by Shea Swain
Invidious Betrayal
Copyright © 2014 Shea Swain
All rights reserved worldwide.
No part of this book may be copied or sold without written permission.
All of the characters and events in this book are fictitious, and in any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Any product names, logos, brands and other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective trademark holders. These trademark holders are not affiliated with Shea Swain or her works, media, or website. They do not sponsor or endorse any material produced by Shea Swain. Any trademarks used are specifically in a descriptive capacity.
WARNING: Intended for readers 18 years and older
Edited by: Pam Howard and Chrystal Schleyer
Proofread by: Pam Howard and Kim Bey
Cover By: Michele Johnson @ BlueSkyDesigns
Formatting: Champagne Formats
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Other Books
Dedication
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Lascivious
Excerpt from Chained To Devil Son
Skilled by S. Reynolds
About The Author
Other Books by Shea Swain
Lascivious
Dedicated to:
Arnetta Howard and Geraldine Perry, you both gave me patience, understanding, and wisdom. You loved the weird little girl who would rather talk to middle-aged women than play outside with girls my own age.
April 8th, 2012
IAN HOWL CRADLED THE DELICATE, unconscious, girl in his arms as he swiftly made his way through the maze of a mansion to get to the garage. Her head rested on his chest and his arms supported her back and legs as he held her close. The swell of her feminine curves against his body felt all too consuming; the warmth of her skin was like a sweet yet biting burn. Tamping down on his ill-placed desires, Ian forced himself to focus on the task at hand: their escape.
He ignored the hulking guard who called to him as he rushed by the security room. Turning a corner, Ian glanced over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. He hoped for a confrontation-free getaway, but he knew the odds were against them.
Gently, he lowered the arm that cradled the girl’s legs so they could slowly slide down his body until he balanced her on the balls of her feet. Holding her close to his chest, he pressed his thumb on the security scanner on the wall. He vaguely thought of her bare feet touching the cold floor, but it was something he couldn’t help right now. He needed to get her out of there and an early Spring chill was the least of his worries.
Three heartbeats later, the door leading into the massive garage swung open with a swoosh that gave him hope. They were almost free.
Ian looked around at the jumble of cars in the garage and noticed that his car was blocked in; but all of the car keys were on a key board mounted on the wall. So he grabbed a random set of keys and pressed the door unlock button. The headlights of a beautiful Porsche flashed, but the vehicle was in the rear of the garage and several cars surrounded it. The third set of keys he tried unlocked a luxury sedan that wasn’t blocked in and was close to the garage doors. Ian had eased the girl into the passenger seat of the sedan and was securing the seatbelt around her when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“Where do you think you’re taking that car, kid?”
Ian turned his head around and saw Brad... Or was it Brent? He didn’t remember the guard’s name, but Ian knew it was the guy’s job to protect the cars that belonged to the guests at the party. He also knew the guy was built like a defensive tackle; Ian decided to strike first to use the element of surprise. So he grabbed the hand on his shoulder and pulled the guard into his elbow, targeting his large, beefy face. The guard stumbled back in shock, holding his gushing nose. Ian spun around and threw a quick punch at the man’s bloody face causing him to stagger back again then fall to the floor. The guard didn’t get up.
“Please,” the girl whispered.
Ian whipped his head around to see that she was still unconscious and strapped in the car. Rushing to the driver’s side of the commandeered vehicle, he hopped inside, started the engine and slowly backed up. The automatic doors to the parking garage opened when the car tripped the underground sensor and Ian swiftly turned the car around and barreled down the drive toward the front gates of the property. Luckily party guests were still inside because under normal circumstances a vehicle required a security plate under the hood in order to leave the property without human intervention. Many of the tight security measures had been turned off because of the party
Ian breathed a sigh of relief when the large main gates opened; he decided not to floor the gas pedal until he was a good distance away from his uncle’s property so he wouldn’t attract unnecessary attention. He wasn’t being followed, but he continued to check the rearview mirror, knowing their absence would soon be reported.
The girl’s moans pulled his attention from the road for a few seconds.
Ian slowed the vehicle then came to a stop at a red light and took a moment to look at the girl. Her long dark brown hair was matted and practically covered her delicate face; so he lightly brushed some of it away. Bruises covered her body but her dry lips, puffy red eyes, and the darkening hand prints on her throat really stood out to him. She was in bad shape and Ian feared that the thin sheet wasn’t enough to keep her naked body warm.
“Help me,” she moaned.
“I’m taking you to a hospital,” Ian told her as he fought the bile that rose from his stomach. Disgust and shame assailed him, but right now he couldn’t think about his role in what had happened to her. She needed medical attention, but he didn’t know Howard County, Maryland, all that well. The only time he even came to this part of Maryland was when he visited his uncle, and those visits were spent mostly on his uncle’s property.
Ian saw an on ramp to the highway and took it. He drove for a few miles before slowing to a few mph over the speed limit. Luckily, the weather had been relatively mild and the roads were clear and dry. When he saw a sign that indicated that a hospital was nearby, he took that exit. Stopped at a red light, Ian took a moment to glance at his passenger again. He brushed the back of his hand over her bruised cheek and was about to place it back on the steering wheel when her eyes popped open, jarring him a little. The light changed and he returned his attention to the road, but as he followed the signs to the hospital he watched her out of the corner of his eye.
She didn’t move right away. She just looked at him with a hollow gaze as if her mind had to reboot. Then those chestnut-brown orbs changed from confused to feral in a flash. Before he could react, she was screaming, “No hospital! No cops!” over and over as she pushed at the passenger door. In an attempt to calm her, Ian reached for the girl but his hand slipped and she managed to lift her foot and nailed him hard on the side of his head.
“All right, no hospitals!” Ian yelled as he slammed his foot on the brake, causing the car to skid along the nearly empty road. The force of the sudden stop propelled her forward and the side of her head collided with the dashboar
d. Her body went limp.
“Shit!” he yelled as he slammed his hands on the steering wheel. Ian pulled the car off to the side of the road, took his cell phone out, and dialed his father’s cell. The phone rang several times then the voicemail picked up. He listened to his father’s commanding voice, but he disconnected before the taped greeting ended.
“Damn it, Dad, this is important!”
Ian glanced up at the rearview mirror. As he peered out into the quiet darkness he lost himself to his thoughts. The weight of the cell phone he held helped him find his focus again. He turned the phone over in his hand twice before shutting off the power and removing the battery. Ian stared at the cell phone for a long moment as he unconsciously rubbed at a spot under his armpit.
“They will be looking for me, for us.”
He glanced at the girl then felt under his arm again. As long as she was with him, they would find her.
Friday Evening, about eleven hours earlier
ARIA LOOKED UP AT HER vanity mirror to see the reflection of her father standing in her bedroom doorway. The expression he wore on his face was one she’d grown use to over the years but it never failed to make her inwardly cringe. He was obviously annoyed again.
“I don’t care for your little friend. She’s too worldly for you.”
Aria smiled then turned her attention back to applying mascara to her lashes. “You’ve made that clear more than once, Dad,” she breathed. His gaze was unyielding, so she turned away from her vanity and faced him. “Going out with a friend is totally normal. Just like it is normal for you to worry, but…don’t. I’ll be careful.” She got to her feet. “Besides”—Aria shrugged—“who’s going to mess with Sheriff Cole’s daughter? No one has yet.”
From the look on his face, Aria was sure he understood what she was implying. They stared at one another for a few seconds.
“Good,” her father finally shot back.
“I’m eighteen today.” Aria sat on the edge of her bed. “I’d say I need a bit of worldly in my life.” She wasn’t sure why she’d said that, but it was true.
When Aria looked up again, her father was gone. She thought about what he’d said and quickly decided that he needed to lighten up about Gail, because the “protective father thing” was getting old. She and Gail had been friends for years but it seemed he wasn’t going to ever warm up to the idea of their friendship. It wasn’t as if Aria was blind when it concerned Gail. There had been several instances when she questioned Gail’s friendship. There had been one such instance just a few months ago. Aria hated to admit it, but the ache of the incident was still fresh as she recalled what had happened.
“He’s by the pool table,” Elizabeth said with excitement. “Are you going to ask him?”
Aria glanced over at Bucky as he bent over to line up a shot. He was wearing a white shirt that brought out his blue eyes. She thought he looked amazing in white.
“Well...”—Lizzy urged.
Aria rolled her eyes at her friend. Elizabeth, or Lizzy, was not shy when it came to guys. Aria was. “I don’t know... Maybe,” Aria said, glancing at Lizzy. She wasn’t ready to put herself out there. What if Bucky, the blond, gorgeous, and well-muscled farm-boy, said no? It was bad enough no one had asked her to any dance, prom, or even a real date. If she asked one of them out only to be shot down, the tiny bits of ego she still had would probably dissolve.
“Oh hell,” Lizzy spat, “Harlot O’Have‘Em is here now and she’s talking to Bucky.”
Aria didn’t have to look over at the pool tables to know who Lizzy was talking about. Lizzy has called Gail “Harlot O’Have‘Em” since freshman year even though Gail was a year ahead of them. Most of the girls and plenty of the guys had some sort of a nickname for Gail. Rumors surrounded her but Aria refused to acknowledge any of the gossip and just called her by her name. She liked Gail.
Though, Aria couldn’t help the worrisome feeling that slinked up her spine, knowing that Gail was there in the bowling alley talking to Bucky. Aria made her way to the lane she and Lizzy were using. She carefully placed her fingers in the allotted holes then slowly lifted her bowling ball. She ignored the urge to look over her shoulder to see what Gail was doing or to determine if Bucky was interested. She moved toward the foul line as she peered down the lane at the ten pins then released the ball.
“Oh…that slut!” Lilly squawked, getting to her feet. “Could she be any more obvious? Didn’t you tell her that you liked Bucky?”
Aria fought against her natural response to turn around and look at what was happening between her friend and her crush. She had told Gail that she liked Bucky; that she was planning on asking him out. It couldn’t have skipped Gail’s mind, could it? Aria shook her worries away and spun around as she told herself that Gail and Bucky were just talking…
“Ohhh, I can’t believe her,” Lizzy said.
Lizzy was staring at the same thing that stopped Aria in mid-thought. In the arcade section of the bowling alley near the pool tables, Gail had her arms wrapped around Bucky’s neck, in plain sight of everyone. She was kissing him and Bucky was kissing her back.
Granted the signals she’d been getting from Bucky were almost nonexistent, but Aria was sure that Bucky liked her. But looking at the way he kissed Gail, Aria wondered if she’d read the signs wrong. He hadn’t come out and actually said it and she wasn’t a specialist in relationships but she could have sworn that he…oh never mind! Overwhelmed with emotions, Aria turned around and tried to push away the heat that had traveled up her chest, her neck and then her eyes. The sting in her tear ducts had her panicking. She silently chanted to herself to keep from crying.
“You don’t need friends like that Aria.” Lizzy’s hands were on her back, moving in small circles. Aria tried to concentrate on the calming sensation.
Aria forced a smile. “It’s no big deal. He’s not my boyfriend or anything.”
“Yeah but that skuzzy ho knew you liked him. She’s…”
“Hey Aria! I didn’t know you were going to be here.” Gail’s voice was sweet and upbeat.
Aria tensed a little but quickly pushed away the hurt she felt when she heard Gail’s voice. She turned around and when she saw Gail heading in their direction Aria quickly grabbed Lizzy’s arm. If she hadn’t, Lizzy would have met Gail halfway and started in on her. “Don’t say anything,” she whispered.
“What! Why not?” Lizzy demanded.
“I mean it Lizzy. Gail doesn’t have a lot of friends. I don’t know why she kissed Bucky and honestly it’s none of our business. He’s not mine but she is my friend.”
“But she knew! You are too nice to be treated like-”
“Please,” Aria begged. She added the puppy dog stare which probably looked even better with her glossed over eyes. She could tell the exact moment that she had Lizzy under control. “And be nice.”
“I don’t have to be nice,” Lizzy said, “but I won’t kick the horse in her teeth either.”
Aria was able to mouth the words “thank you” just as Gail reached them. “Hey Gail, I didn’t know you were coming to the Alley tonight. We could have come together.”
Gail smiled that winning smile of hers. It was wide and pretty and as far as Aria knew it usually got her most of what she wanted. Gail also looked amazing as usual. Her blonde hair seemed the perfect shade and length for her features. Her shirt showed the perfect amount of cleavage, and her heels looked expensive.
“Lizzy,” Gail sneered, not even looking in Lizzy’s direction.
The sound Lizzy made in response to Gail’s greeting sounded suspiciously like a horse neighing. Aria had to suppress her laughter. She smiled, feeling a bit better than she had minutes ago.
Gail seemed to have not even noticed. “I’m more surprised to see you here. Your daddy probably has his deputies posted on the property, watching and waiting to intervene in case a guy gets too close.” Gail laughed with a knowing smile.
“At least she has a dad who gives a hot shit,” Liz
zy said, in a loud whisper. Aria smacked her arm and Lizzy grunted.
Again, Gail must have not heard the comment or the smack because she started bragging on her shoes and the purse she carried. Lizzy sighed, then took her turn to bowl while Aria and Gail took a seat and watched.
Later, as they were about to leave, Aria’s co-worker Calvin approached asking if she and Lizzy wanted to hang with him and Bucky. They were going to grab some burgers. Gail had left so it would be just them. Aria noticed that Bucky was standing a few feet away, over by the entrance, waiting. When their eyes met he looked… embarrassed. He looked away but Aria continued to watch him as Lizzy and Calvin conversed. When a hint of fear briefly twisted Bucky’s handsome face Aria followed his gaze to see what had caused it.
Her eyes widened as she saw her father in the parking lot, walking their way.
“Um, I’m not going with you guys,” Aria said, walking away from her friends, “I’ll see ya’ll later.” She quickened her pace to leave the building and reach her father before her friends had to deal with him. “Hey dad.” she said with a cheery smile she didn’t feel.
“Ree,” he said, looking over her shoulder at her friends who had just exited the bowling alley behind her. He pinned his sights on Bucky and frowned but quickly covered it up with a smile before kissing Aria on the head. “Getting late, you headed home?”
“Yup,” Aria sighed. She let her father walk her to her car. He waited until she got in, fastened her seatbelt and then pulled off. Aria sighed; she should have known better than to assume someone from this town would take a chance on her with her father breathing down their necks. Gail was beautiful and Bucky was hot. They could possibly be happy together. Being hurt about the kiss was stupid and useless, especially when you were the over-protected daughter of Sheriff Cole.
The memory still felt tender but Aria wasn’t one to hold a grudge, and she had never brought it up to Gail, or Bucky for that matter. Her crush for Bucky was still there, sort of, but it wasn’t as strong as before.