Chapter 15
15
ELLIE
M y steps faltered just over the metal threshold of the automatic doors, eyes wide and mouth gaping. I’d seen all different types of stores, malls, and buildings in TV shows and movies, but being inside one, well, this was a first. A few people in green collared shirts stared at me awkwardly while Chandler paused a step ahead with a patient smile.
His hand extended between us. I glanced between those wiggling fingers and his face before reluctantly intertwining my fingers with his. With a gentle tug, my feet were set in motion, following Chandler as he weaved down the cluttered path filled with displays of protein bars, weights, and balls for all different types of sports.
I couldn’t look fast enough to take it all in. Inhaling deep, I frowned at the smell of… nothing. It didn’t smell like the mix of musk, dust, and too much deodorizer like the thrift store, though I guess the nothingness smell was a vast improvement from what I was used to.
A faceless white mannequin with outstretched arms wearing nothing but a pair of tight shorts and a sports bra had me pulling up short. Releasing Chandler’s hand, I tapped on her thigh to figure out what she was made of.
“Why are we here again?” I questioned, circling the blank mannequin. “Because I don’t look like that or want to. It’s kind of disturbing-looking, don’t you think?”
My lips twitched at Chandler’s laugh. “Yeah, they are creepy. You should see the kid ones.” I shuddered, which made him laugh even harder. “We’re here, Ellie, because you need a warmer coat than that thing you have on, and so do I.” I flicked an apprehensive glance his way. “Don’t give me that look. I’m paying, so don’t worry about the cost or how you’ll pay for it all. I’m sorry it’s not somewhere nice like Nordstrom.” I cocked my head to the side. He chuckled. “Right. What I mean is it’s not fancy by any means, but it’s open and they do sell clothes and coats, so we’re here. We’re limited on our options here in Waco. Now, if we ever go shopping in Dallas, they have anything and everything you could ever want. Will this be okay for now?”
The hesitancy in his voice caught me off guard. This place was amazing already, and I hadn’t even looked at a single thing. The rubber soles of my boots twisted the carpet as I swiveled to see the full store. A large dangling price tag with some brand symbol on it caught my attention. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head when I flipped it around and saw the cost.
“Those shorts are seventy dollars,” I whisper-yelled while holding up the tag.
Hands stuffed in his pockets, Chandler shrugged like it wasn’t that big of a deal. Which it was. I worked my ass off for an entire week to make that kind of money. “Don’t worry about the cost, just pick out what you want.” At my clear reluctance, he stepped nearer and leaned in. “Didn’t I tell you what today is?”
“No. Is it a special day?” A day when they give you all these clothes at 90 percent off would be awesome.
“It is a special day. Today’s your birthday.” The sheer joy radiating off him had me hiding the reluctance that was keeping me from being ecstatic at his words. “Let me do this for you, okay?” His gaze flicked over my head, and he motioned to someone with a quick wave.
A perky young blonde appeared at my side. “How can I help you two?”
Chandler pointed to me. “It’s her birthday.”
The woman turned, smiling bright.
“Happy birthday,” she said happily.
“Thanks. You too.” I bit my tongue and sighed. “I mean, thank you.”
Hand pressed to my lower back, Chandler inclined his head my way. “Can you help her find her way through all this? Whatever she wants, we’re buying. I’ll go check out the coats while you two get started. Is the North Face section upstairs?”
“Yes, and I’d be happy to help her.”
With a peck on the top of my head, he turned. Before Chandler took a single step, I lashed out and gripped his hand.
“You’re leaving me here?” Panic rose, making my skin hot and voice tremble.
“Give us a second.” The pretty woman nodded, still smiling, and stepped away, offering us privacy. “Ellie, you’re good. This place is safe, and I won’t be far away.” He pointed to the second floor. “I’ll have my eye on you the entire time, promise.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, you can do this on your own. Pick out what you want, try it all on, and I’ll be back in no time. This is a big step—a scary one, I’m sure—but I promise you, Ellie, you’ll be okay.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. He was right. I was overreacting. But this store was so huge, too crowded, and full of strangers. I wasn’t worried about Jacob being here, but what about others who might try to hurt me? I didn’t want to end up as the victim in one of the documentaries I loved so much.
Two fingers pressed beneath my chin and raised it from where I had lowered my head.
“I believe in you, Ellie. You’ve got this.”
With a quick peck on my forehead, he turned and walked away, our fingers slipping apart as he left. I stood like a statue, absorbing the heaviness of being alone in a new environment. When no one attempted to murder me or ask me to follow them into a random van, the tension in my shoulders and back eased.
“You ready?”
I jumped a little at the too close voice. I twisted to the woman Chandler had spoken to earlier, now standing behind me. I nodded and shoved both hands into the pockets of my windbreaker, searching for an emergency piece of candy.
“Let’s head over there.” I followed where she pointed. “That’s the petite section. With your small frame, that section will be our best bet on finding clothes that fit you.”
That would be a nice change. Back home, I had to find clothes in the kids’ section.
I offered her a tentative smile.
“Great!” She clapped her hands in excitement and motioned for me to follow her. “We’ll make this the best birthday ever.”
After scouring the racks for a good thirty minutes, the sweet blonde helped me into a dressing room to try everything on. I was on my third outfit when a knock rattled the dressing room door. Expecting the woman helping me, I opened it wide wearing nothing but a pair of shimmery black leggings and a hot pink sports bra.
“I–” I cut myself off at the sight of Chandler leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smirking. “Hey, um, you like these?” I wasn’t embarrassed at him seeing me like this—hell, the guy had his fingers inside me just hours ago—but I was turned on. I felt sexy, and the way his heated gaze traveled up and down my body, pausing on my chest, made my temperature spike.
He bit the corner of his lip. “I love it.”
“Me too.” I shifted from one foot to the other. “So, did you find a coat?”
“A few,” he said, using his elbow to push off the wall. “I asked them to hold them up front while you finished up. After you’re done here, we’ll find you some shoes that fit.”
“I love my boots.” My voice was low with my disappointment. Sure, they were a little big, but they were mine, and I was ecstatic when I found them at that yard sale. I didn’t even bother looking at the size when I scooped them up and paid the five dollars.
“You’re right, I’m sorry. How about instead we buy some insoles that will help them fit a little better? That way you get to keep the boots, and I get to know you won’t be tripping along the side the road, in front of your apartment, in parking lots?—”
I threw one of the shirts that didn’t fit at Chandler’s head.
“Ha ha,” I mocked. “But yes, that would be great. Thank you.”
The woman walked back into the dressing area, arms full of clothes neatly clipped to hangers. She hung them up in the dressing room and rushed out, but not before peeking over her shoulder with a sly grin. “I’ll be outside when you’re done.” With a wink, she disappeared around the corner, leaving Chandler and me alone again.
Closing the door, I began to strip to try on the next ridiculously expensive outfit. How people paid this much just for clothes to work out in was beyond me.
“You never finished your thought in the truck, by the way.” Chandler’s deep voice carried through the small changing area, making me shiver where I stood naked behind the flimsy dressing room door.
I tugged up the warmest and softest leggings I’d ever felt in my life and almost sighed. Okay, now I understood why people paid this much. No holes, no scratchy fabric, no stains. Turning in the mirror, I checked out my small backside before tugging on one of the long-sleeve tops she’d brought. It hung perfectly over my large chest yet was tapered at the waist, showing off my figure instead of looking boxy.
After ensuring everything important was covered, I tugged the door open and leaned against the wobbly fake wood frame.
“You promise not to say anything?”
Chandler sighed and grumbled something under his breath. “Fine. I won’t say anything to that fucker Swann no matter what he does.”
“Okay, well.” I poked my head out and glanced right, then left, ensuring we were still alone. “You know how earlier in the truck you were”—I nodded to his crotch—“excited.” Almost like to emphasize my point, the crotch in question twitched beneath the thin material of his slacks. Heat built along my cheekbones, as well as other areas. “All without me touching you, kissing, or watching porn.”
“What do you know about porn?” He cocked his head to the side.
“Well….” I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Sometimes Stan watches racy shows on Netflix, and it pulls up in his ‘recently watched.’” I averted my eyes to stop staring at his crotch. “Sometimes I watch them too.”
“We’re digressing again. That seems to happen when we talk about my cock, doesn't it?” Humor laced his tone. “Yes, I was turned on by just the thought of touching you, with you simply being in the truck with me so close.”
“Brett can’t do that.”
The rising heat in his eyes vanished. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, Brett has to have a lot of stimulation to get hard,” I whispered. “So either me touching him, or him….” I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t get mad.”
“I’m not mad,” he spat.
I pointed to his clenched fists and arched a brow. He huffed in defeat and shook out his hands.
“Pain was one of the things that helped turn him on.”
“Please tell me you mean his own pain and not inflicting it,” Chandler said through clenched teeth.
I shrugged and stepped backward into the changing room. After closing the door, I leaned against it and closed my eyes. “I’d already been somewhat trained to need it, to want it, like I told you earlier, if I wanted the experience to be enjoyable at all for me. So it was fine. It worked.”
“And now?” Chandler asked from the other side of the door.
“Now,” I mused. “After last night, and today in the truck….” I pressed my cold hands to my hot cheeks. “You’re the first person I’ve let touch me since Brett. And I like it. I like everything you do. I liked it soft last night, your dirty mouth today, your touch.”
Trying not to overthink my confession, I shoved off the door and hooked my thumbs into the waist of the leggings, tugging them to my ankles. The sweater was over my head when the door swung open, nearly hitting my bent arm. I tipped to the side, palm slapping against the mirror secured to the wall to stay upright.
Chandler closed the door behind him and locked it without looking away from where I stood still in shock.
Butterflies erupted in my belly as he trailed his hot gaze along my nearly naked body.
“Tell me, Ellie.” He wet his lips, gaze fixed on my heaving chest. “I need to know something before we continue with this.” He motioned between us. “Of those racy shows you watched, which turned you on more: the soft and sweet or the dark and dirty?”
My throat felt like the ground on a sweltering August day. “Dark and dirty,” I rasped.
A cocky smile split his face.
“We can do both, baby. But I needed to know if the dirty still turned you on. I’m not sweet,” he said, taking a controlled step closer. “I’m not gentle.” Another step. Witch’s cunt, I couldn’t breathe. “But I would be for you. But knowing what you like… how are you so perfect for me?”
A hand slid through my hair, fisting a tight hold near the base of my neck. Chandler yanked, forcing my face toward the ceiling. Without my boots on, he towered over me.
“Chandler,” I breathed. The temperature in the small square room spiked as his erection pressed into my upper belly. “I want you.”
“Not here. I can’t—” Before he could finish, I dropped to my knees, my fingers already working on his belt. “Fuck. Ellie, we can’t.”
“Then stop me.” Instead of stepping away, he tightened the grip in my hair, keeping me in place. “I’m doing this for me, Chandler,” I breathed. “Because I can’t stop thinking about you in my mouth since you mentioned it in the truck earlier.”
Chin to his chest, those blue eyes burned through me as he stared down.
The clink of his belt, then the rasp of his zipper filled the small area. Both my thumbs dipped into the waistband of his boxer briefs, pulling both his underwear and slacks down with a hard yank. His long, thick dick jutted out, the damp head directly in front of my lips. Keeping my eyes locked with his, I flicked my tongue out and licked along his slit.
The wall shook when his fist slammed against it. A small smirk played at my lips. If he liked that, well, I was about to bring him to his knees.
Gripping the base, I slipped the head past my lips and pushed forward, taking him fully into my mouth. Only once he pressed against the back of my throat did I pull back, swirling my tongue around the sensitive head. Above me, words of worship and curses were mumbled under his breath. When he was in deep, I tightened my grip. His hips bucked forward, pushing him just past my gagging point.
“Yes,” he encouraged. “Tighter.”
My knuckles turned white with my grip, but the way his legs trembled and the motion of his hips told me he enjoyed the fine line of pleasure and pain like me.
A thought struck. If he liked that, then….
I cupped his balls and squeezed.
That was his tipping point between enjoyment and losing control. The grip in my hair twisted, shooting bites of pain along my scalp. My core dampened and my nipples hardened, nearly poking through the pink sports bra. He thrust his hips, sliding his cock down my throat before pulling out an inch and pushing back in.
His breaths quickened. Swirling my tongue, I urged him deeper, swallowing as he did. With a grunt, he swelled in my mouth. Rotating my wrist, I twisted my still tight hold. He erupted, spilling down my throat as he muffled his curses with a fist between his teeth.
Only after his shudders ceased did I release him, sitting back on my heels and smiling, truly happy that I’d done that for him, and for me. Who knew I could find excitement and pleasure by helping a man find his release?
Lids hooded, Chandler swiped his thumb along my lower lip before slipping it into his mouth. I couldn’t stifle the desire-laced groan that dirty little move invoked. With two hands beneath my armpits, he hauled me upright and pressed his lips to mine in a dominating kiss that I willingly submitted to.
The muffled ring of a cell phone sounded somewhere close, but I was too lost in Chandler to care whose. An irritated grunt vibrated my lips before he pulled away, leaving me tipping forward, following his lips. He shot me a shy smile, gave me one more quick peck, and began redressing. After securing his underwear, stuffing his still semi-hard cock into the tight briefs, and pulling up his pants, he dug into the front pocket. Those light brows furrowed as he read the screen. Fully expecting to be left out, I stripped off the sports bra to get my real clothes back on.
“It’s Alec,” he said, drawing my attention to the screen he’d turned my way. “I can’t wait to fuck those,” he muttered, eyes on my naked breasts. As if in a trance, completely forgetting about the still ringing phone, he brushed a knuckle down the center of one breast, grazing over the peaked, sensitive nipple.
I sucked in a breath, causing his blue eyes to float up to mine.
“Later.” Inspecting the dressing room, he flattened his lips into a thin line. The phone had gone quiet only to start ringing again seconds later. “I need to take this. How about you change, and I’ll have that woman help you bring all this to the front.”
I opened my mouth to tell him there was no way in hell I would let him buy me all this. Slowly turning in a circle, I added up the cost of what was in the small room in my head. Devil’s chode, there was close to a thousand dollars’ worth of clothes on the floor and on hangers.
When I finally found the words, I looked up to find myself alone in the dressing room.
“Witch’s cold tits,” I cursed. Dressing quickly, I left all the clothes on the floor and stormed out of the small dressing stall, ready to tell Chandler I couldn’t be bought, only to be stopped by the overly bubbly woman.
“Your boyfriend told me to clean out the dressing room and bring it all up front.” Hands clenched tight, she shook them over her head in excitement and let out a high-pitched squeal. “That’s so awesome. What a great birthday present.”
“Yeah,” I said reluctantly as I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “Just seems like a lot, right?” Maybe she saw how strange this was too. I mean, who bought their?—
Wait. Did she just say “boyfriend”?
The woman smiled like she was in on some kind of secret. “A man in love doesn’t see dollar signs when he’s spoiling his girl.”
“Love?” I squeaked. First “boyfriend,” now “love”. This crazy lady was high.
She nodded, her eyes wide like her excitement was about to bust out of her. “Well, yeah. I saw the way he looked at you. And when you were searching through the clothes, I saw him watching from the upper level.” She pointed to the second floor. “He couldn’t take his eyes off you, and”—she leaned in close like she was about to share a secret—“he was smiling.”
“Oh.” I absentmindedly dug through the jacket pocket, hoping I’d put more than one piece of emergency candy in there. A thin plastic wrapper grazed my fingers. Absentmindedly, I tugged out the candy and began to unwrap the Jolly Rancher. “And that’s a good thing.”
“Of course. He was happy seeing you happy. If you ask me, that’s love.” Her smile faltered. “I’ve never had that, mind you, but it’s what I want to find. You’re lucky.” Shaking her head, she reinforced that smile, but this time there was a hint of sadness in it. “You go meet him up front. I’ll grab all these clothes.”
Lucky.
The word stuck with me as I rolled the hard grape candy around my mouth and walked in the direction she’d pointed. No one had ever said I was the lucky one, but that bottle of energy back there thought I was. Was that because she didn’t know about my past, only seeing this short, amazing chapter in my life with Chandler?
She wouldn’t think I was so lucky if she found out that I was currently falling for the caring, insightful, dirty man who would leave the moment he caught the killer he was here hunting.
Hearing my name shouted cut through my running thoughts. Scanning the row of registers, I smiled when I found him waving from the counter farthest away from where I stood.
Shuffling toward Chandler, I kept my eyes on the floor but could feel his as I grew closer. The woman who’d helped me hurried past and dumped the pile of clothes onto the counter. The kid behind the register sighed and rolled his eyes at the stack before slowly scanning each tag and dumping them into a waiting plastic bag.
The woman beside him clicked her tongue and came around us, pulling the clothes back out and carefully folding them before placing them into the large green plastic bag. Chandler smiled, his phone pressed to his ear, watching the total tick higher and higher. Embarrassment heated my cheeks as the number rose.
“Well, that’s interesting,” Chandler said, giving me a pointed look. “No official identification though.”
“That’ll be $987.63.”
I gaped at the kid while Chandler pulled out his credit card and popped the end into the small card reader. My jaw still hung open as Chandler gathered the bags in one hand and nodded toward the automatic doors, indicating it was time to go.
Outside I inhaled deep and tilted my face to the sun, which now shone brightly through the dissipating clouds, warming my face. In typical Chandler fashion, he opened my door even though his hands were full and his shoulder was required to keep the phone glued to his ear.
“Sounds good. Send me the information on her last known location,” Chandler said as he slid into the driver seat and slammed the door. “We’re already in Waco, so we can check it out.” He paused, listening to Alec. “Yep, she’s with me.” This time he laughed and cut me a nervous glance. “Yeah, I’m taking good care of her. Get your head out of the gutter, fucker. Send me the information and get back to work.”
With a chuckle, he disconnected the call and tossed the phone onto the dash.
“Listen, I know it’s your birthday,” he said and hit the start button for the truck. It instantly rumbled to life. “But I need to do a little work while we’re here. After the pet store.”
“What does it say about me that I’m more excited about helping with the case than the idea of more shopping?” At his chuckle, I couldn’t help but smile. “And why the pet store? That’s random.”
“For your fish.”
“My fish?” What the hell is he talking about? Is this some kind of kink I’ve never heard of before? Staring out the windshield, I racked my brain, trying to figure out what in the hell he was talking about.
“Yeah, last night when you were running away from the confrontation between me and your neighbor, you said you had to feed your fish.” He tilted his head. “I figured while we were in town, you could get some fish food.”
The giggle started small before turning into a loud, soul-tickling laugh. Every time I glanced at his confused face, another bubble of laughter erupted.
“I don’t have a fish. I have no idea why I said that last night.” I waved both hands in front of my eyes to dry the laughing-induced tears that were building. “That’s sweet though. You wanted to take care of my fictional pet.”
Smirking, Chandler shook his head and shifted the truck into Drive. “Well, then, no pet store.” A ding from his phone had him inspecting the text. “Good, the address isn’t far per Maps.”
“Where are we going?” This really was turning out to be the best day ever. First new clothes that actually fit and now working on the case. Obviously I was very easily entertained.
After he tapped the screen a few times, a woman’s voice poured from the phone, demanding he turn right.
“The victim we found last night matches the description of a woman reported missing here in Waco. Her roommate said she hasn’t been home in two days.” I sat up straight. “We knew there had to be a reason for the missing fingers and hair. Now we’re headed to map out her last steps.”
“But the identification isn’t confirmed yet,” I said, remembering something he’d said while still inside the store.
“No, not a true DNA match. They’re working on it now. But based on the picture the roommate sent over, we’re almost positive it’s the same woman. She went missing at a popular college nightclub here in Waco. I need to get their surveillance footage, search for her car, talk to her friends. This is the first hint we’ve had to his hunting ground. It’s huge for the case.”
“Yes and no,” I mused as I thought through everything I remembered about the case and profile.
“What do you mean?”
“You said hunting ground, but isn’t it just this one so far?” Chandler dipped his chin. “So this is more of a one-off. This victim is an anomaly, which points to someone in Orin being responsible instead of an outsider. If it was an outsider, the anomaly would be victims we couldn’t identify, but it’s the opposite in this case. The other victims haven’t been reported missing or have DNA in the system. This one does. So I’d be asking the question, why was she different?”
He rubbed a palm along his jaw, his head tilting one way and then the other as he thought it through.
“You’re right,” he said. I sat up straighter in the seat, pride roaring through me with those two words. “Don’t look so shocked. You're good at this. That begs the question, then, where is his hunting ground? He has transportation to take a victim all the way from Waco to Orin, so the radius could be huge. If the other victims weren’t from The Church?—”
I held out a hand, stopping him. “Just because I didn’t recognize the victims’ faces doesn’t mean they weren’t from the community. Women came and left the compound often. They were sold a utopia way of life, then found out what they’d have to give up to have it and left. So maybe these women we can’t identify weren’t a part of The Church but weren’t reported missing because their loved ones thought they were still inside the compound… happy.” I swallowed the remaining sliver of grape candy. “Only those of us born into that life were too scared to leave. We were more held captive by our own fears and disillusions of the outside world than anyone preventing us from leaving.”
“Except you.”
I set an elbow on the door ledge and sighed. How did I explain there was always this voice that told me throughout my time in The Church that the life I was living wasn’t right? How would a child who’d never seen the outside world know she was being fed lies?
And even stranger, how did I have dreams that seemed more like memories of a happy blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl held in the loving arms of a woman who looked just like her?
How did I explain the feeling of wrongness I lived with every day until I woke up broken and bruised outside those gates? And, even stranger, that I didn’t feel hope for more than barely living until he walked into the bar?