by Evie Harper
Oh, God, he makes me sick. His whole world revolves around money and power. My sister dies, and all he can see is how much money he might lose.
“So,” Marco says as he appears to calm down and rubs his hands together as if he’s about to watch a good show.
“Lily, what will it take to get that fire back in your eyes?” I’m shocked and look to Jake, not sure what Marco is asking me. Jake looks at me, seemingly confused as well.
“Come now, Lily. No need to look to Jake like a scared little animal. Won’t getting revenge for your sister’s death make you feel better,” Marco asks, but it’s more like a statement.
I swing my gaze back to Marco and nod, unsure what I’m agreeing to.
“Wonderful,” Marco smiles at me. “As I can’t give you a gun, since I’m sure you will aim it at me, I will—” he stops talking and looks back to Jake and back to me. “No, since I can see you and Jake have become quite attached in my absence, Jake can do it for you.” I freeze.
My emotions are battling each other; The intense need to see Mick pay for killing my sister and my fear for Jake at Marco seeing through us so easily.
Jake steps forward straight away. He takes the gun out of his holster from behind his back and under his bomber jacket.
Jake doesn’t spare a glance my way. He walks straight over to Mick. I move to the left wanting to see the last look on Mick’s face. He looks right at me. This time with utter fear and resignation. He knows he is about to die, and all I can do is smile.
Marco stands next to me and whispers in my ear, “There she is.”
Mick stands and backs up against the wall. He begins to beg for his life, “Jake, please, don’t do this. Marco, I’ve learned my lesson. This will never happen again.”
Jake raises his gun to Mick, but suddenly Joseph storms into the room shouting, halting Jake’s actions.
“Where is he?” Joseph yells.
“Where is the cock sucker who dared touch what is mine?”
All eyes are on Joseph as he wildly looks around the room then levels his piercing gaze at Mick.
“There you are.” He points his finger at Mick.
“You are a dead man.” Joseph doesn’t seem to notice what is going on around him, and that Mick was just about to die.
In a flash, Joseph is standing before Mick. He pulls a gun from behind his suit jacket and pushes it to Mick’s chest, right over his heart. Rage so powerful pulses around Joseph, his body shaking from his anger.
“See you in hell, motherfucker,” he sneers.
I don’t look away. The gun goes off, and in lightning speed, the bullet enters straight into Mick’s heart. The life leaves his eyes. He slumps against the wall, blood pouring from the hole in his chest down his body.
I can’t help but be captivated by the heinous and brutal death. My chest feels marginally lighter having one small amount of justice for Sasha. I close my eyes and think of my sister, hoping she got to watch him die as well.
I’m pulled from my thoughts by Marco clapping. He pats Joseph on the shoulder. “Well done, son.” Joseph looks around confused by all the people standing in the room.
Jake is looking at me. I see the question in his eyes. He wants to know if I’m okay, but I keep my expression blank.
Marco motions to one of his guards. “Have the slave girls come up and clean the wall.” The guard leaves the room instantly.
Joseph appears to be waking up from his murderous fog and his eyes swing to Marco. “Father, your business has gone too far. I’m taking Alexa and leaving, and this time, you won’t stop me.” Joseph’s voice is low and angry.
He starts to leave the room when Marco booms a furious voice across the room, “Fine, leave. Your mother will miss your hero antics when she gets my fist. And don’t think you can take her with you. I will find you wherever you go, and I will make sure Alexa pays for your desertion.”
Joseph’s expression is furious. He growls, “I’ve grown tired of this game father. We are done.” Exuding the hate he has for his father, he storms out of the room just as fast as he arrived.
Marco shouts after Joseph, “We will never be done. You are my son and you will follow in my footsteps.” Marco waves his hand in the air and mutters, “Ah, he will be back.”
Marco looks to Jake. “I’ll be back tomorrow, Jake. We need to talk then.” He looks from Jake to me, then back to Jake. “You’re doing a good job, Jake. She looks well, apart from her grief, but she needs to move on from her sister. Explain to her the importance of being a part of the collection versus being removed from the collection.”
All I can do is stare at him. Stunned, appalled, aghast, they don’t even begin to explain how I’m feeling.
The guard returns with two slave girls and a guard I remember as Phil. They go over to Mick, and Phil picks up his limp and lifeless body, throws him over his shoulder, and walks out of the room, not saying a word. The slave girls start cleaning the wall and carpet. Soon it will be as if it never happened and a man never died there.
“I need to keep moving now. These fuckers who want to take what is mine just never fucking give up,” Marco announces. He walks past Jake and me, and leaves the room with his two guards.
As soon as the front door slams closed, Jake takes my arm gently and walks me to my room. Before I know it, the door is closing and I’m in Jake’s arms. I cling to his shirt, tears falling, but I have no idea what feelings I’m having. Relief at seeing Mick pay for Sasha’s death? Scared for Marco realising something is between me and Jake? Or fear I won’t be able to feel alive again and I will be removed from the collection? Sasha was my only reason for living after my parents died. Now she’s gone, and she took that part of me with her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Mine
Jake
I flinched. I fucking flinched. I couldn’t help it. As soon as he touched her, my mind screamed MINE. I wanted to rip his cold, murdering hands off her beautiful face.
As soon as we were hidden away in her room, I had to have her in my arms. Lily hangs onto me tightly.
“Baby, are you okay?”
She shakes her head no, and I feel her tears soak through my shirt. “Oh, baby, it’s going to be all right.”
I pick Lily up and carry her to the bed. We lay together; Lily still holding onto me firmly. I pull her closer to me, thoughts rushing through my head of what tomorrow and my conversation with Marco will bring. Have I fucked it all up? Have I blown my chance to still be in his top guards? Shit, what if I have? What will I do then?
Lily slowly calms down. Seeing her in pain is excruciating. I fucking miss her smile and her sassy attitude.
Her eyes peer up to me in question. “What is it, Lil?”
With silent tears still falling down her gorgeous face, she asks, “Sasha’s body, where is it?” Her question comes out of nowhere and surprises me. I hope Lily doesn’t freak out when tell her what I did.
“I was the one who took care of Sasha’s body. Everyone including Marco thinks she was sent off to get cremated.”
Lily gasps. “She wasn’t, Lil,” I say quickly. Continuing, I hope she won’t be furious with me, “But I had some outside contacts collect her. She will be flown home to Australia. I have someone there who will keep her safe for you as long as you need.” I wait to see how Lily takes the news. Her gaze moves to my chest, and she seems lost in her thoughts for a moment. She then jumps at me and hugs me tightly.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. Knowing she is away from here and going home where I can bury her one day, gives me a small amount of peace.”
My shoulders relax, feeling relieved. I wonder when Lily will realise I would do anything for her, well, almost anything. I know the moment is coming when I will have to choose between everything I’ve worked for and the woman who has stolen my point of direction.
I sit up on the bed, my legs straight out, my back to the headboard. Lily takes off her shoes and sits up on her own, her legs crossed. I start rubbing up and
down her back, hoping to relax her more.
“I’m scared, Jake,” she whispers, barely audible.
I want to take all her sorrow and make her forget she ever hurt in the first place. I move in behind her and hug her to my chest as she relaxes into my body. Fuck, this feels amazing, like she was always meant to be mine.
“I know, Lil. I wish I could tell you everything is going to be okay, but know that you will get out of here, in time.”
“Your outside contacts, they can’t help you, us?”
“No, Lil, just walking away from Marco isn’t, or ever will be, a possibility.” I know Lily will assume I’m talking about running from this house, but that’s not what I mean. I could never walk away and leave without killing Marco first. But I need that damn fucking location first.
“What will you do when you get to his house?”
Burn it to the ground. I want to tell Lil the truth, but now, after Sasha, there is no way she will understand. I’m afraid of her reaction, telling Marco or another guard to get back at me. There is no forgiveness for what I have had others sacrifice for me to get to the secret location. I just have to take what little time I have left with Lil before she finds out just how much of a monster I really am.
Luckily, there is a knock. I quickly get up off the bed and go to the door. I open it and see a slave girl standing there. She pushes the table cart at me, and I take it from her and nod. I roll the cart to the bed.
“Come on, Lil. Time to eat.” I’m thankful it’s lunchtime. It gives me reason to leave and get my head together. If Lil keeps asking me these questions, I need to come up with some ways to get out of answering them.
“There is no way I can eat after just seeing someone shot through the chest.”
“Well, I’m heading downstairs to have mine. I will see you in a bit.” I go over and kiss her forehead.
“Jake,” she says softly, and I know she’s asking me to answer her question.
I sigh and lean my cheek on her hair. “I’m sorry, Lil. There are some answers I can’t give you right now.”
“But soon?” she asks.
When she finds out what I’ve done, she’s going to rip my world apart. Fate has had the worst timing for us. “Yes, soon, Lil,” I promise her.
I leave the room and shut the door, looking at the deadbolts. I know I’m walking a fine line. I could fail at getting to the secret location, or I could lose everything I thought I didn’t deserve anymore. But I need both. I can’t live without both.
***
Lily
After Jake leaves, I change out of the lace dress, and into denim shorts and a dark blue long-sleeved top, forgoing the bra and only putting on some undies. I know the only thing I will be doing for the rest of the day and night was reading and sleeping.
Boredom is the worst here. It’s when thoughts of Sasha, and the pain of losing her creep into my heart and mind. Those moments feel like I will never get to the next hour without falling back into the dark, but Jake has given me a sliver of hope, a small light through the keyhole in a dark tunnel.
I want to follow Sasha back home and bury her, put her to rest. That will be my focus now, and then after, I will decide if I can go on. Again, my baby sister is the reason I keep fighting.
Jake is evasive about why he is here. Am I being a fool trusting someone who I’ve only known for a short time, who clearly doesn’t trust me, but at the same time protects me and comforts me? My mind screams yes; however, my heart screams no, but isn’t that what all women’s hearts say right before they get broken? This isn’t love though, is it? Yes. I hear the words in my head, but I push them away. No, I may be falling, falling hard, but I won’t let myself fall all the way. .
***
Still awake and restless, I hear my door open and Jake walks in. This time, he’s out of his bomber jacket and just in jeans and a white shirt. His hair is messy like he’s run his hands through it the whole time he was away from me. My mouth instantly waters at how good he looks. Why does he have to be so damn attractive? How does God expect us females to resist that!
Jake smirks at me as if he knows what I’m thinking. Darn, caught for the second time today. “Baby that look in your eyes when you see me walk into a room drives me insane. I fucking love how much you want me.” Jake walks over to the bed still smirking. “Shift over, gorgeous.”
I shuffle over instantly for him, and he encircles me with his arms, and instantaneously, I feel warm and at home. Damn him.
“Ah, I need this,” he says. “This ache in my chest just won’t fuck off, unless you’re in my arms.” Damn it, every word out of his mouth makes me fall further and further.
“I’m afraid, Jake. I’m falling for you, and I’m scared I’m going to lose myself, or that I have already,” I quietly tell him. Not knowing why I’m opening up to him, but it feels good to finally get that out, consequences be damned.. I would rather risk my heart than to never fall at all.
Jake lifts my chin to look at him. “Lily,” he breathes my name out like a prayer. He kisses me tenderly and lays his body on top of mine.
I start unbuckling his jeans, while he starts grinding against my clit. He’s rock hard. His erection straining against the denim.
“Fuck, Lil, seeing you under me with that sexy look of desire and heat in your eyes, screaming at me to fill you with my cock. It blows me away baby, I can’t wait to be back inside you either.”
He’s right. I can’t wait. It was the only time the world felt perfect, the only time my life seemed wonderful. Even if it is only a lie, I will take it.
Breathing harshly against my lips, Jake grows impatient and takes over removing his clothes. He pulls a condom out and quickly stretches it over his length.
He grins down at me. “Every minute I’m not inside you is a wasted minute.” I laugh at his cliché and lame comment, catching myself at the end. I laughed. I smiled.
A naked Jake lays his body over mine and strokes my cheekbone with his thumb, gliding over my lips. “Your smile breathes life into me, baby, I can’t wait to see you smile again, these two seconds have already been too long.”
A single tear escapes my eye at his sweet words. Jake wipes the tear away and makes quick work of my top, panties, and shorts, groaning when he realises I’m not wearing a bra.
He kisses down my neck, across my shoulder and down to my nipples, smothering them both with his hands and mouth. “I love your tits, Lil, the greatest fucking ones I’ve ever seen.”
I grind up against his hard cock, ready for him to enter me, his words setting my body on fire. “I need you, Jake, now.”
Jake pushes up and takes my mouth. The kiss is hard and passionate, showing just how hungry we are for each other. You can almost see the desire surrounding us like an aura, intermingling and weaving through our bodies, fusing us together, creating a bubble neither one of us ever wants to leave.
Jake breaks the kiss, his eyes staring down at me as he adjusts his cock to my entrance. He slips in. I close my eyes at the incredible feeling.
“Eyes on me, baby,” Jake says softly.
I open my eyes and see Jake watching me with reverence.
“Jesus, Lily, I love how wet you get for me,” he groans.
Jake’s hands caress each curve of my body, his fingers leaving cherished sensations on my skin. Our tongues tangle together like a slow dance to a love song. His thrusts are slow and tender. Unable to look away, his eyes capture mine. We’re stuck staring at each other. He’s making love to me. Tears fall silently as Jake lovingly takes me and brings me over the edge. I arch my back and Jake catches my scream with a tender kiss. He ends the kiss suddenly and growls a deep long groan into my neck, his hot breath exhaling heavily onto my skin for a moment before he kisses his way up my neck and jaw. Flicking his tongue out at my lips, I oblige by opening for him. Our kiss is long and perfect. We eventually break apart, both of us breathing deeply.
Jake kisses my temple and gets up from the bed. He heads into the bathro
om just like our first time. I close my eyes not from tiredness, but to live in this moment for a little bit longer. I feel whole, and I don’t want to let that go.
I hear Jake walk back to the bed, and I open my eyes to watch as he climbs up onto the bed, spreads my legs and starts sucking on my clit. I inhale deeply, surprised by the incredible sensation of his mouth on me. He growls with each suck and push of his tongue inside my pussy. Heat rises up my legs. The trembling begins, and I go off, a silent scream forced from my mouth. Jake slows and licks me lazily for a moment before he climbs off the bed once again and comes back to me with a warm washcloth. He cleans me and heads back to the bathroom, turns the light out, and climbs into bed with me. He holds me close to his body, my face to his chest. Cocooned in Jake’s protective arms, I drift off to sleep with a smile on my face.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Lies
Jake
I wake to my alarm going off on my phone. I need to get up and get ready for Marco’s visit. I know he will have words about my actions yesterday, and I need to make him believe there are no feelings between Lily and me. I will deal with whatever he throws at me today. What I need to know is when Lily and I will be leaving for his house.
Laying eyes on a sleeping Lily in my arms, she seems so peaceful and happy, a light smile to her lips. Waking up to her every day would be amazing, but right now, impossible. I'm jealous of the daylight that will get to see her eyes when she wakes. I want to see them first. The fiery eyes that captured me are slowly coming back; I saw them last night. They caught me, and now I am the one who is caged. Just as trapped as Lily is—more so, because even if she ever set me free, I could never leave her.
I need to get my head in the game and remember why I'm here. Now I'm not just here for one reason, but for two. The weight on my shoulders is heavy.
I pull myself from Lily. She rolls to her side and stays asleep. I tuck her in, move her hair from her beautiful face and kiss her temple. The scent of vanilla hits my nose and my dick comes alive. Fuck.There is nothing in this world I have smelled or tasted as delicious as Lily.
