Chapter 7
Luke Bishop was roughly the same age as her brother-in-law, but that was where their similarities ended. Mira was extremely relieved when she saw the man who would accompany her to the benefit gala for the American Hospice Foundation, because he was of an entirely different caliber. The very first thing he did after the rather pleasant introduction (not a sleazy one, as Mira had expected), surprised her, and immediately won her over.
“I am aware that your mother is dying and that today is probably going to feature a lot of well-meant talks and speeches about death. Should you feel that you would like to go somewhere else for a while, just to escape the morbidity of it, then I am your man.” He wiped a dark strand of hair out of his face. It was a simple gesture and yet one that would have seemed finicky and cocky on any other man. Luke Bishop, however, didn’t seem to know just how handsome he actually was. From his dark, slightly messy hair, to his broad shoulders and long legs, he was an absolute dream of a man. His slightly silver-colored temple and fine laughter lines seemed to keep him from actually being a male model, even though he probably looked amazing even in shorts.
“That is very kind of you,” Mira replied gently and noticed how her heart started to vibrate because of him. He was the first man, no… the first person, who did not expect anything from her, since she had returned to her old hometown. When she told him this, his striking face darkened. “I am sorry to hear that. I did not mean to open up old wounds. I can only imagine that everyone means well and that they simply forget that you are a grown woman.”
“You may call me Mira. That makes things much easier,” she suggested spontaneously, which surprised even her. His amused grin grew wider.
“Luke,” he replied before kissing her gently on each of her cheeks. “I guess, you knew that already.” She inhaled the scent of an expensive aftershave that hovered between them. “I think we should make a move or we might actually get there late. The traffic in L.A. is horrible, but I assume that you know that too.”
Mira grabbed her favorite scarf and her small black purse and turned around in a circle. “Will you take me with you like this?” Was she flirting with Luke? Her sister would love this, but she herself was a little embarrassed for a moment. It wasn’t just the fact that her mother was dying and that it was actually her task to go there and throw herself at Connor — no. It had only been a few days since she and her long-term boyfriend had broken things off and here she was, acting like a hormonal teenager.
“Anytime,” Luke said quickly, but his eyes told a much deeper story and one that would make her blush if she knew what it was. “Did I say something wrong?” He had immediately noticed that her mood had changed slightly. Any woman who didn’t like Luke Bishop, must either be blind or stupid and Mira was neither. It was obvious that she wasn’t blind. However, when it came to being stupid… that was an entirely different ballgame and she would know by the end of tonight if she (and Suzanne, of course) had completely overestimated her intelligence. Mira didn’t expect much to begin with. Even if she managed to talk to Connor, there was still a long road ahead if she was to earn his trust.
“N-No. Everything is okay,” replied Mira after a short pause and shook her head. “I am…”
“Shh,” Luke said as he came to a stop in front of the lift doors. He turned around to her and put his finger on her lips. “No explanations. After all, we were both kind of coaxed into this situation, I am pretty sure of it. Let’s just enjoy this evening together, shall we? We will eat delicious food, drink good wine, and maybe we will even dance together.” His cool finger rested on her lips just a second too long for it to have been an innocent gesture, but Mira was starting to like the silent tingling that Luke’s touch had caused in her. She also liked his dark green eyes, which kept looking at her calmly, or simply the way he walked across the red carpet so confidently, without showing off his best side to the reporters. “Mr. Bishop, how about a picture of you and your guest? What is her name?” The very brazen reporter leaned far across the barrier and held his camera towards them. The telescopic lens drove in and out in a disgustingly suggestive manner. Mira noticed that the guy had greasy hair and was openly staring at her cleavage. She could sense that Luke was about to make a move and she held him back.
“Don’t,” she whispered and hung on his arm. “He ain’t worth it. Let’s just go inside.” Luke turned abruptly, and the reporter had to be content with looking at their backs.
“Thank you,” Luke said and then he put his arm around Mira’s waist. It felt great. Not too close, but close enough to let her know that he liked her next to him.
“My pleasure,” she answered and allowed Luke to press her closer against him. He led her to the checkroom, helped her out of her coat, and was ready to also take the scarf, but Mira shook her head. “I will keep this so that I won’t feel so naked,” she said, referring to her rather short dress with its risqué neckline.
Had she just seen Connor’s blonde mane near the entrance to the dining hall? The color of his hair had always been somewhat special — a very light blonde without the usual yellow tint or the slipping off into a mouse grey that could be seen so often. His hair was so light colored that any possible silver hairs would probably only become apparent at a very old age. Since all of the men wore tuxedos, she had not been able to distinguish him from others simply by his clothing. Luke and Mira moved onwards. The man she thought was Connor still had his back to her, but he had now come to a stop to talk to a woman. When he finally turned around, Mira was able to catch a glimpse of his profile.
She would have recognized him anywhere. The play of light and shade on his face, the striking nose with its unmistakable curve which almost resembled the beak of a raptor, and especially his distinctive, imperious chin, which seemed to tighten slightly with hidden anger. He had a face that had been burned into her memory forever. How had she ever imagined that she would be able to forget his features?
She automatically leaned closer to Luke, more than was necessary, and almost tried to hide behind him. Unsuccessfully. Connor had seen her immediately, which became very obvious by his now pale face and his tightly pressed lips. The woman, whom Mira assumed was his companion for the night, said something to him, but he did not answer her. His eyes had taken on a very particular shade hovering between blue and gray, which reminded Mira of cold icebergs. She found it difficult to take her eyes off him. Her heart beat so fast that it felt as if it wanted to burst in her chest, and all the loud voices around her disappeared into a ghostlike background noise. Only when Luke had lead her past Connor and the woman into the dining hall, was Mira able to breathe again.
That was just the beginning. She had to face an entire evening in close proximity to him if he did not to immediately turn around and leave.
It didn’t look like he was going to. When she casually turned her head, she saw how Connor and his female companion were ushered in the same direction she and Luke were going. This meant that Suzanne had done it once again. She had managed to lure Connor Carmichael to this event and now it was literally up to Mira to take over. Her mood had dropped accordingly by the time she and Luke arrived at the table and were greeted by Suzanne with a beaming smile. Russell stood up and greeted her before greeting Luke. Then she noticed that something behind Mira had caught his attention and she knew exactly what that was. “What the hell…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but he did give his wife such a sinister look that Mira knew instantly what kind of a night Suzanne would have after this.
“Would you be so kind as to tell me what is going on here?” Luke whispered into Mira’s ear, when he pulled her chair out for her.
“A family matter,” she replied, as he sat down on his chair to her left. “I am afraid that you have got caught right in the middle of it and it will be a rather tedious evening. I can only repeat what you said to me earlier: If you would like to take a break and escape all of this, I am your girl.”
His warm smile literally warmed her soul.
At first everything seemed to go pretty well. Connor, who had been visibly tense before, had somehow lost this tension miraculously on his way to the table. First, he introduced his female companion to everyone and when it was time for him to be introduced to Luke, nobody said anything, so he took charge of the awkward silence and simply introduced himself. Luke was guarded, however, since he didn’t know Connor and only saw everyone’s reaction, including that of his boss, so he played along. Russell had to fight hard to not lose control of his raging anger, which made him look like he was fighting a stroke. He welcomed the extremely beautiful Tatjana Usharova with a quick bow and ordered one of the many waiters that were flitting around, to immediately bring a bottle of champagne to their table. Mira shared a resigned look with her sister and hoped that her brother-in-law would hold it together until after he had given his speech as the guest of honor – which literally meant nothing other than that he had given a lot of money to this foundation. On the other hand, she wouldn’t even care if Russell Forbes embarrassed himself at this gala in front of everyone by stumbling behind the speaker’s podium and possibly making some very inappropriate dirty jokes.
Connor had silently slid into his seat next to her, after he had taken the fur wrap from Tatjana’s shoulders and handed it to one of the waiters. Despite the discreet exchange of a banknote, it wasn’t discreet enough for Mira’s hawk eyes. Her feeling of disgust towards the woman at Connor’s side was surely only based on the fact that animals had had to die so that this skinny woman had something to warm herself with. What other reason could she possibly have to spontaneously dislike this woman?
After a thankfully very short opening speech, they started serving the first course of the dinner. It was an amuse-bouche — a tiny little culinary delight in the form of a type of profiterole filled with an undefinable fish crème. Apart from Connor, who had no problem spiking the chef’s introduction onto his fork and then simply letting it all disappear into his widely moving mouth in one single bite, everyone else struggled to eat the tiny thing. The glasses that were filled with white wine, which at least tasted good, were emptied somewhat faster.
The appetizer was next. It was beef carpaccio with Nebraska beef, topped with roughly shredded parmesan shavings. The pure taste of the meat was delicious as it almost melted on the tongue. Everyone at the table obviously enjoyed this particular dish, apart from the quiet beauty, who didn’t touch her plate at all. Luke was the first to interrupt the slightly awkward silence at the table.
“So, what is it that you do, Mr. Carmichael?” His question was completely innocent, but Mira felt that it did sound slightly challenging, which she thought was odd. Russell, who sat opposite her, snorted loudly and Suzanne made a face as if this place was the equivalent of hell. This was typical for Suzanne. First, she would be full of enthusiasm and come up with a completely ridiculous plan, just to then get scared off by her own courage. But Mira still gave her sister an encouraging smile. After all, this unpleasant situation did have a positive side. With a bit of luck she would maybe even see the craziness of it all and how ridiculous her plan actually was.
“Oh yes. What exactly is your occupation, Mr. Carmichael?” Had these provocative words really come out of her own mouth just now? Mira could not believe it.
“I work in the security industry,” Connor replied and patted the corners of his mouth calmly with his white napkin afterwards.
“Well, they really put the fox in charge of the henhouse, didn’t they, old boy?” Russell’s voice sounded contemptuous. Mira’s eyes left Connor’s face and now she stared at her brother-in-law. The usual unhealthy red color in his face had now disappeared to reveal an even less healthy-looking paleness, but he seemed to be able to keep his obvious anger in check – at least enough to have a civilized conversation. These dark and dangerous undercurrents they were headed towards in this rather strange conversation, did not seem to bother Connor at all. Quite the opposite, because his amusement was clearly audible when he answered.
“Nobody knows the tricks and knacks of criminals better than a former criminal – isn’t that what you are referring to, Mr. Forbes?” He took a sip of his champagne and raised his glass one by one to every single person at the table. “I have no idea who I have to thank for the invitation to this event, but I am honored that you consider a man like me to be worthy of being a part of this illustrious and elite little society.” For a moment, his eyes rested on Mira and she could feel how her heart skipped a beat.
Did he honestly believe that it was she who had invited him here? The thought alone, that he could possibly think that she had lured him here, filled her with shame and with anger. “Maybe you should attend to your guest? She looks a little pale around her nose.” She just wanted to get rid of him as fast as possible, to finally put an end to this embarrassment.
“I believe that she is exceptionally beautiful, to be honest,” Connor replied, being deliberately misleading and lascivious. He lowered his eyelids and despite this half-obscured look of his, Mira suddenly felt naked. His gaze rested on her cleavage for way too long, until Luke’s hand blocked Connor’s view, when he laid his tanned hand on Mira’s arm. Connor’s eyebrows pulled upwards and he grinned blatantly. “Oh, sorry. I was distracted there for a minute. You can’t possibly blame me, Dude,” he said, deliberately pronouncing the vowels excessively.
Before Mira could do something to stop him, Luke had jumped up and pulled Connor off his chair. Both men were of the same height and build. With a very casual movement, Connor pulled Luke closer to him and whispered something into his ear that Mira could not hear. Whatever he had said, it did the trick, because Luke didn’t do anything else and instead just wiped Connor’s hand away and sat back down in his chair. At the same time, Connor dodged a waiter, who had started to serve the main course, and sat back down into his chair with the creepy and quiet elegance of a mean cat. His girlfriend, who had looked up just once during this altercation, turned back towards her plate and stared at her food.
“I sincerely apologize,” he said to Mira. “That was extremely rude and very disrespectful. I believe that a beautiful woman has the power to awaken either the best or the worst in a man.” The first two sentences had been spoken loudly and for everyone to hear, but the last words were for Mira alone. For a short moment, both of their heads had been tilted towards each other, until a waiter had stood behind them and cleared his throat to get their attention. Mira sat back as if she had been caught doing something naughty and she felt the looks of everyone at the table on her. Instead of accepting or denying his apology, she focused on her grilled lobster au gratin instead. It arrived on three whole salad leaves and they served freshly baked bread with it. As much as she liked this typical American dish, every single one of her bites seemed to clump together in her stomach. Then again, she had never really been a huge fan of the combination of seafood and cheese anyway.
She noticed at the back of the room that a band was setting up. The formally dressed musicians had sat down and started to unpack their instruments. “I didn’t know that there would also be dancing here,” she said and then she remembered Luke’s earlier comment. Suzanne put down her fork after having picked undecidedly at her lobster and quickly turned around. “Yes, it is not common. However, it is tradition. This is why they left the middle of the room empty.”
“Complete nonsense, if you ask me.” Russell literally shoveled the remaining bits and pieces of his main course into his mouth. “They could have made so much more money if they had filled that gap with more tables.” He pushed his empty plate away from him.
“I am actually looking forward to dancing,” Luke announced. “Even though I might have gotten a little rusty since the last time I danced.” His fingers skillfully dunked his fork into the cracked open shell of the lobster as he fished out the last piece of flesh. “Mira, when was the last time you danced?”
She felt how next to her, Connor leaned in ever so slightly to hear her answer. He didn’t really seem to like the melted cheese on top of the lobster either, as he had carefully pushed it aside on his plate and only eaten the seafood. “Oh, it has been a very long time. I don’t really remember how to dance, to be honest,” she replied shyly.
“It’s just like riding a bike,” Connor added self-confidently. “Once you know how, you never lose it. May I have the first dance?” Mira caught Suzanne’s pleading eyes and after a short pause, she sighed and gave in. Luke didn’t say a word, but she thought that she had noticed a hint of anger in his eyes. However, given the fact that this wasn’t technically a real date, he would simply have to accept it.
“One dance,” she clarified the situation. As soon as she had given into Connor’s urge, she regretted her decision to do so. At this point, only the dessert they were serving now separated her from actually having to fulfill her reckless promise.
Just like the appetizer, Mira preferred the dessert over the other courses. Maybe it was also because of the polite and yet somewhat difficult conversation that the knot in her stomach seemed to loosen slightly, but she was the first to finish the baked vanilla ice cream on a raspberry glaze. Connor smiled at her as she put her last spoonful into her mouth, and she immediately thought that she knew what he was thinking: Just like when she was a child and she couldn’t resist the creamy deliciousness. An image appeared in her head: She and her mom, as they were strolling through the park on a sunny day, a cone in her hand with melting ice cream. Connor had walked next to her mother and he had spoken to her quietly, but with a certain urgency.
No. This was complete and utter nonsense. Her memory must be hazy and showing her things that never really existed. Why would Connor and her mom meet in the park? She shook her head, to get rid of these unwelcome images, just as the musicians played a short fanfare to announce an elderly man, who now entered the podium. Unfortunately, his speech wasn’t very long at all. If Mira had understood him correctly, then his job was merely to introduce the main speaker, who was the main sponsor of this event. He kindly asked for applause for “one of the most generous people I have ever known and a man who has an open ear and who will lend a helping hand to anybody seeking help – Russell Forbes!”
Her brother-in-law rose from his seat and walked towards the podium in large wide steps. Mira wondered just how much money Russell had given this foundation and what his motive had been to do so. She knew damn well that it had little to do with humanitarianism as… oh well, it didn’t matter. She zoned out while Russell gave his speech, and instead focused on people’s reactions throughout the room. They all listened very intently — almost seemed mesmerized by his words. This was actually way more than what normal politeness would demand. What did they see in him that she had been unable to see her whole life? Luke touched her hand. She looked over to him. “The second dance is mine,” he said so quietly that she almost didn’t hear him. She nodded quietly. In the meantime, Russell had finished his speech. He made some grand gesture towards the middle of the room and generously announced that the fun part of the evening had now officially started.
Connor got up and indicated a bow towards Miraat the same time stretching out his hand towards her. His hand didn’t even shake, not in the slightest, and somehow that angered Mira. She gave him a stiff nod and excused herself from the table, with a much warmer smile towards Luke, as Connor pulled back her chair. She took his arm. The little orchestra started to play the first notes of a piece. The music sounded loud and shrill in her ears. Connor led her dexterously through the various tables into the middle of the room, which had been left open for everyone to dance. Apart from them, only two other couples had found their way to the dance floor and Mira had the feeling that everybody was looking at them. She was sure that Russell and Luke were watching them intently. Mira saw how her sister said something to both men and at least Luke had the decency to turn around, obviously reluctantly, to look at Suzanne. Russell just shook his head, so it was Luke who got up and led her sister to the dance floor. Did he want to keep an eye on Mira?
“You are distracted,” complained Connor with a whisper as he pushed her hand onto his shoulder. His arm rested loosely around her waist. “Relax, Mira. I am not going to do anything to you. All I want are a few answers.” Thankfully, it was just a very slow waltz they were dancing to. Mira was very well aware of his extremely close proximity. His hand, which held hers, was warm and dry. He was the perfect height to be her dance partner. Her forehead just about reached his chin, so she didn’t have to lean back too far to look at him. However, this dance also permitted her to keep her head low when she wanted to avoid his gaze. She focused predominantly on his bow-tie or on the pearl-colored buttons on his shirt. But he demanded her attention yet again, when he spoke to her with his dark, deep voice, which forced her once more to look him straight in the eyes.
“Mira,” he repeated her name. And there was something in the depth of his voice, the way he said her name, that touched her so deeply that she started to shiver. She felt goosebumps taking over her entire body. His hand, which had been resting perfectly polite on her waist, now moved to stroke her just once over the thin fabric of her black dress. “You look exhausted,” he said.
“You dragged me onto the dance floor to tell me how bad I look?” She immediately tried to stop dancing and just stand still, but she quickly realized that his strength moved her mercilessly even without her complying, and she had to follow his steps regardless. If she didn’t want to cause a scene in front of everyone, she would have to follow his lead. She forced herself to relax her shoulders somewhat and to fall into step with him, but it took everything in her to not run away from him right now.
“Much better,” he whispered into her ear. His warm breath caressed her bare skin. “Don’t overthink things. Let your body go with the flow.”
“What do you want from me?” Mira refused to lose sight of her one goal. Yes, she had promised her sister to get close to Connor and somehow lure him into trusting her, but Suzanne wasn’t the one dancing with him on this dance floor right now and she was also not the one who had to endure their enemy’s hands on her body, touching her skin. Suzanne was dancing with Luke, who was obviously a fantastic dancer and led her sister across the dance floor like a pro. Mira tried to focus on Connor again.
“If you need me to relay your message, then you had better be quick, because we don’t have much time left,” she said deliberately harshly. “Or are you planning on keeping me hostage all night?”
His reply was very quick. “If I have to.”
“I don’t like the games you are playing,” Mira hissed. Connor lead her away from the center of the dance floor towards the edge, to dodge an elderly couple who had been dancing towards them rather enthusiastically, however, their dance moves weren’t exactly very well coordinated. By now, the melody of the first song had trickled into that of a second and Mira let out a deep sigh. If they kept doing that, Connor would be able to drag out the supposed first dance all the way into the early morning hours. At least the tempo hadn’t changed. Had the orchestra played a slower tune, she would have run away in an instant.
“Tell me why you forced me to come here and I will escort you back to the table right now.”
She looked up at his face. That was when she noticed some tension behind the seemingly relaxed expression. Fine lines framed the corners of his eyes and there was a hint of a shadow underneath them. However, the color remained the same strange gray-blue he had always had, only this time the tone wasn’t as cold as Mira remembered. Instead she saw an icy flame burning in his eyes. As a child back in Switzerland, Mira had once formed a snowball with her bare hands and she remembered her surprise at how much the icy cold of that snowball had simulated a burning sensation when it touched her skin. Connor’s eyes seemed to have the exact same effect on her as the snowball had back then. Hot and cold, fascinating and painful at the same time.
“I have not forced you here or whatever you call it.”
For a moment, he searched her face for answers, but then he just nodded, much to her surprise. “I believe you,” he simply said, and it sounded as if his observation surprised him just as much as it did her.
“So, who was it?” She pressed her lips firmly together, because the words wanted to come out, just to end this farce and the senseless intrigues of her sister once and for all. At that precise moment, Suzanne and Luke waltzed right by them and her sister’s curious look changed everything.
“I will bring you back to the table,” Connor said and danced with her towards the row of tables, where they would be able to safely finish their waltz without inhibiting the other dancers on the dance floor. He actually planned on keeping his promise. Why was she not surprised?
Then another thought came into her mind. How had Connor known that she hadn’t just lied to him? She slowed down a little, just to delay their return.
“Why did you kill my father?”
This time it was he who stopped in his tracks for a split second, but he caught himself very quickly and kept on dancing. Mira knew that she had hit a nerve right there and then, because his grip around her waist had tightened significantly, even though he still held her right hand very loosely. He pulled her closer to him than would be deemed appropriate for a dance at a public event and for a moment she thought she could feel her heart beating against his.
Which was obviously utter nonsense, she reminded herself.
“I did not kill Jack.” He made her turn around in a twirl and there was nothing she could do.
“You are lying. I saw it with my own eyes.” Her voice sounded high pitched, almost like that of a child. Connor loosened his grip on her and for a split-second, Mira thought that he would put his hand to her neck and pull her towards his chest, like he had done that night.
“What exactly did you see back then, Mira? You were eight years old.”
“Even a child can testify before the court about what it saw.”
The color had drained from his face. “I wish they had allowed you to do exactly that back then. But your family had been way too busy shipping you off to Europe before anybody actually had the idea to ask you some important questions.”
“That is not true,” she disagreed, but it was said without real conviction. Why would Russell and Suzanne want to prevent her from testifying? She shook her head. The memories of that night and also of the following days were often blurred and fuzzy. She couldn’t really recall every single second of that evening fully and clearly, up to the moment when Connor had tucked her back into bed. After that… “I saw you. I saw my dad. It must have been you.”
“Then why did they release me?” His words were much louder than the music, which suddenly subsided into the background, until Mira couldn’t hear anything else other than Connor’s insisting voice. “Your testimony could have put me behind bars or it could have cleared my name completely, Mira. Why did your sister send you away? Did you never ask yourself why they didn’t have any evidence against me? They couldn’t even find gunpowder residue on my hands, which they would have, if I had pulled the trigger on the gun that killed your father.”
Gloves. He must have worn gloves.
“And then there is something else…” They had reached the edge of the dance floor. Mira only noticed that the music had ended, when Luke and Suzanne came to a stop right next to them and Luke grabbed Connor by his arm.
“That’s enough,” Luke said with a deep grumble in his voice. For a split-second Mira thought that both men would attack each other, but Connor simply shook off Luke’s hand with one swift move. A move that was so very elegant and effortless that Mira felt a hysterical laugh brewing inside her chest. As he led her back to the table, she felt a strong tingling in her chest and her hysteria only subsided when she finally sat down in her chair.
She only noticed how much she was shivering when she saw the champagne in her glass starting to shake as she went to take a sip to calm her nerves. Suzanne kneeled next to her. “Is everything alright, sweetie?” This time, the term of endearment missed its usual target. Nothing was alright, and it wouldn’t be, until Mira could disperse the sudden thoughts of doubt that Connor had so skillfully cast into her mind.
“Yes,” she reassured her sister, even though Suzanne would probably know that that was a lie. “Just give me a moment, okay?” She finally managed to take a sip from her glass. The champagne had lost its fizz and was no longer cold, but at this point Mira didn’t care. As long as she could wet her dry throat with something and make that sour taste in her mouth disappear, it would do.
Next to her, Connor hadn’t even sat down. Instead, he had nodded towards Tatjana, who immediately got up from her chair and obediently pulled her arm under his. What was it about this woman that Connor liked so much, given the fact that she hadn’t spoken one word the entire evening – not with him or anybody else?
He turned around without saying a word and walked towards the exit.
Mira watched him leave. If she let him go now, then she would never find out what he had meant with all those suggestions. Why did your sister send you away? Have you never asked yourself why they did not have any evidence against me? His questions kept repeating in her head and a part of her wondered why it had never occurred to her to ask those questions herself. Despite this sudden realization, however, Mira was still sure that Connor was hiding something from her. Why didn’t he simply tell the truth about what had happened back then? She half-heartedly excused herself, got up, and then went to follow him.
Where was Connor? She didn’t even really know what she was going to say to him, but she was well aware that she couldn’t let him go just like that. Her eyes scanned her surroundings and she was pretty sure that she saw him at the coatroom. He was just putting his girlfriend’s weird piece of fur over her shoulders. Then they walked through the almost empty foyer straight towards the exit. Everybody else had remained in the main hall, where they danced and drank and celebrated themselves and their generosity. She didn’t belong there, just like Connor did not. Her sister’s efforts to convict Connor with her help, Russell’s despicable behavior, and even Luke with all his politeness and care about her wellbeing – all of that seemed to literally suffocate her. Mira started to almost run to catch Connor. One of those men at the doors opened one of them for Connor and Tatjana. He bowed in front of them.
She was completely out of breath and wasn’t even able to call after him to wait. Where had this urgent desire to stop and talk to him again, suddenly come from? It was absurdly powerful and there was no rational explanation for it.
She ran past the man, who had kept the door open for her also. As she passed him, Mira noticed a stern and blank look on the man’s face. Outside, she shivered in the cold as the wind hit her naked arms. Then she saw Connor standing there. Tatjana stood a few steps away from him and stared in an extremely bored way, into the night. He seemed all the more aware of his surroundings, and then he turned towards her, as if he had expected… Mira didn’t know what. Surely not his car, which arrived that very minute. Everything about him seemed very tense, as if he was waiting for an invisible, but palpable imminent danger. His shoulders in the immaculate tuxedo, were stiff. His head moved slowly and systematically from one side to the other. His eyes scanned his surroundings.
Then he finally saw her.
Without thinking about it, she ran towards him. He seemed to shake his head and his lips formed words she didn’t understand. Suddenly, his head jerked to the left and he immediately started to move. Mira had no idea how he managed to eliminate the considerable distance between them so quickly, but he did.
Then she felt a glaring pain shoot through her shoulder. Someone — no, it was Connor — threw her to the ground and shielded her body with his. She saw how his lips mouthed her name and she wondered why she wasn’t able to hear his voice. The last thing she saw were his eyes, looking at her, terrified. Then darkness fell over her.