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  They had forced JR to kneel on the floor, and they had tied his arms in front of him. All of the terrorists wore hoods. One was still wearing an Afghan National Army uniform and was standing behind JR and speaking loudly into the camera, delivering a diatribe. Periodically he would grasp JR’s hair and pull his head back. Or he would hit JR on the head or shoulders.

  JR could hardly speak. His words were garbled. They could barely get past his swollen lips, and his voice was now only a hoarse whisper. Still he resisted. He lifted his hands until they were in view of the camera, and then he raised his middle finger.

  When the terrorist behind him saw this, he became enraged, yanked JR’s head back, and slowly slit his exposed throat. When he finished, he kicked JR’s limp body to the floor where the rest of the terrorists rushed in and stomped on it.

  Mueller had to fight back the bile seeping up into his throat, and Hazel was weeping openly. Moments before, Burton had simply slipped away unnoticed to his office.

  For the rest of the morning, Ryan, Mueller, and Hazel all tried to persuade Burton to talk with them, but they failed. Burton had isolated himself in his office.

  At noon Major Michael Kieran arrived at the CSU. His face was ashen. He had seen the Internet feed.

  Mike walked immediately over to Ryan. He told Ryan that Will Cooper had scheduled an interview with Burton on the evening of New Year’s Day. Mike asked Ryan to substitute for Burton during the interview, and Ryan agreed.

  Mike then went over to Burton’s office and walked in, without knocking. Through the office window, Ryan and Mueller watched Mike walk around Burton’s desk and stand right next to him. Burton stood up with a dazed look on his face. Mike put his arms around Burton and held him. Burton sobbed into Mike’s shoulder as Mike held him.

  A few minutes later, Mike prevailed upon Burton to leave with him. Mike would take him home. He would sit with him and talk with him for the rest of the afternoon, for as long as it might take until Burton could start to function again.

  As Mike and Burton walked through the office, Burton’s eyes met Mueller’s. Mueller simply nodded to him, and Burton returned the nod. Burton’s eyes were red and swollen. He no longer possessed his intense, unsettling stare. In his eyes one could now see only helplessness and loss.

  Chapter 18

  Thursday, December 31

  At the CSU, the day after JR’s murder seemed like a hangover from the previous day. Everyone was depressed, and time simply dragged on throughout the morning.

  Ryan and Mueller were ready to drink away the memories of yesterday’s horrible events. They were ready to drink them into oblivion. They were ready for a night in the city. They had planned to leave the CSU at noon, to pick up Annie at home, and to drive to New York.

  Going into the city, they sat in traffic for hours because of the huge celebration that night, but once they got through the tunnel, they followed Alex’s directions to avoid most of the congestion, and they parked in the garage under the guesthouse which was adjacent to La Femme Mystérieuse.

  They took the elevator from the garage to the lobby where they encountered a pleasant, middle-aged man behind the front desk.

  “Hello,” Ryan said. “I believe you have a reservation under the name of Ryan.”

  “Good evening, Sir,” the man smiled. “We have been anticipating your arrival, Sergeant Ryan. Are you also checking in with Sergeant Mueller and Miss Morgen at this time?”

  “Yes, we are all here,” Ryan replied. Then he laid his credit card on the counter of the front desk.

  “Oh, that will not be necessary, Sir,” the man said. “You are all the guests of La Femme tonight. Miss Alessandra made the arrangements herself.”

  “Thank you. That is very kind of you.” Ryan put his credit card back into his wallet.

  The man smiled at Ryan and said, “I believe you will be pleased with your accommodations. Miss Alessandra has reserved the sixth floor for you.”

  “The entire floor?”

  “Yes. It is the penthouse. There is a spacious and pleasant common area, which is shared by two private, king-sized suites. I have Sergeant Mueller and Miss Morgan in one suite, and I have you in the other suite.”

  “And Miss Alessandra?” Ryan asked. “Where will she be staying tonight?”

  “Miss Alessandra will be staying with you, Sergeant Ryan. I hope that is acceptable.”

  Ryan smiled at the man and simply nodded.

  “Yes. Yes,” Ryan said. “Of course it is acceptable.”

  “Of course,” the man smiled. “On the third floor you will find a corridor that connects the hotel to the club.”

  Then he called a bellman to carry their luggage and escort them to their suites.

  Their suites were expansive and luxurious. An immense skylight illuminated the common area in the daytime, and a private elevator gave them access to a romantic, rooftop patio in the evening. The decor was completely white throughout, with the finest bed linens and softest bath towels.

  They would have liked to enjoy the suite, but they had to shower and dress quickly if they were going to make the cocktail hour in the club at 8 PM.

  Just before 8 PM, Annie joined Pete, who was sitting in the living room of their suite and waiting for her. Pete looked very handsome in his tuxedo, but Annie was absolutely stunning in a strapless, blue silk gown.

  Pete was amazed by how gorgeous she was. The color of her gown perfectly complemented her blonde hair, and her beautiful gray eyes seemed to sparkle and dance against the silk fabric.

  “Beautiful,” he said. “You are so beautiful.”

  Pete stood up from his chair. In his hand, he held out a flat, leather box to her.

  “Please open it,” he said.

  Annie lifted the hasp and raised the hinged lid of the box. “Oh my,” she said.

  Inside the box, against the background of black velvet, were a necklace and matching earrings of shimmering, violet-blue Tanzanite.

  “I wanted to give these to you in the Bahamas, but, since we could not go, I thought it would be appropriate to give them to you tonight. I want you to know how much I care for you,” Pete said.

  “Well, you succeeded,” Annie giggled.

  Annie walked in front of the full-length mirror in the room. She held the necklace in her hand and asked Pete to fasten it for her. He took the necklace from her, walked behind her, and fastened it around her throat. The gems glowed with a light that was matched now only by the light in Annie’s beautiful gray eyes.

  Mueller bent and kissed her on her neck. “You look absolutely beautiful,” he said.

  “Oh, these are too beautiful for me.”

  Pete stared at the jewels, then at Annie, and added, “No, I think that your beauty only enhances theirs.”

  He smiled at Annie, who blushed.

  She reached up and caressed the back of his head. “Oh,” she sighed as she leaned against him. In a few moments, she added, “We had better leave if we are going to make it for cocktails.” Then Annie turned and kissed him tenderly.

  They found Billy in the common area of the penthouse, and the three of them took the elevator down to the third floor and walked across the corridor to the club, La Femme Mystérieuse.

  While the owners had designed their hotel to be light and airy and luxurious, they had a different intention for their club. In the club, the ceilings, walls, and plush carpets were black, and all accessories and furniture were either gold or gilt. There was no airiness in the club. There was opulence rather than luxury. And there was a definite air of decadence.

  When they walked into the anteroom of the club, the maître d’ was standing in front of the three massive, saltwater aquariums which covered the wall behind his desk. Annie seemed mesmerized by the hundreds of brightly colored, tropical fish which darted back and forth in the huge tanks.

  The maître d’ recognized Ryan from across the room. “Good evening, Sergeant Ryan. It is a pleasure to see you again.”

  “Good evening.
It’s a pleasure to see you again too.”

  “It is Eduard, Sir. My name is Eduard.”

  “Yes. Of course. It is a pleasure to see you again, Eduard. I believe you have a res…”

  “We have been expecting your party, Sergeant Ryan. And Miss Alessandra is inside, waiting for you. Shall I take you directly to your table? Or would you like to stop at the bar first?”

  Ryan glared at him but replied, “Just take us to the table please.”

  Eduard smiled back at Ryan. “Certainly, Sir. Please follow me, everyone,” he said.

  Inside the club, it was dark, but the iridescent glow from the aquariums washed over the room and gave the club an otherworldly feeling.

  “Oh, this is certainly different,” Annie said to Mueller. “It’s weird. I like this place already.”

  Mueller chuckled at her and slid his arm around her waist as they followed Eduard to their table.

  They saw a woman standing by a table in front of the stage. She wore an emerald green, sequined gown that hugged her figure, and she was watching them and smiling.

  As Mueller pulled Annie along toward their table, Annie smelled the unmistakable, sweet scent of marijuana in the air. She turned toward the scent and saw a young man sitting at a table and holding a joint in his hand. A petite brunette was sitting on his lap. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and her eyes were closed. The young man had slid his free hand under her skirt, and she was moaning very softly, almost purring.

  “Can’t you just feel the sin in this place?” Annie giggled. “We’re gonna have a great time tonight.”

  The woman in the emerald green gown laughed out loud when she heard Annie’s comment. She walked over to them. She wore an emerald necklace that paled next to her stunning, blue-green eyes. “Hi, I am Alex. And we are going to have a great time tonight. You must be Annie.” She hugged Annie and kissed her on the cheek. Then she led the group to their table in front of the stage.

  Alex and Annie sat next to each other, facing the stage. Ryan and Mueller sat next to their dates, but with their backs toward the show.

  Ryan ordered martinis for the four of them. He said that they needed a release from the tension and depression of yesterday. The cocktails were excellent, but the men drank them very fast, and the women tried to keep pace. Annie was already starting to redden in her cheeks when Ryan ordered a second round of martinis before dinner. Dinner was excellent – lobster tail and filet mignon for the entrée with crème brûlée for dessert. Annie had recovered some of the natural color in her cheeks by the time the crème brûlée was served, but then Ryan ordered a third round of martinis before the floor show began.

  The show started at 10:30 when the club’s dancers invaded the stage and sang and leapt about to a lively, up-tempo production number. Gabriela was there. Ryan noticed her right away. She stood out from the other dancers even without her cigar. Bright green plumes extended two feet above the headdress on her Afro. Around her neck, she wore a bright green and yellow, sequined collar, which left her jiggling breasts completely exposed. Her tiny, sequined thong flashed in the spotlight with every suggestive gyration of her hips. It was a very smutty show, and Annie was enjoying it immensely.

  After the dancers, in a different section of the stage, a loan spotlight illuminated Oksana, the club’s torch singer, who was wearing a black sequined gown with a plunging neckline. She started singing a popular, romantic lament in her sultry, plaintive voice. Her vibrant blue eyes seemed to be focused on Ryan as she sang.

  “Is she the woman that you told us about?” Mueller asked Ryan.

  “She is. Beautiful voice and eyes, right?”

  Annie laughed at him, almost a guffaw. She was two thirds of the way through her third martini, and her cheeks started to redden again. “She does have a beautiful voice, but she should have opened with Dude Looks Like A Lady.”

  “What do you mean?” Ryan asked her.

  “Can’t you tell that she’s a drag queen?” The bright red glow had returned to Annie’s cheeks again, and she was now thoroughly enjoying herself.

  Ryan turned in his seat to take a closer look at Oksana. The color started to drain from his face. “Oh,” he said. “Oh,” he repeated, “but she had a scarf wrapped around her when I met her, and her clothes were different. It was impossible to tell then.”

  “But you were sitting only two feet away from her, you moron,” Annie chortled.

  Now Ryan started to redden, and a dark cloud came over his face. Alex saw this and leaned close to him and rubbed his back. “I am so sorry, Sweetheart. I did tell you she was not your type. She has a beautiful voice, but she is not what she seems.”

  “But she seemed too petite to be a man,” Ryan said.

  Alex gave him a comforting smile now, but her blue-green eyes gave her away. She was amused. She patted his hand and said, “She is not Russian either. She is from Kentucky. Before she started singing professionally, she raced horses. She was a jockey.”

  Annie exploded with laughter when she heard this. “If you had gotten her into bed, I bet she would’ve given you the ride of your life, Billy.”

  Ryan was now livid with anger.

  Alex quickly stood up and grabbed Annie by her arm. “Come on, Annie,” she said. “You need to come with me to the ladies room before there is a murder committed here tonight. You don’t want Pete to be forced to work on New Year’s Eve, do you, Dear?”

  Alex dragged Annie roughly from her seat and pulled her toward the ladies room in the back of the club. The men watched them go. Alex was struggling to keep Annie standing and moving in the right direction. The men could see Annie’s shoulders still shaking with laughter as Alex hustled her along.

  When the women walked into the ladies room, they found themselves alone in the spacious room. It was luxurious with gold fixtures and white marble counters, but, unlike the rest of the club, it was brightly lit and cheerful.

  Annie glimpsed her reflection in the mirrored wall above the vanity. She stopped and smiled. The necklace of Tanzanite sparkled and danced from blue to violet to blue again in the room’s bright light.

  Alex walked up close behind her. She looked at Annie’s reflection in the mirror and smiled.

  “The gems are beautiful on you, but not everyone wears them the same. Your beautiful gray eyes just shimmer in their light.”

  Her compliment made Annie redden. Alex smiled at her and changed the subject.

  “Annie, you should try to be friendly with Billy. He is not really hostile to you. He is simply afraid. Pete has been his best friend for years, and Billy is fearful that you will replace him in Pete’s affection.”

  “That is ridiculous,” Annie said.

  “It is silly, I agree, but that is what he is thinking. Besides I have a selfish motive in seeing you two become friends.”

  “Oh?”

  “I like Billy, and I would like to see the relationship that I have with him develop into one like your relationship with Pete. If you are friendly with Billy, it will make it easier for him to stay in his relationship with me. He will stop seeing you as a threat to his friendship with Pete.”

  “Do you love him, Alex?”

  “I do not know what love is, but I am closer to him than I am to any other man. He and I share a common experience – an experience that other people have never known and can never imagine. Besides, it is the best sex that I’ve had with a man.”

  Annie scoffed at her. “Well, that’s the key then. It’s about sex, isn’t it? With Billy and women, it always seems to be about sex. It begins with sex, and it ends with sex.”

  To Annie’s surprise, Alex started chuckling.

  “Hopefully not every relationship will be only about sex, but it is likely to start with sex – or at least the promise of sex. We are talking about men, Annie, and we both know that all men think with their hamptons. I think Billy’s is his best friend, his happy fellow traveler. He even has a name for him. He calls him Cap’n Jack – the one-eyed brigand who lay
s waste to all womankind.”

  They both exploded with laughter, and tears came to their eyes as they leaned against each other.

  “They all have names for them,” Alex went on. “What does Pete call his friend?”

  Annie seemed dumbfounded. “I don’t know,” she said. “We never spoke about it.”

  Alex started to laugh at her. “Don’t tell me that he calls him Little Peter.

  Annie replied, “I hardly think so.”

  “Well, aren’t you the lucky girl then?”

  Annie blushed when she realized what she had said. Then they both started laughing again, harder than before, and they did not stop until they had tears in their eyes once more.

  Alex looked at Annie again in the mirror and brushed a little fluff of hair away from Annie’s eyes.

  “You are cute, Annie. I can see why Pete is so attracted to you.”

  “You should stop,” Annie replied. “You almost sound as if you are hitting on me.”

  Alex stood closer to Annie now and touched her bare shoulder. She looked into her light gray eyes in the mirror and smiled. “I am hitting on you.”

  Annie blushed and fumbled for the right words to say. But nothing came to her.

  Alex gently turned her around so that they were now facing each other, only inches apart.

  “It is nothing complicated, Annie. I simply want to have sex with you.” Then she smiled and said, “You will be safe with me.”

  “I am... flattered, I guess.” Annie stumbled to get her words out. “But I am not interested.”

  Alex looked deep into her eyes and caressed Annie’s cheek with the tip of her finger.

  “I doubt that you know what you are saying, Annie, if you have never been with another woman. Women are very pleasurable. Women can satisfy other women in ways that men cannot imagine. And I want to pleasure you in those ways.”