So I opened it.
Elijah stared at me in shock when my soul fractured before him, my devastation physically sucking the air out of the car.
“Bea?” he shouted when I started to rock back and forth in my chair, my eyes fixed on the screen of my phone as my heart splintered and a weird sound echoed from me.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Jay. He was sucking Miles’ cock as Belinda rode him hard. She had a belt in her hand and every now and then she brought it across Jay’s chest, blood splattering across Miles face with every lash. The sound of their intense fucking echoed in the air around us and Elijah gapwed as he looked over at what I was watching.
“The fucking bastard!” he roared.
My hand covered my mouth as vomit threatened to decorate Elijah’s dashboard. “I...” I couldn’t talk, my heartache crippling me.
“I’m going to kill him, solely and painfully,” Elijah spat with an intensity that made me shiver.
“I… I thought he loved me…I don’t understand…”
“I do,” he growled, “The cunt is…
He didn’t finish his sentence. He couldn’t. The car suddenly lurched to the left when another car hit us from the side. Every year of my life flashed in rapid succession through my head when the car rolled down the edge of the cliff.
And everything went black.
Chapter 36
Jay
Someone was pounding on the door again and the noise was bouncing through my head. The room was dark, the curtains drawn as they had been since I’d arrived home yesterday.
Lifting the bottle of Jack to my lips, I swallowed more. But it wasn’t enough. Even with the coke fuelling my veins, it wasn’t enough. It never would be.
I hated myself, hated everything about me. I hated the black lump in my chest, the red blaze of my soul and the disgust that ran through my blood. The bottle of pills taunted me from the table and I stared at them as I took another swill of alcohol, loathing that it didn’t cleanse the bitter taste in my mouth.
My life was fucked, my head fucked up and my self-hatred fucking me up. But the worse thing was… physically, I felt good. Better than good. My sated soul was once again slumbering, the rage in my head a quiet purr and the pain that coursed through me every time I moved a reminder that once again I had paid my dues.
“JAY!”
I groaned when Mason shouted through my letterbox.
“Fuck off!”
Rolling my eyes, I moved off the sofa when I heard the front door give way and Mason, followed by Greg, stormed into the room. Their eyes widened on the state of the room then settled on me.
“What the fuck happened?”
I swallowed back the bile when my dad walked in behind them. He took one look at me as I crumbled into a heap of grief on the floor and closed his eyes in distress. The welts over my naked body were still raw and bloody. I hadn’t even got the inclination to bathe. I wanted the blood to remind me what I had done to Bea, the blood that would sully her heart wore upon my skin forever.
“Come on,” my father whispered as he dragged me up. “Let’s get you to hospital.”
“No,” I shook my head urgently, “No.”
“You need these wounds cleaning and sealing Jay.”
“I don’t care, I hope they get infected and eat me from the inside out.”
Mason and Greg were struck dumb, their confusion evident. “Who did this?” Mason grumbled.
“Leave it,” my father urged.
I couldn’t help but laugh at their misperception. “Oh this is all me!” I laughed as my dad attempted to pull my heavy body off the floor. “Didn’t you know?” I raged on, “This is me. This is exactly who I am. A sick fucker who can’t breathe unless I’m in pain.”
Both their eyes were wide, generating an irritated growl from my father. “Jay,” he tried but I pushed him off me.
“Don’t touch me. You shouldn’t touch me. I’m nothing but evil and corrupt. Look at me!” I shouted, my head popping with every single piece of self-hatred that curdled my blood. “LOOK AT ME!”
“I am!” Mason said softly as he bent down to my height. His phone was going crazy but he ignored it and looked at me. “And all I see is Jay, my friend. Whatever desires you have doesn’t change the person you are, you’re still you. You are still a good person.”
I scoffed at that. “You bloody fool.” He blinked in shock at my revolt. “I’m not good! I’m so very far from good that I just ruined my life in one single night.”
“What are you talking about?” My dad asked as Mason finally answered his phone and stopped the incessant screech of AC/DC’s, Highway to hell grinding on my every nerve. I could see in his face that he knew, he knew what I had done. As if to confirm his thoughts his eyes widened and he shook his head. “For fucks sake Jay!” he growled. “I warned you, I fucking warned you that if you went after her it would end in a mess!”
I nodded, there was nothing to say. He had been right. He had known that I would hurt her but what he hadn’t foreseen was that Bea enjoyed pain, it was just bestowing it that she couldn’t do. He had thought that my need to dish out pain would destroy her – us, yet in the end it had been my own sick needs that had broken the best thing I had ever touched.
“You need to work out what you want, Jay. You can’t keep dragging everyone down with you. It’s not fair on you, and it’s definitely not fair on her.”
“Are we talking about Beatrice?” The tone in Mason’s voice made me snap my eyes to his as he shoved his phone back in his pocket. He was staring at me, his face pale and his teeth chewing on his bottom lip angrily.
“What is it?”
He walked back over to me and dropped to his haunches. “There’s been an accident. I’m so sorry, Jay.”
My heart lurched up my throat and my tongue swelled when my mouth dried. My head shook from side to side, my eyes already watering. “Is she okay?”
He sighed, swallowing back his own bile. Closing his eyes for a moment, he blew out his breath then looked at me sadly. “Elijah and Bea were run off the road on the way to her brother’s funeral.”
“WHAT!” My mouth opened and closed before the words came out. “Is she…?”
“I don’t know,” he answered quietly. “The car was found half an hour ago. But they are both missing.”
“What do you mean, they’re both missing?”
“They weren’t in the car. It was empty. Sam needs to see us, he’s got some information. You need to sort yourself out, Jay because shits just hit the fan and it’s time to end this. Now I’m fucked off!” I stared at him in confusion as his anger radiated around the room. I’d seen a pissed Mason before and it was never a pretty sight. His eyes glazed and every feature on his face tightened as he growled, “You really should pick your friends better cos’ you’ve been fucked over. Big time!”
Chapter 37
Bea
“Bea.”
“Bea!”
I groaned, the throbbing in my head slicing pain through my skull as I attempted to open my eyes.
“Bea, come on honey, open your eyes.”
Elijah’s voice was croaky but eager and as I finally opened my eyes, his face came into focus. He blew out a breath and smiled. “Are you okay?”
I blinked. I ached everywhere but not wanting to worry him, I nodded. “I… I think so.”
I shuffled upright, gritting my teeth when agony griped at my midriff. Elijah’s arms slid around me to help. My eyes widened when the blur in my vision cleared and I gawped around the room; well, cell would be more appropriate. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure, we were run off the road, woke up in here.”
My eyes widened when I caught the trickle of blood seeping down Elijah’s face. “Shit, you’re hurt.”
“I’m okay,” he appeased with a shake of his head. “Just a graze. Have you any pain?” I swallowed and tried to force a smile to ease his worry but he caught the hint of pain on my face. “You are! Let me lo
ok.”
I winced as I pulled my blouse from the waistband of my trousers and a huge angry purple bruise covered my ribs.
“Fuck!” he hissed as he tore his own shirt off. I couldn’t help but stare at his body, Elijah was cut like a God, his abs seriously formed and his pecs monstrous mounds of muscle. It was clear he looked after himself and quickly I diverted my gaze, shooting my eyes to his face before he caught me looking. Too late. He smirked at me but then gently slipped his shirt around my waist. “Sorry,” he whispered when he tightened it and I yelped at the pain.
His fingers softly slid along the edge of the material checking to see if it was tight enough but when an explosion of goosebumps rained havoc in the trail of his touch I moved back slightly.
Elijah looked contrite and coughed to clear the air. “It looks like some fucker took us off the road.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Well that much is obvious.”
He smirked again then climbed up. “I’ve already checked the place out. No way out and one way in.”
“Has anyone come yet?”
He shook his head but his eyes were scoping out our surroundings, hunting. His scrutiny settled on some pipes that ran into the room but just as he was about to walk over to them, the sound of a bolt being unhoused made us both stiffen and turn towards the door. Instantly, he moved in front of me, shielding me as a man walked into the room.
Peering around Elijah, I frowned. He seemed familiar but my scrambled brain couldn’t work out who he was.
He grinned at us both, his eyes moving from Elijah to me. “Hello again, my sweet girl.”
His voice detonated painful memories into my head, my mouth watering with the need for his syringe. The gentle tone to his words made my body shiver in both revulsion and acceptance. I hated that my body and mind craved what he could give me, the peace and tranquillity he afforded me when he trained me. Because that’s exactly what he had done; he had taught my body to be his, my blood begging him for relief and my hunger pleading to be satisfied. Memories of me on my knees looking up into his masked face brought the need to vomit, yet this time I was staring at his face.
He looked back at me softly, his gaze idolising and his smile full of adoration.
“Who the fuck are you?” Elijah raged as he lunged forward.
Like lightning, the man lifted his hand and I screamed when a gunshot rang out and Elijah slumped to the floor.
“Nooo!” I screamed as I raced over to him. Blood poured from the side of his stomach, his face paling at the pain. Without a second thought I tore off my blouse and pressed it into the wound in his side.
“Leave him,” the man ordered. “We don’t need him!”
I gawped up at him. “You’re fucking crazy.”
“Crazy for you,” he whispered as he took my hand and pulled me away from a drifting Elijah.
“No,” I pleaded as I reached back. “We need to help him, he’s going to bleed to death.”
“That’s okay, I’m here. I’ll look after you.”
My stomach was twisting so much that I was scared I’d lose the control of my bowels. He reached out and tenderly cupped my cheek, his fierce eyes almost mesmerising me. I froze, not daring to move as his thumb slid along my cheekbone. “Who are you?”
He frowned slightly as if offended I didn’t recognise him. “You don’t remember?” I shook my head. “I bought you a drink, and your brother.”
My mouth popped open and I squinted at him. My thoughts suddenly cleared and I gasped. A photo on Miles’ Facebook snapped into my brain. “You’re Jay’s friend.”
His eyes narrowed. He pursed his lips and seemed to pause before he said, “And?”
“And?” I didn’t understand. My brain was in turmoil, my eyes covertly flitting across to Elijah every few seconds to check on him. His eyes were open but I wasn’t sure he was actually seeing anything although his hand was pressing hard onto his wound. My instincts were itching to help him but my Master’s... Fuck! My brain had impulsively referred to my captor as Master. My gut rolled and I grit my teeth at how this man had managed to manipulate me.
“And who else am I, Beatrice Vine?” The way he leaned into my ear and whispered ‘Vine’ had me both trembling and bewildered.
“I don’t even know your name, how am I supposed to know you?”
He tutted and sighed dramatically. “My name is Tom Blake,” I frowned harder, was that supposed to help me identify him? “But when I was eighteen I changed my name.”
I was growing angry. He was toying with me, having fun at my growing irritation. “But I was born Tomas Vine.”
Holy shit!
My heart went frantic, forcing the blood around me at an alarming rate as my vision blurred and dizziness overtook me. His arms whipped out and he grabbed me before I fell to the ground. Gently he lowered me onto the floor and came to rest beside me.
“You’re Graham’s brother?”
He nodded. “Mmm, although I don’t class him as that.”
“But why are you doing this? I don’t understand.”
He sighed. “Originally I went after you to hurt Graham. My brother’s an arsehole. He always was, especially when we were growing up. He liked to ‘take’ things that belonged to me, especially my girlfriends,” he growled out. “So cocksure was Graham. I fell in love at sixteen with the most beautiful girl. Her name was Felicity and I loved her like my life depended on it. But he had to have her, had to take her from me. Can you imagine what that was like, sweet girl? How much that hurt me. He was my brother, the one person that should never have broken my trust.”
I was stunned. Why didn’t I know this? Graham had told me he hadn’t any family. And I had believed him. We’d been married for God’s sake and yet I knew nothing, apart from how much of a bastard he was. Looking at Tom now, I could see the resemblance but I still didn’t understand why he was hurting me. As if sensing my bafflement he smiled gently and ran his finger along my bottom lip. “I fell in love with you, Beatrice. From the moment you gave yourself over to me…”
“Gave myself over to you?” I scoffed in outrage. “You took from me, you prick…”
I hissed when his palm struck my face, my head snapping sideways sharply as pain spread from my throbbing cheek.
He tutted and sighed, his finger tracing the sting on my flushed skin. “I’m sorry I had to do that. But you shouldn’t talk to me that way.”
Fear made my mouth dry and my throat start to close in. The wild beat in my chest was making the room blur as adrenaline forced me to keep breathing. “But you…you raped me,” I whispered, the word sending volts of nausea through me.
He lowered his eyes, nodding solemnly. “Yes, I did. I wanted to hurt Graham through you.”
“But I’m no longer with Graham, how could you hurt him when I already left him?”
“He still loves you Beatrice. He always did, no matter what a fucking wanker he is. He hurt you, so he deserves to hurt too.”
I scoffed. “So because he hurt me, you hurt me to hurt him! That’s just… ridiculous!”
He blinked as sadness contorted his features. “Everyone hurts you Beatrice, I can make you happy. I can look after you and give you everything you deserve.”
“You’re crazy.”
He laughed and rolled his eyes, his manic chuckle making me tense. “Not as crazy as Jay. You saw what he did to you, I sent you the email. He’s a cunt who only thinks of himself, sweet girl. He fucked Belinda. He fucked Belinda behind your back.”
Tears sprung in my eyes as his proclamation reminded me exactly what I was doing before we’d crashed. My heart split open and I couldn’t contain the sob of grief. Tom grabbed me and pulled me to his chest. “Don’t cry. He doesn’t deserve you for what he did. I’m here now, I’m going to look after you. You told me you loved me Beatrice, and I know love is all we’ll need.”
He was off his rocker. Did he not see I had only told him I loved him so he would give me what he had taught me to crave? I didn’t voi
ce that fact though, he was enthusiastic in his belief and I had a feeling if I told him the honest truth then I was in more danger than I was against his insanity.
“We need to get help for Elijah,” I tried as I looked up at him with large eyes, begging him with a look.
He grumbled and looked towards Elijah. “Leave him, I’ll get rid of him easily.” He smiled at me as he slipped his hand into his pocket and drew out a syringe. A full syringe. “See what I brought you, sweet girl. I have what you need.”
I swallowed as a deep want flourished in my veins, they were virtually rattling with excitement as I struggled to move my longing gaze from the nectar.
“You want it? Tell me you want me, Beatrice.”
“I…” Every one of my breaths was rampant and fierce as I drooled over the medicine that could heal every part of my broken soul. All I had to do was accept him and once again I would feel heaven slither through every inch of me. My nose ran as excitement coiled around me and I sniffed. “I want you,” I whispered.
His happy grin made me feel sad for him. It was obvious he was crazy, deluded and twisted from Graham’s cruelty. Much like me, Tom had suffered under a man that had had no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own. Graham had been so self-absorbed that he used everyone around him to feed his sick pride.
He lifted the syringe but I shook my head and whispered, “Hold my hand, I want to hold you when you give me your love.”
His chest puffed out, a huge sigh of satisfaction blasting from him and making the hair around my face flutter faintly. “My Sweet Girl,” he breathed as he placed the gun down and gently extended my arm. His other hand gripped mine and he threaded his own long fingers through my own as the needle sharply pricked my vein. The rush was instant and a long drawn out sigh echoed from me as my body once again heralded paradise. My head fell back as all the heartache inside evaporated and only bliss tickled every nerve ending in my body.
“Tell me you love me,” Tom whispered as he nuzzled my neck and laid us both down on the ground.
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