Chapter 22 Villain
VILLAIN
Isat in Jezebel’s courtyard eating chocolate and chatting with Toni until the sun went down. I didn’t want to talk about anything serious, so we chatted about her love life and my adventures driving like a civilian.
After I hung up, I studied the phone. I could trash it. I’d bought it from a store with a paid card, and I didn’t want to toss it. Was that dangerous? Not as dangerous as not shooting someone who could kill me. I’d keep the phone. My chest felt a little more settled after I’d made that decision.
Jezebel came out a while later. “How much chocolate did you eat? I followed the trail of wrappers.”
I got up. “So much. How’s Minx? I’m sorry about that. I—”
“Minx has some mental health challenges, but she’s still an asset.
Like you.” She patted my head and then took a swig of her mineral water.
I opened my mouth to tell her not to touch my head, but realized I didn’t mind.
She was older than I by a few years, and she would have out-villained me if she hadn’t gone vigilante.
“What are your plans for tonight?” I asked.
“Poker.”
“With the girls or…”
She shrugged and sat down, stretching out her long legs.
“I love it too much. A long time ago, I gave up easy money and playing other people’s games.
I play my own game with my own rules. I threw you in cold, but you held your own.
You even took care of the bodies. I couldn’t find where the lean-to had been when I went back. ”
“The urge to return to the scene of the crime…”
“Minx lost her earring. Trix flew me, so it didn’t take too long. What’s this about Death-Hammer going to a Band of Demons party?”
“It’s on Wednesday, and I’m playing for it. Horse asked if I’d like to invite Death-Hammer, and since I want Dirk to hear me play, I guess he invited the whole group. Sorry.” I quickly glanced at her to see what she thought about my weak and foolish desire to be seen and admired.
Jezebel frowned at me. “Don’t apologize. If this is about you coming out of your shell and playing in public, and you need moral support, then we’ll be there. Also, seeing Trix and Horse together is hilarious.”
I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “I’ve never played in public before. I mean, once on a street corner, but not with other people. I’m nervous, but kind of excited.”
She raised an eyebrow. “So you went to Horse and offered to join his orchestra? Smells fishy, but we’ll be there to make sure he doesn’t screw you over.”
“Thanks. Not that I trust you.”
She grinned and leaned her chin on her hand. “Then I won’t have to be honest. It’s good to get out there doing what you love, not that you aren’t good at falling off cliffs, but being on Nix’s team isn’t going to keep you pretty.”
“You’re pretty. No, you’re gorgeous.”
She rolled her eyes and stole one of my chocolate bars. “Just to show you that I’m not motivated by flattery.”
I laughed. “Go ahead. I’m just going to buy more. I think I’ll go to the nearest chocolaterie and clean them out.”
“Do you know what you’re going to play?”
I frowned. “No. Do you know who takes care of those things so I don’t have to ask Horse? We’ll have to rehearse. Three days until the performance? We need to start now.”
“Dirk would know. He had his own team before, so he’s not perceived as strictly a Death-Hammer employee. He’d know who actually arranges things.”
“Why would Dirk know anything about Horse’s employee?
Did he date her or something?” My heart raced at the thought of Dirk being with someone else.
Even though he was evil and had knocked me unconscious and set me up for this entire mess, no one else got to touch him.
He shouldn’t have seduced me if he didn’t want me to be possessive.
She laughed and snagged my low-tech temp phone. “Dirk will have an aneurysm when he sees this. He’ll be begging you to let him give you an upgrade. I’m putting his number in the phone, because that’s the one I know. He’ll be able to help you.”
I felt my cheeks heat up for no rational reason. “I’m sure. You’re not acting at all weird.”
She grinned and walked off, swinging her hips and leaving me with a phone and Dirk’s number just waiting for me to push the button.
It’s like she was trying to set us up. Did she hate him?
Maybe she was a closet romantic. Maybe she hated me and wanted me to reveal my pathetic obsession.
Like he didn’t already know. He knew I was stupid about him and was probably just playing me.
Did I want to call him? My hands moved as soon as I thought that. Yes, apparently, I wanted to call him, whether he was diabolical or not. I walked through her house towards my room while it rang and rang and then went to an answering machine.
“If it’s a serious problem, call Nix. Otherwise, leave me a message.” He sounded like a boring tech guy, not a villain who got under my skin like nobody else.
It beeped, and my heart pounded as I was left suddenly without my brain. “Oh. Hi. It’s…” Did I say Pinkie or Dani? Toni? “Me? Um. Jezebel said you’d know something. It’s not important. So, you can call me at this number. It’s my phone. Bye.”
Had anyone ever left a more idiotic voicemail?
Oh yes, listen to the villain completely choke.
I clicked off and licked some chocolate off the corner of my mouth before heading to Othello.
How humiliating to admit that I wanted to call him, even if it was only to myself.
I’d only been playing for fifteen minutes when my phone rang.
I fumbled for it, almost dropping Othello in my haste.
“Hello?” I asked cautiously.
“You had something nonessential to ask me?” His voice was dark, dangerous, and sent a thrill down my spine.
“Yes, do you know who this is?” My heart pounded ridiculously fast for no reason. Well, the reason was him. I was legitimately stupid about him.
“Me.” He sounded so mocking.
It’s true, I’d left an idiotic message on his machine. This is why villains didn’t leave messages. “Right. It’s Dani. Daniela. The person you drugged and left unconscious in a hotel room.”
“You wanted me to stay there, staring at you while you were unconscious? Some might find that slightly disturbing. Good to know that you’re an exception for next time.
It’s actually your turn to knock me out and dump me somewhere.
Feel free to watch me sleep all you want.
I like being slightly disturbed, particularly when I’m unconscious.
So, Villain, did you actually get a phone or are you calling from a gas station? ”
“I didn’t mean that I want you to watch me sleep. I wish you hadn’t knocked me out.”
“But the surgery was slow and painful. I mean, I sat there for hours while Roger worked on you, buying horrible clothing. Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention was written for that shopping session.
You did not want to be conscious during that.
Either the surgery or the shopping. Tell me about your phone. ”
“Why do you care so much about my phone? Also, shopping is not your forte.
“I’m the tech genius. I care about tech stuff. If you want to tell me about your chocolate or your personal thoughts on absolutely anything, tell me that too. I’m greedy for any part of yourself you give me.”
“Yeah? Including panic attacks and bullet shrapnel? I know it’s all part of your plan. I don’t suppose you’ll tell me why you wanted me in Las Vegas.”
“Tell me about your phone, and I’ll think about it. Is it pink?”
I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling. “I bought a phone with prepaid minutes so I can dump it any time. It’s not pink.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Mine isn’t either. Electronics are so tragically serious.”
I sat down on the floor and shifted Othello so he looked more comfortable. “Yes, they are. So, are you going to tell me your plan?”
“I will tell you that telling you about my plan is definitely not on my plan. I got your note. When are we going on our date?” He sounded greedy for more of me, like he hadn’t just abandoned me in a hotel room when he could have stayed there, watching me sleep like a psycho.
I ran my finger over the seam in the wood floor, trying to be normal and not have a heart attack from the way it was flinging itself all over the place.
What was wrong with me? Dirk Dagger was just some guy, but my heart thought he was all the flowers my butterflies needed to consume this second.
“I don’t have time for a date. I got a job. ”
He was silent for a beat. “Ah. And that’s why you called.
Is it an assassination or something more complicated?
I’m flattered that you think I could help.
I’m assuming that the job is the nonessential that you’re calling about, unless it’s the date, but we both know that dating is more essentially dangerous than anything else. ”
I licked my lips. They were suddenly dry, maybe from the idea of dating him.
What would that look like? Would there actually be stabbing?
I wasn’t sure I was up for that. I’d actually rather have a couch and popcorn kind of date.
Supervillain of me, I know. Not that I’d called him for a date.
Right. Focus. “I’m going to play in an orchestra at the party Horse is throwing on Wednesday, but I don’t know who else is playing or what the music will be.
I need to rehearse. I haven’t played with a lot of other people, but I don’t know how to contact Horse or whoever he has in charge of his party’s music.
Jezebel said that you’d know.” It made absolutely no sense that he’d know who did Horse’s music whether he had his own team or not.
Why had I listened to Jezebel? She was too crazy to be trusted.
And now I sounded like an idiot who made up problems so I could call a man and have him solve them for me.
His tone was warm, not mocking, but how could I tell over the phone?
“Ah, that kind of job. I have to argue that your playing is far from nonessential, but I suppose there’s no accounting for opinions.
Janice is the one you want to talk to or, to be clear, the one you don’t want to talk to.
She will be able to tell you all about rehearsals and whatever else you’ll need to know.
Hm. Maybe you should call Eric instead, her undersecretary, who is capable of tact and diplomacy.
I’ll text you his number. It won’t be a classical tuxedo-kind of party.
It’ll be loud and rough, with a lot of alcohol and vulgar men and women.
Think electric cello, and if you’re the main musical feature, you’ll be dressed to stun, which is another word for skin.
Are you sure that’s the kind of party you want for your debut? ”
My head whirled at the scene he was describing, and my stomach tightened, but the answer was still yes, because Dirk would be there, and he would be impressed.
I’d make sure of it. I could do this because I wanted to, not because I had to.
And if it was vulgar and tasteless, it couldn’t be worse than my first public performance on the street corner in my corset.
Hopefully, he’d never know that happened. Talk about humiliating. I said, “Thank you for the number. Goodbye.”
“Wait. We haven’t discussed the date.”
“You can send me a note.” I hung up and took deep and even breaths while a rush of reactions went through me.
Panic, because was he really going to watch me play? What if it was horrible? He had to think I was good at something, and it wasn’t stabbing him. Or seducing him. Or anything else.
Also the butterflies, and the need I had to squeal about how perfect he was, sweet, rich, like the deepest kind of chocolate.
I didn’t get excited about men. Absolutely not, but there it was.
Toni did that sometimes. It was a normal reaction.
I should lean into it, except that it would freak out Toni because she’d realize that my mission was completely blown.
Obsolete. In absolute tatters. I didn’t want her rescuing me, and Horse said that I had to do what I wanted.
I grabbed a pink and black striped purse and headed to the nearest chocolaterie.
While I waited in line, I texted Eric and got the details about rehearsal time, which would be nine a.m. the next morning.
Would Nix be okay with that? I could take off some time to rehearse and maybe stay late on Thursday and Friday if he really needed work done.
I felt good walking down the sidewalk with my stash overflowing my arms, organizing my life how I wanted it to be. It was a strange feeling, one that I shouldn’t get used to, but I wasn’t going to think about that until I’d gotten control over myself. Maybe I never would.