Broad Daylight

by A. M. Wilson

  I drop Dani’s book bag on the bed and grab some clean clothes out of my dresser. With them in my hand, I turn to face her. I want so badly to get my hands on her, but they’re dirty. “I’m gonna go wash my hands and change my clothes before we get started.”

  She saunters toward me, adding an extra sway to her hips. The look in her eyes has my dick swelling in my jeans.

  “I don’t know. You look kinda hot, all dirty like you are.” Starting at my shoulders, she moves her hands slowly down my chest, stopping just before she gets to the waistband of my jeans. “Very manly. It’s getting me all hot and bothered.”

  I drop my clothes to the floor, then grip her hips and tug her closer. “Yeah?” I whisper against her lips.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  Dropping my head, I take her mouth in a heated kiss. From the first moment I met Dani, she’s driven me crazy, and it’s only grown stronger since.

  Conscious of the door being open and Mom only just down the hallway, I pull back from Dani with a groan.

  “We gotta stop before Mom walks in and sees way more than she needs to.” I nip her lips one more time. “Fuck, magnet, we should have studied at your house.”

  Dani’s parents are just as strict under their roof, but they both work evening shifts, so we’d be alone, except for her sister, who couldn’t care less what Dani and I do behind closed doors.

  “They’re both off today.” She smirks.

  I release her hips and bend down to grab my clothes. “I’ll be back.”

  Dani plops down on my bed, reaching for her book bag. “Okay.”

  It doesn’t take me long to wash up and change clothes. When I walk back into my room, Dani’s reclining back against my headboard with a pillow behind her and her history book on her lap. When she sees me, her face lights up, like she hasn’t seen me in a week.

  I toss my dirty clothes in the hamper beside my closet door and flop down on the end of the bed. I grab one of her bare feet and start massaging the bottom. She moans and closes her eyes.

  “That feels heavenly,” she says softly.

  I work my way up her calf. Her eyes crack open, and the look on her face turns heated.

  “What happened to stopping before your mom walks into something she’s not supposed to?”

  “What?” I give her an innocent look. “I’m not doing anything.”

  She snorts. “Sure you’re not. You know how sensitive my legs are.”

  I grin, then drop my head down and place a kiss on the side of her calf.

  “Reece—”

  Her eyes widen, and she yanks her leg away from me when we hear Mom coming down the hallway. Laughing, I sit up in bed and grab Dani’s notebook, setting it down on my lap to cover my growing erection.

  “You’re so mean,” Dani grumbles.

  I don’t have a chance to respond before Mom’s stepping into the room, carrying sandwiches on paper plates and two bottles of water.

  “Thanks, Mrs. James,” Dani says, grabbing the waters and setting them on the nightstand. The sandwiches are handed to me.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “It’s no problem. I figure it’s the least I can do since you’re helping Reece with history.”

  I hate history and think it’s a pointless subject. The only reason it’s still taught in school is because it’s considered good conversation material. And that’s not just my opinion. I was told this by my history teacher.

  After Mom leaves, I hand Dani one of the sandwiches, and we spend the next several minutes in silence as we eat. Getting up from the bed, I go to the small stereo on my dresser and find a radio station, keeping the volume low so we can still talk.

  When I reach for Dani’s foot again, she snatches it back. “Nope. None of that. It’s time to hit the books.”

  With a groan, I flop back on the bed and stare up at the ceiling. “Fine,” I mutter.

  Dani begins to read the chapter we’re on in class. I roll to my side and prop my head up on my elbow. I may hate history, but I love the sound of Dani’s voice. She could read the dictionary, and I’d be completely enthralled.

  Everything about Dani keeps me captivated.

  Blinking open my eyes, I take a moment to adjust to the low lighting in the room. I instinctually tighten my grip around the woman in my arms. Burying my face in the mass of hair in front of me, I breathe in deep, taking in the familiar scent I never forgot about in the twenty years we were separated.

  Feeling that the warmth has finally settled back into Dani, I loosen my arms and carefully get up from the mattress. Dani doesn’t move. If it wasn’t for the steady breathing coming from her and the stable heartbeat I felt against my arm while I was holding her, I’d be concerned.

  Sitting with my back against the wall and my arms draped over my raised knees, I keep watch over the woman I violated not long ago. Dani may not look at it as a violation, but I damn sure do. No matter how many times she said it was okay, it wasn’t. Sex with me was the last thing she wanted. If given a choice, she would have never chosen it. Only the threat of pain and death forced her to.

  Bile rises in my throat at the memory. What makes it worse is the orgasm I had. What kind of sick fuck has an orgasm while he’s raping the woman he’s loved for years?

  Squeezing my eyes shut, I slam my head back against the wall, feeling the pain radiate through my skull.

  “Reece?” Dani’s croaked voice has me lifting my head.

  “I’m here.”

  “Are we alone?”

  “As far as I know. But she may have cameras somewhere.”

  She doesn’t say anything for a moment, then her quiet voice fills the room. “Are you okay?”

  I let out a bark of laughter. “Am I okay? I should be asking you that.”

  She sighs, and a moment later, I hear her moving around on the mattress. I look over just as she turns toward me. Seeing some of the color has returned to her cheeks has the weight on my chest lessening.

  Her eyes, which I’ve always loved, stare up at me. “You know I don’t blame you, right?”

  “You don’t have to blame me. I hold enough blame for the both of us.”

  A scowl wrinkles her facial features. “Don’t be stupid, Reece. You had no choice.”

  I clench my teeth and dig my nails into my palms. “I should have done something. Protected you somehow from this shit,” I grit out.

  She sits up, dragging the blanket with her. “And how were you supposed to do that?” she demands, the fire I’ve witnessed in her eyes since she came back to town resurfacing. Seeing it settles something inside my chest. I’d much rather have her ire than the blue lips and weakly spoken words. “Did you know she was going to kidnap you, let alone me?”

  “No,” I grunt. But I should have known when she showed me the video footage, I silently add to myself.

  “Then how were you going to save me from being trapped in here?”

  I don’t answer her question because I have no answers to give her. I just know I should have done something. Dani is here because of me. It’s apparent Bolt has done her research if she knows about her. She lived in my neighborhood for months. Dani only recently came back to town. All of that indicates I was her target, and Dani was just collateral.

  “How long do you think she’s going to keep us?” Dani’s question pulls me from my thoughts.

  “No clue. Probably until she’s satisfied with this sick game she’s playing.” Or until we’re both dead. I keep that last part to myself.

  Needing a distraction from the hell we’re currently living in, I ask, “How has your family been?”

  It takes her a moment to answer, and I’m surprised when she does so.

  “They’re fine. Both of my parents are retired now. Madison went to nursing school and works at the hospital. She has two kids, Braden and Zoey. Unfortunately, she lost her husband two years ago in a car accident.”

  “I’m sorry for her loss,” I say quietly. “It can’t be easy raising two kids on her own.�
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  “She’s doing the best she can.”

  “I bet your parents are enjoying retirement.”

  She nods. “What about yours?”

  The reluctant way she asks the question tells me she really doesn’t want to know, but she’s asking to be polite. Back when we were together, Dani loved both of my parents. Her reluctance to know about my family now goes to show just how much I hurt her.

  “Everyone is fine. Like yours, my parents are retired. Tori moved to Phoenix and is married with kids. Niko and his wife and kids are down in Florida, living close to our parents.”

  “I read an article about what happened to Aislin. I was glad to hear Niko found her.”

  My mind shuts down at the mention of what happened to Aislin. I refuse to talk about it with Dani, especially considering it was a big factor in why I did what I did to her all those years ago.

  The subject is forgotten when a clang comes from the door, and a second later, it creaks open. I stiffen against the wall, and I see Dani out of the corner of my eye, scooting back as far away as she can.

  Bolt saunters in the room, carrying a tray of food, her gleaming eyes moving from me to Dani before settling back on me.

  “I see princess is doing much better. It’s a good thing you fucked the warmth back into her, huh? And you thought I was heartless.” She cackles.

  My molars grind together as I straighten my legs, moving to get to my feet.

  “Keep your ass on the floor and don’t move,” Bolt spits out. “Or I’ll shock the fuck out of the cunt.”

  Every muscle in my body is telling me to charge the bitch and beat the shit out of her. Seeing the remote in her hand is the only thing keeping me in place.

  I sit and glare at the woman. Seconds later, a piercing scream comes from Dani as she falls to her side and writhes in pain.

  “What the fuck?” I yell at Bolt. “I didn’t fucking move.”

  Dani’s screaming stops just as abruptly as it began, but she’s still whimpering, and the sound tears my heart to shreds.

  Bolt shrugs her thin shoulders. “I like watching her cry and seeing the pain you go through when she’s hurt.”

  “You’re a sick bitch, you know that, right?” I grind out between my teeth.

  “Never claimed to be otherwise.” She taps the side of her head with the remote. “It’s fun being in my twisted little mind.”

  “When I get out of here, no one will recognize your body once I get done with you,” I warn.

  She laughs, the sound coming out eerie. “That’s a neat trick, considering I’m the one with all of the control.”

  “It won’t be that way forever.”

  “We’ll see, won’t we?” She winks.

  Setting the tray of food on the floor, she walks backward toward the door. Just before she closes it, she blows a kiss my way and wiggles her fingers. “Later, pretty boy.”

  As soon as the door clicks closed, followed by the sound of the lock, I’m crawling toward Dani. She’s still on her side, curled into a ball. Her eyes are open, though they still look dazed.

  “When we get out of here, I want a part in killing her,” she says, her voice shaky.

  I brush away some of her hair that’s fallen in her face. “You’re a cop,” I remind her. “You aren’t supposed to want to kill people.”

  “I’ll make an exception for her.”

  I can’t help it. The situation is far from humorous, but I crack a smile.

  “Are you hungry?” I look over at the tray of food as I ask the question.

  “Not really.” I help her sit up. “But we should probably eat to keep up our strength.”

  I slide the tray toward us, and we both look down at it in surprise. What I thought would be half-rotten food is actually a meal you’d find at a fine dining restaurant. A big piece of juicy steak, steaming fresh vegetables, a mound of creamy mashed potatoes, and plump strawberries. Also on the tray are two bottles of water, cold enough to form condensation on the sides.

  “Do you think it’s poisoned?” Dani asks.

  I look at her. Her tone is filled with doubt, but her eyes are glued to the food, and I can practically see her mouth watering at the temptation before us.

  “I don’t know.” I stab the steak with the fork, not surprised Bolt didn’t provide a knife, and bring it to my nose. My stomach rumbles at the delicious smell. “It smells fine.”

  “Should we eat?”

  I drop the steak back to the plate. “I don’t think we have a choice. If we don’t eat, we get weak.”

  Dani nods, her gaze still focused warily on the plate of food.

  “Let me take a few bites first, and we’ll see what happens.”

  Dani’s eyes jerk away from the plate at that, and she pins me with a look. Before she can say anything to try to stop me, I grab one of the strawberries and take a small bite out of it. The scowl she gives me would be cute if we weren’t stuck in this hellhole.

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “Why?” I ask, scooping up a forkful of mashed potatoes. “Because I’m trying to save your life if it’s poisoned?”

  “Because you put my life above yours. We’re in this together, Reece.”

  After swallowing the mashed potatoes, I stab a piece of steamed broccoli and eat it. Despite our worry the food is tainted, it tastes damn good.

  “Your life is worth more than mine. Especially considering what I did to you earlier.”

  Taking a bite of the steak, I drop it back to the plate. When Dani doesn’t say anything else, I reluctantly lift my head and look at her. It’s hard to meet her eyes after what happened earlier.

  What I see has my gut clenching painfully. Her eyes, which used to be filled with light and hope years ago, are now full of pain and remorse.

  “You really think your mom would feel that way? Your dad? Your brother and his wife? My life is no more important than yours.” Her eyes turn hard. “And it pisses me off that you think it is.”

  “You being pissed at me is nothing new.”

  A growl leaves the back of her throat and her eyes flare. Lightning fast, she grabs a piece of broccoli before I can stop her, and she shoves it in her mouth. Anger at her foolishness has my hands balling into fists.

  She holds up a hand and points a finger at me. “Shut up,” she spews, her mouth still full.

  I hold my tongue and watch her closely. Bolt may have slipped something in the food, but something tells me she didn’t. Poison doesn’t seem like her type of torture.

  Dani’s voice is much quieter when she speaks again. “As much as I’ve hated you for the past twenty years, I’ve never wished harm on you. What you did earlier… No, what we did earlier was an act of survival. Had we… not had sex, there’s no telling what that woman would have done.”

  I drop my eyes, focusing on the plate between us, and pick up another strawberry. Nothing Dani can say will excuse me from forcing myself on her. No, it wasn’t done by choice, but it doesn’t change the fact that it was done.

  I’ll hate myself for it to my dying day.

  17

  Dani

  We’ve been kept in a holding pattern for what feels like days. The only way to mark the passage of time in this dark cellar is by the somewhat routine food delivery. The bitch who’s hell-bent on torturing us until probable death provides us meals as if she’s the head cook and awaits our feedback.

  But we’re not stupid.

  The psychological impact of an abductor being kind is one I’m familiar with, and I’ll be damned if it works on me. She could hand us the key to our freedom right now with an emotional apology, and I’d still make sure the hammer of justice came down so hard it drove her straight to the depths of hell.

  That doesn’t mean I’m not a tiny bit grateful the food is decent and not poisoned. After the cold water bath, it took a while to regain my strength, and I have no doubt the nutrition helped. All this makes me wonder why the hell she needs us to remain functioning if she’s just plannin
g to torture us to death? For her own entertainment?

  “What are you doing over there?” Reece calls from his side of the chamber. Bolt has been ordering us apart after our last shared meal each day, using the threat of the shock collar around my neck to get Reece to comply. Secretly, I both dread and look forward to the forced separation. My feelings about this man are all over the place, and seeing the concerned glances he throws my way over a shared plate of food doesn’t help me sort them out. Coupled with the fact I still hurt for how he treated me in the past, a little time apart does my mind some good.

  The only thought I allow myself about what Bolt forced us to do is that I’m glad it was Reece touching me and not some stranger. I won’t entertain any deeper contemplation.

  I slide my hands along the cold concrete blocks of what I assume is the outer wall and press my fingers hard into the cracks of each one. I’ve been at this for a while now. “Looking for any more trap doors.”

  “I don’t think you’ll find one on that wall.”

  “Yeah, well you were too busy beating your knuckles bloody and missed the first one.” I fire back on a hiss. “Besides, we don’t have a clue what this bitch has hidden in these rooms.”

  “As a guy who builds houses for a living, I can tell you it’d be damn near impossible for her to hide anything in a block of concrete unless she built it herself.” His heated retort mirrors my tone.

  “Maybe she did,” I mutter and continue my fruitless search. Reece can mock me all he wants. This gives me something to do to take my mind off our situation.

  “Will you come here?”

  “No.”

  “Dani—”

  “No! I won’t come there. I’m trying to think.”

  I’m powerless, weaponless, and Bolt has the upper hand. My job is to solve puzzles, and I don’t have much to work with here.

  I pull my fingers away from the abrasive concrete and assess the collar around my neck again. The material is hard and smooth all the way around. One small indent near the left side of my neck must be the locking mechanism. There isn’t a catch or a button, and tugging each side has proven useless. At least on myself. I could have Reece give it a shot the next time we share a meal together, and we’re alone. He can check for a lock.