“Duke. You have to tell me the truth. What is going on?” I asked softly, hoping my change in tone would give him a sense of security, and he’d give me some insight. As I stared at the pictures above and around him, a different picture than what had originally popped into my head began to develop, but it was too late. Duke dove across the desk, grabbing hold of the front of the sweater and yanking me forward enough that I lost my balance, and the last thing I remember was slamming face first into the wood desk.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Duke
Walking in the door, the last thing I expected was to find Natalie in the office taking in all the information there. Tara had warned about loose ends. Maybe I should have heeded the warning and taken care of Natalie. Now she knew even more and left me no choice but to take care of her.
I couldn’t find it in my heart to take her to the basement, passed out with black and blue eyes and a bloody nose from where she had hit the desk. Instead, I took her to the room she’d escaped from, where I saw the discarded ballerina and bed spring. It hit home how hard she attempted to bolt from this house.
She slept on the bed as I cleaned the blood from her face, and then I hovered over her from the chair. When she roused, she groaned in pain as her fingers went to her face, prompting me to her side where I gently moved her hands back to her side. She looked up at me with fear, and I offered a peace offering—aspirin and water.
Natalie scooted to a seated position with her back against the headboard and took the pain reliever. She gulped down the water. “Why?” she asked with a hoarse voice.
“I want to tell you everything, Nat. I need you to be patient for a little bit longer. Can you do that for me?”
Tears filled her eyes, and her head shook no.
“Please.”
“I saw all those...” her words trailed off.
“I know, but you don’t understand it yet.”
“Then explain it to me,” Natalie insisted.
“Soon, sweetie. Soon,” I told her, moving a strand of hair out of her face and then backing away. The bed bounced back when I moved from it and backed out of the room. All the while Natalie’s look was harsh and cold. There needed to be space between us or I would deliver all the secrets.
TARA ARRIVED PROMPTLY at the time we had agreed upon. Knowing that Morton and Natalie were growing impatient, the process needed to be accelerated. Contact with Morton needed to be made so arrangements for the drop could be finalized and information about his target could be handed over.
“Message him a picture of me and a close up of this ring,” Tara said, pulling a ruby ring from her pocket. “This is distinguishable. You’ll recognize it. Use it as a way for him to think he’s going to give it to you for proof.” She finished sliding the ring onto her finger where it fit perfectly. My eyes raised from the ring to her eyes for confirmation of what she was saying.
Tara nodded. “I’ll be the pawn,” she confirmed.
“No,” I protested. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Who else can do it, Duke?” she questioned. “I have the experience and connections to make this happen.”
“No mistakes,” I insisted, worried that maybe she’d already involved others. She nodded in agreement, acknowledging our agreement that there would be no one else.
“It’s you and me,” she said softly, understanding the importance of this being perfect. “I get it, Duke. Maybe after we get this fucker, you’ll find some peace.” At Tara’s words, I thought of Natalie recovering upstairs. She could be my peace. Maybe I didn’t need Tara or Morton or justice to find it. The first shreds of doubt entered my thoughts about what would happen if we failed.
Tara dead.
Natalie haunted.
Me imprisoned.
The irony was not lost on me as I looked upon the ruby ring on Tara’s finger.
Avenging Shonna had consumed me for so long I don’t even remember a time when my life didn’t revolve around that. She was the best thing that had happened to me until Natalie, but it all came crashing down when I thought about the risk Tara was taking and Natalie locked away from the world to protect my interests. Maybe risking Tara, and even Natalie, wasn’t worth it after all.
As if reading my thoughts, Tara squeezed my hand. “We got this, Duke. There is no turning back now.”
She was right. There was no turning back. The wheels were already put into motion.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Natalie
He called me sweetie. Who did that when they had you locked up and banged your head into a desk?
I couldn’t stop my damaged heart from fluttering at the term of endearment.
My thoughts went to all the things hanging in Duke’s office, and all the things I knew but didn’t know. I tried to piece together as much as I could, but with so much of the story missing, it was challenging to see any clear lines.
I didn’t know how the psyche of a killer worked or if that’s how they tracked their victims. Or maybe it was his honor wall where he kept all the information about himself as a sign of pride. Or maybe he was searching for something. At that point it didn't feel like I would ever get any answers.
Duke came to me again, and I didn’t have the strength to engage or even look at him. The gush of the water told me he was in the bathroom, and then the bed dipped where he sat, and he gently rolled me toward him.
He lightly dabbed at my face, cleaning up the remains of any blood from earlier. His touch was delicate. My eyes closed as his smooth touch caressed me through the washcloth. He set aside the washcloth, and I felt disappointed. He grabbed a dish from the end stand that I missed him carrying in, and he dipped the spoon into the dish, bringing it out with what looked like broth. I scooted up in the bed to a sitting position, prepared to take the steaming bowl, but instead Duke leaned forward and put the spoon directly to my lips.
He fed me, and I greedily took each spoonful. My stomach accepted anything at that point. The warm liquid quickly spread throughout my body, allowing me to relax. When Duke put the dish down and slid next to me, my relaxed and sleepy state didn’t mind the warmth he brought with him, and my head fell onto his shoulder as sleep took over.
The shifting of my head, woke me. Alarmed and confused, I bolted upright only to find Duke sitting patiently right where he was when I had fallen asleep.
“Sorry I woke you, Nat. After sitting here for a couple hours, my leg was falling asleep,” Duke explained.
“You sat here this whole time?” I asked, still coming out of my sleep. “Why?”
He turned so he was facing me, “I know you think I’m a monster, and maybe I am, but my heart has always been in the right place.”
Sitting in front of me was the Duke I had fallen for what felt like so long ago. I turned too, so we were sitting on the bed facing each other. My emotions were baffled by what to believe. Which Duke was the real Duke? Maybe he was made up of both the men that I’d seen lately? Cruel then comforting.
“Will you tell me what’s going on? Are you going to hurt me?” I whispered, needing to know what I should expect, venturing into a territory that Duke had been reluctant to talk about, always telling me to be patient. Hopefully with his sudden change of attitude, he’d let me in a little.