She's Not The Only One

“I wondered when I was going to hear from you.” Gregory’s voice is quieter than usual.

Nicholas sips his brandy. “Anything?”

“Lucas Dome didn’t return with the mayor or Mary.” He sighs. “We had a tail on them, but he only caught up with them at the airport. The mayor told the press that he and Mary were on a much-needed vacation from the media. They were at the TJ airport.”

“So, you have nothing?”

There’s a pause.

“She’s been handed over, Pierce. We believe she was bought and paid for and delivered to The American.” Gregory clears his throat. “Whatever you need.”

“Blackstone will be shipping out at twenty hundred. I want your team, Gregory. I want Eagle Eye.”

“Consider it done.”

“I need to make a trip to Texas too.”

“Candy?”

“Yeah, she knows a lot. I’ll do what I have to.”

“I agree.”

Nicholas slams back the rest of his drink and sends a text telling Blackstone they leave in sixty minutes. He closes his eyes and shifts into survival mode.

The house is quiet; everyone seems to be busy. He finds his mother in the kitchen stirring her tea and staring out the window. She turns when she hears his footsteps, and tears leak out of the corners of her eyes. Batting them away, she tries to be strong.

“She’s a fighter, Nicholas.”

“That she is.” He slumps onto the stool, feeling the world's weight falling around him.

His mother slides a comforting hand over his shoulder. “She thought she was doing the right thing. You can’t blame her for loving you too much.”

“I don’t.”

“It’s easy to walk into the lion’s den when you don’t know the lion is there.”

“Trust me, Mother; she knows he’s home now.”

“Pierce.” Edson’s voice makes his head snap up. Edson’s puffy eyes give more away than he’d probably like to let on. “Uhm, can I get you to look over the map?”

Nicholas nods and stands as he forces a smile at his mom and goes to walk by Edson.

Edson grabs his arm and hugs him, throwing Nicholas off. “I’m sorry,” Edson whispers in a sob, holding him tightly, “I’m so sorry, Nicholas.” Nicholas clings to his best friend, his brother, and finally lets out a little cry.

Eloise keeps her eyes closed, trying to hold the panic at bay. She started with Nicholas’s shaggy, silky hair, just long enough that she could get the perfect grip to haul him to her mouth.

His dark eyes, perfect nose, lips, and smile that…she jolted forward as the car stopped. She peered out the window and saw they were in the middle of nowhere, in front of two substantial wrought-iron gates.

She memorizes the make of the security system and carefully watches Pat punch 031523 into the keypad. The gates swung open and rolled forward down a long, dusty driveway.

The house strikes her as odd, though, as it looks like a home from Louisiana. It has two stories and is painted white with green shutters. There are six pillars in the front and two wrap-around balconies, one on top and one on the bottom.

Then it dawns on her this is her new prison. Sure, it’s a step up from the last one, but it’s still a prison.

Men with rifles scattered across the yard, and security cameras pointing in every direction. German shepherds on leads are sniffing the ground. One catches her scent and starts to growl as Pat holds the door open, watching her crumble, falling apart again. He moves to help her out carefully. He’s oddly gentle for such a big man.

He opens the door for her and nods at the butler and waitstaff. They quickly scurry out of sight. Pat leads her upstairs to a bedroom immediately to the left. He tells her it’s her room and that anything she needs will be in the bathroom.

She thought back to what The American said. Make sure she’s ready for him. She froze, stuck mid-step.

“I can’t do this, Pat.” She started to shake. “Please, please get me out of here!” She turned to him with pleading eyes. “I don’t belong here. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want that man touching me…”

Pat reaches for her elbow, pulling her across the room and into the bathroom. He closes the door and holds a finger up to his mouth, urging her to be quiet.

He leans in close, making her stiffen. “Cry,” he whispers, looking back into her eyes with a strange expression. “When he goes to touch you, cry and say no. He won’t be able to do it. Landon is one evil fucker, but the one thing he won’t do is touch a woman against her will.”

She blinked a few times and tried to absorb what he just said.

Landon?

The American’s name is Landon. “Why?” She struggled to get her thoughts in order. “Why in the hell would he bring me here? Does he think I would let him sleep with me?”

Pat shakes his head slowly and then checks his watch. “Landon is smart.” He taps his head. “Very, very smart. That’s why no one’s been able to touch him all these years. He’ll use mind games to control you; before you know it, he’ll get you into his bed. Landon can convince a priest to kill; he’s that good at manipulation.”

“Why does it sound like I’m not the first woman he’s had here?”

“You’re the sixth.”

“Sixth!” she hissed, only to have Pat’s huge hand wrapped around her mouth.

He closes his eyes like he’s regretting telling her anything. “Yes, you won’t be alone here in this house.”

Wait! Are the girls here?

“You can’t trust them, Eloise. They’re all brainwashed, and whatever you say to them, they will tell Landon, and you’ll be punished.” He drops his hand. “Punished in worse ways than when you were with Marc.”

Her eyes flickered with fear as she scanned the bathroom. “Pat, please tell me how to get out of here. I won’t last. I’ll end it now.”