I hesitated then nodded.
“I thought so.”
This had all happened so fast. I had no idea how to react. I was furious and terrified. “
“Why does it matter?” I asked. “If I know him?”
He stared at me. “Are you okay?”
“My God! Do I look okay?”
“I’m sorry,” he answered softly. “Stupid question.”
I sighed and put my head down.
His voice suddenly changed, and he sounded almost solemn. “You don’t know, do you?”
I looked up at him. “Don’t know what?” I yelled. “That the boy I trusted and fell in love with lied to me about everything, betrayed me, and will probably kill me? No. Please explain.”
He sighed. “Look, Jane, we need your help.”
“How can I help? And with what? Aid…James hasn’t told me anything. I don’t know anything.”
The look in his eyes weakened me; I could have sworn he was Danny.
“Abraham,” he said. “He’s back in North Bend. Do you know who I am talking about?”
I nodded. “The father of Aid…James.”
“James has more strength than you realize.”
“I realize more than you know.”
“He’s the worst one. James never listens to Abraham. He makes his own rules.”
“Perhaps that makes him the good one.”
He shook his head. “I understand that you want to believe more than anything that James—”
“Aidan.”
“What?”
“Please. I know him as Aidan.”
He nodded. “Understood. I know you want to believe that he’s good, but he isn’t.”
I was too disoriented to even fully process what he was saying. I didn’t know what to think. I finally let the tears spill over. Why hide it now?
“I’m supposed to give you to Dorian.”
“Who?”
“Dorian,” he repeated as if he actually thought my response was because I hadn’t heard him. “He’s sort of my boss.”
“Why did you kidnap me from Luna’s?”
“I told you. I think you may be able to help us. Besides, is it so wrong that I wanted to protect you from James—Aidan?”
My crying increased, tearing from my chest in uncontrollable sobs. The tears soaked my face now.
“You don’t understand,” I said, weeping. “Aidan isn’t like them.”
“I know you want to believe that, darling, but it just isn’t true. He’s Abraham’s right-hand man, him being his son.”
“What makes you think I will want to help you?”
“You will, Jane,” he said, smiling. “You will.”
I couldn’t answer.
“My name is Ian by the way.”
I sat there expressionless. I remembered the name, but I wasn’t sure why. It took a long moment for it to process in my mind. Aidan had said something about him once—that he was one of the good guys. Even though I knew at this point that trusting Aidan was foolish, I believed what he told me, and I was slightly less afraid. I didn’t want to get up. I was still trembling. I could feel my insides shaking as if I were cold.
Ian offered me his hand. I remembered that day in the woods when Aidan had offered me his. I remembered how warm and welcoming it had appeared and how cold, tense, and unfriendly it had felt. Ian’s hand appeared soft and delicate, and when I touched it, it was warm and smooth—purely human. For some odd reason, I was almost disappointed by the normality of him as a person. The situation called for something a little bit more interesting. He didn’t hold my attention. He seemed to notice the look in my eyes, easily being able to tell that my mind was elsewhere.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Dorian will explain everything.”
I couldn’t respond.
“We’re the good guys here, Jane.”
I had heard that before. How could I believe anybody anymore? I was trembling before Ian even opened the door. I saw the man who must have been Dorian. He was dressed all in black and had an extremely muscular build. He was dark skinned and handsome but didn’t smile. He shook my hand.
“Sorry about how all of this happened,” he said, his voice deep and insincere. He must have been who Ian was talking to outside the door when I was barely conscious. He led me out of the house, which I hadn’t taken time to look at, to a blue van parked outside. He held on to my arm and wasn’t what I would call gentle.
“Hey!” I snapped. “Want to try not breaking my arm?”
He sighed heavily. “Just get in.” He almost threw me toward the car.
“All right!” I yelled. “I get it!”
I didn’t even pay attention to the streets or which way Dorian was driving; I was too annoyed by the entire situation and still hadn’t completely stopped crying. I sat silently, slouched down in the passenger’s seat with my arms folded across my stomach.
“Don’t think that James betraying The Sevren is a good thing for anyone,” he grunted.
“Aidan was never part of The Sevren,” I hissed back. “He was threatened into all of it.”
He shook his head. “He never listened. Abraham would be furious if he knew what was going on with you two.”
“What are you talking about?”
He chuckled. “From now on, you’re going to treat me with a little more respect.”
“I think I deserve the same,” I said, “if you still want my help.”
He laughed a dry, husky laugh that sounded completely synthetic. “Ian needs your help. I simply need to enforce the rules.”
“What rules?”
He stopped the car in the middle of an empty road.
“What are you doing?”
“I told you. Enforcing the rules.”
I saw him lift a crow bar above his head, and I gasped. My eyes went dark as I heard one last dry, husky laugh.
When I awoke, it was very dark, but I was still aware of the smell of dust and wood. My face was saturated with sticky tears, and my head throbbed. I remembered the crow bar in Dorian’s hand and realized he had hit me to the point of unconsciousness. I moved to sit up and suddenly gasped when I felt the flesh on my knee slice open from somewhere in the floorboards. I clutched my hand to the wound. The only sounds I could hear were my own whimpering. It was comforting knowing I was alone; there was nobody there to hurt me, at least for now. I leaned my head back slowly, being sure not to hit another nail that may be sticking out of the wall. I closed my eyes, making more tears roll down my cheeks. Knowing that sleep was impossible here, I spoke softly to the only person I felt I could trust.
“Danny,” I whispered, my voice almost throttled, “if you can hear me, I just want to tell you that I love you. I want you to know that I am going to do everything I can to get out of here and to make it back to Dad and take care of him, but you are the only one who can give me courage. Stay with me, Danny, just this once. Help me up just one more time. Be there for me like you were in life. I need you now more than I ever have before. I will see you someday soon, but until then, I want you to be proud of me, of my life. I know I am proud of yours.”
Suddenly, I felt calm and numb, almost the way I did years ago when I stole my mother’s vodka hidden in the pantry. I felt almost like I could sleep. My eyes darted open when I heard the sound of footsteps. Light flooded the room, and I could see a dark figure walking down the steps toward me. He stopped inches in front of me. The light was so blinding that I couldn’t see who it was. He didn’t even say a word before striking me hard across the face. I tried to stay silent—to stay strong.
“You are the reason James has turned his back on us.”
It was Dorian’s voice. My chest shook with uncontrollable sobs. He struck me again, and I let out a short, strangled yelp.
“You answer me, slag!”
“James was never part of your…group,” I whispered.
“What the hell are you blabbering about?” he demanded.
I winced, thinking he wa
s going to hit me again. “He hid behind the fact that he was Abraham’s son. He’d never hurt anyone, not again.”
“You mean the way he hurt your brother?”
I could instantly feel the bile pushing its way into my throat. “What?” I whispered, sound barely escaping my lips.
He laughed. “What, he didn’t tell you?”
I was silent.
“Your little boyfriend killed your brother.”
It took a moment for me to process his words, but when they ran through my head over and over, I began to feel as though I were spinning. I couldn’t speak. I choked on my tears. I tried to remember who was saying this. He wasn’t exactly somebody I could trust. But Ian’s words came to mind and Rudy’s story and all of my suspicions before. Aidan had lied to me—betrayed me.
I cried hard, harder than I’d cried since Danny died. I tried to think about the good times with Aidan, but my mind kept showing my brother dead in the forest and Aidan with his knife in hand. The grief and the visions were overwhelming. I held my breath to keep from screaming.
“If I’m in a good mood, I may decide to feed you tonight,” Dorian hissed. He left me then to cry by myself.
My love had murdered my brother. I tried telling myself it wasn’t true, but it connected with Aidan’s reaction at seeing Daniel’s picture on my dresser.
He just reminds me of somebody.
From the very beginning, he had lied to me. I knew I shouldn’t have expected anything different.
I had to keep my mind somewhere else, somewhere that wasn’t a dark, cold basement or a forest where Danny died. Nothing was working. For the first time, Jane Callahan’s “active imagination” couldn’t concentrate on anything peaceful. I was in agony.
Dorian did let me eat that night. Dry salad and warm water. He threw the plate at me, causing me to pick up lettuce and olives from the dusty floor, but I didn’t complain. I had to think of a way out. I had to get home. I had to do it for Danny. What if something had happened to Ethan or Becky or Rudy, even Aaron? What if I didn’t live long enough to ever see them again? Who was going to come to my rescue if not Aidan? He was my hero, my knight in shining armor. He was also my enemy now and the very reason for my misery. Danny’s death wasn’t my fault, and I was able to accept that, but if something happened to one of my friends, it would be my fault, and I would die…by my own hands if not by Dorian’s.
I didn’t want to believe that Aidan was a killer. I didn’t want to believe he had anything to do with The Sevren. But I knew deep down he was one of them and that he had been lying to me all along. How could I look at him again? How could I look into those enticing eyes without seeing my brother dead at Aidan’s feet?
I curled up in a ball on the dusty wooden floor. I had no concept of what time it was, if even it was night, but I did my best to relax regardless. I thought that maybe I had been asleep because I was not disturbed by the light or footsteps but was startled to see him when I opened my eyes.
“Shh,” he whispered. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
I tried to let my eyes adjust. I could see he was small looking—young. Even in the dark, I could tell he was blond, and his eyes were cobalt blue. His face had that childish roundness to it, and his voice was small and innocent. Even this didn’t make me feel better.
“My name is Alex.”
The name caught my attention. “Alex?”
“Yes.”
I hadn’t realized I’d said it out loud.
“Aidan…” I heard him laugh. “What a dreadful name to choose.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping maybe I was dreaming.
“It isn’t true,” he continued, “what Dorian said.”
“What?”
“Your brother’s death wasn’t his fault—James I mean. It’s important that you know that.”
“How am I supposed to believe that? I have been led to believe so many different things that I have no idea who’s been lying and who’s been truthful—if anybody has been truthful.”
“James is my brother. I know him quite well. He was always the bad one in the family. He never listened to Father.”
“Abraham.”
He nodded. “I did everything that Father said. He hurt James a lot, so I was frightened of him. He made me kill.”
“Why?”
“Because…” he answered as if he was shocked I had asked, “because that is what’s right. It’s what needs to be done.”
“Do you believe that?”
“Of course I do,” he exclaimed. “It is James who does not believe. James is the one who doesn’t listen or obey or understand. His loyalty to you will kill him before this is over.”
“Why are you saying this?”
“Oh, I'm not lying,” he said calmly. “He didn’t send me down here to talk to you if that’s what you’re thinking.” He was so comfortable speaking to me; it seemed unnatural. “What I mean by that, Miss Callahan, is that he won’t kill you.”
“Oh, well, thanks. I feel much better now.”
He chuckled. “Though he did mention you were sarcastic.”
“Perfect.”
So he hadn’t forgotten about me. I wasn’t about to believe a word Alex was saying to me. I couldn’t be sure if he even knew Aidan. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said, “but I don’t believe you belong here. Neither does James, but there is really nothing either of us can do for you. Dorian is always watching. I’m lucky I was able to get down here without being seen.”
“Why am I here?”
“I couldn’t tell you that, Miss,” he answered kindly, “even if I knew.”
He handed me a brown paper bag. “Don’t let Dorian see this. James begged me to do something for you—anything—so here it is.”
My heart sank. It was filled with food—sandwiches and fruits all in plastic bags. “Thank you,” I whispered, my voice catching in my throat.
“You’re very welcome. I’m supposed to be asleep, so I will let you continue yours now.”
I nodded. So it was nighttime.
“Sleep well, Jane,” he said warmly. “James—Aidan would want that.” He tossed me a thin, blue blanket. “I’m not sure what this will do.”
It smelled like Aidan, which made me choke back tears. I buried my face in it, pretending I was back in my bedroom with Aidan when I trusted him, when I loved him, and things were…normal? Maybe not normal but good. His scent and my memories of him put me to sleep. I didn’t dream of him; in fact, I cannot remember dreaming at all. I awoke to the sound of the door.
“Abraham told me to feed you,” Dorian growled, “so here.”
He threw a stale piece of bread at me.
“And don’t complain. He just wants you alive for now, so I am forced to feed you.”
I didn’t say a word. I was alone in a place I didn’t know and could very well be dying. This wasn’t supposed to happen to me, but yet it was my fault. I got myself into this mess in the first place. It definitely wasn’t supposed to happen to someone like Becky or Rudy, and I hoped to God that they were safe.
I wanted to be somewhere else, somewhere in my mind. I drifted away into a forest with green, rolling hills and trees that smelled like vanilla and peppermint—where the grass was soft like velvet on my bare feet and the sun shone in thin rays through the branches. Where there was color and life and beauty. I hummed quietly to myself, staying locked away in this imaginary woodland.
I wondered what Becky was doing, what she was thinking at every exact moment that I was shivering in a dark, dirty basement. I almost wished she was there with me; at least I wouldn’t be alone. I knew it was imperative that I concentrate on other things—things that would help me survive this nightmare if I ever wanted to even see Becky again. I thought about hiding the food Alex had given me. Where better than beneath the floorboards? I tried, but the wood wouldn’t break. I tugged and kicked at it.
“Damn,” I grum
bled. “Always works in the movies.”
I pushed the paper back against the wall and tried to cover it with the blue blanket, without making it look too obvious. I was terrified Dorian would find it and beat me to the point where I wouldn’t be able to move. I couldn’t decide which I was more worried about—being murdered or simply starving to death when the food ran out. Which would hurt more? I crawled along the floor, looking for a place to hide the food and being careful not to catch another nail. I felt the brush of cool fabric against my arm and instantly turned to examine what it was. It was nothing but a shape in the darkness. I reached out to it, and something cold and stringy wrapped around my fingers. I winced and shrieked, pulling my hand away and backing up. I tried to get my eyes to adjust, but I still couldn’t see anything more than a dark mound against the wall.
I gasped when I heard the door at the top of the stairs crack open, and I glanced that way. When I directed my gaze back to the dark shape, I was completely blinded by the light. Slowly, my eyes adjusted, and the beam of light from the open door lit up the object, revealing dark, empty eyes staring back at me—eyes that were clearly nothing I had seen before. They were almost protruding from the gray flesh of the pasty, lifeless face. I covered my mouth with my hands, forcing myself to swallow the scream pushing its way into my throat. When the door opened farther, I could see exactly what the horrific object was. The face was stiff, and black, matted hair still clung to my fingers. She hung there like a rag doll. Her flesh was the color of raw clay, and a row of yellow, x-shaped stitches were pushed through her lips, sealing her mouth closed. She was naked and lanky, almost bony.
“She never knew what not to say,” I heard.
I shrieked and turned to see Alex kneeling beside me, staring at the corpse as if she were still alive. His voice was flat and emotionless. “Foolish to be honest,” he continued. “She’d seen it happen before. Abraham warned her not to tell anybody about us.”
I only stared at his young-looking face, a relief from the dead girl. My voice was impossible to force from my throat, and my entire body was quaking.
“He didn’t even drink her blood,” he added, shaking his head slowly. “He said it was impure.”
I still couldn’t find the strength to speak.
Summers' Deceit (Hunters Trilogy Book 1) Page 15
