Jameson Hotel - the Dark Suite Series: Parts One, Two & Three (20 page)

Norah Jones’
haunting voice crawls through my room, across my body, and seeps into my ears
as our lips touch softly in the dark of night. The music is replaced for a
brief moment with Jules’ final words before she falls into a deep sleep.

“You’re wrong, Mark.
This
is
a fairy tale.”

BLEAK NIGHT

U
nlike Jules, I
can’t
fucking
relax enough to fall asleep. It’s
midnight and I’ve been lying next to her for over an hour, listening to a faint
whistling noise exiting her nose every time she exhales. It sounds like a
distant train signal and was adorable for about five minutes. Now I’m
irritated. But annoyed about many things, not just my woman’s nose.

I’m thinking about my parents and Sophia. My mother really fucked with
my sister’s head, more so than my father ever did. I remember coming home from
school and finding poor
Soph
locked in the basement
or in a closet when she was a kid. She was alone and scared. It kills me to
think back on it now, and yet I was just as cold-hearted to her as my mother
was back then. I treated her the same way because I didn’t know any better.

Kids do what they see.

My mom would smack Sophia. I’d laugh. She’d cry. My childhood was
insane.

What’s interesting is we were also punished for swearing and we weren’t
allowed to have friends over. My mother was a recluse who tried to keep us
isolated from the world. We couldn’t discuss or even bring up the word ‘sex’ in
the house. But my sister and I didn’t let our mother stop us from having a
little fun. We tiptoed out when we got older and fucked whomever the hell we
wanted, when we wanted, without giving two shits about the person or ourselves.
We certainly weren’t happy, well-rounded teens. We swore, drank, fucked, and
hated life. Only Sophia was beaten as punishment. Kicked, yelled at, her hair
was pulled, and she was forever pummeled with abusive comments. My mother
chewed me out, but that was about it. Clearly, my sister and I weren’t treated
as equals.

It’s on my mind because of my sister’s comments during dinner, Jack’s
harsh words, and my nephews’ antics. Our kids have the freedom to do whatever
they want, are being raised in a very different environment, and have never
been physically harmed. I’ve never laid a hand on my son and my threats to do
so in order to gain some sort of control in our relationship never seem to
work.

So then, why are these kids just as fucked up as my sister and I? Shit,
I can’t stand it when I have no power over a situation. Sophia and Cove want to
buffer their sons’ lives, and I want to silence my son’s foul mouth and his
hatred for me, but the three kids are going to do whatever the fuck they want,
just like we did. All I can do with Jack is be patient and step up my game.
Show him I care instead of keeping him in the back of my mind. I can’t believe
I forgot about him today.

I’m definitely not going to have any more kids. One’s already far too
many.

“Uncle Mark?”

A high-pitched voice escapes my watch. Jules stirs as I sit up and hit
a button to respond.

“What’s up
Dax
?”

“It’s Xavier. Can you let me in? It’s important. Please, hurry.”

“What’s wrong?” I jump out of bed and dress quickly.

“I need your help, let me in!”

He sounds frantic and almost in tears.

“I’m on my way. Hold tight.”

“Is that your nephew?” Jules asks groggily.

“Yeah, stay here.” I kiss her cheek and race down the stairs, opening
the door to see matted hair and his sneakers covered in mud.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find
Dax
.” He starts to walk
hurriedly toward his suite, waving me to follow. “We snuck outside to use our
copters and his went into the woods. He went to find it, but never came out. I
looked everywhere for him!”

“Okay. I’m sure he’s fine. Did you tell your parents?” I follow him, in
a jogging pace.

“You have to. I just came from there, but they’re in their room. That’s
why I got you. We’re not supposed to go in there when they’re moaning.”

Great.

“When did this happen?” I try to keep him talking so he stays calm, but
I can hear a shake in his voice as if he’s about to break down.

“Over an hour ago.”

“Jesus,
Xav
.”

“Well, I was looking for him!” he whines. “I thought he was playing a
joke on me, but he would’ve come out by now. I can’t find him!”

“Okay. Alright.” We reach the door and he puts his hand up.

“Stay back, Uncle Mark. I need to punch in our code.”

 
“Make it quick.”

“Don’t look!” He covers the keypad with one hand and presses the
buttons. The door clicks and he runs inside then heads toward the stairs.

He follows me to the landing and points to the bedroom door. Their
suite is dark and cold like mine, and just as full of the sounds of two people
in the middle of a good fuck. Damn it, I don’t want to do this.

Xavier covers his ears when he hears an ‘uh.’ I remove one of his hands
and tell him to wait downstairs.

“Okay, but
Dax
is probably cold. Get my dad
for me so he can help,” he whispers and rushes away.

I walk up to the door, about to knock, standing quietly, with my hand
raised. This sucks.

I love you.

I hear.

I always lust for you.
Every
inch of you.
Cove
says.
You ready for me, Dove? I need to
cum
..
. I’m ready.

Crap. Do I knock or wait? What the fuck am I supposed to do? Either way
he’s
gonna
throw a tantrum.

Shh
.
Shh
.

Sophia hushes him and I turn away and pace. I don’t want to hear my
sister fucking someone.
Damn it
,
hurry
up
.

I love you... Dove... yes.

He whispers.

I love you too.
Cum, Babe.
Cum.

Ug
. Disgusting... my little sister. It’s so nasty to hear this. I love
listening to people fuck, but not her. And I don’t blame Xavier for not wanting
to knock on this door. The poor kid.

Fuck. It’s about time.

That was nice.

Finally. I tap at the door and hear a gasp.

Shit, Cove. I knew we were going to wake
them.

“It’s Mark. I need to talk...”

That fucker.

There’s rustling in the room, most likely the two of them getting
dressed.

It must be important... Mark, what’s wrong?

“It’s...”

The door swings open and Cove’s hands are clenched, ready to strike.
His face is red from either the fuck or his obvious anger that I’m here.

“Dad!”
Xav
runs up the stairs. “I can’t find
Daxton
.” He grabs his father’s hand and pulls him out of
the room.

“What do you mean...
Soph
, get out here,
quick!” Cove shouts. “What the hell’s going on?”

“We went out...”

“What? What do you mean you went out... where?”

“Outside, to play. He’s in the woods.”

Sophia appears in a panicky state, rushing past me and up to her son.

“Try reaching him with the walkie-talkie App,” she says to Cove then
turns to her son. “Do you remember exactly where?”

He nods and we follow him, asking questions along the way, each of us
trying to stay composed for the sake of everyone else, only I can tell my
sister’s beside herself, becoming visibly upset. Cove tries his son’s cell
watch but gets no response. And then Xavier tries as well.

“I got Mom and Dad. This isn’t funny! You better come out now or the
mountain lions are going to eat you!”

“Oh, my god,” my sister gasps. “No, don’t say that to him. Don’t scare
him.”

“Fuck, Mom.
Dax
isn’t afraid of anything.”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Cove says. “He’s probably hiding
because he doesn’t want to leave.”

“
Dax
, come out and talk to us. It’s rainy and
cold,” Cove says into his cell. “I’m sorry if you’re disappointed.”

No answer.

“Call his watch. If he doesn’t have the walkie-talkie App turned on
then maybe we’ll at least be able to hear a ring.

“Right here.” Xavier points toward the tall pines that line the edge of
the hotel parking lot. “This is where we were playing.”

“What were you two doing over this way?” I ask.

“Using the roofs of the cars as landing pads. But he flew his copter
into the trees. I went inside to go pee while he was searching for it and when
I came out he wasn’t here.”

Cove calls his son’s watch, but there’s no sound from the woods. He
starts to walk in, looking at the ground for footprints.

“I already did that, Dad. I think a mountain lion ate him.”

“Xavier, stop it, please. That’s not funny,” Sophia requests with her
hand over her mouth, turning her head frantically in all directions. “
Daxton
...
Dax
!” she shouts.

“Mark, you got a camera out this way?”

“Maybe not this far, but I can definitely check.”

“Go do it,” Cove commands.

“Xavier, why did the two of you go out? Why?” my sister cries. “You’re
not supposed to be outside!”

“You let us out this morning,” he says softly.

I touch my sister’s bare arm as she stands wearing only a thin tank
top, pajama bottoms, and no shoes. Drops of rain trickle down her face, mixing
with her tears.

“We’ll find him, don’t worry.”

She nods and I head back inside, running to my suite to check the
camera footage. Xavier said this happened about an hour ago so I’ll be able to
bring it up quickly.

“Jules!” I yell upon entering my living room.

“What?”

“Get up. I need your help.”

I hustle to my office and open the security footage on my desktop
computer, searching for the west side camera.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, walking into the room.

“
Daxton’s
missing.”

“Oh Jesus.” She pauses. “You don’t think that woman,
Mera
...”

“No. I don’t. And don’t mention her to my sister. He’s probably lost in
the woods. I need you to do me a favor.”

“Anything.”

“Get dressed quickly, and take some clothes from my closet outside to
my sister and Cove. Grab two sweatshirts and find some socks. Everyone is in
the guest parking lot. Far west.”

She rushes out and I check the area on screen from two hours ago,
advancing ahead from there.

The kids are playing in the lot for some time, hitting and scraping my
quests vehicles. Fuck, I hope there isn’t any major damage to anyone’s car. And
Daxton
... he walks on the hood of a
Prius
. Damn him. Next, the copter flies into the thick
pines.
Dax
heads in that direction while Xavier runs
toward the hotel.

I’m surprised he didn’t just take a piss in the parking lot.

Five minutes later,
Xav
is back, flying his
copter and calling for his brother. He looks continually toward the pines and
after a few minutes, lands the toy and walks into the woods himself.

I fast forward, keeping an eye on the woods and the lot. Guests come
and go. Two middle-aged women park and walk inside then a young couple arrive
and do the same. A man gets in a Land Rover and drives off with a small dog.
Asshole. I don’t want pets in my place.

More rain. Darkness. Silence. And more rain.

Xavier finally reappears from the woods, muddy and wet, running toward
the side door. I continue to watch, but there’s nothing. No movement other than
rain and leaves falling from a few ash trees.

Fifteen minutes later the four of us are on the scene.

Fuckin
’ A. Where is that kid?

I leave my suite and walk quickly through the hotel, once again, trying
not to disturb my guests or cause a scene, and hoping to God my sister didn’t
call the cops. I know I’m a piece of shit for thinking so, but I don’t want the
fucking cops here. Not now, not when I’ve got so many guests here, not ever.

“You find him?” I call out, feeling nauseous when I see Sophia’s face.
She’s standing at the edge of the pines with Jules by her side.

“I’m calling the police,” she says when I approach.

“Give it a few. He’ll show up.”

“Mark,” she pleads.

“
Daxton
!” I shout. “I’ll give you five
hundred dollars if you come out of these woods right now!”

I hear branches break and short legs running my way.

“I’ll take the money, Uncle Mark,” Xavier yells, running toward me.

Shit, for a second I thought that did it.