The Devastatingly Beautiful Series (20 page)

“Wow. Tatum, those Delany’s… they are dangerous. Very. Dangerous.”

“I know dad. I don’t know what to think. You think the note and blanket were from him?”

“I do. I think you and Molly both need to lay low for a few days while I have some people look in to this.”

“I would say you are right, but Molly has a wedding shoot this weekend for a Delany boy. Rob will be there, as he is the cousin of the groom.”

“Don’t do it, Tatum. Don’t let her go.”

“Believe me, Dad. I’ve tried. We settled on me being by her side the whole time.”

“Then don’t let her out of your sight, and I mean it. I’ll contact you soon.” And with that he hangs up. Well shit, when my dad’s that worried I know this is big. It feel like he’s holding out information, though. Like he knows more than he’s letting on. Whatever’s the case, I now have my dad and all of his powers on my side, helping me get to the bottom of yet another fucking revenge escapade.

13

Molly

Tomorrow’s the big day. Well, the first of three big days. Rob kept us on as photographers, but he isn’t happy about it. He only stops in the studio when he knows for a fact Tatum isn’t there which is really unnerving, and he’s been getting way too close for comfort these last few times. Luckily there are only four more days of dealing with him and his crazy family until I’m free from all of their drama. The money will be nice, but I’ll be happy when this is all over and we can continue unpacking the boxes that are taking over my house. Everything had to go on hold when the wedding was moved up, so we still have two rooms that are full of boxes from his place in Texas and my leftovers from my parents in Washington.

Tatum said he had a few errands to run before the places he needs to go close for the day, so he’s been gone about an hour now. I don’t know where he went, I don’t know when to expect him back, but I do know that the quiet it nice. I sit down at my desk, everything prepared for the wedding this weekend, and sigh. Man these past few months have been hard, and this last weekend really put a damper on my spirits. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m pulling up the pictures on my computer that I’ve cried over many times. Going through, I delete every picture of Brian that I have. He’s a part of my past I’d rather not remember. What I don’t delete, though, are Alice’s memories. I scroll through dozens of times, looking at myself before tragedy struck. I looked so happy, so naive. Would I trade any of what happened, though? If I could have kept everything as it was, would I have really wanted that? Brian’s a drug lord, for Christ’s sake. He was never the man I thought he was. Was raising a child in those circumstances a good idea? And if things hadn’t played out like they did I would never have met Tatum. I’m not sure if I like the sound of that. There are no tears as I close out of the file I’ve double clicked on hundreds of times in the last five years. Just perfect clarity. I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m broken, but I am still able to love. Tatum loves me for me, no exceptions. He does ugly business for his father, but he doesn’t hide it. I’m sure if I asked him he would tell me just exactly what he does… but I don’t want to ask. I trust him. I trust him more than I ever trusted Brian. I love him more than I ever thought I loved Brian.

I feel like a new person, sitting at the same desk I’ve sat at for years. I have a wonderful boyfriend, a strong job, and a livelihood to take care of myself if I ended up alone. Let’s face it though, I’d rather not have to.

Tatum walks back in shortly after my revelation. He’s all smiles, and in the most playful mood I’ve seen him in in a while.

“Why are you so giddy, mister?” I ask, laughing as he nuzzles into my neck.

“Oh nothing. No biggie. I’m just so awesome and it makes me happy.” He said, his arms reaching around me, grabbing my ass, and lifting to sit me on my desk.

“MM, yes. You’re pretty smug aren’t you?” I smile at him. He runs his hands up and down my arms for a moment then pauses. As quickly as I’ve ever seen him move, he runs to the front door, locks it, and he’s back in front of me, wrapping my legs around him. I can’t stop laughing at the ridiculousness of all of this. I like playful Tatum.

“Now. Where was I?” He groans as I reached down and started massaging him. God this man. I’ll never get used to how quickly his body responds to being around me. Already ready to go, he groans into my neck as he places tiny bites all the way down my shoulder. I’m starting to like the hot weather we’ve been having recently, it means less clothing between us. I keep friction between us best as I can as he strips me of my tiny bits of clothing. Suddenly I have an amazing idea.

“Well, mister. Looks like you have a few articles of clothing left to loose. I’ll just…leave you to that. You can come find me when you are ready.” And just like that, I take off through my studio, sans clothing, towards the darkroom.

I hear him laughing behind me as I run, trying to get there before he catches me. I go through the revolving door and into the room. The lights are off, there’s no way he’s going to find the light switch either. I know this room so well I can maneuver my way around without any help from light. Tatum will have to rely on his sense of touch, something I’m looking very forward to.

I hear the door turn, knowing he is just a few feet away from finding me. I’ve never run from him before and my nerves are on high alert right now. While I know my way around the room, I can’t see worth a damn where he is. He could be right in front of me and I wouldn’t know it.

“I know you came in here, Molly. There is no escaping me, you know.” His voice is deep, almost growling. He’s a little to my right, so I can tell he’s following the walls to find me. I’m not going anywhere, though, perched on the counter waiting for him.

“Guess you’ll just have to catch me, then, Mr. Savage.”

“Mmm... I like the sound of that,” he says, his voice growing nearer.

Almost as soon as he finishes talking I feel him. His hand reaches my knee and starts caressing. Up and down. Then there’s nothing. I want to reach out and grab him, but I don’t. I’m giving him full control and he knows it.

I’m not sitting very ladylike, but in a perfect position for him to taste me without having to move my legs at all, and that’s exactly what he does. The man knows what he was doing, I’ll give him that. I finally move my hands to his hair just to have something to hold on to as I ride out the first explosion. He begins kissing a trail up my body, nipping and sucking on my nipples when he make it to them. I’m breathless, and each nip brings more and more need to have him inside me.

“God I love these,” he says, squeezing them with both hands and kissing them loudly before moving on to other parts of me. It’s wonderful only having a sense of touch to rely on. Never would he have been this thorough in the light of the bedroom, but in the dark he’s making sure there isn’t an inch of me he misses. His kisses keep creeping up until he makes it to my mouth. Finally I’m able to kiss him back, show him how much I’ve been wanting him.

“Jesus Molly, it’s been less than a week since I’ve tasted you, but fuck if it didn’t feel like a lifetime. I can’t go without you, that’s too fucking good.”

I smile, my words turning into a moan as he glides into me with ease.

“Oh fuck, baby. It’s like we’re fucking built for each other you fit so perfectly around me.” He’s deliberately slow in his retreat. The pressure and pace of it is killing me, I don’t know how he’s holding off so well. Once he’s fully inside me again his forehead rests on mine and his hands come to rest around my head.

“Jesus Molly, I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you too, baby.” The sudden change of pace makes me gasp as he quickens his movements. This is the Tatum I was looking forward to. This is exactly what I wanted. He is exactly what I want.

Tatum

When she ran from me I was more shocked than anything. Then when she didn’t come back I knew she meant it and the hunt was on. God it was so fucking hot finding her perched on the counter like that, in a pitch dark room where all I could do to find her was explore every part of her. Jesus just thinking about it is making me need to adjust my pants.

I need to switch gears. As fun as it is to think about her body, I have a few other pressing issues to handle right now. I’m so pumped that my surprise for her is turning out to be even more amazing than I could have imagined. It’s taking a little more time to plan so it won’t be until tomorrow night after the wedding shoot is over, but I can wait. I’m a pretty patient man.

The wedding is a whole other fiasco. I don’t want her to leave my sight the entire three days, but I know how unrealistic that is. Weddings are nuts, I’m sure as a photographer they are even more nuts and having an assistant there that can’t leave your side isn’t really helpful at all. I’ve resolved to spend as much time around her as I can and to try and not freak out when we’re apart. Rob seems so worried about his cousin’s big day that I doubt he’d try anything that would ruin it. I’ll play it cool, but if he so much as looks at her wrong he’s going down.

My dad still hasn’t gotten back to me on the situation about the note. It’s starting to worry me that this is bigger than I thought. Normally he’s pretty fast with returning phone calls and getting information out of people. I thought about calling him, but I know he will call when there is something to inform me about. For now I can sit and wait. I feel like a fucking pawn. Not knowing why this is happening, not knowing who it is, just pisses me off. I am constantly on guard that something’s going to happen to us when we are out and about. That’s what this whole thing is about anyway, isn’t it? The note said revenge. If it truly is Rob pulling these strings, then he wants revenge for his sister’s death. One he believes is my fault. The phrase on the back of the note makes me believe he wants to take my loved one away as payback. Does he not understand I lost a loved one that day, too? My hurt trumped his ten-fold, but whoever sent that note doesn’t seem to care. Either way, I have a sinking feeling that Molly is in for a world of danger when it comes to Robert Delany. One that I’m going to try my best to stop before it happens.

Molly and I finished up things in the office about an hour ago and decided to make the short walk back to her place. The evening air isn’t as humid as it had been and for being the first of May it isn’t too incredibly hot. This place has nothing on Texas when it comes to heat. That’s one thing I really don’t miss about that state.

We get back to her house a little after eight after stopping for a quick bite to eat, as both of us are too exhausted to actually cook something for dinner. She changes into her shorts and tank top for bed right away (something that will be coming off later if I have my way with her) and hop on the couch. I notice the blinking light on the answering machine and head over to press it, ready to delete it right away when a very familiar voice comes over the speaker. Molly freezes and listens to the message from the couch, not moving a muscle. We’ve been expecting this call, but neither of us really want to hear what he had to say. Suspecting the worst and knowing it for a fact are two very different feelings.

“Molly. This is Al Savage. I have some very urgent news you and Tatum both need to hear. However, I am uncomfortable leaving this on your answering machine. You need to call me back, Molly.”

My father doesn’t leave messages that long. He’s typically a blunt and ‘to the point’ type of guy. What the hell?

She turns and looks at me, her face paling. I reassure her with a silent arm rub that it’ll all be ok, then grab my phone from my pocket and call him back. Putting him on speaker phone, he picks up on the first ring.

“Tatum. Is Molly with you?” The fact that he’s so worried about her sets me off. I need to know everything.

“Yea dad, she’s here.”

“Hi Mr. Savage. I got your message. Can you tell us what’s going on?” Molly speaks up.

He sighs so loudly that we can hear it clear as day through the phone. My dad isn’t a stressed man. He wants something, he gets it, and he doesn’t feel bad about it. The only emotion I’ve ever seen come out of him was the night he had the accident. Tonight’s getting eerily close to those emotions and nothing bad has even happened yet.

“Listen, you two. This has been a long time coming. Our family has not been on good terms with the Delany’s for well over 25 years, so this is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m getting ahead of myself, though…let me explain…”

Then he proceeds to tell us a story that helps up everything in to perspective.

Back when my father had just gotten his hands wet with the family business he met a girl. That girl is now my mother. That girl was engaged to a Delany when she met my father. You can imagine the bad blood that came from that. Add in his son having an illegitimate child with a long lost Delany and it just made it worse. One might think that because she didn’t grow up one of them that they wouldn’t care as much, but blood is blood. They had just found her a few months before she died so naturally the crime filled family has been trying to avenge her death ever since. Unfortunately for Molly, it came at just the right time for them. I had just popped into town, showed interest in her job, and boom. She landed the biggest contract of her career, unbeknownst to her that it was all to get at me. To make me pay for what I apparently did to their little girl. Word in a small town spreads quickly when you don’t add in the power of the Delany family. I’m sure they knew I had the job with her before I did. Hell, it’s probably the Delany power that forced the townspeople to push me into the job in the first place. More than likely their plans changed as Molly and I became more serious, making her the target so I would have to live with the heartbreak. He then explained what I already know about Robert Delany’s past. In Texas, Rob is known as a player. Not just one night stand type of player. One that leaves women near death from the abuse they go through. Everyone’s tight lipped, but secrets slip every now and then. We know enough to know that if he gets his hands on her it won’t end pretty.

Molly sits next to me on the couch, staring at the phone as my father continues talking. When the line goes silent on the other end of the phone she takes a huge breath and speaks up.

“Well that fucking sucks,” she says in full seriousness. I can’t help but laugh at her tone, it’s too damn cute. My father doesn’t find it funny at all, however.

“You could put it that way, Molly. Any way you put it, though, you need to know that working the wedding this weekend is not a good idea.” Shit we’ve been through this dad!