Levels Of Exposure (Distortion Series Book 2) Read online

  “As soon as we find out anything I will let you know,” Jackson assured her.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-TWO

  Jackson

  The hotel room smelled musty with a lingering scent of chemical pine. Jackson dropped his keys on the small desk by the window and flicked on the lights. The room looked as if it had its original décor and was in dire need of a facelift, though Jackson didn’t give it much more thought as it would serve its purpose well enough. He would have preferred his apartment but he couldn’t afford the time and he didn’t want to be far from Lexie. Jackson looked around the room, opening drawers and looking behind curtains. He had lived this life long enough to know not to assume anything.

  Jackson headed toward the bathroom and turned on the light. The bathroom was as appealing as the rest of the room but at least it smelled as if it was recently cleaned. He pulled back the curtain to reveal a rust-stained tub but the curtain seemed relatively new. Once he was satisfied that nothing seemed out of the ordinary, he hit the switch on the wall and walked back out into the main area.

  Teddy walked into the room with his bag slung over his shoulder. “Wow, this place looks exactly like the backdrop for a porn I saw years ago.”

  “You actually paid attention to the background?” Jackson asked in disbelief.

  “Well, I did watch it a lot.” Teddy unzipped his bag and pulled out his laptop and set it on the desk. “Just in case it is the same place, don’t touch the walls.” Teddy laughed. “Or wear bare feet on the carpet.”

  Jackson looked down at the brown shag carpet under his boots and cringed. “I’ll keep my boots on. I won’t take any chances. What about the bed?”

  “You’re safe there,” Teddy reassured.

  “You get off on some crazy shit, Teddy.” Jackson shook his head before he laid back on the bed and kicked his feet up.

  Teddy shrugged dismissively as he turned on his computer and sat down. He rubbed his hands together before cracking his knuckles. “Let’s see what Masten is hiding other than his father’s dirty little secret.”

  Jackson tucked his hands behind his head and leaned back on the pillow. “Giles rip a strip off you?” Jackson asked as he stared up at the ceiling.

  “What do you think?” Teddy looked back over his shoulder. “We got off easier than I expected, though. I was right that he wants us to stay on task even though he can’t admit it. He wants Stodden as much as we do but he has no jurisdiction. He’s taking as much of a risk as we are.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Jackson said thoughtfully. He thought about what Giles had said about him being his family. When it came to verbalizing feelings, neither one of them were very successful, so his confession surprised Jackson. Giles was a man who had devoted his life to his job and her personal life suffered for it. Jackson had fallen onto his plate as a troubled young man with no direction. Jackson knew Giles did his best when it came to providing a stable environment for him. They were both such strong minded people but somewhere along the way they had grown to understand each other. Jackson never realized that Giles considered him family. He believed he was just a liability because he felt obligated toward Jackson’s father, who had been one of his closest friends before his death.

  If Jackson was honest with himself, he had to admit that Giles had filled the shoes of that role better than anyone could have, considering Jackson’s state of mind. He was a lost soul with no hope of a future. Giles reminded him he had a purpose and he chose that to be avenging his father. That very thing is what he focused on as he began the journey of turning his life around. He began to walk a straight line so that one day he could destroy everything that caused the demise of his father.

  Jackson pulled out his phone and looked up the picture of Lexie. He had lost count of how many times he had looked to it for comfort. Lexie was a warm inviting light in his cold, dark life and she began to illuminate elements of his life he had taken for granted or overlooked when he was living with his blinders on. She was the reason he wished there was more for him in this life.

  She had looked so fragile curled up in the chair beside Dane when he left hospital. He hated leaving her but he knew he was better off with Teddy looking for Stephanie. That is what Lexie wanted from him right now and he didn’t want to disappoint her any more than he already had. Being close to her made his head swim with thoughts he knew he shouldn’t indulge in.

  Jackson sat up cautiously when he noticed a shadow slowly pass the curtained window and linger just outside the door. Jackson swung his legs off the bed and grabbed for his gun from the nightstand. He placed his finger against his lips when Teddy looked at him and motioned toward the window. Teddy picked up his gun and stood up from his chair.

  Jackson crouched down and walked toward the door as Teddy readied his gun. He glanced through the peephole. A figure hovered just out of sight until they stepped forward and Jackson could identify him. He lowered his gun with a shake of his head and unlocked the door. He swung the door open and grabbed Nate by the shirt and hauled him in the room.

  “What the fuck are you doing sneaking up on us? You know better than that,” Jackson growled angrily as he pulled him inside.

  “I had nowhere else to go,” Nate said as he walked in the room. He turned around to face Jackson with a defeated look. “How’s the woman? Did she make it?”

  “Yeah,” Jackson said as he placed his gun back on the nightstand. “She was still in surgery when we left.”

  Nate nodded his head. “Good, ’cause she didn’t look so good when I saw her.” Nate scratched the back of his neck. “So what about the other girl?”

  “What about her?” Jackson said a little harsher than he intended.

  Nate raised his hands “Okay, okay, I get it.” He dropped his weight on the bed. “So what are the two of you up to hiding away in this hotel?”

  “We were trying to get away from you,” Teddy said with a teasing smile.

  “Isn’t everyone?” Nate responded lightly.

  “Why are you hanging around, Nate?” Jackson asked seriously.

  “I still want to help. I owe you for saving my ass plenty of times back then,” Nate admitted a bit uncomfortably.

  “We were fucking kids, Nate. I already told you, you don’t owe me anything. Seth is gone. This is the chance for you to make a clean break from this.”

  “And do what, Jacks? Get a job? Get married? I don’t know how to live a normal life. This fucked up version of the world that I have is all I know.”

  “You okay with this, Ted?” Jackson asked when he noticed Teddy watching them.

  “Picking up strays seems to be our new thing.” He smiled before he started typing on his computer again.

  Jackson heard voices outside and walked toward the door to peer out again. He watched a couple walk by and head toward another room, seemingly in a hurry for privacy.

  “You still as paranoid as ever?” Nate said when Jackson faced him.

  “It’s the reason I’m still alive. How did you make it all these years?” Jackson asked.

  “A bloody, fucking miracle,” Nate said. “Apparently someone still wants me alive.” Nate waved to the ceiling.

  Jackson looked up with raised brows. “Don’t tell me you believe in God now?”

  Nate shrugged his shoulders. “Nah, my mother did, and look where that got her. It’s more of a just in case thing.”

  “So tell me, have you been living under Seth’s wing all these years?” Jackson asked curiously.

  “Yeah, Black kicked me to the curb first chance he got because I reminded him of you. He was pretty foul about your untimely exit for a long time. I hooked up with Seth’s crew to keep myself alive because I’m a sucker for punishment.”

  “Aren’t we all?” Jackson agreed.

  “It seems you’re getting yourself into more than your fair share of trouble these days,” Nate said devilishly. “Some things never change.”

  “No, they certainly don’t.” Jackson dropped down in an a
rmchair in the corner of the room. “Listen, Nate, I keep my circle tight because I don’t trust easily. If I suspect that you’re anything but truthful, I won’t hesitate,” Jackson warned, knowing Nate would understand exactly what he meant.

  Nate stayed quiet for a moment, watching Jackson before he nodded his head. “Yeah, I get that.”

  Jackson pushed off the chair and walked toward the mini fridge in the corner of the room. He grabbed three minis of rum and tossed one toward Nate, who caught it effortlessly. Jackson walked toward Teddy and sat his down next to his computer. “Look for anything you can find about a lake house,” Jackson said, watching the screen. Teddy had multiple windows of information littering the monitor. The speed in which he navigated through files always mystified Jackson. Jackson cracked the top of the bottle and tipped it up to his lips. The cheap rum burned his throat and tasted less than desirable but it did the trick.

  “At first glance, this fuck is cleaner than a nun in confession,” Teddy said as he skimmed multiple files.

  “We know he likes to hide things. Seth was a testament to that.” Jackson placed his hand on Teddy’s shoulder. “I’m gonna leave you to sift through whatever the hell you’re doing.” Jackson waved toward his screen. “Nate, you’re with me. We need to go visit Black.”

  Nate’s color turned a little grey. “That man hates me, Jackson.” He shook his head and sat up from his reclined position on the bed.

  “Black hates everyone. We just have to make sure we are not at the top of the list,” Jackson said with a smirk.

  “Are you?” Nate asked as he rose to his feet.

  “That’s what we are going to find out.” Jackson holstered his gun and slipped his phone into his pocket. “Call me if you find anything,” he said to Teddy.

  “Yep,” Teddy replied without taking his eyes off the screen.

  Jackson caught Nate when he made the sign of the cross and glared at him. “What? It can’t hurt,” Nate said defensively.

  Jackson shook his head with a sigh before he headed toward the door.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-THREE

  Stephanie

  The sound of silence was deafening as Stephanie paced the cell back and forth. It felt heavy and solid as it surrounded her. Initially she had started counting every step she took, trying to distract her mind, but the numbers became so high that they took too long to say and she grew too tired to think. She was parched and her tongue felt too large for her mouth. It was the longest stretch of time since he had come. She desperately needed water and her stomach ached with hunger. She wished she could have some indication of when it was day and night so she didn’t feel so disoriented.

  She didn’t understand why he was punishing her this time. Scenarios kept running through her head about why he had not returned. She wondered if something had happened to him or if he grew tired of her and she would be left to starve. The thought of slowly wasting away made her stomach clench painfully.

  Stephanie began to hum the tune that had been stuck in her head. It brought her some comfort and made her feel less scared in the darkness. The feel of the metal bars had become familiar to her hands as she wrapped her fingers around them. She leaned her head against the cool metal and found it offered some relief to her growing headache.

  Stephanie hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Rose, the girl who he apparently believed her to be. She wondered if she had died within these bars as she believed she soon would. Her initial hope of someone finding her had slowly faded away to be left with acceptance that her time was drawing to an end. She stopped thinking about the people she loved because it became too painful.

  The sound of her voice echoed in the room, making her feel less alone. Every once in a while she would stop humming when she believed she could hear someone else singing along but it was only her imagination. The desolation had a way of toying with her sanity.

  Stephanie walked toward the small cot, the only thing that offered the slightest amount of comfort from the damp cold. She grabbed the thin sheet and wrapped it around herself before sitting back against the wall.

  Stephanie jumped when something thumped against the door on the far side of the room. The door rattled on its hinges with a resounding thud. She held the blanket tighter as she held her breath. Her heart beat pulsed in her ears so loud she couldn’t hear anything else. She was unsure what would come of his return. He was normally so quiet when he unlatched the door but this time was different.

  Fear rushed potently in her blood, a familiar feeling that had its claws dug deep within her. The promise of death loomed over her like a heavy fog she could no longer see past. She could no longer recognize herself anymore. She was cast into a darkness that was slowly eating her alive and what remained was forever changed. This man robbed her of the person she was and she didn’t know how to get used to what was left.

  Even though she had searched endlessly many times before, she dropped to the floor and desperately searched for something sharp like a stone or a piece of concrete—anything that could possibly be used for protection. She flipped the bed on its side and ran her fingers along the coarse material for springs she could pry free but there was nothing. She had no way to defend herself against the man she knew any second would walk through the door.

  Finally the door swung open. Stephanie froze, watching his looming shadow in the doorway. At first he didn’t move and she thought she was imagining him. That hope collapsed when he took a step into the room and the dim light cast strange shadows on his features. Normally he was eerily composed but now he seemed rattled. His hair was in disarray and his tie was missing. His shirt was untucked and most of the buttons undone like he had frantically pulled at his clothes. Stephanie backed against the far wall, scared of what this version of him meant for her.

  “My Rose…my sweet, sweet Rose,” he whispered in a tone that made all the hairs stand up on her skin.

  Stephanie didn’t move as she pressed herself harder into the wall and prayed he did not enter her cell. She immediately began to think this could be the end and it terrified her. As much as she had suffered by his hands she still wanted to live. She wanted to be able to see the people she loved again and feel the sun upon her skin.

  “He’s dead,” his voice cracked with his confession. Lexie held her breath as his words hit her. She had no idea who he was talking about, but it did nothing to lessen the fear of what it could mean.

  “My father always loved him more than me. No matter what I did, it was always him, him…him.” He began to run his fingers along the bars, the rough iron material making harsh rubbing sounds against his skin. He seemed a bit lost in his thoughts as he spoke. “His dying words to me after a lifetime of trying to make him notice me were to protect him. I did everything for my father and still he beat me. He beat me so hard I couldn’t move for days.”

  He stopped rubbing the bars and looked up at Stephanie. “Despite everything, I did what he asked. I always looked out for him but now he’s dead. I didn’t do the only thing my father asked of me. I didn’t do the one thing,” his words turned angry as he listened to himself speak. “I didn’t protect his other son…Seth.” He grabbed the bars with both hands. “You know, I always hated that name. My mother hated him too, but she hated us all. She told me I reminded her too much of my father. It always confused me why Father couldn’t see I was a better son, so I tried harder to make him see.”

  Stephanie was surprised by his confession. He never once mentioned anything about his personal life. He had always been so closed off and terrifyingly inhuman. It wasn’t until he stumbled away from the bars and dropped himself to the ground that she realized he was drunk.

  “I had gone to see her…the woman my father preferred over my mother. I thought she would be some faceless woman but she wasn’t…she was just a girl,” his words broke off in a sob. “She had been in my class at school until she left to have a baby. No one knew who the father was. She had only been fourteen—my age. Her parents said
nothing because my father paid them off. They kept his secret and let him continue to see her.” He shuffled closer to the bars and leaned against them.

  “Clara was her name. She was actually my first guest here, although it wasn’t until much later after I acquired this property. She wasn’t young anymore then.”

  Stephanie felt sick to her stomach with his confession.

  “I wanted to know why my father loved her so much. I fucked her over and over, trying to feel what he felt for her, but she wouldn’t stop screaming. I had to make her stop because she wouldn’t stop.” He hit the bars angrily.

  “Years later, I asked him why he had loved Clara so much. Do you know what he said?” He looked at Stephanie expectantly.

  Stephanie managed a small shake of her head.

  “Because she was weak and pliable, but I discovered that she was not at all what he thought she was. She fought more than any of the others. She scratched and clawed until the very end when I wrapped my hands around her neck and squeezed.” He grabbed the bars and twisted his hands. “But that was before I found you, Rose. Before I found out you were my Clara.”

  “My father was never the same after he lost her and I felt the same way after I lost you too, but then I started seeing parts of you in others, so I would bring them here; the same hair, the same skin tone, the same elegant fingers. Though none of them were you, I could see it in their eyes. I didn’t think I would ever find you again, no matter how hard I tried, and how many I brought here.”

  Stephanie wanted to ask him how many girls he had locked in these very walls but she was too terrified to know the truth. The way he had said “others” chilled her to the bone. When he discovered she was not his Rose she would become one of them and suffer the same fate. The only thing she knew with all certainty was that she was not the first to shed tears behind these bars.

  “You won’t leave me again, will you, Rose?” He leaned his head against the bar and started to mumble a sound. At first she didn’t recognize the tune that slurred from his lips. Then the words started to formulate the song that had played in her head since she had woken that first day as a prisoner. It was his song that had been stuck in her head. The realization made her stomach feel like lead. She would never utter it again.