The Beast (The Bad Boys Series)

by Levin, Tabitha

  “Most of them? You do this often?”

  “Not this.” I waved my fork around the room before returning it to the potato. “And usually not bikers. Not making that mistake again.” That was for damn sure. That three grand was becoming more trouble than it was worth.

  “Why would they still be looking for you?”

  “I took something that belonged to them.”

  “Then give it back.”

  “I can’t. I don’t have it on me.”

  He put his fork down on his plate and steepled his fingers under his chin. “Weapons? Drugs?”

  “Money.”

  “How much?”

  “Look, I appreciate this meal, I really do. But you don’t need to worry. I doubt they’ll get this far, you’re place is well hidden. They’ll give up once it gets dark and I’ll be gone. You don’t have to concern yourself about this hideaway getting busted.”

  “You found it.” He pushed his plate away and crossed his arms casually over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

  “I’m not like most people.”

  “Neither am I, Miss Lockhart.”

  “Miss Lockhart? Ha!” I turned my head to the side to look at him. He had a warm smile on his face, the type you give old friends that you haven’t seen in a long time. He was trying to unnerve me. The man I’d met earlier, full of threats and fear, had turned into the charming host. Did he really want to play games with me? Because I wouldn’t play unless I had the upper hand. “What do you have upstairs, Mr. Prince? Why is it that you hide away here?”

  “Please, call me Nick.”

  Was he flirting with me? Surely not. Earlier he’d threatened me and now he was trying to manipulate the situation to his advantage. That was my trick. I needed to take back my edge. “Okay, Nick, here is what I think is going on here. You’re more complex than even you realize. Full of contradictions, you like to analyze people, like to get under their skin and see what makes them tick. You’re trying to do that to me right now, trying to figure me out.”

  “Just like you’re trying to figure me out.”

  “Ahh, always answering by repeating my statements back to me, yet twisting them. Maybe you were a psychologist or counselor? Wait, no.” I stood up, walked over to the cupboard, and grabbed an empty glass. “You were in some sort of management role. Hated the job, loved the money. Yes, that’s it. You were able to manipulate your way up the ranks. Then something happened and it was pulled away from you. Leaving you with nothing.”

  He smirked and raised an eyebrow. I was on the right track but not close enough. I’d have to use what clues he’d already left.

  “You’ve already said that you are a danger to women, but I don’t think you meant lots of women, you meant one particular woman.” I held the empty glass up. “Do you have any wine?”

  He looked confused for a moment by my change in subject, but the smirk returned. “You want to share a bottle of wine with me? How very interesting.”

  “Actually, I was going to drink it out on the balcony, wait for a real prince to come bounding over the hills on a white horse, so I can let my hair down for him to climb up and rescue me. Isn’t that the way these things go?”

  “This isn’t a fairytale, Miss Lockhart.”

  “And I don’t need a prince to rescue me.”

  “Evidently.”

  “The woman.”

  “Yes?”

  “She was important to you. Broke your heart. You wanted revenge.”

  “If you say so.” His face was stony but his smile remained. Fake obviously.

  My objective to gain advantage had worked. I didn’t really care about his past, I just wanted to show him that I could see through his charade. “So, about that wine? What do you have up there? I’d prefer red, but I’ll take white if that’s all you have.”

  He hesitated before getting out of his chair. He was trying to figure out if this was another trick, or if I really meant to have a drink with him. Maybe he thought I’d planned on getting him drunk. “I’ll see what I can find.”

  He turned his back, his broad shoulders straining against the thin cashmere grey sweater he wore. I waited in the kitchen until I heard him go upstairs and shut the door behind him. He was either going to come back down with a bottle, and try and seduce me or poison me, or try and twist the game back so he had the upper hand and do something unexpected. Either way, I wasn’t going to wait and see what happened next. Not that he needed to know that.

  I placed the empty glass on the table and snuck passed the stairs and back to the bedroom grabbing my backpack and the leather jacket. I carefully opened the window and climbed out.

  Chapter 7

  The night was cool and I was glad to have the black leather jacket to keep me warm. I hugged it around myself as I slipped outside and headed into the dark cover of the woods. As soon as I was passed the first row of trees it was like a blanket of darkness smothered the way forward, but I’d used my instincts many times before, I was sure of the right direction, even if my sight wasn’t good in the terrain.

  I walked a few more steps until I was out of earshot of Nick’s house and stopped where he couldn’t see me if he came outside. He was beginning to get too friendly. It was one thing that he brought me dinner, but if he really expected me to have wine as well, then things were getting too cozy for my liking. Besides, this wasn’t his problem.

  My plan now was to get to the road and somehow sneak past Colt and his cronies. If I could get to the other side of the road without them seeing me, then I could easily get to the next town, catch a bus and be back home by breakfast. It would have been easy if there was only one of them, but there was no telling how many I had to deal with now, and how far up and down the road they were searching.

  Before I attempted to get home, I needed to call Owen.

  He answered on the second ring. “Mom?”

  “Hi Honey, how are you doing?”

  “Good. Miss you. How’s the hunting going?”

  “Caught a big prize this time. Three grand. Most of it should be there tomorrow, so make sure you check the post before Grandma does, okay?”

  “Always do.”

  “I know.” I smiled into the phone. He was such a good boy. “Any pain today?”

  “Nah, nothing I can’t handle.” That was probably a lie. Owen had a tendency to downplay his leg injury.

  “Three grand huh?” He whistled, “Must have been a rich guy.”

  “Something like that.”

  “You won’t need to go out much longer now, we’re almost there.”

  I swallowed back the knot forming in my throat. “Only ten grand to go.”

  “When will you be home?”

  “I’m aiming for tomorrow, depending on how tonight goes down.” Depending on whether I can slip past a bunch of biker’s hell bent on retrieving their cash or slitting my throat. Perhaps both.

  “Cool. Stay safe.”

  “Always do.” I frowned hoping he wouldn’t hear the waver in my voice.

  “I gotta go, Mom. Got this big test tomorrow.”

  “Make sure you study hard. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I hung up and placed my phone in my backpack before slinging the bag over my shoulder.

  “You have a son?”

  I jumped around. Nick was standing a few feet from me - I hadn’t heard him approach. “How did you find me so quickly?”

  He shrugged. “How old is he?”

  “He’s eight.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “It didn’t sound like nothing.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not your problem. Look, I’ve already stayed longer than either of us wanted, so I’m leaving. Everyone gets back to their lives, just like before.”

  “You’re upset.” Damn it, I always let down my guard when talking to my son.

  “No, I’m leaving, that’s all.” I turned and started to walk away from him, b
ut he followed.

  “Maybe I can help?”

  “Help with what? My son. Got a stack of cash lying around do you?”

  “Well…”

  “I didn’t think so.”

  “I meant that I could help you get home to him.”

  I stopped walking. “What are you talking about?”

  “I check on the men that are following you. Find the safest route out of here. I know these woods better than you do, I’ve lived here for nearly a year. We both know that if they find you, they won’t be kind. You can’t risk getting caught by them. A son needs his mother.”

  I contemplated his offer. It would indeed be safer if he scouted out ahead of me, they wouldn’t be expecting him and the element of surprise could distract them long enough for me to slip past. “Why would you do that?”

  “I don’t want you to get harmed.”

  “This morning you were threatening that you would harm me, now you’re trying to help me?” I scoffed. “And why would you want to do that?”

  “Like I said before, your son needs his mother, especially if he’s unwell. It’s not right that she be taken away from him. Family is everything.” He sounded sincere.

  “Fine. You go ahead, I’ll stick back in the shadows until it’s safe, and then I’ll make a break for it.” I indicated that he should pass me and go in front, but he stood his ground.

  “No, you go back to the house. I’ll return and let you know their positions. It’ll be safer for you here, than following me. It’s too dark, you might get lost.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Lock up once you’re inside and keep quiet. I’ll knock three times when I return.”

  I took the keys and nodded looking back up at his house. “Okay. I’ll stay inside.” He smiled, nodded and headed into the trees.

  I slowly walked back to his house with the keys in my hand. Jumping over the weeds at the front steps, I hesitated, looking back to the darkness of the trees before returning my attention to the locked front door.

  Placing the keys in the handle, I felt a small thrill rush through me. It was time to find out who this guy really was. It was time to investigate upstairs.

  Chapter 8

  The front door locked behind me with a click and I stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up at the door he’d hidden himself in for the day. There was definitely another kitchen up there, and possibly more treasures that belied the bleakness of the rest of the house.

  I placed my hand on the railing and lifted my foot. The steps creaked as I took them one by one until I reached the landing. I didn’t bother investigating the other rooms, it was the one at the far right that I wanted to see inside. It would be locked, of course, and I doubted he’d put a spare set on this keychain for me, but it didn’t hurt to try.

  As I suspected, none of the keys he gave me access to his hidden room, but one little lock wasn’t going to stop me. I tested the doorknob, listening for the type of click. I reached into my backpack and retrieved the bump key I’d had made after flirting with a locksmith. It looked like a regular key but some of the ridges had been shaved down, and there was a flat piece on the handle end. I’d only had to use it one other time, but that time it worked just fine.

  I placed the bump key into the lock and hit the end of it with my palm. It was the second hit onto the key that I heard the door lock creak and click open. After retrieving the key, I opened the door, flicked the light switch up and stepped inside.

  Nick’s bedroom was a stark contrast to the rest of the house. It didn’t look like it belonged at all. This bedroom was lavishly decorated with dark timber paneling on the walls, soft cream carpet and heating vents in the ceiling. It was warm, cozy and inviting. No wonder he never left this room.

  A large four-poster bed dressed with cream silk sheets and gold velvet blankets took up most of the room. It was the type of bed that I could see myself in, feeling the smooth and soft textures under my fingertips before I drifted off to sleep or wrapped myself in the arms of a lover. I walked over, touched the blanket and sighed, it was even softer than I imagined.

  A television hung on the wall nearest me. It’s screen size would rival most small theatres. Owen would love it, setting up his games machine and fighting enemies six feet high. It would have cost a fortune that I didn’t have.

  On the opposite wall, an open door revealed a modern kitchen. Small but sleek with stone countertops and stainless steel appliances. I walked over and peered inside. Shelves of nuts, spices, and flour in glass jars, neatly arranged. A small refrigerator hummed in the corner. I opened it to see it stocked with fresh delicious food. I plucked a raspberry from a small bowl and popped it in my mouth.

  I walked back into the bedroom. There was another door further along. I figured it was a bathroom, but I didn’t have the inclination to check right now, as my attention was drawn to an ornate desk to my left.

  The desk was dark mahogany with a Tiffany lamp to one side and a small pile of vintage books on the other. A cup of pens and pencils sat atop a pile of notepads ready for journaling or writing to-do lists. Not that I thought that Nick was a to-do list kind of guy, although what did I really know about him.

  Hung above the desk was a simple cork notice board. There were four newspaper clippings pinned to the board, piled on top of one another. They’d been neatly cut out and I walked over to read what they were about and what crimes the newspapers had reported he’d committed. However, none of them were about Nick. All of them were about a woman named Angel Parrish, one about her engagement, two about a business her and her fiancé owned, and the last a wedding announcement. The wedding announcement was dated back six months. A photo accompanied it showing the happy couple in wedding attire holding a child. I knew immediately that this was the woman that Nick Prince was convinced he’d hurt. Why else would he have the clippings?

  I pulled the wedding announcement away from the board to have a closer look and a photograph of the woman, but this time naked, fell onto the desk. I picked it up. She didn’t look hurt or scared, this woman looked happy and content. But photographs can be deceiving. I placed both of them on the desk trying to figure out how Nick played into this story.

  Obviously this was the woman he’d claimed he’d hurt, but how and what were the circumstances?

  A wire basket under the desk had not been emptied. I bent down and reached inside, picking up the top most paper that looked like it had recently been screwed up and thrown away. A quick check of the others revealed nothing important.

  I smoothed out the paper, flattening it as much as I could so I could read the words. It was a restraining order dated eighteen months ago, although it had lapsed six months ago and was no longer in force. I wondered why he’d thrown it away now and not sooner? Did it have something to do with me staying here? No, that wouldn’t make sense.

  I needed to find out more clues so I could understand the puzzle a little better.

  I opened the only desk drawer but all it contained was office supplies: a stapler, eraser, calculator. Boring. Feeling under the desk revealed no false bottoms or hidden items. Perhaps he’d stashed something important under the bed?

  I bent down on my hands and knees and peered underneath.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  I nearly hit my head on the bed frame as I jerked back up. I swung my head around to see Nick in the doorway. His face was red and his fists clenched. Damn it.

  Chapter 9

  “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon,” I said casually, as if nothing at all was wrong. I’d locked the door behind me, he wasn’t supposed to be back for at least another half hour. Plus, three knocks, he’d said. I should have been more careful.

  He stormed into the room, his eyes flashing and strode toward me. “What are you doing in here.” He took in the newspaper clippings that I’d arranged in neat order on the desk. He picked up the photograph of the woman. “See, can you see now why I’m a danger to women?” His breathing
was heavy and his voice almost growled the words out. “See how I’m a danger to you? I told you I’m a beast but you didn’t listen.”

  “This shows me nothing.”

  “It’s right there. Look at the photograph.”

  I picked it up, looking at the way her dark hair curled around her face. “She’s pretty.”

  “She’s naked. I just fucked her. She doesn’t even know I took it.”

  I glanced down at it again. There were no signs of sadness, no bruises, nothing that suggested this woman was violated in any way. “You forced her?”

  He hesitated. “No. No, I didn’t force her.”

  “Then I don’t understand.”

  “I filmed her. Photographed her. Without her knowing about it. And then, when she tried to leave me. That’s when I became the beast she said I was.”

  “What did you do?”

  He sat down on the bed, his hands wringing the sheets in despair. “I thought I loved her. I only wanted to give her everything.”

  I repeated, “What did you do to her?”

  He looked down at the floor. “I blackmailed her into staying with me. I knew she was fucking the other guy behind my back, she was supposed to be mine so I made her stay. I loved her! She was mine!”

  “So you blackmailed her. Did you ever hit her?”

  “Well, no. But what I did, what I made her do, I ruined her life.”

  I picked up the wedding announcement. “Looks like it turned out all right for her in the end.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  I pulled the chair out from the desk and sat on it backwards, leaning my elbows over the back. “You tricked this girl into continuing to sleep with you by blackmailing her with naked photos and threatening to show them to everyone. I assume you actually did send them out.”

  “Yes.” He stood up defiantly, as if this act somehow proved he wasn’t worthy of being around anyone ever again.

  “Well, you’re an asshole for what you did, that’s for sure, but I wouldn’t call you a beast. The child in the photo. Is he yours?”

  “No. No, of course not. But he could have been. I could have had a son with her. If that’s what she wanted, I would have. I could have made her happy. Everything I did, the sex, the money. It was to make her happy. To make her love me. She was supposed to love me. She said she did, but she lied.”