Page 34 of Forsaking All Others

28

“Well, well, this is a surprise,” I murmur as I see who’s calling. “Falcon.”

“Jag.”

“I didn’t expect to hear from you again.”

“I may have been slightly unreasonable the last time we spoke.”

I grin into the phone.

“Indeed.”

I glance up as the make-up woman enters the room and runs her hands through my hair, meeting my eyes in the mirror, her own offering much more than cosmetics. She’d helped me expend a great deal of pent-up energy over the past few days and seems enthusiastic to do so on a regular basis.

“I’m calling to call to warn you that a new player seems to have entered the fray.”

“Hang on,” I frown, listening intently and waving the woman away.

She pouts, but turns and leaves immediately.

Once the door closes I resume our conversation.

“What new player?”

“Possibly mafia, something like that anyway. I’m still getting to the bottom of it. I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

“Jesus fucking Christ. Why?”

“Apparently you have something some sleazy little Sicilian wants.”

‘I knew it. I knew it was her.’

“Let me guess,” I sigh, “a certain single-minded contestant with a dirty mouth and a quick wit.”

‘And something else, something it’s too soon to talk about. Something so terrible and so strange that I’ve yet to come to grips with it. But I NEED to talk about it, and if anyone knows anything about strange blood and its lure or repulsion, it’s Falcon.’

“That would be the one.”

“And you think they might have attacked the limousine to gain her before she entered The Games?”

“It appears so, although again it’s early days in my investigation.”

I think this through. It makes sense. It also makes sense that she might have switched swimsuits with the Mexican contestant if she was being pursued during the recent challenge; something I didn’t get around to asking her about during our date.

‘I must remedy that, among other things.’

I quickly fill him in on what happened during the challenge.

“And the Italian didn’t claim the kill?”

“How could she? None of the competitors had guns for this challenge.”

“And the Mexican wasn’t in the limo the night it was attacked?”

“No.”

“Then I think it is starting to look like I might be right. The Italian is the target of these assaults.”