The letter was as quick and painless as she could possibly let it be. It broke her heart to write it, but she knew she didn't have a choice. Enough bad things had happened because of the Syndicate. Enough bad things that happened because of her, and her decision to let someone else take control of her life. She wasn't going to let that happen ever again. No one else was going to get hurt because of her.
She was almost out the door before she saw Emily walking in. The letter was on the dresser, and it was important that no one saw it before she left. How would she be able to leave when she would be confronted with the lies that she had put on paper? It said that she was looking for a better life and wanted to do it on her own. It was the furthest thing from the truth, but Jessica believed that it was the only way for it to work out in a way where no one else got hurt.
“Where are you going?”
Jessica smiled at her and told her that she was going to find her.
“Nu-uh”
“I'm serious. I was just on my way to go find you. You must be able to read my mind.”
Emily was serious for a moment. “I can't read minds yet. Dad says if I practice hard, though, maybe I will be able to one day soon, just like him.”
Jessica paused for a moment. “Your father can read minds?”
“Yeah. He always knows when I do something wrong. It's because he can read minds.”
Jessica was not really worried about if that was true or not. It could be something that he told his daughter to keep her on the straight and narrow. Her own mother had told her that she had eyes in the back of her head and she could see everything. When Jessica was little, she actually believed that. Was it the same thing?
If it wasn't, that meant that Jessica couldn't see him before she left. He would know what was going on and he would never let her leave. That was not going to work.
After a minute of indecision, she decided that her best course of action would be to get out of there before he had a chance to read her mind and figure out what was going on. She worried about how he would respond when he found the letter, but she couldn't worry about it right then. Right then, she needed to worry about getting out of there without being caught.
Before she could think about it anymore, she told Emily that she had to leave for a while. When she asked where she was going, Jessica had to get creative with an answer. She didn't want to lie to her, but couldn’t tell her the truth either. Instead, she told her that she just had to go away for a while.
“Are you going to come back?”
Jessica felt her heart clenching again. She wanted to come back, she didn't want to leave at all, but she knew that it wasn't a choice. She had to make sure that they were kept safe, and they were already in danger because of her. She couldn’t let that happen.
“If I can.”
Emily looked sad for a moment, and Jessica told her that it was going to be all right. She didn't know it to be true herself, but she could at least give a good white lie to the little girl to make her feel better. Emily had probably been the best part of her time there, and she was really going to miss her.
Chapter Seventeen
“It's good to see you, Jessica. I did not know if you would keep your end of the bargain or not.”
“It's not like I had much choice. The Syndicate seems to work that way.”
Dominic smiled at Jessica, and she had to make it a point to hold her head high so that he could see that she was unfazed by him. She was trembling inside, scared to death, but she didn't want anybody to know that's how she really felt. It was easier to hide behind the idea that she was tough and knew exactly what she was doing.
Jessica had met Dominic where he wanted her to. She had not been given any other option. A huge part of her secretly hoped that something would happen and Dominic wouldn't show up, but as soon as she saw him, she knew that one thing would be fixed at least. Trevor and his clan would be safe. It was just the high price that she had to pay so he didn’t pay for her.
Dominic had a car waiting for them, and she did her best to ignore him as much as possible. He seemed delighted that he had finally gotten ahold of her, and even though it was her own decision, it still made her question everything. How was she ever going to get out of the mess she was in? It might've been brave to try to keep Emily and her father safe, but it was certainly going to come at a price. She wasn't sure what it was, but she had a pretty good idea. Falling for Trevor hadn't been part of the plan, but how was she supposed to think of anything else?
“You made a good decision, Jessica. And even though you probably don't care for my old colleague William, he actually saved you, and you don't even know it.”
Jessica didn't want to talk about it, but it was clear that Dominic wanted to. She didn't want to upset him because she knew if she pissed someone off like him, it would not end well. Jessica had to know what he was talking about, though.
“How is that?”
“He convinced me that selling you guys for marriage could be just as lucrative as selling you to temporary male companions. This way, it's more honest, and you will probably end up with a better quality of life.”
“That is what you think is saving me? Selling me to one man is somehow better?”
“You agreed to it, didn’t you? Don’t get all high and mighty about it now.”
Jessica could tell that he wanted some kind of response from her. She just wasn't sure what response she was supposed to give. Being sold to be married to some random stranger when she had found the man that she now loved, didn't seem like such a conciliatory prize. It felt like something that was going to keep her from what she truly desired. How could that be any good?
“I agreed to it. Things were a lot different back then. I was only sixteen after all and I had no idea how it was going to change my life.”
“You were old enough to make that decision.”
“Maybe that's true. I certainly am regretting it now, but I did agree to it back then, thus why I am here with you now.”
“That is good to hear, that you have come to grips with all of this. It makes my job a lot easier. There's nothing worse than me having to force somebody to do something they don't want to do. It’s not hard, mind you, but it’s usually not too pleasant.”
“I don't want to do this. It is to save Trevor.”
“Falling in love with him was the wrong thing to do. I bet you regret it now. It will just hurt you more in the end.”
“Falling in love with Trevor was the only thing good that came out of any of this. You killed my family, took everything away from me. Finding love was the only thing that made it worth it.”
“Don't worry about it; you won't remember him much longer anyway. It will all be like a distant dream. Or so I hear.”
Jessica just shook her head. There was no way she was going to be able to forget him. How could she forget someone that made her feel something so real and unexplainable? He was her first and her only. Jessica knew that she would never forget him. There was nothing that Dominic could do to change that. When Jessica said as much, it just made Dominic smile even larger.
“That's where you're wrong, Jessica. I can change it, and I will. I promise you by the end of the week, you will not even know who he was.”
“You can't do that. It's impossible.”
“No, my dear; it’s magic.”
Jessica had a sinking feeling in her stomach, but she didn't know what to do about it because she had no idea what he was talking about. What did he mean by magic?
Trevor had not seen Jessica all day. He thought maybe she was sticking to her room because of everything that was going on. Maybe the two of them being together the night before was too much for her. She needed a little bit of space, and he had given it to her. All day long. He even made Emily give her some space as well. Trevor just wanted her to be happy, and it seemed like Jessica was a little overwhelmed with the two of them being together.
It was almost dinnertime, though and he had waited all day. Tr
evor couldn't wait any longer. He needed to see Jessica. Maybe he just needed a reminder that they really had been together. That's what he was focused on. That's what he cared about.
After knocking a couple of times and getting no answer, Trevor tried the doorknob and noticed that it was unlocked. He pushed it in and was hopeful that he would catch her in a good position, like just getting out of the shower or something. His mind was constantly on her lithe body, her peaks and valleys. He held onto the feel of himself when he was deep inside of her. He still couldn't get it off of his mind.
Jessica wasn't there, though. He looked around and even checked the bathroom, and she was nowhere to be found. Trevor was about to leave when he saw a note sitting on the nightstand.
It basically told him that while she had a great time with him and as much as she liked being around Emily, she had to go. There was an apology at the end about how she was leaving, but there was also a request that he did not like at all. She was asking him to leave her alone and not go looking for her.
If it were any other time or any other situation, Trevor would have just thought that she didn't want to be with him. That was simple enough, but there was something off about the letter. There was also something off about her just disappearing without even saying goodbye. Why wouldn't she at least say goodbye to him? After what they had done together, he just couldn't imagine her just leaving him like that. There had to be something that he didn't understand. There was no way this was how it was going to end between the two of them.
Rage filled Trevor. For a moment, he really went down the path of what it would feel like if she had done exactly that. What would it feel like if she just left him? Jessica had awakened the part of him he didn't even know existed, and then she was just going to leave him? It didn't make any sense, and it was certainly not something that he wanted to hear.
Then it hit him. It being what actually happened. Of course, Jessica didn't just take off for no reason. There had to have been a reason. Maybe she was taken, and they made her write a letter so he wouldn’t go looking for her. That seemed to make more sense than the idea that what had happened between them meant nothing to her. To consider that would have physically hurt Trevor.
He called up Dylan to find out what was going on. He was hopeful that Dylan would have answers where he didn't. Trevor also needed to know where to find the Syndicate. If they were going to take something that meant so much to him, he wasn't going to let it happen without a fight. Trevor was suddenly in fight mode and determined to get Jessica back.
The girl next to him was looking at him like he was a monster. Dominic had seen that look too many times before. He was getting sick of people looking at him like that. He was getting sick of the Syndicate if he were honest with himself. The things that the organization made him do, the people that he had to hurt...it wasn't worth it. None of it was worth it, and he told himself that as soon as he found Molly and sold her off to make good on William’s mistake, he was getting out of the business.
He was pushing fifty-five, and soon, he would be too old for that sort of thing. He wasn't young enough, though, to question why he wanted to leave. It was the perfect time for Dominic to finally get out of an organization that he’d been in since he was a kid on the street.
That's what kept him going. Knowing that someday very soon, it was going to end. Dominic didn't want to do it anymore. He just wanted to spend his remaining years living and doing for himself what he wanted.
Since Jessica had been gone for a while, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with her. There was already someone set up for her to marry. William was right, too, about the better money in that kind of sale. He could see how much more money was made by a single sale, but it did take more time and energy to set it up.
He didn’t concern himself with that, though. All Dominic had to worry about was Jessica and Molly. They were both young and beautiful and innocent. That was enough for him, although he was questioning how innocent Jessica was. When he asked her about it, she wasn't too happy to answer.
“I only ask because I get more if you haven't been touched. It's hard to believe that you lived with him for almost a week and didn't do anything. I know damn well he tried. Hell, I think I would have tried my damn self.”
Dominic could see the woman's reaction, and it gave him the answer he was looking for. It wasn't the answer that made him happy, though. It meant that she wasn't going to be worth as much, but he had a way of sweetening the deal.
“We were together. Does that mean that you can't sell me now? I mean, you know that Trevor would pay money to get me back. It would most likely be more money than you are going to get for me this way. Why not try to make a deal? It could benefit everyone.”
Dominic just sighed. It made sense doing it her way, but it wasn't going to happen. There was too much riding on saving face. They had been humiliated by Jamie and William, and since he had brought William in, it looked bad on him. It had to be done that way because if it wasn't, the Syndicate would be considered weak. If people would go against them so easily, they would never be able to get so much done. That's why they were so successful. There was a lot of intimidation keeping them on the top.
“It can't be that way.”
“And what makes you think that I'll actually stay there and not just go back?”
The same sigh. “The same reason that made you get into this car with me today. If you run away or try to go back to Trevor, I will just come get you. And I will kill him and his family. I will burn that beautiful house that you were in earlier today. And that will all be because of you.”
She sat back in the seat and he smiled to himself. As much as he didn’t like to see her upset, Dominic knew he couldn't let his empathy for the girl, cloud his judgment in the situation. There was certainly going to be no empathy from Crag. He was the one that ran the Syndicate, and the air of intimidation that they still carried with them came directly from him.
“Trust me, Jessica. None of this will matter very soon. You aren’t even going to remember any of it. I promise you that.”
“Why do you keep saying that? What are you going to do to me?”
“You don't need to concern yourself with it. Just know that soon enough, none of it will matter. You will be content in your new life because it will be the one that you think you have chosen.”
Jessica wanted more answers, but he was unwilling to give them. He had made up his mind and decided that this was the best way to take care of the situation.
Jessica tried to keep her cool about it. She had a feeling that a lot of what was being said to her was said to make her question everything. Dominic seemed to be interested only in intimidating her, and she was doing the best she could to make him think that he was unable to do it.
She tried to smile and act cool, pretending like none of what he said fazed her, but each explanation of how her life was going to change was scarier than the last. The idea that he could somehow make her forget Trevor or other parts of her life was too scary to even comprehend. Jessica didn't want to believe that anybody had that power, even though she knew that it definitely existed. Everyone knew that witches were capable of all kinds of horrible things.
It seemed like they drove for hours, and at some point, he had offered her a drink, and she had taken it. Jessica figured that her life was pretty much a shitshow now anyway, so she might as well start drinking.
There was no getting out of the situation. There was no running away. The only thing that was going to save her was just forgetting all of it. She kept asking herself, could he really take Trevor away from her?
Jessica started feeling a little faint, like the air was too thick where she was, and she was unable to get enough oxygen. As soon as she felt her mind getting fuzzy, she worried about why she was having that sensation. She looked to Dominic casually, and he just kind of smiled.
“What? I told you that I was going to do everything in my power to make sure it would be easier for you. That means y
ou need to get all of this out of your mind. That's the only thing that's going to help. You’re going to have a bright future ahead of you, Jessica.”
His words were becoming more and more distant, and Jessica realized a little too late what that meant. It meant that he had put something in her drink. It also meant that he had some plan for her that would require her not to be conscious. None of those instances sounded very appealing.
Dominic got out of the vehicle and felt a shiver go up his spine.
He absolutely hated going to the witches’ house but knew that they were the only ones that would be able to do what was needed. He needed Jessica to forget about her life with Trevor. It had not lasted very long but appeared rather strong. Since she wasn't going to agree to it voluntarily, he had slipped something in her drink to make her a little bit more pliable. It would be easier for both of them.
When he got out of the vehicle finally, even the ground underneath him rejected his presence. The Syndicate meant nothing where he was at the moment. The Waverly Witches were not afraid of anyone, and they certainly were not afraid of him.
On the contrary, he was the one that was a little skittish to be around them, even though he was usually so sure of his capabilities. His confidence helped him to navigate such a dangerous world, but there, with present company, it would only get him dead.
The dilapidated house looked like it hadn't been lived in for years, but he knew that it was only a glamour. The three Waverly sisters did not want to be bothered. That meant they went as far out of the way that they possibly could. All they wanted was peace, and they also knew that anybody who really needed their services would take the trip.
It wasn't the first time he had dealt with those particular witches. They were instrumental in certain attacks made by the Syndicate in the past. Magic, while full of its own problems, could also solve them as well.
Alpha Shifter Bride Service: (A Paranormal Romance Series) Page 38