Cold Deception (His Agenda 4): Prequel to the His Agenda Series Read online

  He switched on the light at the top of the stairs and breathed deeply. For a moment he stood still, gazing down at the setting of many of his childhood memories, all covered in dust and cobwebs. The basement was bare apart from the chair in the center of the room. His breathing quickened when he remembered how his father used to tie him up in that chair and whip the living daylights out of him.

  “He used to bring me here a lot,” Terence whispered into his mother’s ear. “He beat me and kept me here for days without food or water. He enjoyed torturing me.” Terence moved his mother forward. She almost tripped as he led her down the dusty staircase.

  When they arrived at the bottom, she backed away from him. Shaking her head, she cried louder, sliding to the floor and resting her head on her knees. “I’m sorry,” she said between sobs and coughing fits.

  Terence had waited so many years to hear those words, but now too much had happened for him to care. Her words had absolutely no effect on him.

  “I am… I’m sorry for leaving you with him,” she repeated, looking up with tears pouring from her eyes. “I had to get away. I couldn’t take you with me.”

  Terence went to stand over her. “It’s too late. You left us with him. You didn’t even try to come back for us. I was in jail, and you didn’t even come and see me. You ruined my life, and there’s no going back.”

  “You’re a grown man now, Terence. You can rebuild your life.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “You have no idea, do you? You have no idea what I went through. Your decisions had a ripple effect. Let me recap: I was not only abused by my father, I was sexually abused at the orphanage where I was sent. Then I was in prison for years for a crime I did not commit.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Now I’m married to a woman who I love more than anything. But guess what? She’s unfaithful… just like you were. I blame you, Mother. I blame you for all of it. Now you have to pay for the pain you’ve caused me.”

  “You can’t keep me here. I’m diabetic. I need insulin or I could die.”

  Terence looked at her for a long time, then simply turned and walked up the basement stairs. He locked the door behind him.

  He returned two hours later with a glass of water and some food. No medicine. He didn’t care if she ultimately succumbed to her disease; he only wanted her to live a little longer, to feel the fear, the helplessness, the isolation, the pain he had felt when his father locked him up in that cold room.

  She was lying on the floor when he walked in, her arms covering her head. He couldn’t tell whether she was sleeping. He placed the food and water next to her head and left without saying a word.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  On the second day, Terence returned to the basement to check on his mother. The sharp smells of urine and vomit hit him hard as soon as he opened the door. She sat in a corner of the room with her knees pulled up to her chest. The food and water were gone, but she still looked like she was falling apart, so different from the woman he had picked up in Milwaukee. The circles around her red eyes were dark, the bags under them swollen. He sat down on the chair and she raised her eyes slowly, as though her head were too heavy to carry.

  “How was it?” He swept the top of his lip with the back of his hand to remove the sweat that had collected there. “How was it leaving two small boys alone with a monster? Did you feel guilty at all?”

  She shifted on the floor and slumped against the wall. “Life with your father was hell.” She wet her lips. Terence noticed they were bluish in color. “I felt relief after leaving him, not guilt.”

  “I did not ask you whether you felt guilty about leaving him,” Terence said, his temper soaring with each word. “I asked how you felt about leaving your children.”

  “Like I said, I couldn’t take you… with me.”

  “Why? Because you wanted to start from scratch, and we would have been a burden to you? Is that it?”

  She hung her head and didn’t respond.

  Terence bit into his lip, drawing blood. “I don’t even feel like I know you. I look at you now and I don’t see my mother. I see… I see a stranger sitting in front of me. I don’t feel a connection to you at all. Nothing.”

  She raised her gaze. “Please don’t hurt me. Let me go.”

  Terence shifted the chair closer to her. “Are you really sorry for what you did to me?”

  “Yes,” she answered.

  Terence was no fool. Her blank eyes showed no remorse whatsoever.

  “Bullshit. If you were sorry, you would have come back before I found you. If you were sorry, you would not have denied knowing me when I called you.”

  “You can’t keep me here forever. The police might start looking for me. I have friends—they will be worried.” She dropped her head. “I have a boyfriend.”

  “No, you don’t. Not anymore. I saw your phone, the texts. You broke up a month ago. If I read them correctly, he wants you to stay away from him.” Terence sighed. “As for your job, I sorted that out. You’ve quit and moved out of town.”

  He couldn’t watch as his mother wept. The very sight of her disgusted him. He stood up and left the basement, with her wailing and begging behind him. He didn’t even flinch.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Lacey

  Florene had gone to sleep. Lacey was sitting up in bed, looking at apartment listings, when the phone rang. For an instant she feared it might be Terence, even though she had gotten a new number.

  She picked up the phone from the bed. Her heart lifted, then pounded furiously as she read the short message from Winston. Two days ago she had texted him her new number. Before sending off the text, she also mentioned that she had left her husband. For some unknown reason, she couldn’t let their line of communication close. She was not ready for a new relationship, as much as she liked him and felt comfortable around him. She only wanted to keep him in her life, even as a friend. The disappointment when he did not respond for two days was crushing, though she’d tried to convince herself it wasn’t a big deal.

  I’m back in Serendipity. I want to see you. Meet me at the Lux Hotel for breakfast tomorrow, if possible.

  Lacey nibbled on her lip and glanced at the clock. It was 11 p.m., but she was completely awake. A small smile crept up on her face as she hit reply.

  What if I come and see you now?

  His response was almost immediate: That’s perfect.

  She shut down the laptop and dressed quickly. Not wanting to wake Florene, Lacey pushed a note under her bedroom door saying she was meeting a friend and not to worry.

  Winston was waiting outside in the cold when Lacey arrived at the hotel. For a while, she sat in her car and watched him pacing around at the entrance, his hands in the pockets of his black coat. He was so handsome. Watching him made her heart quicken. But she had learned a lot from her relationship with Terence. She would not be making the same mistake again. She would not jump into a relationship with another man for a while. Maybe for once in her life, she could have a little fun with no strings attached. She couldn’t deny that she had wondered a few times how Winston’s hands would feel on her body.

  When she climbed out of the car, he spotted her immediately, and walked toward her, a grin splitting his face. Without saying a word, he pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back, appreciating his warmth and manly smell. His cologne was lighter than Terence’s and she appreciated the contrast. Right now, she didn’t want anything or anyone reminding her of the man who had let her down. The man who had tried to crush her self-esteem, the man who had raped her. The man she thought she knew, but who had been a stranger to her all along.

  Lacey pulled away from Winston to greet him, but he kissed her before she could speak. She let him, this time without guilt. Her marriage was over. No going back. Kellie had recommended a divorce lawyer to her, and Lacey had already made an appointment to see the woman in two days’ time. Thankfully, she and Terence didn’t have any children together. That would’ve made things much more compl
icated.

  She broke the kiss and looked up into Winston’s kind eyes. “I didn’t know you were coming back so soon.”

  “Neither did I.” He touched her chin. “After I got your text, I had to come and see you. I had to know.”

  “What did you have to know?”

  “If you left your husband because of me.”

  Lacey shook her head. “No. My marriage was broken before you came into the picture.” A hint of disappointment clouded his eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy to see you.”

  “I’m glad. Let’s go inside. It’s cold out here.” He placed an arm around her shoulders and walked her through the entrance of the Lux.

  Instead of taking her to the hotel restaurant, he walked her into the elevator. “Let’s talk in my room, if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t,” Lacey said.

  On the third floor, Winston opened his door and ushered Lacey inside. The hotel reminded her of the luxurious Holt mansion. She still couldn’t believe Terence had broken into someone else’s house. Come to think of it, there were so many warning signs along the way. It was obvious her husband was capable of anything. From the outside he pretended to be a savior, her knight in shining armor, but inside he harbored something sinister. She was glad she left before she got a chance to see how dark his soul really was.

  When Winston closed the door and turned to her, she decided to come clean.

  “Winston, I like you. I do. That’s why I sent you my number… That’s why I came to see you tonight.” She chewed the corner of her lip. “But I don’t want to lead you on. I’m not ready for a relationship. Not yet.”

  He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I understand. I’ll give you all the time you need. Divorce is emotional.” He moved closer until his warm body was pressed against hers and her back was against the wall. “Are you open to something else?” His voice was soft and tender.

  Lacey’s eyes welled up. “You mean…”

  “Yes. When I’m out of town you can have your space. When I’m here, we can do whatever… whatever you want.”

  Unable to stop herself, Lacey wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer. “I’m open to that. No strings attached. No promises.”

  “No promises.” Winston pushed his hand into her hair and pulled her in for a kiss.

  Lacey sighed and parted her lips, letting him slip his tongue inside. It didn’t take long before their clothes were a pile at their feet.

  “You’re so damn sexy.” He ran the palm of his hand over her hip.

  “Don’t speak.” She placed her hand on top of his. “Just make love to me. I need you right now.”

  “Deal.” He gripped her other hip and with a grunt, lifted her off the floor, guiding her legs around him.

  Lacey breathed in deeply and then opened herself up to him. She buried her face into his shoulder when he pressed himself gently into her, until he was inside completely. Her back slid up and down the door, slowly, until they found their rhythm. Their movements became hurried and furious, and she began to cry, his shoulder collecting her tears. There was no pain or sadness, though. She cried because she felt free, as if she had been in some kind of jail before and had just now broken through the bars.

  Winston stopped and looked at her, worry etched in his face. “Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?”

  “No.” She tried to catch her breath. “Please don’t stop.”

  “Okay then.” He pulled out almost completely and entered her again with a force that almost knocked them both off their feet, a force that made her scream out.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Terence

  While his mother was locked up with no chance of escaping, Terence resumed his search for Lacey. He went back to Classico and waited inside his car for her to walk out of the restaurant’s door. She didn’t.

  Unsure of what to do, he decided to go inside and order himself a drink. He figured she could still be working, and perhaps planning to use the back door to leave at the end of the day. Perhaps she had been at Classico during the two days he’d been busy with his mother and wasn’t working today. He only hoped she hadn’t quit her job—his only connection to her now.

  He was tempted to approach one of the waiters and inquire as to when she would be working again, but he held himself back. What if she had told them about him? They might warn her that he was looking for her.

  After he had drained his drink and was about to stand up from the bar, he turned and looked back at a tall, attractive waitress who was serving another table. She was the same woman who had exited the restaurant with Lacey the day he had realized she was happier outside their marriage, the day that had crushed him.

  Lacey had looked friendly with the other waitress. Maybe she’d turned to her for help. He paid for his drink and returned to his car. This time he waited for the tall waitress to finish her shift. She walked out of the restaurant at 10 p.m., and he followed her to an apartment building. Lacey’s car was parked outside.

  “Bingo.” Terence grinned, taking out his binoculars. She couldn’t hide indoors forever. The next time he saw her, he would not let her out of his sight. He would bide his time. He would wait until the colleague was out of the house again, until Lacey was home alone. Then he would pay her a little visit. He was ready to spend the night in his car to make sure she didn’t slip out of his grasp.

  To Terence’s surprise, he didn’t need to spend the night in his car—Lacey exited the building shortly after he got there. It was 11:30 p.m. when she stepped out, still buttoning her coat.

  Alarm bells went off, and his temperature rose. Where the fuck was she going at this time of night? His first instinct was to get out of the car and grab her, but he didn’t want to risk causing a scene out in the open. Plus, when he took her home, he’d make sure she took her belongings too. He wouldn’t allow for any suspicion that she had been forced to leave. No one would have a reason to come looking for her.

  He tailed her as she entered the more affluent part of town. He thought she would drive right through, but instead she pulled up in front of the Lux Hotel. She didn’t have the money to be at that kind of place. She had to be meeting someone.

  Terence parked his car a safe distance away and picked the binoculars up from the passenger seat. He gritted his teeth when he saw Lacey approach the same man she had kissed outside the restaurant a few days ago. The bitch was at it again. As Terence watched them together, an invisible pressure squeezed his head until it was on the verge of exploding. It took all his willpower not to burst out of the car and expose himself.

  When the pair entered the hotel, Terence managed to sneak in after them without arousing suspicion. He hid out of sight as they got into the elevator, then watched the flashing numbers above. The elevator stopped at the third floor. He quickly took the next one and went to the same floor, hoping they had not already entered the room. He arrived in time to see them walk slowly down a long corridor. The son of a bitch’s hands were around her shoulders, and she leaned comfortably into him. His stomach turned.

  They entered the room and Terence hurried to the door, pressing his ear against it, listening. He heard muffled voices, but he wasn’t able to make out what they were saying. When he moved to walk away, to think, she screamed. He drove his fist into his palm and trembled with rage. He’d loved that sound once—the sound of Lacey’s pleasure. Now it disgusted him.

  Bile rose up his throat as he listened to the sounds coming from the other side of the door. He slumped against the wall, then slid down it with his head in his hands. His jaw ached from clenching his teeth.

  “Good evening, sir. Are you all right?”

  Terence looked up, his vision clouded by revenge. He managed to detect a suited man looking down at him.

  Terence pulled himself to his feet. “Fuck off.” He pushed past the stranger and hurried toward the elevators, feeling the gaze of the man on his back. In
side the elevators he went crazy, punching the mirrored walls until his knuckles were numb and bloody, and one of the mirrors was cracked down the middle. When he reached the ground floor, he charged out.

  He needed something to take the edge off—a stiff drink, or several of them. He drove to the only store open late and bought enough booze and food to last him a few days. He placed the bottles on the passenger seat and drove like a madman to a nearby motel, where he drank himself into a stupor, drowning his memories, drowning the sound of Lacey’s screams of pleasure. He didn’t want to see anyone, and he was in no mood to hear his mother’s wailing drifting up from the basement.

  ***

  Terence emerged from his drunken haze to find the booze had disappeared, and two days had flashed by without him knowing.

  Panic hit him like a bolt of lightning, and he jolted from the sofa, knocking empty bottles over as he reached for his clothes. He dressed quickly and was out the door within fifteen minutes. He ran red lights as he sped toward his house with abandon. The car had barely purred to a stop when he stumbled out and swayed to the front door. He threw the door open and slammed it shut again.

  The basement door was still locked, but he didn’t hear his mother crying. Total silence filled the house.

  When he finally got to her, she was on the floor, on her back, her mouth and eyes open. No need to feel for a pulse. She was dead.

  “Damn.” He hit the side of his head. How could he be so stupid? It wasn’t her death that upset him; she had been dead to him for years. It was that he had planned to watch her die, to watch the agony on her face as she wrestled with death.

  After a few moments, he relaxed and smiled. The most important thing was that she was gone. And he had killed her without even touching her. Her diabetes had been his partner in crime. The sudden satisfaction was beyond anything he had ever experienced. This was a high no alcohol or drugs could give him—the ultimate rush. She was gone. Without her dragging him down, he could conquer the world. But before he did that, he had Lacey to deal with. She, too, would have to face the consequences of her actions. And he would not make the same mistake. He wouldn’t miss a moment of her pain.