Inseparable (17 page)

“You feel so good,” He gasped as he made his way inside of me. My hands, wrapped around his back, dug tightly into his skin, my nails drawing blood. “You’re amazing, Lil.”

“Ohh!” I gasped as he pushed his length deep inside of me. With one hand gripping my shoulder, the other massaging my breast, he rode me faster, harder.

“God, Lil, I’m gonna come,” he cried out. With one final thrust, I felt him empty inside of me. He slowed down, finally stopping, still inside of me.

“I love you,” He murmured softly as I snuggled into him, his arms enclosing me, stroking my arm.

Chapter Nineteen

The next morning, Dane and I woke early to get a start on tracking down this Eva woman.

Fraser had left us with his driver, Marco, a tall, rather scary looking man who never smiled. We stopped at the café opposite the hotel for breakfast to plan our attack. I looked over the menu, finally deciding on a breakfast with the works. Eggs, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and hash browns. I ignored Dane’s chuckle as I ordered from the waitress.

“And a coffee. Oh, and a juice,” I added, blushing. The waitress smiled and turned to Dane.

“And you?” She asked, batting her eyelashes. Her voice, which only a moment ago had been dull and bored, was now full of sugary sweetness as she gazed down at Dane. I fought back the urge to poke her skanky eyeballs out with my fork.

“Uh, blueberry pancakes, please. And a coffee,” he handed her the menu, looking uncomfortable with her attention. He turned his attention back to me, “what’s the matter Lil? You’re not jealous, are you?” He chuckled, raising his eyebrows.

“Of some slutty waitress?” I scoffed, “as if,” I grumbled, trying to push my jealously away. I hated seeing other girls swoon over my man, and I had seriously been resisting the urge to bitch slap her.

“So, what’s the plan? One thing’s for sure. If we show up in Brooklyn’s roughest neighbourhood in that,” I pointed outside to the shiny black Mercedes Marco was sitting in, “we are going to stick out like a sore thumb.”

Dane frowned. “I hadn’t thought about that,” he muttered, his brow furrowing in concentration. He reached for his phone.

“Hey, Reece. What kind of car do you drive?” Dane said, as I waited impatiently for the conversation to end. I was impressed, it hadn’t even occurred to me to call Reece for help, and knowing how Dane felt about Reece’s interest in me, I was sure this wasn’t easy for him.

“Perfect, dude. Look, would you be willing to swap your car for the use of a Merc and a driver all day?” Dane paused, a grin spreading across his face, “Hell yes I’m serious! Great. Text me your address and we will head over there.”

It turned out Reece lived in a townhouse on the edge of Brooklyn, in a relatively nice looking neighbourhood. I smiled when I saw the beat up old shit box parked outside his house. So long as it didn’t blow up with us strapped inside, it was perfect.

Reece walked outside, eyeing the Merc with a look of awe.

“I can see why you’d prefer my car, but I don’t know whether to be grateful at the chance to drive this baby, or insulted that you thought of me,” he joked. He smiled at me, his eyes lingering a moment too long.

Long enough for Dane to scowl at him.

“Thanks for this, man,” He said stiffly, putting his arm around me. I frowned at Dane, shuffling out of his embrace. I didn’t like feeling like I was someone’s property, and that’s exactly how he was making me feel right now. Reece eyed us both curiously, his smile widening at my apparent dislike for Dane’s actions.

Great, now Reece probably thought he had a chance with me.

“Well, have fun,” Reece threw the keys at Dane, “Let me know when you’re done with her.”

I knew he was talking about the car, but the way his words came out, I couldn’t help but feel they were also referring to me. Dane scowled next to me, as though he were having the same thoughts.

“Settle,” I said, my hand running over his back, “It’s fine. If it didn’t obviously wind you up, he’d probably stop doing it,” I couldn’t resist adding.

“Maybe if you stopped enjoying it he wouldn’t do it either,” Dane shot back. I glowered at him. Really? He went there?

“Give me one example of when I’ve encouraged him, Dane, just one,” I shot back, my arms crossed.

“Look, I’m sorry. The guy’s slimy, and I guess it annoys me that his seems to have a thing for you,” Dane said stiffly as he opened the driver door and climbed in, unlocking my door. I slid into my seat. My lip curled up as my feet crunched empty chip packets. This car was a mess.

“Fine, but how is it my fault the guy has a thing for me?” I grumbled.

“It’s not, and I’m sorry,” he reached for my hand. I glanced at him. He did look sorry.

“Fine. You better drive, or we might miss her,” I added, ready for this conversation to be over.

As we drove toward Brownsville, I pulled out my phone to text Kella. I knew her, and I knew meeting his parents was a huge, huge deal for her. I really hoped it went well.

Good luck today, Kel. You’ll rock it! Love Lil xx

Less than a minute into Brownsville, and I had never felt so happy to be in such a piece of shit car. This place was awful. In plain daylight, I could see kids peddling drugs, and hookers standing on a corner looked completely drug fucked. A man lay in a gutter, an empty bottle of whisky next to him. I wasn’t sure if he was passed out or dead, and I was not about to get out and check.

In the distance, sirens rang out, as did the sound of people shouting and screaming. Subconsciously, I leaned over and locked the door. I stole a look at Dane, wondering what he must be thinking. Was his sister here somewhere?

Dane followed my directions to Eva’s home. We pulled up outside what looked like a public housing complex, which looked no different to every other apartment complex on the block. In fact, the whole town looked like one giant public housing complex.

“What do we do now?” I asked nervously. Sitting in the car wasn’t an option, as any vehicle sitting outside this kind of area was going to arouse suspicion, especially when the residents were most likely paranoid about being watched.

“Well, I guess we pay Eva a visit,” Dane said, his voice sounding much more confident than he looked. I watched as a group of boys walked past, all looking to be in their early teens. All were yelling and swearing, two eventually getting into a fistfight, before being dragged away by their buddies.

“Let’s get this over with,” I mumbled, taking a deep breath. I waited until Dane was out of the car and around my side before I exited.

“This one,” He motioned toward a building. We quickly walked inside. The lift was broken, and looked as though it had been for quite a while. Even if it was working, I probably wouldn’t have used it.

Graffiti lined the walls. As we walked into the stairwell, the stench of urine was overpowering. More graffiti, and the odd used syringe littered the stairs. I walked carefully up each step, so as not to touch anything, especially not the hand rail.

“Thank god she lives on level one,” I muttered, my stomach churning. How could anyone live here? I was trying my hardest not to be judgemental, but the middle class girl in me was horrified that people had to live in these conditions. This was the best the government could come up with for people who needed help?

We exited the stairwell, finally able to breathe.

“Are you okay?” Dane took my hand and squeezed it. How was he so calm, and I was the mess?

“I’m fine,” I smiled. He smiled back, his eyes telling me he could see through my fake reassurance. I started off down the hall, “Number 145.”

The door I stood in front of possibly separated us from knowing where Steffy was. My heart was pounding as I went to knock on the door. Before I could make contact with the wood, Dane grabbed my hand.

“Give me a minute. I need a second,” He turned around, his hands clasped tightly behind his head. He was nervous now, and his skin had turned a shade of grey that made me worried he might throw up. Or pass out. Either would be bad.

“Dane. It will be okay,” I said, as I wrapped my arms around his waist, my thumb resting just under the hem of his jeans. He hugged me back.

“Fuck I love you, Lily. I love you so damn much,” He kissed me, then pulled away, heading for apartment 145. He knocked loudly. Silence, followed by the sound of footsteps rushing to the door.

The door cracked open, the safety chain still connected. A woman peeked through the gap, and not just any woman. It was her.

Eva Feluca.

“Yes?” She asked, suspicion and concern clouding her voice. Not that I blamed her. I’d be suspicious to anyone knocking on my door if I lived here too.

“Are you Eva? Eva Feluca?” Dane asked.

“Why? Who wants to know?” Her tone hardened, and I wondered just how much this woman was going to help. She didn’t exactly seem like the caring, sharing kind.

“A friend said you might be able to help me find my sister.”

“Sorry, I can’t help,” Eva shook her head, “even if I wanted to, I couldn’t help you, and honestly, what’s the point? So you can force your runaway sister back home only to have her end up back here within a year? Because that’s what happens,” She rasped, shutting the door.

Thinking fast (or not thinking at all), I wedged my foot in the door. She looked up at me, as If she were seeing me for the first time. She was angry, her brown eyes flashing.

“Honey get your fucking foot out of my door before I-”

“She wasn’t a runaway, Eva,” I cut in, my voice soft, “She was six when she was abducted ten years ago outside her home. For ten years, my boyfriend has thought his sister was dead. Raped. Murdered. Now he finds out she’s alive, but in trouble, and you’re ‘sorry’ you can’t help us?” I laughed incredulously, “Sorry, Eva, that’s not good enough.” I crossed my arms and held her gaze.

Eva hesitated. “What do you want from me?” She demanded. Angry. Frustrated.

“We just want a few minutes of your time. To talk. To see if you can help us. If not, then fine, we’ll be on our way,” I reasoned. Dane looked at me in admiration. When his hand touched my back, I knew he was proud of me. Hell, I was proud of me.

“You going to have to move your foot for me to let you in, honey,” Eva said, sarcasm dripping off her words.

I hesitated for a second, before pulling my foot back. The door slammed shut. I glanced at Dane. He shrugged. Neither of us knowing if she was going to open the door again. The door opened, Eva nodded at us.

“Come in, then,” she said.

We walked inside. She locked the door behind us and let us into the kitchen. I had to admit, I was shocked. Eva’s home was spotless. Everything in the place was meticulously clean, and neat. Everything had a place. While the furniture was by no means new, it was nice. The place looked homely.

“Not what you expected, right?” Eva smiled. Though it was so obviously her from the mug shot photo, she looked different. She looked clean, and aware.

A baby’s cry filled the room. “Have a seat, I will just be a second.” She rushed out of the room, leaving Dane and I alone.

“Wow,” I murmured under my breath. Dane nodded, raising his eyebrows as he looked around. Eva came back in the room, carrying a little girl. Her tiny face lit up when she saw Dane, who laughed. I got the feeling he liked the little girl’s fascination with him.

“She’s adorable,” I smiled.

“She’s my whole world,” Eva smiled, gently rocking the little girl on her knee, “Her name is Anabel. She’s almost two.” Anabel laughed, her little eyes fascinated by Dane’s smile.

“Such a pretty name,” I smiled.

“So, how can I help? What do you want to know?” The happiness evaporated from Eva’s expression. She looked wary and defensive. I could tell right away her guard was up, and chances of getting anywhere with her were pretty slim.

“Eva, my sister, Steffy, we think she might have been caught up in something. She was abducted when she was six. From our home. They caught the guy, or at least as far as the police were concerned he was the guy…” Dane looked down, fiddling with his fingers as he fought to find the right words.

“The man they caught, he confessed,” I rushed to help Dane, who was visibly upset, “but before they could find out from him where she was, he died.”

“What, you think I know where her body is?” Eva’s eyes widened as she shook her head, “look I may have been into some shady shit in my day, but murdering kids wasn’t one of them.”

“We don’t think you were involved,” I said quickly, trying to get control of the situation, “we just think maybe she was somehow involved in something you were…” My voice trailed off, along with any hope that she would help us. I struggled to think of something to say to fill the awkward silence hovering over us.

“A few years ago, I was involved in some prostitution,” Eva coughed, holding Anabel close to her, almost like a security blanket. Dane looked up. I could see the hope in his eyes.

God, please don’t let this lead to a dead end.

“I was working for...someone. Never actually met him, only his minions. I was living with six other girls who were also his,” she paused, her voice shaky, “they were his in every sense of the word. He owned them. Me, I was just caught up, trying to work off a drug debt.”

“He owned them?” I repeated, shocked. “Were they…Americans?” I asked cautiously.

Eva shot me a look. “You mean were they illegals?” She asked in her strong Mexican accent. I blushed. That had been exactly what I had meant, only I hadn’t wanted to offend her. “Most were Mexicans or Bolivians. He heard he had a few Americans, young girls. He would get more for them. It was one thing to sleep with an underage illegal, but a blue eyed blonde American? They were worth gold,” she laughed bitterly.

“You said young girls. How young are you talking?” I asked softly, positive I didn’t want to hear the answer. Dane sat next to me, his hands covering his face.

“Young. You don’t want me to say. Really,” her eyes were begging me, as they flickered between Dane and me. I felt sick, physically sick, like I was going to hurl.

“Eva, this guy, do you know his name?” I asked. Eva stood up.