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Chapter Twenty-Five
Reid
Iwas wrong. I was so wrong about her.
She doesn’t even realize who she is. She has no idea the power she possesses with a name that she doesn’t even want. A name she sure as hell wouldn’t want if she knew the history behind it; the absolute evil associated with it. I don’t know if I’m pissed at Victor Adkins for keeping his daughter so far in the dark for all these years that she doesn’t even know who she is, or if in some way I respect him.
Was this his way of protecting her?
Does he even have that capability? Or is he using her innocence to manipulate her in some way? Is she a smaller piece to the larger puzzle that is his ultimate end game? I want to believe he has the capacity to protect his daughters, but I’ve studied these men, I understand their social profiles. Victor Adkins is a narcissist. I know better than to think he would sacrifice anything for anyone and not get something out of it in return.
Somehow, he’s using Holly, and it just became my job to figure it out and make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near her before we get to him.
I need to have Alex run some additional background cross references on her sisters. The initial reports showed no indicators that they were involved, but now I’m not so sure anymore.
I was so focused on the coincidences surrounding Holly that I easily dismissed the profiles of the remaining two sisters.
If they’ve tapped into their trust funds, it’s likely they understand the monetary gain of what it means to be involved with the Adkins family. Greed drives people to do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do. Throw in the genetics of a mafia family, and it’s a recipe for bad decisions. We might also need to run a workup on Mistletoe’s husband, if he’s involved with the same group of men at the country club it’s likely he is somehow involved in this case.
“Thank you.” Her soft words broke through the runaway train that my thoughts had become and re-directed my attention.
“That’s what all the ladies say.” I harassed her with my words, but my smile said I knew exactly what she was referring to. I felt her anger in my bones, her tears burned my lips, like a compulsion - I needed to fix what was broken.
“You’re a true asshole, you know that?” She turned away from me with a smirk as she ran her fingers over the door that was now exposed in the wall, turning her attention back to the secrets of the library. Her earlier rage abating and in its place a newfound curiosity for our surroundings.
Reaching forward I grabbed her wrist and yanked her back to me, breathing in the sweet scent of her blonde hair hoping that it would, if only for that instant, satisfy my never-ceasing need for her. “I’m always going to be an asshole, but don’t for one second act like you don’t like it.” I whispered the words over the shell of her ear and watched the gooseflesh rise on her skin.
“Mine.” One word, that’s all she said as she leaned her neck back and nipped at my chin with her teeth before pulling away.
Always hers. I never intended for this to happen. I never intended to belong to anyone, but she stole from me. She ripped my heart from my chest without asking, and now it only beats to a rhythm that she possesses, the song of the siren. I’m a prisoner to the soft curves of her body, the drive behind her desire to be the best, and the quick-witted mouth that hides behind those plump lips I can’t seem to get enough of.
“Ok, Copperfield, tell me, what’s behind this door?” She leaned forward and peaked behind the opening of the door without touching it.
“It’s an elevator to the master bedroom on the second floor.” Reaching above her head, I grabbed the door, opening it to reveal a small service lift, barely large enough for two adults.
“The technology seems advanced for this time period, no?” She asked as she looked at the elevator curiously.
“Yes and no. It has been connected to the electric, I’m not sure when that was added but if you look over there in the corner, you’ll see there is a pulley system. It can be operated either way.” I pointed to an old, rusted chain over in the corner of the tiny room that ran through a loop and up through the top of the elevator.
“Why would he need an elevator directly to the master? It’s just one floor. It doesn’t make any sense?” This woman, she’s pure. Sure, she sees woodgrain and crown molding, but she easily dismisses the intricate details of this home that so vividly highlight its sordid past. She can’t see the evil of the world. I want to protect her from it, but if I’m going to keep her in my world, she’s got to have some level of exposure.
“This elevator was a transport elevator. It was used to allow the Master of the house, in our case Hubert Anderson, to transport women and children to his chambers undetected, or so he thought. Anderson was a sick man, often times he forced his wife to watch his misdeeds, that’s common knowledge to the history of this property and led to his utter demise. However, there were many times that he moved to and from his library here to his chambers upstairs using this elevator. Take a closer look. Look at the walls.” Holly leaned forward, pulling out her cell phone and using the light to illuminate the dark space, highlighting notched out markings on the steel walls.
“What is that?” She eyed the markings with interest as she leaned in to get a closer look.
“They’re claw marks. Anderson would lock the children in the elevator while he worked in the library, disabling the pulley mechanism as he listened to their screams until he was ready to use them.” I watched the blood as it drained from her face and wished I could shelter her from the reality that was this the history of this home. It has a reputation for a reason, and it isn’t a good one.
“So, we’re going up then?” She stepped into the old elevator shaft, shocking me as she maneuvered her body to make room for us both.
“You’re serious? After all that you want to take a ride in the elevator instead of heading back out and taking the stairs?” I stepped in behind her, folding my long body to fit. Anderson was wide, but a tall man he was not.
“I mean, it’s creepy as hell, but it’s all part of the history of the place. If I’m going to properly restore it, I need to feel it. Feelings aren’t always rainbows and rocky road ice cream, Reid. More often than not feelings are painful, they suck the life from our soul and chip away at our innocence. To truly understand our future, we must first understand our past, and sometimes, well, it’s terrifying.” The words she spoke held so much truth, and yet she has no idea the intricacies of her own past, of the past of her family, or the blood that runs through her veins.
The light from Holly’s cellphone was the only light in the enclosed space as I pulled the door closed and hooked the old chain to the pulley. With the door closed, the scent of stale metal and dust was almost overwhelming. Pressing a button on the side of the wall, I engaged the electrical mechanisms meant to power the elevator and hoped that it worked. If not, I would be manually pulling our body weight to the second floor.
The elevator creaked and groaned to life, and just as I was about to give up and begin pulling us up it shifted, and we rose to the second floor. I waited for the grates to stop and then pressed on the door, but nothing happened.
“Oh hell, this was all my idea and now we’re stuck, aren’t we?” Holly groaned as I tried to engage the door again to no avail.
