Beautiful Deception

by Morgan James

  She took a long moment to respond. “I know.”

  I palmed the small of her back, enjoying the feel of her splayed over my body, my shaft still buried deep inside her sheath. I could feel literally every inch of her, inside and out, her heart beating in time with mine. I never wanted to let her go.

  I STARED AT JULES AS I paused with my hand on the door handle. “You okay?”

  The wind whipped around us, lifting the strands of brown hair around her face. Standing in the parking lot adjacent to Rosie’s, I hated being in front of so many prying eyes. Ever since last night, things between us had felt... off. Something was bothering her, and I wanted to know what it was.

  She gave a halting little nod. “I’m fine.”

  She was lying. She could pretend that she was fine on the surface, but she couldn’t hide the worry etched deep into her features. Those green eyes held a mixture of fear and apprehension, though I couldn’t begin to determine why. Everything seemed to be going so well. Was she having second thoughts about sticking around? She was antsy and jumpy, and she’d appeared startled when I came up behind her in the kitchen this morning.

  We’d decided to grab breakfast in town, our first foray into public as an engaged couple. She’d smiled and said all the right things when people congratulated us, yet there was a darkness hovering in her eyes that refused to lift. I’d held her until she’d fallen into a restless sleep, tossing and turning all night long. I hadn’t asked what was bothering her, and she hadn’t offered an explanation as to why she reacted the way she had.

  I walked a fine line with her sometimes. I wished I knew what was going through her mind, but I didn’t want to press and risk pushing her away. She needed to know that I would be here for her regardless. Though I needed to get to work, Jules had the day off. Worry congealed in my stomach at the thought of what might transpire during those few hours apart.

  I slipped a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her close. “Will I see you after work?”

  She dropped her gaze to the ground before tipping her face up to meet mine. Tears sparkled in her eyes, and her teeth sank into her lower lip as she fought to keep them from falling.

  “Sweetheart, is everything okay?” She nodded, but didn’t say a damn word. Helplessness raged through me. I wanted to be there for her, but I needed her to trust me, to open up and tell me what was bothering her, because I didn’t believe for a damn second that it was nothing. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

  “I know.” She leaned her head on my chest and I wrapped my arms around her, an irrational fear haunting me. Suddenly I was terrified that this might be one of the last times I ever got to do this. I couldn’t tell why the sensation came over me, but with the way Jules was acting, I couldn’t write anything off. I squeezed her tight one more time then released her, my heart heavy in my chest. I didn’t know what I would do if she walked away from me.

  Jules peeled away and gave me a sad little smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I don’t want you to be late.”

  Barely managing to hold my tongue, I closed the door behind her as she slid inside, then made my way around the truck. A heavy silence lay between us as I pulled onto the main drag, turning toward my place so I could drop her off before I headed into the department. We could have driven separately since I was already dressed and ready for work, but she’d specifically asked me to drive, which worried me all the more. She’d been here for months, yet now she refused to drive her car. Was she concerned someone was actively looking for her? And what had spurred that thought?

  She knew she was safe with me, and I was sure that was the only reason she’d agreed to go for breakfast this morning. I hated the thought of leaving her alone in the cabin all day. It would be difficult to find if you weren’t familiar with the area, but still...

  I snuck glances at her from the corners of my eyes as we drove down the main street back toward my house. All the while, Jules stared pensively out the window.

  “Eric?” Her sweet voice washed over me like a silky caress.

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “I... She trailed off, looking more worried than I’ve ever seen, and dread sat in my stomach like a stone. “Can I tell you something?”

  “Anything.” I both anticipated and dreaded what I was about to hear.

  “I think I need help,” she whispered.

  The vulnerability in her voice nearly tore me to shreds. “You know I’ll always do anything in my power to help you,” I replied forcefully.

  She drew a deep breath. “Before I came here, I... I was supposed to be married.”

  At the word ‘married,’ I snapped my head toward her. It was a fatal mistake. From the corner of my eye, I saw a SUV come barreling through the stop sign at the cross street. Instinctively, I threw my right arm across Jules to protect her as I braced for the impact. The black SUV slammed into my front fender, narrowly missing the driver side door. I heard a soft intake of breath as the sound of glass shattering and the airbag deploying filled my ears. The truck spun under the impact, and I watched the trees fly past in a green and white blur as I fought to regain control. With a jolt, the back end slammed into the ditch, and I pitched forward, my head slamming into the steering wheel. Everything went black.

  A loud buzzing filled my ears, and I blinked in and out of consciousness as I heard voices approach. I couldn’t make my body respond, and I stared up helplessly into a pair of dark eyes as the man fisted his hand in my hair and lifted my head.

  “Don’t come after her.” He paused then, sounding remorseful. “I’m sorry.”

  Sorry for—?

  The sound of a gunshot filled the air, and my vision went black once more as I collapsed in a boneless heap.

  Nine

  Giuliana

  My body felt hot all over, almost feverishly so, and sore—so sore.

  A dark, dense fog shrouded my mind, and I clawed my way through it. Finally I broke the surface and dragged in a deep breath. My eyes felt heavy and tired, and I blinked them open for a fraction of a second before letting them slide closed again. A flash of bright light strobed overhead, hurting my eyes and sending my mind spinning.

  Where was I? And why did everything hurt so much?

  Though I lay on my back, my neck was cocked at an unnatural angle, and I kicked out my legs in an effort to stretch. Half a second later my feet encountered something hard, halting my progress. I drew my knees upward again, curling into myself as panic set in.

  Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, memories swirled and though I desperately grabbed at them, they remained elusive and out of reach. My mind remained a blank void, and a soft buzzing filled my ears. As my heart rate increased, the rapid pounding of my heart replaced the white noise, and my lungs rose and fell rapidly, threatening to hyperventilate.

  What was happening? Why couldn’t I remember anything?

  I kept my eyes clenched closed, and forced several long, deep breaths into my lungs. Panicking was the worst thing I could do. Drawing on instincts deeply conditioned over the past few years, I shoved the fear aside. Instead, I focused on the sounds around me as they came to me in pieces: A low humming sound. Soft music playing from somewhere that seemed far away.

  My brows drew together. It all seemed so familiar, even the faint rocking motion beneath me, as if I was hovering in midair. At the strange thought, my eyes popped open. I blinked several times and squinted into the dim light, trying to discern where exactly I was. Another bright yellow glow flashed overhead, then was gone a second later. My brain throbbed as I stared into the darkness once more, blinking the pain away.

  Flash.

  The light came again, and I grimaced. On it on it went, the bright flashes coming at even intervals every few seconds. I closed my eyes against the dizzying sensation. What were they? It seemed so obvious, yet still so out of reach, and I willed myself to open my eyes again. I redirected my gaze away from the bright blaze of light and studied the dark gray fabric above m
e. As I focused again on my surroundings, my brain finally made the connection. I was in a vehicle.

  My gaze sluggishly moved away from the gray fabric, then lower, and I looked out the window. All I could see was inky blackness. I couldn’t make out anything in the near-dark—no trees, no signs overhead, nothing. Where was I? And who was driving?

  I closed my eyes again and lifted one hand to my head. Despite the darkness of the sky, the frequent flashes of the street lights overhead sent pain spiking through my skull. It was so acute that I couldn’t formulate a single thought; I just lay there and massaged my temple, praying that it would go away. Gradually, it began to fade and I tried to open my eyes once more. It was a mistake.

  The car hit a bump, and my stomach revolted. It clenched tightly, and bile burned the back of my throat as it rose up, hot and fierce. I rolled quickly to my side and ejected the contents on the floor of the car. I heard cursing in the background, but blood thrummed through my veins, rushing in my ears, drowning out my surroundings. I pressed one hand to my stomach as it coiled and released once more.

  Drained, both mentally and physically, I flopped to my back and closed my eyes against the pain and humiliation.

  “Drink.” A strong hand holding a water bottle moved to my mouth.

  The voice was smooth and cultured. Familiar. Mind still muddled, I tried to place it but failed as my brain threw up another blank wall. I couldn’t focus; memories lurked just out of reach, on the periphery of reality. The one thing I knew with certainty was that it didn’t belong to Eric. I ached to hear the raspy roughness of his voice like a caress sliding over my skin.

  Tears pricked my eyes. Why wasn’t he here with me?

  I choked on the tiny sip of water and began to cough. Pain burst across the back of my skull, and stars danced in front of my eyelids.

  The man tipped the water bottle up again, and I forced my throat to swallow. A second hand moved to the back of my head, holding me still as he urged me to drink more.

  Through it all, I kept my eyes closed. I feared that if I opened them again, the water I’d just drunk would end up on the floor, too.

  My stomach had seemed to settle, thankfully. I didn’t want to think, didn’t want to feel. I curled one arm around my waist, pretending that it was Eric’s as he held me close.

  A hand brushed gently across my brow. “Sleep.”

  That voice again. It was so familiar; who was it?

  There was a sudden, sharp pinch in my upper arm, and I cried out as liquid fire seemed to burn through my body. I opened my mouth, tried to formulate words but failed. My tongue, thick and unwieldy, refused to cooperate. My body began to relax, and a blessed calm descended over me, pulling me under.

  Ten

  Eric

  A familiar voice came from somewhere around me, and I fought to open my eyes. My entire body hurt, and my head ached worst of all. I tried to focus on the voice as it spoke again.

  “Donahue. Can you hear me?”

  I tried to formulate words, but nothing came out. I could barely hear my own thoughts over the pounding in my ears, but I listened again as the person spoke.

  “Shit. Hang in there, man.”

  The accident. Jules. Was she okay? I tried to stretch a hand toward her seat, but it refused to cooperate. The voice bled away as the darkness consumed me, pulling me under once more.

  A PERSISTENT HUM FILLED the air, punctuated every so often by a low beep. Through sheer force of will, I managed to crack my eyes open. The light was dim, but it felt abrasive, and I closed my eyes almost immediately. I blinked once more and took in as much of my surroundings as possible before closing them against the pain again.

  White ceiling. Industrial-style lights that were currently—blessedly—turned off. The room was dark and unfamiliar. I took quick stock of my body, finding my muscles stiff and sore, especially in my upper back near my ribs. The third time I tried to open my eyes, I managed to keep them open. I rolled my head left and right, taking in the strange machines on either side of the bed. A hospital. God knew I’d spent enough time in a room just like this back in Chicago after the incident in the warehouse. Was I dreaming? I tugged against the IV threaded through the back of my hand. The tight pinch of skin told me I was wide awake. That meant...

  I drew back and searched my memory, trying to remember the last thing that happened. I remembered Jules this morning—God, I hoped it was this morning—acting strangely on the drive to Briarleigh. She’d been just about to tell me something before the car had come out of nowhere. Through my mind’s eyes, I watched the accident unfold with startling clarity. The black SUV had run the stop sign to my left and plowed into the left front fender of the truck, sending us into a crazy spin. I saw the white powder fill the air as the airbag deployed, tasted it on my tongue as it filled my mouth and nose. The next few details were sketchy. I remembered reaching for Jules, finding the door wrenched open, the passenger seat empty.

  Jules. I had to find Jules. I pushed myself up in bed just as the door opened, and a pair of familiar brown eyes met mine.

  Jack’s expression registered surprise as they landed on me, and he quickly crossed the room. “Hey. How are you holding up?”

  “Like shit,” I replied. “How is Jules?”

  His face twisted with regret. “I’m not sure. I haven’t heard from her.”

  What? That didn’t make sense. “I need to see her. Right now.”

  Jack made a little shrugging motion, his face contorting with regret. “We haven’t been able to get ahold of her.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? She was in the car. She has to be here!” Panic made my voice rise several octaves, and Jack’s eyes grew round with worry, sending my heart into overdrive.

  “I didn’t know she was with you. We didn’t see anyone else.”

  Motherfucker. I grimaced as a ripped the IV from my hand, sending the machine into a beeping frenzy.

  “Hey.” Jack held up a hand in my direction. “You need to stay. Your wrist is fucked up and you look like shit.”

  I glanced down at the bandage around my left wrist. Well that explained why my arm wouldn’t cooperate. I struggled from the confines of the bed.

  “Are you sure she didn’t leave?” he asked softly.

  I turned an angry glare on him. “Don’t even fucking think it. She wouldn’t leave me.”

  Jack rested a hand on my shoulder to steady me as I stumbled. “I didn’t say that. Maybe she just—”

  “No.” My voice was hard as I cut him off. I stared at him for several long seconds before releasing a heavy sigh. “Someone took her, Jack. I’ve gotta find her.”

  “Who took her?”

  “I don’t know.” My voice rose several octaves as panic set in.

  “Okay,” Jack said. “Let’s think this through. What do you remember?”

  Not enough. I closed my eyes and tried to focus. As soon as I’d registered that Jules was gone, my door had been wrenched open. I saw a man in my mind’s eye, but the features were blurry and incomplete. He’d said something before slamming my face into the steering wheel. What the hell was it?

  “I don’t know. Dark hair, dark eyes I think?” Jack just stared at me.

  “I was fucking half conscious,” I snapped. “What the hell do you want from me?”

  “Just trying to help,” Jack offered.

  “Want to do my job while you’re at it?”

  Jack stared impassively back at me, and I raked one hand through my hair. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I’m just—”

  My words were cut off by a nurse entering the room. She eyed me where I stood beside the bed. “Sir, you—”

  “I’m officially checking myself out,” I cut her off. “Give me whatever paperwork you need signed. I’m leaving.”

  Pain exploded behind my eyes as I stood, and the nurse rushed over to me. “Let me at least get some painkillers for you and get you dressed,” she offered.

  “No,” I responded immediately to both.

/>   Jack spoke up. “I’ll help him from here.”

  The nurse reluctantly let go of me and was out the door a moment later, presumably to get whatever discharge papers she needed to have on file.

  Jack’s fingers curled into my shoulder, and I grimaced at the pain. He gazed down at me. “Unless you plan to walk out there with your bare ass hanging out, I suggest you put some clothes on.”

  Fuck. Had I been in the right frame of mind, I would’ve felt the slight breeze on my back a few minutes ago. As it was, the only thing I could think about was Jules and bringing her back to me safely.

  “Fine.” I waved a hand at Jack. “But hurry up.”

  He made a low sound in his throat as he dug my bag of clothes out of the bottom drawer of the dresser nearby. He passed them to me without another word, and I began to dress when something occurred to me. “What day is it? How long have I been here?”

  “They brought you in yesterday morning,” Jack responded.

  My eyes widened in disbelief. “You let me stay here for a whole goddamn day?”

  “Jesus Christ,” Jack quipped. “You’re a fucking nightmare. How the hell does Jules put up with your shit?”

  I flipped Jack off and resumed dressing as quickly as I could, my body still sluggish and uncoordinated. “We need to check around town, see if anyone has seen her during the past twenty-four hours.”

  Jack remained silent, and I searched his questioning gaze before blowing out a hard breath. “She was with me in the car. I’m not crazy. We had breakfast at Rosie’s, then I headed back to Bruce’s place to drop her off. I think she was finally going to open up...”

  I tensed at the reminder. I couldn’t believe she’d been engaged at one point. Jealousy curdled in my stomach like acid, but I forced it down. She’d reacted the same way when I told her I’d been married before, but it felt different somehow. Maybe because she was so young. Perhaps it was because I suspected she’d been running from a man when she first showed up three months ago, sporting a collection of dark bruises. I debated whether to tell Jack what she’d said but held my tongue.