by Jenika Snow
* * * *
“Just let her go, baby. She is so not worth it.” Candy came up to him and wrapped her hand around his bicep. All he could think about was Brea. “Let’s go to the back and I’ll suck your cock until your top blows off.”
“Get the fuck off, Candy.” Voice like broken glass, he turned toward her, feeling satisfied when she flinched at his expression. He knew his rage was tangible. “Don’t ever come near me again. That woman that you just ran off was everything to me. She is my fucking life.” He shook her arm off and took off toward Brea. He had seen her tears right before she turned and ran from him. There was so much he needed to explain to her, but he needed to get to her before she got in her car, because she might not go home. She could leave the city and he would never know where she was headed.
No, he had to get to her before it was too late.
Brea had already run up the stairs and turned the corner. She was quick for a little thing, but he had the determination to get to the woman he loved. Bursting through the side door and making his way quickly through the main floor of the club, he didn’t have to shove people out of his way since it was early in the evening. When he pushed the main doors open he saw Brea getting into her car and he took off at a dead run.
“Brea. Please, wait!” He stopped in front of her car and pounded on the window, pleading, begging for her to listen. Fat tears slid down her cheeks as she tried to crank her car. The fates must have been on his side tonight because the vehicle wouldn’t start.
“Brea, I’m begging you to listen to me. She doesn’t mean anything to me. Candy came on to me. I was about to push her off right before you walked in.” He dropped to his knees so they were now eye level with each other. He knew his excuse, truth that it might be, sounded like a load of shit. “You have to believe me, Brea. Please.” He didn’t bother stopping the tears from leaving him. He didn’t care if men weren’t supposed to cry. He could not let her leave if she thought he cheated on her. “I would never hurt you, Brea,” he whispered but he knew she heard him because she looked at him. “I love you.”
He heard her choked sob even through the glass. “In the end it’s me that is going to hurt you. I’m sorry, Adrian. Please, I don’t want to see you again.” Her tears came harder and she cranked the car again, this time having success. When she pulled out of the parking lot he stayed on his knees, watching the car disappear into the distance.
* * * *
Hard, wracking sobs tore from her as she drove away. It had been a mistake looking in her rearview mirror, seeing Adrian on his knees, the look of failure etched into the hard planes of his face. The pain of seeing him on his knees, hearing him plead for her to stay, ripped her body in two. She hadn’t meant for their separation to be like this, but in a way she was glad it had been. Although everything inside of her hurt over seeing him with another woman, she grabbed onto that pain until it gave her the strength to keep driving.
She pulled onto her street, deciding that she would not spend another minute in this town. Her mind had been made up before she went to the club, so everything that was crucial was packed and ready to go. After pulling into her driveway she let the car idle for a minute, trying to clear her thoughts but failing miserably. There was no getting over the turmoil she felt, and although she wished the separation with Adrian hadn’t been so harsh, in the end she knew it had ended the way it should have. When she found the strength to get out of the car, she grabbed her purse and made her way to the front door. The street was quiet at this time in the evening, but the sound of an idling car had her looking up. There it sat, a black nondescript car with fully tinted windows. The same car that had been at the shooting range. Her heart dropped into her belly and her mouth instantly went dry. No, this wasn’t a coincidence, and neither were any of the other times she had felt like she was being watched, like something was off.
Before she could take another step, the car turned off. No one exited and she didn’t wait around to see if they would. If Cameron was behind the wheel she wouldn’t have very much time to get to her gun. Sure, the pepper spray and stun gun would give her some time, but what she really needed was inside her house. Not waiting another second, she took off toward the front door. Keys in hand, she tried to unlock the door, but her hands were so shaky it made the task nearly impossible. A look over her shoulder still showed the car in the same spot. Taking a deep breath she tried opening the door again. When the key slid in and the door was shut behind her she went into action. She could have called the police, but if that really wasn’t Cameron in the car and the cops came she would have to give a statement. She really didn’t want to leave a paper trail like that, especially since that had caused Cameron to find her the last time.
Disarming the alarm and then resetting it, Brea immediately dropped to her knees and grabbed her duffle bag under the bench. Her gun should have been on the top of her clothes. That was where she put it when she came back from the shooting range.
No gun.
This is not happening. Not again. Before she could stand, three hard raps sounded on her door. Everything stopped around her as she stared at the only thing separating her and what was most likely the very devil himself. The sound of her heart beating fast and hard filled her ears. When she was able to stand her legs felt like they were about to give out at any moment. She had to brace her hand on the wall to steady herself as she walked to the door. The taste of blood filled her mouth, and it was then that she realized she was biting her lip hard enough to break the skin.
The palms of her hands were sweaty, and when she placed them on the door she noticed they shook uncontrollably. Another pound on the door assured her that whoever was on the other side was not going away. When she mustered enough courage to lean in and peer out the peephole she realized she was holding her breath. A moment of confusion settled inside of her when she didn’t see anyone on the other side. No, this most certainly wasn’t her imagination. She might not have wanted a paper trail, but she was smart enough to know that whoever was fucking around with her wasn’t going to give up. To hell with leaving a paper trail, especially if Cameron was really on the other side.
She pushed away from the door and grabbed her purse. Panic had a hold of her now when she couldn’t find her phone right away. Dumping the entire contents of her purse out, she moved everything around until she found what she was looking for. Her fingers were sweaty and shaky as she opened the phone. The feel of perspiration sliding between her breasts was a distraction, but she didn’t have time to let her fear seize her.
Nine.
One.
Before she could enter the last number pain exploded in the back of her head and then everything went dark.
Chapter Twenty-One
A haze of disorientation covered her like a warm blanket. Brea could feel wetness on her face and it took her a moment to realize it was tears. Had she been crying? Why was she crying? She tried to take a deep breath through her mouth but something blocked the air flow and she breathed in through her nose. Something wasn’t right. The lights seemed too bright as she opened her eyes. Pain pounded in the back of her head and she tried to lift her hand to the source, but she realized her hands were bound behind her. Everything was a blurred mass of shapes and colors, and when her vision cleared she realized she was in her living room. Why did her head hurt so much and why couldn’t she breathe out of her mouth?
“Ah, she lives.”
That voice caused shivers to skate through her body and had goose bumps lining her skin. She tried to move but not only were her hands tied to the chair, her legs were as well.
“Shhh. Don’t struggle, love. You know that will only make the knots tighter.”
Oh God. No. Please, no. A choked sob left her and she cried harder. She knew all too well the knots Cameron tied. It had been a thing that tortured her and got him off. He could make it so any move she made had the nylon digging into her skin, even tearing her flesh. She still couldn’t see him, and that fact alone had ever
y one of her senses screaming out. How had this happened? She had taken great care to make sure she wasn’t put in this situation again. The alarm. The name change. The fucking gun training. All of it was for nothing because in the end he still found her. Still had her at his mercy.
“I have to admit, love, you had me running for quite some time.” His warm breath teased her ear at the same time she felt his hands settle on her shoulders. “Didn’t I tell you I’d find you? Didn’t I tell you there was nowhere you would be able to hide from me?” he whispered and then dragged his tongue along the side of her neck.
Brea closed her eyes and cried out, but the sound was muffled by whatever he had shoved in her mouth. Trying in vain to get her hands free proved a fruitless attempt. The rope dug even further into her flesh and she felt the warm wetness of her blood as her skin ripped open.
“You know”—he kept one hand on her as he moved in front of her—“I could have forgiven the fact that you ran from me, Brea, but the fact that you spread those legs for another man is something I simply won’t tolerate.” She wouldn’t look up, wouldn’t look into his heartless eyes and give him the satisfaction of seeing how frightened she really was.
“Look at ME!” The sound of his voice, a roar in the small confines had her immediately obeying. “Ah, that’s my girl. You were always such a good and docile little bitch.” Cameron hadn’t changed. His blond hair was immaculately styled, and his handsome face was what had initially drawn her. He had her tied up and planned on doing horrendous things to her, that she didn’t doubt, but here he wore a light-blue oxford, Dockers, and loafers. He looked like a fucking advertisement for Better Homes and Gardens.
He took a step back from her and stared at her for so long all she wanted to do was gouge her own eyes out. He made a tsking sound, as if he was highly disappointed in her, and started rolling his sleeves up his forearms. Watching him do such a mundane act had her shaking, because she knew what came after he rolled his sleeves up. Pain.
“If you would have just stayed, Brea, we could have worked it out.” She wasn’t fooled. He had deceived her once, but she knew the kind of evil that lurked inside of him. “I want you, still do even after you became that common thug’s little slut.” When his sleeves were rolled up he started undoing several of the buttons of his shirt. “Did you know you were letting a murderer fuck you, Brea?”
Cameron was the master of all manipulators. She knew Adrian hadn’t killed that man, hadn’t killed his family, but Cameron thought he had left her in the dark. He was trying to use this knowledge, these lies to warp her feelings for Adrian. It didn’t matter, because whatever Cameron said would never change how she felt for Adrian. She was now glad things were over with her and him, because he wouldn’t be in the path of Cameron’s destruction. Her tears didn’t stop, and she saw the grin on Cameron’s face grow.
“You know how much your tears make me hard, love.”
* * * *
Adrian felt like a damn stalker. Here he sat, in his truck, staring at Brea’s house like if he watched it long enough he could magically make her come out. The sun had already set so he could easily see that her living room light was on. When he had found himself driving over to her house he thought for sure she would have left town, but when he saw her car in the driveway and her lights on a relieved sigh had left him.
With his head resting on the back of his seat, he did nothing but stare at her front door. The sound of a car door shutting had him looking to his right. The man that got out of the dark car looked like he belonged in this part of the city. He was rough looking, and there was no better way to put it. He hated that Brea lived here, and eventually he had wanted to talk to her about moving to a safer part of the city, but then the shit had hit the fan and she was running from him. He expected the guy to go into one of the other run-down houses in the neighborhood, but when he started making his way up to Brea’s front door everything inside of him went on high alert.
Did Brea know that man? Was that Cameron? Adrian remembered her saying Cameron was a psychologist or something similar, but the man making long strides up her driveway certainly didn’t look like someone that should be giving professional advice. The urge to confront him was strong, but he didn’t want to make a scene, especially since Brea had told him she wanted him to leave her alone. Of course that wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t going to let the best thing that had happened to him since losing Addie just run away from what they had. He knew she felt it, too, because there was no way something that strong between the two of them was only felt by him.
The man in question held a large black duffle bag and when he banged on the door Adrian immediately climbed out of his car and stalked toward him. Just as he made his way to the driveway the front door opened and the guy went inside. Adrian hadn’t seen Brea when she opened the door, but the thought that she would let that man inside had his blood racing. What the hell? Brea just let a scumbag like that walk inside? Jealously was a bitch, and he was feeling it now. Before he could take another step the man left her house, minus the duffle bag.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Adrian stood there, arms crossed over his chest. The asshole in question stopped suddenly and gave a startled look at him. “I said. What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Think. You’re. Doing?” He enunciated each word, because it was clear whoever this joker was just didn’t get it.
The guy looked behind him, almost panicked, and took a step back, closer to the black car Adrian had seen him exit. “Listen.” The guy looked like a badass, but the way he held himself said he was a lowlife piece of shit with no balls. “You should get out of here, okay? The girl doesn’t want anything to do with you.” A low rumble filled the air and Adrian realized it was coming from him. He would have laughed at the balls this guy seemed to grow in the few seconds they stood here, but this was regarding Brea and there was nothing funny about it.
“You didn’t answer my question.” Adrian took a step closer. The prick reeked like cigarette smoke and booze. “You’re going to answer my question.” He took another step closer. He was twitchy, and it was clear he was also a junkie. Why in the hell was Brea associating with someone like this?
“Listen, dude. I don’t want no trouble. I was just told to watch the girl. I just did my last deed by dropping off that bag.” He held his hands up, as if they would save him.
“What the hell are you talking about?” They stared at each other for a moment. “You’ve been watching Brea?” None of this made sense, but he had no doubts that he would get all the answers he needed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I have to say, love,” Cameron said as he wiped his face off with a rag, his grin satisfied. “You have gotten stronger since our time apart.” Wrists achingly sore from straining against her bonds, she prayed for an escape, but wasn’t foolish enough to believe it would come. He had since taken the gag out of her mouth because he liked to hear her beg for mercy, but this time she refused to give him the satisfaction. Finding all of her strength and bringing it forward, she kept her mouth shut, gritted her teeth, and took whatever he gave her.
“Hearing you scream my name will be my number-one priority.” Blood had gotten on his shirt and he had since taken it off. Cameron’s enigmatic personality and good looks were what had snagged her from the beginning, but there was so much evil underneath that façade. He had slapped her so many times her lip was split and her left eye was swelling shut. When she had spit on him and blood sprayed all over his oxford, the rage that had been reflected in his gaze had her breath stalling. That darkness had vanished almost as quickly as it had come, and in its place was excitement.
“When we get back home I’m going to show you how much I’ve missed you.” No, she couldn’t leave with him, wouldn’t. If he managed to get her back to his house she would never be able to escape. He wouldn’t allow it. Death was far more welcome.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Her words were distorted from the swelling in her jaw, but he
heard her all the same. She might have only had a few months of peace while being away from him, but that time had hardened a piece of her. Sure, the fear had always been there, but now that she was confronted with Cameron after all this time, she saw a difference inside of herself. She was not the docile little punching bag any longer. She would never be that way again.
Aside from his satisfied smile that had only slipped slightly when she told him she wasn’t going anywhere with him, Cameron looked like the professional everyone paid a lot of money to unload their problems on. “That’s where you’re wrong, Brea.” He knelt beside her, the nauseating scent of his cologne causing bile to rise in her throat. “I’m going to have fun breaking you.” He turned his back to her and started putting his shirt back on. “This time away has made you forget who is in charge. All of that will change, though. I’ll make you remember.” She turned her head and spit, seeing the saliva-and-blood mixture seep into the carpet. She had prayed every night that she would never be in this situation again, but here she was.
“How did you find me?” It really didn’t matter at this point, but if she could buy a little bit of time she might be able to think of some way to get herself out of this. Once she was fully in his grasp, there was no way Cameron would let his guard down again.
He didn’t turn around to speak to her. “You’d be surprised how far fifty dollars goes.” He turned around then, his eyes on her as he buttoned his shirt. “Your landlord was pretty forthcoming in giving your ‘brother’ the code to your alarm system.” His grin told her there was much more to the story and she felt her skin crawl. “You know, you still look so beautiful when you sleep.”