The Vintner and The Vixen

Chapter 20

This couldn't be real. They were still in bed and he was having a nightmare. Except the sick sensation was too strong to be imagined. Why hadn't she told him?

Half an hour ago she'd been warm and sensual. Now she was hard, her stance aggressive, her shoulders back and war in her eyes. The Maya he knew, the Maya he loved, was gone. Had she been a figment of his imagination? Or a manipulation on Maya's part?

No. He wouldn't believe that.

Of all the questions bouncing through his brain, what came out was, "Did you sleep with him? Is he cupcake man?"

"No, he's not cupcake man. And I never had sex with Etienne. That should have tipped me off. A guy who didn't want my body? It was a first. I should've known he was a cop. We met when I was working in one of Big Tony's clubs. My ex, Victor, had been one of Tony's drug runners, except I didn't know that at the time. Shortly after Victor went to prison, Etienne approached me. He was kind and sweet and just listened. He came to my art shows and met me after work, drove me home, that sort of thing."

"He treated you nicely."

"Yes. Then he started hanging out at the club more, and one day he asked me to introduce him to Tony. So I did. Etienne's smart. Tony saw that and started to give him little jobs. Things started to shake up in Tony's organization. It was probably Etienne's doing. As each little guy got arrested, Etienne would take his place. Until soon he was in the inner circle."

Jacques's jaw ached from clenching his teeth. Only knowing it would make things worse for Maya had stopped him from punching the undercover cop straight in the face.

Maya's voice was still hard, her stance rigid. "Our personal relationship was stalled in the friends department. I liked Etienne, but I didn't want another criminal boyfriend, so I tried to break it off. I'd worked out by then that he'd only used me to get to Tony. Then Tony invited the two of us to his cabin for the weekend. Etienne begged me to go—it seemed the invitation depended on me coming as well. It's a typical gang thing. If you bring your woman then the boss has some leverage if things go wrong."

She shuddered and he wanted to go to her, wrap her in his arms, and never let her go. But time was ticking and he had to know all of it. "What happened at the cabin?"

"It was a remote place, on a lake in the middle of nowhere. It was so dark you couldn't see your own feet. After dinner, Tony invited us all outside to view the stars. Then he shot his two closest guys. He blamed them for all the leaks and said he was cleaning house. When we got back to the city, Etienne told me it was over between us. I was angry but not heartbroken; I never loved him. The next day I went to hand in my notice at the club, but there was a raid and I was arrested. The shock of having to bail me out sent my great-grandmother into hospital. As I hadn't done anything except be a stupid patsy, I was released. I spent the next two weeks at Gran-Gran's side before she slipped away. She was so disappointed in me. I broke her faith, her trust, and her heart."

"Maya." His chest ached from holding in his emotions. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't be on the verge of happiness only to have it torn away again. The hope that had begun to grow in his heart shriveled and died.

"No, let me continue. I have to tell it all." She paced the floor, her hands clenched in fists. "I was devastated. Gran-Gran had been my rock, my biggest supporter. Then I heard that one of Tony's men was ready to testify and they were fast-tracking the court case. I thought maybe it was Etienne about to confess. I hadn't seen him since we were both arrested at the club. Then I was watching the news one night and I heard a report about a murder-suicide where the man's whole family was killed before he took his own life. It was one of Big Tony's guys, and I knew he'd never have killed himself, let alone his family whom he loved. Tony had got to him, killed him too. Then the next night, the other witness to the original murders was found in the St. Laurence River. I saw the way the wind was blowing; it was my turn next. Thankfully, the lawyer handling Gran-Gran's estate had completed the transfer of the land and cottage here into my name and sent me the documents. I left the country that same evening. I wanted to put it all behind me. Start new. Make her proud of me for once."