Rachel shot up from the bed, emboldened by the sedative’s grip on her. “Donovan, wait.” Her fingers twisted in front of her waist.
Donovan turned around. He stared at her for a moment, but she couldn’t interpret his expression. His eyes fell to her restless fingers and he inched toward her. He reached out and stilled her hands.
“I don’t care if it’s wrong,” she said. She searched his eyes for some hint of his thoughts, and she thought he would leave.
This time his firm kiss bubbled over with passion. Her body reacted to him and her need for him consumed her. His mouth moved off hers and he lifted her shirt over her head. He tossed it to the floor and reached for the button on her jeans while she worked on unbuttoning his shirt.
She could see him touching her, tasting her, but when he lowered her down on the mattress, the sedative unleashed its power over her. She fought to stay awake, and forced her eyes open every time they closed. Even though she felt his warm skin against her, his hands pinning hers down, his fingers intertwined with hers, it was as if it was happening to someone else. She closed her eyes and fought off sleep, praying she would remember every moment of experiencing him when she woke in the morning.
When she opened her eyes again, Donovan stood beside the bed, buttoning his shirt. He knelt down next to the bed and kissed her softly. “You are mine, Rachel,” he whispered, as her heavy eyelids closed. “You belong to me.”
Chapter Forty-three
Few things remained secret on the estate, so Rachel was surprised that for five months after the night in her bedroom no one knew of her involvement with Donovan. His sneaking in and out of her room most nights went unnoticed. The looks they shared, even in front of the others, remained just between them.
Five full months, and not one person at the estate suspected the blossoming romance between employer and employee. When they did find out, Rachel wished she could take back the kiss she stole from Donovan in the library when Joe came through the door. Within an hour, Rachel discovered Joe’s gossiping skills rivaled his ability to disarm security systems.
In the wake of everyone learning about their relationship, Donovan insisted they remain discreet. He did not want to deal with any of the other residents questioning his decisions, nor did he want their relationship to appear as if it tainted his capacity to run their operations. He gave Rachel no preferential treatment. If anything, he was harsher with her and placed her under greater scrutiny. He expected nothing but perfection from her, and she gave him everything she had, both in her assigned jobs and in their relationship.
A year after Joe told her secret to the others, still no one had dared to approach her directly about the matter, but they didn’t have to. From the looks she received, she ascertained each resident’s reaction to the news. Joe and Tony seemed indifferent, though she suspected Joe wanted to give her a high-five. Aaron could only manage his trademark blank stare, the one he disappeared behind when a conversation went down a road his mind couldn’t travel.
She suspected Paul had his reservations, but after knowing about her relationship with Donovan for the past twelve months, he never spoke of it. His mannerisms remained the same toward both her and Donovan. Every now and then, though, standing in the same room with Paul and Donovan, she detected a slight twitch in his jaw that told her he was thinking about it and he wasn’t happy.
But now, as she stood in the game room watching Paul throw darts in the general direction of the dartboard, Eric’s reaction came to mind. Like the others, he had not spoken his opinion, at least not to her. His actions, however, reflected his feelings.
“Eric hates me,” Rachel said.
Paul threw the last dart.
She walked to the dartboard and tugged on each dart until she retrieved all of them. “Are you sure you don’t need new glasses?” she teased. “Donovan will be real upset if you put a hole in the wall.”
Paul grunted. “We can patch it. Besides, it’s not like you’re doing any better than I am.”
“Oh yeah? Watch this.” She ran her tongue over her lower lip and concentrated on the target. The dart whistled through the air. Bull’s-eye. She turned around and smirked. “You were saying?”
“Keep up the smart comments and I’m not playing anymore.”
“Yes, you will. You can’t stand for me to beat you and that will be your downfall.” She threw the rest of the darts, each one landing far away from the bull’s-eye so as not to show off too much.
“I hate it when you win, but with throws like that I have nothing to worry about.” Paul retrieved the darts and walked back to the line. “What makes you think Eric hates you?”
“Eric has never been overly friendly to me or anyone, but lately he’s been more brusque than usual.”
Sarcasm filled Paul’s voice and he avoided her eyes. “Eric brusque? I don’t believe it.”
She glared at him. “Come on, what do you know?”
Paul hesitated, as if trying to decide what to tell her. “Eric’s upset that Donovan put you in charge of the Stein job. He doesn’t think you can do it.”
Rachel shook her head. She should have known Eric’s behavior was tantamount to a childish temper-tantrum over the Stein job. She recovered from the mild blow to her ego. “Eric can have the responsibility for all I care, but Donovan put me in charge, not him. He has to get used to me being in charge every so often, but I don’t see what his problem is. He’s not even assigned to this job.”
“He made it clear to Donovan that he wanted to be in charge of this one, but Donovan gave it to you. That’s quite an insult to an already somewhat unstable guy.” Paul threw a dart. “I also might have overheard Eric telling Aaron that he thinks Donovan shows you preferential treatment because of your relationship with him.”
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Rachel said. She did not want anyone thinking like that and was incredulous Eric would voice his opinion to others without approaching her first. “Everyone knows Donovan is harder on me than anyone else out there. Eric is grasping at straws because he can’t stand for me to be in charge. I’m sure he’ll say anything to get me taken off the job so he can take control.”
“Rach, I don’t know if this is such a good idea.”
“I think I can handle being in charge of this job.”
“I’m not talking about the job.”
His words quieted Rachel for a moment. They had never spoken about her relationship with Donovan, let alone admit that there was one to discuss. Rachel dropped into a chair at the poker table and crossed her arms. “Okay,” she said, resigned to a stern lecture. “Let’s have it.”
Paul clasped his hands together as if praying and paced in front of her. “I’ve known Donovan a lot longer than you. Most of the time you’ve known him, you’ve been a child, incapable of judging character. You’ve spent over nine years of your life cut off from society, but biologically, you’re the same as any other nineteen-year old. You have the same physical needs and—”
“Will you stop getting all doctory on me and say what you have to say?”
He took a deep breath and stopped pacing. “Donovan has sheltered you for nine years. I wonder if you aren’t confusing dependence with something else.”
“That’s not the case.”
“And I didn’t expect you to say anything less. At least let me tell you this much. Donovan is a possessive man in every aspect of his life. I know how he gets. I don’t want you on the receiving end of it. Do you understand?”
Donovan’s voice entered her mind, repeating the phrase he had spoken so often. You are mine. After being involved with him for almost seventeen months, he had never said he loved her, though she knew he did. Despite wanting to hear those three words from him, she accepted everything else he said as confirmation of his love.
He always told her that she belonged to him, that she was his life and he was hers. That he couldn’t breathe without her, let alone survive a single moment. She had never defined his words as a form
of possession, but Paul’s description was accurate.
Rachel pushed herself up from the chair and held her hand out to Paul. He handed her the darts and sat down behind her. She put her toe up to the piece of tape on the ground and aimlessly threw the darts at the board. She was no longer concerned with her score or with beating Paul. She only wanted the conversation to end.
“Rachel,” Paul said, letting her know the conversation was far from over, “I know it’s your life and I can’t tell you what to do. I’m also not belittling your feelings for him, or whatever it is you have with him, but I wanted you to know my thoughts about it. I know what it’s like to be young and to think you’re in love.”
For the first time since Donovan kissed her after the Cox job, Rachel experienced guilt over their relationship. She had never considered Paul’s feelings on the matter or what affect her relationship with Donovan would have on him.
As a young girl, Paul acted as her father figure, though she had been raised by everyone at the estate in one way or another. Despite being her uncle, Paul rarely interfered with her decisions. That he was unsupportive of her relationship with Donovan bothered her and she questioned her actions. Paul wouldn’t warn her away from Donovan without reason.
“I appreciate your honesty,” she said. She yanked the darts out of the board.
“But you won’t stop seeing him,” Paul deduced from her words. “I can’t force you to end it with him, but please think about everything carefully. As for Eric, he tends to run his mouth so his feelings about you are no secret. I’ve never trusted him and I’m starting to think he’s up to something. He would do anything to put you out of favor with Donovan.”
Rachel held the darts out for Paul to take, but he motioned for her to take another turn. She stepped back up to the line. “Why doesn’t Eric like me?” she asked.
“When you first came here, it was hard for everyone to adjust. A ten-year old girl on the estate?”
She smiled. “I guess it would be pretty strange.”
“Especially strange when it’s a child as feisty and stubborn as you. Joe always liked that about you and never minded that you were here. I think you won over Tony when you sat in on a poker game for the first time and cleaned Eric out. He saw that you weren’t afraid to try anything and that’s what it takes to live here. Aaron wasn’t so sure about you and still has his moments. Of course, he is somewhat influenced by Eric—”
“Somewhat influenced?” Rachel said. “Aaron can’t tie his shoes unless Eric is right there, showing him how to make bunny ears.”
Paul laughed. “That’s Aaron all right. But when Eric isn’t around, Aaron admits to liking you. I think he admires your courageous nature, which is something he lacks. Eric, on the other hand, is simply intimidated by you. He’s also jealous that Donovan has always adored you. Over the past several years, his relationship with Donovan has been rocky, at best. I think he’s scared that one day Donovan will eliminate his position.”
Rachel’s heart skipped a beat, and she pondered Paul’s statement. “Would Donovan really get rid of Eric?”
“If Eric becomes too much of a problem, yes. Donovan chose each of us for the roles we fill. We all have our place on the estate with our own area of expertise. You were the only unexpected addition to the team, but you learned quick and you fit in well. The problem with that is that you and Eric are both masters at lock bypass and safecracking.”
Even though she had been taught several different skills and could perform most of them with ease, Rachel took a shine to opening safes. She enjoyed the challenge and treated each safe as a puzzle for her to solve.
As the resident safecracker, Eric spent a lot of time with her, training her in the craft. She never imagined having two people with the same skills would be problematic, but considered it to be an advantage for Donovan. “What’s wrong with us both being able to open safes?” she asked.
“Why does Donovan need two experts in the same field? Besides that, you have an edge over Eric. You’re more valuable to Donovan because you’re intimately involved with him. Eric knows that if he screws up too bad, Donovan won’t hesitate to take him out.”
Rachel whirled around to face Paul. She knew that’s what Paul had been saying all along, but the words still struck her. “Take him out?”
“It’s always a possibility.”
Rachel stared speechless at Paul. Over the years, Rachel had done a lot of bad things for Donovan. She had broken into homes and stolen art or jewelry that he could sell on the black market. She helped plan out intensive jobs that resulted in the deaths of others. She had killed Jeff Cox, as well as two others Donovan convinced her needed killing. Rachel was the only one at the estate who had ventured into contract killing, and it was only because she wanted to please Donovan.
The thought that Donovan would so callously eliminate someone at the estate frightened her. If he asked her to kill another resident, she knew she could not do it, not even if it was Eric. But if he considered getting rid of Eric, there was a chance that he may one day decide he no longer needed her.
Rachel wouldn’t bring herself to believe that Donovan could kill anyone at the estate, no matter what they did. Paul’s fears had to be unfounded, otherwise they would all be at risk. “I doubt Donovan would ever get rid of Eric,” she said. “But Eric being jealous of me is ridiculous. If Eric is screwing up it’s his own fault.”
“That’s not how he sees it. He blames you.”
Rachel pursed her lips. “Maybe I should talk to him and get things out into the open.”
“That’s the last thing you should do. Let’s get through this job. Maybe he’ll get over it and things can calm down.”
Chapter Forty-four
Jobs were not a frequent occurrence at the estate, and the ones they had were spread out in both time and location. The team also never worked two similar jobs in a row. Donovan made sure everyone was cautious every step of the way, eliminating every possible chance of getting caught.
Three people were chosen for the job based on their individual skills. Some jobs were worked in conjunction with Graham Wilkes and his men, but most of the time those who lived at the estate were the only ones involved. If the job required an additional person from the estate, Donovan would go. He didn’t stand on the sidelines barking orders, but spent plenty of time on the playing field.
Rachel mentally divided every job into two phases: preparation and execution. The painstaking preparation lasted anywhere from two weeks to a year, until all foreseeable problems were resolved before they occurred. Issues ranged from driving time to merchandise delivery to body disposal.
During the preparation phase of the Stein job, Rachel dedicated every waking moment to the job. She altered her routine to include an hour nap each day to help keep her mind clear and body refreshed. She spent more time in the gym and daily ran a path through the back of the estate.
She reviewed every twist and turn of the job, memorizing each detail, no matter how insignificant. She could perform the job in her sleep, if asked. Nothing less than perfection was expected from the team, but Rachel pushed herself beyond the limit, knowing Donovan demanded more from her than the others. As her first job in charge, she was convinced of her ability to finish it successfully.
“I wish you would stop thinking about Stein,” Donovan said. “I’d be happy to have five minutes alone with you without the job in your head.”
His words stopped Rachel’s thoughts in the middle of running the small details of the job through her mind. Donovan reached out his hand and lightly traced an unseen picture on Rachel’s back. His touch tickled her bare skin and a small giggle left her lips.
She turned on her side to face him and lowered her left cheek onto the cool pillowcase. His eyes focused on his fingers as they danced over her arm, but Rachel kept her eyes on his face. “I’m not thinking about Stein. I’m thinking about you.”
Donovan raised his eyes to meet hers, his fingers not stopping their movement.
The corner of his mouth turned upward. “Don’t lie to me,” he said.
Rachel grinned. “I’m only lying a little bit.”
He lifted the sheet away from her skin and lowered it down to her hip. His eyes and fingers followed the exposed curves of her body.
Her skin prickled with his touch. “Let’s not talk about Stein now,” she said.
“It’s a big job,” he said.
“They are all big jobs.”
“We have serious bidders on this one. Lots of serious bidders.” His hand stopped moving and he caught her eyes with his. “Twenty million dollars, Rachel. This will be the biggest job we’ve ever done with a single piece. I’ve wanted this one for years. And now, it’s just sitting in a safe, waiting for you.”
Rachel recognized the childlike light in his eyes. Not too many things sparked that in him, and Rachel was always glad to see him come to life. The stern, businessman side of him was present all too often in his day-to-day activities. If he didn’t need his company to mask the occupation he loved, she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to sell the company and do these types of jobs full time.
The double life was wearing on him, Rachel noted as she studied his face. Lines radiated from the corners of his eyes and a few grey hairs trespassed on his five o’clock shadow. She stroked the side of his face, the scruffy texture both rough and seductive against her fingers. She loved the feel of his face when he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days.
“If this job doesn’t go right, I could lose a lot of contacts, not to mention future work,” he added.
“I thought you didn’t want me to worry about the job.”
“Okay, so maybe I’m worried, too.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, and his thumb created intimate sensations along her cheek. “Even though I have my best girl on it and I know she’s going to come through for me, it’s still a lot of pressure.”
“Tell you what,” she said. “I’ll stop worrying if you do.” She moved toward him until her body pressed against his skin. She moistened her lips and pulled the sheet back up to cover them both.