by Jill Sanders
“No matter what happens now, I’m here. We’re here for you.” He glanced towards the door. “I think it’s about time you told them what’s going on.”
Jamie took a deep breath, then stood up, brushed her teeth, and reached for his hand. “You’re right.”
Emily was there in the hallway when they came out of the bathroom.
“Two years…” Emily said gripping the wall. “Jamie, tell me you didn’t kill someone two years ago.”
“It’s not what it seems,” Blaine started, but Rafe stepped in.
“Then I suppose it’s about time the both of you started talking,” he said.
Everyone moved back into the living area. Jamie and Blaine sat down on the sofa, while Emily took the chair and Rafe sat on the armrest next to her.
“It was seven months after we’d moved in together.” Jamie’s eyes met Emily’s. “Our first spring break, two years ago.” Jamie leaned up and took Blaine’s warm beer and took a drink of it. “You bailed on me and went out on that cruise with your dad.”
Emily nodded. “I remember. Dad surprised me with a cruise to the Bahamas.”
“I decided to go out with some friends, but when I got to the club, they texted me and bailed on me as well.”
“What club?” Rafe asked, breaking in.
“Full Throttle,” Blaine answered for Jamie. Rafe’s eyes moved to him, and he shrugged in response, knowing that he would have to explain that he had just found out himself two days ago.
“I had a drink,” Jamie broke in and shook her head. “I woke up in the trunk of a car.”
“What?” Emily sat up, fear and anger flooding her eyes.
“I only remember someone buying me a drink.” Jamie looked down at her hands, and he reached over to take them again. “He had big hands…” She paused.
“The reason you freaked and passed out with Rocko?” Emily asked slowly.
Jamie nodded and took another deep breath. “The guy flipped out when I spilled some of my drink on my top. I’m pretty sure that’s because it was drugged.”
“He drugged you and threw you in a trunk?” Emily reached over and took her friend’s free hand.
“Yes, but since I didn’t drink the entire thing, I think I woke up early. I was in the trunk of a car and totally freaking out. I looked around for my purse, my phone, but the only thing in the trunk was a tire iron. I found it under the little cardboard cover where a spare tire should have been. Anyway, the car drove for what seemed like hours. When it stopped, I waited…”
“What happened?” Emily asked when Jamie stopped talking.
“I could hear someone talking, then when the trunk opened, I swung out.” Jamie’s eyes were closed now. “I must have caught him off guard because he went down easily.”
“Did you see his face?” Rafe asked when Jamie grew silent again.
Jamie shook her head. “I… no.” She didn’t remember much from the club. It had been dark and… no. She shook her head again. She didn’t remember seeing his face.
“What about after?” Rafe asked. She could tell that he was wishing he could ask more questions, but she was drained at this point.
“There wasn’t enough left, after.” Jamie leaned down and put her head between her knees. “Oh god. I killed him. I killed a man and then stuffed his body into the trunk of his car and drove it into the lake he’d parked in front of. I had to walk for hours to get back to civilization,” she cried out as Blaine gathered her into his arms. “I hid a murder for two years. Oh god.” She cried against his chest.
The three of them turned to watch the muted television screen again as the car was once more pulled out of the water in the repeated footage.
Blaine held onto Jamie as she released all the emotions she’d hidden for years. He was sure that when she’d puked, she’d purged her body of everything, so he tried to get her to eat the other half of her sandwich.
They didn’t ask her any more questions, since they could all see that she was exhausted and drained.
After Rafe left for the night, Blaine followed Jamie back into her room.
“Mind if I crash here?” he asked, his arms still around her.
“I don’t think I can do it without you.” She sighed against his chest. She pulled back and glanced up at him. “Not without more Molly.”
“The fact that you’re choosing me over the drug this time is a start.” He bent down and kissed her.
“I want a shower,” she said after a moment.
He smiled. “I could go for seeing you wet and naked.”
His heart skipped when she smiled a little at him. “How do you do that?” She shook her head.
“What?” He started tugging her towards the bathroom.
“Make me forget everything, even if it’s just for a moment.”
He stopped just outside the shower and wrapped his arms around her once more. “It’s easy when you make me forget everything. Just being with you. You turn my brain to mush.”
She chuckled. “I doubt that.”
He nodded. “It’s true. For example…” He used a fingertip to nudge her tank top strap off her left shoulder. “I can’t remember the square root of pi right now.”
She laughed. “Did you ever know it?”
“Yeah, it’s one… something.” He nudged the strap off her other shoulder and his eyes ran over the exposed curve. His mouth dried up when the cotton fell to the top of her breasts. “Right now, I can’t even remember my name,” he said before bending down and covering her skin with his mouth.
Her fingers dug into his hair, holding him to her.
“Blaine,” she whispered.
“That’s it,” he agreed, and nudged the material further down until he could take her erect nipple into his mouth.
“Make me forget everything,” she moaned as he nudged her shorts down her legs until they pooled at her feet.
She was everything he wanted, everything he’d dreamed she would be, and he was slowly realizing he didn’t want to spend a day apart from her.
He needed a moment, so he reached back and turned on the water. Her hands wrapped around his chest as she tucked her body against his back.
When her fingers dipped to his jeans and started unzipping them, he covered her hands, stilling them.
“Jamie, I need a moment,” he warned, but she bit his shoulder, causing him to laugh and turn back towards her. “Witch.” He pulled her close as she laughed.
“Whatever you do, don’t think. Just feel. Make me feel everything, like before.” She reached up on her toes and kissed him. “I don’t care what happens. Let’s forget life for a while.”
He let her tug his jeans down and by the time they stepped under the warm spray, he had forgotten everything except her.
Chapter Thirteen
The following morning, Jamie woke up when Blaine rolled out of her bed, leaving a void next to her warm body.
“Come back to bed,” she moaned, reaching for him.
“Can’t,” he told her. “I’m already late.” He had slipped on his jeans and shirt already when she peeked a look at him through one opened eye.
“Why?” She groaned.
“Because, for some reason, I like helping students out.”
She waved her hand. “Call in sick.”
“Can’t.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. She gripped him, holding him down until she felt him heat.
“You can,” she said against his lips.
“You make it so hard…”
“If it’s hard, then stay.”
He chuckled.
“You make it hard to leave,” he finished. “I’ll see you after classes. I promise.” He pulled away from her. “Go to your classes,” he warned her. “You need normal in your life right now.”
“My first class is after lunch.” She smiled up at him. “Which means I get to lie here…” She stretched her arms over her head and watched his eyes land on her exposed breasts. “And do whatever I want for the next cou
ple hours.” She ran her hands over her own body slowly.
“Damn you.” He groaned and bent over to run his mouth over her breasts, causing her nipple to pucker for him. She arched into his hand as they skirted under the sheet covering her.
When he dipped a finger into her heat, she cried out his name and almost came right then.
“Shit,” he groaned when his alarm went off again. “Damn.” He shook his head and she felt him pull away.
“Finish me,” she complained.
“Can’t.” He stood there, looking down at her. “You’ll have to do it for me.” He smiled at her. “It’s going to be very difficult driving while thinking about you touching yourself.”
Her hands moved to where his had just been. “It’s not the same,” she complained, but then felt herself growing even wetter as he watched her, and her eyes fell on his swollen crotch.
“Come for me,” he moaned, leaning in and laying a hand over her breasts.
“Touch me,” she begged.
“No, you…” He motioned to her body.
She tossed the sheet off her and watched his eyes zone in on where her fingers teased her own skin. She was on the verge when he bent over her once more and touched her with only a fingertip, sending her over the edge.
She must have fallen asleep. When she woke, it was an hour later, and she could hear Emily moving around in the kitchen.
After showering and dressing, she stepped out just as Emily shut off the television.
“What?” she asked, fearing the news.
“Nothing.” Emily shook her head. “Just more repeats from last night. Nothing new so far.” Her friend turned and pulled toast from the toaster and started slathering peanut butter on it.
Jamie felt a little better knowing there wasn’t anything new reported and walked into the kitchen to pour herself a bowl of cereal.
“Are you going to classes today?” Emily asked, grabbing a plate down for herself.
“I wasn’t going to, but Blaine thinks—”
“What’s between you two?” Emily asked, breaking in. “I don’t want you hurting him,” she warned.
“I’m not. We’re just…” She stopped.
“Don’t say fucking,” Emily warned.
Jamie glanced at her sideways. “Having fun,” she replied. Emily rolled her eyes. “He’s very therapeutic, and I need that right now.”
“You should have told me.” Emily sat down beside her, her eyes locked on the box of cereal. “I could have… helped.”
Jamie saw the hurt in her friend’s eyes and slumped in her chair. “I’m sorry.” She reached for Emily’s hand. “I was scared. I didn’t know who to trust. I didn’t even trust myself for the longest time.”
“I was going to call in sick, but if you’re going to class, then I will too.” Emily smiled at her. “I’m here for you. We all are.”
“Thanks.” Jamie smiled before turning to her cereal.
After cleaning up the apartment quickly, they decided to ride together to classes. They were standing in their apartment’s parking lot when Emily’s phone rang, and Jamie listened as she talked to Rafe.
“What?” Emily asked then answered, “I’m heading into class.” Her friend’s eyes moved to her and she felt her heart sink. She understood they were talking about her, about it…
“She’s with me. We decided to go to class.” Emily’s voice dropped to a soft whisper. “As if nothing was wrong.”
Rafe spoke for a while, and Jamie moved over next to Emily to see if she could hear what he was saying.
“What?” Emily suddenly said, stopping next to her car. “Seriously?” Her eyes turned to Jamie again before glancing around the empty parking lot. “They found Crissy,” she told her. “The woman you worked with?” she asked Rafe.
Jamie’s heart skipped. Blaine had told her about the pretty blond that had worked at the club. It was hard for Jamie to hear anything else Emily said over the sound of her heartbeat. When she started feeling light-headed, Emily quickly moved over to her.
“Oh my… I have to… go,” Emily said, rushing over to take her shoulders. “I will,” she said before hanging up with Rafe. “Jamie, let’s go back inside.” Her friend started walking her towards the stairs.
“She’s alive? Was it him?” She realized what she was saying. It didn’t make sense. How could the man she killed two years ago kidnap Crissy? She didn’t know what Rafe had said but, somehow, Crissy’s kidnapping was tied to the man she’d murdered. Which meant, somehow, she was responsible for Crissy. Wasn’t she?
Nothing was making sense suddenly, and she needed a drink or… something stronger.
God, she couldn’t think straight.
It took her a moment to realize that Blaine had appeared, and Jamie had allowed both of them to drag her up the stairs and back into their apartment.
“Blaine?” Just saying his name made her feel stronger. “You should be in class.”
“I’m here,” he said to Jamie and glanced over at Emily. “I heard about it between classes. I called out for the rest of the day.”
“Drink.” Emily held a glass of water in front of her.
Jamie drank it and then leaned back on the sofa. “Turn it on. I have to know…” Jamie motioned to the television.
“First, I’m calling in for both of us. We’re not going anywhere today.” Emily stepped into the kitchen and Jamie listened as she pretended to be Jamie and call in sick for the day. Then she called in for herself.
When Emily walked into the room and turned on the television, she had a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“Promise me, if I open this, you won’t go raid your stash. This will be the only thing you take today,” Emily warned.
Jamie wanted to argue, but since Blaine was looking at her with those damn sexy eyes, she nodded. She wasn’t even sure that she could currently handle anything stronger.
By the time Rafe arrived, they had spent a few hours watching for anything new on the news. There were several reports, but so far nothing new had been exposed.
It was just after five that afternoon when a new report finally appeared on the screen.
Emily was holding Jamie’s hand as the image changed and the scene of the car being pulled from the lake once again filled the screen.
“Tonight, we’re getting new reports as more information comes in about the car that was found at the bottom of the lake in northern Everglades National Park by a father and son who were out enjoying a day playing with their new drone. It has been confirmed that the car belonged to a Scott Alcott who it is reported disappeared two years ago in March. But in a twist of fate, he had never been reported missing.
When the police arrived at Alcott’s property in Miami Dade County, they were shocked to discover a shipping container where Crissy Talbot, the twenty-seven-year-old waitress that had gone missing last week, was found alive, held prisoner. Talbot underwent surgery earlier today and is expected to make a full recovery. After further search of the property, the gruesome discovery of at least three other female bodies was made. The police are not ruling out the possibility that they have discovered the lair of a serial kidnapper and killer, perhaps the person responsible for the seven women that have gone missing in the past six months along the coast.
The police are still searching the property, in search of the other missing women taken over the past year.
The police are looking into the possibility that Alcott may have stumbled upon the killer on his property and could be included in the list of victims.
Police are urging anyone with more information to come forward…”
Jamie reached up and hit the mute button on the remote.
“He wasn’t a victim,” she said under her breath, trying to reassure herself. Her entire body vibrated with the news.
“You know what this means?” Blaine said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“What?” Emily asked.
“Jamie killed one out of two sick bastards kidn
apping and killing women,” Blaine said. He turned to Rafe. “How’s Crissy doing?”
“She’s bruised, but alive,” he said, taking Jamie’s hand in his. “The two of you were extremely lucky.”
They had ordered pizza before the report had come on and when the doorbell rang, Emily jumped up to answer it.
When she opened the door, they all heard her ask loudly, “Can I help you?” They listened as a deep male voice spoke.
“I’m Detective Alan Mills. I need to speak with Jamie Garner.”
Once again, everything stilled and slowed down until Jamie could hear every single heartbeat in her chest.
Blaine jumped up beside her, grabbed her hand, and dragged her into her room without a word.
“Oh god.” Jamie felt like she was going to be sick again. “Oh god,” she repeated.
“Easy,” he said, taking her shoulders, but the panic attack had started, and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath.
Blaine shoved her head between her legs as she sat on the edge of her bed.
“Tell me she isn’t high right now,” Emily said as she walked into the room.
“I’m not,” Jamie said from between her knees. She was frustrated that Emily would assume, but then realized she really wanted to take something to get through what she knew was coming. “I’ve thought about it but…” She shook her head.
Blaine suddenly stood up. “Where’s your stash?” he asked her.
“What?” Jamie glanced up at him through her hair.
“Where?” he asked again. The urgency in his voice had her pointing to a small stuffed dog that Emily had given her the first Christmas they had known one another.
Blaine walked over and ripped the dog’s head off quickly. He took the small bag of pills Jamie had just gotten a few days ago during her last trip to the club and walked into the bathroom and flushed them.
“Hey,” Jamie said with some annoyance.
Blaine walked back over to her and assessed her eyes and face. “Good, you’ve gotten some color back to you. Now, go out there, but don’t tell them anything. If they want you to go down to the station…” Jamie felt her head spin again.
“I’m calling my dad,” Emily jumped in.
