Bound by Rapture
Page 17
“He’s not your man!” I shouted.
“Baby, it’s okay. Relax.”
I shook my head back and forth frantically. “I can’t. I can’t calm down, Cole. If she’s telling the truth, what does that mean? That it’s your mom?” I sat down on the couch, feeling sick to my stomach. I was completely out of control. I was lost. My life and everything in it was spinning further and further into the haunted unknown. Just when I thought I knew what the fuck was going on, I found myself even more lost than before.
“Look, I know you both hate me, but I’m not making this up. It’s why I came, to show you the letter when you wouldn’t answer my calls.”
“Whatever, what-fucking-ever, that’s why you wore that skimpy ass dress then, huh?”
“Think what you want, Julia. I don’t give a fuck. But that was left at the house.”
“My house?” Cole asked.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Yes. I’ve been staying there.”
“I told you to get out of there.”
“Yeah, since when do I listen?”
“Wait, where did they leave it?” he hissed.
“It was taped to the front door.”
“We’ve got him.”
I glanced up at Cole as if he’d grown two heads. “What do you mean?”
He dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I have that place hardwired with cameras. Haven’t had any men there since I haven’t been home, but the surveillance system is always on, and there’s a camera pointed at the front door.”
He started flipping through his phone when it started ringing in his hand. “Yeah?” he answered. The color drained from his face.
“What’s wrong?” I jumped up off the couch.
He held out his hand to silence me and cocked his head as if he was listening really hard to what the person was saying on the other end. I glanced at Elaine and she looked as bewildered as me.
“That can’t be right,” he said harshly. “You’re wrong, Leon!”
I frowned. Leon was his closest bodyguard outside of Randy, and he’d worked the front desk here at the apartments while Cole stalked me. He’d been with us in New York for about two weeks before Cole sent him to guard his mom and keep an eye on her in case she did anything weird. “Fuck! I’m coming.” He shoved his phone in his pocket.
“What is it? What’s going on?”
Cole looked down at me, his face paler than I’d ever seen it. “Someone’s hurt my mom.”
“What?”
“Oh my God!” Elaine screeched. “Is she okay? Where is she?”
He didn’t say anything, but turned on his heel.
“I’m coming with you.” I followed right behind him.
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
He stopped when he got to the door and spun on his heel. “You’re staying here with Randy where I know you’ll be safe. I can’t lose you, too.”
“Lose me?” I stared at the collar of his shirt. “Is she—”
“I don’t know, Julia. I don’t fucking know.” He looked like he was going to be sick. All I wanted to do was pull him against me. “Just stay here with Randy. Please.”
I would have forced his hand and made him take me, but the pleading in his dark blue eyes stopped me. “Okay.” The word sounded like it came from someone else, a foreigner thousands of miles away from my body.
And then he was gone, and Elaine was right on his heels chasing after him. I wanted to run after them, demand she stay, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. Instead I collapsed on the floor by the door.
Someone hurt his mother. Mandi’s dead. Kevin’s dead. Elaine’s been here all night. There wasn’t anyone else. There weren’t any other options. If Elaine didn’t do it and it wasn’t his mom…then who did it?
TWENTY
Julia.
“You okay?”
I glanced up to see Vic crouching over me. “What?”
“You were sleeping sitting up against the door, are you okay?”
“I was?” I blinked hard and rubbed my face. “What time is it?”
Vic glanced over his shoulder at the clock on the wall. “Just a little after seven in the morning.”
“Oh.” I pushed to my feet, staggering, and Vic grabbed my arm.
“Are you okay?”
“I-I don’t know.” I shook my head. “Has Cole called you?”
“No.”
Over the last month I’d never gotten my phone back, I’d just used Cole’s phone when I needed it. Now I had no way to contact him, no way to know if everything was okay.
Is his mom dead?
That very thought gave me chills. What if she was? What would Cole do? I knew he hated his mother, but he also loved her. Their love-hate relationship definitely went both ways.
“Something bad is going on, Vic. Worse than I thought.” I glanced up at him and noticed his eyes were red, his usually perfect hair a disheveled mess. Dried blood was caked at the corner of his lips where Cole had punched him. “Are you okay?”
He snorted and moved toward the kitchen. “Do I look like I’m okay?” He pulled a glass out of the pantry and filled it with water. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and the muscles in his back rippled as he moved. His chest was smooth and flawless, leaner than Cole’s.
“You look like you have the hangover from hell.”
He tipped his glass at me. “Always the honest friend.”
I tried to muster up some sort of smile, but my lips refused. “I’m scared, Vic.”
He set the empty glass down on the counter with a thud. “You shouldn’t have left with him.”
I sighed and sat down on the couch. “Just give it up. I’m not scared of Cole.”
“You should be. You saw the things he’s done.”
“I said to give it up. I don’t want to talk about Cole. He isn’t the problem here.”
“Isn’t he?” Vic sat down beside me. “Your life was great until he came into it.” He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to flatten it.
“He’s not. Someone is out to get me…and I don’t know why.”
“No one was out to get you before you met him.”
“Just stop.” I didn’t have the energy to argue with him.
“Do you remember that first time we fucked at Rapture X?”
I glanced over at him with narrowed eyes. “What? Why?”
“You were wearing that blue sequin Betty LaRue gown. It was plastered on your body like a fucking glove, it fit so perfectly.”
I snorted. “I like how you remember this shit. I was so nervous I couldn’t even tell you anything about that night.”
“You looked amazing.”
“Thanks…” I was perplexed as to where this was going.
Silence stretched out between us as Weasley jumped up on the couch next to me. I had never been so happy to see my kitty. He rubbed his orange head against my hand, demanding attention, and a true smile sprung to my lips.
“I took care of Weasley while you were with him.”
“Thank you.”
“And you know how I feel about cats.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Oh, stop. I know you love Weasley. Remember that time I came home and you were both laying on the couch together watching TV?” Weasley had been right in the middle of Vic’s chest snoozing while he flipped through channels with one hand and petted his head with the other.
“That was a one-time thing, and it was only because we were both celebrating the fact that I had thrown out that ugly sweatshirt you always wore.”
“Which I promptly dug out of the trash and wore for two days with egg shells stuck to it, to prove a point!” He had been completely disgusted at the sight of me and chose to stay in his room both days.
“Those were good times,” he said quietly. “I want that back.”
I hated how much I wanted that, too. Things had been simple. I got up, I went to work on the weekends, I came home and slept all week. Vic and I would go out for c
offee, or just watch TV. There were moments when I thought life was boring, but now boring sounded more appealing than anything.
I rubbed my hands back and forth on the tops of my thighs that were covered in black yoga pants. “Yeah, things were easy.” But even with that simplicity, I didn’t have Cole, not really. He was there, I just hadn’t known it yet.
“We can have that back.” He scooted closer to me on the couch and I laid my head on his shoulder, my body practically sagging from the weight of everything pressing down on me.
“No, we can’t. But that’s okay. You’re here now, and that’s what matters.”
“No, I mean it, Jewel. We can have it back. All of it.”
I lifted my head up and frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”
“We can go somewhere, anywhere, we can start over, just the two of us.”
“The two of us?” I shook my head. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would we leave? What about Chris…and Cole?”
He stared at me intently. “What about them?”
“What do you…what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I want what we had back. I want our friendship, the flawless moments we shared. When we were together we could do anything.”
“Anything,” I repeated.
“Yes, just think about it.” He covered my hand with his. “We had such good chemistry that people paid thousands of dollars to come and watch us fuck. Think of how significant that is!”
“Chemistry.”
“Yes, Jewel. You know we have it.”
I stared at him, trying to gauge whether or not he was joking, but the intensity in his green eyes showed he wasn’t. “What?” I said dumbly.
“Jewel.” He turned toward me, grabbing my other hand. “The things that went on between us, that’s once in a lifetime kind of shit.”
What the fuck is he trying to say?
“We are good together,” he added when I remained silent.
“Well, yeah, we’re best friends. Best friends usually are.”
He gave me a droll look. “We aren’t just friends, Jewel.”
I shook my head slowly. “We are friends.”
“Fuck, Jewel, do I have to make you a fucking banner?” He let go of me and ran his hand through his hair, agitated. “How have you been so blind all this time?”
“Blind to what, Vic? You’re not making any sense.”
“I’m in love with you.” He grabbed my hands again, harder this time.
“You love me? What? No.” I tried to pull my hands back, but he clung to them.
“Yes, I have all along, I was just a dumbass and didn’t realize it.”
“No. Vic, no.” I knew my eyes had to be as wide as saucers. “You have Chris.” I jerked my hand out of his. “You’re gay.”
A sneer covered his lips. “You know as well as I do that I don’t like labels.”
“Labels. Really, Vic? You’ve dated men since you were old enough to date. You even told me that you’ve never dated a woman steadily.” I said the words to prove I was right and he was wrong. “You’re drunk.”
He snorted. “I’m not drunk. And you’re right. I’ve never dated a woman seriously before, but you’re different.”
“What? No. That doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes it does.”
“We are just friends.”
“At first, yeah, but it became more. Do you know how much I looked forward to those Rapture X parties?”
I scooted away from him. “It was our job, Vic.”
“Just our job? How can you say that?”
“Because that’s all it was. We never would have done those things otherwise. You’re just tired and drunk. You need to go back to bed with Chris. Your boyfriend. The man you love.” I stood up and moved away from the couch.
Vic followed me. “I don’t love him.”
“What?” I tried to get a grip on everything he was saying but it was all running through my head too quickly. “But—”
“I used to love him, I did, Julia. I thought he was everything I ever wanted. But he’s not. He’s not you.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he kept going. “I moved away with him because I wanted to be truthful to him. I wanted to prove to myself that I could leave you behind, that I wasn’t really in love with you, that it was all in my head, that I was just letting my dick control me.”
“Your dick,” I repeated.
He reached out and snagged my hand and pressed it against his thick erection. I’d felt it before. I’d seen it. I’d had it in my mouth and on my body, in my pussy. He’d cum on my face, on my chest, inside me. There was no denying it, but it had never happened behind closed doors. It had only happened in front of hundreds of prying eyes for thick wads of cash.
I snatched my hand away. “Don’t do this, Vic.” Tears pressed at the backs of my eyes. I was losing something. My best friend. I was losing everything we ever had together. Everything that was innocent in our regular every day relationship was evaporating into thin air. “That’s why you kissed me on stage.”
He took another step toward me, backing me up until my legs bumped into the recliner. “I wasn’t going to. I didn’t plan to do it that way.” His green eyes, though red from his hangover, were burning with an intensity I’d never seen before. “But you were so fucking tempting and I hadn’t been with you in so long.”
“Vic—”
“Admit that you love me.”
I glanced at the door to his and Chris’s bedroom. It was closed. I considered calling for Chris just to end this moment. It would all be over and Vic could go back to bed and sleep off this craziness.
“Admit it.” He grabbed my arms, forcing my gaze up to his.
“Vic, you’re my best friend, but that’s all it is. You know that,” I pleaded. “I love you as a friend, but that’s it. I love Chris, too. You’re both big parts of my life.”
“Fuck him, Julia. I don’t give a fuck about him. I want you. I’ve wanted you all along.”
“I love Cole,” I whispered.
“Of course you think you love him.” He took a step back and shook his head. “You’re so fucked in the head, you don’t know what you want!”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means exactly what you think it means. It means you’ve been fucked over by every man in your life. Cole comes along, treats you like shit, and you accept it like it’s normal. Well, it’s not fucking normal, Jewel!”
“You are such an asshole.”
“I’m better than he is!” he shouted.
“Just stop!” I glanced at the closed bedroom door again, knowing for certain Chris could hear us. I didn’t need this. Not right now, not with everything else that was already going on.
“He could never love you like I do!”
“You’re right.”
Vic and I both jumped at the sound of Chris’s voice.
TWENTY-ONE
Julia.
Chris stood in the doorway, which seconds ago had been closed. He was wearing a white shirt and basketball shorts, with his blond hair pulled back from his face. His cheeks were red and he was sweaty, so sweaty his shirt clung to him like a second skin. He held one arm behind his back.
“Chris, I’m glad you’re up. Can I use your phone? I need to call Cole. Something bad is going on.”
The small edge of a smile tilted his lips. “You’re right, something bad is going on.” He glanced at Vic.
A sick feeling of dread pooled in the bottom of my stomach. He had to have heard what we were saying, and now Vic’s drunken confessions would end up with a big fight between the two of them.
“Something has happened to Cole’s mom. I need to call him to see what’s going on.” I tried to turn the subject around.
“I’m sure his mom is fine.” He walked around the couch and stood between Vic and I, his dark brown eyes surveying both of us.
“I don’t think she is. He said someone attacked her—”
“No one attac
ked her.”
I frowned. “How could you know that? Have you talked to him?”
“No.”
“Oh my God. I knew it.” Vic covered his mouth with one hand.
“What—”
“But you said you didn’t…and I believed you.” Vic glanced around frantically.
“He did what, Vic?” What the fuck is going on?
“He’s the one who’s been doing all this. All this fucked-up shit. Killing. It’s him.” Vic stared at Chris with hard eyes.
“No,” I said, a small chuckle escaping my lips at how ridiculous this night, this morning, had become. “You’re just drunk, Vic. This is all just a drunken mess. You need to go to bed.” I took a step toward him to push him to the bedroom.
“Ah, ah, ah.” Chris’s voice echoed in my head just as a gun was shoved in my face.
“What the fuck?” I screeched and jumped back, tripping and falling on my ass.
“Don’t get near him. You’re done being near what’s mine.” His words were lethal, his dark eyes blazing with hate.
“Wh—wh—”
“You just couldn’t listen, could you?” Chris stepped toward me, keeping the gun trained on my head.
“Don’t hurt her!” Vic moved in the corner of my eye, but Chris was faster. He spun on his heel and trained the gun on Vic.
“Stop right there, lover boy.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“I don’t have to do this? Of course I have to do this, Victor! It’s already done.” Chris’s shirt seemed to become wetter by the second, sticking to him.
“But it can’t be…you wouldn’t do this…” I stared at the scene before me. Victor’s hands were up in surrender, and Chris was only feet away from him, a gun pointed at his chest as they stood by the flower-print couch that Victor loved. “You love me,” I croaked. “You’re one of my best friends.”
“Oh, fucking save it, Jewel.” He kept the gun trained on Vic. “Don’t act like you were ever my friend. You fucked my boyfriend once a month. You trapped him in your fucking web until he was infected with you, until you were all he could think about.” He spat the words like they were poison.