Her Shadows, His Secrets

And with those words, we start the mending process.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

HANNA

THREE MONTHS LATER

We have mended, for the most part. Some days, I still feel the pain of the secrets Theo held from me. But he always makes it up to me. Spoils me with touch and words and acts of kindness.

Dax has not been found. Theo asked to help on the case, but I told him I didn’t want him to. I want him safe, and I don’t want to lose the one good thing I have left. If Dax weren’t missing and nowhere to be found, I wouldn’t have thought he was up to this, but it does seem suspicious.

But why? Why would he want me? Why would he have taken Angelic? I think of her daily. Pray she is okay, that she is out there and safe. But this doesn’t ever make my stomach feel at ease. Theo moved in, and I feel safer, but all bumps in the night still scare me.

Theo says I need to trust and move forward. Let the cops handle it and let him take care of my safety. I started writing again. It felt good, so good to put pen to paper and words into sentences. I started a novel that I hope to publish. I doubt I will, because I’m wildly insecure my work won’t be loved by many. It’s my story, actually. One where I tell the tale of a lost child, growing into a lonely and confused young adult, to a woman who found love and a life in a town that changed her life.

It opened a lot of wounds, some I forgot, and ones that it helped me close and heal. Theo said he is going to look into working on the police force here. I keep telling him to go back to co-owning the business with Brenda, but he is so stubborn. I want the man I love to be safe. If I don’t have Theo, I don’t have the biggest part of me other than my self-discovery.

“Hey, I need to go over to my parents’ to help dad pack up some things.” Theo pulls me from my wayward thoughts.

I sit in my grandfather’s office, typing away. The divorce between his parents was finalized. Theo still doesn’t talk about it, so I don’t bug him on the issue.

“That works great. Brenda will be there, so I’m covering for her.” I look at the time and say, “Oh shoot. I need to get ready. I have to be there in an hour.”

“Perfect, we should be done by the afternoon. You think you’ll be home by then?”

“Oh yeah, I get off at four, so it’s the afternoon shift. Why? Can’t go a minute without me?”

He walks up and leans over the desk in front of me. His fist prop up his frame. “Yes, but I recall someone saying she wanted to be cuffed to the bed and have her cunt feasted on like a delicacy. And baby, that’s all I want to do, and it’s all I’m going to be thinking of today.”

I blush, scandalized. “I was a little tipsy.”

“We don’t have to then.” He stands again and moves to the door.

“Wait! No. I mean… I want that. It’s been a minute since we’ve been able to do anything.” I had the heaviest period this past week, and the cramps were out of this world, so we put a hold on our intimacy.

“Such a slut for me.” He winks, and like a caterpillar, I flourish into a butterfly under his dirty talk. Who would have thought that would be me?

He comes to me, grabbing my throat and kissing me firmly, tugging my lip at the end. I moan, and then he’s gone, leaving me missing him already.

Getting in the shower, I play some music and sing along, in an embarrassingly good mood. I don’t know why, but everything seems too good to be true, and for once, I’m not questioning it. I’m living in it. Shutting off the water, I wrap myself in my towel and pull out all my makeup.

I hear the front door open, so I call out to Theo. “Did you forget something?” He doesn’t answer, but I hear him in the kitchen. He must not have heard me. Walking down the stairs, I move toward where he stands by the kitchen window and open my mouth to say something, but my voice is lost when I see him.

Dax.

When he turns, I see the man I barely knew, who seemed to know me and wanted me too much. He looks awful. His clothes are raggedy, his face unshaven. He looks like he hasn’t showered in a long time.

“Hello, princess. Or is it puppet? I hear that’s what your boyfriend likes to call you.” He has a mad look in his eyes.