Page 8 of Beneath Deception
Parking in front of the house, I turned off the engine and waited for his driver to pull up. When Colin stepped out of the car, I wasn’t sure how I could have missed Tessa sitting beside him. As she got out of the car, her head was low, seemingly trying to avoid eye contact with me. There was something strange going on with her and I knew that Colin was behind it.
Looking around the property, I could see that there wasn’t any security to speak of. There were no additional men on the ground and it seemed that the only security cameras were located by the entrance gate. This was a good thing for me. Getting Tessa away from Colin would be a lot easier than I thought. I just needed to find a way to get inside without being seen. There had to be a way, especially since Tessa was able to get outside the gate unnoticed.
Following Colin up the steps, my eyes were pinned on him as I watched him take hold of Tessa’s arm. I almost jumped between them when Tessa pulled her arm from his hold. I had a funny feeling that later she would be paying for her animosity towards him.
As we entered the house, I took note of my surroundings. The entrance expanded to an open area with a wide staircase to the right leading to the second floor. The entrance floor had marble tile with a diamond-shaped design centered in the middle of the room consisting of different variations of black and gray. To the left of the entrance was a large living area, decorated in darker tones of browns and tans. The décor, although very masculine, was appealing to the eye. Heading into the large room, I quickly scanned the length of the hallway adjacent to the staircase, which I assumed led to the kitchen or dining area. Watching Tessa head up the stairs, my main concern at that point was the upper floor. To get a better look around, I needed to come up with an excuse to leave the living room.
Before our conversation began, I faked having a coughing attack, which would allow me to excuse myself.
Looking over to Colin, I asked, “Can you direct me to the bathroom?”
“Down the hall and to the left,” Colin replied as I continued to cough.
I knew that I didn’t have much time to get a good look around, so the first thing I did before leaving the room was make sure that Colin’s attention was on something else. Looking back at him, I requested, between coughs, “Can you pour me a drink?”
The liquor cart was on the other side of the room away from the doorway, which would take his sights off me. This was the perfect distraction so I could get up the stairs unseen and quickly check out the second floor. Taking the stairs two at a time, I reached the second floor in seconds. Shortly, I began opening doors to the rooms. The first door I opened was a large bathroom, which was well lit by a large window above a sunken tub.
Fortunately, the second door I opened was Tessa’s bedroom. Her back was towards the door as she stood by the large picture window that looked out to the front of the house. I wasn’t sure what she was looking at, but knew that I didn’t have much time before Colin would be wondering what was taking me so long.
In a low voice I said, “Tessa,” as I walked closer to where she was standing.
When she turned to face me, I could see that she had been crying. Lifting her chin, I studied her. Wiping a tear from her face, she said, “I can’t do this anymore. All I want is a life.”
Pulling her close, I felt an overwhelming need to protect her as she looked up and met my eyes. I was so consumed by her that all I wanted was to take her. Not in the way I had taken every other woman in my life, but in a way that she deserved. Lowering my lips to her, I pressed them against the softness of her mouth and slipped my tongue inside, sweeping the depths of her mouth. As sweet and inviting as she was, I knew that it had to end before I put both of us in an awkward situation should Colin walk in.
Rubbing her cheek with my thumb I said, “I am going to get you out of here. Can you be patient a while longer?”
She answered with a nod of her head. As much as I wanted to stay, I knew I needed to get back to Colin. Opening the door, I looked down the hall before heading back down the stairs. When I got back to the living room, Colin was looking out the window, just like Tessa had been doing a few moments ago. Clearing my voice, I asked calmly, “So where is that drink?”
“I was about to send a search party after you,” he stated arrogantly.
“Yeah, sorry about that. Not sure what caused that attack.” Picking up my glass, I took a small sip before adding, “So, why Jonathan Evans?”
His arrogant demeanor surfaced as he turned to face me. “You don’t need to worry about the why, London. Your concern should be how you are going to take care of him. Which brings me to another question,” he paused. “How did Jeffries magically end up on Venice Beach when you told me you stuffed him inside a dumpster?”
