“I have to go and check on the rest of my crew. Will you be okay working by yourself?”
“Yes.” Obviously Conner hadn’t instructed Emmanuel to watch me all the time. With the fence being eight feet tall and an electrified wire running above it, Conner knew I couldn’t leave from here.
I filled two bags and tied them. As I started putting weeds in the third bag, I heard a few branches breaking and the rustling of trees on the other side of the fence. Moving toward the fence, my eyes flitted back and forth through the woods. I didn’t see anyone, and the alarm was silent. I went back to work.
Darcy peeked around the bushes. I waved to her. She smiled. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” she said, timidly.
“I’m fine.” I knelt down and pulled up a few more weeds.
“Let me know if I can get you something.”
“Thanks. I will.” As she retreated, I thought she probably felt nervous because she couldn’t see me from the house. I suspected she had glimpsed around the bushes before without me noticing.
Emmanuel appeared while I was shoveling weeds into another bag. “It looks like you’re moving right along,” he said, handing me a bottle of water.
“Thanks.”
“Do you need anything?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll get back to my crew.”
When he was out of sight, I again heard twigs snapping and rustling of leaves on the other side of the fence. I stood, looked into the woods, and wondered if the kids were out there playing even if they should be in school. I didn’t hear any talking, laughing, or giggling. The rustling got louder. Then I saw the silhouette of a man moving toward me. As he got closer, I backed away from the fence.
A few seconds later, I recognized the man as Brett. Cocking an eyebrow, I felt irritated that somehow he had followed me from Billings. At the same time, I saw his blue eyes brimming with concern, and my emotions began churning inside. As my heart beat briefly spiked, I was grateful that the fence separated us, and with the electric current running along the top, it wouldn’t allow him to get any closer. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s what I planned on asking you,” he said. “You need to leave.”
“How did you find me?”
“We knew where you lived before you came to Billings. Just like we know you called Conner to come and get you.”
“If you knew I called Conner, why didn’t you try to stop me from going with him?”
“We didn’t discover you called him until after you were gone.”
“Who are ‘we’?”
“I’ll explain later.” His eyes inched up and down over my clothing. “Why are you working in the yard? Is this how you’re repaying Conner for coming to get you or for leaving him?”
“No,” I snapped. “I wanted to work in the yard. Conner doesn’t want me to work at all. You followed me all the way from Billings. I want to know why.”
“Sara, we don’t have time. Right now, I need to get you away from here.”
“No. Right now, I’m safe. Conner won’t hurt me.”
“You’ll hurt him,” he said, calmly.
“How can I hurt him? I don’t have any weapons. If anyone hurts him, it’ll be you and your spiders.”
“Sara—”
“Stay away from me. I know you’re a member of the cult.”
“Cult?”
“The spider cult.” I clenched my teeth, annoyed that he expected me to blindly leave with him. How could he believe I would even consider it? Then suddenly my pulse quickened, my breathing accelerated, and the desire surged through my body. I wanted him. “Oh, no. Not again.” I gulped in air. “What did you give me? I feel like a nymphomaniac.”
Staring at the ground, my thoughts, emotions, and urges collided. I couldn’t understand why I wanted him since I knew what he was and how he had used me. I felt his arms wrapping around me. “How did you get on this side of the fence? And how did you get over the stone wall without being detected?”
“I’ll tell you everything when you’re in a safe place.”
Unable to control my lust, I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. My breathing became harder. I started to unbuckle his belt. He broke off some of the lower branches on one of the bushes, creating a space for us. All I could think about was how much I needed him as we crawled in, hidden from anyone looking for me. My mind went blank when he touched me.
Afterwards, I bit my lip and inhaled deeply. “I can’t keep doing this. This feeling keeps coming back. The more I try to wait, the more intense it becomes. It’s impossible to have a serious conversation with anyone. I can’t control it. Even when I’m mad or upset, the desire encompasses all my thoughts. Why did you do this to me? Was that part of your assignment?” Water welled in my eyes.
He held me close. “Shhh,” he whispered. “You were an assignment. Now you’ve become so much more. You are the only one I want. What I gave you was to help you, not to hurt you. You were going through the phases too fast.”
“Phases?”
“Your body is going through changes. The sexual desires emerge more often when you are emotionally charged: angry, fearful, or happy.”
“I try to relax and it doesn’t go away.”
“The only way you can control it is if you can relax before the desire occurs. Once there, it needs to be satisfied.”
“Does it ever.”
“Don’t worry. It will be gone soon.”
“What are you talking about?” I whispered.
“I’m not saying you won’t have sexual desires, but you’ll be able to control them. I’ll explain after I get you away from here.”
“I can’t leave right now. I need answers.”
“Sara,” Emmanuel yelled. “Where are you?”
I slipped on my jeans. Crawling out, I motioned for Brett to stay put, and then I pulled out a weed. “Just wanted to get a few weeds from under the bush,” I said, loudly.
Emmanuel walked toward me. I stood and brushed myself off as I moved in his direction.
“Mr. Crussett will not like it if you’re all scratched up. Don’t go that far under the bushes again.” His eyes dropped to my hands. “Why aren’t you wearing any gloves?”
“My hands were getting sweaty, so I took them off.”
He looked at my arms without touching me. “Do you have any scratches?”
Checking my exposed skin, I ran my hands over my neck and down my arms. “I’ve got one small one. That’s all. It’s right here.” I pointed to the spot on my upper arm.” I smiled at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll wear a long-sleeved top. No one will know.”
“You’ve been out here for over three hours. I think you should quit for today. Tomorrow you can do some more weeding if you wear gloves.”
“Can I leave the garbage can where it is? It can’t be seen from the back yard.”
“Yes. The filled plastic bags must go,” he said, picking up two.
“Let me get the others.” I turned and moved away from him, then stopped by a bag and glanced over my shoulder to make sure he wasn’t watching me. Leaning down next to the bushes, I whispered to Brett, “You have to leave now before anyone sees you.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow to get you,” Brett said, from the other side of the fence.
“How did you get over there?”
He left without answering.
“Sara,” Emmanuel said, stepping around a bush. “Are you talking to someone?”
“No. I was just singing to myself. It feels so good to be outside.” I hummed as I picked up the bag and walked toward him, grabbing another bag along the way. I glanced at the woods and saw a few branches swaying but no sign of Brett.
15
Family Business
Heading toward the house, I heard the phone ringing.
“Conner Crussett’s residence. May I help you?” Darcy answered. “Yes. I’ll get her.” She looked out the patio door. “Sara, Mr. Crussett would like to talk to you.” She han
ded me the phone as I walked in.
“Hi.”
“How is your work day going?” Conner asked.
“Surprisingly great. I forgot how much I love working outside.”
“Good. I want you to quit for the day. I’ll be home soon. We’re having company for dinner.”
“Who?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there. See you in a little while.” He clicked off.
I wondered why he didn’t just tell me who was coming. I decided to get cleaned up so he didn’t smell Brett’s cologne on me. I strolled toward the stairs.
“Sara, aren’t you going to have lunch?” Darcy asked.
I turned and saw her holding a plate with a sandwich and chips on it. “There’s dirt and weeds in my hair. I’m going to take a quick shower and then I’ll be down for lunch.”
She smiled as I went up the stairs. I hurriedly showered and slipped on a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt. When Conner said he’d be home soon, I wasn’t sure what ‘soon’ meant.
My hands felt rough, even though I only had my gloves off when I was with Brett. Knowing Conner wouldn’t let me work outside if he noticed the dry, cracking skin, I anxiously rubbed lotion into them. It didn’t help. Glancing through the cabinet, searching for something that might work, I found suntan oil, poured it over my hands, and massaged it in. That helped.
As I ate my sandwich, I heard Conner’s car. A few minutes later, he came into the kitchen and sat by me.
“Who’s coming to dinner tonight?” I asked.
He took my hand. “Cameron.”
“Is Melanie coming with him?”
“No. He’s coming alone.”
Fear swept through my body. Cameron was Conner’s brother. He was sixteen years older. Based on what I saw in the books, he was running the family business since Conner’s dad, Cedric, had a heart attack six months ago. Conner also had an older sister, Carina. For some unknown reason, Conner’s dad liked ‘C’ names. Cameron followed the same tradition. He had three boys named Caden, Carter, and Colin. Caden was a year younger than I was and worked for the family. Carter was in college and he sometimes worked for them. Colin was only eight. I was sure the family business was also in his destiny.
Even before I knew the truth about the Crussetts, I always felt nervous around Cameron. He was tall and slender with medium brown hair, and he had a dignified appearance. His clothes were always immaculate, not a wrinkle anywhere. His face looked just as stiff; he seldom smiled. I didn’t think he liked being around children, including his own. At family gatherings, Melanie had to make sure Colin didn’t bother him. I couldn’t imagine what type of a husband he must’ve been.
“Why’s he coming?” I asked.
Conner held my hand tighter. “He just wants to make sure we’re getting along. That’s all.”
My spine stiffened as I felt the muscles in my body tightening and a lump in my throat, believing Cameron had another agenda. Without warning, a rush of excitement encompassed my thoughts and my heart pounded. Not again. I clutched my thigh with my free hand, hoping the arousal would dissipate. Brett told me to try and keep my emotions under control. How could I with Cameron coming? My condition was hopeless. I stroked Conner’s arm, leaned closer and kissed him. “Should we show him?”
Conner smiled. “Not that way.”
Needing him, I stood up and put my arms around his neck. “Do you want to practice getting along?”
He rose to his feet. “That’s why I came home. I think we’re past practicing.” He kissed my forehead. “You couldn’t get any better.”
Kissing his neck, I said, “Neither could you.”
“We better get up,” Conner said, moving to the edge of bed. “Cameron will be here at seven.”
I wished I could just stay upstairs. Since that wasn’t possible, I reluctantly climbed out of bed.
He put his arms around me. “It will be okay. Cameron mentioned he had some business to attend to after dinner. He’ll only be here for a couple of hours.” He kissed me.
I pondered about how to keep my emotions under control and smiled to myself. At least if I couldn’t, Cameron would know we were getting along. Since one aspect of the family business involved pornography, he might want to put us in the movies. Oh, what a disgusting thought.
We got ready. I put on my black silk skirt and a white silk blouse, an outfit Conner liked. He wore a dark suit, light blue shirt, and a twill plaid tie I had given him.
“You look gorgeous,” he said, walking toward me. “I want you to wear your emerald necklace.” He took it out of my jewelry box, eased it around my neck, closed the clasp, and handed me the matching earrings.
As we went down the stairs, I thought we looked too nice just to be having dinner with one person. I knew Conner wanted to make a good impression on his brother. I never believed they were very close, but they were family.
The wonderful smell of prime rib and hot rolls permeated the house. I was sure Darcy had been cooking all afternoon. From the nervous way she fluttered around, I sensed she viewed Cameron the same way I did.
Conner went to the bar and opened a bottle of Merlot. He poured two glasses and carried them into the living room. We sat down and he toasted, “To us.”
I took a sip and glanced at the clock. It read: 6:55 p.m. Dreading Cameron’s arrival, I inhaled deeply and exhaled.
“Relax,” Conner said. “It’ll be okay.”
I smiled, though I doubted he was right. It would have been better if Melanie were also coming. Cameron alone wasn’t a good sign. Even if Conner could forgive me for taking some documents, I knew his family would be a problem.
The doorbell rang.
Swallowing hard, I stood and Conner took my hand. I heard the door open and Darcy talking in the entryway along with two male voices. Something was wrong. I grabbed Conner’s arm and clung to it.
He looked at me and rubbed my hand. “Don’t worry.”
“Cameron isn’t alone,” I whispered, fear audible in my stuttering voice.
Conner’s expression hardened as Cameron and a tall, muscular, bald man with a dark complexion entered the living room. My eyes met Cameron’s. He glared at me with a smirk.
“Sara, go upstairs,” Conner ordered.
Grateful that Conner had excused me and anxious to get away from Cameron, I hurried out of the room. Moving up the stairs, I heard Conner yell, “What’s he doing here?”
After that, I didn’t hear another word as I quickly went into our bedroom and pulled the door shut. I sat down in the padded chair, leaned back, and closed my eyes. I took a few deep breaths to calm down. My mind drifted back to the time before I moved into Conner’s house. I smiled when I remembered one of his old girlfriends, Susan, coming to visit me unannounced at the Investment Company in San Diego. She shouted at me—calling me all kinds of names. Most of them I never heard before. I recalled feeling amused when she accused me of being a gold digger. If she only knew how much money I had.
My parents lived a frugal life. They were never flamboyant. Growing up, I knew they purchased expensive equipment. They had the latest stuff in their state of the art lab, much admired by others in their field. They never discussed money in front of me. After they died, I learned they were wealthy. Mom, an only child, had inherited a fortune from her parents. I never had to work, but I wanted to be productive like my parents and earn my own money. Still, it was nice knowing that I didn’t need to worry about it. Conner knew I had an inheritance from my parents. I was certain he assumed it wasn’t much since I always referred to it as a ‘little inheritance.’
I couldn’t believe Conner would date anyone who acted like Susan. She quit calling me names when the office manager told her she had a phone call. She trudged into his office. About fifteen minutes later, she came out and glared at me as she left the building. The next day Conner came into town. I didn’t want to see him. If Susan was the type of girl he liked, I wasn’t in her league, nor did I want to be. Eventually, he convinced me to g
o out with him again. We had three great years together. Those years I’ll never regret. I wished I could change him into the man I believed he was.
Someone touched my hands and I opened my eyes. Conner stood next to the chair smiling at me.
“Let’s go down and have dinner,” he said.
“Do we still have company?”
“Only Cameron. He’ll be leaving right after dinner.”
“Who was the other guy?” After waiting and receiving no answer, I rose to my feet. “I was hoping we’d be dining alone.”
He pulled me close to him and lightly kissed my lips. “Cameron still wants to make sure we’re getting along.”
I took his arm. “Let’s show him.”
We went to the living room. Cameron gave me a sinister smile as he shook my hand. I walked between him and Conner to the dining room. As soon as we were seated, Darcy came in and dished up salad.
“Melanie accepted a position on the ballet board,” Cameron said, picking up his fork. “They’ve been after her for years to be a board member. She wanted Colin to be older before she made that type of commitment.”
“How did Carter do on his finals?” Conner asked, buttering a roll.
“Well. He ended up with the 3.5 average for the semester. He’s thinking about doing a semester abroad.”
“Where to?”
“England. He’s looking into a program at Reading and one at Oxford.”
They continued talking about the family, and I relaxed thinking everything was going to be okay.
Darcy gathered up the salad plates and served the main course. When she went back to the kitchen, Cameron began, “We have another buyer for the stuff coming in from Columbia.”
“Didn’t Thurman want it all?” Conner asked.
“No. He wants all the pot and cocaine, but only part of the heroin.”
“How much heroin is left?”
“A hundred kilos.”
“My Louisiana contact will take it.”
“There’s a local guy that claims he’ll pay top dollar. I’m meeting with him tonight. Let’s see how high he’ll go.”
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