A Jade's Trick (Lilly Black's Jaded Series Book 1) (40 page)

"I see, and where is the old mattress?" she asks.

"You'll have to ask Lucy.  She lives next door."

"We will.  Thank you for your time," Calderón says, extending his hand to shake Cain's, then mine. "If you'll both just jot down your phone numbers in case we need to speak with you again, we'll be on our way."  He offers me a pen and the small notepad he was using to write down our answers to his questions.  I write mine and Cain's cell numbers.

"And your address, Miss Lucien."

"It's the same as mine," Cain says.

"I see.  Well, good day, Mr. Ballantyne, Miss Lucien."  They head toward the door, but they stop when Cain calls out to them.

"Detective, how was Liz...how was she killed?" Cain asks.

"I can't release any details yet, Mr. Ballantyne, but I can tell you that she was found alone in her car on a deserted stretch of road not far from the club."  Cain becomes distant as I walk with the detectives to the door.

"Goodbye, Miss Lucien," Calderón says on his way out.  "I apologize for waking you." 

"No problem.  If there is anything we can do to help your investigation, don't hesitate to call anytime," I say as Vega glares at Cain until the door is closed.

"What the hell?" Cain asks, mirroring Vega's face.

"You came off like a misogynistic pig," I say.

"I'm just being honest.  I don't want to have to remember what parts I sugarcoated if I have to answer these questions again down the road."

"Why would you have to?"

"Didn't you feel like we were part of the suspect pool?" he asks.

"We were amongst the last people to see her.  It's probably routine.  Fuck, I don't know.  I've never been questioned in a murder investigation."

"By the way, thanks for not mentioning falling asleep in the car," Cain says.

"I didn't think it was important.  Did you fall asleep, too?"

"Maybe for a minute, but most of the time, I was just watching you sleep."  I smile, shyly, hoping I didn't snore.  "I'd rather not say anything to them about what happened at Qualcomm with Liz either."

"They'll find out if they ask Arianna or Steph."

"That's not what I meant.  That was clearly said in anger.  I'm talking about what I said to you privately with Liz on the phone."  I have a flash of anxiety as I remember Cain telling me he would bring me her head or heart to defend my honor.

"What if Elizabeth told someone?"

"She would never admit that to anyone." 

"Neither will I."

"Good."  Cain kisses me quickly, then his eyes grow dark and hooded as he puts his hands on my shoulders.  "I would have killed her for your honor, Evan," he says, and I freeze.  It's beautiful and terrifying but too intense a compliment to accept.  After a moment locked in an intense embrace, his demeanor shifts, and I chalk it up to lack of sleep.

"Can you see if you can get a hold of Lorraine?" he asks, as if the mood never turned dark.  "I need to call my attorney to make sure we don't become a part of this front page spectacle."

"Can your lawyer do that?"

"I'll buy the all the local media if I have to."

"Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"By the way, what did you mean when you said you wanted to take care of both me and Nicole?" I ask when Cain comes back to bed.  I thought I agreed to quit my job, but after he told the detectives that my address was the same as his, I'm not sure what I've agreed to.

"I meant that I will cover the overhead on the house you share with Nicole whether you live in it or not.  I want you to quit work and move in with me.  I need you here, even more so after what happened to Liz."

"Okay," I agree. 

"You're surprisingly acquiescent," Cain says suspiciously.

"I'm too tired to argue," I tease.

"Good, and Evan, don't let Detective Vega get to you," he says, tracing my jaw line with his fingers.  "None of the things I've said about Liz or any of my other exes could ever apply to you.  Please say you understand that."

"I do."  It goes against all reason, but I do.

It's almost 2:00 pm when I wake to sunlight streaming through the windows facing the bed.  Cain is standing there naked, staring at the city below, and I go to him, slipping my arms around him from behind.

"I can't sleep," he whispers.

"It's okay to admit that you cared about her."

"That's not it.  I don't even know how to feel about Liz, but I know she didn't deserve that."  He looks toward his tablet, which is propped up on the seat of a chair by the drapes.  It's open to this morning's headline.

"She was tied up, raped, beaten, choked, and stabbed.  Her face was slashed so many times, her father had to identify her by the birthmark on her back," he says, his voice wavering, and I squeeze him tighter, the side of my face against his back as he falls silent for a long moment.

"And Rain is still missing," he finally says, turning to face me.

"Did you try her again this afternoon?" I ask.

"No answer at home or on her cell."

"You don't think..." 

"That something might have happened to her, too?  Yeah, I do."

"But Rain left the club with her grandfather.  It doesn't make sense for Elizabeth's murderer to..."

"That's not what I'm afraid of," Cain says as he begins slowly pacing around the room.  "You don't know Sunny.  I shouldn't have told her that last night, Ev, not where anyone could overhear it." 

"You don't really think she'd kill her sister, do you?"

"I don't know, but I keep wondering if Sunny could have found out about what happened to Liz and tried to make it look like the same guy killed her sister.  I know I haven't had enough sleep.  I'm probably delirious." 

"You probably are, and Rain is probably just holed up in her dungeon."

"What?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she has acted on those fantasies from high school," I say, thinking about her keychain.

"What did you two talk about?" 

"Nothing like that. I just think it's a viable assumption, don't you?" 

"Mmmm...what was it you were saying about a threesome last night?"  He's teasing.  That's a good sign.

"Now I know you're delirious because you're saying shit that will earn you a beating."

"Maybe that's what I need."

"What you need is sleep.  Come on.  Lie back down with me," I say, closing the curtains to shut out the light.  I want to offer him more, but I don't know how he would interpret it given the circumstances.

"I can't sleep, baby," he says as he finally stops pacing and sits on the end of the bed.

"You need to try."  I stand beside him, nudging him to lie down.  He pushes back, and I push harder.  We grapple, laughing and playing like children, until Cain abruptly stops the fun by grabbing my wrists in an almost painful grip.  He holds them downward as I stand between his legs, and the look in his eyes as he peers into mine is not playful at all.

"Put me to bed," he demands.

"Are you sure?" I ask, and with his eyes, he directs my attention to his cock.  He's sure.

"Lie down," he commands, and I obey, lying in the middle of the bed.  I'm expecting something rough and forceful after the way he grabbed me, but that isn't what he gives me.  His touch and his kiss are gentle, loving, not our standard at all, and as he guides himself inside me in the missionary position, I recognize that this is more about comfort than gratification.  In the absence of the hard, fast crashing of our bodies that I love so much, the intensity comes from the way he's staring into my eyes and the grip he has on the sheets by my head as he thrusts deeply into me, his rhythm torturously slow.  With his hips pressed against my inner thighs, his abdomen gliding over my clit, I tremble beneath him as he pushes us to a simultaneous and miraculous end.  His eyes never leave mine for a second, and for the first time, there's no screaming, both of us muted by the unfathomable intimacy of the moment, holding onto each other as if for dear life.

Sated, Cain finally drifts away in my arms as I lie lost in the bliss of the moment, overwhelmed by the depth of my love for him.

I slip out of bed without waking Cain to call Nicole and Dave because I'm supposed to work tomorrow night.  Though I agreed to quit my job yesterday, I would at least like to give two weeks' notice, but I know there is no way Cain is going to allow me to go the bar after Elizabeth's murder.

In his office, I take my phone from the charger and find that I have more than a dozen missed calls and several texts from Nicole.

Why are reporters at our door?  Call me.

What the hell, Evan?  They're all over the lawn.  Call me!

Goddamn it!  CALL ME! 

If Nicole says goddamn, she's super mad.  I start to call, but I realize that I don't know what to tell her.  The reporters being there probably has something to do with Elizabeth's murder, but why is beyond me.  I can't wake Cain right now, and all I know for sure is to tell her not to speak with them.  I send her a text instead.

Don't do anything.  I'll call you in a minute. 
Then I grab Cain's cell phone to get the number for his attorney.  He has a password, but I hack it quickly.  It's the date we met.

Smiling as I look through his recent call history, I find
Atty Trent Michaelsen
, and though I pause before placing the call, worried about how Cain will feel about me getting into his phone, I decide that reporters being camped out on my lawn supersedes any potential invasion of privacy.  I press the call button.

"Cain?" asks a deep male voice.

"Mr. Michaelsen?" 

"This is he." 
This must be his cell phone.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Michaelsen.  This is Evan Lucien, and..."

"Ah, Miss Lucien.  How are you?"

"Concerned, and please, call me Evan."

"Call me Trent. What's your concern?"

"I don't know if you are allowed to discuss this with me or advise me..."  I explain the situation, and when he hears about the reporters, he's irate.

"Goddamn it!" he shouts.  "Both of your names were supposed to be kept out of this.  I don't know how this happened, but I'm on it.  Is there somewhere your friend can stay for a couple of days until I can get this resolved?"

"I can have her come here after she gets off work tonight."

"Absolutely not.  I'll contact Nicole's employer about tonight and do all I can to keep the reporters away from her workplace, but neither of you should go anywhere tonight.  Meanwhile, I'll get the reporters off your lawn and send a car for Nicole, and Evan, I am very sorry this happened."  I give him our address and Dave's phone number, and after he instructs me to have Nicole to pack a bag and be ready, he asks me to have her jot down the names of the news agencies on our lawn in case anyone leaves before his people arrive.  I hang up and call her immediately.