‘Just wondering if she’s had any more trouble with that asshole step-brother?’
‘Not that I know of…Max, what are you hiding?’
Max sighed and shrugged. ‘I wasn’t sure if I should tell you but…I met with Gachet.’
Theo’s eyebrows shot up. ‘What? Max…’
‘He’s toxic, Theo, he’s dangerous. I spoke to the housekeeper at the Gachet mansion, the place Jess grew up. She more or less told me that Jules had been molesting Jess from when she was young. Very young. I didn’t want to ruin your holiday or bring up painful memories for Jess so I arrange to meet him.’ The words were flooding out of Max now. ‘Something need to be done, something to try and stop what he’s doing, something to let him know that Jess is protected now.’
‘What happened?’
‘When?’
‘When you met Gachet.’
Max looked Theo dead in the eye, his gaze confident. ‘I threatened him. Told him if he knew what was good for him, he’d renounce all claim on Jess and her rightful inheritance. Told him his manipulation and bullying of her stops now or we would go to the authorities.’
Theo got the feeling Max wasn’t telling him everything but instead of being angry, he was grateful for his friend. Unbelievably moved that his very best friend would go to bat for the woman he loved. Theo nodded, smiled and could see the relief in Max’s eyes.
‘Thank you, buddy,’ Theo said softly, ‘I mean it. Well, we’ll see what his next move is. He won’t get near Jess again, that’s for damn sure.’
‘How is she, really?’
Theo hesitated. ‘Best if we don’t tell her about this. For now. Keep this between the two of us.’
Max nodded. ‘Deal.’ The two men silent for a long moment then Max shook his head. ‘Man, the things men do to women.’
Theo had no answer to that.
Camilla tugged her coat around her as the Seattle skies opened with a vengeance. The car was parked all the way over on Fifth and now she wished she’d ordered her clothes from the internet rather than go shopping in this monsoon. The evening had crept up on her, her much-longed-for day off was coming to an end and she was exhausted. She walked quickly to the parking garage and got the lift to her level.
He grabbed her as soon as she exited the lift. Camilla felt her body being lifted and slammed down to the hard concrete of the floor and a man bent over her. In the dim light and through her fear, she couldn’t make out who it was – until he spoke.
‘You shouldn’t have opened your big mouth, Camilla. It won’t save Jessica…and it won’t save you.’
Camilla had no time to scream before her killer cut her throat.
Jess was waiting for him when he got back to the apartment and Theo realized how much he loved that she was there. She had an old t-shirt on and raggedy jeans and looked about nineteen.
‘Hey pretty girl,’ Theo pulled his tie off as she came to him, standing on her tip-toes to kiss him hello.
‘Hey, gorgeous. I hope you’re hungry, I’ve been making my signature mac-and-cheese.’
‘From the box?’
‘You bet your ass,’ and she laughed. Theo tightened his arms around her, nuzzling her neck.
‘You smell so good,’ he murmured and felt her chuckle.
‘If cheese sauce is your thing,’ she replied but kissed him tenderly. ‘Why don’t you grab a shower, dinner will be about twenty minutes.’
‘Twenty minutes huh?’ and she grinned, knowing what he wanted. She pulled her t-shirt over her head.
‘Fuck me quick then, soldier,’ and she skipped away from him, laughing. Theo shook his head in mock disapproval.
‘I’ve turned you into a wanton woman, Jessica Wood,’ but within seconds they were naked in his shower, and he was lifting her so he could plunge inside her.
After, they ate their pasta in front the t.v., Jess in her underwear, Theo in just a pair of jog pants. Theo grinned over at her as she dropped her food.
‘You have mac-and-cheese.on your belly,’ he waggled his eyebrows, ‘lucky mac-and-cheese.’ He leaned over and scooped up the food with his mouth, kissing the soft skin of her stomach, making her giggle.
‘Loon,’ she swiped her hand at his head then started as her cell-phone rang. She grinned at him as she answered the call.
‘Yes? This is she?’
Theo watched the expression on her lovely face changed from happiness to confusion to horror. Jess drew in a shaky breath and she looked away from Theo. He frowned, wondering if Jules was up to his old tricks again. She’d changed her number but who knew how far Jules would go to hound her.
‘When?’ Jess’ voice broke and immediately Theo took her in his arms. Jess was trembling violently.
‘Yes. Yes, of course, I’ll be here, please come over as soon as you can.’
Not Jules then, Theo realized with relief but the look on Jess’s face haunted him. Despair. Disbelief. Grief.
She ended the call and gazed at him with eyes full of bottomless horror and sorrow.
‘What is it, love? What’s wrong?’
‘That was the police. They’re coming over to interview me. God, Theo…it’s Camilla…they found her in a parking lot on Fifth an hour ago,’ she said in a broken voice and Theo’s heart broke for her. ‘She’s dead, Theo. She’s been murdered. Oh god, oh god, please, no…’
Theo held her tightly as she sobbed, aching for her but in his head, a voice repeating the same four words over and over. This is your fault.
Oh god, he thought, Max, what have we done…?
Fight With Me Part 5
Stormfronts
By Michelle Love
Jessica Wood nodded once at the medical examiner’s aide. ‘Yes, that’s Camilla Amotte.’ She couldn’t take her eyes off the dead woman’s face, so peaceful and serene showing no signs of the violence of her death. The coroner had deliberately covered her neck, the deep horrific gash, but Jess could still see bruising. She felt numb. After the past few days when she felt like screaming day and night, now she was exhausted, resigned. Camilla, her beloved, lovely Camilla, was gone and Jess knew, without a doubt, that Jules had killed her.
The police had told her there was no physical evidence to go on and Jules had provided them with a seemingly watertight alibi.
‘It’s my fault,’ she’d said to Theo that first night when he’d held her as she sobbed her heart out.
‘No, no, no…’ He’d rocked her gently as he reassured her but she would not be told otherwise.
Now, as she took a waiting Theo’s hand and they walked out of the antiseptic stink of the morgue into bright Seattle sunshine, she turned to him, leaned against him.
‘Theo, I feel like I need to go away for a while. Out of the city, clear my head.’
Theo stroked her face. ‘We can go anywhere you want, sweetheart. Just ask.’
She pulled away slightly. ‘I meant…on my own. No,’ she added quickly after seeing the hurt on his face, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be hurtful, just for a few days.’ She gave him a weak smile. ‘I really do need to clear my head and you, Theo Storm, are a big distraction. I need to figure out what to do workwise and how I can go forward. I know you’ve told me not to worry about money but it wouldn’t sit right with me, living off you. It’s just not me.’
Theo was silent for a moment, his eyes intense on hers then they softened and he smiled slightly. ‘I get it. But look, just so I don’t go crazy wondering if you’re safe, I have a cabin down in Oregon, on the Santiam River. It’s secluded but not isolated. Very chill.’
Jess nodded gratefully. ‘That would be heaven, thank you. And maybe after a few days, if you can spare the time…?’
Theo pulled her into his arms. ‘Always for you, Jessie.’
At breakfast, Jules Gachet looked through the resumes of the new housekeeper candidates. He was bored with this process but.. hey, he realised, it’s all of your doing. He could imagine Jessica’s grief, her guilt and it made him smile.
The police had come to question him, no doubt on Jessica’s say-so, but he’d had a watertight alibi. Malcolm, his driver, a man as full as special proclivities as himself, - they’d covered for each other. He didn’t know if the policeman who was investigating the murder entirely believed him but who cared? Without proof, they had nothing. Jules narrowed his eyes – things wouldn’t be so simple when he murdered Jessica – Theo Storm, crazed with grief, would make sure of it. Jules shrugged – he’d already decided that once Jessica was dead, he himself would have nothing left and would down a bottle of the best scotch and a handful of pills. He wanted the world – and especially Theo Storm - to know that he was Jessica’s killer, that at the end of her life, she had belonged to him entirely. Another idea, another strand of delicious revenge occurred to him then and he grinned to himself. Oh yes, that would be the coup de grace…Jules Gachet flung the resumes down onto the table and headed to the shower where he jerked off and imagined the hot water flooding over his body was Jessica’s blood.
Jess gazed around her at the wood frame cabin, nestled on the river bank, and grinned happily at Theo. He raised his eyebrows and she nodded. ‘It’s perfect, Theo. Just perfect.’
Her small suitcase, a stack of books and her art materials sat in the corner of the tiny living room. Theo dug out the t.v. remote and handed it to her.
‘WIFI password’s MyJessieLove.’ His cheeks flushed a little as she grinned at him.
‘Sweet boy.’
He took her in his arms. ‘You’ll call me every day? Ollie, your nearest neighbor’s a good guy, a family friend. If you get scared or lonely, call him, his number’s on the breakfast bar. The farmer’s market is a mile down the lane and…’
‘Theo…stop. I’ll be fine. It’s just a week and then you’ll be here.’ She kissed him gently. ‘Before you go…wanna give me a tour of the bedroom?’
Theo grinned and swept her up the wooden staircase into a room with the softest bed, draped in white mosquito netting. He undid her shirt slowly, kissing the skin he reveal with each button. When his fingers reached the fastening of her jeans, she groaned to hurry him. Theo grinned up at her.
‘I’ll be without you for a week, missy, I’m taking my time.’ He slid his hand into her panties, felt her body relax as he began to stroke her. He pressed his lips to hers, taking his time to taste her, his tongue gently massaging hers. Jess reached inside his pants for his cock, let her fingertips drift up and down the stiffening shaft.
‘Damn, that feels so good,’ Theo murmured and the air shifted, became charged as he slipped a finger inside of her, their kiss becoming hungrier, their breathing ragged. Theo kicked off his pants and hitched her legs around his hips. He held her wrists in one hand, forcing them above her head. Jess arched her back so their bellies touched as he drove himself hard into her, slamming his hips against hers. Her lovely face flushed scarlet as he fucked her, a dewy sheen of sweat making her glow. So fucking beautiful, was all he could think now. How could he leave her here alone, how could he be without her for an entire week?
Jess tightened her legs around his waist, wanting him to plough her hard into the bed, her hips burning with the pain of being forced so rough apart. She clenched her pelvic muscles, grinning as Theo groaned as she gripped him, gave him the tightness, the friction he wanted, that made him shudder with pleasure. Theo’s mouth was on her throat, her neck as he thrust, not caring if he hurt her. The intense ache in her back, her legs, her hips twined around the absolute pleasure of him ravaging her body, owning it, leaving her in ruins.
Afterwards, hey lay, their limbs tangled, gazing at the other. Theo let the back of his fingers drift down her face.
‘No matter what happens,’ he said softly, ‘it’s you and me forever. Fuck anything and anyone else. Whatever comes our way, as long as we’re together, we can beat it.’
She kissed him softly. ‘I love you, Theodore Storm.’
He left after supper and she grinned at his chagrin at having to leave her. When he’d gone, she double-locked the door and tugging her hair out of its messy ponytail, went to run a bath. As the tub filled, she made herself some tea and chose a book from the stack she’d brought with her.
For a moment, she stopped and just listened. Aside from the running water upstairs, the evening was utterly silent. It was comforting. Jess slowly went upstairs and undressed, slipping into the hot water with a sigh. It felt an age since she had been alone anywhere - not that she complaining, she loved Theo more than anything but it felt good to clear her head. She had some serious decisions to make, she thought now, letting the hot water soothe her aching body. She wanted Theo to come get her in seven days with her future somewhat planned.
The only thing she was sure of was her future lay with Theo Storm and she would anything to protect that.
Even if it meant breaking free of Jules forever – whatever that took.
Max smiled at Theo as his boss and best friend wandered into his office and flopped into the chair opposite. Max chuckled at his woebegone face.
‘Seriously, dude…you’re useless without Jess. It’s only a week – not even that now – six days. You’re letting the ‘Bro’ crew down.’
Theo laughed then. ‘Just can’t settle to anything. Oh, except I want to talk to you about setting up a foundation – the Stormfront Foundation for the Arts.’
Max grinned. ‘Oh ‘for the Arts’? Nothing to do with your girlfriend being an artist, of course.’
‘Of course.’
‘Joking aside, it’s a great idea – I assume you want Jess to run it?’
Theo nodded. ‘Well, I’m going to try and persuade her that it isn’t a handout, that it’s something that we were planning to do anyway.’
Max gave him an amused look. ‘Good luck with that. Have you broached the subject at all yet?’
Theo grinned sheepishly. ‘She said it was a great idea then when I told her I wanted her to run it she said ‘Why yes, of course you want a twenty-four-year-old to run a multi-million dollar charity.’’
Max laughed. ‘God I love that girl, she has you all figured out.’ His smile faded. ‘Is she doing okay? Really? I got a call today from the M.E. They’re releasing Camilla’s body next week.’
Theo nodded. ‘Jess told me to let her handle the funeral. Apparently Camilla didn’t have any family.’
The men were silent for a long moment. ‘What a mess.’ Max sighed and leaned back in his chair. ‘It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have….’
‘No,’ said Theo roughly. ‘The killer is to blame. You sound like Jess.’
‘She’s blaming herself?’ Max put his hands on the desk, leaned forward. ‘We should tell her, then, tell her what I…’
‘No. No way. She’ll only feel worse that we were trying to protect her. No. We wait.’
Max nodded unhappily then locked his gaze on his friend. ‘You think it was Gachet?’
Theo stared back evenly. ‘There’s no doubt in my mind.’
Jess opened one eye to look at the clock. Seven a.m. And that was definitely someone knocking at the front door. She clambered out of bed and fell over, the duvet tangled around her legs. She cursed and stumbled down the stairs. Pausing at the mirror in the hallway, she took in her ragged appearance, hair sticking up, old t-shirt hanging to just below her knees. She grimaced and opened the door.
A good-looking dark haired man stood outside, smiling at her. For a second she gaped at him, trying to place him and then it clicked. Her neighbor – or rather Theo’s neighbor – Ollie.
‘Hi.’
‘I’m sorry did I wake you?
She smiled. ‘No, I’m sorry. Come in, please.’ As he passed her, she rubbed her eyes, trying to wake her brain up. She led him into the kitchen.
‘I am sorry for coming so early. You must think me very rude.’
‘Not at all, it’s really good to see you again’ She snagged two coffee cups from the cupboard then realised that the t-shirt she was wearing was riding up her thighs and giving Olli
e a free show. She snuck a look at him but he was gazing discreetly out of the window.
‘You know…I could make the coffee if you want to…’ He said, still not looking at her and Jess smiled gratefully.
‘That would be good, thank you, I’ll be two seconds.’
She darted upstairs and tugged on a pair of jeans, went to the bathroom to quickly brush her teeth. When she got back downstairs, Ollie was putting two mugs of steaming coffee on the table. He grinned at her and she started laughing, then, shaking her head.
‘Sorry again,’ he said but she put a hand up to halt his apology.
‘Please. You’re very kind, my brain’s not fully engaged in the mornings. So…hello, I’m Jess.’
Chuckling he shook her hand. ‘Ollie Barnes. Theo said you might need a lift to the farmer’s market…’ He looked down and laughed, once. ‘Okay. I’ll start again.’
Jess frowned, nonplussed by his seeming confusion. He smiled at her.
‘I’m snooping, I admit. I’ve known Theo for years – since we were kids – but I’ve never seen him bring anyone out here since Kelly.’
Jess looked up sharply. ‘Kelly?’
Ollie nodded, not noticing her tone. ‘My sister. Before she died, she and Theo used to come back here to get some space….Jess, are you okay?’
She could feel the blood drain from her face, her skin cold. For a second she struggled to talk, to form the words then she shook herself. Theo was allowed to have secrets, wasn’t she? She had enough of her own. She touched Ollie’s arm.
‘I’m sorry, Ollie, please go on. I’m so sorry about your sister.’
Ollie was studying her. ‘He didn’t tell you, did he?’
She shook her head but smiled. ‘No, he didn’t.’
Ollie’s breath hissed out between his teeth and he seemed to be considering something before he gave her a little grin. ‘What a jerk wad.’
She laughed, grateful for his saving her – again. ‘Total dill hole.’
Mallory Page 46
