Missing Link (The Finders Book 1) (11 page)

"Sam?" I shook the daze off and focused back on Lincoln who was studying me from the other side of the table. "You've been staring at the door for like 5 minutes. You know you're safe right?" I smiled, Lincoln had promised to protect me. And I knew that no matter what, he would fight tooth and nail to live up to that promise. But Charlie was powerful and not the type of man to just lie down and give away something he considered his.

We had won this battle. But the war had just begun.

Chapter Twelve

"Come on, I'll show you where you're sleeping." He pushed out his chair and gestured with his arm towards the hallway. His apartment was a small two bedroom place in a block of flats. It was brand spanking new, but Link had already made it feel homely and cosy.

He stood outside the door to the room allowing me to enter first. It was pretty bare, a bed that had been made up, a dresser to the side and several boxes lined up against one wall.

"I'll move the boxes to the garage tomorrow if that's okay." I jumped slightly, not expecting him to be so close behind me. I turned to face him, a blush powdering my cheeks.

"Thank you. It's fine." I said stepping towards the bed and running my hand along the soft mink blanket. "I'll be right across the hall if you need me."

"Link?" I called as he walked through the doorway, he turned back and braced both hands on the door frame, leaning through it slightly.

"Yeah?" I sat softly on the edge of the bed,

"Thank you." I whispered, "you risked a lot to get me out of there, I don't know how I can repay you.”

The smirk that crossed his mouth was one I was starting to love seeing, it was sexy and cocky and confident. It was Link.

"There's no need to repay me." I shook my head,

"Right, I'm just a part of your job, saving damsels in distress from the men who've taken them." I said, smoothing my hands down my legs, an unconscious nervous tick I had picked up knowing Charlie demanded perfection in my outfits. He laughed, catching my attention again.

"You are more than just a job, Sam." A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. "There's some clothes and sleep stuff in the draws, they should fit you."

My smile instantly dropped, like I wanted to wear clothes that girls he had been with had possibly left here. A disgusted look must have come across my face as he quickly added,

"They are my sisters, she stays with me sometimes."

"Sure..." I muttered, standing up and moving toward the dresser. I heard him laugh again before calling out goodnight and retreating to his room.

I found a pair of sleep shorts and a crop top. Both which showed off a lot of skin. I wondered what type of girl his sister was, obviously one who was pretty confident with her body I thought as I flicked through the skinny jeans, short shorts and other skin tight items. After dressing and climbing underneath the soft fluffy comforter I sighed. How could I be so wide awake? It had been a long exhausting day, travelling, being chased. My body was ready to give in but my mind was fighting sleep.

I tossed and turned, maybe catching a couple of hours sleep. I finally looked over at the clock, it read 2.14am. I groaned loudly, throwing myself onto my other side.

"Go to sleep, stupid brain." I whispered to myself, picking up one of my pillows and throwing it over my head. I don't know what I hoped to accomplish with this but I quickly realised how stupid it was as my breath quickly heated up the small space resulting in me throwing it off again and having it land on the floor across the other side of the bed. I threw the covers off, and swung my legs over the side, thrusting my fingers through my hair and pulling at it in frustration.

The hallway light had been left on, illuminating both mine and Link's room whose door was directly opposite. I could see the outline of his body, stretched out across his bed. I ached to get a closer look, his silhouette too tempting. Link was the type of guy that you wanted chasing you, fighting for you. He was absolutely gorgeous, his body that of perfection, his features strong and masculine. But it wasn't just that. Link's heart was on a whole other scale. Cockiness and arrogance aside, he was sweet and kind and caring. I tiptoed across the soft carpet, squinting as I moved through the bright hallway. I stopped at his doorway, asking myself what the hell I was doing and almost turning around. But then I caught a glimpse of the most perfect body I had ever seen and it appeared my lady parts had now taken control of my brain as it told my legs to move closer.

Even though I had seen his body before during our altercation at KC's gym, seeing him lying there, one arm thrown over his face, the other stretched out across the bed, had me wanting to crawl up his body and taste every muscle, every dip and crevice with my tongue. I wanted to know if his skin was soft or harsh and what it tasted like. Was he salty, musky or maybe even sweet. I could see the outline of some of his tattoos, my intrigue carrying me closer to the edge of his bed, leaning forward to try and see them a little better.

"I'm feeling a little violated right now." I jumped, tripping over my own feet and landing ever so ungracefully on my ass.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry..." I stuttered, scampering to get to my feet. Link sat up and flicked on his bedside lamp, doing nothing to calm me as the light hit his body at the right angle, the outline of his abs and pecks becoming even more prominent. My mouth moved, trying to find some sort of words to explain, but I was lost. I finally just decided to try and get myself out of there as fast as possible.

"Um..." I pointed toward the door, "I'm just gonna..." I took two large steps before he called out to me.

"Sam." I didn't dare turn around, my feet were frozen to the floor. Even as I heard the bed creak, knowing he was moving closer to me, I couldn't force myself to move. I could feel the heat of his body behind me, even though we weren't touching.

"Come sit down." His breath whispered across the hair at the side of my face and I managed to suppress an excited shudder. He claimed my hand, my body unconsciously following as he pulled on it, turning me and leading me back toward the edge of the bed. He released my hand, pushing on my shoulders and forcing me onto the springy surface before taking a seat next to me, our shoulders brushing. I looked around his room nervously, it was a lot busier than I expected. A desk sat in one corner, strewn with papers and folders, a closet thrown open but surprisingly tidy with shirts and suits and pants all hung neatly and shoes lining the cubby holes to the side. He also had a small arm chair and a couple of open boxes placed against one wall.

"So what's up?" He asked finally.

I cleared my throat, "Just... Couldn't sleep." I said with a croak.

"So you just decided to come in here and visually molest me?" I frowned at him, a sure fire smirk shining back at me. I huffed like a tantrum throwing child and made a move to stand. My escape was quickly halted as he gripped my wrists and jolted me back onto the bed, causing me to bounce slightly. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

The ridiculous apology still dripping with amusement.

"It's just strange and weird." I said quietly, finally able to look at him and meet his eyes. A small amount of seriousness finally shining through.

"You're used to sharing a bed?" He asked. For a moment I noticed his face change, but he covered it before I could pick up on the emotion.

I shook my head, "No, Charlie allowed me to have my own room for the majority of nights." He nodded, encouraging me to continue. "I don't know what it is. Maybe just the unknown?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, turning his body to me and lifting a knee to rest on the bed. I noticed for the first time he was only in a light pair of satin boxers and I was glad for the small amount of lighting as I could feel my face start to burn.

"I always knew what to expect from tomorrow. I was always confined. I would wander the grounds and gardens, maybe talk to the staff, read, watch the small amount of TV I was permitted. The days I went to the gym were my favourite, the only time I was allowed out unless Charlie wanted to take me somewhere to show me off." I wrung my hands together. "Here, it's all new and I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, I don't know where I'll go or how I'm supposed to act."

Link nodded. "Sometimes we can be afraid of change. Routines often keep us sane, make us feel safe."

"Yes, exactly!" I said with a large sigh. "I know I should feel happy, and grateful for the freedom. But the reality is, I don't really know what to do with it."

Link reached out, once again taking my hand in his. The action was soft and comforting as he lightly rubbed his thumb back and forth across the top of my mine.

"Charlie has pushed darkness and confinement into you for so long that that's all you know. That's where your comfort zone is. Even out here you're letting him rule your thoughts and your actions. You need to find your light, something that will pull you out of the hold he has on you and let you be who you want to be."

Link's words hit close to home. I realised he was right. I was free from Charlie's hold but I was still letting him in ways, dictate my thoughts and emotions. I knew it was going to be a process but I was going to work hard on getting out of the comfort zone he had ingrained in me and finally be who I wanted to be. I just needed to find my light. I smiled, tucking my legs up under me so I was kneeling. I reached out and cupped Link's cheek with my free hand, it was rough and bristled. Our eyes stayed connected as I leaned forward, my breasts brushing against his chest softly as I grazed my lips against his cheek. His unshaven face prickled at my lips like tiny sharp needles. My eyes drifted closed, the sharp sensation causing a strange jolt of excitement shooting through my body. Link sat still, relaxed and controlled. So typical of him. But my mind screamed at him to lose control and throw me down on the bed and ravage my body.

"Thank you." I whispered before sitting back on the bed. A smile played at the corner of his mouth.

"I think you already said that." I chuckled,

"I guess I did."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, but it was a comfortable silence, Link's thumb still running back and forth soothingly across the top of my hand.

"I should probably try and get some sleep." I said, finally sliding off the bed and our hands slipping apart.

"You're welcome to stay here with me if you want. I promise I'll behave and keep my body parts to myself." I smiled, meeting his eyes.

"Thanks but I really want to give this a go on my own." Link seemed a little disappointed but he nodded anyway as though he understood. "Goodnight, Link."

"Goodnight, pretty girl."

I climbed back into my bed, a wave of peace floating through me. It was as though I could actually feel the weight of Charlie’s darkness slowly but surely being pushed from my mind and body. I had only been free from his hold for less than 24 hours but in that time I had experienced more emotions than in 3 years by his side. And I was going to embrace every change, every feeling and every situation that came along with that. I just needed to concentrate on the light. I yawned widely before closing my eyes and finally drifting into a blissful sleep.

Chapter Thirteen

I pushed open the front door, Link's hand placed gently on my back was the only thing moving me forward, giving me the courage I needed to put one foot in front of the other. The house was tidy, something I didn't expect of Rome after Link's small insight into his bachelor ways. My soft running shoes made the slightest squeak on the hard wooden floors as I turned into the large kitchen. I wondered if Rome or Devon cooked a lot as it would be such a shame to let all the amazing new cooking appliances go to waste.

Rome stepped out from behind a wall and I jumped back into Link who chuckled quietly. "Little on edge today are we?" Rome mused, grinning wildly.

"I need to tie bells to you guys or something. The way you all move freaks me out." I answered, frowning.

"Comes with the training." He said doing a mock left and right dodge. "We're like ninjas."

I giggled, "Don't ninjas wear like black spandex or something? Now that I would pay to see."

"Why, so you can check out these tight buns." He laughed, turning and squeezing both his ass cheeks. My giggle turned into full blown laughter as he wiggled his ass towards me.

I held out my hands, "Argh, stop!" I gasped in between deep breaths. When he got close enough, Link reached over me and smacked him around the back of the head.

"Cut it out fool." He scolded but laughter was also clearly evident in his voice. Rome turned to face us again, not even fazed.

"Jealous your girl was checking out my ass, man?" He asked, crossing his arms with a large smirk. "It's okay. Not all of us are blessed with such amazing bodies." He flexed his muscles in a multitude of different poses.

"Remind me again why I hang out with you guys?" I spun towards the voice, it was familiar but deeper and more masculine than I remembered. He was tall, towering over my 5ft 2 inch frame even as he leaned against the entrance to the kitchen, his hair was long and very dark, almost black and tucked behind his ears. His black singlet showed off two toned arms, covered in a smattering of tattoos.

"Devon..." I croaked out, taking a step towards him. "Wow... You grew up."

He scoffed and stood up straight, he must have been over 6 feet tall. Gone was the lanky, awkward teen.

Standing in front of me was a grown man. I took a step closer, reaching out with a shaking hand, my fingers grazing his bristled jaw. He simply watched me, but didn't move. I don't know what I was expecting from our reunion after 3 years apart but it wasn't this.  I thought he would hug me, maybe tell me how much he missed me. But he just stood there, his eyes following my small movements. I felt a hand on my shoulder, knowing instantly it was Link offering me his silent support.

"How... How are you?" I enquired quietly.