32. Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Detective Eleana St. James
We got a call from some fisherman who found a head, and now I'm standing a few feet away from the cursed lake at the old academy, where divers pull out a beheaded body. April took the head to the CSI forensics department to see if we can get an identity. Lately, evidence has been tampered with, documents have gone missing and we are now under investigation.
There have been so many murders lately that we aren't even sure how many killers we are actually dealing with. Some are definitely a copycat of The Carver, but others look like The Carver himself. And now there's this new one. None of it makes sense though, none of it connects, so we are at a standstill. The only slight connection is that the last two bodies were boys from the swim team at Stonedge University.
Other than that, we keep hitting a dead end. Looking at the body, everything is intact, other than the places the fish have started to eat. So this person was beheaded and thrown in the lake. That’s it? There’s no sign of where this happened.
The lake is huge. This could take weeks to find any sort of evidence. I’m really at my wits-end with trying to figure this shit out. I take my phone out as I walk up the hill and shoot April a quick text to let her know I’m heading home.
It's not a long drive home, but I spend it thinking about where to go with these cases. I've never been one to give up, but we have no leads, just ghosts walking the streets and getting away with murder. The house is dark which means neither of my kids are home. They’ve grown up and spend more time out of the house than actually in it. I think it’s time to tell April who I am. I want to ask her to marry me, but she needs to know the secrets I hold, and if she can accept me for who I truly am, then I want to make her my wife. It’s time to be happy. I deserve happiness and to stop all this hiding.
When I make it home and up the steps, I key in the code, shut the door, lock it behind me and head straight for the shower, leaving my badge, belt and holstered gun on the table in the foyer. As I climb the stairs to my room, I start to unbutton my shirt and take off the rest of my clothes once I walk into the bathroom and turn the shower on.
Standing under the cascading water and washing the day off, I think about all of the scenarios that could happen when I tell April my story. What if she thinks less of me? At that thought, I turn the water off and grab a towel before doing my nighttime skincare and brush out my short hair, that's when I notice April standing in the doorway staring at me.
“Couldn’t wait for me to get here?” She smirks, and I shake my head.
“Not tonight. I have to tell you something before I ask a certain question, but I need you to keep an open mind.” I plead, as her brows furrow.
“Of course, Ele. What's wrong?” She asks, grabbing my hand and leading me over to my bed. I sit down, take a deep breath, and cup her face.
“I’m so scared to tell you because I don’t want to lose you, so please, Love, please keep an open mind.” I beg and she squeezes my hand.
“I promise Ele. You can trust me. Just spill it.” She encourages as I take another deep breath.
“I’m not who I say I am, I mean, my real name isn’t Eleana St. James.” I confess, and she nods.
“Well, what's your real name?” She asks. This is it. She will either stay or run.
“Isabel Rodriguez.” I confess, and her eyes go wide. I look down because I don’t want to see the disappointment cross her face.
“ The Isabel Rodriguez, as in The Rodriguez Cartel’s long-lost daughter?” She asks and I nod slowly.
“I need your words, Ele.” She orders and I look up at her.
“Yes, I’m the long-lost daughter of ‘El Hefe’, The Cartel leader is my younger brother Reid, but you know him as Spade,” I say and she nods again, letting go of my hand and stands, pacing the room rubbing her thumbs over her temples.
“Wait, so you faked your death? How the fuck did you get into the Academy, let alone become a detective?” She asks, stunned as the information is finally starting to seep into her head.
“I didn’t fake shit, that was all my father. I ran with Bentley and Dylan when he was four, with the help of my brother and his girlfriend. They gave me a new identity and enough money tostart my own life.” I say, covering my face with my hands.
“If you didn’t fake your death, why did you run?” She interrogates. I deserve it, she’s been sleeping with the enemy, so to speak.
“I’ve never spoken a word of this to anyone, not even my brother, but I need to start from the beginning.” I say and she looks at me , sitting back down next to me.
“Women in my family are not wanted. We only live to bear children, specifically male heirs. The husband gets to decide how many you will bear, and once the youngest turns thirteen, you are strung up like cattle and killed by your own flesh and blood.” I grit as her brows hit the top of her head.
“So Bentley would’ve had to kill you when he turned thirteen?” She asks as a tear falls from her eye and I drop my head, continuing.
“The boys then go through training to become ruthless killers. It’s a sick and depraved cycle. So being that I’m attracted to the same sex, my father said I was an abomination and needed to fulfill the family's legacy by being impregnated by a man of power and produce an heir. Except I refused, and the more I said no, the more he used me as a sex slave for his friends. After the first time, I got on the pill, which I regret every fucking day,” I say, taking a deep breath.
“Keep going baby, I’m listening.” She says, taking my hand, encouraging me to continue.
“It didn't take long for him to find out. He forced me to stop taking it. He replaced them with pills to help me get pregnant easier. One night, he had a man come over and rape me but I cut his dick off. As my punishment, my own father held a gun to my head and raped me, repeatedly, for hours. Just when I thought he was finished, he came for more. I was left tied to a bed for days as he came in almost every hour to drop his seed into me, and a month later, I was pregnant with Bentley. I kept my pregnancy a secret from everyone but him because he would keep coming until a test came back positive, then he left me be.” I sob as tears run down my face. April hugs me as I cry into her chest.
“I tried to get an abortion, but everyone turned me away. In this world, his reach knows no bounds. A few weeks after Benny was born, I wasn’t even fully healed when he sent another man to rape me. I don’t know who the man was, but that’s how Dylan was conceived. After that, I ran. I tried to stay hidden for as long as possible, but he found me four years later and I went with him willingly, trying to come up with a better plan of escaping and once he went away for business, I called my brother, told him that I needed to run to keep Benny and Dylan safe from our father and he came through. I’m so thankful for Reid and I owe him my life. It hurts that my kids don’t know their uncle and how amazing he is. And I’m so sorry I lied to you, but I need you to understand that I’ve never repeated this story to anyone, it was just easier to act like it never happened rather than deal with it head on.” I plead and she nods.
“I understand. That’s a lot of trauma for one person to hold all these years.” She says, running her hand up and down my back.
“It is, and I’m done with the secrets, but most of all, I’m done hiding us. If you still want me.” I say, cupping her face as she leans into my touch.
“I’m not going anywhere, babe. I’m here and I love you. Always.” She whispers and I kiss her sweet lips. She deepens the kiss, unwrapping my towel, pushing me back onto the bed. She pulls away and slides to the floor between my legs.
“Let me show you how much I love you.” She breathes, licking my clit. I moan and writhe against her face as she eats my pussy until I cum all over her face. She stands as I sit up, pulling her by her belt towards me.
“Kiss me.” I beg as she bends down, placing her lips against mine as I lick my cum from her mouth.
“Fuck, I taste good. But you taste better.” I smirk. I pull her onto the bed and stand, walking over to my dresser. I grab the small box from my top drawer, hiding it behind my back. I turn to face her as she sheds her clothes and is laying against my pillows in nothing but a G-string. I crawl up the bed between her legs and suck the silk fabric into my mouth. She whimpers as I bite her clit.
“I have a question, Love.” I say, sliding the soaked silk to the side.
“Mmm, anything, Ele.” She pants while I lick, suck and bite her lips and clit, making her tremble under my touch.
“Will you be my wife?” I ask, setting the box on her belly. She gasps as I suck her clit, flicking it repeatedly as her legs shake around me.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she screams as I bite hard on her clit and slam two fingers into her core.
“I didn’t quite get that. Will you be my wife?” I ask again, finger fucking her hard and deep as I rapidly lick her clit.
“Yes, fuck yes, I’ll be your wife. Fuck, I’m cumming!” She screams as she soaks my hand and the bed, gushing her release. I remove my fingers, kissing her clit as I open the box.
“Are you sure?” I say with a raised brow. She sits up and licks my chin before grabbing the ring and sliding it on her finger.
“Yes, I’m sure. I fucking love you. Now go get that big dick in your drawer and fuck me like I’m your wife.” She orders.
And I do just that. Now to tell the kids. Fuck.