by Tessa Teevan
As I come to the last page, I close the folder and set it in my lap. My fingers tremble as I reach for the one marked with my father’s name. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, willing myself to be ready for whatever I find. Before I can open it, however, I hear footsteps behind me, and panic starts to rush in.
“What the hell?” he snarls when he sees my tears.
He takes a seat behind me then lifts me up and into his lap. He holds me to his chest, gently rocking me. I didn’t even realize I was crying until now. He smooths my hair back and looks down at me, confusion in his eyes.
“Baby, what are you doing in here? What’s wrong?”
Sniffling, I gaze up into Rafe’s concerned gaze. “He . . . he . . .” I choke out then hold up the file for him when I can’t say any more.
He keeps one arm tight around me then uses the other to sort through the stack, muttering curse words the deeper he gets into it.
“This is it, Brie. You can’t stay here anymore,” he says gruffly, confusing me because I already agreed to move in with him. He must see the confusion in my eyes. “My receptionist will be off maternity leave soon enough, and I can handle everything else until then. I don’t want you ever stepping foot on this property ever again. It’s not safe.”
Blinking, I look up at him. “I don’t understand, Rafe. Why?”
It’s as if he knows something I don’t. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “There are things you don’t know about him, Brie. He isn’t a good man, and neither is his father.” He gestures to the files. “This proves it. There has to be some connection with him and your parents, and there’s something in these files that will tell us that, but I want you far away from here. I don’t know what he’s playing at, but I won’t let him toy with you any longer.”
“What do you mean? How do you know this? What the hell is going on? Why does he care about the paintings?”
A conflicted expression covers Rafe’s face, and he closes his eyes tight for a moment. When he reopens them, he looks determined. He leans down and presses a quick kiss to my lips before standing and carrying me up to my room. He sets me on my feet and looks around.
“There’s so much you don’t know. So much I need to tell you. And I promise I will as soon as we get home tonight. But right now, I need you to get your shit and get out of here.”
“Rafe—” I begin, but he holds a finger to my lips.
“Brie, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but please. Do you trust me?”
I’m confused and torn. Part of me wants to demand that he tells me what’s going on now, but his expression is full of unease and concern. Slowly, I nod, and relief fills his eyes.
“I trust you,” I tell him.
He holds his apartment key out for me, and I take it. “Please go to my place and lock the door. Do not leave for any reason.”
I nod, and his strong hands brace my shoulder.
“Promise me, Brie. Say it out loud.”
“I promise. I won’t leave.”
He lets out a deep breath and starts to leave the room.
Then I speak up. “But, Rafe, as soon as you get there, you are telling me everything.”
When he looks back at me, I see the resignation in his eyes.
It scares the hell out of me.
But the reason for those files scares me more, and I heed his advice. I just hope it’s not another thing I’ll live to regret later.
AFTER DROPPING MY STUFF off at Rafe’s, I curse when I realize I’ve left the files on the kitchen counter. He’s still at the site, trying to appear as if everything’s normal. A quick call to his cell goes straight to voicemail, and I worry I won’t get ahold of him before he leaves. I don’t want to leave them in Adrian’s hands, because like Rafe said, perhaps it contains clues to what happened to my parents. Or why Adrian chose me. Either way, I have to get my hands back on them, and since Rafe isn’t answering, I decide just to go for it. If Rafe gets pissed, I’ll deal with that later. All I know is I need those files.
As I drive back to the estate for one last time, I can’t help the feeling of dread that creeps up my spine. The closer I get, the more I feel like the pretty, stupid girl in the beginning of every cliché horror movie, going towards her doom instead of away from it. I try to push it away, knowing I have nothing to worry about. It’s not like Adrian’s a twisted serial killer. Twisted and controlling maybe, but like I once told Rafe, he’s never physically hurt me, and I don’t see why he’d start now. And speaking of Rafe, he’s there on site right now, so I have nothing to worry about. I’ll park the car in the drive, grab the file, and go to the trailer until he’s done for the day. Then I’ll leave and never, ever look back.
As I rush through the front door and into the kitchen, I hang the keys on their designated hook one last time. I walk towards the counter and notice that the files are gone. My heart starts to race as I mentally panic and start opening drawers, wondering where the hell they could be.
“Looking for these?” His voice is low and raspy, as if he’s been shouting.
I freeze then turn slowly to see Adrian sitting at the dining table.
“Come in here, Gabriella. We have much to discuss.”
I look towards the back door, wondering if it’s worth getting the file. Or maybe I should dart down to the trailer, to the safety of Rafe’s arms.
“Your boyfriend isn’t there. Something called him away.”
My eyes narrow, knowing that something probably was him. I take a deep breath and steel my nerves. I knew I’d have to deal with this once and for all. Just as he did, I made my bed, I’ll lie it, and I’ll live happily ever after.
Or so I hope.
As I enter the room, he gestures towards the chair directly across from him, but instead of taking it, I stand behind it, gripping the edges.
“If that’s how you want to be.”
“It’s how things are now. I told you weeks ago I was leaving. I finally am.”
“You’ve been busy while I was gone. I didn’t think you had it in you, but I was wrong. So very wrong. And now we’re both going to suffer the consequences. If only I’d watched you more carefully, we wouldn’t be in this predicament, yet here we are.” He sighs in defeated disappointment.
His demeanor changes just as the fear starts to set in. I have no idea what he has planned for me, and emotions rise to the surface. Anger for what he’s done to me. Fear of what he may do. Curiosity because his words make no sense. Regardless, I’ve had enough. I no longer seek answers from him. All I want is distance.
Just as I’m about to turn and leave, I gasp when the prick of a needle pierces the skin on the side of my neck. Who the hell is behind me? How could I not have heard him? My eyes widen, and then slowly, so slowly, everything fades to back.
When I come to, my eyelids are heavy and my throat is scratchy. My head rolls to one side, and I can tell I’m sitting.
“Ah. I was hoping you’d wake soon. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, sweet Gabriella, but I had to make sure you’d cooperate. And since you were so insistent on leaving, I had to secure you,” he informs me, just as I try move my wrists. I find that they’re bound and I can’t get them free.
His voice sounds so far away. When I blink my eyes open, they take a moment to come to focus. Adrian’s kneeling before me. I can smell whiskey on his breath, and his eyes are wide and manic.
Terror washes over me as he stands and hauls me up against him.
“You weren’t supposed to live, but you did. I thought I could fix things, and now . . . Fuck!” he exclaims, pushing me back into the chair and throwing a glass against the wall.
I wince as it shatters into a million pieces. I’ve never seen him like this, and it terrifies me. He paces the room in front of me, his hands rubbing over his face, through his hair, almost as if he’s tormented and fighting some internal battle.
“I have to right that wrong. I’m expected to right that wrong. I’ve been supposed to do so for months, and
now?! Now, I have no fucking choice! I thought I could protect you. I was protecting you, and what fucking thanks do you give me?! You screw the first man you see? In my home?!”
Tears spill down my cheeks. “Adrian, I told you we were done. I was up front about that,” I insist.
He stops pacing and turns to look at me. His head cocks to the side, and I squirm under his examination. “You were. And that rash decision has fucked us both. I have no choice now. If I don’t take care of this, he will. It’s why he’s here. I just happened to get to you first.”
My blood runs cold. He? Who?
“Adrian,” I say, trying to sound much calmer than I feel. “What’s going on? Talk to me. I don’t understand any of this.”
“No,” he says, his eyes panicking. “You know too much as it is. It’s too damn late.” He takes a deep breath and has the audacity to look pained. “God, I’m so fucking sorry for this. You know, I was only supposed to watch. Look, don’t touch, Adrian. But I just couldn’t help myself. I had to touch you. Still, sometimes, I wish I’d never laid eyes on you that day. That I’d just kept going. And yet, no matter what happens, I’ll cherish the memories we had for the rest of my life. I couldn’t live without them, as selfish as that sounds. But then again, I think you’ve found I’m a selfish man.” He laughs almost menacingly.
Then I jump as a loud beep sounds, signaling that someone is pulling up to the gate. Panic sets in his eyes, and he grabs my arms, hauling me up from the chair. I try to fight him, but I’m still lethargic from whatever he used to knock me out with earlier.
Just as I’m about to scream, he anticipates it and his hand clasps over my mouth, muffling the sound. He pushes me forward until we’re in his office, and he leads me towards the bookshelf, pushing it aside. His large hand grasps my neck to hold me still as he moves the shelf back in place so no one can follow. I try to scream, but he squeezes my windpipe, breaking the sound. I whimper and shake my head, indicating that I won’t scream again, and he loosens his hold slightly.
He leads me through the tunnel until we come out to the garage of the guesthouse where a car is waiting. We stop just behind the trunk, and he turns me around. His eyes gaze down into mine, and momentarily, I see the Adrian from the day we met. He doesn’t want to hurt me. So why is he doing this? I have no answers, and I fear I won’t get any. Tears spill down my cheeks, and he leans in to kiss them away.
“I’m so sorry, Gabriella. I never meant for any of this to happen. If you ever believe anything I say, please believe that,” he whispers softly before placing a small kiss on my lips.
“Adrian, don’t. I believe you. You don’t have to do this. Please. I know nothing,” I plead, panic welling up in me.
“It’s the only way. If only you’d known where the damn painting was, then maybe things could’ve been different. Perhaps I could’ve been the one to save you,” he says softly then scoops me up and places me in the trunk with extreme ease.
I try to kick and claw, but it’s no use. He’s too strong for me. Panic bursts in time with the slam of the trunk. Oh, God. What’s going to happen to me now? I feel the car lurching forward, and I know I can’t just lie here and do nothing. I refuse to accept this fate, whatever it may be. All I know is that it can’t be good. I rack my brain, trying to figure out what Adrian could’ve been talking about. Why does the painting matter? Who is he protecting me from?
You weren’t supposed to live.
His words bring my conversation with Rafe back. For the longest time, I felt guilty that I wasn’t home the night my parents were killed, but I’ve recently gotten over that, happy that I was given a second chance to live, to create a legacy even if my parents couldn’t. I’ve long ago accepted the police’s claims that my parents were killed in a botched robbery attempt, even when the perpetrator insisted he had nothing to do with it. Weeks later, he accepted a plea deal, and I accepted that he’d been the one to do it.
Now, however, I wonder what Adrian could possibly mean. Was it more than that? As the pieces of the puzzle play out in my mind, I have no idea how to put them together. If they even fit together. Or am I reading too much into things and it’s something more than that? What do the files mean, and why is the painting so important?
Either way, I can’t think about that right now. I have to find a way out of this. Just like that, I feel my phone buzz from my jacket pocket, and relief soars through me that Adrian didn’t think to pat me down. Stretching my wrists back and forth, I fumble, pulling and twisting, thankful that Adrian had—I’m guessing—taken pity on me and not tied the knot too tight. Either that or he was too drunk to do so, a thought that terrifies me now that he’s behind the wheel of the car. I have no idea where we’re headed or how fast we’re going. All I know is that I’m not safe.
I try to stay calm as I work to loosen the knot, and within a few minutes—which feel like hours—it loosens just enough so I can slip it off. Sweet relief floods my system, but it’s a short-lived triumph. Freedom is still so far away.
Hastily, I pull my phone from my pocket and see that Rafe’s been calling me nonstop. I haven’t had a chance to think of him until now, and my heart sinks as I wonder if I’ll ever see his handsome face again. If his deep-blue eyes will ever pierce my gaze. Will I ever feel his lips on my skin?
Or is this really it? Is this end for me?
I only allow myself a moment to wallow in my fear and doubt before shaking the thoughts from my head. No, this can’t be it. This won’t be it. I will fight with whatever I have. No matter what it takes. I have more to fight for than just me at this point. For the first time in so long, I care about whether I live or die. I’m not ready to join my parents. I want to spend the rest of my days and nights wrapped up in Rafe’s arms for as long as I can. For as long as he’ll allow.
Scrambling with my phone, I turn the flashlight app on and scour the trunk for the self-release button that all new cars have. I’m thankful that it’s a larger vehicle, so I have room to move freely. As my hands and eyes roam the trunk, my heartbeat quickens. When I spot the latch to freedom, I cross the space and shine the light on it. All hope drains from my body.
Where the release latch should be, there’s nothing but a sawed-off stub. I reach my hand out and try with all my might to twist it, but it won’t budge. It’s as if this car were made to carry someone in the trunk.
I fall back against the wall when I realize . . . it probably was. Even still, I won’t let it get me down. It won’t break me down. Holding my phone out, I shine the light and freeze when I spy a red stain on the fabric. Inching closer, I shudder. I know what it is.
An influx of questions starts rolling through my brain.
Who the fuck is Adrian Morningstar?
What did he want with me?
Why does he seemingly have two sides, and what makes each one come out?
And most importantly, if not himself, who in the hell is he protecting me from?
My phone vibrates again, and I’m quick to silence it.
“Gabriella?” Adrian’s muffled voice comes in through the trunk
“Adrian!” I call out, pounding on the back seat, where, yet again, the release is missing. “Adrian, please don’t do this!”
Silence answers me. Knowing I have no other choice, I open my phone and pray that the light won’t shine through the back seat, especially if Adrian’s watching me and listening intently. The last thought keeps me from calling, so I open my texts to find a multitude of them from Rafe, ranging from informative, to questioning, to downright panic. The last one causes me to pause.
Rafe: Baby, where are you? Where is he taking you? Whatever you do, please, baby, please remain calm. Don’t listen to a damn word he says. You can’t trust him.
I frown, wondering what the hell Rafe knows and how he knows I’m with Adrian. Still, he’s my only hope, and I’m quick to text back.
Brie: I don’t know, Rafe. I have no idea where we’re headed. He was talking all sorts of crazy before someone dr
ugged me. Then he led me down the tunnel to a waiting car. I’m in the trunk.
Rafe: He drugged you?!
Brie: No, it wasn’t him. He was in front of me when it happened. I didn’t know anyone else was in the house. I don’t know who it was.
Rafe: Jesus, baby. Fuck, just stay calm and hold on. I was worried something like this was going to happen when he found out about us, and I’m so fucking sorry I wasn’t there. But I can track you through your cell phone. Hold tight. I told you I’d protect you, and I will. I’ll stop at nothing to get to you.
Brie: Rafe . . . if anything happens, you need to know . . .
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him just how much he’s changed my life, how strongly I feel for him, but for some reason, I stop myself. I don’t want him to find out this way. No, I firmly think. I will tell him face-to-face. He will hear it from my lips.
Rafe: I know, baby. I know. Me too. I’ll be there soon.
A slight swell of relief rolls through me as I trust what he says. I close my eyes and practice the breathing techniques that helped me cope with panic attacks after my parents’ murders. It calms me, but still, the more time that passes, the more my resolve falters.
A sudden jerk jolts my eyes open, and they widen when the sweetest sound fills my ears. Police sirens blare in the distance, the sound becoming increasingly louder the closer they become. Rafe was right! He is coming for me.
The relief, however, is short-lived as I hear Adrian’s string of curse words, his voice laced with panic and, more terrifying, desperation.
“Fuck, Gabriella! This wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m trying to save you, to get you far, far away from him! I swear to God I’d never hurt you. Hold the fuck on!” he screams, but his voice is drowned out by the sound of squealing tires then metal crunching on metal as the car connects with some unknown source.