Page 99 of Tease
My heart is pounding out of my chest, and I’m trying to slow my breathing. So I just nod and close my eyes.
“Ajani! KC! Where are you?” Boots crunch against the rocks. Whoever it is, is walking around slowly.
We both look at each other. “Is that Beau?” I whisper to Ajani, but she shakes her head softly and holds her finger to her mouth to tell me to stay quiet.
“Ajani, baby, come out. It’s your father!” Ajani starts to cry as she stands up, pulling me up with her by the hand.
“Dad! We’re over here!!!”
“Kailey!” Jared’s panicked face comes into my view.
Ajani runs into her dad’s open arms. Jared runs for me, but my vision tunnels, and I fall to the ground. “No, no, don't do that. Stay with me, Kailey.”
“It was Joey…” I whisper, and the last thing I feel is Jared’s warm arms picking me up, then nothing…
The smell of coffee and bacon wakes me up. I startle, waking up in fight-or-flight mode. Reaching my hands out, I realize that I’m surrounded by a comforter and multiple pillows. I look around a clean room.Oh no, where am I?
The door starts to crack open, and I grab the comforter to shield my face.
“Baby, you’re awake.” Jared walks in holding a tray filled with breakfast foods and coffee.
I can’t help the tears that start to fall down my cheeks. My hands reach out to cover my face as I continue to sob. Jared rushes over to me and pulls the bedding back so he can sit down and bring me closer to him. “You’re okay. You’re with me. You’re safe. Just breathe.”
I attempt to catch my breath and ask, “Where’s Ajani?”
“She’s okay. She’s with Beau and her dad.”
“Where’s Brittney? Oh my god, she can’t go back to our apartment! It’s not safe!”
“She’s with Skyler; everyone’s safe.”
“I saw Joey, your brother.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sarah too. She surprised me at The Purple Room. Said she was in town on business. I invited her to go get drinks with Ajani and me at Darla’s. She must’ve drugged us. When I woke up, Joey walked in. He’s so different, Jared. He’s scary.”
Jared doesn’t say a word. Just lets me continue.
“He told me everything. How he killed Beth on purpose to get into some fucked up Mafia family, and how he tricked Sarah into being with him. Made her into some Beth lookalike. That’s why she recanted her story all those years ago!”
“What the fuck? I don’t understand why Joey came to getyou.”
I cling to Jared like my life depends on it. “It’s my fault, all of it.”
“Don’t say that, Dimples. It’s not.”
I wipe my snot on his shirt before continuing. “But it is. I need to tell you something. And you’re going to think differently of me. I know you will.” I pull away from him and bring my knees to my chest. I realize now that I’m only wearing underwear and an oversized shirt.
“Kailey, there’s nothing you could do, or have done in the past, that would change my feelings for you. I’m serious.” His palm goes to my knee.
“I, uh… I used to take photos of myself and… sell them on an app called TEASE. And Joey’s boss,who Idon’t know, but I guess is some head honcho in the Mafia, was one of my subscribers, one of the main buyers of my photos. Lorenzo Russo… he went by the handleIncognito. He asked me frequently to meet up in person, but I never agreed. Incognito sent one of my TEASE photos to Joey—because Joey works for him, tracking down people that are hard to find. As soon as Joey saw the photo, he knew it was me. I was always really careful, but this time, my sunflower tattoo was reflected in a mirror, and Joey recognized it right away.. Then, Joey was sent on a mission to find me… to collect me and take me to Incognito… well… Russo. Russo normally kidnaps and sells the girls he meets through the TEASE app, but Joey said that Russo wanted to keep me for himself.”
“Okay… Well, where did Joey and Sarah go?”
“They ran off when they realized who Ajani was.”
“Holy shit. I’ll let Carter know.”
