Evanesce (The Darkness #2) (6 page)

“Good. Gave me shit about staying away so long, but he’s not the first and won’t be the last,” Gabe grinned, showing his teeth.

“Tell him to come by then, been awhile since he’s visited me—uh, us.”
Fuck. Way to go, Quinn.
Gabe pinned her with suspicious eyes.

“Quinnnn,” he drew out her name.

“What? I’m not a little kid anymore, Gabe. I’ve done things you know. With boys,” she added. Gabe’s jaw ticked at her announcement.

“What boys? Who? Give me their names. You need to be careful, Quinn. And Theo is way too old for you. I mean it. For God’s sake.” Gabe rubbed his hand over his face.
She’s doing things with boys? Like fucking hell she is.

Quinn let out an exasperated sigh and jumped off the counter. Stomping through the kitchen, she paused at the doorway and looked back.

“I’m not a child and I can make my own decisions, Gabe. And the sooner you realize that about not only me, but Nora too…well the better off we’ll all be.” Shooting him a dirty look, she left him standing there gaping.

Two women angry at him in the span of a few hours.
A new record for me,
Gabe thought. Perfect start to reclaiming the life he left behind.

Several hours later, Gabe filed the thousandth piece of paper regarding the ranch and its upkeep. Since his absence, things had lagged behind in several areas. He would need to sit down with his Dad and figure out exactly what was going on and why accounts and maintenance were falling behind. Funds weren’t the issue as the family was quite comfortable, but it seemed more like it was becoming too much work for his parents. Just another issue to sort out now that he was home.

The doorbell rang, jarring him from his thoughts. Stacking his files in a pile, he stood and strolled to the front door, a few feet outside of the main office.

Nora stood on the other side of the Thornton’s door, nervously shifting from foot to foot. Updating Mr. Thornton on the weekly activities close to their property line was a routine she found comforting both as a new ranch owner and as a surrogate daughter. Gabe’s father has always treated her as a daughter and his guidance and mentorship was a relationship she treasured. She wasn’t about to give that up now that his moron son was back in town.

“Please don’t let him answer,” she whispered to herself. Seeing Gabe earlier had thrown her for a loop, and though the probability of seeing him was rather high, she refused to hide out and avoid her everyday life. She’d just give him the cold shoulder.
Piece of cake.

The door swung open and there he was, in all his goddamn sexiness, that cocky smile firmly in place. Her core clenched against her will at the sight of his muscular arms stretching the short sleeves of his plaid button down, his strong thighs straining against the denim encasing his legs. His eyes raked over her, dark and intense as he drank her in. Desire was a familiar warmth starting to spread throughout her body as her fingers itched to yank off his hat and sink them into his hair while holding his mouth to hers.

She caught herself raising her hand to do just that and gave her head a quick shake.
Snap out of it, Nora.

“I—I’m here to see your father,” her voice was shaky and breathless, a fact that infuriated her. He shouldn’t—didn’t have any affect over her anymore. He’d lost that right. Squaring her shoulders she yanked her resolve back in place.

“We have business to discuss,” she continued. “So I need to come in,” she finished lamely. Gabe nodded and backed up, sweeping his arm out in a grand motion.

“By all means. I assumed you wanted to come in when I found you standing out here,” he teased. Nora’s temper spiked, but she battled it down as she stepped over the threshold and into the foyer. Gabe was less than a foot away and didn’t move to give her more room. His scent filled her nostrils, spicy and familiar.

“Could you let him know I’m here, please?” She could be polite. She had manners and would be civil for the sake of their families. The urge to kick him in the balls hadn’t completely overtaken her. Yet.

“Mmhmm,” he replied, not moving an inch. Her breathing increased and she stared at him wide-eyed as he leaned around her to shut the door, his hat rustling her hair.

Their faces were inches apart; it felt as if Nora had been sling-shot back in time. Their connection had always been full of passion and electricity and it was evident that hadn’t changed. Gabe was her entire world, she loved him with such force—it nearly broke her when he left. Learning to live without him had been unbearable, the pain threatening to crush her soul, but she had survived and was stronger for it. Never would she allow her heart to be that vulnerable again to a man.

Gabe turned his head slightly and inhaled her, his nose touching her ear in a light caress. It would be so easy to give in; to fall back into their old routine. Her body was screaming at her to acquiesce; her mind refused to let go of the past. Pushing against his chest, she moved away to gain some distance.

“Stop—” Gabe’s lips crashed down on hers, silencing her. His lips were smooth and skilled as they slid over hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her up to her toes, fitting her body against his. A light swipe of his tongue had her sighing involuntarily and opening to allow him access. His tongue swooped inside to tangle with hers in a dance of pure passion. He tasted exactly how she remembered; spice, sex and
hers.
Except he wasn’t hers, not anymore.

Pulling away once again, she stuck out a hand to stop him from coming any closer. Panting, tears pricked the back of her eyes.

“Nora. Baby, I fucked up. I know that and I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am. You need to know that I’m back for good…I’m going to fix this, Nora. There’s nothing I want more in this world than to have you back in my arms. You belong there,” Gabe reached out and caught a tear at the corner of her eye.

A part of her wanted to believe him, to believe that they could repair the damage done to their otherwise perfect relationship. But the past couldn’t be undone and Nora’s heart simply couldn’t forgive the betrayal.

“Gabe…” she began. Quinn appeared at the top of the stairs and interrupted Nora’s words with a squeal as she shot down the stairs like a bullet.

“Oh my God, you two. You’ll never believe it, Jane just texted and told me there has been another abduction and—and a murder! Brooke Spencer is missing—you know, from down at Dr. Mills’ office? And I can’t believe it, but Mary! You know Mary that owns the bakery, she’s dead. Dead! This is so scary,” Quinn spilled the info in a rush, barely pausing to take a breath.

“Abductions? Murders? What are you talking about? And what the fuck do you mean by ‘another one’?” Gabe was incredulous as he looked between the two of them, waiting for an answer. Nora raised an eyebrow at him.

“You don’t know about what’s been happening around here?” Nora was surprised, given her earlier conversation with Theo. Gabe shook his head no and crossed his arms over his chest. “One of you better explain right now,” he ordered.

“For fuck’s sake, Theo,” she muttered under her breath. She’d been a sucker to him again. Sighing, she looked up at Gabe. “We better go sit down.”

B
rooke lay in
the center of the huge king-size bed staring up at the ceiling. The events of the past few weeks seemed like a dream, as though they hadn’t really happened to her. She was under a fog, and as long as she didn’t lift it, she could float along in her bubble of denial. Life had become a routine of visits to that horrifying white lab where she was poked and prodded, filled with injections and constantly told that everything was right on track for her first contribution at her new job. She was positive they were drugging her somehow, as her desire to fight had dimmed; she was much more compliant.

Marcus visited her frequently, sometimes to chat as though they were friends and other times to yank down her pants and drive his cock into her repeatedly. He got off on catching her off guard, one minute he would be commenting on the weather or relaying an inconsequential fact from his work day, the next he would be bending her over or tossing her onto the bed. He was extremely satisfied when he managed to bring her to orgasm. “A perk of the job,” he called it. He reveled in her shame and was infuriated when he finished and she hadn’t reached climax. She had the bruises to show just how he felt when she “underperformed.”

Milo was also a constant worry. He lurked in the shadows like a stalker waiting to pounce on its prey. A confrontation with him was looming on the horizon, Brooke could feel it. Greta had become like a doting mother. Always ensuring she was bathed and dressed in one of the beautiful outfits from the closets, she often held Brooke’s hand when she cried and murmured to her to stay strong. Brooke both loved the comfort she offered her and loathed her presence. Her refusal to help her escape kept Brooke’s guard up around her at all times.

The door opened and closed and Brooke felt the weight on the bed beside her shift. “Good morning, beautiful girl.” Marcus’s smooth voice greeted her.

Rolling over, she gave him her back; trying to ignore him. Marcus was having none of that. Yanking her hair in a vicious manner, he pulled until she rolled onto her back once again. “That’s not an appropriate greeting for your employer, Brooke,” he scolded her, not loosening his grip on her hair. A bit of Brooke’s old fire licked up her spine at his words.

“I’m not your fucking employee. I’m certainly not reaping the benefits of this so-called
job,”
she spat. Marcus’s face turned stone cold. Too late, fear crept into Brooke’s bones. Poking a bear in his den was not wise, a lesson she should have learned numerous times already. Milo had been deadly accurate when he described the mansion as Marcus’s castle.

“Is that so?” his voice was soft, too soft. “Clearly I’ve been remiss in my role, if that’s your impression.” Grabbing her by the arm, he dragged her off the bed. Thinking he was going to violate her again, she struggled. “No. No, not again,” she pleaded.

“I have no desire to fuck you, beautiful girl. You need an education before I offer you that pleasure again.” Marcus dragged her over to the door and clicked open the lock. Squirming in his embrace, Brooke struggled to get free, terrified of where he was taking her. Arriving at the lab, he punched a series of codes before shoving her inside. Dr. Daniels materialized from now where, snapping on a pair of rubber gloves, his telltale sign that Brooke was in for some sort of examination.

“No, put those away, Doctor,” Marcus commanded. “I have another task in mind for you and my lovely
employee
here.”

The chilling way he delivered his orders had Brooke quaking in fear.
What was he going to do to her now?
Backing up a few steps did nothing to help her—she was trapped on all sides. Marcus’s hands came down on her shoulders and he subtly applied pressure. “Kneel.”

Despair filled her as she realized his intent. Having no other choice, she obeyed. Marcus nodded to Dr. Daniels who promptly dropped his pants; his erection pressing against his boxers. Grabbing Brooke’s hair once more, he tilted her head back and looked deep into her eyes.

“This is where you learn your place under my control. I am your boss, you will do as I say. Now, open.” He gripped her hair harder, “And don’t even think about using those teeth…” Dr. Daniels stepped forward and with a quick tug on his boxers, freed his generous cock.

Brooke had a quick moment to think,
he’ll choke me,
before he was filling her mouth; the tip of him searching for the back of her throat. He let out a low moan as her soft, wet lips surrounded him, the feeling of her warmth was divine. He slowly withdrew all the way and then slammed back inside, her head jerking back from the impact. Gagging, Brooke fought for breath, tears stinging the back of her eyes. Marcus moved to stand behind her, bracing her back with his knees.

“Don’t hold back, Doctor. That sweet little mouth of hers is yours to fuck as hard as you want,” Marcus gave him the go ahead he wanted. Closing his eyes, his hands dug into her scalp as he begin to thrust in and out of her mouth with surprising force and intensity. She had mistakenly pegged him for the nerdy, shy type—but that was completely inaccurate description as he was currently fucking her mouth with the experience of a pro.

Marcus’s hands travelled around to pinch and twist her nipples through her thin blouse, something he had never done before. Their sexual interactions had only been for intercourse, no other contact was made—no kissing, no foreplay. He simply was using her as a vessel to implant and then extract his product. Dr. Daniels was starting to pant from exertion; Brooke was beginning to feel a second erection poking her in the back—Marcus was aroused watching the display of her being used like a whore.

Dr. Daniels let out a grunt, filling Brooke’s mouth with warm, salty liquid. Choking as his cum slid down her throat, she struggled to get free. Marcus’s hands gripped her shoulders hard, forcing her to swallow it all down. Slipping out of her mouth, Dr. Daniels tapped the tip of his cock on her parted lips, as if to say thank you before zipping up. Staring up at him with fire and loathing in her eyes, she made a silent vow to see him dead; sooner rather than later.