Don't Close Your Eyes

by Hilary Storm

  I pull from deep within myself and begin to lift and lower my body onto his cock. It fills me just like it always does. I refuse to let him feel good and every time he starts to, I reposition myself so that he doesn't. It pisses me off how many times I have to do just that. I think of that picture of James in the closet just fifteen feet from me as I fuck someone else. Thinking about him helps to remove any feeling in the present moment.

  I finally get a groove that seems to be working for Liam. He eventually wraps his free hand around my waist and shoves me up and down until he goes. I pretend to be exhausted and fall on his chest. A single tear falls from my eye so I decide to lay there for a few minutes. His heavy breathing begins to slow eventually and I start to move to remove the cuff from me once he's fully relaxed.

  "You didn't go." He knows I didn't.

  "Nah, it's ok."

  "No it's not. Let me take care of you." His thumb is on my clit before I can object. Damn him. I need him to stop that shit. I begin to rush through ways around this and only one comes to mind.

  I move up his body until I'm straddling his face, but I force his free arm back up to the headboard in the process. This is perfect for many reasons. He can't see me and he's too busy to notice me handcuffing his ass.

  Fuck, he's good at this. Squatting like this is difficult when you're trying to do it with no hands. I work the key in slowly while riding his face, moaning when I need to hide the click of the key.

  I grab his free arm and start to move faster, knowing my time is almost up before I actually make this really about me. Think numb. Think of getting out of here. I can't get his other arm up there close enough, so I decide just to attach his cuffed arm to the bed. That leaves one big problem.... his other arm.

  With a little over-reacting and a fake orgasm, I make him think I finish and roll off of him. He doesn't move to grab me, so I move off the bed at a normal pace.

  "I need to use the bathroom."

  Thank God. I made it off the bed. Grabbing a shirt and some of his sweats off the floor, I move to the bathroom.

  His clothes will work, it's not as if I have another option.

  "Hey babe, where's the key?" His loud question has me moving faster to get ready.

  When I open the door, my acting is over. I'm mad and I don't care if he knows I know. I want him to know he's caught and that I'll make sure he goes to jail for it.

  "Why did you do it?" My voice catches his attention immediately.

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Don't play dumb, Liam. I'm tired of your fucking games."

  "I'm not sure what you're talking about, Livi baby."

  "Don't fucking call me baby." I go to the closet and pull James' picture.

  "When were you going to tell me you knew James?" His face drops.

  "Fuck, Liv."

  "Why would you keep that from me? .... You know what... DON"T FUCKING ANSWER, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT ANYMORE OF YOUR LIES."

  "Livi, listen."

  "No you listen. I'm leaving here and you can't stop me."

  "Shit, Livi. Stay away from Michael. He's a bad cop. James wanted me to investigate him in the event something happened to him. He wanted me to keep you ...."

  "Don't talk about James."

  "He wanted you safe Livi. I promised him I would keep you safe."

  "DID YOU PROMISE HIM YOU'D FUCK ME? DID YOU PROMISE HIM YOU'D TAKE PICTURES OF ME NAKED? WHAT ELSE DID YOU PROMISE HIM, LIAM?" My screams begin to make my head throb and honestly I can't trust a word he says anyway.

  "Liv, please listen."

  "NO YOU LISTEN. I'M TAKING YOUR CAR. I'M CALLING THE POLICE."

  "Don't call Michael. Don't tell him where you're at. Listen to me, I think he killed James."

  "SHUT UP. I DON'T TRUST YOU."

  "FUCK! You have to listen. Please Livi. It's not safe if you leave here...." I quit listening to him at this point. Gathering the few items that are mine and his car keys, I begin to walk out of his room.

  "CREME' BRULEE." I freeze. Why would he say that? How would he know?

  "Livi, please. James told me to say creme' brulee if I needed you to trust me. That way you would know that James trusted me. Please don't leave this house. You're safe here." I had creme' brulee for the first time on my date with James. James made sure I had it the day he proposed to me and then again on our wedding night. It's weird that he would use that as a way to get to me. How could Liam have known that about us without James telling him? It's something no one would really know.

  I need to get away from everyone. How can I trust anyone with everything that's happened?

  "Goodbye, Liam." His screaming as I leave echoes through the house and I block him out intentionally. The tears I've been holding back begin to fall and I know it's time to get away from it all.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Liam

  Fuck. I should've told her about James, but I was afraid I would lose her trust. This whole situation is messed up and I need to get control of this shit before it's too late. There's two places she'll go. Her house or Michael's if she doesn't trust me at all. If she manages to have him meet her somewhere, I'll get him there because we will track her every move.

  I've been investigating this case for far too long to let him go. My brother had the idea to let her go and then fish out Michael that way, but I wouldn't put her in danger like that. I know he wouldn't have suggested it to me if he hadn't thoroughly thought things through, but there's no way I could deal with her being hurt or taken from me. I need to get to Jace now and then go kill a motherfucker that deserves to die before he has a chance to get to her.

  I can see my phone just out of reach. This shit should NOT be happening to me. I'm a fucking professional criminal investigator and I just let my dick get me into shit with the most important case of my life. I twist my body so that I can reach my phone with one of my feet. I struggle to hit the voice option and tell that computerized motherfucker to call Jace. He better answer.

  "She fucking saw James' pictures. The one where we were all fishing together, so she knows the whole family knew him."

  "Shit."

  "Yea she's in my car, so get the tracker on her ass. We need everyone on it. This will be a small window to nail his ass. I don't even care if we have everything we need on him yet. I'm not taking the chance that he'll take her."

  "You know we don't have enough to connect him yet. I'm pulling up the tracker on your car, don't worry brother, we will get her back. I'll be by to get you in a few minutes. Get your ass to the curb."

  "Wish I could. You need to come into my room and let my ass loose." His laughter echoes through the room and I can't stand that shit. The fact that she pulled this on me and was able to get away with it only shows weakness for me. Only a weak ass would let a woman get to him like this.

  "You got it brother. I hope to God you aren't naked, because I don't want to see that shit."

  "Just shut the fuck up and get over here. Call all the guys. No room for fuck ups today."

  "I'm on it." He hangs up on me. I know he's going to do everything in his power to save her.

  Chaos takes over my head as all the possibilities flood my thoughts. I start to think about the case, letting pictures of all the missing women run through my head. I've made it my mission to find them. I promised James I would do it, but I also promised him I'd keep Livi safe. I just never meant to fall for her. I knew the first time I slept with her that I had fucked up. Walking away from her after didn't help. I just started craving her even more.

  I still have guilt about my connection with her. James loved her. He was very vocal about his love for her. It's obvious in the way he set up her protection even after his death. I totally get why he did.

  It feels like hours before Jace busts through the door. I probably should've tried to reach some of the blankets before he arrived, but my mind was focused on her and the case.

  "What the fuck, Liam. Cover that shit up." He tosses a shirt onto my mid-section before
he looks to the nightstand for the keys.

  "She took the key. What took you so long?"

  "It's been five minutes and you're damn lucky I have mine with me." I move the instant he releases me. He needs to leave the room if he wants to miss out on my naked ass because I don't give a fuck what's seen as I race to grab a shirt and pants. Sliding into boots without socks, I meet him at the door before we barrel out of the house on a mission.

  "I've tracked her to the cemetery. I have eyes on her, but told them not to advance until you're there." This makes sense to me. She's going to James.

  It seems to take forever for us to get to her and I'm the first one out of the truck when I take off running to get to her. I stop running when I get a closer look because the sight of her like this kills me inside. She's laying on the ground on his grave. She's in a near fetal position and I can't tell if she's sleeping or not.

  I signal to the guys to stay back and slowly approach her. She could consider this invading her time with James, so I don't crowd her. I sit on the ground off to the side and wait for her to move or say something.

  She doesn't for the longest time.

  "He was my life. How am I supposed to make sense of things when everything I know and love lies six feet under me?"

  "Livi. Trust me."

  "I can't. I don't know what to trust. Honestly, I don't care if I'm in danger or my life ends. At this point it may be easier that way. I can't take another broken heart." She hasn't moved from her position and it takes everything in me not to move to her and hold her. I'm not an idiot. I know this would be over-stepping and I need to move slowly with her.

  "Why are you investigating Michael?" I have no choice at this point but to tell her everything. She needs to know and I need her to trust me.

  "James was working a case before he died. Women were coming up missing and many have never been found to this day. The few that have, weren't alive. Most of the women were prostitutes or women with no family to realize they were missing until long after they were taken. James caught wind that it maybe an inside job when he overheard Michael one night. He started researching and then he came to me a few days before he died."

  "What did he say to you?"

  "He told me everything about the case and that if he showed up dead, that I was to protect you and investigate Michael."

  "Why you?"

  "James and I were friends in college. He knew my family worked in the business."

  "Why did he never talk about you to me?"

  "I'm guessing because I was a part of his wilder days. I'm not really sure why he never did."

  She rolls over onto her back and looks into the sky. She takes a deep breath and begins to talk. "Creme' Brulee is my favorite dessert. I don't eat it now because it was something I had with him. He made me try it on our first date and it just kind of became something we had as we went to new places. Why would he tell you that?"

  "I'm not sure, Livi. I'm guessing it's something unique that would get your attention."

  "Why didn't you tell me everything when you first met me?"

  "I honestly wanted to break the case and never let you know James had come to me, but I found out Michael was stalking you and I had to get close to you."

  "Why not just turn him in and arrest him? Why drag this out?"

  "Because I also promised James that I would save the women if I could. I need more information on the ringleaders of the operation."

  "What do you think is happening to the women?" I was afraid she would ask this question.

  "Sex slavery." She sits up. Pieces of dead grass fall from her hair, but a few remain.

  "Are you thinking I was next?"

  "That's what I was afraid of."

  "The pictures you had of me were from where?"

  "Michael's house. We've been searching for him since."

  "Did you check the old cabin out at the lake?" Her words spark a fire in me. We don't know about a cabin. Is it possible this whole time she could've helped me find him?

  "What cabin?"

  "James and Michael bought a small cabin years ago. They would go on weekend trips every once in awhile. I haven't been there since James died. I told Michael to keep it.

  "Do you know where it is?"

  "Yeah, I can show you." She's emotionless. The lack of my Livi in her face scares me. I need her to move from this grave so I can go find Michael.

  "Livi. Are you okay?"

  "Like I said. He was my everything. It's just hard to take all this in."

  "I'm glad you finally trusted me."

  "Don't keep things from me in the future. If you know things about me, you tell me."

  "I plan to." She stands up and leans over to kiss the top of James' stone and starts to walk toward my car.

  "Where are you going?"

  "To the cabin."

  "The hell you are."

  "The hell I'm not." She continues to walk. Damn, this woman is beginning to frustrate the living shit out of me. Why does she have to be so hell bent on defying me today?

  "I'll drive." There's no way I'm letting her in that car alone. She doesn't listen to me say that I'll drive, because she goes straight to my car and opens the driver door.

  I'm fucking done with this. I get to her just in time to pick her up by the waist and throw her ass over my shoulder. I slam the door to my car to make a point and stomp to Jace's truck only to find a huge fucking smile on his face. She's pissed and I don't blame her, but it's time I remind her who is fucking in charge here.

  I set her down against the door to the truck and put my hand over her bitching mouth.

  "I'm done letting you have your way. It's my turn. I need you safe. The truck is safer and besides, that one vehicle is better than two if we're going to try to sneak up on him, but first we're going to the drawing board to make a plan before we bust in there to pick him up."

  "Liam, don't ever pick me up like that again unless you want me to kill you in your sleep." That sentence does so many things to me. It's feisty and defiant. It's hopeful because she plans to be with me to sleep. The firmness of her words lets me know she's not taking my shit. I've waited my whole life for someone exactly like her. Now I just need to make sure I do everything right to keep her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Olivia

  Jace drives us to their parent's house. I show Liam and the guys exactly where the cabin is on a map and draw up a sketch of the cabin's features.

  His mom convinces me to stay with her and let the guys go get Michael. His entire family came here to meet us. I had no idea they all knew so much about me and honestly it's a little weird that they know so much about me and I'm just starting to get a glimpse of each of them.

  His mom grabs me tight the second she sees me. She holds on to me for awhile and just talks into my ear. "I'm so sorry, honey. My boys will all take care of you."

  "We're here for you, Olivia." Liam's father stands behind his wife and it all begins to overwhelm me. This is so much family. Liam is focused on their mission talk and I just sit back and take them all in. I can tell Liam is the big brother. He's making decisions and telling each of them how they will go in.

  Once their plans are finalized, they all break from the table and move from the house. Liam walks up to me and stops just before he touches me. This morning he would've dove in for a kiss, but right now he just looks into my eyes.

  "Livi, I'll be back shortly. My mom will be here with you." He looks like he wants to say more, but he doesn't. I watch him as he walks away from me and out the door.

  Time is creeping by as I watch the clock for them to come back. It's been five minutes and it feels like forever. His mom is trying to carry on a conversation with me, but I'm really not great company right now.

  I'm trying to figure out how to cope with the fact that a guy that has been so close to me can be such a terrible person. Let alone the fact that a guy that is really growing on me is taking his family into a possible dangerous situation to help me.
/>
  "Why didn't they call the police to help?"

  "That's the problem right now. We know there are at least two bad cops in this precinct, so we don't know who to trust. We were hoping for a bit more information before we found him, but we need to pick him up now if he's there."

  "I can't believe he would be a part of something like that. He kept warning me about the women that were missing."

  "Well, that was his way of keeping you in your house and not out in the open. Let me get you something to drink."

  "That would be nice, Mrs. Bryant."

  "Please call me Linda."

  She's in the kitchen when I hear the door open. I know the guys shouldn't be back, so I stand to see who it could possibly be. Michael is moving toward me fast and I manage to get out a scream before he wraps his hand over my mouth. He lifts me slightly and starts to drag me out of the room.

  Kicking and biting doesn't seem to be working, but I don't stop.

  "Stop fighting me damn it, Olivia. I'm trying to save your ass." I stop. My heart thumps in my head and I fight with the chaos of what his words may mean.

  "Let me down! What the fuck, Michael?"

  "We have to hurry. They'll be back soon and I need to get you out of here." He lets me down, grabs my hand and we begin to run. I make it a few steps before I stop in my tracks with the reality of things. He's playing games.

  "Michael stop. Why are you doing this?"

  "I'm trying to save you."

  "I am safe."

  "Come with me Olivia. NOW."

  "No Michael." He rushes for me and I try to run from him, but he tackles me to the ground. I begin to fight him with everything in me, but he's so strong. How am I supposed to get away from him? He eventually has both of my wrists in one of his hands held tight above my head. I stop fighting and he runs his hand up my shirt until he has a hand full of my breast.

  "I've been watching your tits on camera for months now. It's about time I get to see them in person. Don't worry. I'll get you ready for your new boss. I have a place ready just for us." Then he slips something over my face and everything fades to black.