WE’RE DRIVING BACK from Carnage in silence. I can feel the tension in the car. The Spade brothers are going to give me what I want, but they didn’t tell me what it’ll cost me.
It doesn’t even matter. I know it won’t be money. A soul for a soul comes to mind. And I’d hand mine over without thought. Loving someone is being selfless and Elli is worth that. She deserves nothing less. After everything she’s been through, what I’ve put her through. A part of me hates that she still loves me because I know she deserves better. The other part of me is glad she does because I wouldn’t be able to walk away from her even if she hated me. We’ve gone too far to turn back now.
Reaching into the back pocket of my jeans, I pull out the picture that I still have. I can’t stop thinking about it. The thought of knowing someone else was there unsettles me more and more. The fact that she was in that situation at all makes me want to kill James over and over, but add the fact that now I know more were involved…
It has to be Linc, right? He knew about her and James. But what if it’s not? Who else is alive and knows what James did to her? Did this other guy do it too? She hadn’t told me about Linc until her mother married him, so who else could she be keeping secrets for?
“What’s that?” Tyson finally breaks the silence. His tone tells me he’s still angry with me but curious enough to ask.
“I found this older picture of Elli. James is in it.” Tyson knows her past. I’ve filled him in. He wasn’t going to help me out without knowing everything. I figured it couldn’t hurt to have him on my side. Even if he doesn’t agree with what I’m going to do to end it.
He frowns. “Meaning?”
“Meaning someone else took it.”
He nods to himself. “You think it’s Linc?”
“It has to be.”
He goes to speak but my cell rings and I see Gunner written across the screen. “Hey, man…”
“Where the fuck are you?” he demands.
I frown, hearing the faint sound of music in the background. “With Tyson on our way to Blackout. What’s up?”
“I don’t know what’s going on with you and Amelia—congratulations on the engagement, by the way.” I roll my eyes at that. “But I figured you’d like to know that your plaything is at Harrison’s house party.”
“What?” I snap, pulling the phone from my ear and placing it on speakerphone so I can look at the cameras in our house. She’s nowhere on them.
“Yeah,” he goes on. “I was standing in the kitchen, and she walked in. Sarah got her a drink, but Holland came up and took her for something more.”
“Motherfucker!”
“Tell me what to do, Sin,” he says while I track her location, but her cell it off. Good thing I know where Harrison lives. “Want me to let her go? Or remove her from the party?”
“We’re twenty minutes away,” I growl, knowing a lot can happen in that amount of time. No telling how long she’s already been there. “Drag her out of there by any means necessary,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Thought so,” he mutters to himself.
“Gunner?” I speak before he can end the call.
“Yeah?”
Tyson slams on the brakes to make a U-turn as I hold up the address to show him. “Are you there alone?”
“No, Prickett is here somewhere.”
“I want Holland.” If he came and got Elli, it’s because he has plans for her. I killed his best friend, left his body to rot as a warning. Elli doesn’t know that but I’m sure Holland does.
“Got it.” He hangs up and I throw my phone down.
“Fuck!”
“We can be there in fifteen.” Tyson slams on the gas, now going the opposite direction.
“What the fuck is she thinking?” I growl to myself. I ruined her drugs, so she went out to get more. I haven’t checked on the cameras in over two hours because we were at Carnage. I didn’t have any reception in there.
My cell rings again and I bend down to pick it up off the floor where I threw it. “Let me talk to her,” I demand when I see it’s Gunner again and immediately put him on speakerphone.
“Where the fuck are you?” he rushes out.
“On our way. Why?”
“I’ve got her, but, Sin …”
“What?” I sit up straighter when he trails off.
“She’s in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” I ask, my heart racing.
“I found her unconscious. Her breathing is rapid, she’s burning up. I can’t get her to wake up.”
“What—”
“She’s overdosing,” Tyson speaks.
“Fuck. Hold her head,” Gunner barks at someone.
Overdosing? No. She may do drugs, but she knows her limits. There’s no way she would take too much. She’s smarter than that. “What’s going on?” I snap. “Gunner?”
“She’s vomiting,” he states. “Hold her head, Sarah.”
“I’m trying,” I hear her cry.
“Can you get her to Blackout?” Tyson demands, doing another U-turn.
“Blackout? She needs a hospital,” Gunner argues.
“I’ll take care of it,” Tyson assures him. “Gavin can meet us at Blackout.”
I look at the address again. “They’re closer to our house. So are we.” Blackout is on the other side of the city. I understand why Tyson suggested it, but she could be dead by then.
Tyson nods. “Send him the address and we’ll meet them there.”
Gunner hangs up and I go to call him back, wanting to stay on the phone with him, but my cell vibrates, alerting me of a text.
UNKNOWN: We know where your loyalty lies. Let’s see about hers.
“FUCK!”
“She’ll be okay,” Tyson says.
“Fuck. Fuck.” I fist my hands before running them through my hair. “It’s the Lords. They want to test her. Fuck!”
Tyson doesn’t seem surprised. Why would he? This is what they do. They see someone in a vulnerable position and use it against you. Only the strongest get to wear the crest. Only the ones they deem worthy get rewarded.
“One thing at a time,” Tyson speaks. “Send Gunner the address to the house.” Then he picks up his cell to make the call we need.
_______________
I’M PACING THE living room of the house with Gavin. He works for the Lords. Tyson called him to meet us here. Thankfully he was closer than we were and was already waiting for us when we arrived. Tyson stands over in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out into the dark woods.
The front double doors open and I rush to them, thinking it’s Gunner with Elli but it’s Chance. I go back to pacing.
“I got the text,” he states at our silence.
I don’t have time to think about that right now. Her loyalty won’t matter if she’s already dead when Gunner arrives.
“Where do you want her?” Gunner calls out, rushing into the house with an unconscious Elli draped across his arms. A crying Sarah enters behind them.
“In the bedroom,” Gavin commands, pointing to the hallway. I hurry in front of him to lead the way for Gunner where Gavin is already set up for her.
Gunner places her on the bed and her head rolls to the side. I don’t miss the fact that she’s still dressed in her jeans and a T-shirt. Which makes me think that whatever Holland planned on doing with her wasn’t sexual. He didn’t want to fuck my little demon, he wanted to kill her.
“Elli?” I demand, grabbing her face. It’s clammy and cold, her skin is pale, lips blue. “Elli?” I shout her name, shaking her, but nothing. No response at all. It makes my chest tighten.
“What did she take?” Gavin asks, running his knuckles up and down her chest bone, but still nothing. She moves like a rag doll with his harsh movements—lifeless.
Gunner holds on to a sobbing Sarah who stares down at Elli. “I don’t know. I found her that way.”
Gavin looks at me and then to Chance who has followed as well. “What does she normally take?”
Running a hand through my hair, I say, “Uh, ecstasy, cocaine…” I try and think of everything I burned and have seen her have in the past. “She had some benzos.” Chance doesn’t know. He’s not around her enough so he stays silent.
“Fentanyl?” Gavin questions. “Opioids?” He lifts her eyelids and I get a look at her beautiful ice-blue eyes; the pupils are constricted.
“No.” I shake my head. “She wouldn’t—”
“Tyson, hand me the Narcan that’s in my bag,” he interrupts me, not believing my answer.
Tyson rips open the package and hands the nose spray to Gavin. I hold her clammy hand while he tilts her head back. Placing it into her left nostril, he pushes the plunger into her nose.
“Help me turn her over,” he orders, stepping back from the bed.
I grab her shoulder, rolling her toward me.
“Place her hands under her head.” I do as I’m told. “Tyson, bend her left knee, making it to where she can’t roll onto her stomach.”
We get her into position, and I kneel down next to the bed, staring into her eyes. They’re somewhat open, seeing nothing. The makeup she went out wearing tonight is smeared across her gorgeous face. Had she been crying? Did she try and call me? She needed me and I wasn’t there for her.
“Now what?” I ask Gavin, licking my lips nervously.
“We give it a couple of minutes. If it doesn’t seem to work, I’ve got another one.”
“You need to leave,” Tyson grabs my arm, pulling me to stand.
“What? No.” My eyes are on Elli and I see she blinks, starting to come to, and I let out a sigh of relief. “Elli—”
“Yes, Sin,” Tyson growls at me. “Chance is here. That’s who she needs.”
“No!” I snap, watching her eyes look around aimlessly. Gavin starts to talk to her, and I watch her begin to cry. Is he fucking serious?
Tyson shoves me through the bedroom door. Gunner exits with a sobbing Sarah, and he closes it behind them, shutting her in there with Gavin and Chance. “You’ve come this far. Don’t ruin it. Chance is who she needs to be with right now. Not you.” Then he turns and enters the bedroom, closing me out once more.
ELLINGTON
I WAKE ONCE again, flinching at the bright light above me. I’ve had a hard time staying awake. My eyes so heavy, my mind too foggy. Rolling onto my side, I start to shake, my body cold.
“Here.” I hear a man’s voice before a blanket is draped over me.
Lifting my heavy eyes, I see Tyson stepping back, which gives me a view of the guy standing over by a wall. I groan when I see his green eyes already on mine.
“Where am I?” I ask, ignoring him and scanning the room.
“Home.” Tyson is the one who answers.
How did I get here? Pushing myself up to a sitting position, the room spins and I bow my head, my hand applying pressure to my temple. “What…” My tongue is heavy, my throat raw. “Happened?” I feel high, but off. Everything aches.
“You went to a party and got fucked up. Like usual,” Chance growls, clearly aggravated.
“Don’t act like you care,” I mumble, not remembering much. The last thing that comes to mind is me standing in the bathroom with Holland. We did a couple lines and I started to feel different … wrong. Then everything went black.
He sighs. “If you think being a druggie will make me call off the wedding, you’re wrong.”
Of course, he won’t. That would mean luck is in my favor.
“Here’s her purse,” I hear Tyson say and I look up just as he hands my clutch over to Chance. How did he get that? It was in my car. How did I get here? Did Tyson find me? Did he bring me home?
I look over to the other man that stands in the room. He’s older. I recognize him from when the Lords brought him to our house after James was killed. He checked on me then. I remember him telling me his name is Gavin when I woke up for the first time earlier. I couldn’t keep my eyes open and fell back asleep. He promised me that I was okay. That everything would be oaky. I just needed to rest.
Chance gets my attention when he rips open my clutch and tenses while staring into it. Reaching inside, he pulls out all five pregnancy tests I took earlier and holds them up. “Celebrating?”
No. More like drowning my sorrows. I don’t answer.
He throws them across the room, hitting the wall so hard that two of their caps fall off. He walks over to me, and I straighten my spine.
“Who the fuck are you sleeping with?” he demands.
I clench my teeth, refusing to answer. I will not give up Sin. It’ll make me look stupid. Desperate. He does not deserve my loyalty, but this isn’t about him. It’s about me. He didn’t come to save me from the party. I will not spend the rest of my life with Chance paying for what Sin did to me. Some things a woman has to take to her grave. This is one of those that I will die for.
“I asked you a question,” he shouts in my face, making my headache intensify. “Huh? Who the fuck are you fucking?”
Swallowing, I flinch at the soreness but remain silent.
He grabs my hair and yanks me off the bed. I’m unable to hold myself up and fall to my knees on the carpeted floor.
Sucking in a deep breath, I say, “You didn’t … care when I sucked Linc’s dick.” Taking a deep breath, my chest feels like it’s on fire. “Not sure why you’d care if I fuck one.” Fuck Chance and the fact that he’s going to decide who I can and can’t sleep with. At least Sin makes sure I’m satisfied. At least he won’t pass me around.
Chance reaches down, gripping my face, and shoves my head back so I have to look up at him. Thankfully, other parts of my body are in so much pain that I don’t really feel it.
“You think this is funny?” he demands. “Think you can fuck whoever you want, whenever you want?” He doesn’t even give me the chance to answer, not like I will anyway.
He lets go of my cheeks and slaps me across the face, the force making me fall onto my hands. I feel the bile start to rise but I swallow it down. My cheek is now throbbing and drool runs from my parted lips. The room spins and I wonder if I’m going to pass out again. I pray that I do.
“You know, Elli. I thought we could make this work. That although you’d be somewhat of a nuisance, you’d be a submissive wife who had learned her lesson many years ago. After all, James taught you how to behave.”
I whimper at the sound of his name. Sometime over the last couple of weeks I had forgotten that Chance saw firsthand how I was with James. How my body would betray me. Make me beg for something that no one should want.
“If sex is what you want, then sex is what I’ll give you.” He grabs a hold of my hair and yanks me from my knees. He shoves my back into a wall, moving his hand to wrap around my sore throat, cutting off my air. I don’t even fight him. Let him knock me out. I don’t have to stare at him if I’m unconscious. Placing his face in front of mine, he bares his white teeth. “I will offer you to all the Lords at the cathedral.”
Tears sting my eyes at his words. It’s what Sin told me about. How a Lord treats his wife who cheats. Sin had said rape or willingly, she will be punished for her affairs.
“I’ll tie you down to the altar, spread wide open. I’ll let three at a time come up and use you until every Lord has fucked you. It’ll take days.”
The first tear spills over my bottom lashes and he smiles.
“You will be known as nothing other than our whore. And I’ll make sure you earn that title.” He lets go of my neck and I fall to my knees once more, sucking in a breath.
“So-unds fun,” I manage to get out through the coughs. I no longer care. I’d rather him just kill me. That would be the best outcome at this point. Chance has no use for me. He won’t play with me for long. Not like Sin. Chance will realize I’m not worth it and just get rid of me. For good.
I hear Tyson laugh. Chance slaps me, the force making me fall face-first to the floor where my body starts to have uncontrollable jerking movements. I feel like I’m having a seizure of some sort. Thankfully, it stops, and I just lie there, eyes heavy while extra saliva fills my mouth.
“Believe me, Elli. You won’t enjoy it.” He kneels down next to me. “Last chance, baby.” I whimper, knowing he called me that on purpose. “Who are you fucking?”
I’m having trouble catching my breath. I’m not sure if it’s from the drugs or his hands on me, but I sit up, pushing my back into the wall, and glare at him. “You’re going to let your uncle fuck me after our wedding.” I pause to take in another shaky breath. “Not sure why it matters who I fuck now.”
