Private Oz (Private 7)

Micky took a couple of deep breaths. He was sweating profusely. “You bitch!”

She blew him another kiss and smiled sweetly. “I mention the girl because …”

“What fucking girl?” Micky turned his eyes to Johnny and Darlene and gave them an imploring look.

“That girl was my sister, Anais. You got her pregnant.”

“What! I didn’t …”

“You didn’t what, Micky? Didn’t screw her? ’Cos I know you did.”

“I had no idea …”

“She wrote to you. She tried to contact you. Never a single reply. You discarded her, simply brushed her off.” Katia was staring down at the singer, her face contorted, eyes ablaze. Johnny and Darlene knew they could do nothing.

“Katia,” Micky pleaded. “Please … I didn’t know. No one told me. Maybe I can help now …”

“She’s dead, Micky. Died having a backstreet abortion.”

There was a stillness in the room. No one spoke.

“I’m so sorry,” Micky began.

“Sorry?”

“I didn’t know …”

“Anais suffered so much.” A tear slithered down Katia’s cheek.

Micky moved in the bed and placed his hands gently on Katia’s cheeks, wiped away the tears. He looked into her eyes. “I really am …”

For a second, Katia began to respond, closed her eyes, went to kiss the pop star. But then she jolted, eyes snapped open. She shoved him back, the tiny dagger at his vein again.

“I could have killed you anytime, Micky, but I wanted you to suffer. I instilled in your mind the idea of you joining Club 27 a few months ago – you’ve been too stoned to remember that. And, I could also blame it all on Parker. I made you think that too.”

Time was running out … both Johnny and Darlene sensed it. Katia had suddenly gone frighteningly calm. She leaned back slightly. They could see her tighten her grip on the miniature sword.

There was a movement from behind the woman. Darlene and Johnny managed to stay still, to show no reaction.

Katia flicked them a glance. “I have to kill him, you see,” she said, now way too calm. “An eye for an eye … and I loved Anais.”

She went to push her hand forward and Graham Parker’s fist swung round. Katia reacted fast, ducked and shot her hand out away from Micky’s throat, running the tiny blade across Parker’s face. He yelped, fell back, hands to his face, blood gushing between his fingers.

Katia was off the bed, ramming straight into Darlene, knocking her into Johnny with surprising force. Johnny grabbed for Katia as he tumbled, but she sidestepped him and was through the door out into the hall.

Chapter 131

“DARLENE, STAY HERE. Call 000.” Johnny snapped, turned and headed after Katia.

She’d vanished, but there weren’t that many places she could run to. Johnny turned a corner and saw the woman slam open the door to Micky’s suite. He heard screams from the room and ran after her.

She was like a storm trooper plowing through the party sending people flying left and right. She turned, saw Johnny no more than ten feet behind her and lashed out. A woman fell to the carpet, smashing her head on a chair leg. Katia almost tripped over Hemi who had been left to sleep on the floor.

For a second she didn’t seem to know what to do. Then she reached for a champagne bottle, smashed it on a table, gripping it in her right hand. She spun round. Half the people were so stoned they moved like zombies. A few looked petrified. Katia grabbed the closest girl to hand, a naked waif with cocaine powdered over her tiny breasts. The kid screamed as she was pulled back and Katia held the jagged spikes of the shattered champagne bottle to the girl’s slender neck.

“Get back!” Katia bellowed as Johnny approached.

Someone killed the music and the place fell silent.