Page 29 of Devil's Riches

8

Alexis

I lay on my back,sheets tangled around me as perspiration dotted my temples. I’d finally reached my limit. The last hour wasn’t all sex—some of it was just Nate and me exploring each other’s bodies while frantically kissing, licking, or biting—but I was getting sore now, and I needed time to recover. There was only so much I could take.

“Tired yet?” Nate asked, looking over at me.

I sighed. “Physically, yes. Mentally, no,” I said, wishing I could switch my buzzing mind off. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

He sat up, rubbing one hand over his eyes. “Me neither. I haven’t slept in two fucking days,” he said. “Unless you count the fifteen minutes after Greg knocked me out.”

“It’s because of everything that’s been happening,” I said. “I mean, we have the fucking Blackthorne Butcher locked in a bunker right now. I don’t think I’ll be able to rest until I have some answers from him.”

“Too bad he won’t wake up for a few more hours.”

“Yeah. It sucks,” I muttered.

Nate sat up straighter. “I guess we could figure out some questions to ask him. That way we won’t forget about anything once we’re down there with him,” he said. “I still need to hear everything you know about your dad, too.”

I lifted myself up, resting on my elbows. “Sounds like a plan.”

“We’ll go down to the library to do it,” he said. “I’ll get you something to wear first. Wait here.”

Nate strode out of the room. When he returned a few minutes later, his arms were laden with several large plastic bags. They were transparent, and I could see that they were filled with smaller bags, little boxes, and fabric.

“Colette is supposed to donate this stuff soon,” he explained, dumping it all on the floor next to the bed. “It’s all the stuff my mom bought and then decided she didn’t want anymore in the last few months. Clothes, shoes, purses, and so on. Most of it is brand new with tags on, and anything that isn’t has been cleaned.”

“Will any of it actually fit me?” I asked, eyeing a silken dress that was spilling out of the first bag. “Your mom is way taller than me.”

“I think you’re about the same size as her, so it should be fine,” Nate replied. “You might just have to roll up some of the pants.”

“All right. I’ll have a look,” I said, moving down to the floor. I glanced up at him and gave him a grateful half-smile. “Thanks.”

Nate’s face remained impassive. “I’ll go and get us some food while you pick something to wear.”

While he was gone, I sorted through the bags and found a pair of black straight-leg jeans, a white roll-neck jersey sweater, and a gray wraparound coat. I was also fortunate enough to find a bag of lace and silk underwear from a local lingerie store. All of it was brand new with tags still attached. Clearly, Annalise liked to shop, and she simply didn’t have time to wear everything she purchased.

The only thing I couldn’t find for myself in her cast-offs were shoes, because she was two sizes bigger than me. I figured I could just wear my socks and sneakers that were currently sitting on the bathroom floor, though. Unlike my old clothes, they weren’t stained with blood. Just dirt.

Nate finally returned with a large gold-rimmed plate of fruit, croissants, cheese, and rolled-up cold cuts. “I don’t know what you like, so I got a bit of everything,” he said, holding it out toward me.

“Thanks. Looks good,” I murmured, taking a croissant. I nibbled on it as he led me out of the room and down the hallway. We took a left somewhere, headed down another hall, and stepped through a set of double doors that lay at the end.

When Nate flicked a switch on the wall to light the room beyond, I almost gasped in astonishment. It was one of the most beautiful spaces I’d ever seen.

Polished wooden paneling rose from a marble floor to a plastered ceiling covered in Rococo embellishments with gold trim. Large mahogany tables dominated the first third of the space, surrounded by chairs with crimson velveteen seats and backs, and crystal chandeliers hung above them. Row after row of bookshelves lay past the tables, packed with leather-bound books, and an ornate marble fireplace sat at the far end of the room.

“We’ll sit here,” Nate said, striding over to the first table.

I followed him and slipped into one of the chairs. He sat across from me and leaned forward, hands arranged on the table in a pyramidal shape. “Tell me everything you know,” he said, intense blue eyes focusing right on my face. “Everything your dad told you.”

I hesitated and scratched my ear as I tried to figure out where to begin. “I guess I should tell you what his letter said,” I finally ventured.

“You mean the one he wrote to you while he was in prison?”

I nodded. “Yes. It’s pretty long, but I know it by heart. If you get me a computer or some paper, I can write it out for you.”

“Okay. Hold on.”

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