Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
I stop myself from dropping my jaw. This woman is something else.
She takes my arm and we walk out to the main lobby. Lots of slow-moving people get in our way, but we finally make it to the Symphony Center entryway.
Alissa leans toward me. “Don’t look now, but that old bitch who tried to cut the line is staring daggers into both of us right now.”
I tilt my head discreetly and catch a glance of her through the corner of my eye.
And this time my jaw does drop.
But not because of the woman. Alissa’s right, she’s glaring at both of us, her arms crossed over her luxurious fur coat.
I’m shocked because of the man at her side.
He’s wearing a charcoal Armani three-piece suit with a golden tie. A wedding band on his left hand. His nearly white hair is perfectly coiffed, and he has on a large pair of Aviator glasses.
Under the glasses… A salt-and-pepper goatee.
It’s the goatee that triggers my memory.
This man is a member of Aces Underground.
And not just any member.
This is the man I remember seeing the night I played the craps table. The night I took his two dates, Pia and Serafina, to bed.
The night he took the Nine of Diamonds—whom I now know as Svetlana, May’s friend from the club—behind closed doors.
This man could very well be the last person to see her alive.
“Maddox?” Alissa asks. “You all right?”
I turn my gaze back to Alissa, blink a few times. “Yeah. Fine. Just…”
I look back up, and both the man and the woman—I assume his wife—have walked out of the concert hall.
Fuck.
And now my phone is buzzing in my pocket. I turned it back on during the endless applause at the end of the symphony.
I pull it out of my pocket.
It’s a text.
From Bill.
Tests are finished. Please come over ASAP.
16
ALISSA
“Holy shit,” Maddox whispers under his breath. “May’s results are in.”
My heart starts thrumming. “You mean… Have they figured out who she is? Can they tie her to Rouge?”
“No idea.” Maddox pockets his phone. “But he’s asking us to come over right now. Do you want to come with me?”
I narrow my eyes. “You do realize this is the second of our dates that will end with a trip to the coroner, right?”
He exhales sharply through his nose. “What can I say? I like to keep you on your toes.”
I squeeze his hand. “You like to make them curl, too.”
Now is not the time to be flirting, but what the hell? I can be frightened for my life and horny for Maddox at the same time.
“Seriously, though.” Maddox looks into my eyes. “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to. I can drop you off at home first.”
“Where you go, I go.” I wrap my arm around his bicep. “Besides, we’re already downtown. It would be nonsense to have you drive uptown and back when we’re already here.”
“Fair enough.” Maddox opens the front door for me.
I’m about to walk out when I hear a voice calling out from behind me.
“Alissa? Alissa Maravilla?”
I turn my head. A sandy-haired man in a black tuxedo with a yellow rose boutonniere on his lapel is waving at me.
He looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t quite place his face.
“Um…hi!” I give him a half wave.
He extends his arm. “Maestro Will Patterson. I’m an associate conductor for the CSO. You auditioned for us a few years ago, didn’t you? Flute?”
I widen my eyes as I shake his hand. “You remember me?”
He smiles. “It’s my job to remember. And you left quite an impression on our panel. You played beautifully.”
I paste a smile on my face, trying to think of how to respond to his words.
If I left such a good impression, why didn’t they hire me?
My music teachers prepared me for rejection. You never know what’s going on in the minds of the audition panels, they said. You can give a perfect audition and still not get the job.
Blah, blah, blah. I knew I wouldn’t get every gig I auditioned for. The numbers are against any musician. There’s a huge supply and a much smaller demand.
“I’m glad I left a good impression,” I finally eke out.
Will nods. “Indeed you did. Do you still play?”
I bite my lip. “I take a gig now and then. But I switched careers a few years back. I now work as a nurse at St. Charles General. Full time.”
Will frowns. “That’s a shame. I mean, it’s great that you’re a nurse. I’m sure you’re doing great work with your patients. It’s an important job. But you’re a magnificent flautist.”
My cheeks warm. “Thank you. I truly appreciate that.”
“It’s so funny that I ran into you.” Will pulls out a business card, pushes it into my hand. “Our first-chair flautist just announced that she’s planning to retire at the end of the season. It took us by surprise. She’s not exactly young, but we were banking on a few more years of her and don’t have anyone in place. We’re scrambling a bit, and we’d love it if you auditioned again. But if you’re no longer playing…”