“You think I believe you?” I ask trying not to laugh at her. This woman is crazy. She could be making up some crazy story just to pull something on me. I look around and see that we are still alone. Nothing but abandoned warehouses back here. She could have friends hiding anywhere.
“I’m begging you.” She reaches up and wipes her cheek. “They won’t help me anyway.” She licks her already wet lips. “Please. Trust me. I won’t tell them what I see.”
I let out a long breath. Walk away, Brecken. This isn’t your problem. I don’t ever get involved in something that doesn’t have to do with me. I have enough shit going on in my own life. But the way those dark green eyes are pleading with me… The way she is begging. “I’m sure her parents …”
“She doesn’t have any parents,” she cries out. My stomach drops. “I am all she has.” She places her hands in prayer and puts them to her chin as she swallows. “She is all I have.” She closes her eyes, and another tear runs down her cheek. She looks beautiful as she cries. When she opens them back up, the look on her face breaks what little heart I have. “There is no one else out there looking for her. All the information I have to go on has led me to you. This club. Now, I need your help. Please. I’m just asking for twenty minutes of your time.”
I’m going to regret this, but I’ve learned to live with regret. My demons feed off it. Might as well give them something new. I shut the door to my Range Rover and lock it back before I say, “Okay.”
SKYE
I feel little victory in the fact that this man is letting me look at his surveillance footage. Either way, it’s going to hurt even more. She’s either gonna be on there or she’s not. I’m not sure which one I want more, but I need to know. I need to help find her, and I think he understood that I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
I follow him in through the back exit of the club. We make our way down a long hallway passing all the rooms where I know they sell their drugs. They all have names on them. Pride, Gluttony, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Envy, and Wrath—all the Seven Deadly Sins, and I wonder if each one of them holds meaning.
I swallow nervously; I want to ask him about them. I want to know the story behind the name of this club, but I fight back that urge. That’s not why I’m here. I’m here because he is the only one willing to help me. That says more about him than the fucking police. She has been officially missing for over twenty-four hours, and I haven’t heard from that Officer Winters, who goes by Jet.
We continue through the club and up the stairs. It’s so weird to be in here right now. No music. No flashing neon lights. Just a creepy silence. The sound of his large body in front of me gets my attention. His black boots stomp the floor, and his arms sway slightly by his sides. I watch how his shirt pulls against his wide shoulders and then his hips narrow. His jeans hang on his hips but not like those men who allow them to sag to their knees. I’ve heard many things about this man, and I tried not to believe them. I’ve always tried not to judge others who I don’t personally know, but I have a feeling everything I’ve heard is true.
He’s dangerous!
He’s a killer!
He’s a man who doesn’t take no for an answer!
I squint as I try to look at the tattoos that look like someone painted on. Like he’s a wall downtown that someone felt needed some color. But there is not much color to them. Black ink covers both arms, and I can see some more black ink peek out of the top of his shirt at the back of his neck. I wonder what is underneath his shirt. Is his back fully covered as well? Does he have any on his legs? His clothes show a person just enough to be intimidated but not enough to know just how much he has. It adds to his darkness.
I almost run into the back of him as he comes to a stop at a door. He ignores my small gasp in surprise and pushes the door open for me. I mumble a thank you as I enter. The room is much larger than I would have suspected. It has a couch to my right and then two chairs that face a big desk. There’s a large window behind the desk that I now know looks over the club.
“Have a seat.” He gestures to the chair behind the desk. I go over and sit down quietly as he comes beside me and turns the computer on. I look away when I see that he has to type in a password. I don’t want him to think I’m here for information or to be nosy. I’m just here for Tiffany.
When I hear him quit typing, I look back and see him pull up some footage on the oversized computer screen. “Do you know what time she was here?” his deep voice asks.
“Uh, she left our house around ten thirty and said she was heading here.”
“Where did you go?” he asks.
“I stayed home,” I answer. Although I’m not sure why that was important.
I set my phone down on his desk and look at the computer screen. Seconds later, my phone starts ringing. I look down to see Robert flash across my screen. I reach up and press ignore.
Brecken skims over some footage outside the front of the club, pausing it here and there. “She has bleach blond hair. She was wearing a dark blue dress.” I start giving him a description, telling him what to look for. He just nods his head as he continues to watch it. I lean in closer to try to see if I can pick her out. This club is a very busy place. Even during the week, people flood this place, and this was a Friday night. There’s always a line at the door to get in on the weekends.
“Wait,” I demand. “Go back.” He goes back a little and then plays it again. This time, it’s much slower. I watch as people laugh while they wait in line outside the door. A man about the same size of Brecken stands in front of the line checking IDs. I know him as Miller. He’s been here with the club since they opened two years ago. I know this ‘cause Tiffany used to hit on him all the time. I’m pretty sure they even slept together at one point.
Then at the bottom of the screen, I see it. I see her as she walks out of Seven Deadly Sins with a man on her arm. She’s stumbling around as he helps her out the front door. They make their way to the curb where a cab pulls up. The man, who looks to be dressed in a three-piece suit, bends down to talk to the driver through the passenger window, and seconds later, the cab drives off without them. Then a black limo pulls up. The man walks her to the back, opens the door, and she gets in followed by him. Then they drive off.
I sit there staring at it with watery eyes and dread. My heart is racing, and my head is pounding. Where did she go? Who was she with?
“Did you know that guy?” His deep voice interrupts my thoughts.
I shake my head because I’m afraid to speak at the moment. I shove his hand away from the mouse and take it from him. I rewind it and watch it over again. This time, I pay more attention to the details. She’s drunker than I thought. She is leaning on him. Her heels drag along the concrete instead of stepping. Her head falls to his arm, and her body sags against him. When the limo pulls up, I give it all of my attention. I look for any sign to see if there’s a number to call. A company name. Tag number. But there’s nothing.
I fall back in my seat and wipe the tears from my face. She’s right there, yet it told me nothing. Nothing except that she left with a man. I have no idea who she was with or where they were going. Now what? Now what do I do next?
“You said her phone is off?” he asks reminding me that I’m not here alone.
I nod. “Yeah.” I breathe. “Goes straight to voicemail.”
He goes to speak, but my phone dings. I grind my teeth as I look down at it.
Robert: I miss you, Skye. Please call me.
I let out a frustrated sigh. When will he get the hint? I’m done!
“Can we go back and see what she was doing inside the club?” I ask.
He doesn’t say anything but starts pressing buttons, and it rewinds. This time, she is coming out of the bathroom. She walks right up to the bar to the same man she walks out with and then out they walk.
“That told us nothing,” I say, feeling my stomach drop.
“You said she left your house at ten thirty. She leaves Seven Deadly Sin
s at eleven thirty. She wasn’t here for very long.”
I shake my head. He goes through more footage for me. We see her walk in, and of course, the same man is at her side, but he avoided the cameras. If he’s facing the camera, he has his face in her neck, or he is looking down. “He must have met her in the parking lot,” Brecken says thinking out loud. “I don’t have footage that shows that.” My shoulders slump.
“How did she get here?” I ask confused. “If she left with a man in a limo, then her car would still be outside in the parking lot.”
“No other cars were out there earlier but yours and mine,” he adds.
I sigh. He is right. “Then where is her car?” I growl confused.
I grab my phone up off the desk and push the chair back. “I gotta go.” I practically run to the door.
“Wait.”
I turn around to face him. One hand on the door, the other on my chest. I feel like I’m suffocating. I feel like I can’t breathe. “What?” I ask trying to hold the tears back.
He straightens as he lets out a long breath. His muscles stretch as he takes a deep breath of his own. He then runs his hand through his dark hair. The muscles in his arms bulge, pulling at the rolled up sleeves of his white button up shirt. I stare at his tattoos and wonder what they mean. I can’t help but notice how attractive he is. The way his shirt makes him look all business but his ink makes him look dangerous. “What are you going to do?” he finally asks.
I frown. What am I going to do? “I’m going to find her.” There’s nothing else to do. “Thanks for believing me when no one else did.” Then I turn around and run out of the club. When the cool night air hits my face, I bend over, placing my hands on my knees. Tears fall from my eyes, and my lungs burn as if I swallowed acid. I was right. Something has happened to her. Now, what am I gonna do to find her?
CHAPTER FOUR
BRECKEN
I sit at my desk watching the young woman on the video cameras. She’s bent over with her hands on her knees. I can see her body physically shake as she tries to suck in breath after breath.
I run a hand over my face; stressed. I just helped her confirm her worst fear. Her best friend left with a man in a limo from my club. A friend she can’t get in touch with. Normally, I wouldn’t be so surprised or worried. But this timestamp on the video was over twenty-four hours ago now, and she still hasn’t heard a word from her. You see these stories all the time. A woman leaves the bar with a man, and then they find their bodies in an alley somewhere. Or they find them in the Illinois River two months later. It’s not uncommon.
It makes me physically ill. It takes me back to a world that I ran from. A world where the love of my life, Nicole, existed before she was taken. That feeling of helplessness is consuming, and it comes with its own demons.
Movement on the monitor gets my attention as she stands and wipes her face with her hands. Then she looks up to face the camera. Even in the darkness, I can see her dark green eyes look right at me. As if she can feel I’m watching her. I don’t look away as if I’m a deer caught in headlights, and she has me trapped. I watch her shamelessly. I feel like I’m violating her space—a peeping Tom—but that doesn’t stop me. And I know she can feel it. Feel me. I watch as a tear falls down her beautiful face. Instead of wiping it away, she straightens her back and walks away.
I sit back in my seat as I let out a long breath. She’s me thirteen years ago. When I tried to do everything I could possibly do to find Nicole. But I failed. I know what it’s like for the police to be worthless. For them to look at you like you’re crazy when you tell them to do something, and all they do is stand there. This is a woman in a very dark town. There is a long list of people you don’t fuck with here, and I’m one of them. I could help her. I could keep her from feeling the same as I do every day.
I turn off the computer stand up and run after her. As I get to the parking lot, I see a black Civic pull out and know that that has to be her. No one else was here but us. I run over to my Range Rover, jumping in to follow her.
SKYE
I look over the dark parking lot and cringe. I’ve been out all night. It’s almost five in the morning to be exact, and the sun will be rising soon. I’m never out here at our apartment complex this late. Too many things can happen. Too many things hide in the shadows waiting to eat you up. But tonight, I’m not afraid. I’m terrified. I am all Tiffany has. If I’m not looking for her, then who is?
I sit in my car and pull my cell out of my purse and call her again. Straight to voicemail. “Hey, Skye. I’m ignoring you.” She laughs. “But keep trying; I can’t stay mad at you forever.” Beep.
I hang up as more tears threaten. She’s had that voicemail for almost six months now. We don’t have many friends. We’ve only been in Chicago for about nine months and both work at a little diner. One night, we got into a fight, and I kept blowing up her phone. She changed her voicemail to that, and I remember us laughing about it only hours later. Because it was true; we couldn’t stay mad at each other for very long.
I get out of my car and look around the somewhat busy parking lot. Still, I don’t see her car. I try to find anyone. I usually try to avoid people here because we don’t live in the best part of town, but now, I want someone out here. I need to ask if anyone has seen her.
I place my purse over my shoulder and start to walk to the buildings. I hear the sound of another car pull up into the parking lot and the lights shine ahead of me as I walk with my head down.
Instinct has me tightening my hand around the strap of my purse, and I press it into my side with the inside of my arm as I turn around to see a man get out of his car. I lick my lips nervously, and my heart rate speeds up when I see it’s a man who lives here. I don’t know his name, and I’ve never spoken to him, but I know that he knows who I am. He’s had to have seen Tiffany around here before. She is hard to miss.
“Miss?” the man says spotting me and starts walking toward me.
I try to give him a soft smile and ignore my racing heart. “You live here, right?” I ask. He stares at me unsure but finally nods. “Have you seen my friend, Tiffany? Blond. She lives in building C apartment 325?” It’s a long shot, I know. I don’t know this man any more than he knows Tiffany, but I have to ask. I have to ask anyone that I see.
He stops walking. His black eyes narrow, and his brows furrow. I’ve confused him. “No,” he finally answers.
I nod my head. “Thanks,” I mumble and turn, giving him my back. Why did I even ask him? I don’t know this man. And I just gave him my apartment number. Fuck!
“Maybe you can help me, though,” I hear him call out. I just keep walking. “Miss? I’m talking to you.” The male’s voice grows impatient.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Hey?” he shouts, and I spin around to face him again. The small light as we now stand between the buildings gives me a little advantage to see him.
He smiles at me, and my chest starts to hurt I’m breathing so hard. He places his hands in his front pockets of his pants that look like they are about to hit the ground. Is that why men wear those type of jeans? Easy access? They don’t have to take the time to undo them? I cling to my purse as if it can save me. “Maybe I can help you look for your friend,” he offers.
I shake my head. “Thanks, though.”
“You help me out. I’ll help you out,” he says as if it’s no big deal. “Do you have some spare change?” He looks back over his shoulder to his car. “I ran out of gas …”
“I’m sorry. I don’t.” I don’t have time to talk to this guy. If he can’t help me, then I need to find someone who can.
His dark eyes narrow on me, and he lets out a huff. “All I need is a few dollars.”
“I don’t have any,” I growl back.
He takes a step toward me, and I take a step back. “Bitch,” he sneers, and my stomach drops. “I know you have to have something. You would just leave me stranded?”
“I have a phone,” I say, alread
y digging into my purse. I also have a gun in there. I’ve been running from men like him all my life. “Need to call someone?” I offer, trying to sound nice. As if I’m gonna help this guy.
“I don’t need a damn phone. I need some cash!” he shouts. And before I can even get my hand on my gun, he charges me. I let out a scream as I spin around and run from him. Trying to buy some time to get my gun. Where is it? Dammit!
He hits me before I even take my second step. He slams my front into the brick of the apartment building. My breath is momentarily taken away when my body makes contact with the rough and jagged brick.
When he pulls away from me, my legs give out, and I fall to the ground with a gasp. He stands looking down at me, his dark eyes pure rage, his hands in fists. I press my back into the wall and try to catch my breath as the side of my face throbs. I look for my purse that he knocked away from me. Too far away for me to get to it.
He bends down to grab my purse, and I watch as a movement out of the corner of my eye runs toward us. My attacker is taken to the ground at the next moment.
I watch a man lay my attacker flat on the ground. He straddles him and starts to punch him in the face. First with his right fist and then with his left. The man who was just standing above me tries to fight back, his fists swing, but he never makes contact with the man above him. He blocks every punch while then delivering his own. I sit, breathing heavy for what feels like minutes, until the guy who was attacking me loses the battle and lies motionless.
The other man stands, his back still to me. His tall and large body tight, and the only sound now in the darkness is his heavy breathing. He looks much more put together for this part of town. He has light fitted blue jeans that go down covering black boots. I can see a piece of white shirt peeking out from underneath his black hoodie.
Obsession (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2) Page 6