Seven, eight ... Gonna stay up late (Rebekka Franck #4) (16 page)

"Good morning."

Allan opened his eyes slowly. Sebastian stood
next to the bed with a tray in his hands. Among the cups and plates was a rose
in a vase. Allan blinked, then sat up. Sebastian pulled the curtains apart and
the sun was hurting Allan's eyes.

"What's going on?" he asked, his heart
pounding.

"Breakfast in bed!" Sebastian chirped.

Allan stared at him. He felt a tick in his right
eye and tried to suppress it, but couldn't stop it. "You made
breakfast?" he asked shakily. "You didn't go down in the basement did
you?"

"No, silly. You keep that door locked.
Though I do from time to time wonder what you have down there, hidden from
me." Sebastian smiled viciously. "I keep imagining it’s a sex-swing
and chains from the ceiling. But that's just my imagination. Or maybe wishful
thinking, huh?" He laughed.

Sebastian stood naked in front of him and lifted
the tray in the air so Allan could see everything. "I made you breakfast
in bed. Thought it was about time I treated you for once. You always make such
wonderful meals for me. Let me give a little back. Plus I looked in your
calendar and realized it's actually a very special day today." Sebastian
put the tray in Allan's lap and then he leaned over and kissed his forehead.
"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday? I would have gotten you a
present."

Allan thought of the presents he had gotten for
himself. The three big ones in the basement. Then he lifted his head and looked
at Sebastian while smiling widely. This was going to be the best birthday ever.
He looked at the tray in his lap.

"I made pancakes, toasted bread, fruit and
I even found your favorite food in the refrigerator," he said and pointed
at a brown pâté on the plate.

Allan smiled again. "Foie gras," he
said.

"
De
canard
," Sebastian said in perfect French. "From duck. The
best you can get. With mustard seeds and green onions in
jus de canard.
Enjoy."

Allan chuckled while picking up a knife and a
piece of toast. Carefully he spread some of the foie gras on the bread.
The best you can get
, he repeated in his
head and opened his mouth widely to take a bite. Not exactly the best, he
thought as his teeth went through the smooth pâté and into the crunchy bread.
He closed his eyes while chewing. It was good, admitted it was very, very good.
Rich as it should be. But the one he was making was going to be better. Well it
was going to be
royale
, he
thought laughing to himself.

"So what do you want to do tonight?"
Sebastian asked.

Allan froze. He opened his eyes. Sebastian was
close to him, sitting on the edge of the bed, naked. Too close, Allan thought.
All he could think of was how to get him out of the house today so he could get
to work with all the fun he had planned for himself for this day.

"What do you mean?" Allan asked.

Sebastian shrugged. "We should celebrate,
shouldn't we? Have a fabulous party, invite anyone who
is
somebody."

At first Allan didn't care much for the idea,
but after a few seconds he changed his mind. It did sound kind of fun. Plus he
would never be able to eat all the food he was going to prepare on his own.
There was going to be enough for an entire army.

He smiled. "You know what? That sounds like
a wonderful idea."

Sebastian clapped his hands eagerly.

"But on one condition," he said.

"And that is?"

"You let me cook the food."

Sebastian gesticulated widely. "Sounds
perfect to me."

"And make sure you invite Prince
Christopher and his beautiful wife. He is a close personal friend of yours,
right?"

Sebastian looked at Allan. "He is. But you
do know that their daughter has disappeared and that they think she has been
kidnapped, right? I hardly think they'll have the time. Or would want to go to
a party."

"Call him and tell him who the party is
for. Tell him Allan 'the Greenlander' wants to see him. Tell him it's vital
that he comes. He'll be here. He wouldn't dare not to."

"What do you mean? You make it sound almost
like a threat?"

Allan burst into laughter. "Well I believe
it is. He couldn't possibly afford to miss out on the social event of the year,
now could he?"

"Caaaiila?"
The sound
coming out of Amalie's mouth wasn't anything
like she intended it to be. It was muffled and didn't sound much like
"Camilla." She tried to call out her name again. Maybe she would
react to the sound of her voice even if it wasn't understandable. But nothing.
No reaction, no movement from the box next to her.

Amalie narrowed her eyes while trying to see
better. She could see the shape of her body, but she didn't seem to be moving.
She called out again, sobbing from the pain in her throat.

She had almost given up hope, thinking she had
imagined it the first time, when she heard the groaning again. She felt relief
go through her body. Camilla was alive. She had to be. Amalie tried to move in
her box. Her legs and arms were hurting. The smell in the box was becoming
unbearable. Amalie's pants were wet and disgusting, since the man never let her
go to the bathroom. The stench was horrible and made it even harder for Amalie
to breathe. She gasped for air while looking at Camilla's box, wishing she had
been honest with her from the beginning, from the first kiss.

I love you, Camilla
,
she thought to herself. Those were the words she should have uttered a long
time ago
.  I love you so much it hurts
.

Then there was a groaning again, and what was
that? Amalie tried to see clearer through the darkness, to better get a
picture. Light came from under the door now and she heard voices from upstairs.
Voices and loud music. The light made it easier for her to see. What was it?
Could it be? Was it ... another box? Another box next to Camilla's?

Amalie fought hard to breathe. Had he caught
another girl? Was it someone that she knew? Someone she loved? The agony was
unbearable. Who was this bastard doing all this to her? And why? Why had he
picked her of all people?

She tried again to speak, but with no luck.
Still nothing but strange noises. Amalie whimpered again. The groaning must
have come from the new person, she thought. Not Camilla. That meant Camilla
could still be dead. Amalie didn't dare to finish the thought. There was no way
she could live on without Camilla. But maybe that was the point of it all? To
make her give up, to have her cave in? Was that the pleasure he enjoyed so
much, this man, this beast, this monster?

Oh for the love of god, why
can't he just end this now
? Why did she have to suffer
so badly before he killed her? Hadn't he had enough by now? Wasn't it
sufficient to see her like this? Broken, defeated, destroyed? If he planned on
killing all of them anyway, why not do it right away?

Someone was moving and moaning. Amalie guessed
it was the newcomer since Camilla's body still didn't move. The waiting was the
hard part, Amalie thought. Waiting for him to be back, waiting for him to
torture her, anticipating the door opening at any moment and the lights turning
on, knowing the anguish it would fill her with once she saw his face again.
After that there was nothing but pain. No thoughts, no anxiety of what will
come next. Eight times had he force-fed her the day before. Eight unbearable
times had her stomach overflowed and she had almost choked on the disgusting
mush that tasted like fat. It overwhelmed her with repulsion just thinking
about it. The taste and his face. She loathed his face and especially his eyes.
She tried hard to not think about him when he was gone, but every time she
closed her eyes, he was there. He was looking at her with those strange eyes
and a grin that scared her more than anything in this world. She was beginning
to think he wasn't human. How could anyone be and do this to other people? And
the way he moved, he was so incredibly fast. It was almost inhuman, she
thought. It helped a little to think of him as some sort of extraterrestrial or
paranormal being. If he wasn't human, then his actions somehow didn't seem
quite so gruesome.

There was more groaning and now a mumbling that
caused Amalie to raise her head even if it was almost impossible with the pipe
holding her down. The reason for her reaction was simple. She recognized the
sound of the mumbling voice.

It was Camilla's.

"The Prince is coming."

Sebastian looked at Allan with a wide smile. He
was still holding the cell phone in his hand. Allan looked at the happy face
next to him in the kitchen where they were trying to make a plan for the party.
Then he smiled as well.

"You can thank me later," Sebastian
said. "But apparently what you told me to say, worked. At first he
declined, but as soon as I said those words ... well he growled slightly before
he finally caved. I guess I had a little something to do with it as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I have known the Prince a little
more than 'just' personally. I have known him very, very privately for many
years. Before I met you of course. He swings both ways, as we like to put
it."

Allan stared at Sebastian. Not that he was
surprised, he was more disgusted. With the both of them.

"Well you never asked me how I got to know
him," Sebastian said. "He picked me up in a bar many years ago, when
I was nothing but a young boy doing tricks for money. He does that from time to
time, he does it secretively and disguised, at least he thinks so, but I
recognized him right away and immediately thought I had struck gold. I was
right. That's how I made my way up in this world. He helped me get to the right
connections in the fashion industry. He even financed my education."

"Well you never told me that story,"
Allan said and stared at the shopping list on the kitchen table in front of
him. He had to make it long to get Sebastian out of the house most of the day.
He had to send him to different stores for specialties that were hard to find.
That would buy him the time he needed to complete his work.

The music was playing loudly from the built-in
speakers. Sebastian picked up Allan's keys from the table and walked towards
the door leading to the basement. He went through the keys trying to find the
right one.

"I'll get some bottles up from the
basement."

Allan froze at the jangling sound of his keys
and raised his head. He watched as Sebastian put one in the lock and his heart
almost stopped as he realized it was the right one. Sebastian turned the key
and the lock clicked.

"No!" Allan yelled.

Sebastian froze. He looked at him with surprise.

Allan moved fast. Like a whirlwind he was at the
door and his hand on the handle. "No one goes into the basement," he
said. "It's private. You know I like my privacy."

Sebastian stared into his eyes, then his face
turned hurtful. He let go of the keys still in the lock and raised his hands.
"Okay, then. If you insist on keeping me out of your life forever, then go
ahead."

Allan sighed. A hurt Sebastian giving him a hard
time wasn't exactly what he needed right now. He closed his eyes and locked the
door again.
So close
, he thought.
He had to be more careful. He really didn't want to have to hurt Sebastian.
Even if he did annoy him immensely.

Allan put the keys in his pocket, then turned
and looked at Sebastian. He turned his head away in a hurtful manner. Allan
exhaled. Then he walked with fast steps towards Sebastian. He leaned over and
tried to kiss him. Sebastian turned his head away again. Allan grabbed his
hand.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I really
am."

"What is down there that is so important
that I'm not allowed to see it? Why do you keep me out of everything?"

Allan sighed. He knew he had to play his cards
right. "I have a hard time committing to others, okay? I had a troubled
childhood and I have trust issues."

"Is that why you never tell me anything
about your past? ’Cause I know literally nothing about you, do you realize
that? I’ve told you so much, but you never tell me anything."

"That is why I haven't let you in. It's
still too hurtful. Give me time, okay?"

Sebastian sighed, then looked at Allan.
"Okay, you silly buffoon," he said and mussed his hair.

Allan leaned over and kissed him as passionately
as he knew how to. He placed the shopping list in Sebastian's hand. "Now
would you help me get all this ready for tonight? We have a very busy day ahead
of us."

Sebastian took the note and put neatly folded it
in his wallet. "Okay. I guess we are in a kind of a hurry. Typical of us
to be so spontaneous, huh? Doesn't it feel good? I love not conforming to the
rules. You want to have a party? Throw a party!"

Allan smiled. "It sure does feel
great."

Sebastian found his leather jacket and put it
on. Then he kissed Allan again. As he walked past the door to the basement he
stopped once again.

"So what do you hide down there anyway, bad
boy?"

Allan shrugged. "Ah just the Princess that
I'm about to kill soon and serve for the guests."

Sebastian burst into huge a laughter. "Ah
you naughty boy. Always joking around, huh? Well if you won't tell me, then
I'll just have to wait till you're ready, right?"

Allan nodded. "Right."