“Not completely, but I’m getting closer. Come here.” He lays us back against the pillows. “Think you can sleep?”
“Maybe if you sing for me.” I pout.
“For the girl who thinks I’m dreamy? Anything.” He chuckles and begins singing softly.
I wonder how much good it will take to find my peace. When Monday gets here, I’ll have some tough choices to make, but for now…
“Jonah?”
“Hmm?”
“Make love to me again?” “Thought you’d never ask.” He grins, rolling me onto my back and carefully pushing inside me. “Keep your eyes on mine, Eliana. I’ll help you chase them away. And when we finally sleep, you will be far too happy and exhausted for nightmares.” He kisses me and begins slowly rocking into me, over and over, taking his time with me.
When I reach my first orgasm and close my eyes, he softly whispers, “One. Stay with me, beautiful. I’m nowhere near done yet.”
So, I do. I keep my eyes on him all through the night, making love and chasing away the bad until the morning light peeks through the curtains and we’re completely spent.
“Eleven,” he pants as we collapse on the bed and I am pulled into a blissfully dreamless sleep.
Chapter Three
Costin
“Where are you going, Costin?” Abel falls in beside me as I’m heading down the stairs.
“Seriously, man?” I ignore him, moving to the far wall, placing my finger in the seam of the exposed brick, and freeing the hidden door. “I’m getting fucking answers, Abel.”
“Where’s, Jaxx?”
“I’m realizing that we all seemed to grow balls at the same time. Oh, and that if Andrew kills us for this, I stand a pretty decent chance of getting out alive while he takes down your clumsy asses.” He smirks.
“Funny… you in?” I turn, heading down into the basement.
“I’m in. Have either of you seen Andrew’s secret guest?” Jaxx latches the wall back into place and follows us down.
Abel shakes his head no, and I could scream. “Are we seriously saying that none of us have been down here? We have just taken his word for it this whole time?”
“He had me on detail nearly 20 hours a day.” Abel shrugs. “Didn’t think anything of it after what happened. I wanted to be out there.”
“Well, I was chasing down leads.” Jaxx gives me a pointed look. “How about you, Cos?”
“With Andrew. Playing the role I was supposed to play.” I rub my neck, ashamed. “He has been partying a lot, gotten unpredictable, and we have to call for clean up a few times a week. So yeah, it’s been… busy.”
We’re all silent as we make our way to the end of the hall where Andrew keeps his ‘long term guests,’ and I open the door.
“I fucking shot him!” Jaxx lunges forward, wrapping his hands around the man’s throat, squeezing. “You are supposed to be fucking dead, you piece of shit.”
“Jaxx! Let the fuck go! Let go! He could have the answers we need to keep her safe!” I yell as Abel pulls him back.
“You perverted piece of shit. How are you even alive?” Jaxx hisses. “Answer me, Puckett! After what you did to her, I will enjoy every second of breaking you. Your death will go on for years.”
“I think you should talk dick-bag. He’ll do it, and if it will get answers, we won’t stop him.” I shrug.
“After what I did?” Puckett pants. “I took fucking pictures. I never even touched her. Honestly, didn’t even find her attractive until last year. I’m not into kids, and I’m not a fucking rapist. I was just doing what I was told to.”
“You didn’t touch her?” Abel sneers. “I remember that part quite differently.”
“That was the only time, and Vonnie lied to me. She told me what happened to her and that her daughter was in on it… they were working together to hurt Andrew. She said it was all staged, planned in advance.”
“You believed that?” I seethe. “You held her back. That looked fake to you?”
“You didn’t know her mother, man. Yeah, I believed it because her mother could have faked those same emotions without trying.” Puckett exhales slowly. “I didn’t even question it until she raised the blade. It all clicked; when I started to let the girl go, I was hit.”
“That’s why you hesitated?” Jaxx paces.
“Yeah, man. I watched y’all long enough to know that she had targeted the only innocent ones here. They were spoiled brats but good kids. All of you, on the other hand… you all deserve this as much as I do,” Puckett spits.
“Facts man. Why are you telling us this now? You have been here for two months?” Abel leans in.
“Now? I told that asshole everything I know a month ago!”
“Everything? He knows where you hid the photos?” I arch a brow. “And who else you were working with?”
“Okay, almost everything.” He smirks. “But fuck that guy. I heard him say I’m a gift for her. You know if she comes down here and gets blood on her hands, it will ruin her, right?”
“You think you know her?” I sneer.
“No, but I knew her mother all my life. Loved her all my life, too. I watched her grow into a girl exactly like yours, marry Xavier Keswick, and live a fucking fairytale. Just to be turned into what you saw the day she stepped into Andrew’s world. All over what? Because Andrew’s daddy refused to share his last name? Couldn’t be the money. Look around you.” He shakes his head.
“Keswick? Eliana’s birth name was Eliana Keswick? He even took her name from her…” Abel shakes his head.
“Yep. The Keswicks. Don’t tell me you haven’t even looked into where she came from? Who’s keeping her safe?” Puckett asks with wide eyes. “Don’t tell me it’s Andrew?”
“You care? Tell me what we need to know,” Jaxx hisses.
“No. Her. I’ll tell her. It’s her life on that film, her choice. It’s all safe, but I will only show her.”
“Wrong answer, asshole.” I pull back to hit him when Jaxx places a hand on my shoulder.
“He’s right, Costin. However, you can tell us what we are missing. Who we are missing.”
Shaking his head, Puckett sighs. “I wish I could. I never saw the guy. Heard him once when I called Vonnie. The asshole answered my call and let me hear them fucking. All I can tell you is he’s dangerous. Vonnie said he’s the coldest man she had ever met, wealthy as fuck, and wanted what Andrew had. Including his daughter.”
My blood runs cold. We aren’t dealing with a small time idiot staying hidden in the shadows.
“So you’re telling me-” Abel starts.
“I’m fucking telling you that your enemy is probably walking among you, with you, and that he has the means and control to make any moves he needs to get what he wants. Andrew may have met his match.”
“If I brought you recordings, could you pick out his voice?” Jaxx asks.
“Fuck yes, I could.” He nods.
“We need to go; we’ve been here too long.” Abel stands by the door. “We’ll be back.”