Page 28 of Big Sexy Love
I dive off the chair and start to back awayfromhim.
‘Yeah, thanks,’ I mumble. I need to get out of here. ‘I, um, just came to deliver this letter from Birdie.’ I throw the letter in his general direction. He catches it with one hand, his reflexes faster than lightning. Even that is unsettling. ‘I have lots to do,’ I continue. ‘Lots of sightseeing, etcetera.’
‘Who is Birdie?’ Chuck says, tilting his head to the side so that a strand of blonde hair falls overhisface.
‘Um, your teenage sweetheart? You left her to go to Princeton?’ I remind him, feeling less and less sure that I’m in the right place. ‘You… you are Chuck Allenright?’
He gives a delicate shake of his head. ‘My name is Anders,’ he says. ‘Anders vonPreen.’
‘What?’ I yell. ‘Anders von Preen? Why did you let me in? Who evenareyou?’
He shrugs elegantly. Like all of this is completely normal. Anders von Preen sounds like a made-up name. Who is this guy? I instinctively hold my hands up into a sort of karate chop position, just in case I need to defend myself inanyway.
‘I invited you in because I am bored today.’ His thin voice drawls, as if he can barely be bothered to speak. ‘I am bored so much of the day.’ His accent is slightly British-sounding. Like Madonna. ‘But hereyoucome knocking at my door so unexpectedly.’ He sighs dramatically, his red lips turning down into a sulk, his pointy shoulders sagging. ‘And it’s not like I have anything else fun to dotoday.’
‘Are you going to murder me?’ I blurt in a panicked voice, looking around for the way out. ‘I mean… um… do you know Chuck Allen? Do you know hisparents?’
‘Maybe…maybenot.’
‘Maybe, maybe not you will murder me?! Or maybe, maybe not you know ChuckAllen?!’
Shit! This isnotgood.
Anders von Preen sits down on a plush armchair and takes a sip of his drink, holding the glass with only his thumb and forefinger. ‘Don’t fret,’ he says quietly. ‘You seem like a rather fretful person. Are you sure you won’t have adrink?’
I have been in New York for less than twenty-four hours and I have managed to stumble upon what appears to be a bona fide psychopath who won’t even tell me if he plans to murder meornot!
‘Chuck?’ I find myself calling out into the air. ‘Chuck Allen? Are you here? Are you here, please? Are there any other humansnearby?’
‘Shouting won’t help,’ Anders says calmly, placing his drink onto a small glass tablebesidehim.
Shouting won’t help?That’s exactly what a psychopath says to a screaming victim before he bops them on the head with a bluntobject.
I make a tiny little frightened groan. I don’t intend to. It just pops out. I put my hand into my bumbag and fumble around for something I could potentially use as a weapon. The only reasonably heavy thing is my bottle of Rescue Remedy, the irony of which does not passmeby.
‘Sorry, that sounded rather threatening didn’t it?’Anderssays.
‘Yes.’
‘I’ve been told I come across as quite sinister. Do you thinkthat’strue!’
‘Yes!’ I nod fervently. ‘Verytrue!’
His face drops a little. ‘I must work on that. I just meant that calling for Chuck Allen won’t help because Chuck Allen isn’t here. He hasn’t been here for years.That’sall.’
My heart leaps. ‘So youdoknowhim?’
‘Of course I do, darling.’ Anders smiles this time, and his face looks ever so slightly less creepy.Ever soslightly.
‘Well, can you tell me where he is so I can give him this letter? It’s really very important. And time-sensitive.’
Anders stands up from the chair and takes a step towards me. I take two stepsbackwards.
‘I will tell you whatIknow.’
‘Great. Yes, thank you. And then I will escape… I mean… leave you toyourday.’
‘I want something in exchange for theinformation.’
