Locked Away (Living With Lies Book 2)

by Riann C. Miller

  “Let’s go home.” I brush my hands through her hair.

  She sighs and nods her head. “I need to talk to Kate. I know she was worried.” I move off the bed and hold my hand out to help Isabelle up then we make our way downstairs to find Gavin and Kate talking in hushed voices.

  “Somebody is feeling much better,” I announce as they look at us.

  “Oh, good,” Kate says, sounding relieved.

  Gavin watches us both closely. “I’m sorry for disrupting your morning,” Isabelle says, sounding embarrassed.

  “You didn’t disrupt anything, Isabelle. We’re family and that means if you need someone, I want you to call me...always,” Kate states before walking up and hugging my girl.

  “Where’s the little lady?’ I ask.

  “She’s at a friend’s house,” Gavin responds as the tension drains from his shoulders.

  “Tell her Uncle Kiran said hi when she gets home.”

  “We will,” Kate answers with a smile.

  “Ready?” I question, looking at Isabelle, who quickly nods her head yes.

  “Thanks again,” she mumbles as we walk out to my car. When we arrive back at the apartment, I place my hand on Isabelle’s. “Who told you about Kami?” Her eyes narrow as she tilts her head to the side. “No,” I groan. “I’m not keeping anything from you but whoever told you about her was trying to upset you.”

  She starts shaking her head. “It wasn’t like that.” Her face turns serious. “Brooke showed up while Alex was in the shower. We talked for a few minutes. She thought I was only there because I’m Alex’s sister. I don’t think she had any idea that we had been together.” Her voice drops as I squeeze her hand. “Not had. Are. We are together,” I firmly add.

  Isabelle breaks out in a smile as I lean forward and take her mouth with mine. I’m hungry for so much more than just kissing, but all too soon, I pull back. We’ve yet to have sex because the doctor wants to confirm everything still looks the same or better at her next appointment, which is in a couple of days.

  “Soon,” I promise. I know she’s just as ready to take the next step as I am. I only hope she’s ready for everything I want to give her.

  Isabelle

  Tonight, I feel like history is repeating itself, and in a way, it kind of is. The doctor gave us the okay to have sex today. We decided to be as forthcoming about my condition as possible. Kiran was worried if we said too much the doctor would either refuse to see me or call the police and inform them a woman who claims she spent months in Mexico instead of receiving the proper prenatal care was in his office.

  The only reason I’m not a complete red flag is the fact that I look as American as they come. Still, I was told my infection could have caused the placenta to detach, which in turn could have caused me to miscarry or deliver prematurely. In Mexico, neither of those were options I could live with, but here, my baby will at least have a fighting chance.

  Today, however, my new doctor confirmed I look healthy and he has no reason to believe I won’t go full-term. He also confirmed I’m healthy enough for sex. When we walked out of his office, Kiran had a huge smile on his face, but he took me home then went to work.

  Later, he text me and told me to pack a bag. He rented us another hotel room, which excited me. I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of having sex with my brother in the next room—something I’m sure I’ll need to get past at some point.

  “You picked a different hotel,” I tell Kiran as he watches me closely.

  “The other hotel is bittersweet.” He walks up to me, staring into my eyes. “We both shared a first there,” he says with a shy smile. “That was the first time in my life I was ready for more and because it was you...it wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be.”

  His eyes drop and his smile vanishes. “But?” I question.

  He takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders. “But when I rented that room, it tipped that psycho off. He figured out where you were ...” He pauses as he closes his eyes.

  “No, he didn’t,” I announce, causing his eyes to snap open. “Manuel had a tracking device in my suitcase. He didn’t have Kate’s house wired. He was keeping track of me based off my luggage. When he saw that I stayed at a hotel, he checked into things and saw that you—a male friend of Kate’s—had rented a room. It was because of me he found out. Because I trusted him,” I mumble.

  I wait a beat, trying to control my emotions. “Losing Manuel was hard. He was my one and only friend, but that changed the day he called me to threaten the people I care about. I knew ...” I push back my tears, something I seem to be on the verge of doing all the time now. “I knew if I went to Poza Rica, he’d either kill me or force me to live an impossible life.”

  “Shh, it’s okay. You’re here now. You’re safe and that’s all that matters,” Kiran adds before softly placing his lips against mine. I wrap my arms around his neck, ready to attack him, which causes him to chuckle.

  “I take it you’re ready for more?” he questions with a smile in his voice. I nod my head, ready to get myself off, yet it seems he’s not willing to help me. I pull my shirt up and off, then quickly reach around to unclasp my bra, allowing it to fall to the floor.

  “Umm,” Kiran moans before stepping closer and taking one of my breasts—that are much bigger now—into his mouth.

  “Oh,” I say, rubbing my hand up and down his arms.

  He smirks. “Lie back on the bed.” Kiran grabs my legs and tugs on my yoga pants, pulling them down and off my legs. “No panties?” he questions with a dirty smile.

  “Nope. That was just one more layer between us we didn’t need. Now hurry up. I need you,” I add, dropping my legs open. Kiran starts stripping then crawls up and between my legs.

  He licks me from top to bottom, and I almost want to laugh when I glance down to watch him because my bump is in the way, but when he pushes a finger inside of me, my laughter fades away and pleasure starts building.

  “Yessss,” I moan as he starts fucking me with his finger while his thumb rubs against my clit. I want this to last but my libido has been in overdrive, especially watching Kiran day in and day out. Another flick and I start coming on his fingers.

  As I slowly come down from the best high I can remember in a long time, Kiran crawls up next to me and lays his head down. “I think you need to ride me.” He softly places his hand on my stomach and grins. “We need to make room for someone else.” I shake my head and grin as I sit up and straddle him. When I look down into his unguarded eyes, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I’m with the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.

  “God, you’re so fucking beautiful.” He rubs his hands up my sides before moving to my breast. I smile to myself, wondering how I managed to get this lucky. “Babe, I need you,” he groans.

  I lift my hips and place my hand on his long and extremely hard length before slowly sinking down on him. We both moan from the sensation. “Shit. You’re so fucking tight...and wet...and it’s been a long fucking time.” He grits his teeth. I lean forward and place my hands on his chest as I really start driving up and down on his hard cock.

  “Oh, fuck,” Kiran hisses as his eyes glaze over. I can feel a slight burn as I stretch to fit him, but that does very little to hold off the pleasure that shudders through my body as I start to come again.

  “Baby,” he chokes out as his hips ram upward several more times before he jerks his release deep inside of me.

  I keep my eyes locked with his as I smile. Slowly, I lift up as he slips out. I drop down on the bed, completely content.

  “That was exactly what I needed,” I say with a chuckle.

  “Me too, baby.” I nuzzle into his side as he brushes a hand up and down my arm. “Do you think we should find our own place?”

  Kiran’s question catches me off guard. I glance up at his face. “Don’t get me wrong, your brother means a lot to me. We’ll be friends no matter what, but ...” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “I think we need t
o focus on this little guy and us.” He rubs my belly.

  “I don’t think that’s a horrible idea.” I don’t want to leave my brother high and dry, but I think focusing on us is necessary.

  “We’ll talk to Alex, but I don’t think he’ll have a problem with it. After all, bringing a woman back to the place you share with your sister might kill his way with the ladies.” I laugh and shake my head.

  “Do you think it’s safe?” I softly ask. “You and Alex have relaxed a lot lately. I didn’t want to ask but ...”

  Kiran gives a half-smile. “The Mexican government issued a death certificate for Damian and the two men he was staying with. They claim someone raided the house they were staying in during the night and caught them off guard.” Outwardly, I don’t react to this news but on the inside, I’m smiling. No one would catch Damian or his men off guard, and after being on the run for months with them, I know exactly how they work. It’s possible something could have happened, but not to all three of them at the same time.

  “Oh,” I say as he waits for my reaction.

  “And the Ramos boy appears to be in Poza Rica, enjoying the power he and his father have.” That I don’t doubt. The only thing Manuel liked more than having money was spending it. My father tried to take him under his wing and groom him, but apparently, Manuel is greedier than we both gave him credit for.

  “I don’t regret my past. And more importantly, I don’t regret a second I had with my father, but I’m ready to live for my future...with you.” I smile as I look into his blue eyes. Kiran places a hand on my chin before placing a soft kiss on my lips. “That’s good to know, baby, because you can’t get rid of me even if you tried.” He winks.

  I’m fairly positive white knights don’t exist, but if they do, Kiran Clark is the man I want to ride away with.

  ****

  “Will you tell me...what happened while you were gone?” Kiran questions as we’re lying in the hotel bed the next morning. I watch his chest rise and fall as he waits for me to say something. The six months I was gone were pure hell, and I know if Kiran learns the truth, he’ll twist everything that happened around and somehow make it his fault.

  He sighs when I remain silent. I know I have to tell him something. I only pray he can handle what I give him. “I drained the account I opened and boarded a flight from Denver to San Diego, but I purposely missed my connecting flight. I wanted Manuel to think I was returning, and I needed to get as close to my father as I could before he realized I wasn’t coming home. I crossed the border and ditched my ID and passport, hoping no one would connect me with Manuel or Poza Rica.” Kiran picks up a strand of my hair and softly twists it between his fingers.

  “I had read online reports of people claiming they saw Damian in and around the surrounding cities of Tijuana. I figured I would wander around until word made it back to my father that I was in Mexico.” I pause for a few minutes, not wanting to continue. Kiran moves his hand up my arm and lightly squeezes me. Nervously, I find my voice. “By then, Damian had made his way to Del Mochis, which is hours from Tijuana. Every town I traveled to, the only thing I learned was Damian appeared to be moving south. But ...” I trail off. I really don’t want to tell him more.

  “But?” Kiran challenges when it’s clear I don’t want to go on.

  “But...I’m a young, blonde haired American traveling by herself. That’s the information that started circling. I was running out of money. As a result, the places I slept in weren’t the greatest and eventually it caught up with me.”

  Kiran’s body goes rock solid as a harsh groan rips from his throat.

  “I could tell by the way people were watching me I was on borrowed time. I made it close to six weeks in Mexico by myself, but I was drained both physically and emotionally. I didn’t know I was pregnant yet, but I was sick to my stomach all the time. I thought it was just nerves. I tried to keep moving but my body was physically rejecting the idea of doing anything, so I held up in a crappy room in La Arco.” Which ended up being a nightmare. “Someone broke into my room in the middle of the night. They stole the money I had left and they ...” A sheen of tears forms. That night could have been a lot worse, but as it is, it’s still the worst night of my life.

  “Did they...?” Kiran trails off, unable to finish his question.

  I take a deep breath, pushing down the pain of my memories. “They tried. I fought back but I was weak. I hadn’t kept food down in days, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. In the end, I got away before they could really hurt me.” I can’t keep the tears from falling as that night comes back.

  “One of them had a gun. He pointed it at me, telling me I had to have sex with the other man. The thought alone made me sick, and when that happened, all hell broke loose. I somehow ended up with the gun. They both charged after me ...” My voice cracks as more tears fall. “I didn’t mean to shoot anyone but he wouldn’t stay away from me.”

  “Shh.” Kiran brings his hand to my face and brushes my tears away. “I shot one of them in the leg and ran away as fast as I could. I left behind what little I had. I made it to the next town, and God must have been watching out for me because Richardo found me and brought me to Damian.” By the time I made it to Damian’s hideout, I was physically broken. If I hadn’t found him when I did, I don’t know what would have happened to me.

  “When my father first saw me, he was pissed. God, he was angry,” I add, remembering the night Richardo discovered me walking down an empty street by myself. I barely had any clothing on, and what I did have on was dirty and ripped.

  “When he calmed down enough for me to tell him why I was looking for him, guilt set in. Damian spent his entire life protecting me, and when I needed him the most, he wasn’t there. That was a bitter pill for him to swallow. By the time Damian started to accept that I wasn’t going anywhere, I began to wonder if I was pregnant.” I rub my hands over my bump and sigh. Outside of the night those men broke into my room, this is probably the second night I would like to erase from my memory.

  “My boobs hurt. It had been awhile since I had a period. I would get nauseated for no reason, and then I remembered we didn’t use a condom the last night we were together.”

  Kiran groans. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I hate that this happened to you, but I can’t say I’m sorry for getting you pregnant. Now that I know about him, I just...I can’t regret him.”

  I roll to my side and smile. “Me either.” I grin. “It wasn’t ideal, but in a way if I hadn’t been pregnant, I wouldn’t be here with you now.”

  Kiran’s eyes flare before he leans forward and gives me a soft kiss. “Thank God you are. I was lost without you,” he adds before rubbing my bump.

  I nuzzle into his chest, engulfed by his smell, and I’m positive I’ve never been happier.

  Kiran

  I’m nervously driving Isabelle out to a house I put a deposit down on—not to buy, but to rent. I want us out of the apartment before the baby is born, but I don’t want to add the stress of buying a house to our already hectic lives. I figured we could rent a house for a year then look for something to buy. When I saw this place, I called immediately and was able to stop by on my way home from work. The house is only a few years old and in a fairly good location, and I knew the homeowner had an appointment to show it to someone else later that day, so I put down a deposit.

  Now, I’m hoping Isabelle likes the house as much as I do. “We’re here,” I add before kissing the back of her hand. Her eyes widen when she understands that I’m referring to a house. “I hope you like it, but don’t get too excited. We’re only renting it. When we buy a house”—I squeeze her hand and smile “—we’ll pick it out together. In the meantime, I thought this house would make for a nice place to live.”

  Her eyes go back to the house. “Can we go inside?” she questions without taking her eyes off the house.

  “Of course.” I dig out the house key as we get out the car then walk up the porch. Once I get the door unlocked, I push t
he door open and motion for her to step inside.

  She gasps and places her hand on her chest. “It’s beautiful.” It’s moments like these that I’m reminded how incredibly wrong I originally was about Isabelle. She doesn’t need fancy things or a lot of money to make her happy. She wants the same thing out of life that everyone does: to be surrounded by love.

  “I’m glad you like it. I put a deposit down already.”

  Isabelle walks through the rest of the house with a huge grin on her face. “We can put up the crib you bought,” she says, looking into the extra room.

  “Yep. We can move in today if you’d like.”

  She looks at me as her smile slowly vanishes. “Have you talked to Alex yet about this? I mean ...” She pauses to clear her throat. “He’s my brother, and I can’t live with him forever, but I don’t want him to feel like I’m deserting him.”

  I walk over and place my hand on her chin then tilt her head back. “You’re not deserting him. You two have a lot of time to make up for, but you both need to live your own lives while doing that. He might be a little disappointed, but he’ll understand, not to mention, he can come over here anytime he wants.” I told Alex I was looking for a place for Isabelle, the baby, and myself. He didn’t look excited but he is okay with his sister moving out.

  Alex isn’t anywhere near the level of a man whore I once was, but he’s been with his fair share of women since I’ve met him, and I know living with his sister has put a damper on his sex life. The way I see it, us moving out is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

  “I know you’re right. Now that I’ve gotten to know him, I feel guilty.”

  I pull her body tight against mine. “But you shouldn’t. What happened wasn’t your fault,” I say, telling her something I’ve probably said a thousand times already. Unfortunately, the only thing that’s going to help them is time. “Let’s head back to the apartment and start packing our stuff.”