Jameson Hotel - the Dark Suite Series: Parts One, Two & Three (24 page)

“Dad, I
was
lost in the
woods.”

Cove nods. “And nothing else, okay? Don’t say you were hurt, or
anything about the box. Then we can leave.”

“What box?” Sophia asks in a harsh tone. “What fucking box?”

“Mom, don’t say fuck,” Xavier scolds.

“Yeah.”
Daxton
turns to her. “It makes you
sound like a fucking street thug.”

My sister’s face is red in fury as she gives both Cove and me the
I’m
on
the warpath and I’m breaking both of your necks for lying,
all-out manic look...
but she holds back in front of her sons.

“Barbarous bitch,” Jules exhales, now headed down the stairs, through
the living room, and out the door.

“She’s only a wee bit perturbed,” I say under my breath, but Cove and
Sophia are too focused on
Daxton
to notice anything
else happening in the room.

“I love you,” Cove whispers to his son, tying his sneakers then picking
up his sweatshirt. He nods for Sophia to take the boys out of the room and into
the corridor so the two of us can talk.

We wait for the door to shut before discussing the issue at hand.

“Listen.” He leans against the sofa with crossed arms. I can see the
look of relief in his eyes, yet the rest of his body emanates anxiety over the
suffering his son endured. He has utter contempt for the bitch that hurt him.
“I know exactly what’s going through your head.
Mera
turned my son into a walking billboard for the fucking crime we committed the
other night. She’s good. Smart. My son is now evidence that we killed
Dayne
and we’d never be able to explain his wounds to the
cops without being thrown in prison for the rest of our lives. She knows that.
I get it without you explaining it in front of my kids.”

“Yeah,
Mera
knew when
Dayne
didn’t make it back to their room that he was dead.”

“Well, thank fuck
Dax
can’t see that word on
his back unless he looks in a mirror. Shit, Mark, he’ll have that scar forever.
And
Xav
will see it every time they get dressed. How
the fuck am I going to explain this to them?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “The truth maybe.”

“Hell no.”

“The cuts don’t look that deep, they’re more like scratches, just
enough for us to see the word. It will fade and disappear. Maybe you don’t have
to tell them much.”

“This is...
uhh
, fuck.” He rubs his eyes with
a deep sigh. “You have no idea how happy I am that he’s alive.”

“I do.”

“I need to tell the cops he’s home so they call off the search before
they come across something, like that box downstairs.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“And I’ll let the cops know we need to be on our way to have
Daxton
checked out so they don’t hang around asking too
many questions. They should clear out once they see that he’s okay.”

“I can’t go over there.” I motion to my nose.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“No you’re not. Besides, I don’t want you to be sorry.”

“You’re right, I’m not.” He pauses. “Why don’t you wash up and take
care of any trail you can think of. I take it you cleaned and covered the boat
already?”

This is when I adore Cove Everton, when he sobers up and his head
clears enough to act like a man instead of a wimpy, ball-less toad. It’s the
fucking alcohol that makes him so spineless. I wish he could see the difference
from two hours ago when he was being an ass, to now.

“The boat’s fine. Go and take care of
Dax
.”

We walk to the door and I can hear my sister’s trembling voice as she
speaks to her sons. She’s trying to keep her shit together, but I know when she
gets inside their suite she’ll take a moment to cry her eyes out in private.
Cove inhales deeply as he listens and then exhales a request. “Kill her,” he
says.

“With pleasure. I was going to anyway.”

He leaves my suite and takes his sons’ hands, talking to both of them
as they walk toward the opposite end of my hotel. I know they’re being prepped.
My sister
and
Cove are doing a grand
job of masking their sadness and rage. Cove freaked for a moment, but then
quickly regained his composure, probably after seeing Xavier’s horrified face.
And now, if they can get through a chat with the cops, they’ll have the privacy
they need to get through an extremely difficult conversation with their kids.

And I’ll be a fly on the wall the entire time.

I sprint downstairs and open my garage, pull the box and my truck
inside, then check the surrounding area before lowering the door. That snake
was waiting for the perfect moment to put
Dax
in
front of my garage. I’m just relieved he wasn’t there when I pulled out or I
might’ve run him over. But maybe that was
Mera’s
plan, to put him there so
I’d
end up
killing him. Fuck, that bitch. I’m not going to spend my time daydreaming about
what could’ve happened. It didn’t pan out that way so why bother? I need to
focus on the fresh hunt instead.

My bloodstained shirt gets tossed in the fireplace before I head
upstairs to shower and change. The bed’s unmade and my sheets are full of cum
stains and greasy Dream Cream from Jules’ ass. It’s really too bad she doesn’t
do laundry.

While brushing my teeth and waiting for the shower to warm, I admire my
beaten face. Damn, I’m gorgeous. I’ll have to thank Cove for making me so
fucking beautiful. That’s a remarkable swollen nose and one badass cut on my
lip. It will be a thrill to fuck Jules with my new appearance, like I’m all
gangster and shit. I can’t wait to watch myself cum with a busted face.

I laugh at my foolish brain. I can’t believe some of the crap that goes
through my head. Always inappropriate thoughts at the wrong time - I’m thinking
about my face and my dick instead of the word
murderer
on my nephew’s back. I suppose I’m just exhausted and
won’t be able to function until I get some sleep.

The reddish brown water circles the drain and eventually runs clear as
I finish a quick shower. I’m sure it’s past six and my breakfast cart should be
waiting. I need some down time. Dry toast, the morning paper, some wholesome
spying on my family then much needed sleep.

I towel off, wrap one of my plush black Jameson Hotel robes around my
flesh, and wink at myself in the mirror while gazing at my face one last time.

“I’m a troll,
foldy
roll...”
I walk over to my
bed with that wonderful song stuck in my head, picking up the condom that’s
crusted to the floor. After tossing it in the trash, I get my pot from my
dresser drawer.

“I’m a troll,
foldy
roll... and I’ll eat... you up...
”

Holy shit.

Where the fuck’s my gun?

TAUNT

M
y princess
needs to be punished; only this time her wounds may require a stitch job,
unlike the laid-back belt to her ass routine that did little damage.

She promised not to touch my weapons. I warned her.

And where the fuck is she? Does she seriously believe she can kill
Mera
Calloway, or even find her in this town? Jesus, I
can’t think of any other reason why she’d take my gun.

I need you. Come home.

I text without mentioning the gun and wait for a response. She’s got
balls. I’ll say that. Damn her.

Busy

What? That’s her response? Busy?

No, fuck that. Get your ass home!

I take a bite of toast with a playful grin and swivel in my office
chair while viewing my security cameras with the audio on. My eyes are on Cove
and
Daxton
who have been talking to the police for
the last twenty minutes. Two of the three police cars have already left and the
final two guys are wrapping things up. Cove has a firm grip on his son’s
shoulder and he’s his usual nervous self. Of course, we all are when we have to
deal with cops. Even seeing them on the security camera makes me uneasy.

Busy

Shit, this woman cracks me up. I take a hit of my joint and text her
back.

My sweet, darling Jules, I need your pussy.
Come play with me.

Cove shakes hands with one of the cops and the last two men leave their
suite, my hotel, and finally, my property. Goodbye, so long, and farewell.
Don’t fucking come back.

You had an overabundance of pussy yesterday.
It’s my turn.

What the fuck does that mean, Jules?

My entire life revolves around enjoying a
plethora of pussy.

I smirk at my clever response while zooming in on the upstairs guest
bedroom of my second suite. Sophia’s running a bath for her son while Cove
helps him undress, being careful not to touch his back. He’s saddened when
Dax
tries to figure out the word in the dresser mirror.

“Re-re-drum. Re-
redrum
.
Re-red-rum.”
Daxton
peers over his shoulder.

“Talk about
The Shining
,”
Cove mutters under his breath.

“What, Babe?” Sophia asks, trying to hear over the running water.

“Nothing.”

“Dad, what’s
reredrum
mean? Why did she do
that?”

Sophia sits on the edge of the tub and holds her head in the palms of
her hands. I don’t have a camera in that room, but I can see partway in and I
can hear everything. This must be a nightmare for her. Especially since she was
once in love with
Mera
. And I’m not surprised
Mera
changed, considering she was under the influence of
Dayne
.

You glutton!

Jules responds to my plethora of pussy remark. I can’t disagree.
Sometimes I do over-indulge, but...

Can you blame me for craving your exquisite
pussy?

And thinking back to
Mera
, I suppose I may
have changed Jules in the short amount of time we’ve known one another. People
do crazy ass shit for love.

Julia Alison
Barringer
,
I need you. My cock wants to play.

I take another bite of toast while watching the screen.

“They’re jumbled letters
Dax
,
nothing more.”

“But why? What did I do? Ouch!”

Cove places a warm washcloth on his sons back and pats away the blood.

“
Soph
, can you get some ibuprofen? It may
ease the pain.”

“I’m not a wimp.”

“I know, you’re the strongest ten-year-old in the world,” Cove replies.

He takes his wife’s place on the side of the tub and feels the water
before telling his son to get in.

“Don’t look,”
Dax
says.

“I won’t, buddy. Just tell me when you’re ready so I can wash your
back.”

“No, don’t touch it. It’s fine... okay, I’m in.”

Cove studies the cuts before pouring a cup of water over
Dax’s
back, trying to clean the area without causing too
much pain.

“I need to ask you some questions, son.”

“Go for it.”

“If you don’t understand, just ask me to clarify, okay?”

“Okay,” he says, soaping his arms.

“Was she waiting for you in the woods?”

“Sort of.”

Daxton
shudders as his father pours another cup of water over his cut flesh.

“Sorry,” Cove says compassionately. “Can you explain in more detail?
This is important.”

“I went into the woods and saw her at a distance. She knew my name and
kept calling me over. She said she was
friends
with
mom. She knew mom’s name too, mom’s
real
name of Jameson. She waved me to follow her out of the woods, but when I did, I
realized I wasn’t in the parking lot. I was further down the drive of Uncle
Mark’s hotel, close to the road.”

“So you walked for some time?”

“I guess so.”

“You remember we told you no to go anywhere with strangers?”

“She wasn’t. She knew my name and mom’s. That’s not a stranger.”

Cove sighs and Sophia returns, handing her son a pill and a cup of
water. He gives his wife a look of disappointment then asks his son to
continue.

“She grabbed me and put me in a truck. I tried to kick and scream like
you taught me, but she taped my mouth and tied my hands behind my back.” For
the first time I hear a waver in his voice. “It sucked. I tried to kick her,
but that only made her angry. She said...” He pauses and soaps his feet while
his parents wait.

“What?”

He doesn’t answer.

“Don’t push him,” Sophia says gently. “Maybe that’s enough.”

“No. I want to talk to him while it’s still fresh in his mind.”

Daxton
looks over his shoulder at his parents. “She said I have the same eyes
as Paul. Who’s Paul? And why did you and Uncle Mark kill her husband? She’s
pissed and she took it out on me. For fuck’s sake, Dad.” He turns back around
and continues bathing.

“Oh, hell,” Cove says, looking to Sophia. He stands and walks out,
heading for their bedroom with Sophia following close behind.

“Where are you going? We need to explain this to him,” she says.

“Fuck, we’re not telling him shit about
Dayne
.
Go ahead and tell him Paul was your father, but that’s it.” He paces. “I think
I’m going to be sick. Fuck!”

“And what’s going on with a box? What’s that all about?”

“She put him in a cardboard box,” his voice shakes, “and left him
outside of Mark’s garage.”

“Dad!”
Daxton
calls out. “I thought you
wanted to talk?”

“I’m coming!” he responds then grips Sophia’s shoulders. “Listen, how
we handle this situation right now, at this very moment, is going to affect him
for the rest of his life.”

“I don’t want to lie to our sons.”

“Well, I don’t want to either, but what the fuck choice do we have?”

“Dad!”

“Be right there,
Daxton
!”

Okay, I was wrong.
Mera
didn’t keep her mouth shut. Fuck, what is it with women needing to be such
gossip hounds about everything in their lives?
Did you see the size of Clarissa’s ass? Do you think Dirk likes me?
OMG
, Brad has a big dick. I think I’m pregnant. Mark and
Cove killed my husband.
Blah, blah, blah.

I wish Cove and Sophia would just blame me for this shit and move on. I
mean, how difficult is it to say Uncle Mark’s a prick and it’s his fault? I
wouldn’t care. If I could call them and tell them that, I would.

Still Busy

Another text from Jules... what the hell is she up to?

I’m not going to sleep until we fuck. Is what
you’re doing more important than sitting on my dick?

Women. You can’t live with ‘
em
and you can’t
cut ‘
em
in half and keep their lower torso to fuck
because they start to smell after a few days. I should text her that, see how
she responds.

Aren’t you upset?
She messages.

Does she mean about the gun, or
Dax
? I guess
the latter.

Yes, but I’ll fix the problem when the time
is right, not now.

How could she do such a thing to a little
boy?

No worries, it will toughen him up.

Okay, that last text from me was a bit cold and perhaps unnecessary.

What the fuck, Mark!!!

I ignore her last comment, but then think of a brilliant response.

Welcome to the family.

 
I look at the security cam and
see
Daxton’s
out of the tub, in a pair of jeans, and
trying to view the word on his back. Sophia’s checking on Xavier who’s sound
asleep on the living room sofa and Cove is standing outside his kids’ bedroom,
figuring out what the fuck he’s
gonna
say.

“Dad?”

“I’m here.”

“Who’s Paul?”

“Your grandfather.” He walks into the bedroom. “Your mother’s father.”

“I thought mom said she didn’t have any parents.”

“Well, she came from someone, just like you and Xavier.”

“Oh,” he sighs. “Why did you and Uncle Mark kill that lady’s husband?”

Cove rubs his face then leans against the dresser with crossed arms. “I
didn’t. We didn’t,” he lies.

His son tries to look at his back once more, but finally gives up. Cove
takes him into the bathroom and gently puts an ointment on the cuts, most
likely to help prevent infection, then covers the area with gauze. When
finished,
Dax
pulls a Hurley sweatshirt over his head
and places a black baseball cap on his head. “If you and Uncle Mark didn’t do
anything, then why did she hurt me?”

“She’s sick,
Dax
. People who are sick in the
head sometimes do mean things to others.”

“But you always say Uncle Mark is sick in the head, so has he done
things like this?”

He’s silent, thrown off by his son’s question and refuses to answer.
Dax
stares him down, but Cove won’t open his mouth.

“You know what? I think you’re full of shit, Dad.”

“Hey, wait a minute.” He takes his son by the arm. “Don’t talk to me
that way. There are some things you’re just not old enough to understand or do.
This is one of them. Telling your father he’s full of shit is another.
”

“You wanted to talk so that means
you
need to answer
my
questions, too.
Remember? You said we should never be afraid to tell you anything and that
you’d do the same.”

“You’re right. Uh.” Cove looks toward the ceiling. “My sons are now old
enough to put me in my place. Can’t you guys go back to riding tricycles and
playing with bubbles?”

Daxton
laughs and heads out of the room. “Bubbles are for babies.”

“Where are you going? I still have a lot of questions.”

“I’m hungry.” He races down the stairs and eyes his brother on the
sofa, running over and sitting on his back. “Get up,
farthead
.
Let’s eat.”

Xavier pushes him off with a moan.

“
Xav’s
exhausted, let him sleep. And why
aren’t you tired? You’ve been up all night,” Cove asks.

He ignores his father. “Mom! I want some cereal.”

“Hey, did you sleep? Answer me.”

He nods.

“Where?”

I don’t remember.

“
Dax
, think.”

“Cove.” Sophia sets a box of cereal on the counter as her son gets a
bowl and the milk. “Let him eat. He’ll talk when he’s ready. Please, just be
happy he’s okay.”

“I am. What the fuck,
Soph
? Don’t sugarcoat
this shit like nothing happened.”

“I know something happened!” she shouts, making Xavier rise from the
sofa and rub his eyes.

“What the hell?”
Dax
says, taking his
breakfast to the kitchen table. “Did I do something wrong? Why are you
arguing?”

“We’re not,” Cove responds. “We’re confused, that’s all. We need
answers, buddy. Think. Tell me what happened after you were tied and in the
truck.”

“Well,” he says with a mouth full of Cheerios, swinging his legs under
the chair. “She said she wanted
Dayne
... who’s
Dayne
?”