Provoke

Chapter Seventeen

Leeta

I woke up alone. A heavy feeling filled my stomach as I remembered the night before. I groaned. I’d slept with him? God, Leeta. And unprotected sex? I had an implant, but in light of the last few days, it had been an idiotic move.

I wasn’t stupid. You don’t get as far as I had in my career by making poor decisions. Love can make you do stupid things. But at what point do you say enough is enough?

I lay on the bed, my arms in a tangled mess under the pillow as I hugged it to my body. Everything was just so fucked. Was he telling me the truth? I could see in his eyes how much he’d loved his sister. How could I blame him for wanting to find the people who did that to her?

Wait, how can you not be angry with him? Whatever his justifications were, he slept with another woman. Two other women, in fact. And they were only the ones I knew about. What if there were more?

I was torn between my head and my heart, and I wasn’t sure I could let either of them win. All I wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep, and erase the last two days completely.

Shit.

I sat up with a start. Fucking work. I had totally forgotten about work. If I still had a job, they would probably fire me. Mace had taken my phone, but I had no idea if he had called them or what. What the hell was I going to say to them? Sorry, my boyfriend kidnapped me, but I’ll be in tomorrow. Yeah, that was going to cut it.

I sat up and listened for any sign that he was there. Nothing. The motel was still and quiet. Working up the nerve, I wrapped the sheet around me and crept over to the door. I cracked it open. I sighed, relieved that I didn’t have to face him just yet. I was alone.

A scrap of paper sat on the kitchen counter. I walked over and picked it up.

Leet,

I got you some things from your house. Take as long as you need, and when you’re ready to talk, call me.

Love Mace

P.S: I called in sick for you at work. I said you won’t be back in this week. I hope that’s okay.

I carried the note over to the couch and sat down. He hoped it was okay that he called work for me? I chuckled. He could be so sweet. That was the guy I fell in love with. He could be rough, and he always acted before he thought about the consequences, but he always had his heart in the right place.

Even now. This . . . it was all about Anna.

Stop it! Stop letting him get away with this. You deserve someone better.

There was a right way and a wrong way to deal with things, and this had been the wrong way . . . hadn’t it? If I were in his position, what would I have done? According to Mace, there was no real proof to take to the cops. I knew better than anyone that the little evidence he had wouldn’t hold up in court.

I walked over to the couch where a stack of clothes was placed along with my laptop, my phone, and a few other bits and pieces. Sitting down, I flicked open my laptop and navigated to my email.

There were a few emails from Tim wondering where the hell I was, then hoping that I was feeling better, and finally whining about me needing to come back so he would have someone to talk to. I chuckled and hit reply.

You seem less concerned with my wellbeing and more upset about not having anyone to bitch with. I’m feeling a little better. Hopefully I’ll be back for next week. Am I missing much?

I clicked send and then opened Google. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for. There was no point trying to find anything on the internet, because I was pretty sure rape-selling websites covered their tracks better than that.

Ping. I glanced at my email notifications. That was quick.

Nothing. Especially considering it’s Saturday. But that place is as boring as bat-shit without my girl there. Hell, it’s as boring as bat-shit with you there, but at least you make the day pass quicker.

I chuckled. I hesitated. I really needed a friend. If ever I missed Laura, it was right then. I couldn’t give myself unbiased advice; not when deep down I was looking for a reason to forgive him.

I could use a friend right now, Tim.

My mobile rang immediately.

“That was quick.” I chuckled, after checking that it was actually Tim.

“You tell me you need a friend, I’m there for you, Leeta. You know that.”

I sighed, relieved. I did know that. Tim might be the most dramatic, self-absorbed person I knew, but he always had my back. Any hint that I needed him, and he was there for me.

“What’s up? Everything okay?”

“Not really. Just a few problems in the old love life area,” I said.

“What’s up? You might feel better if you let whatever it is out.”

“You’re just nosey,” I chuckled. But he was right: I probably would feel better. “This doesn’t go beyond us, okay?”

“Of course.”

I explained—in as little detail as I could—about Mace’s sister, her rape, and him trying to “catch” the bad guys. I left out the bit about him kidnapping me; Tim didn’t need to know that. Or that I’d slept with him last night.

“Look, you obviously feel sorry for him because of his sister. Why don’t you focus on helping him with that? You don’t need to decide how you feel about him right now, Leeta. You’re allowed time to process how you feel.”

“Thanks, Tim. I think that was about the deepest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” he grumbled. “But seriously, anytime you need to talk, I’m here.”

I hung up feeling better.

He was right: I didn’t need to decide on how I felt about Mace right then, but I could still help him. But to do that, I needed to gather every bit of information I could on Anna and this website.

After a quick search, I realized I couldn’t do it without Mace’s help. He was already so far ahead of me with his knowledge, trying to do it on my own was both stupid and a waste of time. What was the point retracing the steps he had already uncovered?

Reaching for my phone, I texted him.

I need all the information you have on Anna and what happened to her.

My phone began to ring. I sighed. I wasn’t ready to talk to him. But how else was I going to help Anna?

“Yes?” My voice came out tight.

“Why do you want that?” he asked, confusion clouding his voice.

“Because if I’m going to help you find out exactly what happened, I need to know what you know.”

“No way, Leeta. No fucking way. You are not getting involved here,” he growled.

“Guess what, Mace? You don’t have a choice. Either I help, or it’s the cops. Your call.” His silence confirmed his decision. “Right, so get me what you know. Either email it, or drop it over, or whatever.”

“Fine,” he sighed, sounding less than thrilled. “I’ll drop it over.”

I threw down the phone, annoyed that he didn’t want me involved. If he had really wanted to keep me out of this, he would have hid his stash of videos better. I mean really, I was useless with a computer, and it had taken me ten minutes to stumble across them. What the hell had he been thinking?

Standing up, I went into the small kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. Gulping it down, I tried to calm myself. He would be here soon, and the last thing I wanted was for him to see how much I was hurting.