The Fate of the Muse - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,102
disappointment to our family.”
“I don’t know about that,” I looked at her coldly, “He managed to orchestrate the meeting between you and me.”
She laughed, “Oh, believe me, he was just along for the ride. We thought that if I approached you in a neutral setting it wouldn’t arouse your suspicion. Bradley’s presence just made my story more plausible– and he really was drawn to your paintings!”
I remembered how I’d come to meet her at the art gallery, and how lucky I thought we were. I squeezed my eyes shut, realizing how gullible I’d been. Even at the time, I’d realized her appearance was too good to be true, and I was aware of the scripted nature of her platitudes. I had foolishly suspended my own disbelief, wanting to believe in her for Ethan’s sake.
She went on proudly, “It was a little experiment we devised to determine exactly how powerful you were. It was a classic two birds with one stone scenario– We got control of the district we wanted, and we put you to the test to as well!”
She looked so smugly satisfied I wanted to slap her overly made-up face.
“You had a man murdered simply to test me?” I said with revulsion.
“Now, now, Congressman Hill was slated to go long before we came up with the plan to have you put me in his seat. He did us many favors until he got greedy. He actually thought he could blackmail my brother.” She laughed, shaking her head, as if the very thought of such audacity was somehow amusing.
“Honor amongst thieves,” I said.
“I wouldn’t pity the man if I were you. He was more than willing to turn your boyfriend’s land into a golf course for a few dollars.”
My stomach twisted at her mention of Ethan, “If Brad wasn’t supposed to bring me here, how are you going to explain Cruz going missing?”
“Bradley has been told not to bring his little friends to this house,” she said with revulsion. “Particularly when his father is away. Security has instructed him to leave the premises.”
“What exactly do you want with us?” I asked angrily.
“Oh, my brother and I are fully aware of your rare gifts. We know that you’ve transformed into a mermaid, and that it seems to have given you the ability to speak with them. We have you recorded communicating with them… and yet… we still don’t know how you found out we were holding the other one. Perhaps you can enlighten me.”
I realized that the only thing they didn’t know about was mermaid telepathy. I shrugged, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She glanced at her watch, “We have all the time in the world to find out.”
“Surely your brother must realize that I can’t be forced to help you. Even if you keep me forever! I can never want you to succeed,” I paused for a moment, “Olivia would know that better than anyone.”
She blanched, and snubbed out her cigarette, standing abruptly. She reached into her purse and retrieved a phone, pacing by the fireplace as she placed a call. She looked really shaken, and her eyes kept darting back towards me.
“She knows about you,” she spoke in a in a fearful tone, “I have no idea… Of course not! You know you can trust us! It must have been Peter. Yes… we’ll be moving her there within the hour, and we’ll take care of the boy… He said he could be back in town by tomorrow.”
She came back to take her seat, watching me with narrowed eyes. She put the phone back in her purse and took a deep breath. Matching up the tips of her fingers, she patted them together while she thought, finally asking, “How do you know about Olivia?”
I ignored her question, wondering if I should have tipped my hand, “Tell me what you want from me.”
She lit another cigarette, blowing the smoke straight at me in a hostile gesture, “We want the child back. She’s rightfully ours.”
Now my stomach really sank, “What child?”
“Let’s not play games with one another. We know about Nixie and we want her back.”
My mind raced, and I struggled to keep a calm face. The only person I’d told about Nixie was Evie, in our hotel room in Paris. Now I realized that the room really had been bugged, just as I had been warned by Marissa. I was struck by a sudden rush of fear.
“What do you want with her? She’s just a baby…” My voice caught