28. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
The Huntress
“Anyone hungry?” Henry asks, breaking the silence in the SUV as he pulls away from the house.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, even though I’m definitely not fine.
“No thanks,” Jude quips right after. “I already ate.” I imagine stabbing Jude in the side of his head as he smirks to himself. My body is still throbbing with need, and while I get his revengeful move, I don’t like it.
‘No, you fucking love it.’
Maybe. Ugh, I do.
“So this is the one?” Henry asks me, adjusting the rearview mirror to meet my gaze. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” I answer him. Any house will work. The entire time throughout the tour, my phone buzzed. But I can’t fucking see what’s coming through. Between knowing the monster from my past and owner of the demons in my head is lurking around, and Jude’s mere existence, my head is a wreck.
“Good, I put in an offer, but she has someone also interested in it apparently,” Henry mutters. “I swear the real estate industry is cutthroat right now.”
Jude chuckles.
Henry shoots him daggers. “What?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know.”
I eye the two of them, hating the tension. I know how much Jude means to my brother, even if he won’t say it. I know Jude helping Luca behind his back pissed him off, but it wasn’t like Jude could say no in the situation. Not even Lydia is still mad about it.
Leave it to my brother to hold a fucking grudge.
‘And you, too,’ the voice cackles.
I take a deep breath, resting my forehead against my hand. I can’t let all this break me. I can catch the monster chasing me... I’m bigger and badder than him now. I’m not the sixteen-year-old girl he groomed and sedated. I’m not his little girl anymore.
Jude’s laughter drags my eyes upward.
And I could have his help.
Maybe. Would he still want me if he knew?
I could pay him.
I could exchange unlimited sex.
My stomach tightens at the thought of trying to explain what happened. I’ve never told anyone. I don’t even know if I can verbalize it. I’ve never tried. I grip the seatbelt and close my eyes, hoping to stave off the nausea.
“Can you just drop me off at work?” I ask suddenly, my eyes fluttering open. “And maybe take Cash out for me?”
Henry nods. “Sure. I have nothing better to do.” He eyes Jude, like he might want to hang out with his friend...
But Jude ignores it.
Their bromance is rocky as fuck right now.
Twenty minutes later, Henry pulls up along the curb where he picked me up, and Jude gets out as well. I knew he would, but for some reason, it has my heart skipping a beat. I’ve never wished more for a normal life than I do right now. I want to be the main character in a cute, brother’s-best-friend romcom, where the only thing I have to worry about is my brother finding out.
Not both of them discovering the bodies in my closet.
It sucks to be fucked up. I go through the motions of telling my brother I’ll see him later and thanking him for watching Cash. Meanwhile, Jude lights up a cigarette, and ignores the two of us. However, as soon as Henry pulls away from the curb, Jude turns to me.
“You really have the charade going for him.”
I glare at him. “So do you.”
“If he asked me if I fucked you, I’d tell him the truth. If he doesn’t ask, I don’t offer it up. I’m not out to play any games, Cher.” His voice is fucking cruel. “And you’re nothing but games.”
I bristle. “Then stop playing.”
“All I want is an apology.” He blows a cloud of smoke right in my face again. I suck it in and cough. His ombre eyes bore into mine as it clears. “But you’re mine with or without one.”
“I don’t think me saying sorry would fix anything, but I’m sorry.” I fold my arms across my chest. “Happy now?”
He chuckles as he puts out his cigarette. “Not even close. I better see you before you head home to your dearest big brother.”
My jaw sets hard. “Fuck you.”
“You’ll crawl to me before you get that privilege.” He winks at me, and then just like that, walks away.
Why is it so easy for him to leave me alone?
I take a deep breath, and then enter the downstairs bar. It’s still early, but in Vegas, people party at all hours of the fucking day, so it’s almost always crowded. I make my way to the elevator and take the ride up to the rooftop. I’m not picking up an extra shift. I just need to tell Sarah my phone is broken.
And one more thing.
I step out of the elevator, and head straight for the bar, slipping through the already sweaty bodies. My eyes land on my blue-haired friend, and I breathe out a sigh as she greets me with a smile...
That quickly fades.
“It’s your night off,” she says, her brow furrowed. “I don’t think you should be here.” I do not like the tone of her voice.
“Why?”
She scans the faces behind me. “Someone is here looking for you, and I don’t like his aura.”
“Redhead?” I offer up, hoping like hell Jude somehow ended up here before me, even if it’s physically impossible. “You know, the guy that was here when I worked that night.”
She shakes her head. “No, not at all. This guy, he’s,” she pauses, frowning. “ Old? Maybe fifties? Salt and pepper hair with dark, menacing eyes. He’s off, I swear, he’s off—and I think...”
“Think what?” I demand, leaning against the counter.
“I think he knows.”
“Knows what?” My heart picks up, reading through the lines.
“He knows what you do,” she says quietly. “There’s things floating around the web, Cher. The world is closing in. I’ve held your secret since we started our book exchanges.”
I nod, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, I have to quit.”
She holds my gaze. “I know. Just one more thing.”
“Yeah?”
She smiles, reaching out and squeezing my hand. “I’m fucking proud of you for doing what we all wish we could. But seriously, get the fuck out of here—and fast. Let me grab a bouncer.”
I nod, but as I do, the hairs on the back of my neck stand. I shift my gaze, my heart pumping, and through the crowd, I come face to face with him.
Ten years.
It’s been ten fucking years, and there he is. My knees feel the need to buckle, fear pulses through my veins, and all the times I cried before class come rushing back—all the times I prayed for my period to come, lied to my brother, closed my eyes and wished I was fucking dead.
My gut clenches at the smile creeping across his face. My chest begins to physically hurt. My head spins.
‘Go to him like a good little girl.’
I shake my head, and rip my eyes away, pure terror replacing any amount of courage I ever had. I need safety.
“Cher,” Sarah calls out, but it’s distant as I take off to the elevator, smashing the button over and over. I’m going to lose it. I know I’m going to lose it.
The doors slide open. I glance over my shoulder. He’s not there. Did he take the stairwell? Is he going to follow me? I step on, but not before a hand catches the sliding door.
A couple of laughing women in tight gold dresses step on and press the ground floor button. I back up into the corner, wishing I could melt into the wall.
‘He’s going to get you.’
‘You belong to him.’
‘You’ve always belonged to him, little girl.’
“Shut up,” I mumble under my breath, on the verge of tears. One of the girls looks back at me, raising a brow. I immediately drop my head. Just like I always did. In one look, he’s stripped me of my ability to be human all over again.
The chime of the elevator startles me, and I jump so hard, I cry out in pain as my elbow hits the rail. The women snicker to themselves as they step out, exchanging glances. I scan the crowded downstairs bar and decide not to stop.
My chest still hurts. It hurts so bad.
If I run, will I have a heart attack? I pick up into a jog, dodging bodies to get to the exit.
“ Little girl .”
I don’t know if it’s behind me coming from his mouth, or if it’s just in my head. I punch through the doors. I knock over a girl in stilettos and she curses at me. A car blares its horn as I cross traffic.
He’s coming.
He’s coming.
He’s coming.
I let out a sharp cry as I rip open the door of the apartment building, dashing for the open elevator. I catch it as a man in a suit steps into the lobby. I punch the button for the penthouse.
‘You’ll always be my little girl.’
‘If anyone knows what happens between us, they’ll think you’re a whore.’
‘No man likes a woman in your condition.’
‘I’ll always be your first, little girl.’
“Stop,” I shout, covering my ears and bending at the waist. “ Please. ” I feel frozen in the moment as the penthouse level opens up in front of me.
And I don’t know why I’m here.
What will Jude even do? He doesn’t like me now.
I stand up straight, hung in the moment.
‘He’ll think you’re a whore.’
‘No one likes damaged goods.’
But Jude silences the voices, and I’m so desperate for quiet. I cross the threshold, and the elevator closes. Swallowing hard, I walk to Jude’s apartment door, and I press the doorbell. My teeth begin to chatter. My chest is still searing with abnormal pain.
Please let me in. Please.
I hear the lock slide, and I close my eyes as the hinges creak. I brace for cruelty. I ready myself to fall to my knees and worship this man if I have to. Just don’t make me go back out there.
“What happened?”
My eyes flutter open to Jude’s voice, and the truth comes out. “I saw him. ”
Jude doesn’t ask for clarity. He pulls me inside, shuts the door, and holds me. Strong arms wrap around me as I tremble, unwillingly falling apart. The most heart-wrenching, unhuman cry breaks loose from my throat, and a decade of trauma comes pouring out.
And Jude takes it, unwavering as he sweeps me up in his arms and carries me to the couch. He cradles me as I wrap my arms around his neck, burying my face in the scent and feel of him. Jude breathes deep and even, and I can’t decide if he’s indifferent to me or if he’s just good at holding it together. However, as I tip my head back I see something I’ve never seen in a man’s eyes:
Genuine tears.