Innocent Secrets [Pine Valley 3] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Keyonna Davis

  By the time the man ended his rant, he was screaming. He had gone from almost crying to literally spitting mad in an instant. If Jessica thought she was scared before, she was truly terrified now. Help wasn’t coming, and judging by the fact that it was still dark outside, she hadn’t been unconscious for very long. Riley said he would call, but if he had actually come to the house, his family would probably think he was staying the night. They wouldn’t know that this madman had done something to him. Jessica could only hope that wherever he was, Riley wasn’t too hurt. The man had said that he wished he had killed Riley when he had the chance. That meant that Riley was still alive at the moment at least. Right?

  Jessica chose to believe he was because the alternative was too painful to consider. In the mean time, she had to be smart and not panic. She needed to use her overactive imagination to come up with a plan to escape instead of her next sex scene. How would the heroine in one of my novels get out of this?

  She hadn’t realized that she had closed her eyes to think until she felt the bed dip. She snapped her eyes open as her stalker leaned over and turned on the lamp. Based on everything he had said so far, he was definitely a stalker. When she first started writing, Jessica did it as a means to escape and have fun. She never would have thought her writing would become dangerous.

  “James,” Jessica gasped, recognizing the man now that he was in the light.

  “See! Told you things would be better once your head was clearer.” James gave her a blinding smile.

  Jessica was shocked. She had passed the man hundreds of times in the hallway when she went to visit her agent. He always had a smile whenever she saw him. Not once had she suspected the man was crazy with moods that shifted so fast they practically gave her whiplash.

  Once she got over the shock of actually knowing her stalker, a plan began to form in Jessica’s head. James had basically admitted he had drugged her, so she would use that to her advantage. She needed to keep him happy in order to somehow convince him to untie her. All she needed was one hand free and when he least expected it she would hit him with something and get away.

  “Of course I remember you, James.” Jessica spoke before she could talk herself out of going through the plan. “It’s just that my head is all fuzzy right now.” She moaned to prove her point.

  “I’m sorry. I must have put too many sleeping pills in the champagne. I just meant to relax you, not knock you out.”

  Is that supposed to make me feel better? Jessica barely held back a snort. There was no need to provoke the man. “Thank you by the way. For the rose petals, bubble bath, and stuff.”

  It went against everything inside her to thank the psycho for her gifts, but she gritted her teeth and did it anyway. James seemed to appreciate it because he slumped further on the bed and leaned back against her hip. The idiot used her stomach to rest his elbow on while he swirled circles on her ribs with his other hand. Jessica shuddered in revulsion, not wanting him anywhere near her body let alone touching her. Obviously believing differently, or perhaps not caring, her nut ball stalker continued his light circles then began to trail his finger down her stomach.

  “Do you think I could get a glass of water please? My mouth is so dry.” Not that she would ever drink anything that came from him. Jessica just needed a moment to get her head together and to get him to stop touching her.

  Her stalker nodded eagerly and practically ran from the room. Alone, Jessica sighed. You can do this. When he comes back all you have to do is convince him to untie you. Then, you’re home free. She knew it was going to be more complicated than that, but her mental pep talk went a long way in calming her nerves. When she heard footsteps coming back toward the bedroom, she tried not to tense up. She watched as her stalker returned to the bed and sat in the same spot again. He held the glass of water she had asked for, and she wondered how he found it so quickly in her kitchen. How familiar was he with her home? She didn’t think she would ever feel safe there again.

  When James placed his hand behind her neck and lifted her head, Jessica had to force her body to remain relaxed and not cringe back from him. She didn’t need him to feel her tension and suspect something was wrong. He lifted the glass to her lips, and she deliberately clamped her mouth shut as soon as he tilted it. Water ran down the sides of her mouth, soaking the pillow beneath her head.

  “I don’t think I’m going to be able to drink lying down, James,” she groaned. “I’m so thirsty.” Jessica coughed then cleared her throat for emphasis. Her stalker looked like he was debating the issue in his head so she continued, “James, please. I don’t feel so well. I think those pills you said you gave me are doing something to me. I need the water.”

  Jessica wiggled her wrist closet to the nightstand to get him to focus on it. She needed him to release that one because there was nothing else that she could use as a weapon on that side of the bed. All she would be able to use was her fist and she knew she could never do any damage to him with that. At least, on the other side there was a nightstand with several items that she could grab and use to defend herself.

  “Please, James.” She continued to use the man’s name because every time she said it, she noticed that his eyes would glaze over and his smile would widen. It was like using his name was a drug that he couldn’t get enough of. She would call him whatever he wanted if it meant him cooperating and kept the crazy to a minimum.

  James finally sat the glass down on the nightstand. “Promise you won’t try to run from me. I don’t like it when people do that.”

  He sounded like a petulant child, and Jessica wondered how he had ever functioned in society without being thrown in an asylum somewhere. How had he hidden his craziness so well? “I promise.” She would agree to anything he asked to get him to untie her.

  Evidently she mastered the look of sincerity that she had been going for. James mumbled something under his breath and leaned over to untie her. She felt his fingers on the knot of the rope, but he didn’t move. Jessica held her breath. His face was too close to hers, and she could feel the moist heat from his mouth on her cheek. He stared at her for so long she thought he was going to try and kiss her. If he did, there would be no way Jessica would be able to hold back the bile rising in her throat at the thought. She doubted throwing up on the man would win her any favors. Maybe she could blame it on the pills.

  She wasn’t sure what her stalker saw as he stared, but after a few tense minutes, he nodded, took a deep sniff of her neck, and then turned to focus on the knot. Jessica had no clue what the sniffing had been about, but she wasn’t about to try and understand crazy. She waited impatiently as James untied his intricate knot.

  As he worked to untie her, Jessica focused on the nightstand. Her eyes scanned it trying to decide what to use as a weapon. She kept coming back to the small lamp. It was small enough that she could grip it, but heavy enough to do damage if she swung it. The only problem was she wouldn’t be able to grab it as soon as she was untied like she planned. She didn’t know how long she had been tied, but the ache in her shoulders and the numbness in her hands told her it had been long enough. She would have to wait until the feeling came back before doing anything. That meant she had to go along with whatever James had planned for a little while longer. The man’s touch repulsed her, but she had no choice. She had to be smart if she wanted to get out of the situation alive.

  This would make a great story for my next novel. The weird, random thought actually relaxed Jessica in a way that nothing else could. Her stories, the ones she had written as well as the ones she had read, all had one thing in common. They all had a happily ever after. The hero, or in her case heroine, always found a way out of whatever sticky situation they had gotten themselves into. She just had to bide her time and find a way out of hers.

  “There.” James’s smile beamed like he had just accomplished the impossible.

  “Thank you, James.” Jessica groaned when she moved her arm down to her side. Her shoulder hurt from being in the
same position for so long. Her arm and hand began to burn from the blood rushing back into it. She had always hated that pins and needles feeling, but now she welcomed it. The sooner she got feeling back in her arm, the sooner she could get away from this crazy idiot. Jessica was deeply grateful that her grandmother had chosen a pen name for her and not used her real name. She didn’t think she could deal with any more crazies. Once in her lifetime was one too many in her opinion.

  She allowed James to help her sit up when he placed his hand behind her neck again. As he reached for the glass of water, Jessica scooted closer to the edge of the bed. Between her other arm and legs still being tied, she wasn’t able to move much, but it was enough. She knew that if she reached over she would be able to grab the lamp without any problems. When he held the water to her lips this time, Jessica took a small sip. She hoped he hadn’t put anything in it, but she had no choice but to drink if she didn’t want him suspicious.

  “Thank you, James.” Jessica forced herself to pat the man’s arm to let him know she had enough.

  “My Jessica,” James whispered as he sat the glass down then placed his palm on her jaw and leaned in.

  It was time. There was no way she could let the man kiss her. She stared into his eyes as he leaned in while she reached for the lamp with her free hand. Just as his lips were about to meet hers, Jessica swung. She felt the base of the lamp connect with the back of James’s head and watched as his eyes widened. He tilted his head as if confused about what just happened.

  The hit didn’t have the desired effect of knocking him out so Jessica swung again. This time when the lamp connected, the force of the hit knocked it out of her hand. She heard it hit the floor with a thump and immediately reached over to grab another weapon as she watched her stalker’s eyes begin to glaze over. It wasn’t enough for Jessica. She needed the man unconscious so that she had enough time to get herself untied and escape. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as her fingers wrapped around the glass at the same moment she saw the confusion begin to clear out of James’s eyes and rage enter them. Without thinking, she brought her arm up and struck him in the side of the head with the glass.

  The sound of shattering glass seemed to cause time to speed back up as James slumped against her. Jessica didn’t know how long he would be unconscious or if he would even wake back up. She just knew she had to get herself free. She squirmed and lifted her hips until she was able to roll him off her. His body hadn’t even hit the floor before she started working on the first knot.

  Chapter 10

  It took a moment for James to blink the blood out of his eyes. He was on the floor on his stomach, but he could hear his Jessica cursing above him on the bed. No, she wasn’t his Jessica anymore. She had hit him. Not once, but three times. Hurt filled his body and the pain in his head and face wasn’t the cause. How could she do this to him? He thought she loved him. Had it all been a lie? She had spoken to him through her writing and used him in her books. Was it all just to make a sale?

  Rage tore through James’s system at the thought of being used. He had given his heart to Jessica. In return, she had stomped on it. She was just like all the others. They used him until they got what they needed and then they couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. Not this time. James’s wouldn’t allow it to happen again. He didn’t want to be bad, but it seemed he was going to have to be. It was Jessica’s fault that he was going to have to hurt her now. She was making him punish her.

  It took a moment for James to get enough momentum to roll over on his knees. When he did, he had to pause to keep his stomach down. His head felt like it was underwater and his vision was blurry. Jessica must have heard him moving because her cursing and whimpering became more frantic. He had to admit that he liked to sound of her fear. She deserved to be scared, just like she deserved everything that he was going to do to her.

  “Jessica, you naughty, naughty girl.” James tisked as he popped his head over the side of the bed. He laughed when he saw Jessica’s eyes widen as she began tugging on the last knot on her ankle. “Somebody has been a bad girl and needs to be punished.”

  He was enjoying himself with the teasing. He could only imagine how he looked at the moment with one eye practically swollen shut and blood running down his face. The smile on his face was probably throwing Jessica off, but he couldn’t help it. He was having fun with his Jessica. Stupid, stupid. She’s not your Jessica anymore. James smacked the side of his head a few times to make sure the thought stayed stuck in his head. Jessica stared at him, and he could see the fear in her wide eyes.

  “Don’t worry, Jessica.” He patted her leg. “I’m not going to do anything to you that you don’t deserve.”

  * * * *

  It was the gleam in her stalker’s eyes as he reached for her that told Jessica she was in trouble. The man was beyond crazy. James was I’m-going-to-kill-you-and-eat-your-body insane.

  She hoped to be out of the house before he had woken up, but her plan had one flaw. Jessica hadn’t taken into account that the glass she used would slice her hand when it shattered. The blood made her hands slippery and caused the knots on the rope to become wet. It made it harder for her to untie them. Her panic hadn’t helped.

  Jessica fumbled with the last knot on her ankle as James reached for her. She couldn’t let him get her. She had a feeling he wouldn’t kill her quickly if he got his hands on her. The look in his eyes told her the things he had planned would be far worse than death. She got the rope untied and swung her leg just as James grabbed her. Her foot connected with the side of his head that she had gashed open earlier, drawing a scream from him. Without waiting to see if she had caused any more damage, Jessica leaped from the bed. Unfortunately, she didn’t have enough time to let the blood circulate back into her legs, and they gave out. She collapsed to her knees and began crawling, desperate to escape. Just as Jessica reached her computer desk, James wrapped his hand around her ankle.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” She screamed and began kicking, but the deranged man’s hand just tightened. If she made it out alive, Jessica knew she would have bruises on her ankle from James’s grip.

  “Jessica, you need to stop this. Just accept your punishment like a good girl.”

  The hell she would. If the fruit loop thought she was just going to lie there and take it, he was wrong. What scared her though was the tone of James’s voice. He was talking to her like it was all some kind of big joke. Like killing her, or punishing her as he called it, was just a part of life that she needed to accept. It wasn’t going to happen.

  “Let me go!” Jessica screamed as she kicked him.

  “You’re acting like a spoiled brat right now, Jessica. Just take your punishment. You deserve it for what you did to me.”

  Jessica had no idea what he was referring to. She didn’t know if he was talking about her hitting him or some other incident that he had made up in his head. None of that mattered. Her main focus was on escaping. She reached up to the top of her desk, searching for anything to use as a weapon as James pinned her legs with his body. He was trying to turn her over onto her back, and she couldn’t let that happen. As it was, she could barely reach the top of the desk from her position. If he turned her before she could get her hands on anything, she was screwed.

  As he gripped her hips and began to roll her over, Jessica’s hand brushed over what she immediately recognized as her journal pen. Without second-guessing herself, she grabbed it just as he flipped her onto her back. She had a second to look James in the eyes before she swung, stabbing him in the neck with the pen. Never in her life had she been so glad that only being able to write with fountain pens had been one of her quirks. The sharp tip of the pen slid easily into his neck, and Jessica didn’t stop pushing until it was nearly buried. She could barely grip the end that was left sticking out.

  For the second time she watched as James’s eye widened in shock like he couldn’t believe she would even dare hit him. Just like before, she watched his e
yes glaze over before he collapsed against her.

  Jessica felt her body start to tremble. She could feel every ache from head to toe, and her hand was throbbing. She had a man lying on top of her that she wasn’t sure if she had just killed or not. Everything in her wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but if she started, she didn’t think she would ever be able to stop. She knew she had to get up and get help, but her mind didn’t seem to be functioning at the moment.

  What finally spurred her into action was the wet heat slowly spreading across her chest. She knew it was his blood, and she didn’t want it on her any longer than it had to be. Jessica winced as she used her injured had to shove James’s shoulder, but she ignored the pain and continued. It took a few moments of rocking back and forth to finally get enough momentum to roll the man off her. Jessica lay panting when she was finally able to draw a deep breath. She rolled to her knees, groaning the whole time because of her stiff muscles. She wanted to crawl back into her bed and sleep for a few weeks. There was no way she was doing that with James lying on her floor. She kept picturing all those scary movies when the girl thought the killer was dead just as he rose up to grab her again. Crazy people were hard to kill.

  Jessica screamed when she heard wet gurgling noises coming from the man next to her, confirming her suspicions. Without waiting to see if the man was able to move, she ran. She stumbled down the stairs and headed straight for the front door. When Jessica opened the door and collided with a warm body, she couldn’t even explain what happened next. Without thinking, she began screaming and fighting. She was determined she wasn’t going to let the crazy man kill her. It wasn’t until she heard her name yelled several times that she recognized the voice. All the fight drained out of her instantly.

  “Riley?” she asked as she focused on the man she had just been hitting.