we were one once book 2: "A Dark Romance" (13 page)

30

Jesus. That’s disorienting.

I take a deep breath and look away from the mirror. I don’t think we’ve ever switched places in front of a mirror before. Grace only laughs at me.

Nice. I almost fell on my ass.

She only laughs harder through her hand over her mouth at that image. But it feels good to hear her laugh. And it fills the empty stage with something at least.

She and I are the last two. And I know she’s still upset with me for what I’ve done. She wants to deny it. But it was necessary. Lilly and Jill understood that. I think Grace does too, but she won’t talk about it with me. Lilly tried to explain it to her before she gave herself to me.

Gave herself…that is how it felt. I didn’t take the others and all their memories, all their ways and thoughts and doings by force. I was given them. One at a time. And there were thousands.

But Baby was the hardest; not because she didn’t understand, she did. And not because she wasn’t willing to give up the burden of her memories, she was. It was hardest because I loved her. And I know that she’s gone. They’re all gone. And I know I did it.

Grace said she’ll only think about it if we can’t get free. But then it’ll be too late. The decision will be made for her.

But that’s Grace for you. She doesn’t like to make up her own mind. She likes to splinter it instead.

That’s the truth that lurked in the darkest corners of the stage. She is the original Gillian. Or, she was. But she splintered and splintered and just kept splintering with each new sick episode with Mother. And Miles. And any other moment that was too much for her to bear alone.

And I took all of that. I bear every one of those memories now. Every one of hers.

And I faced my own biggest fear. I’m still me. I didn’t break down or splinter or hide. Or become something else. Someone else. I took it all and I’m still me.

And I’m more than me. I’m Them.

But I still fear what will happen if Grace is forced to face the truth. The truth we ran from three years ago is still the same one we face now. We can try to run, but Miles will never give up on her.

And I know something else that she doesn’t want to face. But maybe she won’t ever have to. If I can get this damn shackle off my wrist that is.

I head into the bathroom to look for something to use on the bracelet’s clasp. At this point, I’m willing to break my fucking hand to get it off if I have to.

31

“You sure you don’t want me to go in with you?” This is about the tenth time Cary’s asked me this.

I give him the same answer I have for the last nine times, a shut the fuck up look. We’re parked around back with all of the other catering trucks. There are more people here than I expected, which is good and bad. Easier to blend in and not be seen, but harder to get away in a hurry if we need to. And something tells me that we’re not going to be casually leaving by the front door.

“All right…but you know if you’re caught…”

I didn’t even have to ask Cary to drive. After I finally told him the full story, he only asked me what I planned to do. “I know if I’m caught, that I’m going to need your ass out here to bail
my
ass out of jail.” Trespassing, breaking and entering, illegal use and transport of a firearm, attempted kidnapping…yep. I can only hope for bail if this goes wrong.

My plan has a lot of flaws, but it’s the best I could come up with on short notice. And I doubt the opportunity to get into a fortress like this is going to present itself again anytime soon. At least not this easily.

Cary shrugs at the logic of my answer, but I stop him again from arguing, “And if you see any signs of police or trouble…you need to leave. Got it?”

“I’m not leaving you behind, Cuz.”

“Yes. You are.”

He only grins and I know he won’t listen to me. But I also know that he won’t be stupid either. He’ll follow my shitty plan and stay with the truck, only leaving if he sees me being hauled away in cuffs.

I open my door and step out. I have the same catering jacket as everyone else. That was the easiest part. One phone call three days ago and a very helpful servant told me that I was unfortunately too late to put in a bid for catering this party, that Mr. Vanderson had already decided all the details. A little charm and I had all the information I needed to make up the fake sign on a truck and jackets to match the real staffers running around here.

“Hey!” I duck my head back into the truck and Cary’s still grinning at me, “Can I get your credit card?”

“What the fuck for?”

“Bail, of course.”

“Fuck you.” But I’m smiling as I slam the door closed.

The only good thing about my plan is that it isn’t complicated. Hunt through the massive house until I find Grace…Gillian, I remind myself…and get her in the truck.

It’s not like I haven’t kidnapped a girl before. Just not quite like this.

Not quite as blind about what I’ll find…or who she’ll be.

32

Regret is not something I usually think about. I know it’s a motivator for other people, but it never has been for me.

But I do regret now not waiting to give Gillian a big wedding here. This party will have to do, but I do regret not having the moment of immense pride at seeing her walk to me in pristine white beauty as everyone else can only look on. That moment when she gives herself publicly to me and everyone else is witness to my possession of her.

I smile, adjusting my lapels and admiring the shine of my shoes as I head upstairs. I don’t have regrets, because I’m a man that knows how to get what I want one way or another.

I turn at the top of the first set of stairs and look back down at the wood paneled entrance. Staff and caterers are still running around, positioning flowers and trays and tables, polishing and sweeping and fussing. Spencer’s security team mills around the front entrance, but not intrusively.

The space is large enough to accommodate all my guests. This will serve nicely. I can picture Gillian standing right here for the briefest moment before descending down to take my outstretched hand. All eyes will be on her as she makes her way to me slowly.

Not the same as hearing her vows to be mine in front of everyone, but it will still be a show of her submissively giving herself to me. And all my guests will be witnesses when I kiss her tonight for the first time and she blushes for me. And I’m immensely hard thinking about that.

But another regret pops into my head to make my smile fade. I’ll need to inform her that she has to change. As I continue up to our room, my smile changes to something more as the memory of our wedding night hits my crotch with a tightening effect. She can’t wear her wedding dress again, I tore that off her. But I know she has other white gowns that will be perfect for tonight. And I’ll tear that dress off her tonight too. I decide that every time she wears a white dress, I’ll tear it off her as a reminder for us both of our fated love. And the futility of trying to run from it.

Turning onto our hallway, my pocket pings with three rapid beats. And I stop in my tracks. I’d almost forgotten the sound, but there’s no mistaking that it’s the alarm from her bracelet. I can see she hasn’t moved, but she must be trying to get it off.

I’m blind to my quick steps and the key in my hand already. I’m blind to the door slamming open and Gillian jumping in surprise. I’m blind to everything except her hands. One pushing down on the other.

And her eyes. She’s not my Gillian.

33

Shit. I have one second to make a choice. And I make the only there is.

I rush at him. I push with all my body at full speed to knock him out of the way of the open door.

But he’s not surprised by me. He’s ready for me even.

And the smile on his face crawls coldly up my back, shaking me more than his hands on my wrists that pull me off my feet.

He’s so fucking calm and maniacal at the same time. I scream and kick and bite. Anything to get away.

But he uses my own wrists and the bracelet to hit my head. The diamond cluster a spike that pierces my right temple repeatedly with his words screamed into my cowering face, “You think you can get away?! You aren’t ever getting away again! Ever!”

He finally stops when I sag against him, my legs giving up even as I try to push off him with my arms. He brings my wrists around to my back and I see a flash of red over sparkle. We’re both panting, held in this mockery of a loving embrace.

His voice is calm though, too calm. Insanely calm. “
Gillian
. My love. We’ll deal with this betrayal after the party. We have guests arriving soon and you need to change.”

He lets my wrists go slowly and I wobble to stand on my own, the room spinning. I have an urge to fall to my knees, but I squeeze my nails into my palms to fight it off. I won’t give him the satisfaction.

With one finger, he lifts my chin to meet his eyes, but I frown trying to focus on him this close. “I expect Gillian to be in a white dress with
this
,” he moves his hand through my hair, bringing wet fingertips back down my cheek and neck, “this cleaned up. I’ll be back in 20 minutes. That should be more than enough time for
you
to be gone.”

He wipes the rest of my blood off his fingers on my hip as he shoves me hard to the floor. I can only watch his legs recede and the door to my freedom close once more while I clutch the carpet and try to stay sitting up.

With the click of the key, I burst into a scream, an animal yell of frustration and anger and pain. My upper body shaking too much to be held by my weak elbows, I sink to the carpet and don’t care that I’m openly sobbing now that I’m alone. More hot tears fucking wasted on him!

34

I’ve traveled a lot. I know my way around a Sheik’s desert palace, a Comte’s hilltop villa, a tycoon’s mountain lodge. My own home is large by any standard. But I’ve been wandering this fucking dark and depressing shithole for over thirty minutes with no sign of Miles or Gra…Gillian yet!  And I’ve already been yelled at twice for being where I shouldn’t be since I’m dressed like a fucking servant.

Okay…feel better, crybaby…got it out of your system? I actually smile picturing how I’d be saying this to Cary if he were here with me. He wouldn’t be able to contain his frustration either. I only hope he isn’t getting into any shit parked outside for this long.

I’m slowly creeping my way through the East wing of the second floor when I finally spot Miles. And lucky for me, he isn’t looking anywhere except his own hand and muttering something while marching quickly down the hall away from me.

I can see the door he just left and locked and have a pretty good idea what he’s keeping in there. My girl.

As I near the door, there can be no mistaking that she’s inside. Her scream is loud enough to be heard downstairs I think. I look to my right to see if Miles will return to shut her up, but hear no sign of him. His staff is probably used to hearing things that they conveniently ignore. I should know…mine certainly does. 

Right up next to the door, I loudly whisper, “Gra Gillian?” Am I ever going to have only one name for her! No answer. “Red?”  Still no answer. She probably can’t hear me through the door. But I don’t think she’s right next to it.

It looks thick and I know it’s locked. This is gonna hurt. I move to the opposite side of the hall and brace my shoulder to take the door. But I stop with one foot off the ground for the running jump with an idea.

The door I’m against luckily isn’t locked, so I open it and take a few steps inside. More dark and depressing in this room.

I turn around and again brace myself for the impact with the door, but I think the extra few feet should be enough now. I take the running jump and crash with a creak and loud “Fuck!” from my lips. I fall into the room, but keep on my feet, hopping and holding my shoulder. Surprisingly, the door is unharmed, only the old deadbolt lock breaking in two, the metal bolt falling to the carpet with a hard thump.

“Simon?” It’s a cracked whisper and my name never sounded better from her.

Still cradling my arm, I stop in front of her crumpled body in the center of the floor. “Did you think I’d let you get away from me that easily, sweetheart?” I grin at her confused look until I notice how dazed her eyes are and the blood. There’s fucking blood streaks on her face and drops of it on her shoulder and across the front of her dress. Oh God. More matting her hair to her face.

I slide to my knees and forget my arm, forget that the sound of me barging in here could be heard by anyone, forget anything else. I pull her more off the ground by her shoulders and force her to look into my eyes.

“Did he hurt you?”

And she laughs. Her gorgeous, can’t get enough of it laugh. And I kiss her lips to capture it. But she is hurt even if she can’t feel it, because she starts to slip back down even as her tongue tries to meet mine.

“We need to get out of here. Can you walk, Red?”

She shakes her head and I can see how her eyes narrow with the effort. I pull her closer to me and get my arms positioned to lift her, but she pushes me away. “No. You have to leave…he can’t find you here.”

“He won’t find
us
here in a minute, just hang on to me if you can.” I pull her more up, but she resists again.

“No. He’ll have you arrested if he finds you.” Her voice isn’t as strong, pressed against my shoulder. I can feel her wet lips and tears through my shirt and jacket. I have the image of her in my bed the last time, her lips wrapped around me. Get a grip, not the time!

“I know. That’s why we need to leave. Now.”

This time she manages to push harder from me, freeing herself enough to stare up at me. “Not for being here. For the other shit…the girls you took and trained. He knows about that and he’ll use it against you if he finds out you came here.”

My turn to laugh, but it’s more a grunt. “Is that why you left with him…that night you left me that fucking note?” She only nods slightly, the anger and pain on my face pretty obvious I’m sure. “I don’t need you to protect me, sweetheart. I just need you to grab onto my shoulders. Because I am getting you the fuck out of here now.”

But she only laughs, a laugh I hope never to hear again. Sad and low. Her voice is lower too and flat, “And what good will you be to me if you’re behind bars and Miles will use whatever means to get me right back here?”

She’s staring at me, but her eyes are a little different, more calculating and innocent somehow. “Red?” So not the time for her to be tripping through personalities.

Her smile is pure Red though, seductive, dipping up and down so her cheeks rise more than her lips part, “My name is Gigi, but you can always call me Red, Trust.”

Great. Another name. But I smile at her, I like how her name sounds when I say it and see her eyes sparkle. “Well…Gigi…time for you to be a good girl and stop arguing with me. We’re leaving. Now.”

She only shakes her head, a little less wobbly at the motion at least. “I have a plan. And if it works, maybe then we can be together…”

I look her over, the blood on her head and face has darkened, her thick dark curls crusting with it. Her eyes are clearer though and I know she isn’t in any pain. I look at her hands on my chest and see what he used to beat her. Both her wrists are turning shades of black, especially her left one under the large bracelet.

I take her hands in mine and bring her fingers up to my lips to gently kiss. “You really think I’m leaving here without you?”

She only smiles sweetly, almost Grace’s sweet smile, but somehow softer even like her voice, “I think you have no choice.”

I’m almost whispering when I reply, “That’s my line.” And at that, I pick her up easily, squeezing her hands against my chest so she can’t push away.

“How nice. Gillian, you didn’t tell me we have a visitor.”

Fuck. I slowly turn around and see Miles standing in the doorway, his dark eyes lit with a crazy intensity and his mouth twitching. The man I saw weeks ago is gone. This isn’t a man trying to stay in control, trying to be an intimidating son of a bitch.

It’s a crazy fuck that isn’t going to take losing easily; a man who’s no longer even trying to pretend to have his shit together, because he doesn’t need to any longer.

But I’m holding his prize and I’m not letting go.