Kiss of Moonlight by Stephanie Julian Read Free Book Online Page B

please.” Cat tugged on her hand. “I won’t go without you. I know it’s dark and scary but I need you to come with me. I don’t like the dark either. Please, please come with me.”
    How did this girl know she didn’t like the dark? Had she said those words aloud? How could Cat know she’d been held hostage in a closet, tied up and gagged while the man who’d raped her slept in her dead mother’s bed?
    Tam forced herself to look at Cat and saw a reflection of her own fear on the girl’s face. That more than anything motivated her to move.
    “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “All right, Cat . We’ll go down there. But I want to know what’s going on when we do.”
    Cat nodded, her unbound hair bouncing around her shoulders. “I’ll give you all the answers I can. Just please hurry.”
    Taking a deep breath, as if she were about to submerge herself in water, Cat started down the stairs. She didn’t know who held the other’s hand tighter but by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were both trembling.
    The stairs led to an open room almost as big as the upstairs, decorated like a basement play room. Only with more weapons.
    A lot more weapons.
    “Jesus, Cat,” she breathed as she drifted toward the center of the room. “What…”
    “It’s okay, they’re Dad’s.” Cat stopped at the bottom of the stairs and started to flip switches. “He told you he was in private security, right?”
    “Yeah, he just didn’t…mention weapons.”
    Which was stupid. Of course he’d have weapons. She had nothing against them. She’d just never seen so many in one place. Christ, he had an arsenal down there. Blades of every shape and size. But only two guns, unlike anything she’d ever seen before. Blocky and matte black, like wrought iron. Weird.
    A whoosh of air brought Tam around to look at Cat. The door at the top of the stairs had closed, shutting them in. Now that she was down here, and since it wasn’t as cramped as she’d imagined it would be, Tam wasn’t as freaked out. But Cat wasn’t doing as well.
    “Hey, sweetie, are you okay?” Tam walked over to the girl and put her arm around her. Her body shook and the smile she turned to Tam was more like a grimace.
    “I’m fine. I just don’t like to be confined.”
    “Yeah, me either.” Though hopefully not for the same reason. “Why don’t we go sit over here and you can tell me what’s going on.”
    Cat shook her head as they sank onto the couch in the farthest corner of the room away from the door. “I honestly don’t know. Ty got all bent out of shape on our run.”
    “That’s the boy you were with?”
    Cat screwed up her face in something resembling an apologetic smile. “Yeah, we, uh, met him when Nortia and I were out running.”
    Tam sensed that was a lie but why would Cat lie about something so innocuous? “What happened to Nortia ? Wait, did…did that boy say something about her leaving? What did he mean? She just left you?”
    Cat dropped her gaze to stare at her knees. “No, not really. Nortia tried to draw the men away and Ty brought me home.”
    Now, Tam wasn’t the greatest at spotting a liar. Hell, she’d allowed the man who’d attacked her into her apartment just because she’d recognized his face. But Cat was lying. And Tam had no idea why.
    “Cat—”
    “No, please don’t ask me any more questions.” Cat hung her head even further. “Blessed Goddess, I’m so sorry but I can’t answer them.”
    The teen sounded heartbroken and Tam stared at her in disbelief. The situation had turned surreal.
    So far tonight, Tam had nearly jumped a man who had to be almost twice her age and he’d devoured her as if she were his last meal. Then he’d rushed out of his home to confront two strangers on his land, with a teenager at his side, as if they were armed marauders. And now she was trapped in a basement safe room with a freaked-out girl who couldn’t stop shaking and looked ready to puke.
    No, not puke.