Next to Always: Shattered Innocence Trilogy Book Two (32 page)

Pushing the pictures aside, Dylan picked up the manila envelope. Shaking it, some more items spilled out. There were three receipts. As Dylan looked at them, she recognized the store; it was from the jeweler she visited when she inquired about the charms. There was also a key inside. Looking at it, she knew it must belong to a safe deposit box, only she wasn’t sure where. Putting everything back in the envelope except the key, she went to Peter to let him know what she found. The only thing she didn’t tell him about was the key.

Richard told her that they knew that Alex and David Wu might be one and the same. With the credit card receipts with David Wu’s name and signature on them, she was pretty sure he was right. This only confirmed his suspicion more. The only thing that bothered Dylan was why.
Why would Alex threaten her like he did with the charms? Maybe Chloe was the mastermind behind it, but why? How did Alex and Chloe meet? What could have brought them together
?

Dylan held out the envelope to Peter. Trying to get his attention, she began shaking it frantically in front of his face, making him move his eyes from the magazine he was reading.

“You need to look at this, Peter. Every thing Richard said about Alex was right. I think he is David Wu. I think he and Chloe are in cahoots together too,” Dylan said as Peter took the envelope from her.

“Where did you get this, Dylan?” Peter asked as he opened the envelope and scanned the contents.

“It was under the drawer divider in Alex’s desk,” she stated. “He was following us, Peter. Everywhere we went, he was there taking pictures of us.”

“We need to get these to Richard. Did you find anything else in his desk?” Peter questioned.

Without hesitation Dylan said, “No, nothing,” clutching her purse to her side, knowing she held on to what could be the key to all this madness.

Peter called Richard and explained to him what Dylan had found. Richard instructed Peter to take Dylan back to the penthouse, not letting her out of his sight. Once in the parking garage, Peter parked the car and escorted Dylan to the penthouse. He did exactly what Richard instructed and didn’t leave Dylan’s side. It was only when Dylan told him of her plans to take a long hot bath that he left her alone, but even then he still kept his sights on the bathroom door.

When Dylan finally emerged from the bathroom, she was startled to see that Peter had taken his place in an armchair that was positioned in the corner of the room. Dylan was thankful that she opted to put on the silk robe that was left hanging on the bathroom door.

“Holy crap on a cracker, you scared the shit out of me, Peter," Dylan said as she placed her hand on her chest.

“Sorry Dylan. I was given instructions to stay close to you,” Peter admitted.

“You couldn’t have waited outside the bedroom door?” Dylan asked.

“I thought this was better than going inside the bathroom with you. It may have put you in an uncomfortable position,” Peter said with a grin. Even though he was dating Lilly and cared for her, he was still a man.

Dylan tightened the sash on her robe and walked out of her room, leaving Peter to his thoughts. She knew exactly what he was thinking.
“Men,”
she said to herself rolling her eyes at their neanderthal tendencies.

Reaching the kitchen, Dylan thought Peter might be hungry. After all, being as large as he was, she was sure he didn’t feast on carrot sticks all day. She couldn’t eat anything the way her nerves were going.. Checking the fridge, Dylan pulled out a tray of baked chicken that Maria must have cooked for Rade, plus lettuce and vegetables to make a healthy salad. She spotted a small loaf of Italian bread to go with dinner as well. It didn’t take long for her to prepare dinner, aside from making a salad and some brown rice to go with the chicken. Peter was already in the kitchen, sitting at one of the barstools, as Dylan finished preparing their meal.

Peter decided to make himself useful by pulling some plates and wine glasses from the cupboard. There was a bottle of white wine chilling in the fridge, which Dylan asked Peter to open. The conversation during dinner was light as they enjoyed their meal.

“So, Peter,” Dylan began, “When is the big date set?”

Coughing from the slight misdirection of his wine, Peter wasn’t expecting such a blunt question. He knew exactly what she was referring to. “Wow, that came out of nowhere,” Peter said surprised.

“Yeah, well, no sense in beating around the bush,” Dylan admitted as she popped a cherry tomato in her mouth. She was curious about Peter’s intentions with her best friend. The last thing she wanted was for Lilly to get hurt. Not to mention it would get her mind off of what was happening with Rade.

“Yeah, well, we’ve only known each other for a short time, so making wedding plans isn’t even on the table at this point,” Peter justified.

“But you care for her, right?” Dylan asked.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Peter acknowledged. “Can we not talk about my relationship with Lilly?”

“Sure,” Dylan agreed.

No more was mentioned about Lilly or Peter’s relationship with her. Peter took his seat in front of the television while Dylan cleaned up the rest of their dishes. When she finished, she told Peter that she was going to bed. She couldn’t bring herself to go to Rade’s room where she spent most of her nights; instead she went to her old room. It was there that she cried herself to sleep.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Rade hoped his conversation yesterday with Richard was enough to let him know he was in trouble. He could only remember bits and pieces of what he said. Rade was surprised that Alex allowed him to even talk to Richard, at least before he drugged him again. He only wished he could give Richard a clue as to where he was, or at the very least where to check. It had been almost forty-eight hours since he was kidnapped. Sleeping was not a possibility in the chair he had been strapped to. He knew Alex was close by. Probably gathering more wood for the fire. Rade only wished he could loosen his restraints so he could get out of this hellhole. He had no chance once the drug took effect.

Chloe walked in the front door with more bags while Alex went into town to rent an additional car. Chloe thought it best they have their own transportation in case something unexpected happened and they had to leave. Taking a glance over her shoulder, she said. “You must be hungry, Rade. You didn’t eat anything last night or this morning,” Chloe said.

“Yeah,” Rade barely got out, feeling his head begin to go fuzzy.

“Okay, my pet. I’ll make you something.” Chloe said, brushing her hand across his cheek. She squeezed it firmly and planted a hard kiss on his lips. “You need a shower, darling, and then we are going to have some fun.”

After Chloe fed Rade, she wheeled him into the bathroom and tried to strip him of his clothes. Since Alex gave Rade a dose of his happy medicine, she was pretty sure he wouldn’t be going anywhere.

“I’m going to help you remove these nasty clothes. I’m then going to take really good care of you,” Chloe chuckled.

Rade was feeling very relaxed. He hadn’t a care in the world. So when Chloe began to untie him, he didn’t move. Even when she removed his clothing and playfully talked him into helping her by lifting his hips, he complied with no resistance. Chloe managed to get him undressed with no problem. She enjoyed putting her hands on every inch of his gorgeous body. She missed the feel of his smooth masculine skin under her hands. Every muscle in his body contracted as she glided her hands over the hard flesh. When she got to his shaft, she took special care to give it extra attention as she rubbed her soapy hand up and down his cock. Within minutes he was hard and ready for her. Unable to resist, she slowly undressed and climbed into the shower with him, placing her body across his lap. Slowly she positioned his cock as she lowered herself down. The only thing she regretted was Rade would have no memory of this. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she pumped her body up and down his hard shaft. He was so large, but her body was able to take all of him. Lowering her mouth, she kissed him tenderly on his lips. The kiss was sloppy, but she didn’t care, given his current state. All she wanted was to consume him. She was getting close to her release. Needing more, she pulled her hand from his shoulders and dipped it lower onto her clit. With her own wetness, she rubbed her finger up and down her swollen nub. “Oh God, Rade, you feel so good. I’m so close,” she panted. As her climax took over, she slowed her movements, feeling Rade spill his own seed inside her. Looking down at Rade, she was greeted with a smile showing his own release. “I love you,” he said. Chloe smiled at those three little words. Little did she know, those words were meant for Dylan.

Chloe got dressed and then dried off Rade. She wheeled him into the bedroom, she cleaned just for them. Still untied, she assisted him into the bed and restrained his arms to the headboard and his legs to the footboard. He looked delicious. Chloe finished up in the bathroom and crawled into bed beside him. Even though she wouldn’t feel his arms around her, she could still feel his body next to hers, so she placed her head on his chest and wrapped her leg over his. Pulling the sheet over them, sleep took over and she was out.

The next morning Rade woke to a pounding headache. The last thing he remembered was talking to Richard before Alex drugged him. He tried to sit up, but he couldn’t. Looking over his left and then his right, he saw that he was tied to the headboard. Looking down the bed, he also realized that he was naked. His only relief was that he was alone in the bed.

Alex walked in the room. “Good morning, asshole. It’s time for your daily dose of happiness,” he belted, not too happy seeing that Rade was naked as a jay bird.

“Get the fuck away from me,” Rade said as he pulled at his restraints.

It was no use, He couldn’t move. His head hurt like hell and he felt out of control. The clear liquid from the syringe entered his arm. His head quit pounding and he found his happy place.

Soon he heard the door open. “Don’t you look scrumptious,” Chloe said, swiping her tongue across her upper lip as she placed the tray holding his meal on the dresser. Chloe carefully undid Rade’s ankle restraints, first the right ankle and then the left, just enough to allow Rade to sit comfortably on the bed.

Chloe grabbed the tray she placed on the dresser and walked toward the bed. Setting the tray on the bed, she sat down close to him. Rade was now in a sitting position. Taking the coffee cup, she brought it to her lips and began blowing on the hot liquid. “Wouldn’t want to burn those incredible lips,” she said with a smile. She held the cup to Rade’s mouth, forcing Rade to take a swallow. Rade still felt like something was off. He just couldn’t remember anything. Chloe continued to feed him until he couldn’t take another bite. As he finished his last bite Chloe said, “I thought you might like to read the morning paper, so I picked up a copy just for you,” she said as she unfolded the newspaper to the front page. It was a community newspaper from Bethel, New York. He tried to focus on the paper. It was difficult, but he managed to read the headline,
Bethel Fire Department Annual Food Drive Brings in Thousands.
If he could remember anything, he had to remember this.

Chloe got up, taking the empty tray with her as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Rade could hear muffled voices coming from outside the bedroom door.

“What the fuck, Chloe? Are you crazy?” Alex cursed.

“Stop being so dramatic, Alex. He needed a shower, so I helped him out… well, that little Roofy helped him out, so I can't take all the credit,” Chloe giggled.

“Why is he naked then, Chloe? Did you fuck him?” Alex said, moving closer to her.

“Don’t get your briefs in a wad, pet. I just had a little fun. It meant nothing.” Chloe was lying through her teeth and she knew it. It meant everything to her to finally have Rade inside her.

“Well, I’m here now, how about you show me a little fun,” Alex insisted as he pulled Chloe into his body.

“Maybe later, pet. I need to get to town. There are some things I need to take care of,” Chloe said, giving Alex a quick peck on his lips while placing her hand over his crotch and squeezing firmly.

Alex returned to the bedroom later, none too happy seeing Rade was still sprawled out on the bed with all his naked glory exposed. Alex knew the drug would be wearing off soon. Walking to the side of the bed, Alex checked his restraints, making sure Rade wouldn’t be able to get away. He couldn’t help but notice Rade’s impressive cock, splayed erect, almost hitting his belly button. He quickly pulled the sheet over Rade’s length. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t enjoy taking him himself; he just couldn’t risk getting caught playing with Chloe’s new play toy.

Just as Alex was about to leave the room to grab the drug, Rade asked, “Why’d you do it, Alex, or should I call you David?”

Alex stopped in his tracks, turning to face Rade, knowing exactly what he was talking about. “She enjoyed every minute of it. She was so wet for me. My only regret was I didn’t fuck her right away. Maybe next time.”

“You son of a bitch,” Rade yelled. “I’ll kill you, motherfucker.”

Alex laughed as he turned and walked out of the room. If he could get away with it, Alex would have beat the crap out of him. Not giving a shit, Alex turned around and walked back into the bedroom where Rade lay helpless. Fisting his hand, he began inflicting punch after punch on Rade, first his face and then his ribs. When he thought Rade had enough, he spit in his face and said, “That’s what you get for calling me a motherfucker. Motherfucker. Not so tough.”