Jameson Hotel - the Dark Suite Series: Parts One, Two & Three (22 page)

“Shit.”

“I think you will,” he says in a straightforward tone, continuing to
stare.

I glance briefly at him and then turn back to the road. “You really
want to know?”

“No.” He rolls down the window and feels the air, frowning at the
temperature.

“God, I hope he’s warm enough.”

“He’s okay.”

“How cold was it last night?”

I don’t want to tell him it was close to freezing.

“He’ll be okay. It’s going to be in the fifties today and the cops will
follow his footprints. You
wanna
head back?” I ask,
seeing a tear on his cheek.

“Yeah, I need to check on Sophia then I’m going into the woods.”

“Just wait until the cops get here so we don’t screw with the
footprints. It’s bad enough Xavier was in and out of those woods last night.
Give them a chance to catch a trail before you go back in.”

He nods and rubs his eyes.

An icy drizzle begins to coat the windshield as I’m turning the truck
around. Fuck all this precipitation. I know we’re in a drought, but screw it.
Bring on the sun. I want my nephew out of this foul weather.

We drive back and my eyes follow the side of the road, examining the
shallow ditch... just in case. If I spot anything, which I hope I don’t, but if
I do... I’d drop Cove off and come back to the area on my own. No father needs
to see his son lying on the side of the road. I wouldn’t even tell him until
after the fact.

It’s not wrong to want to protect him from such a sight.

But that’s not going to happen.

“It’s freezing,” he says again. “Mark, it’s fucking cold.”

“
Dax
is dressed warmly and he’s wearing a
hat, plus he’s got a hood he can use.”

“Sophia’s a mess.”

“Well, fuck, you both are and you have every right to be.”

“I wish you’d show some emotions. Show me that you care for once.”

“Damn it Cove! Someone has to hold it together. The only way to make it
through these situations is for me to...”

“Shut up,” he cuts me off.

I ignore his roller coaster of emotions. I’m trying to be the one who
gets him through this and I don’t know why the hell he can’t see how much I
love him and my family. What the fuck? And what does he want me to do? Change?
Yeah, right. There’s no point in even opening my mouth around the guy sometimes.
No matter what I say, it’s wrong... so I guess I should just say whatever the
fuck I want since it doesn’t seem to make any difference to our relationship
anyway.

“I love you... and I’m serious when I say it.
Soph
and the kids too, although I’m undecided on whether or not I actually
like
you.”

“Yeah, none of us are very likeable,” he says.

“That’s why it’s important for our family to stick together.”

He checks his watch then runs his hand through his hair.

“But Jules is,” I say faintly. “She’s likeable. She’s laid-back and
big-hearted, if you haven’t noticed.”

His head shakes as he speaks. “She’s still young and you’ve brainwashed
the poor girl.”

“Far from it. Trust me, she’s got a mind of her own and doesn’t put up
with any shit. I like that about her. She’s a strong woman.”

“Then you should set her free before you end up... before she becomes
one of us.”

“Too late. Besides, she’s an incredible fuck. I’m not giving that up.
Those are hard to find. She likes my toys and my cock... it’s all good.”

He shakes his head again.

“What?” I grin. “You can’t tell me you’d be with someone who didn’t
like to play. Seriously. A woman who’s
gonna
lie in
bed like a dead body is worthless to me.”

“Again, that sounds like something your father would’ve said.”

He stares ahead and thankfully doesn’t mention anything sexual about my
sister. And I suppose I’m getting off track by discussing Jules and sex instead
of thinking about
Daxton
. I keep hoping one of our
cells will ring with a call from my sister that he’s home.

“I’d kill her,” he says out of the blue. “If
Mera
or anyone else hurt my son, I’d kill that person.”

I sigh, still holding my shirt to my nose. “I can’t see that
happening... so we’re back on this subject now?”

“Would you?”

“You know I would. But
Dax
is in the forest
and I bet
Mera’s
not in town. So unfortunately I
won’t get to have any fun.”

He closes the window and taps the armrest. His watch gets checked as he
waits impatiently for the sun to appear. He taps... checks the time... sighs...
then checks his watch again.

“She’s here,” he says under a soft breath. “She’s not going anywhere
until she figures out what happened to her husband. Think about it, would you?”

I shrug.

“Forget it. Maybe you would... so how old were you. I mean, the first
time you killed someone. How old?” he asks.

“Hell,” I inhale deeply, “you don’t want to hear about that.”

“Then tell me
why
you did
it.”

He’s as pushy as Jules, only this is her normal personality and Cove...
he’s just nervous and confused. He probably doesn’t even know what he’s asking.

“To impress my father.”

“Uh,” he exhales.

I turn into the hotel drive, only to get stuck behind a car that’s
moving slower than a sloth, an older couple, no doubt. I hit the horn and they
speed ahead, allowing me to turn down the ‘no admittance’ drive to my private
garage.

“What is that?” Cove whispers when my headlights shine toward the
garage doors. “Tell me you ordered something.”

Oh shit.

“Oh shit,” he repeats my thought. “No.” The word barely escapes his
mouth. He tries to open the door, but I pull him back.

“No, stay here.” I put the truck in park. “Stay here!”

He rushes out and I follow, grabbing his shirt and pushing him aside.

“Wait. Just stop! Stand back, Cove. Stand! Back!”

He looks at me and then at the large box in front of my garage.

“Oh, my god.” His hands rest on his knees. He leans forward, staring at
the ground, hyperventilating, and then looking at the box once more.

“Open it,” he pleads.

I walk forward and listen, hoping to hear breathing, a cry, a sneeze, a
cough, anything.

“
Daxton
,” I whisper.

“Don’t say his name! He’s not in there!” Cove’s panic-stricken and
unable to move, frozen about ten feet behind me. “Open it!”

The box is large enough to fit a child, sopping wet, and covered in mud
like it’s just been unearthed.

I take another step forward.

“Please,” Cove says under quick wheezing breaths. “Tell me that’s not
my son.”

With a hand on one of the flaps, I close my eyes, asking whoever the
fuck is listening to let this be anything but his kid. My stomach sinks. I
know. I feel the dread in my heart.

I just know.

“Fuck.”

PART THREE

OMEN

D
ayne
warned me not to interrupt my father when he’s busy fucking in his bedroom, but
I’ve got a flight to catch and he owes me money. I didn’t just work my dick off
for a week to fly home empty-handed.

Besides,
Dayne
always says the same old shit, and it’s not like my dad hasn’t fucked women in
front of me before. Just yesterday...

A sharp crack of lightning rattles the house.
Rolling thunder. Rain.
All bad signs.
A downpour
pounds the roof. This is Vegas for fuck’s sake. It doesn’t storm like this
here.

I’m nervous.

I’ll just knock and ask him to step into his
office where he can write a check then get back to his pussy. Just one minute
of his time. One minute.

Smoke from his cigar floats out of the open
bedroom door, irritating my nose. I glance inside to see dim lights and the
cigar being placed on the nightstand. He doesn’t notice me. I should knock and
get this over with, instead of eavesdropping, but I lose my train of thought
when he speaks.

“I love you like a son... more than a son...
you’re the one person in this house who knows how to satisfy my cock,” my
father whispers. “You’re a good little boy.”

Fuckin
’ A.
He’s talking to Star. It has to be him in that bed.
My dad...
the sick bastard.
Of course he loves this kid more than me. The
nineteen-year-old is a wimp and will do whatever the fuck my father wants.

“
Mmmph
,” I hear a
muffled scream and then another. He must be gagged.

I step back and stand on the top step,
listening, debating, wanting to kill both of them. I should really do it. Kill
them. Just put my father and his boy toy out of their misery. They’d both be
better off dead. Yet, I feel sorry for the kid and what he has to go through in
this place. It’s not his fault he’s weak.

“I’m taking this tie off from around your
mouth.”

“Huh,
huh, huh,” Star pants.

“Now you can tell me how good my cock feels
in your ass.”

“Yes sir,” he whimpers. “It’s good.”

“Call me Dad.”

Thank fuck he doesn’t.

“Say it.”

There’s a gagging noise.

“I’ve always wanted a boy who looks like me.
Someone I could introduce as my son and people would see the resemblance.
Someone to play with who looks
like
a younger version
of myself.”

I need to step in. The kid is choking. I can
hear my dad strangling him.

“See. Open your eyes. See yourself in that
mirror. See my face behind you. You’re me. We look so much alike. Why do you
think I love you so much? Why do you think I chose you over all the other boys
in my company?” My father groans with desire. “I’m so proud of you for making
me so much money. Look at us... oh, I’m fucking myself. I’m fucking myself in
the ass.”

This stops now. I walk down the stairs and
pretend I just arrived.

“Paul!” I call out. “I need to talk to you.”

“Jesus Christ!”

I hold my breath, waiting to get my ass
kicked. Damn, that was hard on my ears.

He races down the stairs, tying his robe
along the way, grabbing my arm then pulling me over to his desk. Furiously, he
opens a drawer and slams his checkbook down, scratching out a check for eighty
grand.

“That should be more than enough for whatever
the fuck you wanted.”

“Down payment on a house. And thanks.” It’s a
lot of money. More than I was expecting.

“Yeah.” He slides the check forward, waiting
for me to take it from his desk.

“Were you
gonna
say
goodbye?” I ask. “Or you too busy with...” I stare into his beady dark eyes and
then up the stairwell toward his bedroom door.

He stands and leans in my face. “I’m not
gay,” he whispers, gripping my collar. “I enjoy pussy just like every real man
in this world.”

“Does he live here?” I ask with a hard
swallow.

“For now, but not forever.”

“Don’t ask me to kill him next time I’m
here.”

“Why, are you in love with the boy or
something?” he laughs. “Find your own fuck buddy. There’re plenty in my
company.”

I pull away from his grasp wanting to rip the
check in two. Maybe I shouldn’t come back, but fuck, the money... I’d be insane
not to. My father’s loaded and his wallet’s always open when I’m in need.

“My private life is none of your concern,” he
reminds me. “I don’t say a word about your time being wasted in that marriage
or your shitty life back in Philly, so don’t inquire about where I stick my
dick.”

“Yeah, but what makes him so special?”

“He’s not.”

“You love him. He’s ‘something’ to you.”

“I don’t love anyone.”

I sigh and look at his bedroom again. “I’m
your son,” I whisper.

“I see, you’re jealous. That’s what this is
about? You want to join us up there? You feel left out, you whiny baby. You
want your father to fuck you?”

“Asshole.”

He laughs and leans back in his chair,
placing his hands behind his head like he’s so damn proud of himself.

“That kid up there...”

“Call him Star.”

“I know,” I say irately. “He’s one of the few
guys in this company I like. Just don’t dispose of him when you’re finished
playing.”

I can tell by his smirk he’s totally amused
that I care about this kid. And it’s true; I don’t want him to be tossed away
just because my dad’s bored. Sometimes you can’t explain the connection you
have with another person; you just know it’s there.

“You’ve been here long enough to see how my
company works. I’m not going to have him around when he’s in his thirties.
Eventually he’ll have to retire, like you. Out with the old and in with the new
keeps this company’s cash flow steady.”

“I won’t kill him for you. Not this one.”

“No?” He rocks in his chair with a euphoric
face. “Someone will, and when the time comes you might change your mind. We’ll
make it a father-son outing, just the two of us. My friend from upstairs can
ride in the trunk of my car. We’ll pack a lunch and I’ll show you how grand it
feels to bury a man alive. I’ll even let you do the honors of tying him up,
placing him in a cardboard box, and burying him underneath two feet of desert
sand.”

Yeah, I can do the honors because my father
won’t lift a finger when someone’s about to be killed.

“Then, we’ll sit and listen to him scream
until he suffocates, all while eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and
drinking a beer. We’ll form a splendid father and son bond when the time comes.
You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Jesus, Paul.” I know enough not to call him
Dad in this moment. “I’ll stick to killing the fuckers who mess with our
family, not innocent men.”

“Well, you have a few years to think about
it. You may end up changing your pussy ass mind.” He grins. “I’ve got plenty of
cardboard boxes in my garage when the time comes. He’s even been duct taped
inside a few already. It’s one of my most enjoyable
mindfucks
to play on him.”

I inhale and shake head.

“Mug up, pal. Learn from me.” With his hands
on his desk, he pulls his chair forward. “If you want complete control over
another person... you want to dominate someone’s mind, place him in a fucking
box, or a trunk, or a barrel. It’s a cheap, rewarding thrill. The person won’t
come back from that type of manipulation. You’ll be worshipped by the poor soul
forever. Just make sure he’s in the dark and about to suffocate before you pull
him out. Be patient. When the time comes and the light shines in his eyes,
smile down on him, he’ll tell you that he loves you. The sensation you get when
he says it is incredible.” He reaches for a cigar on his desk and lights the
end, puffing, puffing, puffing, exhaling, smiling, giving me a wink, and
puffing again. The heavy smoke curls above us and hovers in the air. I think
he’s waiting for a response, but I have nothing left to say to the man. Not
even see you later. The eighty grand is enough for a while and then I’ll be
back.

He points the cigar at my face, totally
delighted by his own words. “Get yourself a cardboard box, Marcus. Have a
little fun for once.”