Fatal Attraction (Dark Desires 4)

“Where are you?” I demand. I know I sound far angrier than I should but I can’t help myself. I’m almost out of my mind with worry. I can feel myself spiraling. “What’s going on? What are you doing right now?”

“I’m at the apartment. Why? What’s going on? Why do you sound all freaked out?”

“Are you alone?” I answer her questions with one of my own. “There’s no one with you? Have you checked?”

“I’m alone. All the doors are locked. I’ve done a check of the place just like I always do…”

“You’ve been out.” I sound accusatory, maybe I should have calmed down a bit before I made this call. But I need to know, I have to be certain. I tug my fingers angrily through my hair. “You didn’t tell me.”

“No, I know, I…” I can almost hear the cogs in her brain working. “How do you know that?”

I sigh loudly and slump into the nearest seat. “I’ve had a warning, Cici. He’s sent in loads of photographs of you to the police station. Some of today, that’s how I know you’ve been out, and some of before. He’s been following you and now you’re in danger. You’re going to end up in trouble if we don’t sort this out.”

I might’ve said too much, but thankfully it gets through to Cici and she starts to understand just how serious this is. “Okay, so what do I do? Where do I need to go from here? How do I escape?”

I sink my head into my hands. Do I send her away? Will she be safer away from me or is it too late for that now? She?

?s already on Kingpin’s radar, obviously he knows more about what she’s doing than me.

“I don’t know,” I finally admit. “But I plan to take some time working it out. Just sit tight for now.”

I hang up the phone and immediately arrange some protection to surround my apartment block. I should probably have permission before authorizing that, but I don’t have time now. I need someone to watch Cici so I can get this done. Clearly, I can’t always trust her to tell me what’s she doing.

Almost as if she can read my mind, I get a text message from Cici: ‘I met with my mom today. The only reason I didn’t tell you was because I didn’t want to put too much pressure on it. I thought it was going to go badly. I’m sorry. If I’d known for one second that I could be in trouble, it wouldn’t have happened. C xx’

I sigh, knowing that she didn’t want to cause me any pain. None of this is Cici’s fault, but it wasn’t Andre’s either and look where it landed him. He’s now unjustly six foot under the ground, gone from this world.

‘It’s okay,’ I tap out a reply. ‘I just can’t keep you safe if I don’t know. W xx’

I hope she learns from this, I want her to realize just how important this is. She wants to speak to her mom? Fine, but I have to be in the know. I have to be in complete control of the situation at all times.

Ring, ring… ring, ring… ring, ring…

I shove my cell phone to my ear, expecting it to be Cici on the other end to talk some more, but it isn’t.

“Will? Is that you?” Oh, it’s Landon. My heart sinks. “What is going on, dude? I’m getting an earful here.”

“Huh?” I screw my eyes up as I try to work out what I’ve so clearly missed. “What have you done?”

“No, it’s more what you’ve done. Annabelle is freaking out because she says you have some kid with her cousin, or something. I did tell her that she’s going nuts because there’s no way. You aren’t the baby type.”

I roll my eyes rub my forehead. This is the last thing that I need right now! I suppose I have been neglecting my friends recently but I’ve had a lot on. Landon isn’t the type to care anyway, his company always keeps him crazy. He’s one of those rare people that I don’t have to explain myself to. “Er, yeah about that…”

“Are you serious?” he explodes. I don’t really want to let him on the secret, but Kingpin already knows. There isn’t any point in hiding it anymore. Cici has told her mom and aunt, now they all know. “I have just argued the toss with Annabelle, we’ve just gone nuts and one another, and she’s right? What were you thinking?”

“I love her,” I blurt out defensively. I don’t know why it’s so important for him to not judge.

“You’re in love? With Annabelle’s cousin? That’s fucked up, dude. It’s like… incest.”

“What the hell are you on about?” I smirk as I feel him pulling my leg. “We aren’t actually related, you know?”

“It’s still too close for comfort. It gives me the heebie jeebies. I don’t like it one bit. It’s gunna be all fucking weird at celebrations and shit now. We’re all linked.” He makes a shuddering sound. “So, what about marriage?”

I do want to marry Cici, I really do. That wasn’t just something that I said in the hospital because Jordan had just been born, but there’s no way I can plan a big wedding in the middle of all of this. “I don’t know, we aren’t really at that stage,” I try my hardest to play it off. “We both have so much going on…”

“You aren’t thinking about marriage, but you have a kid? Wow, that’s nuts.”

“Since when did you get to be Mr. Moral?” I laugh a hollow sound. I don’t want Landon to sense that anything is wrong. He doesn’t need to be in the firing line too! “I’m just doing things the other way around that’s all. I could ask when you and Annabelle are planning to have kids, but I’m scared that you might bite my head off…”