Cole and I look at each other for a long time, our mouths hanging open.
“Well, Cole is his middle name. Murphy is his mother’s maiden name. You said the man was young. How young?” I ask.
“I don’t think he could have been older than twenty. He was a baby himself. He looked so scared,” she replies sadly.
“Is it this man?” I ask, pointing at a picture with my Uncle Michael in the background.
She shakes her head but wrinkles her forehead. “Where did you get these photos?”
“Shelley left them to me in a box. Why?”
“That kid—that’s Mark,” she says confused as she points at another one of the photos of a little boy—photos of Shelley’s family, not mine.
“Really?” I ask shocked. “How do you know?”
“He’s Shelley’s son. I met him when he was about that age. That was the last time I saw him, too,” she says sadly.
I know that Shelley knew Maggie, but I didn’t know how well they knew each other.
I frown and look at Cole as he holds my hand tightly in his.
“Are you sure that’s him?” I whisper.
“I’m positive,” she says without doubt.
I let out a breath. This shit is exhausting...and confusing...and crazy.
Tuesday creeps up on us and I’m kind of freaking out about Mark seeing Cole and vice versa. I told Cole that Mark was the one who took us that night, mainly because I was scared of Cole remembering him and getting physical with him.
When we step into the building, I stop walking and hold on to his arm until he faces me. “I need you to behave,” I say seriously.
He chuckles and dips his head to kiss me. “Baby, I’ll be fine. Even if he is the guy, I’m fine. Right now, I don’t care about any of it, Blake. If this wouldn’t have happened, we might not be together,” he murmurs against my lips.
“Cole,” I say through gritted teeth. “My mother is dead. My father is dead. I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Besides, we might have still ended up together.”
He gives me a long, lingering kiss and a smack in the butt before we get in the elevator.
We arrive on Mark’s floor and Office Barbie greets us with a real smile as she blatantly checks out my boyfriend. My mouth pops open in disbelief and I turn my head to look at Cole, who’s watching me—with a smile on his smug face. I narrow my eyes at him and dare him to say anything to her. He chuckles lightly, reading my expression correctly, and gives me a loud kiss on the lips. I look back at Office Barbie and tell her we’re here to see Mark and watch as she calls him, never taking her eyes off Cole. It pisses me off, but I decide not to push it.
When Mark steps out to greet us, his eyes are nothing short of surprised. He frowns at me, and I shrug at him in response before he introduces himself to Cole and leads us to his office. I look at Cole, but his smooth expression doesn’t give away what he’s thinking. I’m not sure if he recognizes Mark or not.
Suddenly, he says, “So, Blake tells me she trusts you, for whatever reason. I personally don’t understand how she can—knowing who you are and what you did.”
Mark shakes his head slowly, chastising. “You two really are meant for each other. I already told Blake that if I wanted to harm you, you wouldn’t be here. What I did was help you. I know you don’t see it that way, but that’s the truth.”
“Finally,” I deadpan.
“Yeah, well, two against one,” Mark says, cocking his head to one side. “Are you here because you remembered and wanted to drill me for answers? I told you that you’re better off not searching for trouble.”
“Maybe, but now I know who my parents are,” Cole says in an even tone.
Mark’s eyebrows shoot up, and he looks at me for an answer.
“I went to Aimee’s house after I had gotten pictures from Shelley. Aimee let me look at pictures of her dead brother.” I emphasize the last part. “You can imagine how I felt when I saw Cole...or Nathan...looking back at me.”
“Does Aimee know?” Mark asks concerned.
“Yes, but she’s not going to tell,” I say.
He looks at Cole. “You better hope not. Your father is a very public figure, and you’re popular in your own right. If people find out, it’ll be a circus—and when the wrong people find out, it’ll be a bloodbath.”
I feel my eyes pop out of their sockets. “What?” I ask horrified. “What do you mean a bloodbath?”
Mark takes a deep breath and perches up on the corner of his desk. “Blake, everybody thinks Nathan and Cathleen are dead. If people find out they’re not, it’s not going to end well.”
“Who are we?” I ask horrified. “Oh my God, are we related?”
Mark laughs shortly. “No, not at all.”
“Why did they want us, and why are we so important?” Cole asks.
“They wanted you as warnings and as bait. I can’t tell you why you’re so important,” Mark states. “Trust me, you don’t want that kind of information weighing on your shoulders.”
“Was Shelley your mom?” I ask quietly.
Mark snickers. “You’re quite the detective, Blake. Let me see those pictures. Our time’s almost up.”
I show Mark the pictures I brought and let him sort through them. I’m too preoccupied with his evasive answers to examine his face as he looks at them. He asks me to sign the deed of the land over to the buyers and tells me that my money will be wired by the end of the week.
Thinking about my parents, Cole’s parents, and our kidnapping is exhausting. Cole and I decide to put it behind us unless something else comes up. We say this—but I know we’ll both be silently brewing.
I put my focus on school, even though this year of law school seems much easier than the last two. Maybe it’s because my life is a little more hectic and it makes school work seem stupid. I see Russell every day, and now that he’s dating another student, we’ve become friends again. Cole doesn’t mind that he’s in my study groups as long as he “doesn’t try anything”—his words, of course.
Chapter Sixteen
Past
I had been in the University of Chicago for a month before I started to get used to the ever-present knife that gutted my heart every day. I had spoken to Cole a handful of times after our breakup, and he sounded like his normal self. I knew better than to think he was fine though, and Aubry reminded me of it often.
“He feels like shit, Blake,” Aubry said whenever he hung up the phone with Cole.
I knew Cole did—he had to if he felt half the pain that I was feeling.
“Aubry...” I said one particularly gloomy morning.
“Yeah, Cowboy?” he replied as he poured our coffee.
“Do you think...do you think if I were to...” I took a deep breath and buried my face in my hands.
“Spit it out!” he said exasperated.
“Okay, do you think if...AH! What do you think would happen if I were to visit him?” I asked cringing.
He stood there with a mug in one hand and the coffee pot in the other. He was totally frozen. “Do you mean if you asked him to get back with you?” he asked cautiously.
I looked down and started chipping my nails. “Yeah?”
He laughed once. “Fucking-A, Cowboy. What the fuck do you think would happen? He’d probably fucking propose to you on the spot!”
I looked up smiling. “You think so?” Not that I wanted Cole to propose to me or anything, but the fact that Aubry thought he’d want me back for sure spoke volumes.
“Do I think so?” he asked rolling his eyes. “Let’s go see him tonight.”
Aubry had been dying for an excuse to visit Duke University, so of course he’d jump at this opportunity.
I smiled widely. “Alright, let’s go!”
We booked our flight, but I begged Aubry to keep our trip a surprise. He somehow got Cole to tell him what party he’d be at that night, so we were going to go from the airport to the hotel and straight to the party. I was so excited—and ne
rvous at the same time. I kept wringing my hands together and biting my lip as I paced the room while I waited for Aubry to get out of work so we could leave. I took a deep breath when I heard Aubry get home and off we went.
“Calm the fuck down, Cowboy! You’re making me nervous,” Aubry said as he stilled my bouncing leg when our cab was pulling up to the frat house where the party was taking place.
“Oh my God, I think I need a drink...or five,” I said as I clutched my stomach.
“I think if you drink now, you might puke,” he said, looking amused.
“You’re probably right. Let’s just go inside,” I said and plastered on my best smile.
My stomach was flip-flopping and my hands were shaking as we knocked on the door. A short guy with beautiful aqua-blue eyes opened the door for us and gave Aubry a confused look before he checked me out slowly.
“Who are you?” the guy asked Aubry a little rudely.
“I’m a friend of Cole’s...and Warren’s,” Aubry said confidently, and I smiled up at him. I’d heard of Cole’s friend Warren, but I knew for a fact that Aubry didn’t know who the hell he was.
“Oh, cool,” the short guy said as he stepped out of the way. “And what’s your name?” he asked me when I brushed past him.
“Blake,” I said with a smile.
He checked me out again. “Blake...I’m David. If you need anything, I’m your man.”
“Thanks,” I replied while grabbing on to the back of Aubry’s shirt, so I wouldn’t get lost in the crowd.
We walked around without spotting Cole, but we did see Sarah, a girl from our high school. She looked more than a little surprised to see us there. She was nervous as she greeted us, and I figured she probably felt bad for ganging up on me with Sasha-the-Slut one time after school. She looked like she wanted to tell me something—probably apologize—from the look in her eyes, but I smiled and waved at her as I walked away with Aubry.
“That was awkward,” Aubry said, leaning down to my ear.
I shrugged. “Whatever. Old news. I’m gonna go use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
He laughed. “First of all, hell no. I’m not letting you run off by yourself at a frat party in a frat house. Second of all, how the fuck do you know where it is?”
I laughed back. “Umm...there’s a huge cardboard sign that reads ‘bathroom’ over there,” I said, pointing. “But yeah, maybe you should stay close to it. Look, there’s a keg right by it. I’ll go to the bathroom, and you get us some beers.”
We walked to the keg, and I left Aubry there to go to the bathroom. I passed two doors before I saw where it was. As I stood behind a ridiculously drunk girl, I heard a guy scream Cole’s name causing my head to snap up, and my insides to warm at the sound. I immediately got out of line and walked in that direction. I rounded the corner and found a group of guys and girls standing around a pool table. Butterflies danced in my stomach when I spotted him. His back was facing me, but I could see he was in the middle of an animated conversation. He was wearing a fitted navy T-shirt, and his brown hair was cut short. I frowned because he never told me he had cut it. My feet started making their way toward him but stopped about three feet away—when I saw female hands with red fingernails stroking his lower back. My heart was pumping so hard I couldn’t even breathe. I wanted to turn away, but my feet were cemented to the floor. I couldn’t peel my eyes away from them and the worst part was that I could hear them from where I was standing.
“Let’s go to the back room,” she said, giggling as she squeezed his ass.
I could recognize that fake voice anywhere. What.The.Fuck?
His head leaned down and kissed her neck, giving me a full view of her face. When she saw me, her eyes widened for a second before they slanted. She narrowed her blue eyes at me as if to tell me “yeah, he’s mine now.” I felt acid kill the butterflies that were in my stomach minutes ago. To drive her point home, Sasha held his body tighter to hers and bit his neck—all while looking right at me. She smirked and told him she was ready to go to the room. I saw him nod right before I turned around and shuffled my feet toward Aubry. When I found him standing by the keg, I grabbed the red cup from his hand and chugged it. The guys around us cheered as he looked at me in astonishment.
“Blake, what the fuck?” he asked.
“Let’s go. NOW.” I snapped.
“What the hell happened? Did you find Cole?”
“Fuck Cole,” I said as I grabbed the other cup from his hand. I turned on my heel and started chugging that one, too.
“Holy shit! This girl is awesome!” one of the guys chanted as three others cheered.
“Cowboy, slow the fuck down,” Aubry growled.
I angrily wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, took a deep breath and decided I would confront Cole right now. I told Aubry I was going to the bathroom, and I stomped (quite literally) to the “back room.” I asked where it was, and when I found it, I held the doorknob for a while. My head was still swimming from the beers I had chugged when I turned the knob. Before I pushed the door open, I heard someone—who I assumed was Sasha—moan loudly with pleasure. My stomach twisted at the sound, and I unturned the doorknob keeping my grip on it. I wasn’t sure if I could go through with it. If I barged in there, I would see them.
I covered my mouth with my free hand to keep my gag from escalating. I could hear her repeated moans and screams, the sound was like nails on a chalkboard—but I stayed there, nonetheless. I closed my eyes and tried to control my breathing. The longer I stood there, the more my heart broke, but I welcomed the pain. It was my fault this was going on. I clenched my jaw at the thought. No. We hadn’t even been broken up two months, and there he was screwing her brains out. I gagged again before I heard him for the first time.
“Oh yes...fuck...yes...Blake...” My stomach dropped. Did he really just say my name? Blood rushed to my head as my heart beat frantically. No amount of oxygen would have been enough for me at that moment. I’d finally had enough and ran to the bathroom with tears in my eyes.
After I somewhat composed myself, I went back to where Aubry was playing beer pong. I chugged another beer as I stood there waiting for him to finish the game. When I thought we were finally leaving, the guys brought out Cuervo, and convinced me to take some shots with them. By that point, I just wanted to drown my sorrows, so I drank everything in sight-it’s not like I could taste it anyway. An hour later, Aubry and I were both drunkingly laughing, hanging over each other to keep from falling, as we talked to Bobby, David, and Rob when one of them suggested body shots.
“Woohoo! Body shots!” I screamed, flinging my hands up in the air wildly.
They hooted and hollered. Before I knew it, somebody lifted me onto a table. I never thought in a million years that I would have done that, but there I was doing it. I lifted up my already short shirt and tucked it under my bra. Aubry laughed and made a joke about something before grabbing the brunette beside him and making out with her. I laughed at him and was about to make a comment when I felt cold liquid being poured over my bare belly.
“Aaahhhh,” I shrieked. “That’s cold.”
“Sorry, babe, we keep it in the freezer,” said Bobby. Bobby was soooo cute. Through my haze, he looked like Ryan Reynolds.
“Are you going to lick me?” I flirted.
“Hell yeah, none of these fuckers better even try it,” he bellowed, making sure his friends heard. They all groaned, laughed, and clapped his back.
I felt Bobby’s tongue lick around my belly button and make its way up, stopping right below my chest. When he was done, he stood above me where the lime was squeezed between my lips and licked around it, tasting me before he put the lime into his mouth. He hovered over my face, staring down at me for a while. He was leaning in and even in my drunken state, I knew he was going to kiss me. I reached up behind his neck and pulled him in closer to meet his lips.
“What the fuck?” Cole screamed at the top of his lungs. I backed away from Bobby and propped mys
elf up on my elbows accidentally hitting my forehead with Bobby’s. I rubbed it and looked at Cole who was standing with Sasha clinging on to his arm. She had a satisfied look on her face that I wanted to claw off.
“Cooooole,” Aubry slurred beside me. “Dude, where the fuck have you been? Blake wanted to leave an hour ago but I convinced her to stay and have some fun for once.” I saw Cole’s face fall before closed my eyes for a second and let my body fall back on the table.
“Bobby, can you help me up?” I asked drowsily.
I felt him lift me in his arms. I didn’t expect him to carry me. I wanted him to just put me on my feet, not hold me like a freaking baby. I put my arms around his neck to keep myself from falling over.
“Put her down, Bobby,” Cole spat angrily.
“Oh...you’re the ex-boyfriend?” Bobby smirked. I looked up at him, but all I could see was his jaw from where I was. I knew I was smiling, though—why I had no idea. I couldn’t remember what I’d said to him other than I was visiting my ex-boyfriend. I might have said that my ex-boyfriend was an asshole, but I didn’t remember saying anything else.
“Bobby,” Cole warned again. “Put her down. Now.”
I cringed at the sound of his tone. “You...have no right...to tell him what to do...with me...” I slurred, pointing my finger at Cole. “I...want Bobby...to take me to the…back room,” I finished, narrowing my eyes between Cole and Sasha. He looked like I’d just thrown a bowling ball at his testicles. Good.
“What...Blake, what the fuck?” Cole asked quietly, his voice pained.
I shimmied out of Bobby’s hold and stood with my back to him, facing Cole and Sasha. I placed my closed fists over my hips and suddenly felt like an ant amongst humans. Everyone was so tall. I looked down and hazily remembered taking off my heels earlier. I took a deep sobering breath and wobbled back a little and felt Bobby’s hands on my shoulders steady me.
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