Bed of Lies (Bed of Thornes Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  I get about half way to her place and my phone rings.

  “Have you found her?”

  “Not yet Jen, I've been by a few places and haven't seen any sign of her. I'm headed to her house now. Don't worry, she couldn't have gone too far.” I try to calm her.

  “How do we know that? I don't even know where she was when she called me earlier. I've got a bad feeling... what if she decides to leave again, this time for good?” The panic in Jenna's voice brings fear over me.

  Please don't be the case. Please don't leave.

  Veronica wasn't at her house when I stopped there last night. I drove around downtown until my eyelids were falling from the lack of sleep. I've probably only slept two hours, but I need to get back on the search for her. I'm really worried and hoping she's all right at this point. I called Jenna last night before coming home to let her know that I had no luck. We've both been calling Veronica's phone and still no answer from her. I've even left voicemails in hopes she will listen. I don't know where to begin on the search today, I'm so lost right now. Why would she think of something so outrageous then leave us hanging this way? I can't believe she isn't being considerate enough to hear us out. Something has to give.

  For the short couple of hours that I did sleep, I had a dream about finding her. The dream was far from reality but definitely a nice escape. She was at her gallery and when I walked in I found her watching porn on the couch in her studio. I could hear the moaning as I approached her. She looked up at me and smiled with a look of lust in her eyes. I knelt on the floor beside her and caressed her exposed legs. She had on a short red dress that reminded me of the one I picked out for her the first time we went out. Her feet displayed the same rose and thorn stilettos she wore that night as well. I could smell the sweet scent of her perfume as I leaned in closer to her. She reached up and grabbed a handful of my hair to pull me in for a passionate kiss. Her lips tasted like fresh fruit on a spring day and made my senses awaken. The kiss led to us undressing one another and fucking on the small couch the way we did once before. Only this time, the porn she was watching on her phone when I came in was still playing in the background. The sounds of orgasms filled the quiet room and our climaxes hit at the same time, making us cum together as one.

  A knock at my door drags me out of the recap playing in my mind, and I realize that I need to get ready to go out to look for her before it's too late. I open the door to find a note sitting on the black mat. Looking around to check if there's someone in sight that left it, I see no one. I pick up the note and open it from the envelope it's sealed in. The plain paper has a short invitation to meet someone at the park this afternoon. The printed text gives me no clue to who it's from since it's not in anyone's handwriting that I can recognize. My hopes are that it's from Veronica but my gut feeling is unsure. I throw the note in the trash on my way to the shower and prepare myself for the day.

  ~ ~ ~

  After driving around for hours and checking the same spots I did last night, I look at the time and notice it's almost one. The mystery meet up requested my presence at one this afternoon, so I drive to the park and wait for whoever this person is. The next fifteen minutes feel more like an hour. I stare at the tree that's in front of me and wonder what it's like to be something other than a human with a beating heart. What it would be like to not have thoughts or to worry. How it would be to not know what it feels like to have your heart broken, to never experience the dark side of love. After my thoughts clear, I look over at the bench near the tree and see someone sitting there as if they're waiting on something. I get out of my car and approach the person whom I can't see their face since they're back is to me and a hat is covering their head. As soon as I get in front of this mysterious person, I regret the choice to ever come here.

  “George?” The shock stuns my throat and it's hard to swallow.

  “Son.” He says in an emotional choke and stands up to hug me.

  I step back, away from his attempt at an embrace. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see you.”

  “What makes you think I'd want you to come to see me? I seen enough of you when you were drunk, beating the shit out of the entire family. You think I really want to see your face?” The anger from my past builds up inside of me and nearly explodes in a rush of pain that I'd like to inflict on this sorry bastard.

  Growing up, I didn't have the loving home that children should have. I had a broken one and was moved around between extended family members before being sent to a foster home at a young age. My mother, God rest her soul, went through hell with this poor excuse for a man for years before he attempted to kill her. She was beat on daily and tried her best to protect us when he would come after my sisters and me. He may not have used his own hands to cause my mother's death, but the suffering she went through for years ended up taking her life for him. He was nothing but a drunk and a dead-beat. The last thing I need right now is more fucked up shit to add to my problems.

  “You need to leave and go back to wherever it is you came from. I don't know what made you think you were welcome around here, but you're not. I'd love to give you a taste of your own medicine, but I have more important things to handle and going to jail isn't going to solve shit for me.” I turn my back and walk away. There's nothing he can say to make it right, there's no reason for me to stick around to hear any of it.

  I get in my car and squeal off, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust and smoke behind. My heart's racing like I just did an insane amount of speed and there's a crushing pain that shoots through my skull. I'm guessing the sudden added stress and pure adrenaline flow is causing a headache from the depths of hell. I pull over on the side of the road to gain my composure before driving any further. Damn, him showing up out of nowhere was the worst timing... him showing up at all isn't ideal, but now, while I'm already on the verge of a complete meltdown from the shit I'm dealing with? Talk about fucked up timing! I hit the steering wheel and let out a deep yell to try to release as much as I can before I seriously hurt somebody or myself.

  Anything else want to haunt me at this very moment? Why don't we bring up more of my past and throw in some other shit that's not in my favor at the present time while we're at it? Not that I give two fucks about the reason, but why would that asshole show up after all of this time? I can't help but think about it some more and assume he was looking for a hand out of some sort. As though he'd forgotten all about the harm he caused my family, physically and mentally. Like I would help someone like him. He's out of his damn mind, he's had to have lost it after all these years of being a sloppy abusive drunk. I still can't wrap my mind around why mom stuck it out with him for so long, but I know she feared the threats he made and always said she couldn't leave if she wanted to.

  I hadn't shared any of this with Veronica. It's not something I'm comfortable talking about to others. I'd rather just leave it in the past where it belongs. This is what I don't understand about it all... Veronica was brought up in a loving family, a household that was normal and caring as it should be. I, on the other hand, lived through a polar opposite world while growing up. Yet, her and I are the complete opposite of what was instilled in us. Her not being in touch with her emotions and putting up a wall against love. Me begging to be loved and never a thought of hurting the ones I love the way I've been hurt. We're literally two messed up individuals when put into perspective.

  I can remember one time when George had come home on a cold night after being out drinking, and mom had made sure there was a hot meal waiting for him. He got angry when he took the first bite of his food and burned his mouth like a dumb ass all because he didn't test the temperature before digging in. Instead of understanding his own idiotic mistake, he took it out on her. I was supposed to be in the bedroom watching TV, but I'd always be close by when I knew he was home because I was afraid of what he might do to my mother. It's like I thought I could protect her if he did something to her that hurt her, but I could barely defend myself agai
nst him much less anyone else. I screamed at him when I seen him throw the plate of hot food at my mom's face, causing her mild but painful burns and stitches in her forehead where the plate had busted when it hit her. My screams did nothing to help, they only made it worse.

  I made a promise to myself to never be hateful to a woman that way and never to be abusive. That's why it was initially difficult for me to perform some of the demands Veronica would make during sex. I was scared that I'd hurt her, and bringing pain to someone I care about doesn't really do it for me. I had to teach myself how to do what she wanted me to do to her without thinking. I would erase my thoughts and focus on pleasing her the way she liked it. It was always about making her happy, never about getting off on causing her pain. I've since wondered if she enjoys it for reasons that are unexplained, but I'm not one to question what makes a person have an orgasm. I'm aware that most people have their odd fetishes of some kind that brings them ultimate pleasure. Mine is just to see her pleased, whatever it may take to get her there.

  I drive to the bistro and sit at an outside table to keep a lookout for her while I eat lunch. About ten minutes into my meal, the devil doctor walks up to me and sits in the empty chair across from me.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me right now.” I say as he makes himself comfortable.

  “After the week I've had, I don't suggest that you be here right now Clayton.” I tell him before he can speak a word.

  “I see. Not that your threats worry me, but I think you may want to hear me out on this one. You can stop chasing after Veronica. If she wanted to be found by a pathetic little boy, then I'm sure she wouldn't be running as far away from you as she can.” He smirks and I feel an overwhelming pang of disgust that ruins my appetite.

  “What exactly are you insinuating?”

  “I know about you and her best friend, she told me when we met up shortly after she found out...”

  “First of all, there is no me and her best friend. Secondly, I don't see how any of this is your business.” I ball my fist, ready to lunge at him any given second.

  “Seems she made it my concern when she confided in me.” He shoos away the waiter that stops to check if we need anything. “Besides, it doesn't matter now.”

  I glare at him and give him a huge 'FUCK OFF' without saying anything.

  He finishes what he came here to tell me. “She's gone Adrian. She left back to Paris a few hours after figuring out you are nothing but a waste of time. I suggest it's time you move on too.” He gets up and swiftly walks away from the table.

  I yell out, “It's pitiful that you've tricked yourself into believing that she would give you the time of day... you're nothing but a joke!”

  I sit back and take in what just happened. This can't be it. What am I going to do? I can't just let her go this easily. My mind's made up, I'm going to get what hasn't been finished, I'm making my way back to Paris... tonight.

  “What do you mean she left?” Mason asks when I storm in through the door of his apartment.

  “I mean she went back to France. She's not in Texas any more. She fucking left dude.” I fall onto the couch and breathe out a sigh of desperation. “I don't know what to do anymore. I'm so screwed up from all of this, I really think I'm losing it.”

  “You said on the phone that she left because she thought you were seeing someone else?” He sits down beside me and I panic at the thought of him knowing the actual reason.

  “Yeah. She hasn't called you, has she?”

  “No. Why would she call me if she's not answering the phone for you or Jenna?” Wishing I could explain everything to him, I ignore his question for the sake of not wanting to add more confusion than there already is.

  “It's all twisted, this whole thing between us, it couldn't be more complicated.” I vent.

  “So are you going to take the doctor's advice and just move on?”

  My defense mode kicks in. “Fuck that lame asshole! I'm not taking advice from that creep or anyone else who thinks they know what's best for Veronica and I. This shit isn't over Mason. I'm going to Paris to find her and settle this once and for all.”

  “You really think that's the solution?” The doubt in his voice isn't hard to miss.

  “Doesn't matter. I'm leaving tonight.” I stand up from the couch and pace the floor.

  “Tonight? That was a quick decision.”

  “Yeah, well I already made the reservation to pick up the round trip tickets at the airport. The flight leaves in less than five hours.” My pacing becomes faster at the thought of another dreadful flight.

  “Jenna's coming over in like twenty minutes. You're not leaving here any time soon, are you?”

  “I can stick around for a little while.”

  “Good. We all need to talk before you up and fly to Paris tonight.”

  “You're not going to be able to talk me out of it, if that's what you're thinking. I told that I already have the tickets lined up.”

  “Regardless, this is a big deal and I really don't think you have your head on straight right now.”

  “If you're trying to pull off an intervention, it's not going to work too well when the person you're intervening knows about it.”

  He lets out a laugh. “It's not an intervention man. I just want to at least talk things over a little before you leave out. As your friends, we're here for you, and I'm sure you could use some support when dealing with something this big.”

  I finally stop pacing and sit down to wait for Jenna to get here. She comes in with a frantic look on her face, probably worried that Mason has found out about the rumor of the two of us. Thankfully that's not the case, but I know the feeling myself. She stands in front of me and looks at Mason who's closing the door behind her after letting her in. Her voice cracks when she opens her mouth to speak.

  “You're not going.”

  “Excuse me?” I raise an eyebrow in confusion.

  “You're not leaving to go somewhere that you don't know for sure she is. You could be making a huge mistake. What if you get over there and can't find her there either? What if you were lied to about her leaving in the first place? You can't just take the word of some seriously messed up quack and expect he's being honest. Have you even thought about the fact that he could be making it all up?”

  “Wow. Okay... well I know some of what he told me is true so I guess I didn't question the rest of what he had to say. Plus we haven't heard from her, can't get her to answer our calls, and she's nowhere to be found. I suppose it all added up just right for me to assume it's the truth.”

  “That's not good enough. You're dealing with two types of people that have the issues of a mental patient. One lying to himself and actually believing it. The other that has a guard up and serious problems that she seems to be letting get to her. Think about it.”

  “Okay, okay. So... what? What do you suggest that I do? Just move on like Dr. Dick-less wants me to? Make it easy for him to move in on getting the woman I love all to himself?”

  She throws up her hands. “Whoa. No. That's not what I'm trying to tell you at all. I'm saying that you need to try a different approach to the matter. There has to be a way of finding her and getting the answers you want. Don't go looking for her where she may not even be and definitely do not give up.”

  Mason chimes in. “Yeah bro, you've come this far, don't stop now. Just take Jenna's advice and look at the sources before making it worse by jumping into another lie.”

  “So I'm not going to Paris tonight then.” I pull out my phone to cancel the reserved tickets.

  ~ ~ ~

  My search continues as I drive around this damn city for the rest of the day, it's already dark and still no sign. This has to be the most frustrating shit I've ever dealt with in my life. Then between George and Clayton, I have enough anger built up to seriously hurt the next ignorant motherfucker that gets in my way. If I don't find her by tonight, I'm reporting her ass missing. It's come to the point that I can't take the worry any long
er. For all I know, something could have happened to her and we aren't even aware.

  I make my way to her street again and can see lights on in her house from a few houses back. About damn time she's home. My foot floors the gas pedal and I speed to her driveway. Wouldn't you know it... what a nice coincidence that my worst enemy, Dr. fucking Clayton, is also parked in the driveway. I reverse my car and park it on the side of the road so I'm not sitting behind his car when he gets what's coming to him and needs to leave. This is finally it, the moment I've been waiting on, to confront the both of them about what's been going on. I mean, how can she be mad at me about anything when she's apparently the one who has something to hide. I quickly walk up to the door and knock.

  Clayton opens it. “You just don't get it, do you?”

  “Where's Veronica?” I ask, out of breath from the rush of adrenaline.

  “I told you, she left.”

  “Then why would you be in her house?” I ask, completely mind-fucked and not sure what to believe anymore.

  “I'm house watching. Now get out of here before I call the police.”

  “Not until you prove it. Let me see for myself that she's not here, then I'll leave... quietly.” I peek around him to see what I can of the inside.

  “You're not coming in this house. Leave, now.” He threatens with the tone of his voice.

  Suddenly the door that's half closed behind him swings open full force.

  “Why are you answering my door?” Veronica asks him with a scowl.

  “I knew you were here!” I shout and give Clayton the eye of death.

  “Was there a reason to think I wasn't if my door is wide open and he's standing here? What are you doing here?” I can tell she's clueless and looking for answers.

  “This lying snake told me you left to Paris and almost had me convinced until I seen the lights on in your house. I came to see what all of this bullshit has been about and he answered, telling me more lies.”