Stay(80)

We frantically ran down the stairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen. I had to stop and unlock the basement door before I could throw it open and hurry down into the dungeon. When my feet hit the cold cement floor, I felt a small sense of relief.

“I’ve never been glad to be down here,” I panted.

“Me neither,” Jackson agreed. “That was close. Too close.”

I nodded. “Yeah.” We walked over to the closet and I opened the door. Dread pulled down on me. I didn’t want to go back inside.

“You won’t be in there for much longer,” Jackson told me. I wanted to believe him but we both knew there was no way for him to really know that. He stepped close to me, gently slipping his fingers through mine. “I have to pick up the girls now.”

I just nodded again, holding his gaze. I tightened my hold on his hand. I hated being alone in the basement, and I hated it even more when I had to go back into the closet. It was tempting to just sit on the cot and see if Zane would notice, but there was no way I’d risk Jackson like that.

“I don’t want you to leave,” I whispered.

He stepped closer so that our foreheads touched. “I don’t want to leave either. Not without you.”

Jackson’s eyes met mine one last time before he turned around and hurried up the stairs. The locks clicked into place. I stood in the dim light, looking at the spot where Jackson had stood. A shiver ran through me, bringing my headache back. I blinked and walked into the closet not a moment too soon, pulling it shut behind me.

I sat on the floor as Zane came down the stairs. Oh, shit. I was wearing Jackson’s clothes. Would Zane even notice? I shook my head. He might not … if he didn’t notice that the door wasn’t actually locked first.

I pushed my foot against the door to keep it from swinging open and held my breath. The key slid into the lock. Please, please, just turn normally. My heart pounded against my chest. I pressed sweaty palms onto my thighs. There was a small click and Zane pushed open the door. I moved my foot back and blinked up at him.

“Son of a bitch. You’re still alive.” He shook his head. “Why do I have such bad luck?”

And then he turned and left. Oh my God. He didn’t notice anything. I let out a sigh and stood, just then realizing that I was shaking. I paced around the basement for a while and settled on my cot. I pulled the blankets over me and tried to relax. A smile subconsciously settled on my face when I thought of Jackson. I wanted so badly to be back upstairs with him.

I rolled over. We could be somewhere, anywhere but here. Together.

I had just fallen asleep when Lily and Rochelle clomped down the stairs. I sat up, blinking when they turned on the bright lights. Phoebe trailed behind them. Her hair was a tangled mess, and she had dark circles under her eyes.

I looked at Rochelle. She gave me a tight smile and turned around, sitting at the card table to remove her hot pink heels. Lily went to the vanity and started removing the obnoxious amount of makeup she had on. I got up and followed Phoebe, who staggered her way to her bed.

“Phoebe?” I said quietly and sat next to her.#p#分页标题#e#

“Hi Addie,” she replied flatly.

“Are you okay?”

She gave me a weak smile. “Very tired.” She coughed and pulled back the quilt. I put my hand on her cheek. “You better now,” she said quietly.

“Almost.” I moved my face close to her ear. “Jackson took care of me.”

Confusion muddled her face for a second. “Oh, yes. He alive.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “He is.”

“You see him?”

“He took care of me,” I repeated. “He brought me up into his room and nursed me back to health.”

“You have sex?” she asked a little louder than a whisper. I winced and hoped no one else heard.

“No, of course not.”

“Right,” she sighed. “We talk later, okay? I sleep now.”

“Okay. Night, Phoebe.”

She heavily flopped onto her cot and was asleep in minutes. I stuck my feet under my own blankets and lay down, listening to Rochelle talk to Lily.

“How are you feeling?” Lily asked, eyeing me in the mirror.

“Better,” I said honestly. “I just slept the whole time.”

“Good. You looked awful.” Her eyes flicked to Rochelle, who was still busy unclipping her hair extensions. “Jackson’s alive,” she said quietly.

I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my face. “I know.”

Lily whirled around. “How do you know?”

Shit. Was I not supposed to know? “He brought me food,” I said quickly.