Split: Book 2 of The Mirror Trilogy
Page 10
When Donovan began backing away, I followed. Bruce remained where he was, watching the DeLuca’s as they returned to their vehicle.
Feeling Adam’s glare on me, I watched as Al ripped off the tape preventing him from speaking.
“She’s not-!”
Whatever he was about to say was cut off as Al pushed him into the back of the SUV. Shooting Donovan a quick look, I realized his eyes were on Tony, and he didn’t seem to react to Adam’s shout in the least.
Once Tony was back in the car, Donovan murmured just loud enough for me to hear, “Let’s go.”
Slipping into the car, I watched Bruce walk quickly back to the van, and, as he pulled away, we followed. After a few blocks, Bruce veered off, while Donovan and I took a circuitous route to the penthouse by the docks.
For now, that was home.
My eyes veered towards Donovan’s shirt pocket, where he’d slipped the flash drive. He hadn’t told me yet what information was on it, and I didn’t ask now. My mind was occupied with what, exactly, had happened to me during the exchange.
The thing that truly had me worried, was that it wasn’t the first time. In London, when Donovan had told me he loved me, I’d had a moment that felt like a blackout, and some strange, fuzzy scene like a memory that appeared from nowhere. An extreme case of déja-vu? Or my subconscious mixing together the present with stories I’d heard about Selena?
Or something else altogether?
The thought was terrifying.
Chapter 33
Selena
One year ago
“They got the photo,” I spoke as I sensed Donovan enter.
I’d been waiting for him in our office, organizing all my own files, knowing my disappearance was imminent.
“You know about my run-in with Mia,” Donovan waited until I turned.
Though Mia’s name made me cringe, she was vital to the plan. I met his eyes with a hard look. “Did you give yourself away?”
“Almost,” Donovan sighed, leaning a hip against his desk. “I spoke her name, and immediately realized my mistake. She can’t know I know her name. I was forced to inject her with Ketamine.”
Nodding briskly, I waved away his concern. “It will leave no harmful effects, but will give her a fuzzy memory of last night.”
“She’ll be taken off our case now,” Donovan reminded me. “And probably put into therapy. You know what that means.”
Gesturing towards my organized files, I shrugged off his not-so-subtle hints. “I’m ready.”
“Selena,” Donovan approached me, gentle in his movements. His concern was nearly my undoing. His hands cupped my face as if it were the most precious thing in the world. “Stay safe for me, and I will remain strong for you.”
Nodding, I pressed my mouth to his.
“Make love to me, Donovan,” I whispered against his lips.
He backed away, taking my hands and leading me into our apartment on the top floor. When he began walking towards the room with the red sheets, I halted our progress and shook my head.
“No, not there. I don’t want to be in charge tonight. This might be our last night together for a long time, I want it memorable.”
Donovan’s expression changed, a lethal combination of love, lust and need. Without further encouragement, he lifted me into his arms and didn’t set me down again until it was to press me into the soft mattress of our bed.
Chapter 34
Mia
Present Day
We settled into our home, with very little words exchanged between us. Telling Donovan I wanted to get a workout in, I quickly changed into comfortable clothes and made use of the treadmill in the small gym room. I wanted to run until I couldn’t think anymore.
Starting off at a steady pace, I didn’t wait long to bump up the speed until I was running full out. Focusing on my breathing, I forced all thoughts away, aiming for a clear mind to assist with making decisions. Over the last few weeks, I’d made a lot of bad choices, though I couldn’t come to regret any of them.
Donovan awoke in me things I never knew I wanted. Never knew I needed. He was the most incredible man I’d ever met, and I knew, in my heart of hearts, that I could never turn him in.
Faltering in my step, I gasped in alarm, bracing myself with a foot on either side of the track and slowing the machine. One shaking hand rose to cover my mouth as my eyes grew wide.
I couldn’t turn Donovan in. It was my job, my reason for being here, and I was absolutely certain I wouldn’t be able to do it.
Crumpling to the ground, I felt my heart breaking in two at the impossibility of the situation. Struggling to my feet, I stepped out of the room, listening for Donovan. He was in his office, not too far from where I was. Not wanting to make contact with him just yet, I continued down the hall. The bedroom was on the left, and another door led into a small sitting and reading room.
Stepping into the room I’d made little use of, I stood in the center and stared around me. The collection of books ranged from fiction to nonfiction, cook books interspersed with religion, health and mental disorders.
There seemed to be no rhyme or reason behind the sorting, and I wondered who used the room more, Donovan or Selena. One title drew my eye, and I stepped closer, curious. It was an average sized book, with a plain blue cover with only the title printed on the spine.
Mastering Your Inner Self.
Tipping the book toward me to pull it out, unsure why I felt so drawn to it, suddenly, the entire bookcase shifted.
Of course they had a hidden room behind a book shelf.
Stepping back with a gasp, my vision suddenly flickered to black. As the room was revealed, another vision superimposed itself, just as it had before.
The four-poster bed sat in the center of the room, the red sheets a warning of things to come. The walls were lined with black leather objects in an astounding number. The room remained the same, but my vision flickered to show Donovan, lying on the bed, his dark gaze on me. He was secured by his wrists.
Another flash of memory intruded, and I glanced down at my hand, surprised to find it empty.
Wincing in pain, I grasped both sides of my head and collapsed to the floor.
Through the haze of pain, I could hear Donovan’s panicked voice calling me back to him. Forcing my eyes to open, I blinked up at him, realizing I had somehow been shifted to my back. I lay on the floor, my head in his lap, his eyes desperately searching my face.
“Donovan?” My voice was raw. “What is this place?”
“It’s our special room,” Donovan answered, adjusting me into a sitting position. “How did you find it?”
“I’m not sure,” I looked around, still dazed. “I pulled on a book…”
The look on his face was undecipherable. Something was nudging the edge of my mind. Something huge, and important. Something I’d been repressing for a long time.
I stood suddenly, backing away from the man who overwhelmed my every sense. My eyes darted around the room wildly, yet seeing nothing. Donovan approached me, concern marring his features, but I shuffled away.
“Stay… stay over there,” I stammered, terror seizing my ability to think, to process. Turning abruptly, I darted back into the sitting room but halted again as my eyes snagged on something.
There was a painting on the wall, which would have made for an obvious safe. Instead, my eyes dropped to the record player on the shelf below it, much like the one from the first penthouse. Lifting the cover, I reached along the side and flipped a switch. A compartment beneath the player popped open, and a single object lay inside.
With trembling fingers, I lifted the creased photo and stared at it in shock.
Raising my eyes to meet Donovan’s, I could see the same fear and confusion I was feeling reflecting back at me. Turning the photo around, I held it up to him.
“What is this?” My voice came out as a harsh whisper.
“Please…” Donovan begged, his whole demeaner slackening.
“What. Is. This.” I separated each word, my voice hardening in a way that frightened me even more.
“Just let me explain…”
“I’m asking you to explain! What is this!”
Donovan shrank back at my explosion, and suddenly I saw a very different side of him. He was no longer the strong, dominant man I’d come to know. He was a man being scolded by his mistress.
More flashes of memory crashed over me. A dream from my first week in Donovan’s care, in which I was clad in black leather and Donovan had dropped to his knees before me.
The red heels.
Squeezing my eyes shut against the sudden assault, I cried out in pain. Donovan’s arms wrapped around waist, holding me up, murmuring to me. At once I felt instantly comforted and absolutely repulsed.
Snapping my eyes open, I shoved him away from me with as much strength as I could muster. He stumbled back, shocked at my actions.
“Donovan,” I whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Shutting my eyes, I spoke again, firmer.
“No, I’m not. I don’t understand what’s going on here, but you’re behind it.”
My fight or flight instinct had kicked into high gear, and now that I no longer felt threatened, the flight mode took over. I ran from the room, Donovan close behind me. With the front door in sight, I yanked on the handle.
“Wait, please…” Donovan’s voice behind me was almost my undoing. When he spoke again, I stopped cold. “Mia.”
Turning slowly, standing dead still in the doorway, I stared at him in shock. “You knew,” I spoke quietly. Holding up the photo of me, in my officer’s uniform, as evidence, I continued, “This whole time, you knew. Why? To what purpose?”
“Mia, please, you can’t go out there alone. You don’t fully understand what’s going on. I can protect you.”
Shaking my head in denial, I crushed the photo in my palm and turned away.
“Mia, wait. I love you. You, Mia, I love you.”
The pain coursing through me at his words took my very breath away. Shaking my head once more, I said my final words to Donovan.
“I don’t believe you.”
With that, I ran.
Chapter 35
Selena
6 Months Ago
There was no time left. I only had tonight, but the night was mine.
Though I’d been in hiding for six months, I was hoping to have one more opportunity to see Donovan before Mia became a permanent part of our lives. Mia would begin training in lockdown in the morning for going undercover, and so far, our plan had worked to a T.
Making my way through the underground tunnels, I found the correct building and slid open the door, racing up the stairs and into the private elevator. Donovan would be alerted of my presence the moment I scanned my palm, and excitement coursed through me at seeing him again.
As the door opened, I was greeted with my favorite sight in the world. Donovan’s face.
Before I could speak or even breathe, his arms were wrapped around me, squeezing me tight. We both murmured incoherently, and after several minutes Donovan pulled away to inspect me.
“You’re all right?” He asked, concern marring his normally smooth voice. His fingers brushed against the bruises left along my face, and the ones visible on my arms.
“Of course,” I told him. “This was my last chance to see you. Mia will be in lockdown beginning tomorrow. Everything we’ve planned for has come to fruition. Within a month, you should hear rumors of Selena being locked up, and then you can come get us.”
“It’s all really happening,” Donovan spoke quietly, still soaking in every inch of me.
Nodding, I embraced him once again before forcing myself to pull away. “I can’t stay,” I told him, though it was the only thing I wanted to do. In time, I reminded myself. We’d been patient this long.
“I know,” Donovan answered before yanking me against him for one last, lingering kiss.
When we broke apart, I turned abruptly and stepped into the elevator, not looking back. Knowing, if I did, I would never leave.
Epilogue
Alec
Present Day
It had been a long, hard day. The only thing I wanted was to crack open a cold beer, throw a frozen pizza in the oven and veg out in front of the TV.
Though it had only been a week since the news of Adam Malone’s true identity had come to light, it felt as if I’d been running myself ragged for months. Between his betrayal and no word from Mia, my stress levels were at an all-time high.
Mia had managed to get one message to us, an address and a single word: tunnels. Of course, having been her partner for so long, I knew what that meant.
The tunnels were real, and that’s how Selena and Donovan had gotten around for so many years unnoticed.
When I’d gone to investigate the home address Mia had given us, I’d found rubble. It had been attacked the day before her message, which only left more questions than it answered. We now had constant surveillance on the place, and had seen construction crews in and out of there, but no sign of Mia. Or Donovan.
Worry was a constant companion, and I was sure I’d developed an ulcer. The beer in my hand was probably the worst thing for it, but I didn’t care.
Midway through the pizza, there was a knock at my door. No one ever came over unannounced, and I almost ignored it, wanting to pretend I wasn’t home. Then, with a sigh, I stood and looked out the peephole. No one was there.
Another knock, but it came from low on the door. Confused, I unbolted the lock and pulled open the door.
It took my eyes a long time to adjust what I was seeing and send the image to my brain. The woman, curled into a ball, while she looked physically fine, had a look about her that reminded me of women that had escaped an abusive relationship. When her eyes met mine, all I could register was the sheer terror stamped there.
“Alec,” Mia’s voice came out cracked, her next words leaving me baffled. “It’s me. You have to arrest me.”
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Split: Book 2 of The Mirror Trilogy! I hope you enjoyed it, and join us for the conclusion of Mia and Selena’s story in Wakening: Book 3 of The Mirror Trilogy.
On the next page, Amazon will ask you to leave a review. It would only take a few moments and would help spread the word. A review would be greatly appreciated!
As always, you can keep up-to-date by “liking” me on Facebook, @anabannovels
Always, Ana
Other books by Ana Ban:
The Parker Grey Series
Abstraction; A Parker Grey Novel (Book 1)
Backfire; A Parker Grey Novel (Book 2)
Coercion; A Parker Grey Novel (Book 3)
Deception; A Parker Grey Novel (Book 4) (available soon)
The Gifted Series
Allure of Home: Book 1 of The Gifted Series
Immaculate: Book 2 of The Gifted Series
Night Shift: Book 3 of The Gifted Series
Stow Away: Book 4 of The Gifted Series (available soon)
The Mirror Trilogy
Infiltration: Book 1 of The Mirror Trilogy
Split: Book 2 of The Mirror Trilogy
Wakening: Book 3 of The Mirror Trilogy (available soon)