Текст книги "Seduced in the Dark"

Автор книги: C. J. Roberts

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 19 (всего у книги 26 страниц)

Closer!

Mine!

He broke away from the kiss, only because he needed her permission. He was done taking anything from her she wasn’t willing to give. “Can I….” Fuck you? Didn’t seem right. Make love to you? So, fucking cheesy.

“Yes, Caleb! For fucksake, yes!” Livvie cried and pulled Caleb back down into their kiss.

Caleb chuckled softly into her mouth, but quickly regained his bearings. He wanted this to be perfect. For the both of them. Despite how his own body protested, he pulled himself up and off the bed. He held out his hand for Livvie before he spoke, “I want to take a shower. I’ve waited a long time for this and I just want it to be us. I only want to smell, you.”

Livvie blushed, but didn’t say anything. She took Caleb’s hand and followed close behind him as they entered the bathroom to wash all traces of the other man away.

Beneath the flood of warm water, he kissed Livvie. Only hours before, he’d told her he would never kiss her again. What an idiot he’d been! Pressed against her, his bare skin against hers, he regretted every horrible thing he had done to Livvie. He decided he would do anything to make it up to her. He would beg her forgiveness. He would bare his soul. He would bleed and die if he had to, but he would never hurt Livvie again.

“I love you,” she said between kisses.

“Shh,” Caleb whispered against her mouth. He knew she wanted him to say the words. He wanted to say them as well, but he didn’t want to lie. Caleb was a monster. Monsters didn’t love. He cared. He hungered. He lusted. He felt more than he ever dreamed possible, and yet…he couldn’t be sure it was love. He wouldn’t lie.

Caleb went to his knees, kissing a trail across Livvie’s body as he went. He sucked water from her nipples, drawing her taut flesh into his mouth in long, greedy pulls. He licked under her breasts and down her ribs. He worshipped her hips and belly. Finally, he parted her legs to find the source of her womanhood.

He could smell her arousal, see the redness of her swollen clit as it peeked out from under her hood. Pushing her legs farther apart, he stared at the open petals of her inner lips. Soon, his cock would be sliding past them and into the heat of her. She would be his – irrevocably. Caleb leaned forward and kissed her lips as he would her mouth.

She moaned and her hands moved toward Caleb’s head, pushing him closer. It was exactly where Caleb wanted to be – closer. He teased her lips gently with the tip of this tongue, letting them part slowly as her arousal and his mouth made Livvie wetter. As she rocked on his face, he pushed deeper, tasting her inside.

“Oh, Caleb,” she sighed. “Oh, god. You feel so good.”

Caleb’s hands weren’t idle. They traveled up and down her legs, sometimes spreading her thighs, other times scratching up the backs of her legs, forcing her up on her toes. He let them keep traveling as he licked, sucked, and even fucked Livvie with his tongue.

“I’m gonna come,” Livvie panted. Caleb grabbed her ass with both hands, holding her in place as he moaned into her pussy and she came on his tongue.

“Caleb!” she shouted and fisted his hair. She couldn’t move her hips, so she pulled him close.

Once Livvie had finished shivering, she let go of Caleb’s hair. It had hurt, but he was okay with pain, especially under the circumstances. He stood slowly, letting his knees work out the pain from having been on the shower floor for so long and turned off the water.

Livvie reached out and grasped his cock, startling him. He was hard and her touch made him eager. As quickly as was safely possible, he led the way out of the shower and back into the bedroom. To hell with towels.

“I want you,” Caleb said. He slid against Livvie in a preview of what was to come.

“I want you, too,” Livvie said and spread her legs. She shivered, her hair and body soaking wet.

Caleb reached down to Livvie’s pussy and rubbed her with his fingers, loving the sounds she made and the way she undulated against him. Assured of her desire, Caleb slid his index finger into Livvie’s tight, wet hole.

“Oh!” Livvie sighed. She rocked back and forth.

Caleb’s head swam with desire. She was so tight inside. Her muscles sucked on his finger, drawing it deeper inside. There was no way he’d fit inside her if he didn’t prepare her well enough. He dipped his head down to her nipple and trapped the little bud between his lips. When her hips rocked up, he slipped another finger inside.

“Ow!” she said, followed by a moan, as Caleb laved her nipple.

Caleb waited for her to relax and for her legs to drop open again before he slowly began moving his fingers back and forth. Her muscles loosened in degrees, stretching around his fingers, lubricating them with her desire.

“This is going to hurt a little. You know that, right?” Caleb said. He stared down into Livvie’s chocolate-colored eyes and saw her trust. He didn’t want to betray it again.

“I know. It’s okay,” she said and pulled him down toward her mouth. The kiss she placed on Caleb’s lips was sweet and full of warmth.

Caleb felt the barricade of her virginity with his fingers. “Put your hands over your head,” he said. Livvie complied instantly and Caleb used his left hand to pin her wrists. He pushed deeper with his fingers, slowly turning them width-wise.

“Caleb!” Livvie tried to push away from his fingers, her face a twisted mask of pain.

“I know, Livvie. I know it hurts, but it’ll be over soon, I promise,” Caleb kissed her lips gently, not offended she wasn’t kissing him back because she was too wrapped up in her pain.

“Please,” she whimpered.

“Relax, Livvie,” he encouraged. His thumb made circles around her clit as he continued to push against the wall of her virginity. Finally, he felt it give way. It seemed to dissolve as if it had never been.

“Ow,” Livvie whimpered and rubbed her head against Caleb’s outstretched arm.

“Shh, it’s done. I think that was the worst part,” he whispered and kissed her trembling lips. He let her wrists go and he sighed when she wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing his neck.

Caleb cautiously slid his fingers out. Livvie whined and stopped kissing him. They both looked at his fingers and noticed her light pink blood on them. Caleb couldn’t hear past the sound of his heart beating in his ears.

Mine!

He spared a glance toward Livvie and saw she was embarrassed. Meeting her eyes, Caleb placed his fingers near his mouth and licked her virgin blood off of them. Livvie’s face went from embarrassment to horror.

Caleb didn’t care. “There. Now you’re part of me, forever. You’re mine, Livvie. I hope you understand.”

Livvie swallowed audibly, her eyes flicking from Caleb’s to his fingers and back. “I’m yours,” she said, but then added, “only yours. And you’re mine, only mine.”

Caleb could only smile. He couldn’t have said it better himself.

“Ready?”

She ran her hand down his face, “Yes.”

Caleb reached down and grabbed his dick. If he’d ever been this hard, he didn’t remember it. He was glad this was Livvie’s first time, because he wasn’t going to last very long and perhaps it would keep her from getting too sore. He rubbed the head of his cock through her wetness, deliberately sliding it over her clit every once in a while.

“Caleb, stop it. Just do it already,” she moaned. She was trying to get onto his cock herself, but Caleb kept moving his hips back.

He laughed. “Greedy little pussy, you have.”

“Mmm,” she moaned, “All the better to make you come.”

Caleb almost lost it. He’d never imagined Livvie to have such a dirty mouth. He liked it. “Well, we’ll see, won’t we?” He pushed into her pussy. He didn’t thrust himself inside, but he wasn’t too slow. He wanted her to get to the part where the pain was a memory and she could appreciate the pleasure he wanted to give her.

“Oh, god!” she shouted. Her legs wrapped around him in an attempt to hold him still, but Caleb simply lifted her weight and rocked. With her arms and legs wrapped around him, she hung like a pendulum and her momentum forced Caleb deeper.

“Please,” Caleb whispered in Arabic, “I want to be all the way inside you.”

“What?” Livvie said through gritted teeth.

“I said your pussy is amazing!” And damn it, it was! Caleb sat back on his heels and wrapped his arms around Livvie. He pushed in the last few inches, grunting loudly when he felt Livvie’s ass on his balls.

He waited. Livvie held him tightly, leaving kisses on his face, mouth, and neck. She sighed when her muscles finally relaxed and Caleb settled into her.

“I love you,” she repeated. “I love you, so fucking much.”

Buried inside of Livvie, Caleb experienced nirvana. If ever there were a time to repeat Livvie’s words, he knew it should be now. He couldn’t. He hoped in time, he could. All he could do was caress her, kiss her, and slide in and out of her in the hopes she could feel everything he wanted to express.

“You’re mine,” he said.

“Yours,” she repeated.

Livvie was too tight, too wet, and too fucking incredible inside for Caleb to hold back. He held Livvie in his arms and rocked his hips under, sealing himself against her wet flesh and he started to fuck. Up and down he bounced Livvie on his dick. He wanted to yell out every time he went balls deep, but he settled for whispering filth to her in a language she didn’t understand.

“Oh. Oh. Oh, god,” was all Livvie seemed capable of getting out.

Caleb felt heat at the base of his spine and he knew it would be spreading. He was going to come any second and as much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn’t come inside Livvie. He laid her down on the bed, fighting her arms as she clutched at his shoulders and back.

“Arms over your head, right now,” he ordered.

“Yes, Caleb,” Livvie moaned.

Livvie’s enthusiastic obedience was enough to push Caleb over the edge. He sucked Livvie’s nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, forcing her to cry out and he pulled his cock out of her and came against her thigh.

Once he was done panting, Caleb held Livvie’s trembling body in his arms. He’d never felt happiness like he felt it then, but Livvie was crying. “Are you hurt?” Caleb whispered. He was mortified to think he’d taken more pleasure than he gave.

Livvie reached up, touched his face and smiled. “I’m okay,” she said sheepishly.

Caleb wiped at her tears. “Then why are you crying?”

“I don’t know,” Livvie said. Her shaking hands stroked Caleb’s hair away from his forehead. He closed his eyes, enjoying the proprietary way she touched him. “I think I’m just happy,” she whispered.

Caleb let out a short laugh, “Strange response to happiness, but okay.” He leaned down and licked at one of the salty tears trailing toward Livvie’s ear. He smiled when he felt her try to wriggle out from under him.

“What are you doing?” She said and laughed.

“I was curious,” he whispered.

“About what?”

Caleb looked down at Livvie in wonder. He had done so many terrible things to her, things he could never take back. And still, she loved him. Of all the tears he’d made her shed, these were his favorite. “If happy tears taste the same as the sad ones,” he said.

A rush of tears rolled down her face, but her smile widened. “And?” she croaked.

“I think they’re sweeter,” Caleb whispered. He kissed her lips and discovered what real sweetness was, “but it could just be your face.”

Caleb knew he could never undo what he’d just done and he was glad.

Chapter Twenty

Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me. His fingertips traced patterns on my skin, while his lips found their way down my spine, leaving goose bumps in their wake. I sighed and arched beneath him, begging him.

“You’re spoiled,” he whispered at the base of my spine.

“I’ve earned it,” I sighed into the bed. One of his large hands palmed my ass cheek and I found myself lifting my hips. I never wanted to leave Caleb’s bed again. I could be content to live out my life being touched, kissed, and made love to by him.

He swatted my behind playfully, “Careful, Kitten, if you put your ass in my face again, you’re going to learn what a pervert I really am.”

I stilled for a moment, not sure I wanted to play this game, but then I felt Caleb’s teeth nibbling at the curve of my bottom and thought fled. Slowly, he sucked my flesh into his mouth and bit me gently. It was the perfect blend of pleasure and pain. His tongue laved each spot before he moved on to the next. Small gasps escaped my mouth with each bite.

“Like that, Pet?” he whispered. He blew gently across my damp skin and I moaned.

“Yes, Caleb,” I sighed. He had called me by my name earlier and while it melted my heart to know Caleb saw me as a person and not a thing, I was just as happy to be his Kitten. For better or worse, Caleb had instilled his tastes in me.

I liked knowing the only thing I had to do to make Caleb happy was exactly as I was told. There was no wrong way to touch him. He took charge and knew what to do. In all the humiliations he had put me through, the one thing he had never done was make me feel bad about my body or my inexperience.

Caleb shifted, and his hands positioned me to suit him. His cock rested against my left leg, while my right was moved up on the bed. I blushed, knowing how exposed I was from behind, but I didn’t stop him from exploring. If Caleb wanted something, he was sure to get it one way or another. I chose the path of least resistance and greatest pleasure.

I gasped when his finger stroked the seam of my pussy. I was sore inside, but his soft, skillful touches on my clit were magic. They always had been. As his finger circled my clit, my hips found their own rhythm, sometimes chasing Caleb’s touch, others trying to pull away from the intensity. I didn’t want the frenzy of orgasm, content to languish in the lazy pleasure Caleb cultivated so easily. Caleb resumed his love bites and I could do little more than writhe and moan.

“Tell me again whom you belong to,” he whispered.

I moaned, loudly and unabashed. “To you, Caleb. I belong to you,” I sighed.

“Mmm,” he groaned and bit me again. I gasped, but didn’t pull away from his mouth. “I wish you weren’t sore. I’m dying to get inside you again.”

My stomach flipped, and I sounded breathless when I replied, “I want you, too.” Instinctively, I raised my hips toward his face. Caleb’s arm wrapped around my right hip, holding me in place as his tongue delved into the last place I was ever expecting.

“Caleb!” I screamed and tried to get away from his mouth. I moved like a cat trying to escape water, but Caleb had me where he wanted. The feeling of his tongue sweeping across the bud of my sphincter was an alien and shocking sensation.

“Stop moving,” he commanded.

I opened my mouth to protest when his tongue pushed at the entrance to my hole and sound escaped me entirely. I froze out of pure instinct, letting Caleb fuck this secret part of me with his mouth. My muscles ached under the strain of staying so still. After a while though, I relaxed into Caleb’s touch.

He rewarded me by loosening his hold on my hip and returning his fingers to my neglected pussy. At the first touch of his fingers rubbing my clit, I came. It was too much to resist when Caleb’s domination of me was so thorough. Just the thought of him having me pinned face down with his tongue in my ass, and his fingers stroking my clit, was enough to push me over the edge a second time. I dropped like a rag doll onto the bed.

Caleb rolled me onto my back with a sense of urgency, and scurried to the top of the bed. He lifted my head onto his knee. I opened my mouth to his cock and swallowed everything he had deigned to give me. Caleb had taken my virginity gently, but this was the version of him I knew I could expect moving forward. I licked and sucked his glorious cock until he told me to stop and he gathered me into his arms. It was the first night, in close to four months, I felt safe, sated, and loved. I slept like the dead.

Rafiq had been delayed by some unforeseen event and Caleb wouldn’t tell me what it might be. For two days, and two nights, it had been glorious. We had two entire days of being ourselves, of being free of obligations and thoughts of revenge. Two days of making love every night in Caleb’s bed.

Caleb was still a kinky bastard and I was glad to know his taste for imaginative torments had not abated. The specter of my virginity long gone, Caleb felt free to indulge. He liked to make me beg. Over his knee, with my ass in the air, he’d slide his fingers into me and make me beg to come. I would have done it gladly, but the catch involved letting him spank me until I came. In the end, I could never resist and the begging became as real as my orgasms – and the sting of his palm. Afterward, he’d fling me onto the bed and fuck me into another orgasm before he came. We split most of our time between the bed and the shower.

The third morning, Celia came into the room to open the curtains, a suspicious but playful smirk alight in her features. I hadn’t spoken to her since the night of Felipe’s party and when I tried, both she and Caleb seemed opposed to the idea.

“She belongs to Felipe and for all we know she’s here to spy on us. She isn’t your friend and neither of us can afford to trust her,” Caleb ranted after Celia left.

“She doesn’t even want to talk to me. If she was a spy, wouldn’t she be trying to – I don’t know – pump me for information?” I said.

“Don’t be so naïve, Kitten. Your face alone gives away everything between us. You can’t hide a thing because your emotions are written all over your face for anyone interested to read,” he said angrily.

I couldn’t help but smile, I was happy. I didn’t want to have to hide it. I knew the situation remained dangerous. “What do you expect me to do, Caleb, just ignore her? She’s seen me spread-eagled!”

“I expect obedience, I expect loyalty.”

Caleb was apparently less inclined to smile and I knew it had to do with Rafiq. Caleb continued to struggle with what he called a betrayal. I understood now why the situation was so difficult for him, but my need to survive, my need for both of us to escape, was far more important to me than Caleb’s need to make things right between him and Rafiq.

“I’m loyal, Caleb. I can’t make any promises as to the rest. You’ve said it yourself, Rafiq is dangerous. He’ll kill anyone standing in his way – that’s us. It’s us, or him, at this point, Caleb. It’s you who needs to decide where your loyalties lie.”

Caleb glared at me for several seconds before his expression softened. He sighed heavily and nodded, “I have to get you out of here, Kitten. I promised to keep you safe and I will, but, I’ve already told you…I can’t betray Rafiq any more than I already have. I have to talk to him, convince him there’s another way. Then I can come for you.”

I scrambled toward him and wrapped my arms around his neck, “I can’t leave without you, Caleb. What if you never come back? I’ll be out there on my own and anything could happen. What if…what if he kills you? How will I live with myself?” Tears ran down my face as I struggled to find the words to convince him to leave with me and forget about his debt to Rafiq.

“I’m capable of taking care of myself, Kitten. No matter what, I can’t leave this unfinished. If we run, he’ll never stop looking for us. What then? I have no plans to live my life in hiding. I have to finish things one way or the other,” Caleb said. He stroked my hair and tried to be reassuring, but his words left me cold and numb.

“I won’t go,” I whispered.

“Felipe is having another party tomorrow. There will be lots of people and I’m hoping, plenty of distractions. You’re leaving, Pet. It’s the only way I can keep you safe.” Caleb hugged me so tightly I didn’t have breath to cry.

One more night – it was all we could have. I was determined to make the most of it. I pulled back from Caleb. I wanted to see his face. I wanted to memorize every curve, every eyelash. I looked into his Caribbean-blue eyes and the things I saw, stirred my soul, but broke my heart.

“Tell me you love me, Caleb,” I whispered.

He kissed me, refusing. “I wish I could, Kitten.”

***

I heard pounding, loud and frantic pounding. My eyes flashed open and the dark surrounding me only helped to exacerbate my panic. Caleb was already out of bed.

“Get down on the ground and don’t move,” he said in an urgent whisper. He went to the closet and flung it open.

I reached for the bedside lamp and turned it on. “What’s happening?” I asked. I threw the covers back and scrambled to the ground. Caleb threw something at me and it collided with my chest. He’d given me clothes.

“Put those on, now!” Caleb said. He was climbing into a pair of pants, buttoning them urgently. He fumbled with a box before he got it open. He removed his gun and cocked it.

Adrenaline pounded in my veins. Something bad was about to happen.

“Abra la puerta!” Celia shouted from the other side of the door. She was in a panic of her own and I didn’t know what to make of it.

Caleb rushed toward me and slid onto the floor, I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close. His hands dug into my wrists as he pulled me away. Something cold and hard made its way into my hand. I looked down and saw Caleb’s gun.

“Get dressed, stay here. I’ll knock two times before I come in. If anyone else comes into this room, you fucking shoot to kill. Do you understand?” he said.

My panic made me deaf and blind. I didn’t understand. I had no idea what Caleb was trying to tell me. He stood and tried to walk away. I grabbed on to his leg, “Caleb! Don’t go, don’t leave.”

“Do what I tell you!” he shouted and pulled free with so much force I was afraid my arm had come out of its socket again. Caleb was at the door before I could catch him again. He held a big knife at his side and stood to one side of the door. He unlocked it slowly.

Celia burst into the room, but she didn’t have a chance to say anything before Caleb grabbed her around the neck with his arm and put the knife to her throat. She struggled, but Caleb subdued her quickly and held her still.

“What’s going on?” he snarled.

“I came to warn you,” she said, “Rafiq and his men are here. They’re downstairs with Felipe. They want to see you.” Celia’s hands held tightly to Caleb’s forearm around her throat. “Por favor,” she sobbed.

“Caleb, let her go,” I sobbed. “She came to warn us.”

Caleb squeezed Celia’s throat until even her sobs couldn’t escape, “We don’t know, Kitten. She could be here to separate us.”

“You’re going to kill her!” I urged. I didn’t believe Celia would sell me out, but I had no reason to believe she wouldn’t. I raised the gun in my hands, “Let her go, Caleb. I’ll keep her here.”

Caleb stared at me. His eyes weren’t his own and reminded me more of an animal than a man.

“Please, Caleb. Let her go,” I begged.

Slowly, Caleb’s arm around Celia’s throat loosened and she collapsed on the floor, sobbing as she held her throat. I looked up at Caleb and saw the horror in his eyes as he looked down at Celia.

“What’s the plan, Caleb?” I said to refocus his attention. As much as I liked Celia, I liked living even more.

Caleb nodded as he fisted a handful of hair at his nape, “I need to go meet them.”

“You can’t! What if they’re just waiting to kill you?!”

“If everything is as Celia says, then there’s no reason I shouldn’t go downstairs?” Caleb went down on one knee and held the knife to Celia’s throat.

“No,” Celia pleaded, “Felipe sent me to warn you.”

“Why would he warn me?!” Caleb insisted.

“Felipe knows what’s been happening between the two of you and hasn’t said a word to Rafiq. He doesn’t want to deal with the fallout. You’ve been here for months, instead of the few days, Rafiq, originally promised. The last thing he needs is bloodshed in the house,” Celia cried. She rubbed at her throat; it was red, but the damage seemed relatively benign. She could speak clearly and there weren’t any bruises.

Caleb stood, “You stay here with her until I get back.”

This was my worst nightmare come to life. Caleb was going to walk out the door and never come back. I just knew it. “Caleb, please don’t go. Let’s leave. Right now.”

“I’ll get her out if there’s trouble,” Celia suddenly offered. Caleb and I stared at her incredulously. “There are passages in the walls. Felipe had them built in case we needed to escape. I’ll get her out, I promise.”

“Why would you?” Caleb asked. He seemed to be coming around toward Celia.

“Not for you,” she spat. “I don’t want her to suffer.”

Caleb nodded, “Thank you, Celia. I’m in your debt.”

“If anything happens to Felipe, I’ll be sure to collect,” she said.

“Understood,” Caleb whispered. He grabbed a shirt from the closet and put it on. “The library?” he asked. Celia nodded and with that, Caleb left the room.

I wanted to scream. Caleb was gone and he’d left me to fend for myself. He’d panicked and perhaps threatened Celia when he didn’t have to.

“Why would you bang on the door?” I asked Celia. She sat on the floor, rubbing her throat and wiping tears from her eyes.

“I didn’t want them to come looking for you. Felipe barely stopped Rafiq from coming up here himself,” Celia said calmly.

I felt the gun, warm from my hand, and wet with sweat. “Caleb says Felipe’s been watching us. He said you’ve been watching us. Why would either of you help?”

“Felipe trusts no one, Kitten. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but Felipe means more to me than you. I love him, but he’s an opportunist,” she said.

My head was spinning, “Did you really come to warn us, Celia? Is Caleb walking into a trap right now?” I tried to sound contrite. I tried to appear like a friend, asking for another friend’s advice, but truthfully, I wondered if I had it in me to shoot Celia if I had to. The answer terrified me.

“I swear I came to warn you. As far as I know, Caleb is meeting his friends and nothing more. The worst thing you could do right now is panic,” she said.

I saw the pleading in her eyes and my instincts told me I could trust her. I wasn’t sure my instincts were worth a damn, but the alternative left me cold. Celia was right, I was panicking. If Rafiq had wanted us dead and nothing more, he could have gunned us down in our sleep.

“I believe you,” I whispered and set the gun down on the bed. Celia’s eyes cut to it, but she remained in place. I started to put on the clothes Caleb had left for me.

“What are you doing? Get undressed. If they come up here and find you wearing Caleb’s clothes they’ll know you were planning to escape,” Celia said.

“What if something happens and I need clothes?”

“You won’t need them, Kitten. I promise. The danger was in Rafiq finding you both together in a compromising situation.”

Again, I believed her. Perhaps, I would believe anyone who told me I had no reason to kill, and no reason to suspect the worst. Perhaps, Celia was telling the truth. I chose to believe the less horrific of the two. I quickly removed the shirt I had just put on.

Abruptly, there was a knock at the door. “Celia?” asked a male voice.

I reached for the gun.

***

Caleb struggled for calm as he approached the door to the library. Tucked into the back of his pants and sheathed was his large hunting knife. He wondered for a moment if he was doing the right thing by meeting with Rafiq. He had hoped he could convince him their plans for revenge could still prove fruitful without sacrificing Livvie. He still hoped for that particular outcome, but having Livvie in the house, was less than ideal.

Upstairs, Livvie was vulnerable. If anything were to happen to him he knew she stood little to no chance of escape. Caleb had fucked up, plain and simple. He had let his emotions get the better of him and he’d acted rashly with Celia, who perhaps would sell him and Livvie out the moment the opportunity presented itself. For all he knew, she already had.

There was only one way to find out though, and Caleb was determined to see things to their conclusion, one way or the other. He opened the door and stepped into the library. Four sets of eyes turned to greet him and they belonged to Felipe, Rafiq, Jair, and Nancy. Each of the men had a drink in hand and sat near Felipe’s desk chatting about benign things. Nancy knelt at Rafiq’s side, her eyes on the floor. She trembled slightly, and Caleb wondered if it was fear or cold causing it, but didn’t care either way. Caleb breathed a sigh of relief, but still felt worried about the situation upstairs. He hoped Livvie could keep her head and not do anything drastic in his absence.

“Khoya! Were you sleeping? You look exhausted,” Rafiq said with a smile.

“I was,” he said cautiously. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

Rafiq eyed him curiously. “Why would you? I told you I wasn’t sure how long it would take to resolve the situation.”

Caleb often neglected to take into account Rafiq’s political ties to the Pakistani government. From time to time, his job as a military officer took precedent over his more illicit activities. In those circumstances, not even Caleb knew what Rafiq was involved in and he’d never really cared. If Rafiq wanted to maintain separate lives, it wasn’t Caleb’s place to meddle.

“I thought you’d contact me, is all. If I’d known to expect you, I would have greeted you at the door,” Caleb said without bite. Rafiq let Caleb speak candidly in private, but in public, there was a protocol to be followed. Rafiq was older and as Caleb’s mentor and former guardian, in a position commanding respect. To publicly disrespect Rafiq would be folly of the worst kind.

Rafiq smiled, “No worries, Khoya. You’re here now and so am I. Come,” he gestured toward another chair, “have a drink with us.”

Caleb managed a smile, “Of course, but let me go upstairs and put on some shoes first. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I rushed.” What he really wanted to do was go upstairs and give Livvie some relief.

“Where is Celia?” Felipe interjected. His tone was light and jovial, but Caleb saw the way his eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted.

“Upstairs with Kitten, I didn’t want to leave her alone,” Caleb offered, with a warning glance of his own.

“Does she still require constant supervision?” Rafiq asked disapprovingly.