‘You know what?’ he said at last. ‘I nearly did.’
‘But you didn’t. You had the chance to get rid of him, if you hate him so much.’
‘And I didn’t,’ he said.
‘Why not?’ Annie was staring at him as if trying to see inside his mind. She couldn’t, of course. She had never been able to do that. Max was unfathomable. ‘He’s my lover, according to you. You keep taunting him and you hope – what? – that he’ll lose it, fight you? Alberto’s the most restrained person I know, but I tell you, if he did lose it, you might be sorry. Don’t be fooled by that cool exterior of his.’
Max’s face had grown still as a rock while she spoke. His jaw was tight. ‘But he won’t lose it, will he? Because he don’t want to upset you.’
‘So we have stalemate. And that doesn’t answer my question. You had the chance to finish him. You didn’t take it. Why not?’
Max shrugged and turned away, hunted around for his shoes.
‘I don’t know. Maybe because of his father.’
‘His father?’
Max sat on the bed, started putting his shoes on. Annie went and stood in front of him, watching.
‘Constantine and me, we were in tight together for years. We shared a lot.’ Max tied his shoelaces then looked up at her face. ‘Come to think of it, we even shared you, didn’t we.’
‘I thought you’d let that go.’
‘I have. He’s dead, after all. And I -’ he tied his other shoe and stood up – ‘am still here.’
Annie stepped back a pace. ‘And so’s Alberto,’ she reminded him. He wasn’t the only one who could goad people.
And he’s getting involved with Layla, she thought. She wasn’t about to tell him that. He’d blow a fuse. But she couldn’t suppress a smile.
‘What?’ asked Max, irritated.
‘You’re such a maniac,’ she said.
‘Oh?’ He moved closer to her. Now he looked downright angry.
‘Men,’ she sighed. ‘You miss things, don’t you. So single-minded, so fucking focused – and you don’t see the bigger picture.’
‘And what is the bigger picture?’ he asked, his eyes moving from her eyes to her lips then back again.
‘Nothing. It doesn’t matter.’ She turned away, went to open the door.
‘Yeah, it does.’ He grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. Their bodies touched. His arm went around her waist and held her there. Annie bunched her fists against his chest.
‘So come on,’ he murmured from inches away. His breath brushed her lips. ‘Tell me.’
‘Alberto’s not interested in me,’ she said, gazing into his dark blue eyes. ‘He never has been. There’s someone he is interested in, though.’
‘Oh? Who?’
Annie shrugged and looked away. Every pulse in her body was beating hard, making her breathless.