Degrees Of Distortion (Distortion Series Book 1)

by Aimee McNeil

  Lexie’s phone began to ring, and regretfully she released Jackson’s hand to swim as fast as she could toward the shore. Trying to catch it before the caller hung up, she did not want to miss her mother’s call.

  “Hello?”

  “Lexie! The police just questioned me. Your mom’s house was completely ransacked. They are conducting an investigation. Everyone is in a panic because both you and your mother are missing!” Stephanie spoke so fast Lexie had a hard time understanding her.

  “Did you say anything?” Lexie asked nervously.

  “No, but please tell me you heard from your mom,” Stephanie asked hopefully.

  “Yesterday. She said she would meet me here. I just have to sit tight.”

  “I’m going out of my mind. Can I come to you?” Stephanie sounded very nervous.

  “No, I don’t want you involved in this. I don’t even want to be involved. Give me a few more days. I’ll let you know when I have some answers.”

  “I’m scared, Lex.”

  “I know…so am I. I will hopefully be home before long and we can put this craziness behind us.” Lexie tried to sound strong, but she wasn’t fooling anyone.

  “This is seriously scary shit. I hope your mom knows what she’s doing.”

  “You and me both.” Lexie watched Jackson step out of the water. He looked like a dessert with his skin glistening in the sun, making her mouth water. Her stomach exploded into butterflies as he neared her to gather his clothes. He gave her a look that could stop traffic and then headed back toward his place.

  “So about Jackson…” Stephanie began.

  “Yeah about that…what did you talk about?”

  “Nothing much, trying to get information out of him was like pulling teeth. He’s not much of a talker when it comes to himself, but he was curious about you. He sounds hot though…”

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much him in a nutshell. What did he want to know about me?”

  “Um…he guessed you’re a photographer. He asked about your family. He also wanted to know if you had a boyfriend…”

  “He asked that?”

  “Yeah, he asked me exactly that. I said no boyfriends but lots of admirers. That’s about it.”

  “Okay, I’m going to go hop in the shower. I’ll call you later,” Lexie said.

  “You better,” Stephanie ordered. “And your most persistent admirer is knocking on my door right now. God, Lex, you may have to call him and tell him you’re still alive.”

  “Tell him I’m fine and will call him when I get back. Make sure he doesn’t tell anyone.”

  “Will do.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The rain started with gentle tapping upon the roof until it began to thunder down. It was still early evening, but the skies had darkened considerably. Lexie pulled a bag of popcorn out of the microwave. Sitting down on the sofa, she wrapped a blanket around her and opened her mother’s diary.

  “Give me something, Mom,” Lexie whispered as she looked for the last entry she’d read. She still hadn’t heard from her mother, and uneasiness was settling deep in her stomach. She glanced over a few other entries of flowers, dates, kisses, and late nights. Nothing seemed unusual as she read words of a young woman falling in love. Then something began to change; longer stretches of time would pass between dates. The excitement began to fade, and there began to be reservations in her words.

  John had asked her mother to move in with him after six months of dating; she did so and that was the beginning of a different person behind the pen. Instead of the excitable girl that was alive and well in the beginning of the diary, she was now reading the words of a suspicious, cautious woman who feared John may not be the man she believed him to be.

  Sept.9

  At first when John told me he ran the nightclub, the idea of it seemed so grand and exciting. The glamorous lifestyle was addicting. My new spacious closet in our condo became a boutique of beautiful clothes fit for royalty. Every time I opened the doors to get dressed, I would have to pinch myself. Months before I was a girl who practically lived in her favorite jeans. I had two dresses to choose from, and then suddenly my options were endless. I was spoiled. John called me his girl and loved to show me off. I didn’t know it then, but I was another of his possessions. He adored me as long as I played my part.

  A week ago he came home late. I waited up for him. He was my everything until I finally opened my eyes and began to see flaws in the beautiful picture he had painted me.

  He walked into the bathroom and loosened his tie. I followed him, wanting to cheer him up. I remember asking him if he hurt himself when I noticed blood on his shirt. The look he gave me made my blood freeze. He ordered me to go to bed.

  That night when he came to bed, he no longer touched me like a man in love. He tore my favorite night dress off and ignored my cries. He was a man possessed. I was terrified. I remember how scared I was when he closed his hand around my neck and squeezed tight. I thought I was going to die. My sight began to fade and my chest screamed for breath until he finally released me. My body felt broken, and I couldn’t stop the tears.

  After, he wrapped his arms around me and told me I was a good girl. He refused to let me go. The only thing I could think of was he was evil. He was not my beautiful John. I was not a girl in love. I was just…his.

  Lexie blinked tears away and rubbed her hands over her face. She set the book down on the coffee table and leaned back on the sofa, letting her mother’s words sink in. Suddenly it didn’t feel so unlikely that answers were written in this book somewhere. The rain still poured from the sky, reminding her how alone she was in the strange cottage. The book kept calling to her until she finally gave in. She told herself she would only read a little more. It was the closest she could be to her mother right now, and she needed her.

  Oct.12

  Tonight, one of John’s important business associates arrived for a meeting with him at the club. He was preoccupied and paid no attention to me…no one did. I knew this meeting was important because he was wound tighter than usual. I didn’t mind…it meant that I had some freedom.

  I took the opportunity to explore. I snuck into the back rooms at the club that were normally off limits. Luckily one of the guards was busy flirting with one of the waitresses and didn’t see me slip by.

  Most of the doors were locked. One handle turned. I slowly opened it to peek inside. A man was involved in a very compromising position with two women. I didn’t stick around to find out who they were. I felt sick to my stomach. I quickly passed a slightly open door. A few men in suits were doing lines. From what I could see, these rooms were for sex and drugs…nothing out of the ordinary for a nightclub.

  I ducked into an empty room when one of the doors swung open. I hid just out of view, but I saw a man in an expensive suit walk by. He met someone in the hallway, and then they proceeded toward the back of the building. I knew that John must have another exit in the building because there was no way these men in suits would blend into the club. These were business men, not the type that were here to dance and drink the night away. This man in particular seemed out of place. Once the men were out of sight, I ducked back into the hall and tried the door he had exited. It was open. I listened to make sure no one was inside. I pushed the door open and slipped in.

  A woman was on the floor next to the bed. I locked the door and quickly ran to her side. She was naked and curled up in the fetal position. Her lip was bleeding, and a bruise was forming under her left eye. I couldn’t get a coherent response from her, but I recognized her instantly.

  I remembered a few days ago when an officer had come to the club asking people if they had seen this girl. She was a tiny thing with thick dark wavy hair. I knew it was her because she had the same tattoo of a rose on her neck.

  I wasn’t thinking. I ran out in the hallway. I should have called the police…

  John no longer leaves me unattended. As for the girl…She is still missing. John said I would find out what happen
ed to her firsthand if I didn’t leave things alone.

  I have to be smarter…

  But I will not leave things alone, and I will never forget about the girl with the rose tattoo.

  Nov.14

  I couldn’t stop thinking about that poor girl. No one would give me any answers. I secretly contacted the officer that had been searching for her. He met me in the park, sitting on the other side of the bench. I was terrified that one of John’s men would see us. Officer Finley arrived dressed in jogging clothes as to not appear out of place. He sat down behind me and raised his phone to his ear. I did the same as we spoke only loud enough to hear each other. This is what my life has become. I am terrified. I no longer see the side of John I fell in love with. He holds me prisoner in this life, and I am forbidden to step out of line.

  I had to tell him I saw the girl he was looking for. I told him exactly what I saw, including seeing the man leave the room where I found her in a drug-induced stupor. Apparently none of this surprised him; they have had their suspicions about John and the business he conducts in the nightclub, but they have been unable to collect enough evidence.

  He wants me to be an informant, to collect the info they need. I’m scared. These are dangerous men. I know better than anyone.

  Nov.28

  I have played nothing but the loyal girlfriend for the past few weeks. I am not as closely watched anymore. I think I convinced him that I would never betray him again. I record any conversations I can overhear, but they are careful around me.

  I believe they are smuggling drugs into the club in the food trucks. They come twice a week, but some of the boxes are moved to a different location.

  Only the high-paying customers and VIPs have access to the back rooms. They have to be granted access by John himself. The number of guards has tripled in the last few weeks. I don’t think I can get back there anymore.

  One of the waitresses told me that John brings in women and pays them under the table to entertain certain guests and stay discreet about what happens behind closed doors. Her cousin ended up attending one of their private functions. She was offered a drink beforehand and then the events of the evening became skewed. They drugged her with something. She remembered enough to know that what took place was not what she agreed to. Her cousin is still struggling with the aftermath. She was threatened not to speak of anything that happened or there would be consequences.

  The more I look, the more I find…which only leaves me with more questions.

  Jan.25

  John bought me a bar in Sugar Hill. I think he prefers I not stay at his club. He knew it was a dream of mine to own a bar with live music. I had told him this when I was on the high of what I thought was love. I don’t tell him much anymore.

  I feel guilty that I love the bar.

  I have been in touch with Officer Finley a few more times…telling him what information I have gathered. John is good at covering his tracks, and nothing I come up with seems solid enough for the police to take action. The only thing I could find about the girl with the rose tattoo is that she was taken to “the lake house.” I don’t know what this means, and neither does Finley.

  He asked me to wear a wire, but I can’t. John would find it. He rarely lets me wear clothes when we are alone.

  I know that I’m not the only woman John is sleeping with. I feel no jealousy, only relief that it is one less time that he will turn to me.

  Jan.27

  I managed to track down a girl that was rumored to entertain the some of the men in private quarters. I have a contact number. I want to give her the description of the man I had seen to see if she knows who he is. I’m planning to call her tomorrow when I am out for a run. It seems to be the only time I feel alone, although I know John has men watching me.

  I was told that the girl will not talk to the police so I must do this alone.

  I hate John. It is so hard to keep pretending, but if I stop, I don’t know what he’ll do to me. People in John’s world have a habit of disappearing.

  If I disappear, there will be no one to look for me. My parents are gone, and John made sure my friends wanted nothing to do with me.

  I am the loneliest girl who is never alone.

  Lexie’s phone ringing scared her enough to make her jump from her seat. “Hello,” Lexie said cautiously.

  “Lex…this may be nothing, but I am having a complete panic attack.”

  “Slow down. What happened?” Lexie rubbed her forehead, setting her mother’s diary on the table.

  “I wrote the address you gave me on a post-it note. You know how I am with remembering stuff like that. It was in case of emergency. I wanted to know how to find you…”

  “Okay…?” Lexie said with a sigh, knowing she was not going to like what Stephanie was telling her.

  “It’s gone. The note is just gone,” Stephanie said with building panic.

  “Maybe it fell down behind your desk or something?”

  “My apartment door was open when I got home,” Stephanie said in a rush. “The lock was broken.”

  “What? Did you call the police?”

  “Nothing looks like its missing that I can see…I’ve been gone all day. I don’t know when it went missing. It could have been this morning, for all I know. What if the people after you and your mom found it? What if I gave away your location? Oh God, Lexie!”

  A knock sounded on Lexie’s front door. “I’ll call you back, Steph.”

  “Are you mad at me?”

  “No, of course not. Just give me a few minutes,” Lexie reassured her.

  Lexie pulled up Jackson’s number on her phone.

  Lexie: Are you at my door?

  Lexie stared at her phone waiting for his reply, but nothing came. She was desperate to believe it was her mother, but she hadn’t heard from her. Fear had her on the edge of her seat, unsure if she should answer it. Lexie stood up slowly and approached the door. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the handle. When her fingers barely touched the cool metal, a loud thud sounded on the other side of the door. Lexie covered her mouth before she released a scream and scrambled away from the door. She ran back into the main living area, hand over her heart, desperately trying to think through the explosion of fear. A shadow passed across one of the windows, and Lexie gasped. She looked around the room for anything that could be used as a weapon. She darted into the kitchen and opened the drawers, looking for the largest knife she could find.

  Something hit the back door, the window rattled, and Lexie dropped behind the small island in the center of the kitchen. She could hear a struggle on the back porch and could make out dark figures through the window. She held the knife tight in her grasp, trying to stay calm as she peeked around the cabinets.

  Lexie screamed when the window shattered. Glass and rain sprayed into the room as two figures barrelled through and crashed onto the floor. They continued their struggle as they threw themselves around the room. The lamp was knocked off the table, and the shade twisted free of the light, causing the unfiltered light to cast strange shadows within the room. Lexie crawled over toward the living room and noticed one of the men was Jackson. Lexie recognized the other as the one from the store earlier that day. Her instincts had been correct when she had fled.

  Something dark and heavy slid across the floor toward her. Lexie scrambled to her feet and looked down at a handgun. She picked it up with shaking hands.

  Both men smashed into the island. Lexie stumbled backward, trying to steer clear of the danger as both men fought with scary savagery. This was clearly a language they were both familiar with, though Jackson had a clear advantage with his precision and size. He was not a stranger to violence; he knew the language well. This was not like a typical bar fight that she had witnessed before. They were trying to kill each other, and her insides twisted tightly with realization.

  When Jackson wrapped his hands around the man’s neck, squeezing the life from him, Lexie screamed out for him to stop. “I want to know why he�
�s here,” Lexie said nervously when Jackson’s dark gaze found hers. He had a cut on his brow that was dripping blood down his cheek, and his lip looked swollen. He looked vicious, and if she was honest with herself, incredibly sexy as he looked at her like he was peeling all of her layers away to stare deep inside her.

  “He doesn’t have any answers, Lexie.” The version of Jackson staring at her now did not look like a cop. This was a man that fit into the embrace of violence far too well to play by the rules, but what surprised her most was the fact that she didn’t fear this side of him. She was drawn to the power reflected in his dark eyes.

  “Please.” Lexie tried to force strength into her voice as she circled around the island and stood before the man Jackson hauled to his feet. She held the gun up toward him. It visibly shook, but she was determined to gain some control over the situation.

  The man glanced at Jackson before they both spurred into action. Lexie didn’t realize she lowered the gun until Jackson grabbed her hand, pulling the trigger as the man lunged toward Jackson with the knife she left on the counter.

  Lexie screamed as blood splattered on her clothes and the man dropped to his knees. Blood bubbled from his mouth until he collapsed to the floor. Lexie looked down at the dark puddle forming beside his unmoving body. She couldn’t pull her eyes away as she looked at him.

  Images of the night that had been haunting her came crashing down on her. She was frozen. Her chest felt stiff, and it was hard to draw in breath. She could barely feel Jackson peel her fingers off the gun. He had pulled the trigger, but she had been the one holding the gun. Lexie stared at the man’s lifeless body, his blood slowly spreading across the floor.

  Jackson stepped between her and her view of the dead man, leaning down, his dark eyes looking into hers. His lips were moving, but she couldn’t understand a word he was saying. She couldn’t hear that soothing, deep voice that usually made heat pool in her stomach.