Chapter 4 #3
Blake pulls me to him. ‘Listen. We don’t think you killed Larson.
We’ll show you everything later, but it seems like maybe someone drugged you and that same person drugged John the night April was killed.
Which means it could be the same guy who started the lab fire here, set the bomb, killed Black, and killed your dad. One person who did all of it.’
‘What?’ I ask, confused. ‘I killed Larson. I must have. That’s not possible, Blake.’
‘It is possible,’ he says adamantly. ‘Just think about it.’
Shade nods. ‘My father has asked me to come to the house in a couple of days. I’ll find a way to spend some time with you. We’ll go through it then and you’ll see.’
‘We’re out of time,’ Mav mutters.
My hand clenches his and just as I’m about to say my goodbyes while trying not to cry, the building fire alarm begins to sound.
I gasp because fire, but Shade just smirks at the ceiling.
‘Looks like your friend has bought us some time.’
‘Daisy, you look tense,’ Mav says in my ear from behind me.
‘And we know just how to fix that,’ Blake purrs. ‘How fast can we make her come, do you think?’
I barely have time to process what’s happening as my pants are unbuttoned and pulled off unceremoniously along with the white granny panties.
I have a moment of horror that they’ll see them, they don’t even notice as everything is draped safely over the sink.
Mav joists me against him with my back to his front and pulls me up, his large hands taking hold of my thighs and opening my legs.
Shade’s tongue is lapping at my core before I can even squeal. His movements are light and slow, but he increases the tempo and the flicks of his tongue get firmer. Pleasure and need slam into me so quickly that my mind scarcely understands what’s happening, only that I love it.
I begin to relax into it, but then see Blake pulling Shade back with a grin at me.
He mutters, ‘It’s my turn.’
And then his tongue is moving in quick, long licks up and down my slit, making me moan. I’m shifted in Mav’s hands. Blake’s hold replaces Mav’s on one of my legs and widens me even more, and I feel two thick fingers pushing into my pussy slowly.
‘Feel good, Tulip?’ Mav rumbles as he fucks me with them slowly.
I nod, panting, pushing down on where he’s impaling me.
‘I’m close. Please,’ I whimper.
I feel Blake grin against me and his teeth graze my clit just as Mav’s two fingers become three and thrust into me hard and deep.
My body shakes and undulates between them, and Blake’s hand covers my mouth as I crest and scream.
Blake and Mav wring every little bit of pleasure they can from me before my clothes are replaced and I’m set down on shaky legs, more than a little dazed.
It can’t have been more than two minutes.
‘She looks much more relaxed now,’ Blake says low, the ghost of a smile making his lips turn upwards.
I blink as Shade kisses me. ‘You need to go.’
The door is opened, and I’m pushed into the hall. I try to pull myself together, my mind reeling from what just happened.
Mav, Shade, and Blake just made me come…in a bathroom…in less time than it takes me to brush my teeth!
And I might not have killed Larson?
I blink and try to get my head back on straight as I walk slowly back into the cafe. I need to look normal. I put the bathroom revelations from my head, draw myself up, and calmly go back to my babysitter. I can’t afford to appear like I’ve been doing anything other than going to the bathroom.
I expect Grinder to be deserted, but the alarm has stopped and as the seating area comes back into view, I see that Lu is still sitting where she was.
I give her a questioning look.
‘Marguerite,’ Lu calls from the front in her new accent. ‘Ve went outside, but ze alarm, it vas not real and your mountain. He iz restless out zer so ve come back een.’
‘Why didn’t you come out when the fire alarm went off? What took you so long?’ Jacob growls.
I feign surprise. ‘Lady problems,’ I say innocently. ‘Sorry. I went as fast as I could.’
He turns away with a grumble, sitting back down in his seat and doesn’t ask any more about it, as hoped.
I go back to Lu’s table and plant myself in the chair.
‘Oh,’ Lu trills, the sound of it making me wince.
‘Ze computer. It ees fixed for you. I had my man look at eet for you.’ She lowers her voice.
‘He told me to tell you he hid everything on your laptop and planted a bunch of English Lit stuff for your cover. Nasty Nurse won’t have a motherfucking clue. ’
‘Thanks, Marcie,’ I gush. ‘Do I owe you anything?’
Lu waves a hand. ‘It was a simple thing. Come, we go to ze class now.’ She smiles oddly at Jacob. ‘Does your mountain come too?’
Jacob stands. ‘Yes, Ma’am.’
Lu giggles. ‘You do not look happy to learn ze Shakespeare viz us?’
‘I’m just here to make sure Ms. Novelle is safe,’ he says, pulling at his collar. ‘Shakespeare isn’t really my thing.’
Lu waves a hand. ‘Zat is because you read it. Ze plays must be acted. You must watch zem to understand zer power.’
Jacob clears his throat. ‘If you say so, Ma’am.’
Lu gives me my bag, and I wonder if Nasty Nurse will go through it later. She probably will, I decide, resolving to have another bathroom trip to get rid of any contraband that might get me in trouble before I return to my stepfather's house.
We leave Grinder and walk across the Quad to the dilapidated English building. As we go inside, I recall that first day when Lu brought me here to get my schedule. It was only in September, but it feels like a lifetime ago.
‘Thanks for the fire alarm,’ I whisper to her.
‘If those flushed cheeks are anything to go by, it was worth it, huh?’
My eyes widen and flick to the babysitter who’s staring at a crack in the wall beside us with a blank face. She shakes her head.
‘He didn’t notice anything, I guarantee it.’
She squeezes my hand and I do it back.
We get to the right classroom and Lu lets out a loud sound of disappointment at a paper sign that’s been taped to the door.
‘It eez cancelled!’
She says something quick in another language that sounds like it could be Russian but could easily be gibberish she’s making up.
I glance back at the bodyguard who’s trailing us closely. He doesn’t seem to notice anything amiss, so he must not know any Russian.
I give her a look to stop taking risks though. She just gives me a wink.
‘Zat eez bad luck, no?’
I nod, wondering if Jacob will insist that we go back to the Novelle house since there’s no class to go to. I don’t want my little field trip to be cut short.
‘We could go to the library and finish that work for Thursday,’ I say quickly, not looking at Jacob.
Lu lights up. ‘Yes! Zat is a wonderful idea! Mountain, is zat all right?’
I’m afraid that Jacob is going to say no to this plan immediately, but he just looks at Lu’s pleading eyes and then at mine and lets out an almost imperceptible sigh.
‘Yes, Ma’am. I think that will be fine.’ He gives me a look. ‘So long as we leave on time.’
I nod and we exit the building, making our way to the library while Lu gushes about Shakespeare plays, both to me and Jacob.
I choose one of the tables for two upstairs as far away from the ones that Bennett and I sat at before.
Jacob plants himself at another one a little further away.
I wonder why he’s positioned himself across the room until Lu snorts.
‘Fucking knew Shakespeare talk would bore the shit out of him,’ she whispers. ‘Now we can at least chat without him eavesdropping.’
‘You did that on purpose?’ I ask.
‘Of course. That dude hasn’t cracked a book since required reading in high school. I guarantee it. He’s probably over there looking up the football scores right now and wishing he was anywhere but here!’
I glance over at the burly bodyguard and giggle quietly when I see that he’s engrossed in his phone.
Lu and I sit in the library for over an hour, talking quietly as we pretend to work. All too soon, however, Jacob gets up, stretches, and taps his watch.
‘I have to go,’ I say, squeezing Lu’s hand.
She nods.
‘Ve are not finished.’ She tuts at Jacob like he’s a massive inconvenience to her. ‘I weell come to ze house tomorrow and we can finish. Yes?’
I nod. ‘Yeah, that sounds good. I don’t have class tomorrow, so I’ll just be home.’
Locked in my room, probably, or hanging out with Nasty Nurse. Won’t that be fun?
‘Excellent. Do not forget your coat and bag, my friend.’ She glances up at Jacob. ‘And I see your mountain man tomorrow as well?’
‘Uh,’ Jacob pulls at his collar again. ‘I won’t be there, Ma’am. I’m just around when Ms. Novelle leaves the estate.’
Lu makes a sound of disappointment. ‘A pity. I would love to tell you about Ze Twelfth Night. It eez a very sexy play.’
‘Yes, Ma’am,’ Jacob murmurs, turning away quickly.
I snort and give Lu a quick hug.
‘Thanks,’ I whisper.
She gives me a wink. ‘See you tomorrow, comrade.’
Jacob escorts me out of the library to where Joe’s town car dropped us off earlier.
It’s waiting in the same place. When the driver opens the door, this time I look inside first, happy to find that neither Joe, nor anyone else, is in there waiting for me.
I think that Jacob might ride with me in the back, but he doesn’t.
He gets in the passenger seat at the front instead.
I put on my seatbelt and press the button to close the partition, taking a few minutes to relax before we get back to the Novelle house. I look for a camera just in case, but there’s nothing that I can see, so I delve into my backpack, taking out my laptop and seeing what else is in there.
I chuckle when I find a woman's razor with a sticky note on it from Lu saying she doesn’t want me to turn into a hairy heifer in rich people prison.
Other than that, she’s put in some of my underwear and my preferred feminine products, though I hope I’m not going to be stuck in the Novelle house long enough to need them.
I also see my mother’s diary. At least I’ll have something to read tonight.