Both of Her Read online

  “What did you find?” Somewhere from deep within me, I manage to skate my way across the floor, before my knees begin to buckle. My body convulses and I scream at the sight.

  “Who would do this? Oh dear god.” I cover my hands over my face. The sight of his suitcase will be forever ingrained in my memory. Blood, so much blood, all over all of his clothes, and there in the middle of it all, sits the diamond anklet I received from Heath.

  ***

  I wake in the middle of the bed, remembering nothing of how I got there. I try and think back, but my mind goes to the bloody suitcase and I decide I must have passed out from the sight. I look around and see Lola, her big brown eyes are staring down at me, tears raining down her stunning face.

  “Oh, honey.” She cradles me in her arms and I cry. I cry for a long time. It’s hitting me hard and I don’t know what to do, what to feel, or what to even think. She rubs my back, holding me and soothing me like only a best friend can. I’ve never been afraid for my life before. Not once, but now the fear is real. All types of circumstances set up in my head, playing out my potential murder. Waking used to be so fun and adventurous, now all I want to do is succumb to sleep and dream of anything, but what I saw today. The reality of it is too much. Someone wants me dead!

  “The police are gone, honey,” Lola whispers into my hair.

  “And Camden?” I squeak out through a fit of tears.

  “He was in here a few minutes ago. I think he’s still trying to find Heath.”

  I bolt up in bed, shaking my head violently. “It’s him. I know it is. It’s Heath. Camden wants me to trust him, but I know it’s him. He wants me dead, Lola. He hates me for some reason and he’s going to drive me crazy before he kills me. I know it. You… you have to help me! Get me out of here.” I start to hyperventilate, my chest squeezing tightly.

  “Luca, stop this right the fuck now.”

  I swallow from her harsh sound. My head continuing to shake. I can’t stop. It’s true. He wants me dead.

  “The man you claim to be falling in love with is down there freaking out just as much as you are. He’s worried sick over you. He’s put out an APB on his friend, whom he’s also worried about. They are running the blood to see if it matches anyone in the system. Pull your shit together and fight, god damn it. Whoever is doing this to you will not win unless you let them. I cannot begin to imagine what it feels like to be you right now, but what I do know is YOU.”

  She taps my chest with her bony little finger. “You are one of the strongest women I know. Whoever is doing this is a weak fucker. Their head has been dislodged from their inhuman body. The Luca I know has every right to be scared and freaked out, but sweetheart, if you don’t get a damn grip, then I’m walking down to the drugstore and buying you a pair of those big girl panties and putting those fuckers on you.” Lola Anderson’s face is blotched red, raw from her tears. I’ve never heard nor seen her say anything short of funny in all the years I’ve known her, yet here she is, trying to keep me afloat. Granted, she did add on the panties bit to the end of her big girl speech, which lowers her level of seriousness. If my life wasn’t so fucking whacked out, I would most likely be rolling on the floor laughing my ass off right now at her comment.

  “You’re right,” I concede.

  “Oh, I know I’m right. The two of you need each other. I need you. Mitch and Leo need you. Colin needs you and even though you feel like shit about Annie right now, she needs you too. Which reminds me, you haven’t told your mom and dad about this, have you?” Her face screwing into a fretted gape.

  “God no,” I say through the last bit of tears. If they knew, they would be up here in a heartbeat. If they were here, they would get all the details. That can never happen. Ever.”

  “Thank Christ,” she whispers.

  “Hey. How you feeling?” Camden asks, leaning against the door frame.

  I’ve never been in love before. I never thought I needed it until this beautiful, caring man re-entered my fucked up life. Now that he’s standing in the doorway of this room, with a sheepish troublesome expression on his face, I realize I love him. At twenty-eight years old, my life was complete the minute I heard his voice again. I don’t want to be without him. I want to hear that incredible voice every morning when we wake. I want to love this man with the heart I know I have. This amazing man is mine, and for him I will fight whoever is trying to do away with me and do everything I can to make sure they don’t destroy Camden in the process.

  SEVENTEEN

  My sweet man is slumped over his computer with a tumbler of dark liquid in his hand. He makes no movement. Just his deep, brooding dark stare at his screen. Heath’s piercing eyes cryptically penetrating through the screen. The smile on his face is genuine, with his arm casually slung over Camden’s shoulder; the two of them standing in front of the building housing Heath’s restaurant.

  Camden looks happy, proud even. Not today though. Today I can feel his pain radiating off of him, smacking me hard right in the face. This is all my fault for reasons I don’t quite understand.

  I spent more time in the shower assessing this entire catastrophic turn of events after seeing the bracelet Heath gave me coated in blood, than I did trying to scrub the filth and disgust from my weekend with that deranged man off of my body. When Camden came to check on me, I could see in every characteristic of his handsome features that he now believes Heath is behind this. It broke my heart and shredded me to the point I wanted to chase all of these demons away, to tell him Heath would be caught. My ability to speak flew out the window when Camden apologized, blaming himself for Heath’s actions. The words were on the tip of my tongue, ready to tell him it’s not his fault, it’s mine. Instead, I stood there rendered speechless, like I’d been punched in my throat when the reality that we both blame ourselves for this, yet it’s neither of our faults.

  “Hey.” I place my hand on his back. He turns and greets me with a diluted smile that kills me to see. Even still, he’s so outrageously handsome with his unruly hair and his face unshaven.

  “Hey gorgeous.” He pulls me into him and kisses me. “Feeling better?”

  “Somewhat.” Unstable on my own two feet, I sit myself in his lap. “You smell so good.” He runs his fingers through my semi-dry hair.

  Thankfully to Lola went shopping for me while I was passed out buying all of my favorite things, including clothes and my favorite brown sugar body polish.

  Treading lightly I say, “I take it there is no word on his whereabouts?” I lift my chin toward the computer, letting him know I am referring to Heath.

  “None. I’ve called every contact I can think of. Every employee. No one has heard from him at all. This isn’t the Heath I know.” His gaze travels to the floor.

  “Tell me about him? How did the two of you meet?” I hope that by asking, I can help him latch onto something good, to put a true smile on his face.

  “That seems like a lifetime ago.” If the memories of the Heath he knows brings the happy man back to me, even for a little while, I will feel as though I’ve protected him in some small way. I know it makes no sense, because after her tells me, all of our problems will still linger. We will still have reality to face. I look at Camden, here with me. He’s chosen to be with me, in spite of the fact it really is my fault. None of this would be happening if I wouldn’t have spent that weekend with Heath, pretending to be another woman. Both of me I despise right now. Especially my true self.

  “He and his mother moved in next door to us when I was fifteen. He was three at the time. An absolute little shit.” Camden chuckles. “He grew on me right away. When I turned sixteen, my parents bought me a car and Heath was this little terror who use to zoom around on his ninja bike, up and down the sidewalk, constantly smashing into the side of my car. I couldn’t wait to have that car. A dark blue Camaro decked out with badass speakers and a killer stereo. I thought for sure it was the coolest chick magnet car around.”

  “And was it?” The thought of a y
oung high school Camden driving a muscle car around was developing in my mind. I wished I had known him then.

  “Oh it definitely was. Especially when I went to open the door for those chicks and had to explain every single time about the big dent in the side of the door.” He chuckles. “The same dent I didn’t have the heart to fix because my little buddy the terror put it there. He looked up to me, Luca. This little boy whose dad took off on his mother the moment he found out she was pregnant. We became close. Even when I left for college, I always found the time to let Heath know how much he meant to me. I would write him and even though he could barely read, I knew his mom, Maggie, would read it to him. The first thing I did, whenever I came home, was to go get him and see how much he had grown while I was gone. I adored that kid. We never steered away from the bond the two of us had. I even invested in his restaurant. I helped him make his dreams come true and when it took off like I knew it would, he paid me back every penny within two years. And now? Fuck.” He rakes his hands through his hair. He needs answers from Heath. Maybe more so than I do.

  “I’m so sorry, baby.” My shaky hands curl around his neck.

  “I’m sorry too, Luca. I really am. You’re the only thing that’s holding me together.”

  “His mom?” Is all I say, hoping he picks up on what I’m trying to ask.

  “She’s married and lives in California still and no, I haven’t called her. Heath’s not there. He may be behind all of this, but he loves her. There’s no way in hell would he drag her into it. I won’t worry her unless I absolutely have to.” I wonder what he means by that, but I don’t ask. I’m so tired. I just want to curl up in bed next to him and sleep this horrible day away to start fresh tomorrow. I still have to call my co-workers and explain the latest news to them. Hell, unless Mitch has talked to Leo and Annie, they still don’t know they cannot go to the office when they return home the day after tomorrow. The cops have my phone, so no one can reach me. Mitch knows where I am, even though Camden told me not to tell him, I did.

  “Are you hungry? You haven’t ate a thing all day.”

  I shake my head. Currently the thought of food was making me cringe. “Let’s go to bed. Lola’s already in one of the rooms down the hall.”

  He gifts me with a true Camden smile in response. We stand together, heading toward the bedroom. “I’m going to shower and then I’ll join you,” he tells me as we retreat down the hall.

  I slip out of my jeans and shirt, placing them on the chair where Camden left my clothes earlier. I tear off the tags of the silk camisole Lola bought me and climb into the king size bed. Rolling over onto my side of the bed, the darkness seeps in through the floor to ceiling windows. I try to stay awake so I can fall asleep in his arms, but my eyelids flutter. It’s no use. I’m out not even two minutes after my head lays on the pillow.

  I’m freezing. It’s cold, dark, damp, and that smell is rancid. What is that pungent over-powering smell? I try screaming for help, but I can’t. Something is holding me back. My throat is dry.

  “Help.” My voice is muffled. Oh god no. I’m gagged. Somehow, someone has taken me. I’ve been kidnapped. Camden? Where is he? What have they done with him? He was in the shower. And Lola, where is she? The vomit comes up, spewing out of the corners of my mouth. I’m going to drown in it, dying in this place.

  I have to get out of here. I try to move my hands and legs, but they won’t budge. Tears fall freely from my eyes. I tug against the restraints that have my arms lifted above my head. The clinking of chains rattle. I will not give up. I won’t. I have to fight. It’s so dark. I’m unable to see a thing.

  And oh god, my legs. I can barely feel them. The only thing I can sense is how I feel like I’m being split in two. Slowly being ripped in half starting from the pain radiating from my core.

  My cries are muffled through the gag in my mouth. No one can hear me. I’m being strung up and torn apart. God, please help me. It’s so cold. My body is numb. Even though I cannot see my breath, I know the air expiring from my lungs trundles through the frosty air in small little puffs.

  Will I perish to my death from these cold temps and not the other torture? The blasting of freezing cold air whispers across my bare flesh. I’m naked. I can tell as the air hits me. Every part of me is strung up tightly. Freezing right down to my bones, I’m scared. I don’t want to die. Not like this. I have to believe with everything in me; the love, the history that Heath and Camden share that my man is still alive, searching with everything he has to find me. I know Heath has me. I feel him near.

  I hear the click of a lock being turned, followed by the creak of a door opening before a blinding light in my eyes stings and alerts me all at once. My head snaps to the sound of shoes tapping across the floor.

  “You’re awake I see.” Heath appears before me, his eyes viciously iced over. My eyes bug out of my head, watching him stand there in front of me. I try to talk, my words incomprehensible. “What was that?” He pulls the gag out of my mouth, before placing his hand up against his ear. Vomit drips down my face. I’m dry heaving from the smell of my own puke combined with the intense smell of the room.

  I don’t speak, instead I look around and scream when I notice I’m being held in a freezer. Dead chickens are everywhere, hanging from the ceiling. Their beady little eyes watching me. Their little necks broken, hanging on hooks. Hundreds of them staring, gaping in shocked horror.

  “What?” He hold his hands out wide. “You loved my chicken the night I fucked you on my table. Or was that a lie? Like every other word that came out of that pretty mouth of yours?” He grips me by my chin, forcing me to look at him. “You answer me when I ask you a question. It’s the polite thing to do, Lucia.”

  I shake my head and spit in his face. “My name is Luca, you bastard.”

  That remark gets me a back hand across my face.

  “No. You’re Lucia. Take a look at yourself. Isn’t this the kind of games you like to play?”

  Again, I don’t speak. I look down to the pain ripping my body in half, blood dripping on the floor. I really am being spilt in half. My legs are spread wide in a sex swing. I’m strung out so tight it’s slashing me apart.

  “That’s right,” he says maliciously. “Your slowly going to bleed to death right from the part of your body that has used so many men, taunting us all with how wet and tight your pussy is, before leaving us wanting and begging for more. You’re nothing but a selfish whore. You think by taking jewels and gowns that doesn’t make a whore? News flash, sweetheart, it makes you worse than a whore. It makes you a heartless cunt. A bitch so into herself. There’s one more thing you need to know before I leave you here to die.” He walks to the other side of the room. Slipping off his shoes, he unbuckles his belt, before the loud sound of his zipper coming down has me crying. Is he going to rape me? Oh god no.

  Heath turns, holding his heavy cock in his hands. Stroking it rapidly. The sound of his hand slamming away as he sucks in a deep breath is the only thing I can hear. His devil like eyes bore holes into mine.

  He lifts a hand and pushes a button on the wall. My body starts to descend inch by excruciating inch, my legs spreading wider. I scream from the pain, as bones snap from where my legs connect to my pelvis.

  “What are you doing?” I yell out in agony. Tears are streaming down my face, but I refuse to take my eyes off of him, until he moves to stand behind me and I can no longer see him.

  “I’m going to fuck you in your ass, Lucia. Raw and hard.” His fingers dig into my sides.

  “You’ve become the queen of manipulation, deceit, and disgust. You’ve dug your claws into my best friend, my brother. And you will not take him away from me. He deserves better than you. He had it before. He had the sweet love of a beautiful woman until some drunk fucker took her away from him. And now he’s obsessed with a god damned whoring slut, who spreads her legs for gold and silver, making them want more, before disappearing back to her sweet little home in Chicago. Her life of a bitch in heels
. Luca is the fake women, not Lucia. No, Lucia is very much real. She’s the woman you were meant to be. You’re filth. Tainted. And I’m the man who is going to drain every bit of that dirty, soiled filth out of you. I’ll watch you bleed to death, your heart slowly disintegrating, working hard to keep the blood in your body. You’re going to die today, Lucia.

  “Why are you doing this, Heath? What have you done to Camden and Lola? Where are they?” I’m shaking in fear, anger, and from the cold. “Answer me, god damn it. Where are they?” I don’t give a shit what he does to me anymore. I am a whore. I’m everything he says I am, but one thing I’m not is heartless. I love people. I love Camden, Mitch, Leo, and Annie. I love my dear friend, Colin. My best friend, Lola. My parents. I love them all!

  “Answer me. Are Camden and Lola alive?” I feel my body giving up, becoming weaker by the second. I feel every rip, every tear. My legs feel like they are being torn from my body.

  “They’re fucking dead.” He brings one of the hooks used for hanging chickens around my neck, blood drips off the tip.

  I scream just as I feel that dreaded hook scrape across the base of my throat.

  “Jesus Christ, Luca wake up.”

  I lash out, hitting something hard. Sweat drips down my face.

  Camden looks down at me and sighs, his hands clasped together behind his neck. His face is etched with worry.

  “Camden,” I whisper, sitting up in bed.

  “God baby, you scared the fucking hell out of me when I heard you screaming. I walked out here and you were thrashing around in the bed. All you kept saying was my name.” The bed dips when he sits next to me, pulling me onto his lap, into his arms. His warm, still alive arms.

  “It was horrible. The worst nightmare. I all felt so real.” Squeezing my eyes shut, I can’t seem to get the look of Heath’s tormented face out of my head. The sight of all those dead chickens. Sadistic and twisted.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks, reassurance enunciating from his lips.