JACKSON

 

I SIT AT the computer in Lucien's office, watching Wraith and Katerina talking in her room.  There are several cameras strategically placed throughout the bedroom, the room that Adeline was first kept in when I brought her to the island.

And Adeline wasn't the only woman to stay in that secured room.  Lucien had a fetish for virginal women, buying willing women on the dark web and paying them and their handlers a large sum of money.  Adeline just happened to be lucky number seven.

Unbeknownst to Lucien, however, Adeline didn't come willingly to the island as those before her had.  No, Adeline's ex-fiancé, Giovanni, had kidnapped and sold her for an agreed upon sum of money to Lucien.

Eventually everything came to light.  But instead of sending Adeline away like all the rest, Lucien decided to keep her here.  He told me he was doing it to protect her, which I truly wanted to believe.  But even I could see the obsession in his eyes from early on.  Adeline didn't reciprocate his feelings at first, but they ultimately fell in love.

Adeline was making a life with us here on the island.

And now she's gone, and the mansion seems as empty as it was before she arrived.

I watch Katerina and Wraith talk.  Since I can't seem to figure out how to turn up the volume on Lucien's elaborate setup, I can't hear what's being said between the two of them.  However, I can watch her facial expressions, and she looks downright petrified when Wraith shows her the wanted poster on his phone.

She should be scared.

The Russian mafia is not one to be fucked with.  We haven't had many dealings with them, but Wraith knows a hell of a lot, and his stories are bone-chilling.

Wraith leaves after only spending a few minutes with her, and I frown.  I thought he was going to talk to her, find out what her deal is and all that kind of good stuff.  I doubt he even found out anything new, anything we can use.

Perplexed, I watch as Katerina goes to the tray of food and begins to eat willingly on her own.

She's been on a hunger strike ever since yesterday, so Wraith must have told her something that made her feel more at ease at least.

I leave Lucien's office and go check on my cousin for the second time today.  Maria is still with him, sitting curled up in a chair, reading a book.  She gives me a bright smile when I enter the room.  "He's doing just fine," she assures me.

"Well, with a beautiful angel like you watching over him, I should think so."

A red blush creeps up on Maria's olive cheeks, and she waves her book at me with a chuckle.  "Oh, Jackson.  How is it that a handsome, charming boy like you is still single?"

I shrug my shoulders and flash her a grin.  "Just haven't found the right one yet," I tell her with a wink.

"Well, when you do find her, you'll know," she says confidently, glowing.

"I hope so," I tell her as I check over Lucien's vitals.  It's not like I want to be single for the rest of my life.  It's just…hell, I don't know what I want.

I like to watch other couples who are in love.  That's kind of my thing.

But I've never been with a woman one on one before.  I haven't even told Lucien that, let alone anyone else.  The thought of being intimate with one person scares the hell out of me.  I don't know if it's because I have "mommy issues" or what.  Given the fact that my mom abandoned me and my dad when I was a little boy…yeah, that's probably what the fuck is wrong with me.

Getting close to someone and sharing a connection is not something I ever desired.  Well, until Adeline.  I think I could have something special with her, but she's not mine to make a connection with and never will be.

She belongs to Lucien in every possible sense of the word.

They love each other unconditionally.  And I simply can't compete with that…nor would I want to.

I'm just the creep who's in the corner watching them fuck and wishing it was me instead of my cousin getting all of her love and attention.

Grimacing at my own self-loathing thoughts, I put up a fresh bag of saline and make sure everything is good before I leave Lucien's room again.

"See you later, Maria."

"See you, Jackson," she says.  And as an afterthought, I hear her call, "And bring that girl of yours to dinner tonight!"

Wraith probably told her about the girl, because I'm sure Maria wondered who she was making extra meals for.  It's not like I wanted to keep Katerina a secret or anything.  It's just I don't want anyone assuming that Katerina and I are together.

As far as I'm aware, the girl hates my fucking guts.

And since I'm such a glutton for punishment, I change route and go to her room to test my theory.

I can't keep Katerina here forever, but I can't let her go either.  It's simply not safe at this point.  I just don't know how to explain all of that to her without sounding like a total douchebag.