Chained (26 page)

I laughed. “It’s okay. I won’t tell him. I promise.”

Ian’s posture immediately relaxed. “I would appreciate that.”

“So, how long have you worked here, Ian?”

He sighed, coming to sit next to me on the bed. “Not long. I’ve been in training for about six weeks. Both Craig and I joined at the same time.”

I rubbed my neck and moaned a little. “I think Craig needs some more manners.”

Ian laughed. “Yeah, I appreciate what you’re saying. He’s harmless, though. He’s more mouth than anything.”

I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment. “Why am I here, Ian? I’ve been brought back too soon. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Ian stiffened a little. “I don’t know, Olivia. All I do know is you’re high priority, we were to bring you back here, and we were not to touch you. That’s as far as our instructions went.”

Of course. In Uncle’s world, the less you knew, the better. That way, you could get things done without knowledge. Knowledge gave you emotion. Emotion men like this couldn’t afford to have.

I sighed. “I understand.”

Just when Ian was about to respond, the door was flung open and Uncle walked in. I sucked in a breath, and Ian jolted up off the bed. Uncle’s nostrils flared.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing on my bed? Did I say you could go near her?”

Ian didn’t know where to look. “Uncle, please. He was just being nice to me. He carried out your instructions to the fullest extent. I don’t see why, though. I still had a couple days left. Couldn’t you have waited two more days?”

Uncle’s flaming eyes bore into me before turning to Ian. “What have you got?”

Ian put his hand in his pocket and pulled out my phone. I didn’t realise he had even taken it from me.

“She had this in her pocket, and her bag is downstairs. Other than that, there was nothing else.”

Uncle looked at my phone and his eyes widened. He then looked at me, but there was no emotion.

“Who is he?”

I frowned. “Who? I don’t understand.”

“The person you’ve been fucking. Who is he?”

My heart hammered in my chest. How could he know? He couldn’t, though. If he had seen Kit, he’d know I’d been lying to him this whole time.

“I don’t understand. I’m not with anyone, Uncle.”

Uncle walked forward with the phone in his hands and turned it towards me. My home number and the time I called were displayed on the screen. “Then why is it that you called your own house when you left the pub this evening? You weren’t fucking calling yourself, so who is it?”

I closed my eyes, trying not to let my composure slip. When I opened them again, Uncle looked at me, a touch of disappointment in his eyes.

He motioned to Ian. “You can leave,” he said with a growl.

Ian looked at me apologetically, but did as he was told. Once he closed the door, Uncle stayed standing, staring at me.

“Are you going to tell me who he is? Is he the reason you’ve done absolutely fuck all in the last three months? Are you too busy getting fucked by him to forget why you’re there in the first place?” He walked over and, with one sweep of his hands, threw the contents on top of the dresser onto the floor. “Who the
fuck
is he?”

I jumped at his thunderous outburst. “There’s no one, okay? I’ve been helping out a friend from the soup kitchen. She had nowhere else to stay.”

Uncle briskly walked over to me and got close to my face. “A lady friend, ha? Why would you feel the need to call to let her know you’re coming home? You don’t normally do that unless there’s someone waiting for you. Someone you’re fucking.”

My mind raced for an explanation…one he would buy. “I was just helping her out. Her own place needed fumigating after a bug problem got out of control. She has a boyfriend, and I thought she may have been with him. I was just trying to warn her that I was coming home early, just in case they were...” I bit my lip. “You know.”

Uncle straightened and regarded me for a moment, then looked down at my phone. “Hmm... I wonder if she’s still there to verify your story. Shall I give her a call?”

I jolted up and raced over to Uncle. “No, there’s no need to do that.” I got up on my tiptoes and placed a light kiss on his mouth. Placing my hand on his face, I stroked his cheek. “Don’t disturb her. She’ll probably be asleep by now. You don’t need to worry about her. I’m just a little shocked as to why you went to all this trouble tonight. Why didn’t you just ask me to go with you?” I needed to change the subject and fast. The fact I was close to him seemed to somehow steer him away.

Uncle suddenly smiled and I knew I had him. “I couldn’t risk it, Olivia. I had to make sure you were still on our side.”

My eyes widened a little. “Sides? I didn’t realise there were sides. We both had a mutual situation that needed dealing with. I haven’t been very successful yet, but I’m sure if you give me more time—”

“I’ve given you plenty of time, Olivia. You failed. End of story. Now it’s time you came home.”

“But–”

Uncle grabbed my chin, gently swiping his finger along my jaw. “I’m a patient man, Olivia. You said you needed time. I gave you that time. You promised me that when it was all over, you’d come back to me. When I saw you in the bar, I knew you weren’t any closer to finding what we were both after than you had been four months ago. You’ve had your time. Now it’s my turn.”

I wanted him to see sense. I needed him to give me a little more time. I only needed enough to explain to Kit the whole situation, then we could run. Whether or not it would be together was a different story, but at least he would be safe.

“Remember the shadowman who used to visit you at night, Livy?”

I shuddered as he held me tight to him. Just that one sentence brought me back to when I was a little girl.

“The shadowman frightened you. He tried to kill you all. Remember that, Livy?”

A sob travelled through my body. It had been a long time since the shadowman had been brought up. Such a long time since I was conditioned to fear him, hate him, loathe him. He was the man who unwittingly brought me from the abyss. Because of him, I wanted to fight, wanted to carry on. He made me want to live again so I could take my revenge for what he had done. The man who tried to kill me and my parents. The man whose eyes I could never get out of my head.

“Shh, it’s okay, Livy. I’m here now. You never have to fear again. I have always been here to protect you. Always been here to guide you on your way. The shadowman can’t harm you with me around. I tried telling you that then, but I’m also telling you now.”

I clutched onto Uncle like he was my only lifeline. I wanted to believe he could protect me from the monster that haunted me ever since I was a child.

“I don’t want him in my head anymore.”

And it was true. I hated that he popped up every now and then, always telling me he was there, always making me believe he was out there and ready to get me again. Ready to pounce on me at any moment.

Uncle stroked my hair soothingly. “Livy, let go. You never have to be afraid anymore. I have you now. I have always had you. It’s time to lock the door behind you and let me in.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know how.”

Uncle pulled away and looked deeply into my watery eyes. “I’ll show you.” He leaned down and kissed my lips so tenderly, I became lost. Mixed emotions clouded me. I felt safe, but I didn’t feel safe. Something wasn’t right, but Uncle was telling me it was. I had to believe him because he had been guiding me for so many years. He was the one who brought me up when I was down, showing me life was worth living again. He got me off the alcohol, bought me paint, nurtured me like a father. I always knew he wanted more, but my thirst for vengeance grew and he allowed me that time to fulfil my wishes. The only thing he asked in return was that I came home to him once my mission was complete.

But it
wasn’t
complete.

Pulling away from him, I tried to step away. “But I can’t. Not now. I haven’t finished what I was supposed to.”

I walked away and lay on the bed, feeling like an utter failure. I felt a dip next to me and Uncle’s body pressed against mine. I heard the twisting of bottle top and my nostrils flared when the smell hit me. It was like smelling food for the first time after weeks without it.

Without thinking, I turned and saw Uncle smiling down at me. He took a swig from the bottle he had in his hand and leaned down towards my lips. He kissed me, coaxing my mouth open. I felt the warm droplets of the Jack Daniels hitting the back of my throat.

I moaned, wanting more. It had been so long without it, my insides burned. Uncle was giving me what I craved after so long without it. This was his reward to me and, by god, my body wanted more.

I locked lips with him, wanting to taste more, begging his mouth to give me what it craved.

“You want more?” he whispered against my lips.

I nodded vigorously, pulling at his shirt collar and begging him with my eyes.

“Touch me, Livy. Touch me where you know I want you to.”

I lay there, raging war in my head. I wanted the feel of the alcohol running through my system. I wanted to feel Uncle’s lips on mine. The pull was back again, but there was also something else in the back of my mind telling me no.

Uncle stroked his hand across my cheek and it came flooding back to me.

Kit
.

My precious Kit was out there somewhere, waiting for me. He was out there, probably going out of his mind with worry. Yet here I was, lying underneath another man.

I can’t do this.

I don’t want to do this.

I want to do this.

Shaking my head, I looked into Uncle’s eyes. “I can’t... I can’t do this.” But I
did
want this. I wanted him to touch me. I could feel it burning inside.

Uncle stroked a strand of hair away from my face. “Yes, you can, Livy. Remember who used to protect you from the monster...from your shadowman? Remember who used to hold you at night and tell you everything was going to be okay? Did I ever let you down, Livy? Did I ever hurt you?”

Visions swam in my head again. Dark visions of the man I came to hate. I wanted the darkness again. I craved the numbness.

“More,” I commanded breathlessly.

“You know what to do.”

Closing my eyes, I reached my hand down to touch his hardness. I wrapped my hand around it and rubbed him up and down through his trousers, but I didn’t like the feeling it gave me. I didn’t like knowing I wanted more.

Uncle moaned approvingly. “Livy, you feel so good. Time for your reward.”

He took another swig and released drop by drop into my mouth. I was practically licking every single drop off him.

Uncle ripped my blouse open, revealing my lacy bra. He dribbled a little of the Jack Daniels onto my chest and started licking it off. I could smell it on me. I wanted to bathe in it, feed off it. I wanted all I could have of it.

“Olivia, I can make you safe again.”

I closed my eyes with a smile. Safe. I wanted to feel safe. I loved safe. Uncle could give me safe.

I moaned as I felt him tug at my bra, then his tongue swirled around my nipple. For some reason, I felt my insides burning again. I shouldn’t be enjoying this, but I was. I wanted more.

I moaned again, loving and hating every moment of it. My head hated it, but my body cried out for more. In fact, my body started burning for it.

“Livy, you must be ready.”

Ready? Ready for what
? I couldn’t quite understand what he was talking about. My mind wanted him off me, but my body screamed for more. I couldn’t understand it. Every touch on my skin had me quivering with desire. I wanted him inside me, but my mind was saying no. My mind wanted Kit. My heart wanted Kit. However, right now, my body was saying other things.

What was wrong with me?

I couldn’t understand anything that was happening. I wasn’t the type of girl who would desire another man when my heart belonged to somebody else. It was almost as if my heart and mind were separated from my body. Right now, it was taking over every part of me.

“Livy, I need to be inside you. I’ve waited too fucking long for this.” He captured my mouth and stroked my breast. He was being gentle, which made my body cry out for more.

I moaned again, and Uncle started taking off his clothes. His eyes were hooded and sexy. I had never seen him look at me that way before and my body reacted to it. I didn’t want it to, but it was betraying me.

In one swift motion, he pulled my bra off, then started pulling my jeans and knickers down. I closed my eyes, images of Kit flashing through my mind. I didn’t want this. I had to stop.

“I’m not sure I’m ready yet.” I was breathless and so ready for this. My body screamed at me so much, it was in pain.

He completely rid me of my clothes so there was nothing standing between us. Uncle gripped his throbbing cock in his hands and winced. He didn’t care about my pleas now.

“Uncle…”

He stopped me with a flick of his tongue on my clit. My mind completely fogged again and desire flowed through me. My body quivered and shook as he swirled his tongue. It was doing a dance and my body wanted him to take that lead.