Fury's Goddess

Pradesh smiled. “This will be something of a challenge.” He wheeled them toward a gleaming white hotel. “But I think we will manage.”

Chapter 3

The hotel was gorgeous. As Annja walked into the bedroom from the steaming-hot shower she’d just enjoyed, she couldn’t help but appreciate the thick shag carpet. She curled up on the bed and gave serious thought to falling right to sleep. The flight had been long, and with the stress of having to shepherd Frank through customs, she was exhausted.

Thank goodness Pradesh showed up. She smiled. He was a handsome man, and she hadn’t seen a wedding ring on his finger. Although maybe that was because he didn’t wear one while he worked.

Not that she was here to flirt. She had a job to do. And finding the killer was the only important thing to her right now.

Except Pradesh was picking them up in an hour for the party in their honor.

Annja sighed. Nothing worse than having to put on a show for people. All she wanted to do was get out to the site of the murders. Apparently that would have to wait.

Her more immediate problem was what she was going to wear. Pradesh had been correct—she hadn’t brought a cocktail dress with her. Why would she? When Annja had booked her flight, the only thing she thought she’d need were a good pair of boots and her usual gear.

Mingling with high society hadn’t been on the agenda.

Until now.

Annja laid out her best shirt and pants. Eyeing them, she frowned. There was no way that outfit was going to pass muster with Hyderabad’s elite. Not a chance.

She wondered what time the stores downstairs closed. She had the credit card from the show and she could expense a new dress. But—

A knock at her door jarred her out of her thoughts. She peered through the peephole. One of the bellhops stood outside. Annja wrapped the robe a little tighter around herself and cracked the door.

“Yes?”

“Excuse me for disturbing you, Miss Creed. This was just delivered for you.”

He held out a garment bag and Annja reached for it. “Thank you.” She closed the door and laid the bag on the bed. A small card was tied to the hanger. Annja opened it.

I hope you don’t mind my taking the liberty of getting this for you.

—Dunraj

“Who the hell is Dunraj?” Annja asked aloud. She unzipped the garment bag.

The dress inside was gorgeous. A spaghetti-strap number in black with a line of understated jewels that wound down the dress. Annja recognized it immediately as one of Paris designer Nikolai Depue’s latest designs.

It must have cost a fortune.

She slipped the bathrobe off and stepped into the dress. It fit her like a glove and she couldn’t help but appreciate how good she looked in the mirror on the bathroom door, how well the dress fit her curves.

I don’t suppose my boots are going to look good with this, she thought. But then she noticed that bulge at the bottom of the garment bag. A pair of simple black leather heels. She stepped into them and instantly felt like a million dollars.

And that made her very uncomfortable. She didn’t even know who’d sent this outfit. She looked down at her khakis on the bed and was sorely tempted to put her own clothes on instead.

Just as she reached to unzip the dress, her phone rang. “Hello?”

“Annja? It’s Frank.”

Frank had a room on another floor. Annja wondered what he’d be wearing tonight. He didn’t exactly seem like the designer-suit type.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah. Some dude showed up at my door with a penguin suit—a freaking tuxedo. Can you believe it?”

“Actually, yes,” she said. “How does it fit?”

“Uh, it fits me perfectly. I have no idea who sent it, though. And I have even less of an idea how he knew my suit size.”

She studied herself in the mirror and then decided the dress would just have to do. After all, it would only be on her a couple of hours. “Let’s meet downstairs.”

Annja caught the elevator, and when the doors opened to the lobby, the first person she saw was Pradesh standing near the concierge station. He wore what Annja recognized as a sleek Pathani suit.

Pradesh’s eyes lit up when he saw Annja. “Forgive me for being blunt. You look incredibly beautiful.”

“Blunt is not necessarily a bad thing,” Annja said with a smile even though he had made her uncomfortable. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Pradesh gave her a short bow and then Annja heard the elevator ding behind her. Frank walked out. The tuxedo indeed looked good on him, but he didn’t have nearly the confidence to pull the look off. She could tell he felt uneasy.

“Very handsome,” she said as he approached.

“Very awkward,” he said quietly. “I feel like everyone is staring at me. And I don’t like it.” He pointed at her dress. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you.” Annja touched him on the arm. “You’ll be fine. Just try to relax.” She turned to Pradesh. “So, now what?”

“I’ll drive you to the party. It’s being held downtown at the offices of Dunraj Incorporated.”

“Did you say Dunraj?”

Pradesh nodded. “Yes, he’s one of the most influential residents of Hyderabad. He’s got an estimated wealth at around one billion dollars U.S.”

Frank whistled. “Wow.”

“Yes, his money generally elicits that reaction from people. It certainly seems to from the group Dunraj surrounds himself with. But there you go.”

“Money’s not everything,” Annja said. “He didn’t need to buy me this dress. I have clothes that would have been fine. Well, almost fine.”

Pradesh grinned. “So, is that where that came from? I wondered, but I thought it would be rude to ask. You both do look perfectly suited for the night ahead, however, so I guess Dunraj’s money was put to good use—at least in this case.”

Annja glanced at him. “Suited for the night ahead? And what exactly will this night entail?”

Pradesh smiled wider. “Oh, I imagine it will involve meeting an awful lot of people who have seen your show on television and who will wish to ask you all sorts of boring questions about your work and what you do. They’ll flatter you, no doubt, but each of them will want something. And they’ll prattle on at length about various topics you will probably have little to no interest in. You know, the usual prattling that occurs at these tiresome things.”

Annja raised her eyebrows.

He leaned forward. “I’ve been to one or two of these before. They get rather wearing. But such is the life of an inspector. I do my best to try to bear it, but there are times I find myself marveling at my own endurance.”

He led them outside to the Mercedes. Annja noticed it had been washed and waxed since their earlier trip from the airport. She again sat up front with Pradesh, while Frank maneuvered himself into the backseat, still acting incredibly pained about his outfit.

Annja caught his eye. “Frank, let it go. You look good, now just pretend like you know you look good and you’ll be fine.”

He fidgeted with his tie. “The last time I wore one of these things was my junior prom. And I hated it then. So much so, I refused to wear one for my senior prom.”

“What did you wear to that?” Pradesh asked.

“Shorts. Plus a bright red blazer. I looked wild.”

Annja shook her head. “That sounds like quite the night. Your date must have loved that.”

“Uh, yeah. We didn’t stay together for very long.”

“I wish I could say I’m shocked.” She laughed. “But shorts and a bright red blazer don’t exactly fit the picture of what most girls want their dates to wear to the prom.”

“What about what I wanted to wear?” Frank asked.

Pradesh chuckled. “From what I understand about American girls and their proms, what you wanted was never really up for discussion.”

“He’s right,” Annja agreed. “It’s all about the ladies.”

“It always is,” Frank grumbled. He lapsed into silence and Annja watched as the city passed outside of the window.

The sun was already below the horizon, and Annja marveled at the lights of the city. Hyderabad seemed very modern. She mentioned this to Pradesh, who nodded.

“We have a rich history, but we are also firmly embracing the future. People like Dunraj are at the forefront of this move forward. With the number of developments under way in the city limits, there is hope that we will overtake several other cities and become the economic hub of India.” He tilted his head. “That’s the plan, anyway. We’ll see if it becomes reality or not.”

“And what sort of industries are you attracting?”

“Green-power companies, technology, and we even have several movie studios that are setting up shop here. The film industry in India, as you know, is tremendously popular. And Hyderabad’s climate is well suited to movies and TV. Tollywood they call our small niche.”

“Does Dunraj have his hand in everything that goes on in the city?”

“To a certain extent,” Pradesh said. “He prefers not to be seen as a power player, but he is one. His role is often in the background. He comes from a very old family. One with its own past and characters. But he is something of a maverick and he likes that role. He’s the last of his family line, though, so sometimes he can get a bit…interesting.”

“I don’t understand,” Annja said.

“You will.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to meeting him. If only to thank him for his impeccable taste.”

Pradesh eyed her. “I think perhaps he is looking forward to meeting you even more.”

“He must be,” Frank said from behind them. “That dress makes Annja look like a knockout.”

Annja took a breath and let it out slowly. “Frank, do me a favor, will you?”

“Sure thing.”

“Don’t talk like that tonight. All right? This is an important function, judging by what Pradesh is telling us. And if things go well, we’ll be able to work here without hassle. But if things don’t go well, then we’ll face all sorts of complications, which I’m not a big fan of. So remember that every time you speak tonight. What you say will have a direct impact on your future. Trust me.”

“Okay, Annja.” Frank sighed. “I get it.”

Pradesh pointed ahead of the car. “You see that building?”

“You mean the tower with the lights?”

“That is Dunraj’s corporate headquarters. From there, he oversees his rather extensive empire of business interests.”

“That building must have cost him a fortune,” Annja said. “You weren’t joking about his personal wealth, huh?”

Pradesh nodded. “At the time, it was the most expensive building construction project in all of Hyderabad. Something along the lines of what you might see in Dubai, I’d imagine.” He shrugged. “But Dunraj was determined to see it built and ended up sinking massive amounts of his own money in to fund it and make sure he finished by the deadline he’d set.”

“It’s quite a nice design,” Annja said. She hoped Pradesh didn’t take her next question the wrong way, but she wanted to get a handle on her unexpected benefactor. “Is this Dunraj guy married?”

“He is Hyderabad’s most eligible bachelor. No woman in the city has attracted him enough to settle down yet. Although they all try. My, do they try. And since he is, as I said, the last of his family, I believe the pressure is on him to settle produce an heir.”

“Interesting.” Annja suddenly felt exposed in the dress.

Pradesh pulled the Mercedes into the outer parking area and stopped before the guard shack. He flashed his credentials and the car was waved through. Carefully manicured orange trees framed the road.

“Does he make his own orange juice, too?” Annja asked absently. She wouldn’t be surprised if the guy had his own orange-juice label. He seemed to have a lot of projects under way.

Pradesh smiled. “There is very little that Dunraj is not able to do. I have no doubt if he thought orange juice was worth his time he would capture the majority market share in the city. And from there, the rest of the country.”

Annja glanced back over the seat at Frank. “Are you all right back there?”

“Yeah.”

Pradesh slowed the car. “We’re here.”

Annja took one final glance at Frank. “All right, penguin boy, let’s see how smooth you can be when the stakes are high.”

And then she got out and followed Pradesh into the building.

Chapter 4

They took an elevator with padded leather walls up to the penthouse office suite where the doors glided back to reveal an incredible party already well under way. “And here I thought we’d be early,” Annja said quietly. To her relief, the attire at the party seemed predominantly Western.

And she wasn’t the only one wearing a slinky black dress and heels.

But the once-overs and glares started almost immediately. Annja rolled her eyes. All she wanted to do was get out to the development and see the crime scenes.

Now she had to play nice. Or at least she had to convince the gold diggers that she wasn’t here to hook Dunraj.

Frank, at her side, whispered, “You can almost smell the money in this room. It’s tangible, for crying out loud.”

Pradesh seemed remarkably at ease with the environment. He might not have come from money, but he wasn’t out of his depth here, either.

A waiter came by carrying a silver tray with glasses of champagne. Pradesh helped himself to two and gave one to Annja.

Annja sipped the bubbly. It must have cost roughly a thousand dollars a bottle, judging by its flavor. Frank grabbed one for himself, and Annja was relieved when he didn’t knock the tray over.

A DJ was set up in one corner of the cavernous reception area. A few lights were flashing in time to the lounge music. But the volume wasn’t so high that Annja had to raise her voice to be heard. A few guests closer to the DJ swayed back and forth to the beat.

Others were helping themselves to small plates of appetizers set out on a grand wooden conference table. There was food from a number of cultures. Fresh sashimi, Indian specialties, a carving station and much more. Without a doubt, this party had cost a fortune.

Then Annja spotted him. She’d had no idea what Dunraj looked like before they’d arrived, but as soon as she laid eyes on the man, working the room as effortlessly as a politician, she knew it had to be him.

Dunraj looked to be about forty-eight years old. His hair was a little long, swept back in frosted waves off his face. His tanned skin was smooth, and judging by the cut of his tuxedo, he must work out quite a bit. But he wasn’t flexing his guns to impress anyone. His understated manner said enough.

She glanced over at Frank. There was no way the kid measured up. He looked as if he’d been wrestled into a straitjacket and then sent out to dance in public.

Painful for him and painful to have to watch.

Dunraj seemed to be working his way across the room. With each person he met, he would either shake their hand or give them a peck on the cheek. Annja could sense the waves of charisma rolling off him.

No wonder the women here are going bonkers, she thought. He’s an incredible specimen.

Pradesh was at her ear. “He’s coming to see you. Try not to gawk.”

Annja shot him a look. “I don’t gawk. Ever.”

But Pradesh only smiled. “That’s what they all say, Annja. You haven’t yet met the man. I’d reserve judgment.”

Annja sipped her champagne and watched Dunraj continue his arc toward where they stood. If he was trying to get to Annja, she would never have guessed it. Dunraj took his time. He never appeared hurried or impatient. It was as if he knew the world would only be too happy to wait for him.

But eventually, he seemed to materialize out of the crowd directly in front of her. His smile was the first thing she noticed. It gleamed. Annja blinked and she would have sworn that time slowed down. Like in the movies.

She blinked again. Get a grip. You don’t go faint at the sight of men, not even one as obviously evolutionarily superior as this.

“You must be Annja.”

Annja allowed him to sweep her hand up and then she felt his lips barely brush the back of her hand. His eyes bore into hers. The effect was potent and Annja had to take a quick breath before she could respond.

“I am,” Annja said, surprised at how husky her voice sounded. “You must be Dunraj.”

“I hope you’ll forgive me for throwing this welcome party for you and your colleague here.” He turned and shook hands with Frank. “You must be Frank. Very glad to meet you.”

“Hi.” Frank pumped Dunraj’s hand a little too hard. But at least he didn’t say anything embarrassing.

Not yet.

Dunraj refocused on Annja. “I understand you’ve come to our wonderful city to investigate the horrible deaths that we seem to be plagued with.”

“I’m not investigating it yet. I’m here at this party. But yes, that’s the purpose of our visit.”

“No time for pleasure, then?”

“How do you mean?”

“We have some incredible tourist attractions here. Gardens created by kings. Fabulous restaurants. Are you sure your trip doesn’t allow you to see those first? Perhaps put this unfortunate business aside while you acclimate. I’m told I’m an excellent tour guide.”

“I don’t doubt that for a moment.” Annja smiled. “And I have no doubt Hyderabad is a wonderful place. I’ve been impressed so far with what we’ve seen. And the police are obviously very efficient.”

Dunraj turned to Pradesh. “The police are fantastic here. And Pradesh is perhaps the finest of them all.”

Pradesh bowed briefly. “You are too kind, sir.” But while that might have sounded humble, Annja noticed that Pradesh didn’t bow too low. She liked that.

“Nonsense. You’ve always proven to be an excellent civil servant. Your adherence to duty and honor is something to be greatly admired.”

The compliments and praise seemed to come as easily to Dunraj as breathing. Annja wondered how much of his day was spent serving up platitudes.

Not that there was anything necessarily wrong with that. Dunraj obviously needed the gift of gab to accomplish his mission. And the praise didn’t seem insincere.

“Are you comfortable at the hotel?”

“The hotel? It’s fine. Nothing wrong with it that I could see.”

Dunraj put one hand on her shoulder. It was just a touch. A warm one. “You know, we have much nicer hotels elsewhere in the city. I could make some phone calls if the hotel isn’t quite to your liking. Get you and your traveling companion here into a nice suite, perhaps? It’s no trouble whatsoever.”

“The hotel is fine,” she repeated firmly. “I’ve been sleeping on the floors of forests and jungles for years. I’m used to far less comfort when I travel.”

Dunraj nodded. “I’m sure you must be. What a fascinating job you have. I’ve seen all of your shows many times over, and you’ve always impressed me with your candor and knowledge of subjects that most of us simply know nothing about. You’re able to convey the educational background of your assignments without talking down to your audience. You have a talent, Annja, you really do.”

I’m not the only talented one in the room, she thought. But she merely smiled. “Thank you very much for saying so.” She sipped her champagne. “Which episode was your favorite?”

“Pardon?”

Gotcha. “I asked which episode you liked best.”

Dunraj smiled, never breaking eye contact. “The one where you were in Scotland chasing down reports of the Loch Ness monster. I really need to visit there in the autumn and experience the pleasure of drinking a beer in a pub with the peat smoke and so forth, like you did in that final segment. You were able to show that Scotland has a charm all its own, even without the Loch Ness monster.”

It was Annja’s turn to hesitate. She hadn’t expected him to be able to recount that. Perhaps Dunraj had really seen her shows.

Interesting.

Dunraj’s smile grew. “I do hope you’ll forgive me, but unfortunately I need to cut our time short. I’ve got some other guests to attend to. Please enjoy my hospitality. I will return shortly and we can talk some more then. All right?”

“Oh. Yes. Absolutely. That would be great. I’d like that.” Annja blinked and then Dunraj was gone. The crowd had swallowed him up.

And the funny thing was, she missed him.

“You okay?”

She looked at Frank. “Me? Yeah, of course, I’m fine.” Annja frowned. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Because you look a little pale. Like maybe your first encounter there with Captain Amazing might have been more than you bargained for.”

Annja sipped her champagne. “Nothing to worry about, Frank. I’m just tired from the flight.”

Frank didn’t argue the point. “We should get something to eat.”

“Good idea.”

As they walked to the nearest table, Annja felt eyes on them. More women sizing her up, most likely. Now that Dunraj had connected with her, they were all checking her out, trying to determine if she was a rival for Dunraj’s attention. Someone they would have to sort out if it became clear Dunraj fancied her.

“I told you he was something else, didn’t I?” Pradesh said at Annja’s elbow. “You were mesmerized and don’t even realize it. Even now when he’s not around you any longer.”

Annja smirked. “He is something else. I’ll give you that. But is he like that with everyone?”

Pradesh gestured around the room. “Do you see anyone here who isn’t equally enamored of him? The women want to be with him. The men want to be like him. Dunraj is the epitome of what many in Hyderabad aspire to become.”

“What’s his story?”

Pradesh shrugged. “Comes from a well-respected family, as I’ve said, but Dunraj was never content to rely on their reputation. He was schooled abroad in Zurich and then Oxford. He speaks a number of languages, including Mandarin, Farsi and German, and that multilingualism has enabled him to reach beyond India’s borders and attract both international investment and cooperation. A lot of people say he is the unofficial mayor of Hyderabad.”

“And how does the mayor feel about that?”

Pradesh brushed something she couldn’t see off his lapel. “I assume she’s quite happy knowing that Dunraj will pour a lot of money into her next campaign. Dunraj enjoys a wonderful relationship with the mayor, and she’s always ready to approve his next construction project. He has no real political aspirations. He accomplishes all of his public-service work through his construction projects. It’s very much a symbiotic relationship.”

Dunraj was on the far side of the room when he picked up a microphone from the DJ and the music abruptly cut out. “Ladies and gentlemen, if I could please have your attention.”

Not as if he didn’t already have the attention of everyone in the room. Despite the noise level and the buzzing conversations, not one person ever had their eyes off Dunraj.

Dunraj continued. “I’m so pleased you were all able to accept my invitation to attend tonight’s event. I realize this was last minute.”

This was last minute? She wondered what a well-planned party would have been like.

“It humbles me to have such wonderful friends and colleagues as yourselves,” Dunraj continued. “Truly. Thank you so much.”

Before Annja could critique his speech to Frank for laying it on too thick, Dunraj added, “My purpose in throwing tonight’s party was to welcome a visitor to our great city. An American who has always impressed me with her steadfast resolve, intellect and pursuit of truth. It’s my pleasure to introduce you all to Miss Annja Creed, host of Chasing History’s Monsters.”

Annja’s gut dropped, but she managed to smile and hold up her glass in acceptance of Dunraj’s praise. “Thank you.”

“I hope you will all take a moment to introduce yourselves to Annja and her colleague, Frank. Tell them about our city and the role it plays in India’s twenty-first- century expansion and growth. And please make sure they both understand that Hyderabad is a glowing example of India’s prosperity and the new hub of our nation’s incredible future. Thank you and enjoy.”