I smile and Lacey leans into me. And even though this is still hard, even though part of the guilt still eats at me now and again, even though I’m not sure I’m doing anything right, I feel that J.J. would tell me I’m finally understanding what he meant.
TWO HOURS LATER, AFTER eating churros and sitting to watch a short animated film, we stroll past the Halloween decorations and the pumpkins and the lights. We meander through a less crowded part of the park and we glance around before staring at one another. She cradles my face in her hands and her mouth meets mine, hungry and needing more.
I tug her hand until she’s up against a tree and she tilts her head up, licking her lips, and her fingers stroll down my shirt. My skin tingles with warmth and my muscles tighten under her touch. Her fingers trail further down until she reaches my pants and can feel how hard she makes me. My groan is a groan of need and want. My entire body is geared toward her, all my thoughts are directed on how to make her feel as good as I do.
Because her fingers are soft and adventurous and I’m at her mercy.
She blushes and her lips part and I bend down to claim her mouth. She wraps her arms around me, bringing me closer until we rub against each other. Her leg swings around my waist. And my lips trail down from her mouth to her neck. And I’m not sure if it’s the laughter earlier, or the darkness and trees hiding us from the crowd, but when she moans, “More. I want more,” I’d give her everything and more. My hands explore her body, my mouth worships her. And it’s only when the sound of laughter reaches us that we break apart from one another.
Her hair is disheveled. Her lips are bruised from our kisses and she looks as frustrated as I feel, but more and more people are walking our way.
“That was...um...”
“Yep.”
And without breaking eye contact, we both grin. “Elena’s meeting Brielle’s parents tomorrow. She won’t be here for a while,” Lacey whispers, and my entire body hums with anticipation.
“That’s another date,” I reply and lean forward until our foreheads touch. Our breath mingles. We inhale and exhale in sync and I kiss her again.
Another deep kiss that leaves us both breathless.
CHAPTER 34 - LACEY
The next day, I dust and vacuum and organize my books and papers. I’m not really afraid or worried. I want him. I want to feel him and touch him and be one with him. Elena’s been gone for hours already. The room is spotless. I’m wearing a dress again. A different one. One with buttons. I leave the top ones unbuttoned. It flows down to my calves and feels soft against my skin. It’s a dress I bought at a discount store before starting school. It was an impulse buy. Tessa was with me and she agreed that it was the perfect dress for me. It feels perfect for today. And it’s definitely easier than coordinating another outfit. A dress is one item. If I had to choose pants and a top, it might take me forever.
My attempts to stay calm and read the latest regency romance novel I downloaded this morning keep failing. I sit up. My foot drums the floor. And my mind races. Should I prepare somehow? However you can prepare. I know it’s probably going to be uncomfortable. I’ve learned that not everything happens like in the books or movies, but it’s Hunter and it’s me and the way my body always responds to his touch, I want more. More of him. Everything.
My phone buzzes with a text. And I grin, calling him. “Are you on your way?”
He clears his throat. And my heart flutters. I picture him and his strong jaw and that look he gets right before he kisses me and his arms and the way his body felt under my fingers, and five can’t be here fast enough. “I was thinking that maybe we could go somewhere. Somewhere special?”
“Honestly. Wherever. As long as I’m with you.” I lean back, staring at the ceiling, wondering if he can hear the anticipation in my voice.
He chuckles. “I’m at the station right now, but I’ll let you know as soon as I find a place. I want everything to be special.”
“It’s with you. It is special.”
And even though I can feel my face burning, I’m not embarrassed. I know what I want and it’s a feeling I could get used to.
Half an hour later, Hunter texts me the name of a hotel, asking me to meet him there. I google it and in the description it says, “Our décor is the definition of Regency Classicism and we hope you enjoy travelling into Regency England in style without leaving Texas.” And heat radiates through my chest at the special touch. He remembers what I’ve been reading.
Meet you there.
And I grab my keys. I inspect my car like I always do now before sitting down. Just in case. I sing off-key the entire way to the hotel. Anticipation pools in my stomach and when I enter, my eyes widen. Everything is beautiful and elegant, from the antique vases and the chandelier to the paintings on the walls, to the scent wafting through the air.
I stroll to the reception. “I’m here to see Hunter Harrington.” And I swear the lady smiles wider at the name.
“Oh yes. You’re Lacey Simon, correct?”
“Yep,” I say and if I don’t stop giggling she might wonder what’s going on. But I said yep and it reminded me of how Hunter always says that. She hands me the keycard and explains that the suite has its own elevator. A doorman wearing a red suit presses the button for me, and in the spacious elevator with wooden doors, my heart almost bursts with excitement.
The Presidential Suite. How can he even afford that? I enter and close the door behind me, kicking off my shoes. The carpet is thick and the room is big with a bay window and a door to the right that probably leads to the bedroom. There’s a grand piano on the side and couches and a bar. This place is at least three times bigger than the room I share with Elena and it’s only a part of the Suite.
“Hunter?” I call out, glancing to the side where the living room stands, looking forward to feeling his arms around me again.
But Hunter isn’t there. Instead, a hand closes in on my mouth and an arm wraps around my waist, keeping me in place. I struggle and that’s when I feel a gun on my neck. “Mr. Moore?” My voice shakes.
And someone laughs. “You wish it was Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore was a pawn in a much bigger game of revenge.”
I know that voice. I frown, concentrating, and then he adds, “I’m glad to see you Lacey. It has been a long time coming.”
Branson? He slowly turns me around and his blue eyes stare into mine. There’s satisfaction in his gaze and I still don’t understand. This doesn’t make sense. Unless...Fear grips me. “Were you part of the cult too? Did Abram kill someone you loved?”
His laughter booms, unrestrained, and he taps my head with his finger. “It’s not about you. You always thought it was about you, but it wasn’t. It was about Hunter and what he’s done. What he needs to pay for.”
“Let me go. You need to let me leave. Hunter’s on his way.” But my voice quivers.
But Branson shakes his head. Slowly. Too slowly.
“You’re not going anywhere. We’re not going anywhere. Hunter’s waiting for you. But not here. He can’t be the hero this time around. The one time he should have been a hero, he fucking let her die.”
“Who? What are you talking about?” I frown. He’s not making any sense.
“Jane Doe. She was there for me,” he says it like everyone should have known, like it was crystal clear.
But his words still don’t register. “Who was she?”
He struggles to swallow and his eyes are wild. “Kaira. Kaira O’Rourke. She was mine.” His hand tightens around my wrist. “My parents forced me to move here for college. They said I needed to get my shit together.” He laughs bitterly. “They couldn’t have their precious son be in trouble with the law and show their face at their country club. And man was I in trouble.” He pulls on my hair and I wince. “I was using their money to help Kaira. I was dealing Oxy because they had cut me dry and didn’t approve of her. I wasn’t even using or hurting myself. I was doing great!” His voice roars in my ear. “I met Kaira in a club with my friends a
nd I couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was so sweet and gorgeous and using her body to get her fix. We were in love. She showed me what it meant to feel alive.”
“I didn’t know,” I whisper, keeping my tone soothing, but he doesn’t seem to hear me.
He seems lost in his memory, but his grip on me is still firm and I can’t move. I turn my head slightly, trying to find Hunter, trying to find a way out. Nothing. “I helped her. I helped her stay safe. She was using oxy and heroin. I never got into it. Losing control isn’t my thing. Alcohol makes me feel numb and I enjoy that but even smoking pot isn’t for me.” He explains like his alcohol consumption is really what matters right now.
“I’m so sorry for your loss.” He’s still not paying attention or he simply doesn’t care.
He keeps on talking, “While she used, I drank and watched over her. I got too many DUIs and my parents wanted me to make a deal with the DA. They didn’t approve of Kaira. They said she was a bad influence on me,” he sighs. “I did make that deal. But I didn’t give Kaira up. I gave other names. My parents promised the judge they’d sent me to rehab. I was underage then, so it was easy. And we had money. Loads and loads of money, but they also said I couldn’t see Kaira anymore. And the people at that rehab didn’t understand me or how Kaira and I were meant for each other.” His voice gets angrier and he slams me against the bay window. I bite the inside of my cheek not to cry in pain. My head hurts. The city is underneath, buzzing with life. I force myself to stay still, to not upset him. “She begged them. Begged them for help but they refused. She had no one. Everyone had turned their backs on her. She had me. Only me, and I left her behind to come to this stupid place.” He digs his gun deeper into my skin and bile shoots up my mouth. “They cut most of my income. They only send money for school and for approved purchases. But I needed to save money for when Kaira would come back to me. So I dealt oxy again. It’s not hard. Doctors prescribe it way too easily and I’m good at falsifying documents. But I’m even better at hacking. And I made bank. International business my ass. That’s not where the money is. And it helped me with you too.” He laughs like he’s told the funniest joke. “HMDnow.”
I freeze. My stomach rolls. “Hailey?” I manage to ask even though the back of my throat aches.
“Hunter Must Die Now. Clever, no?” He’s not expecting an answer. He continues, “I thought you’d be the one to lure him into a safe place. I’d torture him first making him think you were dead and then I’d kill him. But then...I saw you guys together. And he told you about the deal he had with his uncle. He told you, even though he knew you might not forgive him, because he wanted to do the right thing.” He pulls my hair so hard tears pool at the corner of my eyes. He pushes me away from the bay window, his arm tight around me, and his mouth too close to my ear. His breath is on me, and I swallow a scream. “That’s when I knew I had an even better plan. I’m going to kill you like he killed Kaira, and then he’s going to suffer. He’s going to wonder what he could have done differently. He’s never going to be able to laugh without thinking about your laugh and he’s not going to be able to sleep without imagining what your last minutes were like, how much you suffered.” He babbles. I know babbling. I understand babbling. But then he tugs me tighter. His cologne scent mixes with sweat. “We’re going to go through the garage to get to my car. It’s the beauty of having our very own elevator. And I gave a big tip to the doorman to leave us alone. Lovebirds. He gets it. There’s a special place I want you to go to. A special place that will make Hunter regret the day he was born.”
“Where is he?” I breathe out.
“He’s waiting for us in the car. He really should not have taken me up on my offer to get the Presidential suite in this hotel. I told him my parents knew the owners and he owed them a favor. He wanted to impress you. Instead, he’s passed out on my backseat.” I struggle against him, but he kicks me and pulls something from the laptop bag that was sitting on the chair. “It’s going to sting a little.”
MY EYES FLUTTER OPEN. The décor is different. The bright paintings have been replaced with a Welcome Home sign, and a desk, and that’s pretty much it. I inhale deeply. My dress is stuck under the chair, making hard to move my feet. I was so worried about not getting it dirty. I wanted the evening to be perfect. I wanted Hunter’s hands on me. My thoughts are babbling too now.
Branson sits across from me, watching me. He pops a mint in his mouth. My head feels heavy. My thoughts are blurry, but then it all comes back and I gasp. Branson smiles and he continues talking like we’ve been conversing over coffee. “As soon as I saw him looking at you... As soon as I heard him talking about you, I knew you’d be the one to bring him down. I told you about HMD. Hailey. I told Hunter too. He didn’t find that funny for some reason. As I said, as soon as he told you the truth, I knew I had to change my plans. I was already working with someone to blur the possibilities, but I changed the parameters. I needed someone who loathes you as much as I loathe Hunter and would be the perfect person to take the fall for me when the time came, so that you thought yourself safe.”
“Charlotte’s dad,” I whisper.
And he claps with a proud look on his face that makes me want to gag. “Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. Mr. Moore was willing to go the extra length. I mean he did go too far when he almost killed you in that car accident, but when he took the fall for the hacking and for that stupid guy we had to kill.”
“How? Why?”
“I paid that website guy to send an email to the school. I didn’t want it to be traced back to me, but I did hack to upload Hunter’s paper on there. He was so cheap at the beginning and we had an agreement. But he was getting greedy. Drugs can do that to you. Some people can’t handle them.”
I hear a grunt. A grunt I know. And an icy shiver runs down my spine. “Hunter,” I whisper. He’s on the floor. Blood on his face. Branson kicks him and then laughs.
“Hunter Harrington. Look at what you made me do.” He crouches down and grips his head with both hands. “It’s all your fault. When she dies, it’s going to be on you.”
Hunter seems to have trouble opening his eyes. They’re bruised. He opens his mouth but no sound comes out. Branson wraps his arm around his neck, tightening. Hunter gasps for air and the sound of my heartbeat thrashes in my ears.
“You’re going to kill him! Stop!” I yell and Branson seems to come out of his revenge-induced rage. He lets him go, and I unclench my fists.
“You’re right. You need to die.” His words chill me to my core, but I don’t say anything. Hunter seems passed out again but he’s still facing him. “If you’d have arrived sooner, she might still be alive. But no, you had to party. You had to get drunk and fucking kill her.” He slams Hunter’s head against the wall and my entire body flinches.
“Stop!” I scream again, but he doesn’t hear me. He doesn’t even look my way.
He stands back up. “Together, we’d have pulled through. She told me she wanted to apologize to me. She felt responsible.” He laughs bitterly. “She was clean and she wanted to leave me. It made no sense. So I had to show her what she could have if she stayed with me.”
What is he talking about?
My mind can’t stop reeling. How do you talk to someone who’s not afraid to lose it all? Or is he afraid? It’s hard to tell. He’s fidgety. I need to come up with questions. He needs to keep talking. “Why wasn’t anyone looking for her? How about your parents? Didn’t they recognize her? How about her parents?” My voice is hoarse, but I manage to sound somewhat calm.
“Because sometimes people vanish and no one knows where to look for them. She had nobody. Nobody to look for her. No one reported her missing. Just another junkie disappearing.” He turns to me and there’s so much despair in his eyes. So much pain. So much anger. “But she wasn’t another junkie.” He steps closer to me. “She was mine. I was hers and he killed her. If Hunter had been there only a few minutes before...”
“Where were you?” I ask him. I
want to know but I also want to continue stalling. Someone must know we’re missing. Someone must be looking for us. Maybe someone saw us on the hotel camera. “If you loved her like you said, where were you?”
Branson seems lost in a place where no one can reach him. Maybe if I can bring him down to here and now. If I can show him that Hunter’s not responsible. That his girlfriend wouldn’t want whatever he has planned to happen. Maybe then, he’ll realize this is all a mistake. “I was right there. I’d told her I’d be back. I told her she couldn’t come inside.”
He glances down and then shifts from one foot to another.
And then it dawns on me. For all his talk about love, he didn’t want his friends, his fraternity brothers, to see Kaira. “You were ashamed of her,” I whisper, wanting to take the words back as soon as I see his expression shifting.
“Bitch,” he snarls and his fists tighten. He slaps me so hard my head snaps to the side. My cheek burns, but that’s nothing compared to the waves of terror rolling through me. “I gave her a fix before the party and told her to lay low in my car, and that I’d see her soon. It wasn’t much, just to tie her over. And maybe I forced her to take it. Maybe she didn’t want to use again. But she needed it. She was nervous. She needed to calm down. She was passed out in my car during most of the party. But when I got back to the car, she was awake and didn’t want to listen to me. I told her to wait for me. I gave her some more, but she wasn’t happy.”
“And then you went back inside and didn’t check on her?”
“I didn’t know she had followed me. I didn’t know she was there. She must have still been high and fell into the pool. I didn’t hear anything...and hours later Hunter found her. But she was dead,” he shouts. “Don’t you understand? I needed her to need me! And Hunter killed her!” He turns to Hunter again, grabs a bag he had sitting by me, crouches down and pulls out a syringe from the bag. “You’re going to fall asleep for a bit.” I scream, hoping against all hope that someone hears me. Hunter shifts. But Branson inserts the needle into the muscle of his arm and pushes.
Trust Me, Trust Me Not (Gavert City Book 3) Page 18
