Suspicious Minds (Fate #3) (30 page)

AJ had just gotten to the bottom of the stairs, so Lorenzo had all
three brothers’ surprised eyes on him. “You broke up with Livi?” Nathan asked. “
Why?
”

“That’s not important right now,” Romero said, and Lorenzo couldn’t
be more grateful.

That’s the last thing he wanted to be discussing right now. He’d
been glad when the cops questioned him outside and out of the hearing range of
her brothers so they hadn’t had to hear him answer truthfully when they’d asked
him if he and Liv had, had any problems or arguments lately.

“People do things they normally wouldn’t when they’re depressed
or distraught.” Romero continued then turned to Emi. “How did she sound when
you talked to her last?”

Emi looked at Lorenzo sadly then turned back to Romero. “She was
hysterical. For the better part of the conversation, I had a hard time
understanding her. She was crying so much.”

“Then why the fuck are you here?” AJ suddenly exploded, storming
toward Lorenzo.

“Hey, relax,” Romero said, stepping in front of AJ, who looked
ready to charge Lorenzo.

“No! Bullshit!” AJ snapped, trying to get past Romero. “First, he
makes my sister cry then—”

“She’d just spent an entire day with her ex,” Lorenzo tried to
explain. “Someone she’d just told me the night before had showed up at one of
her stops and argued with her because he was insisting she was still in love
with him. I was upset and reacted, but—”

“Did you accuse my sister of something, asshole?” AJ said, nearly
getting past Romero. “If it turns out that—”

“Wait! Shut up,” Lorenzo said when the phone on the counter rang.
“Is that Liv’s phone?”

All eyes were on the phone. Isaiah nodded, already hurrying
toward it. “It’s Jay,” he said, and as soon as he was close enough, he started
to pick up the phone.

“No,” Romero said. “Let Em answer. You guys are all too worked
up. We need to stay calm. This guy might have answers,” he turned to Emi. “Answer
and play nice. Ask him if by chance he gave Livi cash or one of his credit
cards.”

Both Nathan and AJ turned and glowered at Lorenzo coldly. Yes, Liv
was hurt and possibly even mad, but he didn’t think she’d put her family
through all this to get back at Lorenzo. The thought of another guy consoling
her was an infuriating one though. He listened as Emi questioned Jay about the
money situation. He apparently had questions, too, because Emi explained about
Liv definitely getting on the plane.

Lorenzo’s mind raced to think if Liv had ever once mentioned
dating or hanging with anyone else since she’d moved here. Then it came to him.

“The flowers!” he said and they all turned to him. “Ask him about
the flowers someone sent Liv the day of the game. Were those from him?”

Emi’s eyes widened as if it just dawned on her too that they
never did find out for sure who they were from. “Did you send Livi flowers a
few weeks ago?” she asked anxiously, and her eyes went even wider. “Are you
sure? Please be honest, Jay. This is important.” She looked up at Lorenzo. “He
didn’t.”

“Bingo!” Romero said. “Either Livi has a secret admirer or”—he
turned to Lorenzo with rueful frown—“a Sancho.”

Asshole.

Before Lorenzo could even react to that, AJ shoved Romero. “Don’t
you start making accusations too. Livi’s not like that. She wouldn’t have a man
on the side.”

“Alright, alright,” Romero said, getting back to his laptop and sitting
down in front of it. “But we gotta consider all possibilities. Any inkling who
else might’ve sent them?”

Lorenzo had far more than an inkling, and he could kick himself
for not thinking of it sooner.

Twenty-three

Olivia

“It’s okay.” The male’s whispering voice was lulling.
Olivia felt something cold and soft pat her forehead. A wet towel? “I’ve been
so worried, but you’re going to be fine. Just relax. I’ll be right back. I’m
gonna get more wood for the fire. It’s just outside the door.”

Olivia wasn’t sure how much time had passed until she was finally
able to open her heavy eyelids and try to focus on the blurry bedroom she didn’t
recognize. With her heart speeding up, she wondered where in the world she
could be as she took in the unfamiliar setting for clues. A tray with a bowl of
soup, some orange juice, and a glass of water sat on the nightstand. A
thermometer and a bowl of ice chips were next to the tray. Someone was sick.
Was it her?

Glancing around, she tried to remember what had happened, but for
the life of her she couldn’t. Who was taking care of her?

Sitting up and shaking her cotton head, she could feel just how
chilly it was in there and pulled the blankets up against her neck even as she
sat further up. The small fireplace in the bedroom had a fire crackling, but it
needed more wood. She heard a door open and close in the other room and then
footsteps. Her eyes were glued to the bedroom door, which was cracked open. The
only other time in her life she remembered waking up and not knowing where she
was she’d been with Jay, and she racked her brain to think if that’s who she
was here with.

The door pushed open, and she saw the arms carrying the firewood
first then his face, and she gasped. “
Elton
?”

He turned to her, a bit alarmed, then bent down and dropped the
wood on the bricks around the fire. “Oh thank God!” he said, stumbling toward
her and sitting on a small stool she hadn’t even noticed next to the bed.

“What happened?” she asked, completely panicked and confused. “Where
am I?”

“Shh,” he said, holding a hand out to her. “Don’t get worked up.
You’ll get a migraine again. You’re at my cabin. You begged me to bring you
here.”

“What?” she asked in disbelief. “When? Why?”

“The other night,” he said then added quickly. “Well, very early in
the morning when you got home from Dallas.”

Dallas? Then it came to her, and her mind raced to remember it
all. She’d texted Elton to let him know she’d gotten on an earlier flight and
that she wouldn’t have to cancel all her appointments for the next day after
all. He’d asked, so she told him what flight she’d be on and what time she’d be
in then was shocked to see him waiting at the airport when she arrived. But he’d
said after she’d mentioned she was taking a cab home he couldn’t in clear conscience
not offer her a ride instead.

She remembered feeling a little uncomfortable about it but at the
same time relieved that she wouldn’t have to wait around for a cab. Cabs were
scarce after two in the morning, even at an airport. She remembered walking
through the parking lot to his car and that she’d gotten into the backseat
because he said the front passenger seatbelt was jammed. But after that
everything was a blur.

“I begged you to bring me here?
Why
?” she asked, looking
around and wondering why she’d beg him to bring her to a place she’d never been
to. She turned back to him with a glare. “Is this your home?”

“It’s my cabin,” he reiterated quickly. “The one I’d told you
about, in Arrowhead.”

“Why would I beg you to bring me here? And why can’t I remember
any of it?”

“Relax please,” he said. “I don’t want you to get upset again.
You’ve been very emotional ever since you started telling me about your break up
with Lorenzo.”

That memory shot at her explosively, bringing back the familiar
ache in her heart. She stared at him, willing him to go on as the lump in her
throat made an instant appearance.

“You see?” he said, handing her the box of tissues then explained
speaking a little faster. “As soon as I asked you how your trip was, you broke
down. You said you didn’t even want to go home. You said you needed alcohol to
drown your sorrows. I thought you were just being rhetorical, like when people
say they need to get their ass in the gym but then they never do. So when I
said I could pull over and get you some, I was just saying it to lighten the
mood, but you agreed immediately. You
insisted
that I stop and get some,
so I did. At first, it did calm you, but as you drank more, it only made you
more upset. Within minutes, you were crying hysterically. I didn’t know what to
do. You kept saying you didn’t wanna go home, to take you anywhere else, but
then you asked about the cabin I’d told you about. When I told you more about
it, you said it was exactly what you needed. I tried explaining it was hours
away, but you begged.” He smiled warmly, reaching out to adjust the towel on
her forehead still. “How could I say no?”

Olivia stared at him still in disbelief. That was so not like her,
but then if she’d had alcohol it was possible. She was
not
a good drinker.
At all. It’s why she avoided drinking more than two drinks at a time. This was
only the second time she’d had such a potentially dangerous experience with it:
second only to the time she’d passed out at Jay’s and didn’t get home until
almost four in the morning. Her brothers had been beside themselves and beyond
upset with her for having given them such a scare, and that’s when it hit. “What
day is it?” She peered at the darkened sky through the slightly open curtain. “Oh
my God! My brothers and Emi! They’ll be so worried!”

“They were,” he said reassuringly. “But we called them. You were
hardly in any condition to talk, but I talked to them. After I explained the
situation and why you didn’t wanna go home just yet, they were concerned but
relieved to hear you were okay. I told them you wanted to stay here for a few
days.”

“What did they say?” she asked wide-eyed, already imagining her
brothers’ reactions.

He took the towel off her head. “I’ll refresh this,” he said then
added with a smile. “They were glad you were taking the time off. Isaiah agreed
you needed the break. He said you work too hard. And he asked me to please try
and get you to relax and just rest, which is exactly what I’m going to do.”

It was the bullet that blasted a hole right through his
implausible story, and Olivia’s insides tightened instantly. Already she’d
found what he’d been saying so incredibly hard to believe. But this was what
did it, and her heart began to gallop wildly.
No way
would Elton know how
much her brothers hated him and how wrong he’d gotten his made-up response
about what her brothers would actually say about this. Just as she’d been
having such a hard time believing that even drunk out of her mind she’d beg him
to bring her here, her brothers would never buy that she did much less be so
agreeable about letting him keep her here for
days
.

“Something wrong?” he asked, looking at her strangely. “Are you
feeling nauseous again?”

She shook her head, trying to act as indifferently as she’d been
from the moment he’d begun to feed her all his bullshit. But she brought her
hands under the blankets before he’d notice them shaking. “No, I’m just a
little cold,” she said as convincing as possible.

“Oh, I know. Sorry about that. It’s much colder up here in the
mountains than what you’re used to. And the heater in this old place isn’t the
best, but I’ll get more wood in the fireplace just as soon as I refresh this.”

Elton started toward the other door in the room, and within
seconds, she could hear the water running in there. Her frantic mind raced,
trying to remember, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember anything
past getting in his car at the airport. Was it possible he’d abducted her? She’d
known he was creepy, but was he
that
insane? And if so, what was he
planning on doing? To keep her here for good?

He slunk back in the room with a smile again and placed the towel
on her forehead. “Let me know if you feel nauseous again. You did a lot of
throwing up earlier today. Between that and all the crying, it’s no wonder you’re
so dehydrated. Hence the fever, but I think it’s gone down now.”

“I think,” she said softly, not wanting to look him in the eyes, “I
wanna call my brothers and check in again. They probably want to hear from me
directly.”

“About that,” he said, picking up the thermometer and shaking it.
“I managed to call before the battery died on your phone. I didn’t think to
write the number down, and when we called earlier, you couldn’t remember any of
their numbers. I had to look them up in your contact list. I haven’t been able
to find your charger. But then I haven’t searched thoroughly. It might be in
the car somewhere. I’ll check for it in a little bit. For now, let’s see about
your fever.” He brought the thermometer to her mouth. “Open up.” She did and he
placed it under her tongue. “It might be time for some more medicine.”

The very thought of taking anything he gave her was terrifying.
She watched silently as he turned back and headed to the fireplace. He kneeled
down and began to place the fresh logs he’d brought in the fire.

“I’ll make you some hot tea too, darling,” he said as he
continued to organize the logs in the fireplace. “That should make you . . .”

Darling.

A memory flashed through Olivia’s head like a spark drowning out
whatever else he said. The memory of a dream. The one of waking to a blurry
light and an unrecognizable voice that called her darling. Her breathing
accelerated as she remembered being tied then the pain between her toes and
everything going white. Was it really just a dream?

The instant she touched her wrists under her blankets and felt
the pain she knew. There was no mistaking how badly bruised they felt, and she
began shaking and breathing erratically. It wasn’t a dream. He’d drugged her
and brought her here. Tied her up.

A gasp escaped her, and Elton’s head jerked and turned to look at
her. Both hands were at her mouth now, and he stared at her, straightening out
slowly.

“Olivia?” he asked as he stood and peered at her guardedly but
didn’t move. “Something the matter?”

He took one step forward, and Olivia pulled her legs off the side
of the bed. “I have to throw up,” she said, holding her hands to her mouth and
rushed past him into the restroom.

She closed the door, but he instantly knocked against it. “Don’t
lock the door,” he said urgently. “I don’t want you passing out in there with
the door locked.”

The panic attack she was now having helped the hacking noises she
was making to fake the dry heaves sound more believable.

“Oh my God. Oh my God,” she whispered over and over in between
fake dry heaves.

Elton knocked again. “Are you okay? Do you need me to come in?”

“No!’ she said a little too loudly then shook her head trying to
get it together. “I mean no. I’m not okay, but I will be. Just give me a few
minutes, please.”

She faked a couple of more dry heaves then turned on the faucet,
letting the water run in hopes of drowning out the sound of her snooping
through the doors under the small vanity and the medicine cabinet. There had to
be something she could use as a weapon. But there was nothing. Not even damn
tweezers. Scouring the rest of the small room frantically, she pressed her hand
against her mouth to mute her crying and tried to calm her breathing. The only
thing she saw was the wooden handle on the plunger next to the toilet. Her
heart thudded even more as the reality sank in. She needed to fight for her
life. But did she dare?

Elton was not a big man. Nor was he anywhere near as muscular as
Lorenzo and her brothers, but he was bigger than Olivia. If she opened that
door and swung and missed, he could easily overpower her. Then what?

There was another knock at the door. “Olivia, you’re worrying me.”

“I’m fine now,” she said. “I’m just washing up a bit. I feel icky,
but I’ll be right out.”

“I’ll be right here if you need anything.”

Deciding it was better to wait until she had a chance to explore
the entire house and find a better weapon, she took a deep breath, wiping the
tears away before walking out.

Elton stood right outside the bathroom door as he promised. He
searched her eyes immediately. “You better?”

“Yes,” she nodded and forced a weak smile.

“I think it’s time for more medicine—”

“No!” she said, and his brows pinched, so she touched her stomach.
“It’d be a waste. I don’t think I can hold anything down right now.”

He arched a brow slightly. “Tea is good for your stomach. I’ll
get you some, but first let’s get you back in bed.”

She began to shuffle and nearly froze when she saw the fireplace wrought
iron tool set. Looking away quickly before he saw her eyeing it, she focused on
the plush chair in the corner of the room with a matching ottoman. It was
closer to the fireplace than the bed.

“I think I’d rather sit,” she said, motioning to the chair. “That
looks comfortable and it’s closer to the fire.”

Elton glanced at the chair then back at Olivia, a bit
apprehensively, but nodded. “Okay. I’ll get the blankets for you. I wanna make
sure you stay warm.”

“Thank you,” she said, forcing a more genuinely sweet smile.

If it weren’t for her bruised wrists and the fact that she had no
doubt she hadn’t come here willingly, she might actually feel bad for what she
was planning to do. Elton made such a fuss about getting her all propped up and
tucking the blankets around her.

“Comfortable?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” she said, smiling and glad her hands were under the
blankets again because they were shaking uncontrollably now.

“I’ll be back with your tea.”

She thanked him and eyed him until he was out of the room.
Glancing around the room, she took everything in, making sure there wasn’t
anything better to use, but the wrought iron poker was likely her best bet of
anything in the house. Thanks to her brothers and their love of baseball
growing up, she’d learned how to swing a bat like the best of them. She’d be
counting on that now because this could be her only chance. But she needed to
think this through. She might not knock him out. He could just be momentarily
dazed. She had no idea how isolated or far from any other nearby homes this
was. She needed a plan.