Page 51 of Tainted Reasoning

Chapter Twenty-Three

William

“Are you getting up today, you lazy ass?” My brother throws a pillow at my head, and I reach out, grab it, and hurl it back at him.

“Sleeping,” I groan

“It’s two o’clock in the afternoon!”

That wakes me up.

“What?”

“You sleep any longer, and you won’t sleep tonight.”

“Thanks, Mum!” I roll my eyes at my brother and sit up in the bed.

“Where’s Tamara? She was supposed to wake me up when she got back from court.”

“Court?” my brother asks, his brows crossed in confusion.

“Yeah. You gave her a bodyguard to take with her.”

“No. I wasn’t aware she was going anywhere. I’ve been with Victoria all morning. She’s so bloody horny all the time I think my dick’s getting chafed.” Nicholas smiles smugly.

“She told me you gave her a bodyguard.”

“Did you dream it? You do sometimes get confused.” The tension in the room thickens as we both try to make sense of where Tamara is.

“No. She definitely told me that. I’m sure.” I reach over to the night stand and pick up my mobile. Using the fingerprint reader, I open it and call Tamara. It rings and rings before going to voicemail. I try again, but there’s still no answer.

“Get up, and we’ll go search the house. I’m sure she’s here, somewhere. Probably working away and paying no attention to the phone.”

“Ok.” Nicholas turns around to allow me to get out of the bed and put some clothes on. I throw on a pair of jogging bottoms and a t-shirt from yesterday. I’ll worry about being clean later when I know where Tamara is. My mind is confused, and I can’t fully understand what’s happening. Tiredness and overstimulation are combining to make me forgetful. I’m trying to focus, but it’s not possible at the moment.

“We’ll find her.” Nicholas must sense my worry, for he places his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll check the house. You go down to her mother’s grave and see if she’s there.”

The short walk to where Tamara’s mother and my mother lie side by side, seems to take an eternity. I know instantly she’s not there and hasn’t been recently because a light covering of snow has fallen on the ground, and there are no footprints. I stand between the two graves and place my hands on top of them.

“Look after her, wherever she is.”

I head back to the house, kick my boots off by the patio doors, and remain standing there when I see Victoria sitting on the sofa, chewing nervously at her nails.

“Was she there?”

I shake my head. Nicholas appears, and worry lines mar his face.

“Did you find her?”

“No, and my driver is also missing. The butler said Tamara left with him early this morning. He didn’t know where they were going. If he did, he would have informed one of us immediately.”

“Oh god.” Victoria covers her mouth with her hand.

Nicholas takes his mobile from the table, next to where Victoria sits, and dials a number. He puts the phone on speaker while it rings, but it goes to the driver’s voicemail.

“Try Tamara’s again?” he suggests with trepidation lacing his normally calm tones.

I pull my phone from my pocket and call Tamara with bated breath. I will her to answer, but when it goes to voicemail, I gulp and try to moisten my rapidly drying throat. Something is wrong… seriously wrong.

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