sliced tomatoes a little later in the open plan kitchen.
Lindsay gave me a wide-eyed look that fooled nobody.
“Who do you think we are?”
I plopped a plate onto the counter.
“Okay. So what did Calvin tell you?”
“Tell her, hon?”
Calvin walked out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, rubbing a towel through his hair.
“You could’ve waited till the company left to have a shower,” I pointed out.
Calvin shrugged.
“Lindsay’s almost like family, isn’t she?”
“Chill out, Annie,” Lindsay said as she plunked a package of macaroni into a pot. “Nothing happened. We just took the streetcar to my neighbourhood. Ended up stuffing our faces at that Indian after all. My stomach simply couldn’t wait until we got back downtown.”
“But we had frozen yoghurt at the Eaton Centre,” Calvin cut in. “That’s why we went to the movies. They were having some sort of special anniversary or special edition or special something of Titanic. ”
He passed his hand about my waist and gave me a possessive squeeze. A whiff of ice blue cologne wafted towards me.
“You missed a wild time,” Lindsay added. “You never tire of watching Titanic. When was the last time you saw it?”
I glanced from one to the other. I didn’t trust them one whit, and they knew it.
“You’re up to something,” I said to Lindsay. “And I’m going to find out what.”
She only gifted me with a wide-eyed, innocent dolly look.
Chapter 6
Rudolph Verenich was tough. Legend had it he’d once even trained with Mossad.
But at the moment all he had was a bunch of inept and out-of-shape householder types whose main point of action was probably watching the evening news. I wondered how he’d ended up here, instead of living it up in London or Paris.
I watched as Barry, the one who had hidden under his sheets while his home was being burglarized, bashed his elbow into the face of Tina, a hefty schoolgirl who claimed to be a basketball star. Tina let out an indignant howl.
“Tina’s your friend. You’re fighting on Tina’s zide today,” Rudolph said. “Zo why you whomp her in ze eye?”
“I didn’t mean to whomp her in the eye,” Barry shot back defensively. “I was trying to elbow Kathy. Just, Tina got in the way.”
We were working in foursomes today. So everyone had a partner, and every pair was supposed to attack another pair. I was the only one working solo. Rudolph had told me he wouldn’t pair me with anyone until I could kick a target without knocking someone else’s feet out by accident, or punch a fist into someone’s shoulder instead of their face when I was aiming for their shoulder.
“You’re not much of an athlete, are you, Adler?” he remarked as I tried to lift up one foot without keeling over. “What you do for a living?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” I said through clenched teeth. “I’m an office worker. Do I look like I see a lot of action?”
Rudolph shrugged. He curled his hands around mine, curving them into fists, and brought them up in front of my face.
“Zat’s why you come here,” he replied. “If you were any good, you’d be in a karate league. And no one would’ve attacked you.”
I glared at him, startled. He grinned, pleased to have caught me off guard.
“Zo you were attacked.” He cast me a shrewd look. “Why I not zurprised? Tell me about it.”
I shook my head and went back to aiming kicks in any old direction. Rudolph surveyed me with dismay. He raised his hands, imitated gathering them before his face.
“Don’t drop your guard, Adler. Keep your face covered all ze time. You need a partner,” he added.
He whistled and made a gesture at Barry.
“Shulman. You look like you need a break. Come and do zomething zimple. Come and hold zome targets for zis girl.”
Barry left his foursome a little reluctantly. He grabbed a couple of stuffed red-and-white cushions with dirty plastic covers and sauntered over to me.
“Remember when you
Lindsay gave me a wide-eyed look that fooled nobody.
“Who do you think we are?”
I plopped a plate onto the counter.
“Okay. So what did Calvin tell you?”
“Tell her, hon?”
Calvin walked out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, rubbing a towel through his hair.
“You could’ve waited till the company left to have a shower,” I pointed out.
Calvin shrugged.
“Lindsay’s almost like family, isn’t she?”
“Chill out, Annie,” Lindsay said as she plunked a package of macaroni into a pot. “Nothing happened. We just took the streetcar to my neighbourhood. Ended up stuffing our faces at that Indian after all. My stomach simply couldn’t wait until we got back downtown.”
“But we had frozen yoghurt at the Eaton Centre,” Calvin cut in. “That’s why we went to the movies. They were having some sort of special anniversary or special edition or special something of Titanic. ”
He passed his hand about my waist and gave me a possessive squeeze. A whiff of ice blue cologne wafted towards me.
“You missed a wild time,” Lindsay added. “You never tire of watching Titanic. When was the last time you saw it?”
I glanced from one to the other. I didn’t trust them one whit, and they knew it.
“You’re up to something,” I said to Lindsay. “And I’m going to find out what.”
She only gifted me with a wide-eyed, innocent dolly look.
Chapter 6
Rudolph Verenich was tough. Legend had it he’d once even trained with Mossad.
But at the moment all he had was a bunch of inept and out-of-shape householder types whose main point of action was probably watching the evening news. I wondered how he’d ended up here, instead of living it up in London or Paris.
I watched as Barry, the one who had hidden under his sheets while his home was being burglarized, bashed his elbow into the face of Tina, a hefty schoolgirl who claimed to be a basketball star. Tina let out an indignant howl.
“Tina’s your friend. You’re fighting on Tina’s zide today,” Rudolph said. “Zo why you whomp her in ze eye?”
“I didn’t mean to whomp her in the eye,” Barry shot back defensively. “I was trying to elbow Kathy. Just, Tina got in the way.”
We were working in foursomes today. So everyone had a partner, and every pair was supposed to attack another pair. I was the only one working solo. Rudolph had told me he wouldn’t pair me with anyone until I could kick a target without knocking someone else’s feet out by accident, or punch a fist into someone’s shoulder instead of their face when I was aiming for their shoulder.
“You’re not much of an athlete, are you, Adler?” he remarked as I tried to lift up one foot without keeling over. “What you do for a living?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” I said through clenched teeth. “I’m an office worker. Do I look like I see a lot of action?”
Rudolph shrugged. He curled his hands around mine, curving them into fists, and brought them up in front of my face.
“Zat’s why you come here,” he replied. “If you were any good, you’d be in a karate league. And no one would’ve attacked you.”
I glared at him, startled. He grinned, pleased to have caught me off guard.
“Zo you were attacked.” He cast me a shrewd look. “Why I not zurprised? Tell me about it.”
I shook my head and went back to aiming kicks in any old direction. Rudolph surveyed me with dismay. He raised his hands, imitated gathering them before his face.
“Don’t drop your guard, Adler. Keep your face covered all ze time. You need a partner,” he added.
He whistled and made a gesture at Barry.
“Shulman. You look like you need a break. Come and do zomething zimple. Come and hold zome targets for zis girl.”
Barry left his foursome a little reluctantly. He grabbed a couple of stuffed red-and-white cushions with dirty plastic covers and sauntered over to me.
“Remember when you
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