Or had he lied about Tiffany and wasn’t calling because he’d been busted.
But Charlie had no reason to lie.
Kate had a suspicion Ethan was behind this, that he’d made sure Charlie didn’t know she’d been stabbed.
Or was she just making excuses?
When she thought too much it was like a maelstrom whirled in her head.

Kate had settled down in bed when she heard a loud banging on the door.
More reporters or Charlie?
She pulled a t-shirt over her naked body and went to check the spy hole.
Kate’s pulse jumped.
Charlie looked furious.
The dark eyes and scowl told her everything.
He’d only just found out.

She whipped off the t-shirt and opened the door.
As his mouth fell open at the sight of her naked body, she reached out, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him inside.
His bag fell from his hand as he reached for her.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“I am now.”

He spun her around and gave a deep sigh.
Kate turned to face him.

“You turned me into a gibbering wreck,” Charlie moaned.

“And how would that be different to normal?”

His body shook as he laughed.

“I wanted to be cross with you,” he said in between planting kisses all over her face.

“Have you changed your mind?”

“What mind?”

His hands ran up the sides of her ribs and then down over her backside so he could pull her against him.

“I could kill you,” Charlie muttered into her hair.

“Why?”

“Guess.”

“I rang but you didn’t answer.
I sent a text.”

He groaned.
“I lost my bloody phone, again.
But you could have rung Ethan.
He’d have found a way of getting in touch with me.”

Kate was sidetracked by the first comment.
“If you lost your phone, how could I have rung you?”

“It turned up again this morning.
I think Natalie nicked it.
I’ve got you on speed dial and I couldn’t remember your number, but I’ve solved that problem.
I’ll show you how later.”

He lifted his hands to her face and smoothed his thumbs over her cheeks.
“I can’t believe some lunatic stabbed you.”

“It’s not serious, Charlie.”

He knocked his forehead against hers.
“Of course it is.
She stuck a knife in your back.
Christ, Kate, she could have killed you.”

“Why did you tell me you hadn’t heard of her?”

“Because I hadn’t.
Tiffany Samuels?
I thought you were joking, making a name out of two jewelers.”

“I don’t like jewelry.”

Charlie sighed.
“Ah, then I’ve wasted my money at Dublin airport on a fabulous present.”

He blew her hair out of her eyes and slid his thumbs up her ribs to her breasts, circling her nipples.
When they hardened in response he gave a happy sigh.

“Is it more fabulous than you?” Her hand cupped the bulge at his groin.

“There’s a dilemma.
Open my trousers or open my bag.”

Kate laughed and Charlie gently set her back against the wall.
She caught his head in her hands as he bent to kiss her neck.

“Why would Ethan make me think you knew Tiffany Samuels?” Kate couldn’t let this go.

“I don’t know.
When did you speak to Ethan?”

“He came here yesterday.”

Charlie’s head shot up, fire blazing in his eyes.
“Yesterday?
Why the fuck didn’t he tell me what had happened?
He could have got a message to me, even rung bloody Natalie.
I knew nothing about this until this morning.
It was a hack who told me while I was eating breakfast.
God, I was so scared.
I went straight to the airport, but I’ve had to wait all fucking day for a flight because of fog.
The bitch could have killed you.
Jesus, Kate.” His hands trembled as he clutched her.
“I don’t understand why Ethan didn’t tell me?”

“Maybe he didn’t want you distracted.”

“He should have told me,” Charlie said.
“I want to hire someone to protect you.”

“No.” Kate tried to pull away, but he held her tight.

“I mean it.
You won’t know they’re there, but I need to know you’re safe and you’re not safe in this apartment.”

“You’re overreacting.
I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.
You’ve disconnected your buzzer.
I had to get Rachel to let me in.”

“Charlie, calm down.
There’s no need to worry.
It was an isolated incident.
I don’t think she tried to kill me.
She wanted to warn me off.
She’s crazy.
She told me she’d been pregnant with your baby.”

Charlie tensed.
“I don’t know her, I swear.”

“Hey, I believe you.
How could anyone be that obsessed with you?
I mean, you snore, you fart, you stick your hand down your pants and scratch your balls and you spread Marmite as thick as jam.”

“I’ve stopped biting my nails.” He held up his hand.

“With my help.”

He raised his fingers to her mouth and Kate clamped her lips shut.
Charlie dropped his hand and smiled.
“Take me to bed and I’ll show you what I’ve got going for me.”

“Um, well there’s a little problem with that.”

“What?” Charlie kissed along her collarbone.