Read Online Red Widow (Vivian Xu, Book 1) by Nathan Wilson - Free Book Online

she leaned closer toward Vivian. Her pulse skipped along like
an orgy of drums set to the primal soundtrack of her
heart.
    “ What are you doing here?”
a buttery voice whispered in Vivian’s ear.
    “ I…”
    Those intense, molten eyes
invaded hers, and Vivian couldn’t escape their harsh judgment. She
moaned and buried her face in the pillow. Go away, go away , she silently
begged. Just leave me alone.
    She could still feel the stranger’s
shadow weighing heavily on her like velvet. Was she real or just a
figment of her overstimulated imagination? When she peeked out from
under the pillow, the woman had evaporated from the room. Who was
this unexplained stranger that crept into the house—if she was
indeed real?
    Vivian glanced accusingly
at the bottle of wine perched on the table. That’s the last time I drink anything from the 18th
century, she thought. And her head tumbled
to the pillow.
     
    * * *
     
    Mikhael raised his eyes from the
bonfire cackling in the tunnels. Something managed to draw his
attention away from the trinkets he meticulously scrounged through.
There was no end to the treasure that spilled through the sewer
grates and ended up in his collection.
    Just the other day, he spied something
glimmering among the squalor that turned out to be the keys to a
Hyundai Sonata. Joakim gladly pocketed it for himself.
    Mikhael looked lovingly at his trove
of trinkets that kept him company in the stale hours of boredom. If
only someone would send a mother and father his way.
    He perked up at the sound of something
scraping against a wet surface. Joakim was furiously skinning a rat
in preparation for supper. Sewer rats were one of the few
delicacies found this far below civilization. Occasionally, he
would venture just beyond the surface to sift through the dumpsters
for salvageable food. If only the native populace were as wasteful
as the Americans, throwing away perfectly edible meals.
    Cabbage, bread and meager
portions of pork would suffice for now. A pot of beans gurgled over
the fire, eliciting another growl from Mikhael’s stomach. It had
been so long since he relished the taste of soup or stew. He
hugged his belly as it howled forebodingly
again. Only then did he realize he couldn’t possibly make that
sound.
    A strange noise rolled down the
tunnel, droning in the depths.
    “ What is it?” Joakim
demanded. He followed his adopted son’s gaze. Something metallic
ricocheted down the rails. Joakim clutched his boning knife tightly
as the disturbance grew louder and more frequent.
    Without warning, Mikhael pounced to
his feet and ran.
    “ Hey! ” Joakim screamed. He bolted after Mikhael but the boy
narrowly escaped his grasp. He reached feebly for Mikhael as he
raced toward the emerging silhouette. The shapely figure swept the
child up in her arms and Mikhael squealed in delight. Joakim almost
melted in relief.
    “ My little lily has
returned.”
    Vivian came into startling clarity as
she entered the light.
    “ Yes, and I delivered the
flowers, along with your creepy letter. I’m sure Audrey will be
pleased.” Mikhael wriggled out of her arms and scampered toward the
bonfire.
    “ I trust everything went
well?”
    “ Nothing I couldn’t handle.
Don’t tell me you were worried .”
    “ Of course not. I simply
don’t want any complications.”
    Vivian smiled as Mikhael nudged a bowl
of soup in her direction. The broth smelled surprisingly sweet and
teased her appetite.
    “ Then you’ll be happy to
know I was in and out like that.”
    At the snap of her fingers, Joakim
smiled. He turned his back on her, pleased with his “errand girl.”
Vivian’s voice rang out in anger.
    “ You’re in debt to me now,
you know that?”
    Joakim fell still, gilded in the stark
light of the bonfire.
    A twinge of unease tarnished Joakim’s
boyish smile. However, that same anxiety vanished just as quickly
as it peeked through.
    “ Yes. I will show you to
the