Chapter 10
10
M y stomach twists as Caleb pulls up to the back of the hospital near the morgue.
The heavy metal door brings with it a rush of anxiety, and I wipe my sweaty palms on my pant legs. Despite the number of times I've walked through that cold, gray entrance, it never gets easier.
Caleb parks and turns toward me, his expression tense. "Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you?"
"No, I'll be fine." I reach for the door handle, gripping it tightly. "I'll be safe inside the building, right?"
He nods. "There's no way for your hitman to have known you'd come today. "
I give him a weak smile. "Aren't you my hitman?"
The joke isn't funny, and he ignores it. "I'll be waiting for you when you come out."
"Thanks." I step out of the car and into the blinding sunlight.
As I head toward the entrance, I feel Caleb watching me, and my spine straightens, my shoulders pulling back. It's been a while since anyone cared what happened to me, and knowing he'll be here when I come back out lends me strength to open the heavy metal door.
Inside, I head down a series of sterile white hallways to the security desk outside the morgue, where the orderly greets me by name and passes over a visitor badge without asking for proof of identity.
"You know the way back." He buzzes me through the door behind him. "I'll alert Carter that you're here."
"Thank you." I follow the bright line of fluorescent lights to the door at the back.
With a knock as a warning, I enter. My stomach churns at the sight of the empty metal table at the center of the room before my attention shifts to the wall of refrigerator doors.
"Ah, Oliver!" A middle-aged man bustles from a small office at the back. "You got here fast, as usual. "
"Hello, Dr. Carter." I walk forward, meeting the man at the lockers.
"Here we are." He opens one and pulls out the sliding drawer inside, revealing a body draped in a crisp white sheet. "Ready?"
My pulse quickens, and I take a deep breath, bracing for the worst as I nod.
Carter peels back the cover to reveal a young face surrounded by dark hair. I take in the features of the lifeless boy and relief washes over me, followed by an undeniable disappointment.
It's not Dylan.
However, I recognize the face from the flier posted at the local market.
Dr. Carter studies my expression. "You know him."
"Yes, but he's not my brother." Hands trembling, I reach for my phone only to remember that Caleb kept it. I look at Dr. Carter. "It appears I misplaced my cell. Can I borrow yours for a moment?"
"Sure." He pulls it from his lab coat, unlocks the screen, and hands it over. "I hope you didn't lose it."
"No, it's somewhere at home." I pull up my VanishingVoice blog, glad that I added the missing person's poster from the market to my site. "Here you go. This is him. "
"Ah, right you are." He shakes his head in amazement. "You're always such a help. Far more than the missing person's department who take months to get back to me, if they ever do."
It's not the first time I've been able to identify a body faster than the police, which is another reason I keep putting myself through these visits.
He slides the drawer back into the refrigerator. "I'm sorry it wasn't your brother, though I also hope he never ends up on my table."
"I appreciate that," I reply, forcing a smile onto my face.
I'm glad I could provide closure for this young man's family. But at the same time, I can't help but yearn for that sense of finality that will allow me to move forward in life without the guilt and shame that comes with doing so.
Tears threaten to spill over as I walk away from the morgue on autopilot, riding the elevator up to the main entrance.
Why did I let myself hope this time would be any different?
The bright sun burns my eyes, giving me an excuse to shield them as I head down the block toward home. The path stretches out before me, traveled so often that I don't need to see the sidewalk to know the dips and rises in the cement. Buildings and signs blur together, my mind elsewhere.
"Stupid, stupid," I mutter under my breath, the numbness creeping back in.
I knew the likelihood of finding Dylan was slim, and I feel foolish for getting my hopes up again.
The scent of freshly brewed coffee drifts from a cafe as I pass the door, drawing me from my thoughts, and my steps slow.
I peer around at the familiar surroundings as I remember I didn't come here alone this time. Caleb drove me, and he's still waiting in the back parking lot for me to come out. I'm so used to doing everything on my own that I blanked out.
As I turn back, I become aware of the danger. Someone out there wants to kill me, and they could be watching my neighborhood right now.
My pace quickens as I hurry back toward the hospital, my pulse racing as I search for any sign I'm being followed.
A shout comes from behind me, and I flinch, spinning toward the sound, only to find a mom chasing her kid across the street.
Relief sweeps through me, and my shoulders sag just as a strong hand grabs my arm and yanks me into the alley between two buildings .
My heart races, fear gripping me like a vise. No thoughts, no time to react—all I know is that I've been caught. I open my mouth to scream, but the hand stifles my cry for help as I'm dragged into the darkness.
The cold, damp bricks of the alleyway press against my back as I struggle to escape.
Panic floods through me, and for a moment, helplessness sweeps over me. Then a switch flips in my mind, and I remember the self-defense training I took months ago after Dylan first vanished.
In one swift motion, I stomp down on the man's foot and twist to break his hold. As he stumbles back, I spin around to jab my fingers toward his eyes.
Before I connect, he catches my wrist in an iron grip and slams me back against the wall. The impact steals my breath, and my heartbeat thunders in my ears. Only then do I catch the familiar scent of Caleb's pheromones, and time slows.
"Oliver," Caleb growls, his tone dangerous.
He presses the lengths of our bodies together, and the unmistakable evidence of his arousal nudges at my stomach. My heart races, excitement chasing back the numbness from my mind.
Caleb's chest heaves. "You need to work on your fighting skills if you hope to escape a real attacker. "
His words ignite a feverish desire in me, and I sweep my arms upward, breaking free of Caleb's hold. Pulse jack rabbiting, I sprint in the opposite direction of the street, racing deeper into the alley and away from help.
Caleb's laugh follows me. "Where do you think you're going, little rabbit?"
He lets me get just past the broad side of a dumpster before he catches me again, his gasps hot on the back of my neck. I shiver and squirm, instinctively shoving my ass backward, seeking his erection. Within the confines of my pants, my dick hardens, and slick coats my entrance, desperate to be filled.
But I don't want to stop fighting too fast. I lash out again, trying to break free from his hold.
"Be still," Caleb orders, and the hunger in his voice freezes me in place.
My chest heaves as I struggle to catch my breath, my body hot and heavy under the weight of his dominance.
"Look at you." He spins me around and shoves me to my knees in the alley, then cups the back of my head, pulling my face closer to the bulge in his pants. "Is this what you want?"
The scent of his arousal intoxicates me, and I give in to the primal urge to submit to him. As Caleb tugs down his zipper, freeing his erection, I part my lips for him to slide his cock inside.
"Good boy." He fists my hair, not giving me time to adjust to his size as he fucks my mouth.
He fills me completely, shoving into the back of my throat and choking me. Tears leak down my cheeks as I struggle to breathe, but I continue to take him in, driven by the need to feel this so I can block out everything else.
The throbbing ache between my legs intensifies, and I reach down to touch myself, desperate for relief.
" Hands off ," Caleb Commands, a feral snarl in his words.
I whimper at being denied the release I crave as my hand falls away.
My messy thoughts jumble together with lust and humiliation, reveling in the pleasure that comes with submission. Salty pre-cum coats my tongue, his thick length testing my limits, and his grip tightens in my hair as he thrusts deeper.
"Take it all, Oliver," he urges, and I try my best to accommodate him, swallowing around his head as he pushes into my throat. "That's it… good boy."
Caleb consumes all of my senses, making it impossible to focus on anything other than the sensation of my mouth stretched open by his cock. My jaw aches and my taut lips feel ready to split from the strain, but it only serves to fuel the fire burning within me. My ass clenches in need, craving to be filled as completely.
Suddenly, Caleb shoves deep, his seed spilling in a primal claim of possession. My nails rake against his muscular thighs, my throat convulsing.
Then he pulls out and orders, "Swallow every drop."
I obey without hesitation, whining at the ache from my still-hard dick.
Caleb chuckles as he tucks himself away. "If you want to earn being fucked in public, you'll have to first gain forgiveness for breaking my rule."
He hauls me back to my feet and yanks my shirt from my pants to hide my erection before leading me stumbling back toward the street.
"I wasn't trying to run." My voice comes out raspy from the rough treatment. "How did you even know I left the building?"
"Tracked your nape guard," Caleb replies with a smirk.
I reach for the leather band around my neck. It feels like the one I've worn for years until I touch the back and realize the metal plate is thicker .
He must have swapped it at some point last night while I was sleeping. The possessiveness of the gesture sends a shiver down my spine and ignites a fever in my blood, my body turning heavy with desire.
The slick dampening my underwear is impossible to ignore as I recognize the start of my Heat. Fuzzy from the pleasure, I lean closer to Caleb, breathing in his pheromones. I belong to this Alpha, whether he wants me or not.
As we step out of the alleyway, a camera flashes, blinding me.
"Fucking paparazzi." Caleb shields me from view as we hurry to a familiar car parked at the curb, and he shoves me inside as the flash of more cameras go off.
Dazed, I stare out the tinted window as Caleb jogs around to the driver's side.
I've now gone from the one who writes the gossip about Caleb to the one who will join him in the headlines.