No. My body couldn’t take any more of his aggressive demands and the painful pleasure he subjected my body to so I nodded my head.

“Stand up,” he ordered.

“I can’t.” My legs were too weak to hold me up much less walk.

“Either stand up or get fucked again. Your choice.”

He was still inside me, moving lightly.  I could already feel the beginning of another orgasm rising. I stood up on wobbly legs and rested my back against his chest and surprisingly he let me. He slowly pulled out of me and it felt as if he was still hard which meant he hadn’t come. I discreetly fixed my dress and panties when I noticed Keenan still watching us silently.

“Go upstairs, clean up, and wait for me.”

I did as he ordered without arguing. I knew where that usually got me.

* * *

I walked into Keiran’s room and couldn’t help but admire the smell. He and everything he owned always smelled fresh and cool. I looked around curiously but didn’t know what I was looking for but like any person, the bedroom was a person’s domain. It was the most likely place a person would hide their secrets to keep them close; and everyone had secrets…so what was Keiran’s?

I walked over to his dresser first, forgetting about his order to clean up. There wasn’t anything particularly telling or unusual on the top, just as before so I quickly opened the first dresser drawer while listening closely for the sound of Keiran coming. A quick inspection through his dresser revealed nothing. What are you looking for, Lake? It would probably help if I knew that much.

I opened his closet door and walked inside. Keiran’s closet looked like every normal teenage boy’s closet but Keiran wasn’t normal. Whatever it was, had to here. Dark clothing and various sneakers and boots littered the shelves and hung on the railing. I lightly touched his clothing being careful not to disturb anything too much. The worst thing I could do is be caught snooping. After a few minutes, I was looking through my third shoe box and almost gave up my search when I hit the jackpot. I wasn’t expecting to find what I did. I swallowed and picked it up hesitantly, feeling the weight of it in my hands.

What is Keiran doing with a gun?

I inspected it further, turning it over in my hands. There was a button on the side near the handle and trigger so I pressed it. A slim case fell out the bottom and inside I could see it loaded with bullets. I dropped the clip and hurriedly picked it back up to deposit it back into the gun. That’s when I noticed the thin chain of a gold locket with a pearl wrapped around the handle. It was beautiful and…familiar. I searched my memory for where I might have seen the necklace. It wasn’t new. It was…the picture!

I was almost sure the dead girl in the picture was wearing the same necklace when she died. I just needed to get my hands on the picture to confirm. I’d hidden it in my desk and haven’t looked at it since I found it. At first glance, I didn’t pay much attention to her jewelry or see it as a clue considering I wasn’t ever expecting to come across it much less in Keiran’s closet.

Because Keiran wasn’t the one to break in my house, I ruled out the possibility that he left the picture to scare me. It wasn’t his style to be vague. He was much more direct when delivering threats.

But if he had the necklace now, he must have known that girl. So how did he get it and who was she to him? The walls began closing in on me and the closet suddenly felt too small as many questions flooded my mind. However, when I looked down at the gun in my hand, it was only one that stood out, and was the most dangerous to answer. Did he kill her?

I forgot to breathe as I stared down at the cold, hard steel of my reality. I had to get out of here. I needed to escape him before he took away everything I ever loved. I couldn’t let him hurt my aunt. I knew what it was like to be hurt by Keiran. It dug deep and never let go.

Instinct was screaming at me to get out and for once I listened to it. I quickly slammed the clip back into the gun and carefully arranged it back in the box and threw it back on the top shelf. Just as I was sitting down Keiran walked in. He immediately looked at me suspiciously. I probably looked as nervous as I was feeling.

“What were you doing?” he asked calmly.

“No – nothing. I was waiting for you like you told me to.”

“You didn’t do what I told you to do.” I stared at him confused, feeling sweat form on my brow. “I also told you to clean up, so what were you doing?”

Think, think, think. “I – I was but…there wasn’t any towels left to clean up with.” Shit! What a dumb lie.

“Is that so?” I nodded dumbly and swallowed the saliva that was suddenly too thick and heavy for my throat. “Show me.”

The room begun to spin and I could practically smell shit hitting the fan. I stood up and walked out to the hallway and headed toward what I hoped was the bathroom door. I was too distracted last time to remember where Sheldon had led me. I quickly played ‘eenie meenie’ with the doors and reached for one.

“That’s Keenan’s room.” I rubbed my sweaty palm against my dress to hide my nervousness.

“Sorry. The thing about doors is that they all look the same.”

“So do lies.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Then get your ass in the bathroom, Monroe. My favorite clock is ticking.” He stood against a door further down the hall with his arms crossed over his chest and the light bulb finally clicked in my head. I walked over to the door and stood in front of him trying to mask my nervousness. “Yes?”