Bound by the Past (16 page)

She nodded. “Jon is different now. With you, it’s like he’s… I don’t know how to describe it. I would have said we were happy together before you came, but now I can see that
he
wasn’t. Not really.”

“All I’m asking for is time. Time for us to get to know each other. Time for us to see if you and I can turn this sexual attraction into something a bit deeper.”

She fell quiet for so long, Night was afraid she was going to reject his suit. He knew he was asking her to step outside her comfort zone. Hell, he was asking her to move a million miles away from her comfort zone. Perhaps it had been too soon to bring up this discussion. Clearly, what Carly suspected she was doing with Jon and Night had nothing to do with commitment or relationships and more to do with fantasies.

“I’d like to get to know you better,” she said finally.

Night smiled and could swear he felt his heart start to beat again, unaware of the fact he’d stopped living, waiting for her answer.

“Good. Now, why are you still dressed?”

Carly giggled and he rose to stand, pulling her up beside him and grasping her in his tight embrace. He held on to her as if his life depended upon keeping her in his arms. The moment that idea flashed in his mind, it got stuck there and grew roots.

Regardless of the brevity of their acquaintance, something in his gut told him Carly was the one who could bring him out of the constant dark night that had surrounded him his entire life. She was the sun, and for the first time in his life, he felt warm.

Carly pulled back and looked at Night’s face, familiar despite the newness of their friendship. She was staggered by his request for time because in the back of her mind, she’d feared his presence here would only last as long as the case did.

She was still trying to find her way around the unfamiliar skin she was suddenly living in. After spending a decade merely sleepwalking her way through day-to-day routines, she felt exhilarated and alive for the first time in her life.

Jon had brought her such happiness during their friendship and that bliss had tripled when they’d become lovers. The addition of Night to their newfound relationship hadn’t strained it—as Carly would have expected—but instead added another layer, another dimension of completion. The word
perfect
flashed in her mind. This past weekend had been perfect. It was as if Carly’s eyes had been opened to a whole new world. She was more than willing to change her previous notions about relationships and sex if it meant she could spend more time in Jon’s and Night’s arms.

She reached up on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on Night’s cheek, flooded with the now-familiar giddiness that pervaded her spirit when she was with these men.

“I’ll get undressed if you will,” she whispered.

Night grinned. “Race ya. Loser has to do whatever the winner says.”

As they both struggled to pull their clothing off, they bumped heads and Night fell over in his hurry to strip off his jeans. In the end, they declared it a draw as both of them fell apart laughing on the floor. When at last they came together, Carly was blown away by the gentleness of Night’s lovemaking.

Lovemaking. That was all it could be called. He caressed and petted and touched her as if she was his most treasured possession. As her orgasm flowed through her, Carly fought back the tears of joy flooding her eyes.

Perfect.

The phone ringing jarred Night from his stupor. Glancing around the room, he caught sight of the clock. It was three a.m.
Who the fuck calls in the middle of the night?
He tried to grab the damn thing to stop the shrill sound, but he found himself buried under five feet, six inches of voluptuous brunette.

He grinned. Carly hadn’t so much as stirred at the sound of the phone. No doubt they’d thoroughly exhausted the poor girl this past week. Then he considered the aches and pains in his own muscles. Shit, even his dick was sore. Maybe it was Carly who’d worn
them
out.

“Who the fuck calls in the middle of the night?”

He smiled at Jon’s comment.

Jon seemed freer to move and he reached over to grab the phone. “What?” he barked into the receiver.

Night’s smile died as he watched Jon go still as a stone. “Cassandra?” he whispered and his heart plummeted when Jon nodded.

“I’m still here. It’s just a surprise to hear from you.”

Night gave him an encouraging nod. Luckily Jon’s voice wasn’t betraying the outright shock Night could see taking over his body.

“You are? Back on Olson Mountain. I didn’t realize you’d come back. I have to admit I’m surprised.” Jon paused. Night was impatient to hear the other side of the conversation. He wondered if, despite all his big talk about revenge, he would have been able to speak so rationally and calmly. Even now, simply knowing she was on the other end of the line, he felt an irrational impulse to grab the phone out of Jon’s hands and tell Cassandra Walker exactly what he thought of her.

“I…well, I’m not sure a visit is such a good idea, Cassandra. It’s been a long time.”

Night slowly unwrapped Carly’s arms and legs from around his body. The last thing they needed was for her to wake, but Jon was screwing up. Sweet God, what if she never called
him
? What if she only wanted her son back? Regardless of her so-called maternal interest in him, he’d never considered Cassandra his adopted mother, aunt, guardian—anything.

“Night is staying here right now.” A pause before Jon responded to something Cassandra said. “Yeah, he had a bit of trouble with the law and I convinced him to come live with me for a while.”

She was asking about him. He felt like punching a victorious fist in the air. He would have his chance, his turn for revenge. Jon had found the evidence that bought their freedom last time. It was Jon’s sealed testimony that had put Rex behind bars. Night hadn’t contributed anything to the downfall of the cult and his father, but this time things would be different. This time, he would be the one to see Cassandra punished for her crimes. He pulled on a pair of jeans he grabbed off the floor.

“I can mention it to him. Is there a number where we can reach you? I see. Well, maybe we’ll see you then. Okay. Goodbye.”

Jon hung up the phone but otherwise remained motionless. Night walked around the bed. “Downstairs,” he whispered in Jon’s ear.

Jon nodded, pulling on his own pants and following him to the kitchen. Mercifully, Carly didn’t stir during their departure.

Night grabbed two beers from the fridge and sat down across the kitchen table from Jon. “Well?”

“She wants us to come see her. She claims she’s been keeping tabs on us over the years. Says she feels terrible about abandoning us and was hoping to make amends for the past.”

“Lying, conniving bitch.” He spat the words out then took a long swig of beer.

“Jesus, Night. She sounded exactly the same. Her voice, it was exactly the same. I thought…shit, I
hoped
I’d never hear my mother’s voice again.”

Jon was obviously as shaken as he felt. “When?”

“What?”

“When does she want us to come see her? I could tell by your response she wouldn’t give you a phone number. So when?”

“Week from today. She claims she has a business proposition for us. She was insistent that I bring you. She wants both of us to come—together.”

“A proposition. So it sounds as if the game is in motion.”

Jon shrugged. “She knew I was a teacher and she knew about your legal troubles. It was like Reilly said.”

“Speaking of Reilly, we need to call him. Let him know we’re making our move. We have to get a female agent on that compound—now.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Night watched as Jon stood quickly, nearly knocking over his beer in the process. “How many times do I have to tell you, Night? I’m not going back there.”

“But Jon, she asked for both of us. Dammit, man. We have a real chance to see her pay for her crimes. How can you walk away from this?”

“I’ve moved on. I have the life I want. A good job, a house, Carly. You’re a part of all that now too. How can you risk everything we’ve just gained?”

Night ran his hand through his hair, frustration rife in every part of his body. He could understand the truth behind his friend’s words. He’d lived his entire life with nothing to lose and no way to make amends for the past. Now that his revenge was at hand, there suddenly seemed to be too much to risk.

“I don’t know, Jon. I don’t want to fuck things up with Carly, but Christ, man. I can’t let Cassandra get away this time. She’s hurting innocent girls, I know it.”

Jon dropped back into his chair. Night wondered how they could have fallen so far so fast. Only a few hours ago they’d been on top of the world, loving Carly, no worries, no pain. As always, Cassandra managed to pull the rug out from under them and leave them writhing—helpless and broken on the floor.

“If you go back there and Cassandra’s proposal is what we suspect, are you really willing to play along with her game in order to get the evidence you need? Are you prepared to do what it takes? Reilly can’t get a woman on that compound. He’s tried. Which means you’ll have to take one of the women already there. Think about that. I’ve lived for fifteen years with the knowledge that I took Sarah against her will. I won’t do that to another woman. Ever.”

“You didn’t have a choice. Rex was threatening to kill her.”

“That’s right and I’m still haunted by it. It was nearly two years before I could go to sleep without seeing her face in my dreams. What excuse will
you
have? There won’t be anyone holding a knife to the woman’s throat. How will you live with yourself if Cassandra orders you into that training room and it’s seventeen-year-old Trisha Jackson tied to the table?”

Night slammed his beer bottle down and crossed the room to look out the kitchen window into the black night. Years of plotting and planning his revenge were withering right before his eyes. He wouldn’t hurt that young girl. He knew he wouldn’t.

“You won’t have to live with it. If it comes to that,
I’ll
be tied to the table.”

Night’s horrified gaze caught sight of Carly’s reflection in the window. She was standing in the doorway, dressed in his T-shirt.

Night watched his friend turn to face her. He caught a glimpse of the pain in Jon’s face before he lost sight of it.

“Carly.” Jon’s voice caught on her name, fear of what she’d heard evident in his tone.

Then something clicked in Night’s brain.

She knew.

I’ll be tied to the table
, she’d said. Reilly had gotten to her. Christ, how much had he told her? Did she know about their role in the cult? Did she know about Sarah? About how she’d died?

“Like hell you will be.” Night turned to face her too, and from her expression, he could see she’d made up her mind.

“Night, if you’re going up there, you can be damn sure I am too.”

He saw Jon’s expression change as enlightenment dawned on him as well. “I’m going to kill Reilly. How much did he tell you?”

She didn’t flinch at Jon’s harsh tone. “Everything. What he didn’t tell me, I just overheard. Who was Sarah?”

Night watched Jon go pale at the mention of her name. Jon would never be able to say the words she was asking to hear, so Night answered her question. “Jon’s first love. My father slit her throat the night we escaped from the compound.”

Tears gathered in her eyes. Jon muttered a curse before continuing the horrible tale. “He killed her right before my eyes, Carly. Do you honestly think I’m going to let the same thing happen to you? You aren’t going anywhere near that fucking mountain and I don’t care if I have to chain you to the bed and throw away the key to make sure of that fact.”

Night closed his eyes and took a deep breath. One of them needed to keep a level head if they hoped to persuade her to change her mind. During the week he’d spent with her, Night had learned she was not only beautiful and intelligent, but she was stubborn as hell. He walked across the room and took her hands in his. “Now that you know everything, you must understand why we would never let you go up there. Carly, it’s too damn dangerous.”

“You’ll be there to protect me. Both of you.”

Jon growled. “I’m not going back to the mountain, and neither one of you is either, so this discussion is at an end.”

She laughed off Jon’s words and Night grimaced. His friend wouldn’t take that response well. “Jon, just because I let you two boss me around in the bedroom does not mean you’re going to have absolute control of my life. I figure you’ve spent enough time looking over your shoulder, waiting for your mother to come back again. Let’s go take care of this. Get Reilly the evidence he needs to put the bitch in jail so we can get on with our lives. Start making plans for the future.”

She reached out. Grasping Night’s hand in her left, she took Jon’s in her right.

Night could see the residual fear in her eyes that they would deny her any future with them. Regardless of how much they told her they adored her, she still struggled to truly believe the words. Jon had told Night a little bit about her failed marriage and Carly’s issues with self-esteem. Night hated the idea that she was actually questioning that they might have a future together, but he knew only time would address that fear.

Most of all though, Night rejected with every ounce of his being the idea of putting her life in danger just to lay the demons of his past to rest.

“Please, Beauty, you have to understand. This isn’t as simple as walking in and peeking around in a few drawers. Cassandra didn’t remain a free woman this many years by sheer luck. She’s smart and she’s dangerous. We’ll be expected to earn her trust, prove our loyalty, and that will take some time if we can’t find the evidence we need right away.”

“Time I can buy you. Jon, you said it yourself. Cassandra wants you there to train the women. We know she’s operating a prostitution ring. I can give you the time you need to find your incriminating evidence. Think about it. What would happen if you had a troublesome slave? One who refused to bow to your commands?”