Haidyn, Kashton, and I pull up into the parking lot and get off our bikes. I needed to ride tonight. Clear my mind.
The time that I spent without Ashtyn was excruciating. Knowing she was out in the world without me drove me fucking crazy. But now that she’s back, it’s still got me on edge. For many reasons.
I wanted to tie her to the bed and fucking leave her there all night with my cum dripping out of her freshly fucked ass, but I didn’t. I pride myself on my patience, so I decided to do the exact opposite of what I told her I’d do. Let her wonder what the fuck I’m up to.
“This place is packed,” Kashton states the obvious, bringing me out of my thoughts as he looks over the parking lot littered with cars.
We park our bikes right up to the back private entrance and walk inside.
Blackout was closed for several months due to the rebuild. But I think it’s safe to say it’s better than ever. We make our way to the elevator and up to the second floor where the office is. We don’t even knock, just walk right on in, and Tyson looks up from his seat behind his desk.
“Brothers.” He comes around his desk and gives us each a man hug-shake. “Glad you all could make it out tonight.”
If I had stayed at Carnage, I’d be balls deep in Ashtyn’s mouth right now. I had to get out and get some fresh air. She’s everywhere there. I figured she would be, but I have to constantly fight the battle of choking her out and fucking her. It’s the hardest love-hate relationship I’ve ever had with anyone in my life.
“How are things?” Kashton asks him.
“Good,” he answers. “How about you guys?”
Haidyn just snorts. He’s in a mood like always. The guy just wants to fuck and kill. I get it. I feel like my hands have been tied ever since that bitch showed up in my hospital room and took any option I had to find Ashtyn away from me.
I was a fucking wildfire ready to destroy everything that came near me, knowing I was locked there and she was out in the world without me. I needed her in a way that I couldn’t even explain. It was more of a you belong to me than anything else.
Now that I have her again? I’m not sure what to do. My mind is a fucking mess, my cock constantly hard. She wandered out of her room today, but it didn’t take long for her to go running back. The place isn’t the same. She thought it was bad before, but it’s way worse now. She only has herself to thank for that. After we took over, we changed everything.
The door opens, getting my attention, and I turn around to see two other Lords enter the room. Sin and Ryat. We didn’t know them while attending Barrington because they’re four years younger than us. But we’ve become close to them over the past few months. They’ve spent quite a bit of their time up at Carnage lately. Sin more so than Ryat but for different reasons.
We’ve got something that Sin wants, and well, Ryat is close with Tyson—we have something he wants so he’s always there as well. It’s a cycle, really. Lords always scratch another Lord’s back. That is, until one wants you dead.
If you’ve got something I want, I’m more than willing to give you something in return. And I would have paid anything to get my wife back.
“What are you guys doing out tonight?” Ryat asks, plopping down on the couch.
“Came out to see the new place,” Kashton answers. “What about you two?”
“The wives are having a girls’ night at Tyson and Lake’s, so we thought we’d get out for a bit.” Sin is the one who responds, typing away on his cell.
Tyson gets my attention as he looks up at me. “I called in a favor.”
I arch a brow. The Lords owe him a lot for what they put him through. “What kind of favor?”
Pulling out his top desk drawer, he pulls out a manila envelope. “It’s for you.”
Picking it up, I open the envelope and see that it’s a report of some kind. I quickly scan it over and slam it down once I’ve seen enough.
“What is it?” Kashton asks, walking over to me.
I don’t answer, so he picks it up and reads over it. “Wait.” He frowns. “Are you saying that Luke is the one who called the hit on Adam?” he asks, looking up at Tyson for verification.
“Seems so.” He nods, falling into his seat. “Makes sense.” Tyson goes on. “He was the one working with Adam and Ashtyn’s mother.”
“Brenda was the only one killed that night…” Kashton trails off. “The only person who could have ratted him out was dead. He thought he was safe. Adam kept saying that he was being set up. Who else to do it other than your mother’s bastard child?”
“Maybe he thought Adam knew about him?” Sin offers.
He and Ryat don’t know everything about the Spade brothers, but they’ve had a pretty good crash course over the past few months. Especially Sin. We almost killed him. I’m sure he knows it was nothing personal. As a Lord, we all do what needs to be done. But I was setting him up. He’s just lucky it worked out as I wanted it to.
Kashton runs a hand down his face. “I just don’t see Adam running. Even if he did, where the fuck is he now?”
Adam did nothing wrong. He could walk into Carnage now, and his place would be ready for him.
“Does Ashtyn know about Luke?” Tyson asks.
I shake my head. “Doubtful. She never mentioned him back then. And we didn’t find out they were even related until recently.”
“Adam never mentioned it either. I’d say it was another secret that Brenda kept from everyone. If they can’t connect them, then they can’t both be blamed for raping and killing women,” Kashton adds.
Luke put Tyson through hell. And when Tyson was finally able to get ahold of him, he asked if he could keep him at Carnage. I was more than willing to do so. Considering if I knew where he was, then I knew where he wasn’t. My biggest fear when all of this came to light a few months ago, was that Luke had taken Ashtyn and sold her into sex trafficking. That was his MO. If he didn’t rape and ditch their bodies, he sold them for money. He had done it back when we attended Barrington but then the cops got onto him and after Brenda was killed, it stopped. For a little bit.
“I think Adam knew something was going on,” I say. “Maybe not specifically with Luke. But he knew his mother was involved in something.”
“Are you talking about the detective who came to the house of Lords to see us?” Kashton asks.
“What about it?” Tyson sits up straighter in his chair.
“Lincoln called us to the house of Lords.” Kashton starts.
My eyes are on Sin, and I notice the way his hand tightens on his phone at the mention of Lincoln.
“When we met with this man. He wasn’t related to the Lords at all but he had a picture of a girl found dead, throat slashed and wrapped in barbed wire. It was his sister, and he was trying to find out who killed her.”
“Why did he contact you guys?” Ryat questions.
“Because all he had to go off was a picture of his sister last seen at the mall. And Brenda was in the picture with her.”
The door opens, and four guys enter who work for Tyson. I would call them his bitches because they do all his dirty work, but I actually like them.
“Hey, man.” Ryat stands and shakes Finn’s hand, while Sin stands and does the one arm handshake hug with Colton. The other two—Alex and Jenks plop down on the couch.
I turn to face Jenks. “I need a favor.”
He smirks. “Name it.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a cell phone. “Can you get me a detailed list of all contacts that are in this phone?” I ask.
He nods, taking it from me. “Yeah. What all are you wanting?”
“Addresses, legal names, work information. Whatever you can find.”
“On each contact?” He makes sure he understands.
“Yep. There aren’t many.” I want to know every person she ever spoke to. Who the phone was under, where all she lived. What she ever googled. It’s amazing how much a phone can store that you never even think about. Or are even aware of.
“Consider it done.”
We stand inside the club by the main bar on the first level. The lights flash, and the music blares. I’m not much of a club person. I honestly don’t know how Tyson does it day in and day out. I need silence. Time to think to myself. It’s too hard to do with all of this noise.
Someone bumps my elbow, and I look up to see Kash standing next to me. He gestures to Haidyn, who focuses all his attention on a woman on the dance floor. You can’t miss her. She looks out of place compared to the rest of the people dancing. She also looks familiar.
All the other women are dressed in dresses and high heels, but she’s wearing a pair of jean shorts that are low on her hips and cut high up on her legs. She has a white T-shirt tied into a knot right underneath her large breasts. Her dark hair is up in a messy bun, and she’s dancing by herself.
Haidyn sees her when she comes into Carnage.
Kashton laughs, watching Haidyn take a sip of his drink, eyes glued to her ass as she moves it back and forth to the beat.
“You can’t be serious, man. She’s what? Maybe five-foot-two and a hundred pounds. You’re six-seven and like two fifty. You’d destroy her,” he jokes. “Not to mention, I’m pretty sure she’s a virgin. You’d scare that poor girl to death.”
“Isn’t that the best part? Seeing how much they can take before they break?” Haidyn speaks before throwing back what’s left of his drink.
We don’t answer him. He wasn’t expecting one. Kashton just shakes his head, and I pull my phone from my pocket to check the time. Almost one in the morning. I see I have a message from Jessie and open it up.
Your package has arrived. Also, she took the meds, sir.
With a smile, I lock my cell and place it back in my pocket. Of course, she did. On top of being sore, I’ve got her scared. She’s questioning my motives. I never make fake threats that I don’t follow through with, but this is part of my plan. I wanted her to explore Carnage and see what it has to offer her.
How do you make someone feel safe with you? You put them in an environment that they fear. One that you can control. You become their hero, their shelter. You show them just how cruel the world can be without you. And then you step in and save them. All the while, you’re their worst nightmare.
