Joslyn had brought over some books, but none of them held my attention. Sure, they were better than those Elijah had, but I wasn’t a fan of romance or thriller novels. I did enjoy the puzzles she brought. Elijah even ordered a puzzle table for me to use that fit nicely underneath the couch when I wasn’t working on one.
I didn’t get to see much of Elijah, since he seemed to work late or was in his office most of the time, and I didn’t want to disturb him. I’d keep the TV on whatever channel was last left on, not really watching it, but more for a background noise. I did wonder if I had done something wrong because Elijah seemed to be so distant after returning to work. I couldn’t help but think maybe he just wasn't attracted to me.
The nights he would come to bed, he’d pull me to his chest and hold me safely all night long, as I’d taken to sleeping in his bed. But the nights he didn’t come, I hardly got any sleep, as I was worried about what he was doing.
One windy night, the trees blew leaves against the side of the house. I had given up on sleep. I was planning on going to Elijah in his study and just kneel by him, letting him know I was able to please him in any way he’d like.
I was shocked when I heard voices in the office from the bottom of the staircase. The only lights that were on were in the study, so I stayed in the shadows so I could see who was there.
Keeping my back against the wall, I quietly made my way towards the office. I could see Elijah leaning against his desk. He wore the same jeans and a gray shirt he’d had on when he came home. Since the chairs were facing him, I couldn’t see who it was he was talking to. His face wasn’t happy—he was scowling, and he looked tired and stressed.
“So why did you have to come here?” Elijah sounded agitated. “I have more than enough to deal with.”
“I didn’t know who else I could talk to. That woman is getting some sort of idea in her head that you can get her daughter to her without being found out,” I heard Morgan say. His voice sent shivers of fear through my body.
“I could, but I won’t risk my job to do that. Plus, I’d be out money. I don’t spend my money on things I don’t intend to keep,” Elijah seethed. His voice held a dark promise I knew never to test. “That woman knew what would happen long before it did.”
“But she’s changed. She quit her job and turned her life around. Doesn’t Joan deserve a chance to see her daughter again? I can pay you for your trouble, Eli,” Morgan almost begged.
I covered my mouth, trying to stop any noise that may escape.
“I ain’t gonna sell my girl,” Elijah laughed, letting his heavy accent slip through. “You know, you’re being watched, so I really would advise you to not have her there anyway.”
“I’m not worried about being found out,” Morgan replied easily. “But at least let me see the girl so I can take a pic of her to show her mother.”
“Absolutely not,” Elijah huffed, standing up straight.
“Fine,” Morgan grumbled, rubbing his jaw where the fading bruise no doubt lay. “But don’t be surprised if Joan shows up wanting more help. She knows you can get her something.”
“But I won’t,” Elijah said. “Now, I think it’s best you leave.”
“If I don’t?”
“Then you can meet my fist again,” Elijah said without a beat.
Having heard enough, I made my way back up the stairs, just as quietly as I came down. I reached the landing at the same moment Elijah and Morgan entered the foyer.
It wasn’t long before Elijah came up and took a shower before making his way to bed. I wasn’t sure if he knew I was awake or not. I stayed still as he slid in behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist and burying his nose in my hair. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep. His breathing evened out, and I closed my own eyes, hoping his presence would calm me enough to allow some sleep for myself.
The room was dim as I was shoved from behind. I wore the thin dirty white gown I was forced to put on when I was brought to this place. I wasn’t sure how long I had been here, as there were no windows or clocks. I had to squint to see into the room, and hope to not injure myself on anything. My body was already sore due to the hits and kicks for not wanting to obey the men’s every command. I was sure my ribs were broken.
The room was small but held a small stained mattress in the far corner. The ugly yellow paint was peeling off the walls.
“All yours, buddy,” Morgan laughed with another push on my back. He blocked the doorway so I couldn't try to run. None of these rooms had doors, so anyone who was walking by could watch the happenings in each room.
I finally looked up and saw the one man I had hoped to never see, let alone be in the same room with. His dark eyes were clouded by whatever drug he was on. His overly long dark blond hair was pulled back into a neat and clean low ponytail. He wore a low-riding pair of blue jeans that were stained and ripped in places, along with a black shirt with a lot of holes.
He smirked as he looked me up and down. “How old is this one?” he asked as he began to rub his crotch with his palm.
“Fourteen,” Morgan replied. “She’s feisty.”
“A young one.”
“Yeah. Galvin plans to keep this one. The money she’ll bring in will be great,” Morgan said. “I offered to do the deed, but he insisted you had to be the one.”
“Now, girl, you behave and let me do as I wish,” Erick said, not taking his eyes off me.
“You’re not gonna touch me,” I said, with as much anger as I possibly could, while I tried to find a way out of this small room, my heart pounding in fear.
Erick just laughed as he slowly stalked me around the room. I ended up falling backward onto the bed as he caged me in with his body.
“That wasn’t hard, now,” he said as he advanced towards me. He towered over me. I scooted back to the wall as much as I could.
He easily grabbed my ankles in a tight grip and jerked me down the bed. I screamed in fear. His knees pushed my own apart as far as they would go. I tried to hit and kick him, push him away, but it only made his eyes darken before he pinned my hands above my head.
“Just relax and don’t fight me. It won’t hurt . . . much,” he smiled as he undid his pants.
I sat up in bed, gasping. It was light out and there was no Elijah in bed beside me; his side was cold. I was sweaty, my hair sticking to my neck. I hoped a shower would calm my panic.
I took my time, knowing that whoever was on company duty wouldn’t mind me taking a little extra time. I almost wished, in a way, that no one was there. I wanted to be alone, but at the same time not.
The shower helped some, even though the remains of the nightmare were still on the edge of my thoughts. The nightmares seemed to be coming more often than I liked. I could still feel Erick’s hands on my body, no matter how hard I scrubbed my skin.
I made my way downstairs to where the smell of bacon and eggs was coming from. I left my hair down, as I wasn’t good at doing anything with it like Elijah could. I was tempted to ask if I could cut it, but wasn’t sure if he would approve.
I was disappointed he didn’t wake me up that morning. The house was quiet, but I figured Joslyn would be waiting in the kitchen for me. I was surprised when, instead of Joslyn sitting at the table, Elijah was. He was reading the newspaper and still in his pj.’s. A plate of bacon and eggs sat at the spot beside him.
“Good morning, kitten,” he smiled over the paper. “Come eat.”
I slowly made my way to the chair beside him, confused as to why he was home. I slowly ate the food, noticing it had just been made shortly before I came down the stairs, as it was still warm.
“How did you sleep?” he asked, laying the paper down.
“Fine, Sir,” I lied. It was better sleep than I got in the cell, so I couldn’t complain—even with the nightmares.
“Hmm. You slept later than you have all week,” he replied, looking at me with those brown eyes. “Do you feel unwell? You’re a little pale.”
“Had a bad dream,�
� I whispered with a shrug. “But I’m fine.”
“I’m here if you want to talk,” Elijah said, taking his empty plate away. “I’m sorry I haven’t been home much. I’ve been trying to get this case closed as soon as possible, and because of that, I’ve slacked on my duties to take care of you. Emily said you haven’t been doing well because of me not being here?”
“I’ve been fine,” I said. I usually always got lost in my mind; plus, Emily hadn’t been here much.
“If you say so,” he said, giving me a look that said he didn’t believe me. “Anyway, Kaleb and his wife will be by in a little bit.”
Not knowing what to say, I chose to stay quiet. I was worried Elijah may have heard me last night. And if he did, would I be punished? Would Kaleb’s wife be nice, or expect anything from me?
“Something’s bothering you,” Elijah said, kneeling so he was eye level with me, while I sat still in my chair. His eyes were probing my own.
I vaguely remembered a boy with the same colored eyes, and the same look, telling me hundreds of times that my eyes were the window to my soul. The boy was older but seemed to help me get what I was feeling out in the open with just that one look. This time, although it was no different, I changed the subject.
“We did know each other; I remember small things,” I said, tilting my head to the side. I knew him, but how well was that?
“Of course, we did,” Elijah replied as his look softened. “You used to follow me everywhere, and would pretty much do anything I wanted you to do…except for going away.” He smiled.
“I can remember your eyes,” I said, looking up at him through my eyelashes.
“You would get upset a lot when Zack and I didn’t want to play with you. I was fourteen at the time. Zack didn’t like the idea of you being seen by our friends when we played with you. I always convinced you to wait until later. You had me wrapped around your finger; you still do,” Elijah said tenderly. “I’ll have Joslyn bring some pictures over, and she can tell the stories that go with each one.
“Now, I’m going to go get dressed. You may go do whatever it is that you do after you eat breakfast.”
“Yes, Sir,” I said, glad I had been able to get out of answering Elijah for the time being. I was sure he’d bring it up again at some point.
“You don’t have to keep calling me ‘Sir’,” Elijah demanded.
“Sorry,” I mumbled with a small blush.
He gave me a smile before heading upstairs. I tidied up the kitchen before making my way to the living room, checking everything was clean and put away.
Chapter 12
Elijah
Joan was asking too many questions for my liking. She had stopped at the FBI office more times than I could count, asking anyone and everyone where to get an address or phone number for her daughter. She had tried to corner me a time or two, but I didn’t budge. She even went as low as to flirt with me to get information.
All it did was make me shudder.
Joan knew that I had assumptions that she was behind Dawn’s disappearance. Of course, she didn’t seem too concerned that I knew. Guess all the years of drug use was starting to show by her confused way of thinking.
I had this gut feeling she was up to something that would cause us all trouble.
At least half the time when she showed up, I could tell she was high on something. It seemed to make her more adamant about finding Dawn. Mike was getting sloppy and panicky every time he’d see me, so I knew he was up to something. It was only a matter of time before he’d slip.
I was tired. Beyond tired. I felt bad that I hadn’t really spent much time with Dawn, but I also did tell her when I brought her to my house that I worked a lot of hours. I had to keep looking over the evidence that had been gathered.
Because of Mike and Joan, Kaleb was making me take paid time off, saying I was removed from the case until it was closed. I was still on the case under the table. I was in too deep with my undercover rule to just step out. I couldn’t pull out of the mafia without paying with my life.
I wasn’t pleased with Morgan when he showed up late last night. He was lucky I was still up, finishing rewriting a report for an interview on another case. I was tired and wanted to lie next to her, wrapping her safely in my arms.
Morgan looked tired and desperate. Joan was hounding him about wanting him to do something about her daughter. There wasn’t much I could do, but I told him I would see if I could at least a get a picture. There was something he wasn’t telling me. He seemed too interested in wanting to see Dawn, even offering to pay for her. I wasn’t going to let him anywhere near her if I could help it.
Kaleb had come up with the idea of a picture of the girl to send to her mother, to hopefully give her some sort of relief. I was worried about letting Dawn call her mother, as I wasn’t sure how she felt about Joan. I also didn’t want to risk Joan tracing the phone back to me, or upsetting Dawn. I knew when Dawn had come down the stairs. I could feel her there in the shadows. I didn’t think she’d heard too much, and wanted to keep the truth of her mother from her. Joan was nothing like I remembered, but that could easily be explained by the disappearance of her daughter—and the drugs that she was addicted to.
The next morning, I woke up with her leg thrown over my own, and I had to wield my erection away. With a deep breath, I slowly made my way out from under her and left her to sleep.
I was more than okay with Kaleb and his wife coming over when he’d called earlier that morning, figuring it should have been sooner than now, but today worked perfectly.
When I came down from getting dressed, I saw her sitting on the couch with her head down. Was this what she did every day? The house was all cleaned, so I knew she’d done everything and more than I’d lined out for her to do.
“So, what do you do all day while I’m gone?” I asked as I took a seat next to her on the loveseat.
“Clean, mostly,” she replied.
“You must do more than that?” I asked, looking her up and down. Her shoulders were hunched in.
“Puzzles. Read a little. I don’t really care for the books Joslyn brought over,” she answered, wrinkling her nose. I thought it was adorable, and couldn’t help but smile.
“Well, what kind of books do you like?” I asked, taking a seat next to her.
“Nothing that’s here,” she pouted, but kept her eyes down.
I gave out a laugh, making her quickly look at me in shock. “Sorry, but that’s the most emotion I’ve gotten from you all week. I ordered you some books you may like better. They should be here in a few days.”
She just glared at me, but soon returned her gaze back to her lap. I had ordered some of the top sellers in a few different sections.
“Joslyn did say you were good at puzzles,” I said, trying to get more out of her. “Why aren’t you doing one now?
“You have company coming over,” she replied. “You said you wanted the living room clean when you went over the rules.”
“A puzzle or a few books out would be okay,” I sighed. “What did you do when you were alone before you came here?”
“Nothing. Maybe sleep if I could. Sometimes dream about what would happen if I wasn’t there,” she answered. “I even made up stories in my head to pass the time.”
“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through,” I said, kissing the side of her head. “If you want to write anything that you came up with, I will be more than happy to get you some paper and a pen.”
The doorbell rang through the house, and I went to answer it with Dawn quietly following me. Opening the door, there stood Kaleb and Kelly. Kelly had her shoulder length blond hair pulled pack in a half ponytail. They were both dressed in comfortable clothes. He held a diaper bag and a car seat that was covered with a soft green blanket.
I welcomed them in, hearing Dawn scamper towards the kitchen and out of sight. After giving Kelly a quick hug, I pointed them to the living room, before finding out where Dawn was hiding.
“D
awn?” I called as I entered the kitchen. I found her leaning against the counter with her head in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking, but she wasn’t making any sound. “Hey, what’s going on?” I gently laid my hands on her thin shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Sir,” she gasped as she took in short, shaky breaths.
I pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her shaking form, trying to give her comfort. I tried to wrack my brain as to why she was upset, but came up empty.
It took Dawn a few minutes to calm down. Slowly, she regained even breathing. I allowed her a few more minutes so she could hopefully sort out her thoughts. Once she appeared calmer, I lifted her face with both of my hands cupping her jawline so I could meet her eyes.
“Do you mind telling me what’s going on in that head of yours?” I asked, staring into her panicked brown eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed out, closing her eyes.
“Answer me, please, Dawn,” I coaxed. Her green eyes were outlined in red from her crying and panic. I was trying extremely hard to not sound demanding when I asked her to do something. She could easily just tell me go to hell, and I’d be happy.
“When . . . he invited people, it was never a good thing for me. And . . . I just thought I’d have to do . . .”
“You will never be with anyone in this house like that,” I said sternly. “If, and that’s a big ‘if’, we are ever in a relationship later on down the road, I don’t share. You have no reason to worry about issues like that here, all right?”
“I’m sorry,” she replied, leaning her forehead against my chest.
“No worries,” I said. “You can always come to me with any concerns or questions. There will not be any sort of punishment. Now, how about we go see our guests?”
“Okay, Sir,” she said, taking a deep breath. When she met my eyes, I could see she was calmer, but also locked down with her emotions. Deciding to let that slide for now, even though I enjoyed being able to see how she felt at certain times, I wrapped my arm loosely around her waist and led her to the living room.
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