Lake's Reign

by A. E. D

  “I thought you’d never ask.” She says giggling. Giving her my brightest smile in return, I proceed to ask her if she’d like to go out to dinner and the movies tomorrow night, picking her up at seven.

  “I’d like that.” We stand up, only now noticing everyone has left us alone in the classroom. Since this was my last class of the day, I planned on paying Mason a visit. I followed him home once so I know where his apartment is. I hope with everything in me that Lake’s there.

  “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Ruby. I’m looking forward to seeing your beautiful face again.” I say charmingly. She blushes a bright red as she looks around the room before looking back at me.

  “Oh, fuck it.” She says before slamming her lips against mine. Wasting no time in kissing her back, I gently grab the back of her head with one hand as the other goes to her waist, slowly turning her towards the desks. She slightly leans back against the desk as we continue to devour each other. This is even better than the dreams I’ve had.

  Pulling back only because of the lack of air, I watch her bite her lip, clearly wanting more. God she’s just like me. We make out for another couple of minutes before we part from each other for good.

  “God you’re so fucking hot.” Again, she bites that damn lip and I almost don’t want to let her go.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Keenan.” She says before pecking my lips and walking out the classroom. I can’t help but watch her sexy ass waltz out the door with a sway in her step.

  Great.

  Now I have to see Mason with a boner.

  Chapter Forty-One

  MASON

  My head has been all over the place these last few days. When I left Lake’s apartment, the whole way back home all I could think about were her scars. I can’t believe I didn’t see or feel them when we fucked for hours the night before or the story behind them that still makes me feel sick. You’d never know that would have happened to her. She’s the strongest and toughest woman I’ve ever met. Even the women in this industry aren’t as tough as her. It was hard seeing the kid break down from it and seeing them embrace each other. The emotion both of them went through is something I could only imagine.

  I can’t say that I haven’t felt sad this week because I have. I thought she wouldn’t run from me or us anymore. Even though we haven’t really spent any time together to get to really know each other, I at least thought she would have come to me. The first few days I felt over the moon about how my life has turned out. But then the days passed and she never came. I even went to her place and waited for her but she never came out. I finally figured she needed time to process everything. With the life she had, maybe all of this was too soon for her. Maybe I shouldn’t have chased her. Maybe I just fucked everything up because I got greedy. I found someone that had caught my interest completely and I had to go and fuck it up by being myself.

  “Mason?” A knock at the door pulls me out of the pity party I just threw myself.

  “Yeah?” Monty opens the door to my bedroom before walking in looking...troubled?

  “Uh, yeah, so there’s a kid at the door asking for you.” He says. What kid? Then it clicked.

  Keenan!

  I got up from the bed, quickly pushing past Monty and running into the living room and sure enough, there he was, standing in front of the door. But he looked different from the last time I saw him. Now he looked tired, exhausted.

  “Keenan? What are you doing here?” And how the fuck did he find out where I live? He’s just full of surprises.

  “Is she here?” He asked with a voice full of emotion. The first time I ever met him he was contained. He was able to mask his face and speak without showing me anything. But this time was different. There were so many emotions showing through his eyes but the one that intrigued me the most was hope. There’s no need to ask who she is either. There’s only one thing we have in common and that’s Lake.

  “No. I haven’t heard from her. Why?” Not going to lie, my heart started beating harder the moment I said no. The look on his face was one of concealed panic. His breathing became labored as he tried to compose himself. He wasn’t doing a very good job. His jaw clenched and unclenched and his bottom lip started to quiver in a silent cry.

  “Hey buddy, what’s wrong?” Monty spoke up for the both of us. Even though I too was once a kid, I have no idea how to handle this type of shit with kids. Monty stepped up to him not saying anything. It seemed his presence alone was enough to help the kid compose himself better but I could see the lingering tears in his eyes.

  “She hasn’t come home.” I know I haven’t known her long but the cat and mouse games we played and the claim I made on her has already affected me to my core. So, hearing that my queen was missing had me feeling a new type of anger. A deep anger that would do anything for her. Now I know why he looks the way he does. He depends on her just like she depends on him. They both balance each other out the same way Monty does for me.

  “Tell me everything.” I need to know. My pulse is erratic as I start thinking of all my enemies that could have taken her to hurt me. For the first time ever, I regret the life I chose. What if all the hunting I did was what happened. She always valued her privacy and I walked all over that just because I wanted her. What if someone was following me and I led them straight to her?

  I hadn’t realized my own breath started coming out in fast spouts. Stress had already taken place well before he spoke again.

  “After we left, she went to work. I usually wait up until I hear her get home but she didn’t come home. She does that sometimes but she will always come home the second day. But this time she didn’t. Her phone was at home and she wasn’t at any of the usual places she likes to go.” He stopped talking to control his breathing. He started hyperventilating while talking but stopped to calm himself. He’s got great control while I on the other hand was struggling to contain the beast within. I couldn’t help but blame myself.

  “How long has she been gone?” Monty asked. Keenan's big sad puppy eyes landed on Monty and I could already tell the effect had taken a toll on Monty. It doesn’t take much to make him sad when kids are concerned.

  “Five days.” His voice slightly cracked at the end and immediately Monty pulled him into a hug. I could see him relax some but his shoulders were still tense and his fists were still balled up.

  Monty pulled back and walked him over to the couch. Sitting down beside him, Monty worked his magic.

  “Has she ever gone away for more than two days at a time?” He asked calmly.

  “Yeah, a few times.” The sadness was evident in his response but I was curious to hear where Monty was going with this.

  Taking a seat opposite them I wait for Monty’s reply.

  “How do you know she didn’t just go away for a few days and forgot to take her phone?” He thought for a moment before he started to shake his head.

  “She would never forget her phone. She’s calculating and always prepared.” He said adamantly.

  “Has she been as prepared lately? Because if she was anything like Mason then she wouldn’t have been.” Keenan calmed down considerable now when Monty’s logic sunk in. Shit, the asshole even managed to calm me down. He made sense. We’ve both been so preoccupied with each other lately that I haven’t been on my best game and considering how calm the kid is, even he agrees.

  Being able to breathe calmly again, I lean back in my chair and watch as Monty continues to handle the situation.

  He’s always wanted to have his own family. To some point I agree. With our upbringing and being abandoned, we both want to have a family of our own. We both want someone to come home too, someone to wake up next too, someone to spoil. I see the look in Monty’s eyes every time we see a couple walk by. We both want that. I’m lucky enough to have found the one for me but Monty hasn’t been so lucky.

  He’s had boyfriends in the past but they’ve never been more than fuckboys. They’ve never wanted anything more than a bit of fun. I know he play
s it off and says he just likes to have a good time but I see it in his eyes that he wants more.

  Unlike me, he wants kids. I on the other hand never thought of having them. I mean, who would purposely bring a child into this world.

  Our world.

  I could never do that. I could never put my child in a position where they wouldn’t know if their dad was going to walk back through that door after they leave. But I understand him. He’s great with kids and even as I sit here and watch him talk to Keenan, I see that familiar need in his eyes.

  I wish I could give that to him. I wish I could go out there and find the guy that would be his forever. The one that Monty could wake up next to everyday and the one that would give him the family he wants.

  I know that if it came down to it, Monty would choose love and family over this life. I know Lake could never do that. She needs this life to survive. I heard all about her before I even met her. Monty and Joe filled me in on her when I had never heard of her and I’m shocked that I didn’t. When I went on my hunt asking around about her, everyone spoke of her as a legend of sorts and the way they spoke of her with fear and admiration only confirmed my theories. But actually seeing her in person and being around her I could tell she needs this life. Before I even heard her story, I knew she had a dark side to her. A side that craved the sight of blood and the screams of agony. I already knew she would never be someone that would want a family. I liked that about her. I didn’t want to lose her before I even got her.

  I look up as an alerting sound chimes from Keenan's pocket. He fishes his phone out, staring intently at the screen before he shot off the couch, running straight to the door and slamming it on his way out.

  Monty and I share a look, both hoping that he would be alright.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  LAKE

  Five days earlier

  Pushing through Jordan's front door, the place was surrounded in darkness with the tenant missing. Shutting the door, I slowly but steadily make my way towards his bathroom, using the walls as support. I already noticed the blood that had continued to stain my shirt, figuring that it was mine and not the guys that lay dead in the now abandoned warehouse.

  Finding a cupboard of fresh towels, I grab one before returning to where I came from. I stumble against the table as I make my way towards his bedroom. If you can call it that. It’s not really a room per say.

  Wrapping the large towel around my waist, I lay down on his bed. With my labored breaths I nearly didn’t hear the jingle of keys walking up the hallway before they stopped at the front door.

  Light suddenly pierced the room as the front door let the light from the hallway in. It didn’t last long before the light ceased again.

  “You need better security.” I say into the dark. I hear a sharp intake of breath before footsteps quickly walk towards what I’m assuming is his lamp. Though he does have ceiling lights he seems to prefer the warm glow from his antique lamps instead.

  “Lake?” His head suddenly appeared in my hazy view. He seemed just as shocked as I felt. I know I said I’d never be back here, yet here I am.

  Another gasp filled the room as he looked upon my paled and bleeding body. Clutching my arm to my chest, cradling the broken arm as I steadied my breath. I definitely have broken ribs with the amount of pain I’m in from just one breath alone.

  “What happened?” He said in a serious but dark tone. I had to double take to see the dark glint in his eye. It even looked murderous. Dr James just peaked my interest.

  “You said if I ever needed help all I had to do was ask. Well doc, I’m asking.” He’d already left the room before I finished the sentence.

  He came back a few minutes later with a different bag to the one he had last time.

  Sitting next to me on the bed, he looks over my broken arm before looking down to the hem of my shirt, having discarded the hoodie as soon as I got to the bathroom. Nodding my head, I allow him to lift my shirt up.

  Watching his face intently, he bypassed the scars I had on my stomach and focused on my bruised ribs. He lightly traces them, making me grunt and stare at him in warning. They weren’t no love taps.

  Ignoring my stare, he turned his attention back to my arm. I looked up towards the roof noticing my vision started getting darker and blurrier.

  “Lake?” Jordan's worried voice asked. I found I couldn’t even reply if I tried. His fingers came into my blurred vision, snapping above my sight.

  “Lake!”

  I tried to hold on but before I knew it, everything went black.

  ✧✧✧

  Sounds of clattering and one-sided conversations woke me. Looking down at my body, my arm had been placed in a hard-looking plastic cast, my ribs wrapped up and my chest completely bare of clothing. Gingerly sitting up, I notice that I’m only naked from the waist up. The bandages around my ribs are also covering my breasts.

  “Hi...yes...hello, this is Doctor Jordan James. I have a family emergency I need to take care of and need a few days off.” I waited to hear his reply.

  “Yes, thank you. See you then.” Slowly standing up, I go to take a step forward but a rushed voice stops me.

  “Please don’t stand!” I look up to see Jordan rushing over.

  His hands lightly touch my shoulders as he pushes me back down on the bed. Not feeling a hundred percent, I comply with him. Laying back down I make myself comfortable by piling extra pillows that I didn’t see before on top of the one I woke up on.

  “I guess you won’t be telling me what happened?” He asks begrudgingly.

  “You can read minds.” I joke. The tension in the room is thick and the way Jordan is looking at me says it won’t go down anytime soon.

  “So, tell me doc, what did you do to me and why am I half naked?” He continues to give me a menacing glare before huffing.

  “First of all, you were stabbed. So, I had to take your shirt and bra off to stitch the wound and bandage your ribs and secondly, you had a clean break on your arm.” I look down and study the weird cast he’s put on my arm. He notices my gaze and continues to explain.

  “I used a Thermoplastic Splint. It’s lighter, waterproof, removable but you won’t be able to remove it for about six weeks. Since it was a clean break it won’t take too long to heal but I also want you to keep it on for a couple weeks longer than that. Something tells me you need all your limbs functioning for the type of work you do. I’m assuming it’s dangerous?” He asks raising one eyebrow in question. I shrug, not wanting to pull any more people down with me into my world. Keenan is already a part of it because I couldn’t seem to let him go. I was forced into caring for him by some unknown force in my body that had a strong need to protect him.

  “Well, thanks for the help, J. But I gotta go.” Trying to sit up again, I’m unsuccessful when his hand gently pushes me back down again. With a pointed stare I conceal, laying back down against the soft confines of his bed.

  “You’re staying right here until you’re better, and J?” His smile widens in amusement.

  “Yah, it gets boring calling you doc all the time.” He laughs shaking his head but I don’t hear him disagreeing with me.

  “So, tell me, why is it that I’m not allowed to leave?” I question. Not that he could really keep me captive anyways. I spent years growing up in captivity and when I finally escaped, I made it my mission to never be caught again. So now if I’m ever in that situation where I’m trapped or kidnapped, I always have contingencies. A plan B if you will.

  My father taught me a lot, but he also taught me things he didn’t know. Like how to hide weapons, tools, makeshift keys to hide in small or hidden spaces. Things that could come in handy if I’m ever caught in cuffs or have my hands tied together. I taught myself how to dislocate my thumb when I was fourteen.

  I remember it so clearly. Sometimes when my father would go away for work and when he was conditioning me to certain temperatures, mainly the cold Russian winters, he would cuff my hands together and put them on
a chain hook hoist and haul me up in the air till my toes scraped against the ground. There I’d stay for days in the freezing sub-zero temperatures until he came back, releasing me from my metal confines. But one day when I was fourteen, I just couldn’t deal with it anymore. I didn’t want to be locked up, I didn’t want to learn any more lessons, I didn’t want to listen to my father. I just wanted to get out.

  So, I did.

  And that was the first time I ever lied to my father. I managed to dislocate my thumb from excessive force of trying to free my hands. Slipping through one cuff, effectively unhooking myself from the hook since the cuffs were just placed over the hook instead of clipped in. Once I was on the ground, I popped my thumb back in place and proceeded to bundle myself up in the blankets he put to the side of the room to tease me. I spent three days downstairs in the basement of our house under those blankets. I didn’t care about food or water. It was too cold to even move. When I heard the front door open, I quickly folded the blankets back to their original positions that I memorized and put the open cuff back on my wrist. I all but ran to the hook and threw my hands back over it with a small jump before he could catch me.

  By the time he came downstairs my heart was beating a million miles per minute, I was sweating from stress and willing my body to cool down. I knew he was expecting to find me as cold as ice but I was still feeling the warmth remnants from the thick woolen blankets on my skin. Upon entering the room, he came straight towards me and grabbed my throat in his large strong hand. He stared at my eyes for what felt like hours until he relented. He spoke of me having a fever which is why I felt so hot. It wasn’t uncommon for me to get fevers when he conditioned me to certain temperatures but I got lucky that day that he was distracted. Usually he can spot a lie from miles away. But something else happened that day.

  That was the day I learnt to lie.

  To read him.