Read Rendezvous Online

Authors: Arie Lane

Rendezvous (4 page)

BOOK: Rendezvous
12.14Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“Well if that’s the truth, then I’d wager he’s a fool. Nothing worth fighting for is ever won easily, and I have a pretty good hunch that you’re more than worth fighting for. Oh, and I wouldn’t give too much credence to things you see on Facebook. They are hardly ever what they seem,” he quips while giving me a wink.

I laugh for the first time in months and it actually feels pretty good. Something about Jacob makes him easy to be around and even easier to talk to. Not that I’m about to let him borrow my diary or anything. I tease his heavy southern accent as I reply with a southern twang, “I reckon you’re pretty smart for a good ol’ boy. There’s something to be said about a man raised in the South. I’m willing to wager your mom dished out some mighty fine lessons with either words or that good ol’ fashioned switch, now didn’t she.” Changing back to my normal accent, I continue, “Honestly though, it’s been months since he and I spoke, and frankly, there really isn’t any intention of that happening in the near or distant future. So I really do hope he found someone who makes him happy.”

He laughs at me while answering me back, “That’s a cute southern impression you got going on there girlie. I reckon you probably met that switch a time or two yourself. Now, onto the subject of your man… Happiness can be greatly overrated, especially if it’s being had with the wrong person. But I still say you’re letting your imagination run wild. I am curious though, when did things end?”

I’m slightly dumbfounded; I completely ignore his remarks about Tristan, and let my guard down. I don’t know what compels me to answer his question about my own punishments, but I reply, “Ah no, I’ve been hit with a great many things, but a switch was never one of them. My mother favored a more hands-on approach, and a switch might hurt, but not nearly enough for the likes of that woman.” The words are out before I can stop myself. I didn’t mean to divulge so much, but the words slipped off my tongue before it even occurs to me to shut my damn mouth.

More embarrassed than I cared to admit, I made a quick excuse for leaving and said goodbye as I hurried out the door. I chastised myself on the ride home for being so careless. The quickest way for someone to learn who I am is to learn about my past. I make a mental note as I hurry inside to make sure I keep my fucking mouth shut from now on. While Jacob might seem nice, that doesn’t mean he can be trusted, and it doesn’t mean he hasn’t been sent here by my mother.

Chapter 5

 

Tristan

 

I pull my phone out of my pocket as it starts to beep. I have been waiting for some kind of progress report from Jacob, either on the whereabouts of Darla or any changes with Bentley. Unlocking the screen, a message pops up.

A little heads up next time would be nice asshole. You told me her mother was a raging bitch. You never said she beat the ever loving shit out of her every chance she got.

A minute later, my phone beeps again and it sends me into a fucking frenzy. I re-read the message twice trying to figure out what the hell he is talking about.

Might want to check out your Facebook dipshit, I saw Bentley scrolling through the feed. Check for a picture of you with another girl. She thinks that whoever she is, you’ve moved on with her. If she’s going to watch your page, maybe you should leave a message. Tell her you’re thinking of her or something. Oh, one more thing. I found someone watching Bentley’s place. I don’t think he’s connected to Darla, but I sent his prints off anyway. I should have the results in a day or two.

I couldn’t fucking believe it. Even after all of these months, she’s still checking up on me. Although I have no fucking clue as to what picture he’s talking about. Scrolling through my phone apps, I click on the Facebook icon and go to my timeline. Scanning through the pictures, I come across a new one posted earlier this week. It’s from the signing I went to with Electra. She talked me into doing the cover for the woman in the photo. I remember her wrapping herself around me and slapping a wet kiss on my cheek, but I don’t remember anyone taking a picture. She sure as hell isn’t someone I’d fuck around with, even if she did offer.

I almost backed out actually; I was really fucking pissed when she decided to manhandle my junk in front of her bimbo girlfriends. She made some fucked up comment about testing the merchandise to make sure what I’m packing is 100% real. I told her I won’t be posing nude so it doesn’t matter what the hell I’m packing. Ele spent the rest of the evening apologizing for her friend’s behavior. Why the fuck anyone would want friends like that is beyond me. No way in hell could that skanky hoe ever compare to my beautiful Bentley.

Looking back down at the picture, I go to hit the delete key but see a comment from a name I vaguely recognize. Clicking the name, it brings me to a page for an author named Lena Jade. There aren’t any pictures to show who she is, but something about that smiley face got my attention. I send a text to Dante to see if maybe she was an author he met at one of the signings he attended with Bentley.

Hey Man, know an author by the name Lena Jade? She posted something on my page but I can’t recall meeting anyone by that name.

It was only five minutes or so before Dante texted me back.

You’re shitting me right? No, I can’t say I met a Lena Jade, but I do know the fucking name. Does that page say where she’s located by chance?

Searching through the info on her page, I look for anything that might indicate where she might be located. I came up empty and let Dante know as much.

Nothing on her page says where she is or where she’s from. How do you know the name?

I’m waiting like a damn idiot for my phone to beep. I’m fucking praying he tells me what I want to hear. Watching the phone intently, I jump when there is a loud banging at the door instead. I open it up as Dante comes through it.

“It’s Bentley. Although I’m sure you already guessed that. In the year before Cora disappeared, they started calling each other by their middle names. Darla was hell bent they shouldn’t have middle names unless they were named after her. Grant put his foot down though and made sure they each had one put on their birth certificates. Darla refused to acknowledge them, and I’m pretty sure to this day doesn’t even know them. Cora’s middle name is Lenatta, after Grant’s grandmother. She shortened it to Lena though. Bentley’s middle name is Jade. Makes fucking sense she’d hide right under her mother’s nose,” he finished his statement with satisfaction, as if he had just solved the world’s greatest mystery.

“Oh shit . . . that’s right. Jacob said she’s using the name Lena. I don’t know why the hell that didn’t register. He’s keeping tabs on her for me. Apparently someone is watching her though. He doesn’t know if he is some small admirer or if the dude is a fucking stalker. He’s fairly certain that whoever he is, he’s not working for Darla. There’s a small relief in that, but I don’t like the idea of someone watching her, especially not after the shit with Cora. I don’t think she’d ever leave her fucking house again if she found out she was being stalked. He sent the guy's fingerprints off to a friend and he’s going to put a stop to that shit right quick.”

I didn’t realize how anxious that knowledge made me until I got it off my chest. Even if she is a world away, I still fucking worry about her. Jacob said she slipped up a bit about her mother and took off right after. I don’t know if it puts me at ease knowing she’s opening up and trusting him, or if I should be worried that he’ll be another bastard trying to take my heart away from me.

Before I can state my fears to Dante, Cage walks in looking like the cat that ate the canary.

“We’ve got a hit on Darla. She’s hanging around some hick town in West Virginia. I got the call a few minutes ago. How do you want to handle it?”
He asked.

“Are we absolutely sure it’s her?” I wait as he shakes his head, confirming that the information is good. “Brilliant! I say we go hunt ourselves a bitch. You still got that cabin up in the mountains there?”

“Yup, cleaned it out while you were away. Figured if nothing else, I’d use it for a hunting trip. It’s fully stocked. You want to take her up there? It’s secluded enough, should be a good place to get rid of someone I guess, especially someone no one is going to report missing.”

I look at him and mull over his words. Do I really want to get rid of Darla, or do I want to turn her in and let the prison system get her? The rational side of me would say turn her the fuck in, but since she already managed to escape once, I’m not feeling too confident about that decision. Ultimately, my decision comes down to what will make Bentley safe, and the truth is the only way I can assure her safety is to get rid of that fucking cunt myself. I’d almost admit I’m screwed up in the head for wanting to actually cause her physical pain, but in all honesty, I think anyone in my position would want to torture that bitch. It’s only fair she know some of the pain she inflicted on Bentley throughout the years, even if I can’t do all of the things I know she’s done.

I have just one more bit of unfinished business before I pack my bags and head to the sticks. This shit has been eating at me for a while. Picking up my phone I dial Electra, and she picks up after the first ring. Before she can even say hello, I’m getting shit off my chest.

“You fucking lied to me and I want to know why, Ele. You damn near went ballistic on me trying to convince me that Bentley had moved the fuck on. Damn it, you told me my girl was engaged to some other fucking guy Ele, and it was all bullshit. I want to know what the fuck got into your head that you’d even try that shit with me.”

She let out the breath she was holding before she spoke. Her voice sounds small, like she’s afraid. She should be fucking afraid; she tried to destroy the only good thing in my fucking life.

“I’m sorry Tryst. It’s not what you think. It’s just...Bentley is bad for you, baby. Everything in that girl’s life is toxic. No one around her ever survives very long. You being with her is like signing your own death certificate. Darla will hunt you down and gut you like some wild animal, then she will tie a pretty little bow around your neck and toss your ass somewhere for Bentley to find. She left for a reason Tristan. Why can’t you just let her go before this obsession with her gets you killed?”

“You have no idea what my obsession with Bentley is, Electra. You wouldn’t know how to love another person if your life depended on it. You’re the most selfish fucking bitch I have ever met. You pretend to give a shit about people just so you can be on the sidelines to watch them crash and burn after you fucking sabotage them. Got news for you, that’s not friendship.” I’m gritting my teeth so hard that my mouth hurts. She’s lucky I’m not fucking closer to her, because this conversation wouldn’t be so sugar-coated in person.

“Tristan, it isn’t like that, I swear. You’ve changed so much since you met her. She’s fucking ruining you. She isn’t the kind of girl you should be with. You should be with someone who’s fun and exciting, someone who knows how to have a good time. Bentley wouldn’t know the first thing to do with a man. Hell, all the time you were with her I doubt she even let you fuck her.”

Her words are like nails on a fucking chalkboard. I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle her whore ass. How did I never see what a slimy cunt she is? All of this because I’d rather have Bentley in my bed rather than a skank who sleeps with every man who smiles in her direction? I’m not a fucking idiot, Ele has always wanted me, but not for anything more than another notch in her 'look who I fucked' belt.

“You know what Ele, I always knew you were a slut. You’ll fuck any man who will give you the time of day. That’s the difference between you and Bentley. At least my baby girl has self-respect. She doesn’t need some man between her legs to make her feel like she’s worth a damn. You... you’re just some fucking cum-dumpster that’s been laid so many times you probably can’t even feel it anymore. I didn’t mind being friends with you, but if my options were to let you suck my dick or let it fall off, I’d let that shit rot away before I’d let you anywhere near it. You crossed the line, Ele. Never say my girl’s name again. You aren’t fucking worthy of a friend like Bentley. You’re a controlling, manipulative, lying bitch, and don’t ever fucking call me
baby
. I’m nothing to you. You want me to walk away, well here’s me walking away Electra. You’re a real fucking cunt. No, on second thought, I take that back since you lack both the depth and the warmth. Never contact me again; you’re as good as dead to me,” I seethe before hanging the phone up.

 

Bentley

 

It pays every now and again to be friendly with people. Tony, for example, is an awesome friend, but he is also a wealth of information. Case and point, Jacob...yeah, I knew something was off there. Tony slipped me his name this morning over a cup of coffee. I guess he wasn’t getting all goody, goody vibes from him either.

Of course, what’s a girl to do? Well, if she’s fucking smart, she turns on her laptop and background checks the shit out of that fucker, which is exactly what I do. I’d love to say I’m surprised, but I’m not really. No way in hell could two people have that same out of this world eye color without sharing blood somewhere down the line. It turns out Jacob is Tristan’s cousin and Tristan’s mom’s brother is Jacob’s father. I’d never heard of him before, but that’s probably because Tristan said he didn’t have any family left on his mother’s side.

I know I should be pissed that he’s still checking up on me, even after he’s moved on. I mean what the fuck? Why is this asshole here? Does Tristan need some kind of reassurance that I’m alive and well? I don’t fucking get it, and how the hell did this jerk-off find me? I’ve been so goddamn careful not to leave any kind of footprint. Everything is strictly cash. The property was bought through an account that was set up by proxy and not through my name. Who the fuck are these people, and why can’t they just take a hint? Doesn’t he understand he’s safer away from me?

I’m pacing the floor in my kitchen, stewing over this new discovery. Jacob better hope he stays the fuck away from me because I’m done being cordial. Sneaky bastard. All of those fucking questions, he just wanted to know if I had replaced Tristan. As if that would ever be possible. Nope, no more of that shit. I won’t let on that I know who the fuck he is, but I’m done with trying politely to get him to go the fuck away. He wants to stick around me, then he’s going to be privy to the whole Bentley fucking experience.

Sitting back down at my laptop, I have the most brilliant death scene play out for my next book, death by fire ants and chocolate sauce. Although this time it isn’t Cora’s attacker I want to punish through my words. It’s the lying, conniving, dick muncher who thinks he can invade my happy little sanctuary. He wants to know what paradise is like, well shit, I’ll show him what makes a girl like me happy.

Stepping into Coffeeholics, I quickly place an order for two hot chocolates, one plain and one with peppermint. Slipping the little bottle out of my purse I dab a toothpick into the bottle then swirl it into the plain cup. I do this five times before placing the bottle back into my purse.

Cora was a hot sauce freak, the hotter, the better. By the time she was done dowsing her food with the stuff, her mouth was burning so bad that whatever she was eating no longer had any flavor. This little bottle was her favorite. It comes with a warning label and a suggested use of nothing more than the tip of the toothpick. Oops, pretty sure that recommendation is shot to shit.

Opening up my laptop, I sit and wait while sipping my own hot chocolate. The other cup is sitting across from me, so he’ll either suspect it’s someone else’s or he’ll be a cocky fucker and assume it’s for him and take it. I’m counting on the latter. Payback is a bitch and this good ol’ boy is about to learn so am I.

I’m immersed in my writing, and fail to notice him enter the shop. In fact, I don’t even see him sit across from me. I’m in complete concentration until I hear him choking on the drink across from me. Looking up, I give him a sly smile. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it isn’t polite to take things that aren’t yours?”

BOOK: Rendezvous
12.14Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Notorious in Nice by Jianne Carlo
Bear With Me by Vanessa Devereaux
Addicted (Club Destiny #3) by Nicole Edwards
Infinity Cage by Alex Scarrow
Jesús me quiere by David Safier
Gumshoe Gorilla by Hartman, Keith, Dunn, Eric
Bitter Melon by Cara Chow