what’s that?’ she asked.
He closed his eyes. ‘I want to … Hang on.’
Suddenly he was on his knees, in front of her, his strong, bare chest still wet from the shower.
‘Elisabeth.’ He looked up at her solemnly.
Her breath caught.
‘Will you marry me?’
She let out a burst of laughter. ‘What?’
‘I don’t mean it like a proposal.’ He took her hand and rubbed a thumb over the sparkling diamond. ‘I mean it like a date, OK? Let’s set a date. For the summer, after the premiere.’ He became animated. ‘Soon after the premiere, in August, yes? Pick a date for me and I promise you,’ he put a hand on his heart, ‘we’ll do it.’
Elisabeth was stunned. This was it: her opportunity to become Mrs St Louis; the most powerful woman in Vegas. It meant she could put the episode with Alberto Bellini firmly behind her. She could be free from her family once and for all. So why didn’t she feel happier?
Robert looked up at her expectantly.
‘Yes!’ she cried, surrendering herself to the release. In one word she was back on safe ground. Everything was going to work out, this was how it was meant to be–her night with Alberto had been a blip, nothing more, just as she’d known. ‘Oh, of course, yes!’
She fell into his arms and he kissed her fervently, his hands buried in her glossy blonde hair. Gently he lowered her to the floor and moved on top of her, kissing her, one hand cupping her chin, the other working the zipper on her dress.
Elisabeth thought briefly of Alberto, but only briefly. Robert had saved her, delivering her from transgression and showing her the way.
Robert thought of Lana and resisted her with all his might. He resisted Belleville, that final, terrible decision, though it came in waves, thick and fast.
This was the right thing, for all of them. It was the right thing for him. It was.
Belleville, Ohio, 1999
‘We’ve got to go to the police.’
Robbie was slumped against the door to the trailer, his head in his hands.
‘No.’ Laura shook her head fiercely. ‘No cops, no way.’ Indecision was a luxury they could not afford–there would be time for weakness later. For now they had to think straight, and if there was one thing she was certain of, it was this: Lester Fallon had taken enough of her life already, there was no way she was giving him more.
‘Laura, I killed him.’ Robbie shook his head. ‘Do you hear me? I killed him.’
Laura thought she was going to be sick. ‘It was self-defence,’ she said at last, her voice cold. ‘He was trying to rape me. ‘
They had no idea how much time had passed since the fatal blow. It felt like hours. The smashed bottle lay on its side at her brother’s feet, staring back at them, accusing. The words ‘murder instrument’ looped in Laura’s mind.
‘I need some air,’ she said. ‘We have to get our heads together, come up with a plan.’
Robbie looked up at her. ‘No police?’
She shook her head. ‘No police.’
He closed his eyes. ‘OK.’
Outside they sat next to each other, not speaking. It was dark and late and there was no one around. Robbie took Laura’s hand in his and held it.
This was the only boy she had ever loved. It was her fault they were in this mess and there was no way she was letting him take the rap for it. He had a bright future and he’d give that up over her dead body. Not Lester’s.
Eventually she turned to him. ‘It’s our only chance.’
‘What?’
‘My brother keeps a can of gasoline out back.’
Robbie held his hands up, as if he could repel the force of her suggestion. ‘Laura, no.’
‘Just think about it a second—’
‘No.’
She touched his face. ‘Don’t you get it? My brother’s so drunk most of the time he doesn’t even know who he is. He could burn this place down all by himself. Nobody around here would ever know … Robbie, they’d expect it.’
She paused. ‘Do you hear what I’m saying? We have to destroy the evidence, all of it–it’s the only way.’
Robbie shook his head, but she could see him flipping it over, feeling its edges, trying it out.
‘We can’t.’ His eyes were black, serious. ‘What about the future? What about Vegas? How could we ever live with ourselves—?’
Laura kissed him. He kissed her back and for seconds they forgot. Tonight wasn’t happening; it was just a terrible dream from which they would soon wake up.
‘We will live, Robbie. And this is how. I’m not letting him ruin the rest of my life. I’m not letting him ruin us.’ Her voice cracked. ‘I’m not.’
He kissed her again. I’d do anything for you,’ he said, and she believed him. ‘But I know you and I know how you think. I can’t walk into this now if it means you realising in a year’s time that we made a mistake—’
‘That won’t happen.’
‘It might. ‘
‘It won’t.’
He shook his head and laughed emptily. ‘You can’t be sure of that.’ He held her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. ‘We go to the police—’ When she opened her mouth to object, he put a finger to her lips. ‘We go to the police and explain what happened. It was self-defence, just like you said. We’ve done nothing wrong.’ He swallowed, turned away. ‘You haven’t, at least.’
Laura shrugged him off and got to her feet. He would never convince her, however hard he tried. She knew he would carry the weight of the punishment and if there was anything in her power that could stop that happening, she would do it.
He followed her round the back of the trailer, watched in silence as she rummaged in a heap of cans.
‘Don’t,’ he said. ‘It’s not the right decision. You can’t see it now, but I promise you, it’s a mistake.’
‘Forget promises, Robbie.’ She found what she was looking for, freed it with a violent tug and unscrewed the cap. A sweet, stinging smell rose up from its neck. ‘You promised me we’d get away from here, you promised me that, too, remember?’ Fighting tears of panic, she wiped a sleeve across her nose. It left a sooty black mark. ‘I’m not letting you go down. This is our only way out and I’m taking it. For once, I’m fighting back. Just tell me: tell me you trust me.’
His answer came straight away. ‘I trust you.’
Laura took a deep breath, bolstered by his confidence even though she knew he would have played it differently. ‘You don’t have to be a part of it,’ she said.