A cough, a sharp noise in the quiet of the house. She started and gave a gasp of terror. Jules sat on the staircase, in his hands, a lethal shard of mirror glass. He turned it over and over; it glinted in the moonlight. She tried to get up but her body held no strength. She managed to pull herself into a sitting position, bracing herself against the wall. She could feel blood trickling down her face, it burned as it rolled into her eyes. Her would-be killer laughed at her struggles.
He moved suddenly, pulling her down, straddling her body. She cried out as the glass on the floor cut into her body. She could smell sex on him, stale sweat. Rape… Her head spun, pounding with pain, nausea rising up inside her. He showed her the glass shard and laughed.
‘Who’s the fairest of them all?’ He laughed.
Her eyes whirled around, panicked, she sought out anything, anything that would help her. Her arms scraped around, feeling, anything to help, the glass slashing her skin.
But he pressed down hard on her, grabbing each hand and kneeling on them, hard, grinding them into the broken glass on the floor. She couldn’t move, couldn’t fight.
He’s going to kill me, she thought, he’s going to kill me and I’ll never see Theo again. Oh God, Theo…
He tore open the bodice of her dress. Her eyes widened in terror as her assailant raised the shard of glass above his head. Time slowed down as she waited for the pain, for the weapon to be driven into her. As she waited to die. From somewhere, somewhere far away, maybe in her imagination, there was the sound of helicopter blades.
And then an explosion of pain as Jules began to stab her to death. Theo… oh god, Theo…
Theo waited, antsy while the chopper blades slowed and stopped. He unbelted and stepped out of the cabin and just listened. The weather had worsened, and all he could hear was the wind in the trees. The house was in darkness. Theo took a deep breath in. Was he overreacting? He had no proof she was in danger, any danger at all. Theo hesitated then walked towards the house and listened again. Nothing. He took a step onto the porch.
Jules looked up at the sound of the chopper. Damn it, he would have to rush this and he wanted to enjoy every second. Jess had started to struggle was but was obviously still dazed and he easily pushed her down with one hand. Their eyes locked and Jules smiled at her tenderly. This is it. The end of everything.
He loved the way her lovely eyes opened wide, in horror, in terror. ‘Goodbye, Jessica…’ and he raised the weapon to kill her.
Theo put his key in the lock… and nothing happened. He tried again. The door wouldn’t open. Had Jess put the deadbolt on? He cupped his hands around his eyes and gazed into the dark hallway. He saw something glittering on the wood floor but couldn’t make out what it was. Then he heard a noise that made his heart freeze, his legs quiver. An anguished cry that was strangled off, a gasp, a noise of someone in agony. God, no, no…
Jules drove the shard of glass into Jess’ belly, feeling the soft, vulnerable flesh give way under the weapon and Jess cried out in agony and tried to fight back, tearing her fingernails across his face, trying to gouge his eyes out. It just made him angrier, more vicious and, as he stabbed her again and again, he felt her becoming weaker. Dying. Jessica was dying and it was exactly as he had dreamed. She coughed a fountain of blood up and her body went limp. He was about to stab her for the fifth time when he heard the banging on the door. Storm’s voice, panicked, desperate.
‘Jess! Jess, let me in! Jess!’
Jules took one last moment to gaze at Jess, so beautiful, so damaged, so ruined. She was unconsciousness, the pain too much for her, her torn belly spilling blood in a dark pool around her, her thin dress soaking it up. She couldn’t last much longer, she was losing too much blood. She’s bleeding out. Jules smiled, then, as he heard Theo shout again and he took flight.
A sudden movement caught his eye. In the hallway. He got closer and saw someone running through the dark house. Jules. He’d know that profile anywhere. His stomach disappeared and he darted to the window. Whoever it was had gone out of the back. Theo sprinted around to the back door and his stomach dropped as he saw it swinging open. The figure he’d seen was nowhere. Theo walked into the kitchen, listening.
‘Jess? Honey, it’s me, it’s Theo.’
The house was silent. Theo walked through the dark kitchen and into the hall. It took him a moment to realize what he was looking at, what he was hearing. Labored breathing. Gasps for air. Painful, rattle gurgles of a throat too full of blood. Blood. Too much blood. A woman’s body, a woman who had been stabbed viciously, brutally, mercilessly, her clothes drenched. Ghastly, unimaginable stab wounds in soft flesh. Theo’s mind could not make the connection between the woman and Jess. It couldn’t be her. There was no way.
Because the broken and bloodied dying girl on the floor looked nothing like the women he loved. In a second, she was in his arms, his hands pressing down on the wounds in her belly, desperate to keep the blood inside her, keep her alive. He pulled his cell phone and called the emergency services, not taking his eyes from her face, amazed he could speak to the operator so calmly. All he could feel was abject terror. Jules had gotten to her. He, Theo, had failed to protect her, had broken his promise to her. She was dying and he didn’t know how to stop it, didn’t know how to do this. He couldn’t take his eyes from the vicious stab wounds in her abdomen. So much hatred. So much violence. This couldn’t be the way they ended, couldn’t be the way she ended. Jules didn’t get to win, he didn’t get to win.
‘Please, Jess, stay with me…breathe, breathe…I love you so much.’
Jess came round and wished that she was still unconscious. The pain of her wounds was nothing to the raw terror and hurt in Theo’s voice. She concentrated on the feel of his arms holding her, trying to keep her alive. Jules had done what he’d always promised and she didn’t know how to fight the pain, the blood loss. She stared up into those green eyes, those terrified, desperate green eyes so full of love for her that she tried to smile at him, to reassure him.
‘Jessie, my Jessie, I’ve got you’
His voice was so tender and caring, after the violence of earlier, that she opened her eyes.
‘I love you,’ she whispered, ‘I love you so much…’
‘I love you, god, I love you,’ Theo was sobbing now, ‘Please hang on, help is coming, help is coming.’
She felt his arms holding her, tight, safe, comfort. She didn’t know why he was crying. Her brain was hazy. Her eyes whirled, trying to focus on him. Nothing made sense. At the corners of her eyes, little black spots growing larger and larger. No, I want to see his face, his beautiful face… She could hear him talking to her but he was getting further away, so far away…
‘No, no, sweetheart, stay with me, stay with me, oh God, no, no, please…’
The darkness came.
Chapter 7
Stay With Me
Sirens.
She was so beautiful, her dark hair clouding around her shoulders as her robe slipped from her shoulders, revealing her heavenly body. Theo let out a fevered sigh as he saw that under her robe, she was wearing nothing but a harness, the supple leather straps crisscrossing her lush body, her dark red nipples hard and ready for him. She straddled him on the bed and he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her.
Flashing lights, voices shouting. In here, in here…. please…
His mouth sought her nipple greedily as his hands slipped between her legs to find her sex pulsing and wet. His cock, already rigid and engorged, strained to find her pussy. She lowered herself onto him, grinning and gasping as he clamped his hands on her hips and impaled her onto his swollen cock, ramming his hips upwards, wanting to take her, take her hard…
Rust and salt and fear. Blood, her blood, everywhere. Please, Jess, breathe….
Don’t ever stop fucking me. Her lips were at his ear and he flipped her onto the floor, towering over her, taking control. He bit down on her nipples, buried his face in her pillowy breasts as he drove harder into her. Her leg
s were clamped tightly around him and she smiled up at him. I love you so much…
She’s dying. They’re telling me she’s dying. She won’t wake up.
She won’t wake up…
Amelia was breathing hard as she ran down the hospital corridor. She nearly screamed when she saw the abject despair on Theo’s face. For a long terrifying moment, she thought Jess was dead. But then he gave her a ghost of a smile. She hugged her stricken son.
‘How is she?’
Theo shook his head. ‘She’s in surgery…Mom, it doesn’t look good. She’s lost so much blood.’
He sat down heavily on one of the chairs. Amelia was horrified.
‘Oh my God. Theo.’ She sat down beside him, appalled. ‘I thought you said the mirror fell on her.’
Theo looked at his mother. He’d told her the very minimum, knowing that if she knew the truth, she would panic and his mom’s driving was erratic at the best. ‘It did. But I think she crashed into it trying to get away from… she was stabbed, Mom. He knifed her in the belly, repeatedly, brutally. And he raped her.’
Amelia gazed at her son in disbelief. ‘Who?’ She asked, weakly, her face pale.
Theo’s own face hardened. ‘Her step-brother. He’s tried to kill her before. Christ, Mom, this is just the latest in a lifetime of abuse and assault she’s had to live with.’
‘No, are you sure? I mean…’ She searched Theo’s face and saw the utter desolation in his eyes. He nodded.
‘Yes. She was raped. There was so much blood, Mom. All over the kitchen, the hallway. When I saw her, I thought she was… she was so still, covered with blood. Someone had had their hands on her. There're bruises on her neck, finger marks, her dress had been ripped open. He stabbed her. Jesus, he really stabbed her…’ He choked on his final words.
Amelia started to cry and Theo rubbed her back. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, silent tears coursing down his face.
‘Mr. Storm?’ The surgeon who stood in front of them had kind eyes but all Theo could see was regret in them. His heart clenched tightly in his chest. Theo introduced him to Amelia.
‘Mr. Storm, Jessica is stable but still critical. She lost a lot of blood, as I’m sure you realize and we had to repair her liver and remove her spleen. Her abdominal injuries are…,’ the doctor seemed to struggle, ‘…well, they’re amongst the worst I’ve seen in my thirty-year career. The worst. The stabbing was brutal, merciless . Her assailant aimed to end her life in the most painful, savage way possible, of that I have no doubt. He or she used something other than a knife so the wounds were jagged, hard to repair cleanly, she will have scarring. We’ll know more in the next few hours.’
Theo thought about the lethal shards of glass that had been scattered around her body. Jules had used one of them to stab her, he was sure. Nausea threatened to overwhelm him, and, the strain etched on his face, he cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice cracked. ‘Doc?’
The doctor nodded. ‘Yes, she was raped.’ Theo slumped. ‘I’m so sorry. We’ve sealed the evidence and sent it to the county.’
‘Can we see her?’
The doctor hesitated. ‘I think it’s okay if you sit with her. She’ll need friendly faces when she wakes up.’ He studied Theo’s desolate face. ‘She will wake up, don’t worry, but her recovery will take some considerable time. Now, I must go give my statement to the police, please excuse me.’
He smiled at them both and moved away. Theo stood to go into Jess’s room when he saw Max approaching them. Max’s face was drawn, angry, but he bent to kiss Amelia’s cheek before rubbing his face.
‘Max?’ Theo’s voice was heavy with grief.
‘We arrested Gachet. He’s denying everything, of course. And Theo, considering what you told me happened, there’s not a mark on him. No scratches, no bruises. Nothing. He let us do a strip search, take swabs. Willingly gave up his DNA.’
Theo shook his head. ‘No, he did this, I know he did this. Does he have an alibi?’
‘Says he was asleep at home. Yes, no-one can back that up but we can’t prove otherwise. How’s Jess?’
‘Still unconscious.’ Amelia said, strain evident in her voice. ‘Doctor says she’s stable but still critical. We just have to wait.’
‘When she wakes up, she’ll be able to tell us more. I don’t know when she’s come back from surgery but the doc’s just been here.’ Theo sat and made a growling noise. ‘Dammit, I know Gachet did this.’
Mike gave them a sympathetic smile. ‘Unless Jess formally identifies him as her attacker…’
‘Her rapist. Her almost-murderer.’ Theo spat. ‘He wanted to murder her and nearly succeeded.’ The weight of what he had said sank in. ‘Oh Jesus.’
‘I’m so sorry.’ Mike put his hand on Theo’s shoulder. ‘I hope she can identify him. Any physical evidence?
‘They’re sending it to the police.’
‘They’re at the house too, they told me. But, Theo, until they’ve got something concrete –‘
‘They had to let him go.’ Resigned.
Max looked at Theo and his mom, his face a mask of determination. ‘We’ll make this right, I swear to god, we will.’
She opened her eyes and stared at the blank ceiling tiles above her. Everything in her body screamed with pain but fresh air, precious, fresh air filled her lungs. She was alive. Jess drew in a few grateful breaths, taking in the medicinal scent of a hospital, hearing the beeps of machinery. She could feel heavy bandaging on her abdomen, the sting of the central line needle in her arm, the blood pressure monitor on her finger. Her body ached, but she managed to move her stiff neck, turning her head and saw him.
Theodore Storm. My love. He was asleep, his head resting on the bed next to her hand. He looked older, tired, shattered but to her, he was the most beautiful sight in the world. She gingerly reached out to stroke his dark hair, feel his skin. He woke, startled by her touch and she smiled down at him. His eyes widened when he saw her awake. He stood, leaned over to her, took her face in his hands, as if not believing she was alive. His green eyes filled with tears.
‘Oh god, Jessie, thank you, thank you for staying with me.’ His tears fell onto her cheeks and he kissed her gently as if he couldn’t believe she was still alive.
‘Theo…’ Her voice was soft, gruff but she kissed him back as hard as she could. ‘I love you so much.’
‘I love you, God, I love you, my Jessie.’ Theo stroked her face, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. ‘Jessie, I’m sorry he did this to you. I’ll never leave you alone again.’
Jess frowned, her head fuzzy. ‘Theo, I can’t… I can’t remember it. I don’t what happened to me. Theo, why can’t I remember?’
Theo stared at her in horror.
‘So this really happens, not just in the movies?’ Theo squeeze Jess’s hand as the neurosurgeon shone a light into her eyes. She winced at the brightness.
Dr. Napier smiled. ‘You’ve had a serious head injury and suffered a severe concussion, on top of your other injuries. Plus, and this isn’t unusual, you’ve gone through just about the worst trauma a person can. Sometimes the brain just shuts out what it can’t cope with.’
Jess nodded. ‘Okay.’ She looked over at Theo, perched on the side of her bed. He smiled and squeezed her hand. Jess tried to smile. ‘When can I go home, doctor?’
‘Jessica – can I call you Jess? – Jess, you’re all hopped up on morphine at the moment so I doubt you can feel the extent of your injuries.’ He sat on the edge of the bed and patted her hand. ‘It’s going to take a while. At the moment, your belly is still in trauma from the stabbing, from the surgery we had to perform. Your liver needs to heal itself, your body needs to adjust to your new reality. If all goes well, you might be able to go home in a month or so. On the understanding that you give yourself time to recover.’ He added with a meaningful look at Theo.
Theo nodded and she knew she’d be under house arrest when she got home. A month. God. She looked up at the doctor.<
br />
‘Thank you, really, for everything.’ The doctor smiled at her and Theo.
‘My pleasure. Call me if you need anything.’
Alone, Theo sat on the edge of the bed, his arms around his love. She leaned against him and they sat in silence for a few minutes.
He tightened his grip on her and buried his face in her hair. ‘Jess?’
‘Yes?’
He thought for a moment then moved so he could see her face. ‘I want to ask you a question and it’s going to be rough but I have to. You can just nod or shake your head and when it’s over, I’m gonna hold you and never let you go.’ He smiled, a crooked, worried expression.
Jess took a deep breath and nodded. He took her hands.
‘Jess. We don’t ever have to go back to that place, you know, I can sell…’
‘No,’ she interrupted, ‘no. That’s our home, that’s the place where we’ll make our family. I know it in my bones.’
Theo was tense. ‘I thought after you nearly died there. You were nearly murdered there.’
Jess pulled his lips to hers then smiled up at him, her eyes soft. ‘It’s also the place where I survived. Where you saved me. He doesn’t get to take our home away from us.’
Theo kissed her then was silent for a long time. She could feel the question hovering in the air.
‘Jess, it was Jules, wasn’t it?’
She stared at him for a long moment, tears filling her eyes. Then, slowly, she nodded.
‘I want to tell the police I’m positive, Theo, I do but I can’t remember anything.’ Her face crumpled and Theo kept his promise and held her while she sobbed.
The hospital was quiet, much later, the middle of the night when Jess woke. She saw Theo had gone down to get coffee, was relieved he was taking a break. The dark circles etched under his eyes, the pain in his eyes… it scared her.
The Midnight Club Page 73
