Page 34 of One of Six

"Mom's brother. Jesus Drake. He's a badass, but he's always been there for us when we needed him... Bea, they saved me that night." He swallows hard.

"Dad taught me a lot about wood, including texture, color, and strength. He told me about the tools used to make art. I am the art of Redd WoodArt. Owls, fish, horses, flowers, and houses—you name it, I can make it out of wood. I have commissions coming in all the time."

“No wonder you get stressed. Having to do things right and meet deadlines. I am in awe of you. What a talent to have. Do you have a website where I can see your work?" I rise above him, resting my chin on my hands.

"I can do better than that." He waggles his eyebrows. "One day I'll take you back to the house. Our workshop is behind it."

"I look forward to that." I smile. "Wait! How did you get into my bedroom?"

He chuckles. "You're only asking now?" He grabs my head and pulls me in for a quick kiss. He licks his lips before kissing me again. His kiss is slow and lingering. His tongue sends shivers of desire through me. I feel myself dissolving in his grip, losing track of time as we continue to kiss. His touch is so intense that it takes my breath away and makes me want more.

When I pull away slightly, his lips are wet from our kisses, and I fight to catch my breath as emotions flow through me. He licks his lips with a moan and continues, "I climbed up the side of your house," in husky tones.

"You must really like me." I wiggle closer, glad to feel his strong arousal. "I mean, you're bigger than my vibrator."

His eyes open wide and his mouth splits into a broad grin. He opens and closes his mouth, and my eyes twinkle with pleasure at having rendered him speechless. His chest begins to quiver as he pulls me over and buries his face in my neck to hide his laughter. "You're good for my ego." He chuckles.

I roll my eyes. "As much as I don't want you to go, it's late and you have to leave before morning. I’m afraid of what they will do if they catch you here."

"Will you be, okay? You can come home with me."

Tears well up in my eyes at how sweet this man is. "I can't right now. I'll be safe. I told Richard my silence would last as long as he didn't touch me."

"I'm worried about you." He rolls me onto my back and rubs his lips against mine. "Come to me if you need anything, Bea. My family will help you any way we can." He smiles. "And don't forget, we have a secret weapon—Jesus Drake, badass, former president of the Den of Filth MC."

I can't hide my surprise at his uncle. He laughs and kisses my nose. "Until next time, Mermaid Girl."

I can't take my eyes off the sexy man, especially after noticing the massive bulge pushing out his zipper.

He smirks and climbs out the window.

My lips tingle from the kiss he's just given me. My body feels hot and tense.

I smile, grateful for Essex Redd.

Unable to sleepafter Essex left, I toss the blanket and slide my legs out of bed. I shiver from the cold air conditioning. I grab a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie and hastily pull them on.

Moonlight floods the room as I sit at the desk to retrieve the phone. My stomach flutters with nervousness at what I'm about to do. I tap the buttons to activate the phone and quickly look over my shoulder. It's 2:00 in the morning, so Richard should be asleep. I hope he has nightmares for the rest of his life about what he did.

At the last second, I remember to turn off the sound on the phone so that the startup music doesn’t play. I exhale in relief as the screen with all the applications comes to life. It's strange, though. There are only four apps on the home screen: phone, e-mail, camera, and gallery. I spot the search box and type in ’message.’ It's not on the phone.

I swallow hard and click Gallery. There are pictures and videos. I tell myself I can do this as I navigate to the video directory. There are five in total. The newest one is dated yesterday.

Maybe I can't do this. As I set the phone down on the desk, I feel a pang of nausea. Mom surely recorded these things for a reason, and she is not here to carry out whatever plan she had. But I am. I'm not sure I want the pictures in my head, but I need to get everything off the phone in case it's discovered. Then it clicks. I can use Airdrop.

I start with the video files and avoid seeing them because I'm sending them via Airdrop. Fortunately, we have fast Internet, so it doesn't take long. But the final file does. I am on pins and needles, waiting. Then it's done. I move on and do the same with everything in the notes app. I write a new note on my phone with Mom's email address so I can access her email from my computer.

Back in the gallery, I click on the photos. I gasp in shock. They are of me. I don’t remember them being taken. There is a series of photos, all taken after Richard hit me.

My hands shake as I Airdrop them. What was Mom going to do with all this… evidence? She couldn't use it here in Mount Sterling.

Mom's phone is 92% charged, so I turn it off. I need to find a safe place to hide it. I also need to access her email and notes. Hopefully there will be passwords and a better idea of what she was up to.

For now, I decide to hide the phone in the back of my bookcase. Just until morning, then I will wrap it up and hide it in the woods between my house and the river.

An hour has passed and my eyes itch with tiredness.

18

---