Deceived (Free Indeed Book 2), page 9
Damn, those dimples were hard to ignore, though. They stood out on both sides of his face and made her want to run her fingers along them right before leaning in to kiss his lips. Cara watched as that wonderful smile she was drowning in slowly turned into a smirk. She blinked her eyes forcing them to focus as she drew them away from his mouth to his eyes above.
The man winked at her, obviously having caught her staring at his mouth for an overly long time. She huffed in indignation right before reaching into his food container and stealing one of his slices of pizza.
“Hey!”
“Hey yourself. I’m hungry. Your punishment for only getting me one slice of pizza is sacrificing one of your three. Deal with it.” She used her hand to gesture back to the convenience store he just left, “If you want more, the store’s that way.”
“I was trying to respect your girlish figure,” he muttered back taking another bite.
Drawing one hand up and down the length of her body, she declared, “Does this look like the body of an anorexic to you?” She wasn’t fat, but she certainly wasn’t model thin either. Her curves were something that she happened to embrace about herself, and screw anyone who thought different. Besides, there was no way she would be able to live without her chocolate or Ben & Jerry’s. No size zero waistline was worth that torture.
Shaking his head at her, his smirk turned into an actual smile, and he turned back to his food. Cara finished her food as well before turning back to the laptop that they had provided for her research purposes.
Allie’s trail had gone silent for the last couple of days, but that didn’t worry her. No one could stay hidden forever. Especially not someone who had grown up in a sheltered community. It was just a matter of time before Cara would find a trace of her again.
They drove the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening before finally stopping at another side of the road motel. This life was getting really old, really fast. Paul stepped into the main office to arrange for two rooms for the night and brought the keys back out to the SUV.
Everyone disembarked and trudged to the side by side rooms. Jake grabbed one of the keys from Paul and unlocked one of the rooms, pushing open the door and holding it for Cara to enter in front of him. At least Gideon and Paul roomed together overnight. It was probably because the man hated her so much that he didn’t want to be around her any more than necessary, but whatever, she’d take it. After being in the same confining space all day with him, a brief respite was much appreciated.
Cara walked into the small room and sat down on one of the two full sized beds. She flopped onto her back and released an exhausted sigh. Jake followed her into the room dropping their plastic bag full of limited clothing in the corner and took a seat on the worn chair against the wall.
“Are you hungry?” He looked over at her.
“Not really,” Cara muttered. “Just tired, I guess.” She sighed again before standing back to her feet, “I’m just gonna get ready for bed. I’m sure Gideon will have us out of here first thing in the morning as usual.”
“Ok,” came his soft reply. It was so soft that Cara had no choice but to turn and look at him. He looked as tired as she felt. There also seemed to be just a tad amount of pity, almost like he felt bad for what she was going through. “There aren’t any windows in the bathroom, so go ahead and close the door. Take as long as you want. If you want a bath or anything, you don’t have to rush.”
Cara nodded. The windowless bathroom at least provided her with more of a sense of privacy. The last room they stayed in, Cara had to pee with the door open which was awkward on so many levels. At least Jake tried to give her as much space as possible while still being close enough to stop her if she tried to escape.
Grabbing her change of clothes and toothbrush that Jake had also generously thought to provide her, she made her way into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. It wouldn’t keep Jake out if he decided to come in after her, but at least it provided her a small marginal sense of security.
As completely exhausted as she was, a bath sounded so heavenly she had to indulge. She reached over the tub to start the water, then took care of her other needs and brushed her teeth before climbing into the tub. The warm, comforting water permeated her skin in a soothing embrace. A long satisfied sigh escaped her lips as she sunk even deeper into the water and closed her eyes.
She needed to get her exit plan ready. Allie couldn’t hide forever, and once Cara found out where she was it would only be a matter of time before Gideon got rid of her. Just like she was pretty sure he got rid of her mother. Damn, she wished this plan had worked out the way she wanted, and she’d gotten away with that card. Cara was confident now more than ever that the card held more than enough motive for her stepdad to commit murder.
Once she found Allie, her best bet at trying to escape would be on Jake’s watch. He was definitely the least aggressive and threatening of the three. While she was sure the other two would kill her at a moment’s notice, Jake seemed to on occasion sometimes even like her. Or at least find her amusing. Regardless, she’d have to be ready to at least try to escape the first time she was alone with Jake because it’d be the best chance she had. From there it was get in touch with the police at the first opportunity. Once she was safe, she’d have them try and get in touch with Allie to warn her that her dad was after her. Of course, all of that depended on if she could actually get away.
Figuring she had spent enough time soaking herself, Cara rose from the water and stepped out of the tub. She dried off quickly and changed into an oversized t-shirt and shorts before unlocking the door and leaving the room.
Cara turned the corner into the bedroom section of the room and stopped short. Paul sat in the chair at the far corner of the room. Her eyes quickly scanned the rest of the small space searching for Jake, but he wasn’t there. Shit, shit, shit, she thought to herself. Being alone with Paul freaked her out almost as much as Gideon.
She tried to calm her racing heart and walked as normally as she could to her bed, which happened to be furthest away from him. “Where’s Jake?” she asked, trying to keep her voice even so her fear wouldn’t show.
“The Patriarch requested his presence.” Paul’s monotonous voice replied.
Ugh, T-1000 to the letter. That man was a flat, emotionless robot, and that freaked her the hell out. Without even acknowledging the man, Cara climbed under the covers and promptly turned onto her side to face the wall giving Paul her back. She sunk under the covers pulling them tight all the way up to her neck. There was no way she was going to try and have a conversation with the man. He’d just have to sit in the corner and do whatever. Cara closed her eyes and tried to do her best at pretending to sleep. No way would she actually be able to sleep with that man in the room, though.
A creak sounded way closer than the chair in the corner making a cold chill zip down her spine. What the hell? It sounded like he sat on Jake’s bed right next to her. Cara froze waiting for some sound or indication of what he was up to. Dead silence filled the room so thick she feared she’d choke on it. Finally daring a peek, she turned her head to glance over her shoulder.
He was just sitting there staring at her with dull, empty eyes like the creeper that he was. What in the holy shit was up with this guy? Feelings of fear mixed with anger filled her, and she wasn’t sure which emotion she should focus on.
Cara turned her back to him again, lying once again on her side. Maybe if she ignored him, he would just sit there and leave her alone.
The bed creaked once more just before she felt his hand run along the spine of her back in a light, almost tentative caress. Her entire body stiffened at the contact, but she bit her tongue to force herself to remain silent. Surely, he wouldn’t try anything. The other men were in the room right next door. And Jake wouldn’t have left if Paul would try anything, would he? God, she hoped not.
Paul’s hand made its way up into her hair that lay against her back. His hand twisted within the locks as she felt his fingers twirl and play with the strands.
“Stop it,” she commanded as authoritatively as she could. Her right arm reached around her body and slapped his hand away.
Paul’s hand darted out and grabbed hers in his vice-like grip. With a sharp tug, he jerked her wrist toward him with enough force to fully flip her over onto her back in the center of the bed. Cara lay there stunned for a moment which was just long enough for him to climb up onto the bed and tower his body over hers. He grabbed her left wrist as well and forced it above her head where he held both hands secured with one of his own.
Cara sharply inhaled to scream for all she was worth, but Paul’s left hand flashed up and pressed something cold and sharp against the exposed skin of her neck. Oh God, would he really kill her? His evil, soulless eyes boring into hers definitely seemed capable of carrying out what he was threatening.
“Don’t scream,” his menacing voice broke the silence. “Don’t even move, or I’ll ensure it’s the last thing you ever do.”
A small whimper was all she could manage to assure him she didn’t want to die. Oh God, please don’t let her die. Not here, not now, definitely not like this. Fear spread through every single one of her veins as his right hand released her hands that he had captured and slowly dragged along the inseam of her arm down to her shoulder. It was as if he were taking his time to savor the sick moment. His hand continued its path down until it reached her breast. At his rough squeeze, Cara cried out causing Paul to push the blade tighter to her neck as a reminder of what would happen if she didn’t stay quiet.
Cara tightly squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to see this horrible man above her. Maybe she could block out what he was doing or try and detach from it like they did in the movies. Whatever he was going to do, she was determined to survive it. That’s what mattered now. She was going to focus on surviving, and then she’d deal with the recovery once this nightmare was over.
The monster’s hand slipped lower until it was at the waistband of her shorts. His cold fingers eased underneath her t-shirt until he came in contact with the soft skin of her stomach. Fingers caressed her skin there until they slithered beneath the waistband of her shorts.
Her body clenched in fear as his hand brushed across her mound. Her eyes flew open, and she softly begged, “Please don’t. Please.”
Cold, evil eyes moved from where they were watching his hand to meet her own terrified gaze. “As a woman, it’s your God-given duty to please me. I’m here to take what I’m due.”
A whimper escaped her lips as his hand continued touching her while the other held the knife snug against her throat. Lust filled eyes bore into her own as she felt him grow hard against her leg. His hand pulled free from her shorts and started fumbling around with his belt buckle. It snapped free, and the sound of his zipper being pulled down filled the room.
His hand returned to the waistband of her shorts, and he grabbed it to pull them down when he was jerked backward off of the bed and hurled against the opposite wall.
“Get out!” Jake roared at the stunned man who now lay haphazardly on the floor.
Jake was here. He was here, and he saved her. Oh my God, he saved her before that monster violated her in the most horrible way. A sob got stuck in her throat as her eyes filled up with tears. No. She wouldn’t cry in front of Paul. There was no way she was going to let him have that power over her. He didn’t break her. She pulled her knees up to her chest and shuffled back on the bed until her back hit the headboard.
Paul lay crumpled on the floor staring up at Jake stupidly. Jake’s head turned, and his eyes met her own. When he saw her tear-filled eyes that she was determined to hold back, rage consumed his face. His head snapped back to glower back down at Paul, and his fist launched into the bastard’s face. Paul’s head slammed viciously into the wall behind him, his glassy eyes losing focus.
Jake towered over the smaller man and leaned down enough so that he was right in his face. “You have five seconds to get out of here, or I’m going to kill your sorry fucking ass.”
That got the dazed look out of his face fast. Paul pushed himself to his feet where he wavered unsteadily for a moment. One hand flew out to brace himself against the wall to keep himself upright. Then he pushed off and fled out of the room without a backward glance.
The only sound in the room was the ragged furious breathing of Jake. His hands were clenched tightly into fists. The one he used to punch Paul already turning red at the knuckles from the brutal blow.
Afraid to say anything for fear that she would turn into a crying mess, Cara just watched him as he tried to get his fury under control. Thank God he came when he did. The realization that she was safe started to spread throughout her body, and a broken sob broke free from her lips.
At the sound, Jake’s attention turned back to her, and at the sight of her fearful face, he took a step toward where she sat huddled on the bed. He stopped just for a moment, regret covering his face before he took the remaining steps needed to bring him to her side. A wince ticked across his face as he raised a hand up to gently tuck a strand of her hair out of her face and behind her ear.
“Cara,” his broken whisper overrode the silence of the room, “are you ok?”
“I’m fine,” Cara snapped back, roughly slapping his hand away from her. “Don’t touch me! I said I’m fine.” She couldn’t look at him. Not wanting to see the pity that was sure to be all over his face, she kept her head facing the bedspread. “I just want to go to sleep,” she barely whispered.
She could feel Jake’s gaze on her, almost begging her to look at him. But she couldn’t. Embarrassment and shame filled her even though she knew she had nothing to be ashamed of. She was the victim, and in her heart, she knew that. It was just that having him find her and yes, rescue her in that position, it made her feel weak. Even mortified.
Without a word, Jake turned and walked past the beds and toward the door. Her body tensed at the thought of him leaving. As embarrassed as she may have been, that didn’t mean she wanted to be alone right now. Especially with Paul just next door. What if he was waiting outside for another chance to get back in here and finish what he had started?
Instead of hearing the door open and Jake leave, the snap of a deadbolt filled the room, and the security chain jangled as it slid into place. Footsteps thudded back down the entryway as Jake returned to the bedroom area. Relief filled her at the realization that he wasn’t going to abandon her now.
His determined strides carried him forward until he was once again standing next to her. Before she realized what he was doing, both his arms darted around her. One at her back and the other under her legs, right before he lifted her into his strong, capable arms. One of her hands instinctively grabbed onto his shirt to hold herself steady. Jake carried her the short distance to his bed. Instead of placing her in the bed that Paul had attacked her in, he lay her on his own before pulling the comforter over her body completely. As he stepped back, her heart clenched in appreciation for something so simple as giving her his bed. She didn’t know if she’d be able to sleep at all, but she certainly wouldn’t have been able to relax in the bed Paul had touched her in. The fact that Jake was considerate enough to realize that brought a small sense of peace to her heart.
“I’ll take the other bed,” he said softly as if he were afraid to spook her. His hand clenched almost like he wanted to reach out and touch her, but refrained for her sake. “The door is locked, deadbolt and security latch are thrown, and I’m going to be right here on the bed next to you. No one’s going to get in here, I promise you, Cara.”
The first sting of tears started to spill from her eyes at his words. Just his being in the same room as she did made her feel so much better. She curled up into a ball her arms clenched around her legs holding them tightly to her chest. More than ever, she missed her mom so much right now. She missed the way her mom would hug her when life was hurtful or unfair. Biting down on her bottom lip, she tried to hold the feelings in. The last thing she wanted to do was appear weak in front of Jake. But try as she could to keep everything bottled up, this time she wasn’t able to stop the tears from silently falling.
The bed next to her creaked as Jake rose to his feet. He stepped across the small space in between their two beds and crouched down next to the side of hers. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Cara.” The sincerity in his deep voice wafted over her like the warmest of security blankets and soothed her heart.
Silence spread throughout the room as his statement hung in the air between them. While on the one hand, it felt like he was intruding on her private moment, on the other, the last thing she wanted was to be alone right now. Cara’s shaky voice finally broke the silence. “Gideon’s still going to kill me after all this is over, isn’t he?” she asked blinking up into his eyes.
Jake stood up from his crouch and sat on the edge of her bed. Not close enough to touch her, but still there all the same. It surprised her how much comfort she took in the fact that he was with her.
“He’s a very disturbed man, with extremely violent tendencies,” Jake stated. “There’s a very good chance he’s certainly going to try, but I’m going to do everything in my power to get you free of him before it gets to that point.”
His words lit a spark of hope in her chest, and she could barely keep the excitement off of her face. “You could just let me go now. I could be safely away from here by the time he woke up. Why can’t you just let me leave?”
Silence descended on them once more. A sad, small half grin ticked up the left side of his mouth, “Selfish reasons, I guess. If you leave on my watch, he’ll just turn around and kill me.”
“Then come with me.” Cara sat up facing him fully with her back against the headboard. The covers fell to pool around her waist.
“I can’t. Not yet anyway.”
“What’s keeping you here?” she asked. “I can tell you don’t like Gideon any more than I do, and you certainly don’t believe like they do. Plus, your job’s got to be as boring as hell, at least until I came along to spice it up. So why stay?”
