A Beautiful Lie (Unlocked #1) Page 12

  “Oh my God,” she sobbed into my chest. “I’m such a fucking idiot Luke.” Her entire body shook with fear. We kept meeting like this, her crying in my arms. Technically, yes, it was my job to protect her and take care of her. But I wanted her in a way that I’d never thought I could want anyone. Inexplicably, my urge to be close to her felt more like a need and it scared the living hell out of me.

  Her breaths became short and staccato. She struggled to get a full gasp of air and broke out into a full hyperventilation.

  “Shit.” I sat her down against the wall in the lobby. Her silver heels slipped off her feet as she went down. “Put your arms above your head,” I instructed, trying to guide her to regain her breath, but instead she collapsed into me. I sat there in the dark and held the trembling girl in my arms.

  I looked down, horrified to find her neck covered in red marks. “What the hell happened? Who did this to you?” I didn’t have to ask to know. My eyes cascaded down the length of her body, examining her for evidence of her compliance with Perrot’s latest project.

  Sure enough, she was littered with his marks. My fingertips traveled from her neck, down to the scarred-over skin on the back of her shoulder, no doubt from a burn. At each interval, I paused on the injury, willing myself to heal her. What other wounds was she hiding beneath her dress? The urge to know tortured me.

  Her eyes finally opened and focused in on me. The energy between us changed in a quick moment. She lurched toward me, pressing her lips against mine. It was a sensation I’d both imagined and feared since the first night I laid eyes on her. As much as I wanted her physically, I couldn’t be the guy she needed and deserved, so I reluctantly pulled away from her kiss. Shocked by what she’d just done, Nina’s face was mortified. Before I could explain, Nina pulled herself up from the floor, pushed open the front door of the building, and she slipped out into the winter night without her shoes.

  “Nina!” I shouted, running into the night after her. I didn’t have to run far. The stilettos she wore slowed her down. After making it only half a block, she stumbled out of the shoes to the cold concrete of the sidewalk. Surrendering, Nina bent over and wept.

  “Nina,” I repeated as I approached, lowering myself beside her. As much as I wanted to revisit the moment her lips had found mine, it would have to wait. Instead, I needed her to talk. “Tell me what happened.”

  Beside where we sat, her cell phone rang repeatedly, flashing the name TOMAS. I pulled her coat tighter around her and slipped her heels onto her feet.

  “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. He just got so angry,” she sobbed. “You were there, I saw you. I should have figured you knew. They mocked him, Luke. Everybody hated the series. He told me that he never wants to see me again.”

  So my cover was blown. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to care. Whatever had taken place between Perrot and Nina was beyond simple anger. I offered my hand and helped her stand. She didn’t resist, instead following my lead. When I was sure she was steady, I put my arm around her and together we headed toward the elevators.

  14

  Nina

  When I awoke, I was alone in a strange room. I was buried beneath the warmth of what felt like a dozen blankets. The familiar aroma of wood and mint was all around me. It was in the sheets in which I was wrapped, and also in the pillow on which my head was resting. I inhaled deeply.

  Luke’s guest bedroom. I oriented my senses to the room. How did I end up here? I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and was surprised to find twenty-seven missed calls from Tomas. Only then did flashes of the previous night return. The show. The fight. The cab ride home. It wasn’t until the night fully unfolded in my mind that I realized I was lying in bed, curled up in a fetal position, muscles entirely clenched.

  The sun was just beginning to rise above the city, and clattering pots and pans sounded from the kitchen. I did my best to relax my limbs. How had I gotten out of my dress into a t-shirt and sweat pants that were too big for me? I inhaled and nestled into the shelter provided by the covers. The covers that smelled so much like Luke. Had it been up to me, I would have stayed there forever, never coming up to face the world.

  Another round of clattering brought me back to reality.

  I kissed him.

  How could I have done something so stupid? I kissed him and he brought me back to his apartment.

  The realization hit me like a brick. Did we…?

  How had I not even met my brother and already ruined my relationship with him? Everyone knew that was the one rule guys had between friends: don’t hook up with the younger sister.

  I wasn’t sure how to play it. The stakes between Luke and I had clearly changed.

  “You’re awake,” he announced when I emerged from the room. I’d thrown on my dress from the night before and smoothed my hair into a low bun. I was the most obvious case of walk of shame ever. I noticed that his voice was kinder and softer than usual.

  “I have to run,” I lied. A twinge of guilt encompassed me when I saw two plates laid out on the counter and eggs on the stove. “We’ve got a big crowd this afternoon.” Even as I said that I knew it was a lie. There was no way that I was going back there. How could I face Tomas and the rest of the world after the kind of public humiliation I’d experienced?

  “You have to eat,” Luke insisted, setting the plates on the table. His voice was commanding. “And at some point we need to talk about what happened.” My face flushed, unsure of which event he was referring to. Was he referring to the part where I allowed myself to be made a fool of in front of the entire world? The part where I ran to Luke and cried in his arms? The part where we…what the hell did we do?

  “Luke, I said I can’t.” I attempted to move past him toward the front door but he blocked me, crossing his arms and staring me down.

  “Is this about last night?”

  The question had so many layers to it I didn’t even know where to begin. The way he said it, with an air of the illicit about it, made me cringe. What about last night?

  “I don’t even remember what happened last night, so I don’t know what you’re thinking…” I couldn’t stare back. Instead I clutched my bag close to my body. His expression became more laser focused on me.

  “Look at me,” he instructed. I barely lifted my eyes. “Nothing happened between us. You showed up after the show and I brought you back here. That’s it.”

  I wanted to believe that was true, but how did it explain the clothes?

  “Trust me.” His voice turned into a low growl, as he walked toward me. Luke took my face in his hands, tilting my gaze to meet his. “I would want you fully aware and present if anything ever did happen between us.”

  A bolt of heat shot up my spine at his revelation. His expression was heavy with apology and an emotion I could only identify as sadness. I wanted to ask every question about the meaning of that statement. But I pressed my lips together, preventing myself from speaking a word.

  “But at some point, we do need to talk about what happened last night. Meet me down in the gym tonight at eight.” His words weren’t a request. “We have a few things to go over before we send you inside the Jasper.”

  He moved aside, finally allowing me to pass. As I rushed past him and out the door, it occurred to me that I wasn’t exactly sure what I was meeting him there for.

  Luke Nolan was ruining me and the entire world was talking about me. I had to get as far away from him as fast as possible. Even though I looked like a train wreck, I took the elevator down to street level instead of returning to the penthouse. I gasped deep breaths as the frigid air greeted me in the morning sunlight. I was never less Gigi than in that moment.

  My trench coat was little protection from the early morning chill. I shivered against the thin gown that was supposed to have been the outfit I wore the night my life changed for the better. Instead, there were now small rips along the seam and dirt had accumulated at the bottom of it.

  Of course, this had al
l happened immediately following my agreement to help Luke and Watchtower with their plot to get information on my father. Now we were going to be spending more time together and the life that I’d dreamed about for so many years was unraveling before my eyes. Gigi was all I had. Without her I was just a broken little girl, too broken to piece back together.

  I couldn’t lose her. But Tomas all but owned Gigi now. My heart sank as I scrolled through the morning headlines on my phone. It was all over the Internet.

  Tomas Perrot Fails to Impress with Exposed

  Gigi Noir Exposes Perrot as Hedonistic Hack

  WTF Even Happened in Brooklyn Last Night?

  I couldn’t look. Gigi Noir had ruined Tomas Perrot. Or was it the other way around? Had he ruined me?

  I couldn’t hole myself up inside the entire day. I didn't bother going up to the penthouse to change – I just started walking. I walked for nearly two hours until I found myself in front of the Hope Center. The only moments of clarity that I’d had recently were the hours I’d spent there.

  “Hi.” Joanna came out from behind the front desk wearing a look of surprise. “What are you doing back here?” She looked questioningly at my attire. My feet were nearly bloody from walking around Manhattan in stilettos all morning.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to barge in. I just…I wanted to help.” The words came unexpectedly. I’d judged Joanna the other day for superficial reasons, but she was the one working here every day.

  “Does Luke know you’re here?” She stepped in front of the desk, crossing her arms in concern. I tried to read her face to determine if she recognized me from the nude paintings of me that were circulating on the Internet.

  I shook my head. “And if you could not tell him that would be appreciated.”

  Behind us, a phone rang.

  “Sorry, I have to grab that,” she said, her eyes apologetic.

  While Joanna chatted into the receiver, I looked around the place my brother had built and invested so much in. It seemed unfair that he’d spent so much time helping other people and hadn’t found me until I was completely broken. The irony of the universe.

  Joanna returned. “Sorry about that.”

  “I’m Adam’s sister,” I blurted. “I’m the one they were looking for.”

  She took a step back from me, caught off guard by my bluntness. I was equally shocked. It was the first time I’d acknowledged the fact aloud.

  “I know.” She nodded, still keeping her distance and regarding me with a look of concern. “Luke mentioned it when he brought you here.”

  “I just needed to see the place again.” I tried to fight back tears. “It gives me hope, I guess.”

  Another woman’s voice sounded from the back hallway. “It should.” The woman rounded the corner and I recognized her as Alicia, Luke’s boss. The last time we had met was in the conference room at Watchtower. “Joanna, I can take care of this.”

  Joanna hesitated, her eyes darting between us, trying to put the pieces together. “Sure thing,” she said, before wandering back behind the front desk. From the corner of my eye, I saw her pretend to resume her work, but felt the quick glances she was still shooting me.

  “Miss Parker, I’m glad I ran into you here. Will you join me for a cup of coffee?” I could tell by Alicia’s voice that she had a million other things to do instead of talking me through my existential crisis, but from what I had gathered, she was a loyal employee and friend of Adam’s. I nodded and followed her out of the front door and across the street into a small cafe.

  “You look terrible.” She acknowledged my worn-down presence as she slid into the chair across from me. “You realize it’s less than twenty degrees out, right?”

  It took her saying that for me to realize how cold I was.

  A waitress came to take our order. When I didn’t respond to the her immediately, Alicia ordered me some soup, a roll, and some hot tea.

  “When was the last time you ate?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.

  “I don’t remember. I couldn’t eat anything at Luke’s this morning.” It didn’t occur to me until Alicia’s dark eyes narrowed that he might want to keep our meetings quiet.

  “Really?” She shook out her napkin and placed it across her lap. “You two been spending a lot of time together, hmm?”

  “You really believe that my father is bad?” I ignored her question. I was not here to talk about Luke. In fact, he was the last thing I wanted to discuss. “You really think he’s responsible for all these dead, missing women?”

  “I think there’s enough evidence for us to pursue finding out.” I could tell she was practiced in providing diplomatic answers. “You’re not taking all of this so well, are you?”

  I shrugged, letting my head hang into my hands. “Nothing makes sense anymore.”

  “Once Adam gets word that we’ve found you, he will be back. Until that happens, you just have to trust…us.” Her last word came with reluctance. “I need to ask you something,” she added.

  “Sure.”

  “Is Luke being professional with you?” The bluntness of her question was unsettling.

  “He’s handling the investigation fine,” I reassured her.

  “I mean, personally. He’s not…overstepping his boundaries, is he?”

  As much as Luke had made it a priority to bring me into this ordeal, I was the one who had crossed the line the previous night. I was the one who had kissed him. “I’m not sure I’m following."

  Alicia poured cream into her coffee when the waitress set our drinks on the table, then waved a hand at me. “Never mind, forget I mentioned it.” She either didn’t want to know, or was pacified by my reaction. “If there is one thing I’m sure of, it’s his loyalty to your brother.”

  We sipped our drinks in silence. The hot liquid of the tea revived me. With each spoonful of soup, the feeling in my toes returned, and the warmth crept up my neck to where Tomas had held me in his grip the previous night. I pulled my coat closer to my body in an attempt to conceal any marks he had left.

  “Look, we’re still working on getting the plan together. Luke, Carter and I will have this thing ready to go in a few days, at which time we will bring you back in. In the meantime, let Luke help you prepare however he can.” Alicia hesitated, then leaned across the table toward me. “If we are right about what is going on at the Jasper, there are girls depending on your preparedness.”

  My heart sank with the realization that I had no choice but to return to the gym later that evening. As mortified as I was by the kiss, this really wasn’t about me. In the end it all went back to helping myself and my brother, and ultimately any of the women my father may have hurt.

  “Thanks for lunch,” I mumbled as the waitress cleared our dishes. The talk with Alicia had helped me feel better, even if just a little bit.

  “I’m getting you a cab home.” Her eyes were motherly in a way that warmed me. Very few times in my life had a woman looked at me with such protection. Somehow I knew she only wanted what was best for me, so I didn’t argue.

  Thirty minutes later, I entered through the door of the penthouse, made my way to the bathroom, stripped off every piece of clothing, and ran my second scalding bath of the week. I lowered myself into the steaming water, refusing to look down at my battered body. Life as Gigi had brought me nothing but heartache and shame. She was just a persona that I hid behind because I was too afraid to ask the hard questions. It was easier to make up my own truths than to seek out the real thing.

  With a deep breath, I completely submerged myself beneath the water. And then I did something I hadn’t done in a very long time; I prayed. The silent thoughts rushed out of my mind and up to God.

  Baptize me. Cleanse my soul of anything related to Gigi, burn the evidence of her from my body, and give me the strength to go forward as Nina, even if I don’t know exactly who she is yet. If I’m going to be all in with Luke, I have to be all in as me, whoever that is.

  I almost didn’t sh
ow.

  My brief encounter with religion had left me feeling heady and light. Maybe there was hope for me after all. As I got ready, I flipped on the television in my bedroom, not even thinking about the ramifications that would have. The picture of me from my senior year high school yearbook stared back at me from the screen. Panicking, my eyes fell to the scrolling chyron, trying to understand what was happening.

  A reporter had positively identified me, the girl from the exhibit, as Nina Parker.

  The lightness was replaced with an all-consuming numbness. I sank to the bed and sat frozen until the news anchor moved on to the next segment. An insatiable need to face my new reality took over. I spent hours reading every single story I could find about the exhibit online.

  Thankfully, the even bigger story than me was that, for the first time in his celebrated career, Tomas Perrot had closed an exhibit early. Immediately following opening night, he’d closed the doors of the warehouse and a crew was already at work dismantling the exhibit.

  Still, there would be no Hollywood dreams come true. There would be no starring in a show on Broadway. Hell, I’d be lucky to get my former job as a barista back. After spending the entire day mostly avoiding my phone, I made the mistake of looking at it. Multiple missed text messages had accumulated throughout the day.

  BRIA: Wow, guess I was right all along.

  BRENT: WTF you are all over the news and mom and dad are freaking out. Is that really u?

  TOMAS: I have people looking for you. You owe me.

  TOMAS: How does it feel to be the ugliest bitch in the world?

  TOMAS: I will get the last word, don’t you worry, my love.

  I threw the phone across my bedroom in the penthouse and glanced at the clock. It was seven forty-five in the evening, meaning I had fifteen minutes to pull myself together and walk downstairs to meet Luke. The embarrassment of having to face him after kissing him the previous night was almost too much to endure. But my only other option was staying locked up, trying to avoid all contact with the outside world. So I went.