Sequel: Blanket of Fear ›
Bound to You
Chapter Fifty-Three
“Baby, we can’t do this here.” Eliza whispered into Zack’s ear in a husky breath as he grazed his teeth just barely along the sensitive skin of her throat, teasing her in ways he didn’t even realize he was capable of. “We’re only separated from them by a sheet!”
“So let them hear how much I love you.” He replied in a murmur against her skin, lifting his head to meet her gaze with his eyes. She was captivated, unable to look away. His green eyes were clouded over with lust, darkening towards his pupils to an almost black color as he watched her. “I don’t care who hears us.”
“I do,” She replied back, sitting up so that she could kiss his lips, pulling away too soon for her taste. She would much rather keep kissing him, and more. However, the thought of Matt, Val, and the others hearing her and Zack’s intimate moments terrified her, and she didn’t feel like letting them hear just how loud she knew she could be when she and Zack were together. “I don’t want everyone to hear us.”
Zack smirked down at her but nodded before sliding off of her body, turning to face her once he was laying down beside her. “I love you, Eliza.” He said quietly, pulling her against his chest and pressing his lips to her temple, sliding his hand through her hair soothingly. “I know I haven’t said that nearly enough, but I do.”
Eliza just met his gaze, a small smile on her face. Zack returned the motion, feeling satisfied that he’d successfully taken her mind off of whatever had been bothering her. He knew that she hadn’t forgotten it completely, and that later on she’d start dwelling on it again, but for now, Eliza could just rest and let her mind go blank for awhile while she relaxed.
-x-
A Few Hours Later
-x-
“Zack! You need to come watch this!” Matt’s voice called from the other side of the sheets, stirring Zack from a peaceful sleep beside Eliza. He groaned as his senses came to him, and turned his head to see that she was still sound asleep. Deciding not to wake her up, he got off of the cot and pushed the sheet aside, walking over to where Matt’s voice had come from. He saw Matt and Joel sitting at the computer, both of them with serious expressions on their faces.
“What is it?” Zack asked, looking at the computer screen. It was some news website, he noticed, but nothing local.
“Use these.” Matt said quietly, handing him a pair of headphones. “We…Don’t want Jimmy to hear this, until we know for sure what’s going on.”
Zack gave him a curious look but nodded, slipping the headphones over his head before he nodded at Joel, who pushed the ‘play’ icon at the bottom of the video. Zack tuned everyone else out as he listened to the newscast.
“Tonight, a small town just east of Chicago has had quite the shake up. A convenience store in Jamesburg, a small town with a population of only two-hundred people, has been robbed. The manager of the store, Tilly Bauman, was present at the time of the incident, and is distraught over the event that has the whole town talking,” a news reporter was saying, a photograph of a small convenience store behind her. Zack watched as the shot of the reporter changed to a video feed that had been taken on the scene of the convenience store, a woman with overlarge glasses and frizzy gray hair was standing in front of the yellow brick building, fear in her eyes as she spoke to the reporter’s camera.
“It was just awful,” She spoke, her voice wavering. “I thought I was going to die. This little bitty girl walked in, just like any other customer, and demanded that I put all of the money from the till into a bag. She just…She looked too sweet to do something like this. That money is all our shop has; we’re not some big convenience store or anything. I just…I don’t know how my family and I are going to be able to keep the shop open now. I’m just devastated by this.”
“What does this have to do with us?” Zack asked, looking at Matt, who held his hand up and pointed back to the screen. Zack sighed, but watched the screen again. The news reporter was back, this time a sketch of a woman behind her.
“The woman responsible for the thievery is described to be short, around 5’3 to 5’5, with long, curly dark hair and dark eyes. She was wielding a knife, and wearing tattered clothing. Police don’t think she’s a danger to the public, but do urge shopkeepers to be on the cautionary side until—“
“That’s—” Zack started, but Matt cut him off.
“Don’t say her name out loud; we already know who it looks like.” Matt said quietly, looking over his shoulder to make sure Jimmy wasn’t anywhere near them. He then looked back at Zack. “The question is, what stunt is Sean pulling this time?”
“He might not be pulling a stunt.” Zack said, looking at the screen again, at the sketch of the girl who looked so much like Leana. He wondered if it was just an uncanny similarity, or if she was actually alive like he was beginning to think she was. “He obviously had us believing that she was dead.”
“Then why this?” Matt asked, motioning towards the screen. “Why would he just let her go?”
“You know Le just as well as I do.” Zack said, his eyes serious. “She’s been with us for a long time; she’s learned a lot about how to protect herself and get out of situations. She might have been able to escape.”
“If that’s true, then she’s out there somewhere right now. If we know it by now, so does Sean.” Matt said in a dark voice. “Zack, we have to do something about this. If Jim finds out, there’s no way we’ll be able to stop him from going out there.”
“I know.” Zack sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. “Just…Let’s think about what we should do, okay? She’s a tough cookie; she’ll be able to handle herself for a few more days. We’ve got to figure out a safe plan.”
“Speaking of ‘safe plan,’” Matt said, nodding towards the door, where the banging had ceased. The camera set up on the outside showed that Brian and Michelle were still there, though, regardless of whether or not they were banging on the door. “When are we going to decide what to do with them?”
“Something’s changed about Michelle.” Zack said quietly, looking at the screen. “Something in her eyes isn’t reading right…They’ve changed. I don’t know what it is, but until I figure it out, neither of them comes in and no one goes out to them.”
Matt sighed, but nodded. He understood what it meant to put safety above friendship, and even though he wasn’t quite in agreeance with Zack, he knew he was in no position to put Michelle and Brian’s friendship above the safety and wellbeing above Avenged Sevenfold, Papa Roach, and Good Charlotte as a whole. Zack knew what he was doing, and if he still didn’t trust Michelle, then something was seriously wrong.
He just hoped it could be resolved soon.
“So let them hear how much I love you.” He replied in a murmur against her skin, lifting his head to meet her gaze with his eyes. She was captivated, unable to look away. His green eyes were clouded over with lust, darkening towards his pupils to an almost black color as he watched her. “I don’t care who hears us.”
“I do,” She replied back, sitting up so that she could kiss his lips, pulling away too soon for her taste. She would much rather keep kissing him, and more. However, the thought of Matt, Val, and the others hearing her and Zack’s intimate moments terrified her, and she didn’t feel like letting them hear just how loud she knew she could be when she and Zack were together. “I don’t want everyone to hear us.”
Zack smirked down at her but nodded before sliding off of her body, turning to face her once he was laying down beside her. “I love you, Eliza.” He said quietly, pulling her against his chest and pressing his lips to her temple, sliding his hand through her hair soothingly. “I know I haven’t said that nearly enough, but I do.”
Eliza just met his gaze, a small smile on her face. Zack returned the motion, feeling satisfied that he’d successfully taken her mind off of whatever had been bothering her. He knew that she hadn’t forgotten it completely, and that later on she’d start dwelling on it again, but for now, Eliza could just rest and let her mind go blank for awhile while she relaxed.
-x-
A Few Hours Later
-x-
“Zack! You need to come watch this!” Matt’s voice called from the other side of the sheets, stirring Zack from a peaceful sleep beside Eliza. He groaned as his senses came to him, and turned his head to see that she was still sound asleep. Deciding not to wake her up, he got off of the cot and pushed the sheet aside, walking over to where Matt’s voice had come from. He saw Matt and Joel sitting at the computer, both of them with serious expressions on their faces.
“What is it?” Zack asked, looking at the computer screen. It was some news website, he noticed, but nothing local.
“Use these.” Matt said quietly, handing him a pair of headphones. “We…Don’t want Jimmy to hear this, until we know for sure what’s going on.”
Zack gave him a curious look but nodded, slipping the headphones over his head before he nodded at Joel, who pushed the ‘play’ icon at the bottom of the video. Zack tuned everyone else out as he listened to the newscast.
“Tonight, a small town just east of Chicago has had quite the shake up. A convenience store in Jamesburg, a small town with a population of only two-hundred people, has been robbed. The manager of the store, Tilly Bauman, was present at the time of the incident, and is distraught over the event that has the whole town talking,” a news reporter was saying, a photograph of a small convenience store behind her. Zack watched as the shot of the reporter changed to a video feed that had been taken on the scene of the convenience store, a woman with overlarge glasses and frizzy gray hair was standing in front of the yellow brick building, fear in her eyes as she spoke to the reporter’s camera.
“It was just awful,” She spoke, her voice wavering. “I thought I was going to die. This little bitty girl walked in, just like any other customer, and demanded that I put all of the money from the till into a bag. She just…She looked too sweet to do something like this. That money is all our shop has; we’re not some big convenience store or anything. I just…I don’t know how my family and I are going to be able to keep the shop open now. I’m just devastated by this.”
“What does this have to do with us?” Zack asked, looking at Matt, who held his hand up and pointed back to the screen. Zack sighed, but watched the screen again. The news reporter was back, this time a sketch of a woman behind her.
“The woman responsible for the thievery is described to be short, around 5’3 to 5’5, with long, curly dark hair and dark eyes. She was wielding a knife, and wearing tattered clothing. Police don’t think she’s a danger to the public, but do urge shopkeepers to be on the cautionary side until—“
“That’s—” Zack started, but Matt cut him off.
“Don’t say her name out loud; we already know who it looks like.” Matt said quietly, looking over his shoulder to make sure Jimmy wasn’t anywhere near them. He then looked back at Zack. “The question is, what stunt is Sean pulling this time?”
“He might not be pulling a stunt.” Zack said, looking at the screen again, at the sketch of the girl who looked so much like Leana. He wondered if it was just an uncanny similarity, or if she was actually alive like he was beginning to think she was. “He obviously had us believing that she was dead.”
“Then why this?” Matt asked, motioning towards the screen. “Why would he just let her go?”
“You know Le just as well as I do.” Zack said, his eyes serious. “She’s been with us for a long time; she’s learned a lot about how to protect herself and get out of situations. She might have been able to escape.”
“If that’s true, then she’s out there somewhere right now. If we know it by now, so does Sean.” Matt said in a dark voice. “Zack, we have to do something about this. If Jim finds out, there’s no way we’ll be able to stop him from going out there.”
“I know.” Zack sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. “Just…Let’s think about what we should do, okay? She’s a tough cookie; she’ll be able to handle herself for a few more days. We’ve got to figure out a safe plan.”
“Speaking of ‘safe plan,’” Matt said, nodding towards the door, where the banging had ceased. The camera set up on the outside showed that Brian and Michelle were still there, though, regardless of whether or not they were banging on the door. “When are we going to decide what to do with them?”
“Something’s changed about Michelle.” Zack said quietly, looking at the screen. “Something in her eyes isn’t reading right…They’ve changed. I don’t know what it is, but until I figure it out, neither of them comes in and no one goes out to them.”
Matt sighed, but nodded. He understood what it meant to put safety above friendship, and even though he wasn’t quite in agreeance with Zack, he knew he was in no position to put Michelle and Brian’s friendship above the safety and wellbeing above Avenged Sevenfold, Papa Roach, and Good Charlotte as a whole. Zack knew what he was doing, and if he still didn’t trust Michelle, then something was seriously wrong.
He just hoped it could be resolved soon.
♠ ♠ ♠
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