Damaged Page 10

  She swallowed pain and embarrassment though she knew she shouldn’t have such feelings. “I’m not sure.”

  “You’ll do this for me,” he demanded in a soft tone. “I’m your leader, remember? You do what I say.”

  “My head’s spinning.” She touched her forehead. “I need to think about this. It’s too much.”

  “We’re going to Wales.” He kissed her again, the aroma of beef from dinner on his breath. “I love you, Deidra. More than I’ve loved any woman.”

  “Yet you want my sister?”

  “Yes for sex.” He stroked her lips with his thumb. “It has nothing to do with you.”

  “She’s my sister not a trinket for you to play with.”

  “How is this different from me with the other women?”

  “Because those women aren’t my sister, Jonathan. This is crossing a line.”

  “I make the lines here.” He pointed to himself. “Now your sister is a beautiful, sexy woman, and I wanted her the minute I saw her, the same as when I saw you. But, you own my heart.”

  She looked away.

  “Do you or do you not want me to be happy?”

  “She hates you.”

  He grinned. “So did you at first. Call her.” He touched her nose. “Tell her to come back here, okay?”

  A tear escaped her eye as he walked away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  When Dee got to her bedroom, Rena was waiting outside the door. “I need to speak to you.”

  “I’m tired.” Dee walked in and flicked on the light. “Can’t this wait until tomorrow—”

  “You have to get away from Jonathan now.” Rena grabbed Dee’s wrists. “Everything is a lie, why you’re here, how you got here, everything. Jonathan kidnapped you, Dee.” She turned her loose. “He kidnapped you and has been giving you a drug to make you want to be here. To make you love him.”

  Dee laughed, walking toward the bed.

  “I’m serious.” Rena snatched Dee’s hand, flinging her around. “He’s been manipulating you and that’s not the worst of it. He wants to take you to Wales.”

  “I know.”

  “You don’t wanna go, do you?”

  Dee sat on the bed, looking at the seating by the windows. “If Jonathan wants me to go, I will.”

  “What do you want?”

  “We’re in The Circle, Rena. We made a vow to give ourselves to Jonathan for eternal peace and spirituality. He says we can’t have a life here with these distractions and he’s right.”

  “He’s tricked you. He invented this medicine called Jonathan’s Web, and he’s been giving it to you.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “I swear on everything it’s the truth.”

  “Rena.” Dee stood, squinting. “The women have been saying things about you.”

  “What things?”

  “They question your loyalty to The Circle. Some say I can’t trust you.”

  “They’re saying that because they don’t want you to know the truth.” Rena pointed to the door. “They’d do anything for Jonathan.”

  “Wouldn’t you?”

  Rena’s eyes narrowed as she took a tiny vial of clear liquid from the pocket of her dress. “This is Jonathan’s Web.”

  Dee took it, mesmerized.

  “He’s been putting it in your food, your water, drinks. He’s instructed Emma to put it in your meals, anything you consume. Only you.”

  “No.” Dee sniffed it.

  “It’s odorless and tasteless but it’s destructive. And, it might be dangerous. I heard you’ve been having heart palpitations. This might be why.”

  “No.” She rammed the vial into Rena’s palm. “I’m not listening to these lies.” She traipsed across the room. “Jonathan loves me and he’d never do something like this.”

  “Jonathan doesn’t know how to love anybody, Dee. Not you, not us.” Rena’s face tore with grief. “He did something else too. God, I can’t even say it—”

  “Just stop it.” Dee lunged at her. “Everything’s fine, Rena. Why do you wanna ruin it? I’m happy here!”

  “Ever wonder why you have that feeling that something isn’t right?”

  Dee turned away from her.

  “It’s because everything’s a facade. Your intuition is trying to tell you something’s wrong.” Rena turned her around to face her. “Jonathan will ruin your life if you don’t get out now.”

  “These lies.” Dee sat on the bed, avoiding eye contact. “The other women were right. If I told Jonathan you were badmouthing him do you know what would happen to you?”

  “I care about you more than my safety.” Rena leaned over her. “That’s a true friend, Dee.”

  “Get out.”

  “Dee—”

  “Get out!” She threw a pillow at the door. “I won’t listen to this.”

  “Let me prove what I say.” Rena backed up. “Jonathan’s Web wears off around six hours. Ever wonder why he’s always making you eat or drink?”

  Dee closed her eyes, refusing to listen to Rena’s fabrication.

  “Look, don’t eat or drink anything they give you tomorrow. And, by tomorrow night you’ll realize the truth.”

  “Jonathan’s Web?” Dee mocked. “This is stupid. You’re trying to turn me against Jonathan because you know your days are numbered here.”

  Rena stood at the door. “Would I lie to you?”

  Dee gritted her teeth. “Yes.”

  Rena sighed, eyes watery. “Don’t take my word for it then.” She opened the door. “Do what I suggested and see what happens by tomorrow night.”

  She left.

  ****

  “The case is going nowhere.” Connie sat beside Grayson on her couch that night, chewing the no-bake strawberry cheesecake she’d made. “Just when it looks like it’s pointing to one person we’re thrown off course.”

  Grayson slid the creamy dessert into his mouth.

  “I think Charlie’s the killer.” She bit into the tangy strawberry sauce. “The man’s lied to us and it’s obvious he’s hiding something.”

  “Heard any more about Dee?”

  “She’s still with The Circle.” Connie sighed, folding her legs. “It’s good to see you.”

  “I’m glad you invited me over and made this lovely cheesecake.” He smiled, lifting his bowl. “You’re a regular Martha Stewart, aren’t you?”

  She laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far, but I enjoy it when my food puts a smile on someone’s face.”

  “It’s good seeing you smile too.” He pinched her baby toe. “Might need to hide those cute toes before I chomp ‘em off.”

  “You better leave my toes alone.” She laughed, wiggling her feet. “I can’t shake that feeling I have about CeCe Babbitt. Winston and I learned more disturbing things about him bothering women who used to work with him. We spoke to them and I got chills listening to their stories.” She scraped her bowl as she scooped cheesecake. “Reminds me of what happened with Larose.”

  “You should talk to someone about that.” He moved his hand up the leg of her jeans. “Attempted rape can be just as damaging as going through the real thing.”

  She scoffed. “I didn’t think it would affect me like this.”

  He put his arms around her shoulders and she laid her head on his chest.

  “I’m sorry I kicked you out the last time.”

  “Sh. You don’t have to apologize.”

  She collapsed in the coziness of his touch. “It’s been a long time since I had a man to lean on.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” He rocked her. “Unless you want me to.”

  “I don’t want you to, Grayson.” She gripped his arm. “I wish we could stay like this forever.”

  “That’s fine with me.” He rubbed her hair. “I care about you a lot, Connie. I want to be your man. Are you ready for that?”

  She lifted her head and looked at him. “Very much so.”

  “Talk to me about what happened with Larose.” He grabbe
d her cheeks and kissed her. “Don’t be afraid.”

  She took a deep breath, faced him and began.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “You’re holding up well.” Lisa Swanson smiled at Winston from across the dinner table in her and Jake Jenson’s living room.

  “Yeah.” Jake straightened his wheelchair and grabbed his fork. “We were worried about you for a while there.”

  Winston cut into the succulent, smothered pork chops Jake made. “I spoke to Dr. Guzman.”

  “You did?” Lisa’s brown cheeks glowed. “She helped, didn’t she? That woman is a miracle worker. If it weren’t for her, I’d still be crying every night over Mason beating my ass.”

  “She has a way of making you look at things in a different way.” The salty gravy melted on Winston’s taste buds. “What she said was hard to hear, but she’s right. She said I can’t keep trying to rescue Dee and I have to trust that she loves me enough to break through this.”

  Jake nodded, pushing his blond hair behind his ears.

  “She also said I might need to consider that she won’t come back.” He sighed, staring at the cherry juice in his glass. “How can I do that?”

  “Dee’s gonna come back.” Lisa rubbed the side of her crop haircut. “We can’t lose hope and have to keep trying to reach out to her.”

  “I miss her so much,” Winston muttered.

  “You?” Lisa chewed. “I pray every night that this madness ends.”

  “How’s Lydia holding up?” Jake asked.

  Winston poked his vegetables with the fork. “She went to see Dee against my wishes and Jonathan pulled the same crap on her he pulls on all the women.”

  “Tried to seduce her?” Lisa batted her sweeping eyelashes. “Yeah, he’s something else. If you listen to him long enough he hypnotizes you.”

  “This case isn’t making things easier either.” Winston pushed his plate away, loosening chunks of mushroom from his teeth with his tongue. “There’s this guy, CeCe Babbitt.” He wiped his mouth. “Dude is creepy as hell and has a history of harassing women.”

  Lisa gulped juice. “CeCe Babbitt?”

  Jake tore a biscuit in half. “You know him, Leece?”

  “He was a suspect in the Jeanette Dobbins’ case.”

  “Who?” Winston sat at attention.

  “About five or six years ago, Jeanette Dobbins disappeared and a few months later she was found dead on the side of Prewitt Lane,” Lisa declared with wide eyes. “She’d been strangled.”

  “Wait.” Winston curled his fingers over the edge of the table. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I remember the case. The cops arrested CeCe and charged him for Jeanette’s murder but they let him go.”

  “Connie and I looked up this dude from top to bottom and he doesn’t have so much as a parking ticket.”

  “His record was expunged.” Lisa bit into the crumbling biscuit. “They never found out who killed Jeanette though.”

  “Why did they clear Babbitt then?”

  She shrugged. “Claimed lack of substantial evidence or something. But, look it up and you’ll see. He’s mentioned in the reports.”

  “Who was the officer in charge of the case?”

  “Detective Haim,” Lisa said. “Anyway, he left the precinct a few years ago but if you read the reports, they’ll tell you anything you need to know.”

  “I’ll be damned.” Winston scratched his head. “Thanks a lot, Leece.”

  She beamed. “You’re welcome.”

  ****

  “Mm.” Connie plunged more cheesecake into her mouth as she and Grayson snuggled together on their stomachs in her bed, wrapped in the sheet. “I can’t believe we’ve eaten this whole cheesecake.”

  “Is that all you can say?” Grayson chewed a mouthful of the dessert. “We had the best sex in the world and you’re talking about this cheesecake.”

  She laughed, covering her mouth. “You don’t have to remind me we had great sex.”

  “I hope not.” He swept her into another hypnotic kiss.

  “Dee was crazy for letting you go.”

  He cackled, digging his fork into the near-empty cheesecake pan. “I agree with you, but I’m glad she did.” He kissed her shoulder, leaving a dot of strawberry sauce on it. “If not I wouldn’t be here with you.”

  Connie looked out the window behind her bed. “Gotta get used to having a man, huh?”

  “You sure do.” He pulled her into his arms, kissing the side of her face. “I’m glad you opened up about what happened.”

  “Me too.” She stroked the fine hairs on his arm. “Thank you for listening.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  “Was that part of your game?” She acted coy, nudging him. “Getting me to open up so you could get me in bed?”

  “Hm.” He looked up, waving the fork. “I shall not reveal my methods.”

  She laughed.

  “I care about you and making love was definitely a bonus.” He sat the pie container aside, rolled her over on her back and got on top of her. “I’m in love with you, Connie.” He kissed her, massaging her cheek with his thumb. “I want this to happen every day.” He pulled her legs around his waist. “I’m ready for wherever this takes us.”

  She giggled when he nibbled her neck. “Maybe I should be cautious.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re a writer. We break up and I might end up as a murderer in one of your books.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that.” He rubbed his pelvis against her moist crevice. “I don’t plan on us breaking up.”

  She smiled, pulling his lips onto hers.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Dee rolled left and right in her bed the next morning, her head pounding “Ooh.” She pried her eyes open, glancing at the cream walls of the extravagant bedroom. “I’m still here?” She blinked.

  The last thing she remembered was being handcuffed to the bed and Jonathan refusing to let her leave.

  She sat up, the soft, white dress caressing her every move. “What the fuck?” She touched her hair and shrieked, “Where’s my weave?” She noticed the calendar across the room. “What the hell?”

  Three months had passed.

  “No.” She ran to the calendar and looked through it. “Three months?” She gripped her head and stumbled toward the bed. “What’s wrong with me?”

  Rena walked in, rushing to her. “Dee?”

  “Ow.” She scooted to the headboard, nausea filling her stomach. “I feel like shit. My head’s killing me.” She panted. “Why am I in this dress and what happened to my hair?” She grabbed Rena by her dress and pulled her on the bed. “Answer me.”

  “You don’t remember anything?”

  Dee winced from the unyielding headache. “I remember Jonathan kidnapped me.”

  “Dee, you’ve been here three months.”

  She groaned, massaging her temples. “It can’t be true.”

  “Jonathan drugged you to keep you here.”

  “No.” She shoved Rena. “That’s not possible. I couldn’t have been here three months.”

  “Jonathan gave you a drug that altered your mind. A drug that made you love him.”

  “There’s only one man I love.” Rage replaced the nausea inside Dee’s gut. “Tell me what’s going on.” She stood, fists balled. “Or I’ll beat the shit out of you.”

  Rena stood against the wall, huffing and puffing.

  ****

  Rena finished explaining everything to Dee but didn’t have the heart to tell her Jonathan had been raping her as well.

  Dee sat on the bed, raising her head. “Is someone pranking me?”

  “It’s all true.” Rena rocked, gripping her dress. “I didn’t know you wouldn’t have a memory after Jonathan’s Web wore off. Winston, Lisa, and Lydia all tried to get you to see that Jonathan drugged you. They knew it all along but you only believed what the medicine wanted you to.”

  “That motherfucker.” Dee tossed the lamp ag
ainst the wall. “That...ooh!” She ripped the sheets off the bed. “I’m gonna kill him.” She ran to the door on bare feet. “I’ll rip his fuckin’ head off!”

  “Wait.” Rena pulled her from the door. “If he knows the drug’s worn off, he’s just gonna keep you and give it to you again. He’s never letting you go.”

  Dee huffed and puffed, seeing red. “The fuck he’s not.”

  “Jonathan’s obsessed with you. He wants to take you to Wales so you’ll never see your loved ones again.”

  “Wales?” Dee stumbled. “I’m not going to Wales and the only place he’s going is to hell and jail.”

  “I’m sorry.” Rena sniffed. “I could’ve stopped this, but I was selfish. I wanted you here because you’re my friend.”

  “Friend?” Dee’s lip trembled. “Friends don’t stand back while someone is being kept against their will.”

  “You’re a part of The Circle now, Dee. You were initiated and everything.”

  Dee’s gaze dropped to the floor.

  “There’s no way Jonathan will let you go.”

  “Oh, he’s letting me go. I’m getting out of here if I have to burn this compound down with all of you in it.”

  “The best thing is to pretend nothing’s changed. Act like you’re still on Jonathan’s Web.”

  “I need a plan.” Dee rubbed her mouth, heading to the bed.

  “It’s almost time for breakfast.” Rena checked her watch. “Jonathan checks on you every morning. He’ll be up here soon.”

  “Jonathan wanted me here?” Dee strangled a pillow, imagining it being Jonathan’s throat. “But now he’s gonna wish he’d never met Dee Quarter.” She faced Rena. “No matter what I have to do. I’m never letting him get away with this. Not for as long as he lives.”

  ****

  “Jeanette Dobbins?” Ms. Kachel looked up from behind her desk, eating an egg and sausage burrito. “Jeez.”

  “Yeah.” Connie approached her, holding her waist. “When we spoke to you about CeCe, you never mentioned her.”

  “It wasn’t my place to tell. It’s his business.”

  “Stop playing with us, lady,” Winston ordered. “I’ve had it up to here with this song and dance.”