Chapter 6
6
R AIN
That evening.
“Are you sure this is the road to their house?” I ask as we leave the town behind and follow a narrow path.
There’s no house in sight, and we haven’t seen any for the past ten minutes.
“It’s the only road leading there,” Eve says.
My heart pounds faster.
It’s exciting and yet so frightening.
A sparkling new moon glows over the meadows, the silence growing all around us.
I lose confidence in our plan as we get closer to the property and travel farther away from the town.
I’m no longer sure this is a good idea. It sounded like the beginning of a great adventure. But it feels less and less like that as we venture farther away from the area we grew up in.
I wish I was back home, tucked under the covers, watching TV or talking with Eve on the phone, instead of pedaling up this empty road with no people or houses in sight.
“There. You see the lake?” Eve says, trying to be optimistic about it.
She points to the stretch of water gleaming under the starry sky. I look in that direction, the crisp breeze sending a shiver down my spine.
Brr… It’s fucking cold.
It’s even chillier as we get closer to the lake.
I should’ve brought a jacket.
To make things worse, my muscles are sore from pedaling.
“Shit. I thought it was closer,” I say.
“It is closer if you’re driving.”
“They could’ve spotted us.”
“We haven’t crossed paths with anyone, have we? We could’ve rolled up the road with the lights turned off. The same thing we’re doing now, but without the pain in the shanks.”
“Too late...” I say.
“Oh, thank God. There’s the gate.”
“Oh, the fucking gate… I completely forgot about the gate.”
“A gate and a fence.”
“Shit. I’m not dressed for climbing fences.”
“What do you need? A catsuit?” she tosses at me, laughing softly.
“Shut up,” I say, grinning and panting.
The road takes us to a large wrought-iron gate.
We pull to a stop, dismount our bicycles, and search the area for security cameras.
We find none.
“We should hide them,” she says, pointing to our bicycles.
We pull them to the side and cover them with branches, doing what we've seen in the movies.
Her eyes sparkle in the dimness.
“You love this, huh?” I murmur.
“Are you kidding me? I’ve never had so much fun.”
The vegetation crawls up the brick wall guarding the property. Luckily, it’s not that tall, and Eve goes first.
I tuck my phone and small flashlight into my shorts, clamber up and jump to the ground, landing on the other side.
“You okay?” Eve asks as I yelp.
“Yeah... I think I scratched my elbow,” I say, running my hand over my skin and sensing a tiny abrasion and blood beneath my fingers.
“Wild roses,” I murmur, cupping a velvety flower. “Mmm... They smell nice,” I say, inhaling their sweet aroma.
A dark, imposing silhouette looms by the water.
“Is that their house?”
“Yeah, that’s it.” Eve gasps in awe. “Isn’t it scary?”
“It’s dark. But there’s nothing scary about it.”
“Ugh. Can’t you just play along?”
We pick up the pace and dash down the road, moving past the guest house before reaching the mansion.
We halt in front of the large stairs and inspect the columns. Again, no security cameras… that we can see.
The place seems carved out of a history book, breathing a nostalgic vibe.
“This is so much more than I thought,” I say, gawking at the impressive entrance and oversized windows.
“It looks nice,” Eve says. “Do you think they left the key on the porch for us?” she mumbles, climbing the stairs to the door.
“I hope not. Otherwise, we’re screwed. If they did, this is a trap, and they can't be far from here.”
She checks the porch.
I try the door.
“Really? You thought they left it unlocked for us?” she comments, her breath fanning over my shoulder.
“Let’s check the windows,” she suggests.
We try to open them one by one.
Most are locked.
“This one is open,” she says.
We roll it up and sneak inside.
“Oh, my God. Look at this,” she says, pointing her flashlight to the massive staircase leading to the upper level.
We walk to the other side of the foyer, where a secondary door opens into a different part of the house.
“Hmm... That’s why no one can see the lights from outside. I knew there was an explanation,” she comments with fervid ardor.
We slip through that door and walk into a vast room connected to a large patio looking out over the lake.
A fully stocked bar snags my eyes.
I switch the lights on.
“Hey. Why did you have to do that?” she shoots at me.
“Chill. You can’t see the lights from outside,” I say.
She moves her focus away from me and checks the space.
Black and white slabs of marble line the floors while silver sconces in the walls illuminate the room.
Dark velvet sofas and white curtains fit in with the decor.
Warmth comes from the fireplace, yet the doors to the terrace are wide open, letting in the night breeze.
The place looks like it is expecting guests.
“Turn off the lights,” she slips to me quietly as if we’re not alone.
Without wasting a second, I switch them off.
Moonlight glows in the room by the fire.
It looks so romantic and mysterious.
“This is beautiful,” I murmur, watching the soft flowing drapes moving in the breeze and listening to the crackling fire.
Silence swirls around us for a few more moments before an odd sound travels through the air.
“Fuck. What was that?” she says.
“What?”
“That rumbling noise.”
She holds her finger up, and we both listen, our hearts beating in our mouths.
“The bikes,” I murmur.
“They’re back,” she says as we both dash to the door.
I grab her by the arm and stop her.
We freeze up, listening to the sounds outside.
“Let’s hope they go to the other house first,” she says quietly.
“I’m not so sure they’ll do that. Shit… We can’t even get out right now. We need another exit,” I murmur.
And that’s when they slam the car doors, and heavy footsteps trail up the stairs.
“Shit, shit...” I sputter. “Let’s go back. Move back, Eve…”
We sprint back into the living room, skidding across the tiles and veering past the fireplace.
I grab Eve's elbow and pull her with me as I turn left and enter a hallway.
“Here...” I whisper, beckoning her to me.
I push the first door on the right open.
We slip into a large bedroom just as their voices resonate outside.
“Oh, my God. They’re in the living room. How do we get out of here?”
“We need to wait,” I say.
I look around.
The room comes into focus quickly as my eyes adjust to the dimness.
A soft, thick rug stretches from side to side, and a king bed and a massive fireplace come into view near us.
“There… The curtains,” I say, pointing to the windows.
We slide behind the draperies right before hearing noises at the door.
My heart pulses in my mouth.
It doesn’t take long, and the door slides open.
Holding our breaths, we look at each other with eyes wide with panic.
Eve presses her forefinger against her lips.
“James?” Lex calls out in the other room.
“Yeah...” a hoarse voice answers near us.
“You need to see this.”
We both mouth ‘Fuck’ as James pulls away from us and steps out the door.
Their voices soon become muffled in the living room.
“Do you think they have surveillance cameras inside the house?” I ask although it’s only a useless afterthought.
She shrugs, and I run the back of my hand over my face to wipe away my sweat when I notice the blood dripping from my forearm.
Warm blood smears my skin before splashing on the floor.
“We have to leave immediately,” I say, pointing to my scratched forearm. “Like right now.”
We leave our hiding place and tiptoe to the door.
A moment later, we check the hallway and make the trip back to the center of the house.
Glancing around the living room, I spot James and Lex. They’re inspecting the tiles, their backs to us.
It’s now, or never, so I dash to the exit door with Eve behind me without giving it a second thought.
“Hey,” an unfamiliar voice shouts.
Startled, we slip through the main door and sprint down the stairs, running for our lives, heavy steps trailing us closely.
Two or three men are running after us. We split up in front of the house, and they do the same.
Eve makes a beeline for the gate while I dart behind a group of trees, heading straight for the woods.
Not before long, their footfalls fade, and soon after, I hit a wall of silence.
Panting, I pull to a stop and bend at the waist, trying to catch my breath while glancing around.
Covered in dirt and leaves and open on both sides, an old tunnel catches my eye.
I quickly sneak inside with my ears perked up.
There are no whispers, no footsteps, and not even the crackling of branches snapping off.
I pull my phone out and text Eve, hoping for a miracle. She doesn’t answer.
The wind blows strong, swirling leaves around, their rustling distracting me for a moment.
And then… When I least expect it, a dense beam of light floods the tunnel at the far end, and instinctively I dash to the other exit, only to get blinded by another wall of lights.
That’s when I hear a voice.
“Got her,” a man says, a firm hand cuffing my elbow as they close in on me.
“Well, well, well... Look, what the cat dragged in.”
“Edward?” I murmur as the voices I'm not familiar with start wolf-whistling.
“Oh, he’ll be more than pleased,” he says, their collective laughter making my hair bristle.
A hand curls around my neck before they pull me back into the house.
* * *
JAMES
‘Got her,’ Ed’s message reads.
Me: Blindfold her.
Ed: What about her friend?
Me: Have someone take her home.
I slip my phone onto the table and light my cigarette.
“Let’s have some fun,” I say before blowing the smoke out and leaning back into the couch.
Lex hands me a drink and sinks into an armchair near me.
The door opens, and one of my men walks in, his hand locked around Rain’s neck.
I signal him to take his hand off her. He steps back while she freezes in the middle of the room.
Ed walks in behind them, scoops up his drink, and claims a seat at the bar before peering at them from the side.
Slowly exhaling the smoke, I roll my gaze over her.
Her top barely clings to her chest, her breasts almost spilling out of her bra. One of the sleeves is ripped and stained with blood, explaining the mess on the floor, and her legs are covered in dirt smudges.
The short shorts reveal her bare legs and the space between her thighs.
Resting my arm on the back of the couch, I spread my legs and indulge in the tingling sensation growing in my swollen cock.
Barely tilting my head to the side, I bring my cigarette to my lips, narrow my eyes, and take a drag while studying her body.
Her chest rises and falls, drawing all eyes in the room to her.
Her hands are tied behind her back, and a blindfold covers her eyes per my instructions.
“James?” she calls out softly.
The sound of my name on her lips makes my dick twitch.
The man who brought her in looks at me.
I shake my head.
“He’s not here,” he says.
“Who’s smoking then?”
My lips curl into a slow smile.
My man looks at Lex and Ed before swinging his eyes back to me.
I shake my head again.
“Does Sean ring a bell with you?” he says, pulling the name out of his ass.
“Who else is in the room?” she insists.
“You don’t know them.”
The door opens, and a couple of guys walk in.
“It’s done,” one of them says before they both retreat into a corner, enjoying the show.
“Who’s the other girl?” my man barks.
“My friend. Where is she?” she asks, turning to him, her breasts moving smoothly, her top sliding off her shoulders.
He looks at me.
I nod.
“She’s on her way home.”
“Can I go, then?” she asks softly, perfect and pure.
“Not before you answer a few more questions. You and your friend have trespassed and broken into our house. You admit to that?”
“Yes,” she murmurs, increasingly nervous.
“What were you looking for?” he asks.
“We were curious,” she says. “We’ve heard rumors about this place and wanted to see if they were true.”
“What rumors?”
“This house is always sunk in darkness. The lights are never on, and yet… Some women have visited it.”
She stops, and I could hear a pin drop.
Lex, Ed, and I exchange looks.
I motion the other guys to leave us alone and put my cigarette out before lifting my chin, signaling to Lex to make his move.
He rises from his seat, walks to her, and stops behind her.
“What about those women?” he asks softly, his lips brushing over Rain’s ear.
She shudders, startled.
“Lex?” she murmurs.
His hand glides up her neck, stroking her bare skin.
“A few women have spend time here...” she mumbles, her breath catching while Lex’s fingers slide up her neck and into the back of her hair.
“What did you expect to find?” he asks, tickling her skin with his breath.
She arches against him, and I’m rock hard.
Lex winks at me, noticing her reaction.
“I don’t know. I didn’t believe the story, but my friend did, so I suggested we come here and see for ourselves,” she says, her chest heaving slightly.
He tears his hand away from her, and I can see her hard nipples even from where I sit.
“You could’ve asked James,” Lex says.
“And he would’ve told me?” she retorts, her voice growing more confident.
Lex flashes a grin while Ed shakes his head before bringing his drink to his lips.
“He didn’t even tell me he was here,” she continues.
“Ask him now,” Lex says, locking my eyes.
“Is it true, James?” she asks louder.
A few moments of silence tick by.
“What?” I ask.
“That these women are spending time with you and your friends, and then they are forever changed when they go back to their lives.”
My nose wrinkles with a smile.
Lex tosses his head back, grinning, while Ed rubs a hand over his face, his chest rocking with laughter.
“Unfucking real,” Ed blurts.
“Why are you laughing? That’s what people say,” she murmurs.
“Okay, enough... Let’s get her home,” I say, snatching my phone from the table and pushing to my feet.
“I can’t go home...” she says nervously.
“Excuse me?”
“I can’t go home. I had a fight with my sister, and I’m supposed to sleep at my friend’s house, but I can’t go to her place either. Her parents must be awake by now. Hopefully, she didn’t tell them about me. But that means I can’t show up at her place or my family’s, and my sister will find out...” she says, running out of breath.
“All right... all right,” I say, irritated.
I erase the space between us, grip her elbow, and walk her to the bedroom.