Sacrifice: Book 3 of The Dark Paradise Trilogy

by Isadora Brown

  But something in her craved attention, and she didn’t stop to think that perhaps it wasn’t the wisest of choices to socialize with her captive. She took a key worn around her neck and unlocked the door. There was Piper, tied to the bed, exactly as Keirah had left her.

  Her honey-brown eyes got wide, and she looked genuinely afraid of Keirah. Noir would have been proud.

  “Do you need to use the restroom?” Keirah asked.

  Piper nodded slowly, cautiously. The handkerchief wrapped around her mouth used as a gag trembled a bit.

  Keirah went over to the queen-sized bed where Piper was sprawled out, each arm and leg tied to the dark oak bannister, and deftly began to remove each one of her bindings. Noir had taught her how to tie rope, and it was something she practiced during the long, lonely nights. Now it looked like the time had paid off.

  “I have to go with you,” Keirah told her once Piper was freed. “You understand.” When the blonde tried to stand, she nearly collapsed due to how sore her muscles were. “I would tell you not to try anything, but I don’t think I’m going to have a problem with you.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Even Piper’s voice was weak as she struggled to lower her yoga pants down and sit on the toilet bowl. Keirah had chosen a room with an attached bathroom for a reason.

  Keirah sighed, shifting her brown eyes away from Piper as Piper began to go to the bathroom. “For love.” The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she realized she hadn’t shared her intention with anyone but Andie, and look at how that had turned out. Still, Keirah had felt so much better getting everything off her chest, even if she did sound crazy. And maybe Piper would understand.

  “Are you being forced to do this?” Piper asked as she flushed the toilet. She slowly walked over to the sink to wash her hands.

  “No,” Keirah said, surprising even herself at how honest she was being. “No, I’m choosing to do this out of my own freewill.”

  “Why?” Piper demanded. She turned to throw a furious look over at Keirah after drying her hands with an ivory washcloth. “I know your sister. We had the same PE my freshman year. Why would you go out of your way to hurt me?”

  “There are worse things I could do to you than tie you up to the bed and take pictures of you,” Keirah said, her tone dark. “Can I be frank with you? I don’t give a shit about you or your life. You are a means to an end. I will kill you if I have to.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, she knew she meant them. And the way Piper’s face paled, Keirah knew she believed her as well.

  The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation. She paused, a small smile sliding across her face and her dark eyes glimmered. She turned her head back to Piper, whose big brown eyes widened again, and she was paralyzed like a deer in headlights.

  “Come on,” Keirah said, grabbing Piper’s upper arm and leading her out of the bathroom. “Your Prince Charming is here to rescue you.”

  “What?”

  Keirah kept her mouth shut, still tucked into that smile. She was happy. In the first time since Noir had mysteriously vanished, she was happy. The smile on her face was genuine; it even felt unfamiliar, but she didn’t care. She was going to get the information she so desperately needed. Soon, she would be one step closer to getting Noir back. How could she not at the very least smile because of that?

  “Go sit on the couch,” she instructed Piper, pushing her towards the living room. “And don’t even think about doing anything stupid, Piper.”

  Piper said nothing, but before Keirah even opened the door, she waited until her captive followed her instructions. Piper wasn’t a fighter, Keirah realized, which meant she was a lot smarter than people gave her credit for. She listened and followed orders, trying to keep her ear out for information and her body from physical harm. She knew what she was doing, even if it didn’t appear that way, and as such, Keirah couldn’t help but respect her more than she originally intended.

  Once she was certain Piper was secure, she turned to the front door and looked through the peephole. Her smile only widened when she saw Henry standing on her doorstep. He looked completely at ease, completely nonchalant, but Keirah knew he was going crazy on the inside. He was tapping his toes, his telltale weakness.

  She all but threw open the door and took the smile off of her face. She didn’t want to appear too eager.

  “Henry,” Keirah said, stepping out of the doorframe. “Please, come in.”

  He shot her a look, and if looks could kill, she would be dead.

  “Where is she?” he seethed through gritted teeth, his eyes scouring the room for any trace of Piper.

  “Henry?”

  Piper’s voice wafted through the entranceway, and it wasn’t long before she came barreling through until she was in Henry’s arms. Keirah raised her brow; the couple looked odd, as in how did that guy get that girl?, but she knew she was the last person to judge. Andie had practically asked her the same question.

  “Are you hurt?” Henry asked her in a surprisingly tender voice. “Did she hurt you?”

  “No, no, I’m fine.”

  Henry nodded and then pushed Piper behind him as a way to protect her. He was back to hating Keirah, judging by the narrowed eyes and tight lips.

  “You better be sure you want this information, missy, because you have crossed a line,” he said, his voice strained. “This is not a little romantic fantasy you’ve concocted in your head; this is real life. Your precious Noir? He’s a demon. A demon so evil, so vile, that Hell doesn’t even want him. Somehow, you’ve fallen in love with him and he has feelings for you. He took a bullet for you. Do you know where angels and demons go when they die on earth? They go to Purgatory. That’s where your precious Noir is, missy. Purgatory.”

  “How do I get there?” Keirah asked. She would deal with the information Henry was feeding her later. Noir was a demon. Noir was evil. It didn’t matter. All she cared about was getting him back, and then she’d deal with his humanity later.

  “Burr’s office,” he said. “Go alone. Go to the painting,the one with the red and yellow sunset. Pull it off the wall. There is a door behind it. Type in the code 1-8-8-6. I’m only going to tell you that once, so you better have remembered it. Go through the door. That will get you where you need to go.”

  Keirah snorted. Why was she not surprised? Burr gave her the run-around when all he had to give her was another code and tell her where to type it in.

  She didn’t hear the door close, didn’t care. She had him. She was so close.

  13

  “So what’ve you been doing in your life?” Andie asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she regarded her friend with an even stare. It was the next night, and Jack had yet to return home from work. Andie didn’t want to think about what could be keeping him. She knew that he could be genuinely stuck there due to other people who didn’t have the name Vanessa, and wanted to reserve judgment until he told her himself. To get her mind off of the multiple possibilities, Andie decided to head out to the stables and hang out with Gabe for a bit. “Are you still a bad kid?”

  “Bad kid?!” Gabe said, feigning surprise as he threw his hand over his chest. “What, exactly, is that supposed to mean, Candy Andie?”

  “I hate that nickname,” Andie told her friend, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a glare. “It makes me sound so… fat.”

  Gabe gave her a look of disbelief and motioned his hand at Andie’s body. “Right,” he said doubtfully, “because you’re such a tubby.”

  “Oh, fuck you,” Andie replied, flipping him off. “I still cannot believe you guys dared me to eat all of my Halloween candy in one night. Do you know how sick I got?”

  Gabe chuckled, taking a step towards Andie. “I can’t believe you actually ate the candy,” he told her.

  “You haven’t answered my question, Gabe,” Andie told him as a smile touched her face. “How have you been doing?”

  “I’m really good,” he told her genuinely. �
�Well, I’m sure Reese told you we didn’t get off on the right foot, but I’m kicking ass on the varsity soccer team. You know, I don’t think it’s fair that just because you have more than enough units to graduate early, you don’t have to attend class anymore. I’m the DA’s son, and I still have to go.”

  “Yeah, well,” she teased. “So, since Reese won’t give you the time of day, any women I should be aware of, or have you changed teams? Or are you playing for both?”

  “Oh ha ha,” Gabe said dryly. “I am single and ready to mingle! Hey… if your Jack Phillip guy has one of his infamous parties, you had better invite me, okay? I wanna meet all of those models and actresses Jack chose to give up in order to have you. If you ask me, I think he came up with the short end of the stick.”

  Andie glared at him and smacked him in the shoulder. “Oh shut up,” she growled, tilting her head to the side so her blonde hair pooled down her shoulder. “Like you don’t go to your share of parties… You are Lucas Burr’s son, after all.”

  “How did you get with this guy anyway, And?” Gabe asked seriously before pushing his thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. “He’s like… Jack Phillip, billionaire, playboy, GQ’s Best Dressed, and AskMen.com’s Most Influential Man, blah, blah, blah. How’d you two even meet? I mean, what did he see in you?” His hazel eyes sparkled in amusement, indicating that he was teasing her.

  “Truth be told,” a soft-spoken voice said, coming up from behind Andie, “the first thing Andie ever told me was that I was an asshole. And then she slapped me across the face.”

  Andie glanced up and literally beamed when she saw her boyfriend standing there. Jack met her gaze with his own, his lips curling up with genuine happiness at seeing her, and curled an arm around her waist before turning back to the man before him, giving Gabe a cool stare. Jack hadn’t forgotten that Gabe’s father tried to pass the Vigilante Registration Act, and he wondered why Andie would choose to hire him. He did trust her, however, and, for the time being, wouldn’t question her.

  As Jack studied the eighteen year old, he noticed that the he wasn’t as good looking as Jack was, which made the vain part of himself sigh in relief. But he knew Andie, and he knew that while looks were important, it wasn’t at the very top of her list when looking for a potential mate. “So… this is the new stable boy?” he asked, looking over at Andie as he pushed his brows up.

  Andie had known Jack for a while, and knew when he was jealous. It was all in the diction he used when speaking to whoever he felt was a potential threat. She gave him a warning look, but it didn’t appear that Jack had seen it. “Yes,” she finally told him. “This is Gabriel Burr. We had a class together in high school, and I thought it was interesting that a DA’s son wanted to work with horses.”

  “Just call me Gabe,” Gabe told Jack, sticking out his hand. Jack took it and shook it, his eyes saying everything he couldn’t.

  “Gabe,” Jack said, trying the word out. “Well, you know how we met,” Jack said, indicating himself and Andie. “How did you two meet? You know, Gabe, she hasn’t mentioned you to me.”

  Andie cleared her throat rather obviously. Jack glanced down at Andie before gently patting her back with his hand. However, he turned his gaze back to Gabe, waiting expectantly.

  “We were both in life sciences together,” Gabe explained. “I’m kind of shy until you get to know me, and every day, Andie would say hi to me. Since then, we got really close.” He tapped the tip of his chin with his fingertip.

  “Well, I just wanted to meet you and steal my girlfriend away. Dinner is almost ready.” Jack glanced down at Andie before shaking his head.

  “Would you like to join us?” Andie asked though she knew Jack would not want Gabe over at all, let alone for dinner. Jack’s head snapped into Andie’s direction, but Andie plastered a fake smile on her face, pointedly ignoring Jack’s stare.

  “No, that’s okay,” Gabe said, waving her offer away. “I’ve actually got plans tonight with my father. But thanks for the offer. It was nice meeting you, Mister Phillip.”

  “Please, call me Jack,” he said before quickly scooping up Andie and placing her over his shoulder. Andie squeaked in surprise, playfully smacking Jack’s back, before waving at a very bemused Gabe. “It was nice meeting you as well,” Jack called before heading out the stable door. “Well, well, Andie. Interesting little choice for a stable boy, huh?” He paused as he led her through the woods with relative ease. “Gabriel Burr, really? So… is he an ex-boyfriend I should be worried about?”

  “No, we were never like that,” Andie said between giggles. “Now put me down! He really was a friend, and it threw me off when he showed up as an applicant. I think maybe if we reconnect, he might tell me more about his dad’s bill.”

  Jack relented and carefully placed her back on the floor. “So you’re doing this all for me, huh?” However, he had yet to let go of her, and instead, wrapped his other hand around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. “Good,” he murmured, slipping his hands down until they cupped her behind. “Because you are mine, Andrea Shepherd. It causes me great relief that I don’t have to harm your friend in any way.”

  “Oh, come off it!” Andie said, playfully smacking his arm. “You’re the one with an actual ex-girlfriend following you around like a lost puppy. Just because Gabe used to have a thing for me, doesn’t mean we were actually together.”

  “Wait, he used to like you?” Jack asked, cocking his head to the side. “Well, this is just no good.”

  “You know,” Andie said, reaching up and taking Jack’s sharp cheek in her palm. “With that haircut, you kind of look like you’re out of the military.” Her eyes sparkled approvingly. “Very sexy.” Before she could say anymore, her cell phone rang. Frowning, Andie grabbed it from her denim pocket and picked it up. “Hello?” Nobody answered, but she could detect breathing on the other end of the line. “Hello?” Andie pressed her brows together and hung up the phone. When she caught Jack’s gaze, she shrugged her shoulders and slipped the phone back in her pocket. “Wrong number,” she explained.

  Something inside told Jack it was more than just a wrong number, but he pushed aside those feelings when Andie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her.

  “So,” the young woman began, looking up at him questioningly. “Is dinner really almost ready, or did you just want to get me out of there?”

  “I’m allowed to be selfish when it comes to you,” Jack replied, placing his hands on her upper arms and tilting his head down so his nose brushed against hers.

  “Because I already ate dinner,” she continued as though she hadn’t heard him, “and I gave Gabe some of the extras. He’s not stupid, you know. He thinks you’re the coolest person ever, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel threatened by you.”

  “Good,” Jack said, nodding once. “Then my job is done. Now,” he said, a grin tugging up the corners of his lips. “Since you’ve already had dinner, how about some dessert?”

  Andie pretended to think about it for a moment. “I guess that would depend on what’s on the menu,” she finally replied. Jack didn’t seem too pleased at this, and immediately scooped her back up in his arm and placed her over his shoulder before heading back to the manor. Andie started laughing uncontrollably, smacking his back with little effect. “Okay, okay!” she exclaimed. “I’m just kidding. I’m just kidding! I would love dessert! I would love it!”

  It was the next day. Andie was already running late, so she really didn’t notice anything upon stepping into her office. Her assistant, Lorraine, had already left her milk on her desk, as well as this morning’s copy of the Onyx Register. She took a seat at her desk and for a moment, looked out her window to the skyline view of Onyx City. If she had known a couple of years ago that she would be the CEO of her own nonprofit organization that helped animals, she would have laughed. But here she was, with her own animal shelter, graduating in a couple of weeks, dating Onyx’s most eligible bachelor. Who would hav
e predicted something like that would have happened? Not Andie.

  Andie wasn’t exactly a businessperson. She liked reading and shopping and movies with cute boys and big explosions. But Jack was helping her as best as he could, giving her advice on how to run a company, and she had been pretty good at it for the past year.

  Andie finally glanced away from the skyline and turned her attention back to the chocolate croissant in her hands. She edged some of it out of the paper bag it was in and took a big bite, reveling in its delicious taste. After swallowing, she took a long gulp of milk and sighed. Most days, her work was incredibly stressful, and the whole Vanessa situation only added to that fact. Whenever she could get moments of peace, she took them and ran with them for as long as possible. As she continued to eat and drink, her thoughts trailed to the reason why she was late. Andie was always good at getting up on time, so it wasn’t that. In fact, she was dressed and ready to go when Jack pulled her back in bed for a few moments. Her lips pushed into a satisfied smile as a content sigh slipped through her nose. Nothing felt better than being desired by her lover of the past six months, especially when she still felt the same as well.

  Jack… If anything happened to him while he was out at night, she wouldn’t know what to do. She tried to keep her thoughts positive, but to believe he was immune to threats the city gave him would be naïve. Plus, Reese knew who he really was. How the heck had that happened? She had nearly forgotten, to be honest, what with everything going on. But she hoped soon, Reese would tell her.

  Jack didn’t know it, but Andie couldn’t sleep well without him next to her. She would toss and turn until she felt his presence slip between the sheets, and then she would finally relax. However, this whole threat of Vanessa caused her nervousness to run overtime. Logically, she knew Jack would never cheat on her whatsoever, not with supermodels or ex-girlfriends. However, she could also tell when a woman wanted her man. It happened quite a bit; whenever they went to shows, galas, events, or anything, really; women would openly flirt with him, while some just gave him alluring looks. Jack, of course, would refuse their advances, but that didn’t stop them from trying. Andie didn’t know much about Vanessa, but if she were calling him continuously, she wouldn’t put trying to win him back past her.