Falling for A Lie (The Lords And Ladies Of Ash #1)

32. Finley

Chapter thirty-two

Finley

I watch the twins dance on the dance floor, enjoying themselves without a care in the world. Miles stands close by them scaring off any poor idiot that dares to get close. The fights have since ended and we are only a few of the ones that chose to stay around still high from watching another person get beat within an inch of their lives. I'm still livid over watching my boss and the girl I'm quickly catching myself calling mine get almost assassinated by some low-level hitman that was already set to be executed by the hands of Radley Ashford, but when the body of the girl Soren was supposed to fight showed up with words carving her body up, warning Soren that something or someone was coming.

I begged her to avoid coming tonight, but she had received a call from Scarlett last minute demanding she still show up to fight. We didn't know it was Cerv until she entered the ring. Henderson was pissed and tried to get them to change opponents to give her Radley’s, but nothing changed in their final decisions. Those greedy bastards sent my girl into that ring, with a known rapist and serial killer. As soon as I saw him, I almost broke The Lords' and Ladies' rules of no in-house violence outside of the cage and shot the big bastard on the spot just to protect her, but Miles saw me and stepped in just in time to stop me from making a mistake that wouldn't only affect me but my leader and the ones around me, The Valkyrie.

The order doesn't do halves, they would've exterminated us all, slowly and with great torture. So I sat back as the feeling of ants crawling across my skin buried itself deep into my bones, making me wither in my seat waiting for the fight to end. Soren told me to stay close to the girls no matter what, and to not leave them once she was inside the cage. So like the good trained soldier I need to be in public, I did as she asked. Even when Radley got up and screamed at her to not give up and keep fighting. Distracting Cerv, he sat there with a cocksure grin and admitted he was sent to kill her. But thankfully he was a fool and didn't expect her to continue to fight, the stunned look he gave her before she knocked him back and beat his ass was perfect. She could've ended him and I understand why she didn't, she needs answers only he can give her.

Movement to my left catches my attention as I watch Soren descend the spiral staircase. The sight of her black hair contrasting with the stark white of her half-shell mask takes my breath away. She resembles a goddess poised to pass judgment on her subjects. As she scans the room, our eyes meet, and the warmth in her gaze elicits a smirk from me. I wave her over, captivated by the sway of her hips as she approaches.

"How did everything go with the guys? Did you get what you wanted, Queenie?" My question prompts her to abruptly shift her gaze from my face to the dance floor, where her sisters and Miles are. I waited patiently to see if she would finally reveal what it was that she needed those four for.

“I'm... I'm not sure anymore. I hope I made the right choice, but then again, I'm not the greatest when it comes to this.” Her voice emerges rough and broken as if she has been crying. My hackles rise at the sound, and I am already halfway out of my seat when her small hand grips my bicep, halting my steps toward the staircase. She shakes her head softly, and the next words that leave her lips shatter my very soul.

“I needed their help to protect me while I protected you. My enemies are becoming bolder, and I cannot keep my promise to the twins about prioritizing myself without seeking outside assistance. I cannot leave you unprotected, and if I focus on my safety, I do just that. I can't allow the four of you to get hurt like Ben and that girl did. Frankly, I don't even think it's just one person out for blood anymore; the fight with Cerv proved that. So, I did what I had to do. I offered myself in exchange for their protection. They'll have my body for whatever they desire, and in return, I can concentrate on what truly matters: the four of you. What's one more sacrifice?”

My head whips around in her direction as I bare my teeth at her in anger over her reckless behavior in offering herself to those idiots. “ WHAT'S ONE MORE FUCKING SACRIFICE ?” I snatch my bicep from her grip and breathe through my nose, trying to calm the rage that threatens to be unleashed on the guys above us and at her for being so incredibly foolish.

“Are you serious right now, Soren?” I whisper, not wanting to say her name out loud to avoid drawing the attention of those now staring at us with intense curiosity. “ Why would you think we would be okay with you offering yourself to others after what we shared last night?” I keep my eyes on her as I wait for what she has to say.

“ Just because we sleep together doesn't mean I'm with you, or Miles. We have never cemented any kind of relationship between us. That's not what I want, not until I can breathe freely without someone coming to murder me. So either take the occasional fuck, because that's all I can offer you, or just find someone else to pass the time wit h.” she hisses, her eyes cutting to me for a brief second before looking away. But she can't hide the pain her own words cause her .

“If that is truly what you want, fine.” I step closer, placing both my hands on her face and pulling her within an inch of my own as I whisper the next part. “ But this is a mistake, and we both know it.”

“Falling for me was a mistake, ” she says, pushing herself to her feet and dusting off her dress. “ I've got to go. Tell the others I'll see them tomorrow, and have Lena drive my car home.” She pulls her keys from the wrist chain and holds them out for me to take. As soon as they are in my hand, she gives her final instruction. “ Henderson will also be at the house to deliver Cerv in the morning. Lock him in the cage in the basement, and I'll deal with that tomorrow as well .” She avoids my touch as she pushes past me, leaving me to be the messenger and collector I'm expected to be.

She makes her way back up the stairs just as the men from above are exiting the glass box. Drake reaches her before the others and links his arm with hers, pulling her along as if she were property rather than a human being. The sight causes me to clench my fist, and before I know it, I am moving toward them. “ Don’t touch her like that, you dick!” My hands push against his chest, prompting him to release her and look at me with shock on his face. I prepare to throw a punch just as a pair of hands grab me from behind, and the panicked whispers of the girls reach my ears. “ Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Lena says, her hand on my bicep as she glances at her sister. Her mask obscures her features from those around us, leaving me uncertain if she is confused.

“Finley, stop. I have made my decision. Either respect it, or I will find someone else to take your place,” she growls at me, her anger creating a scene in front of the remaining Lords. She turns to her sisters and leans in, whispering something only they can hear. The slight nodding of their heads tells me she isn't sharing the full story. But that is her decision to make.

“Whatever, Lena, here is her key. I'm heading home. I'll see you whenever you decide to come back.” I shoulder past Radley and Caden as I push toward the exit. I don't even slow down when I hear the boots following me, alerting me to Miles coming to my side, his breath whooshing out of him as he begins to speak. “What the hell was that? What did you do?”

“What the hell did I do? She practically sold herself for their protection! She said she couldn't be with us, and that we either had to settle for the occasional hookup and be happy because that was all she could offer us.” I slam my fist against the metal door release, which crashes back and hits the gym's concrete wall. The warm air brushes against my skin as I continue my trek back to my Chevy Chevelle. I click the unlock button on the key fob and the car chirps. I wait for my best friend to respond to what I just told him, hoping to see some sign of emotion.

“It was always her decision; we weren't specific about what we wanted. I also knew she wouldn't be ready to date yet. You assumed that because we had sex, she would be with us. So whose fault is it?” He pulls open the passenger door and climbs into the car, slamming it shut once he's fully seated. He sits there for a moment, the anger and acceptance of the situation crossing his features . “We can't control her body or what she decides to do with it. We aren't her ex; whatever choice she made was one she believed was the right one. We respect her, even if it's hard, even if it hurts because I refuse to let her shut us out. To shut me out. So I'll take what she offers until she changes her mind.” He says this while pulling a cigarette from his pocket along with a lighter. He slides it between his lips and lights it, inhaling the minty nicotine with a soft sigh. He looks out the windshield as we watch the girls exit and enter Soren's car parked right beside mine. “ I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can watch her with them and be okay, Miles.” My voice comes out broken, reflecting every emotion swirling through me in that moment. I'm pissed.

"We can't force her to choose us, Finny," Miles whispers through his exhale, the smoke billowing around us in the small cab.

“You're right. We can't,” I grumble, gripping the steering wheel as I watch Soren walk the girls to her car and lift her mask just enough to kiss their exposed faces. She sits there talking, her hand gesturing in our direction, while Scar's boys lounge by the blacked-out Cadillac, their eyes fixed on Soren and the girls as they exchange another quick goodbye. Miles and I remain rooted in place, ensuring the girls are safely inside Soren's car before turning our attention to the woman herself, who is ushered into the back seat with Caden and Radley sliding in right behind her. Reed's cocky smile directed at us makes me wish I could run the arrogant little bastard over without facing the consequences of that choice. Once Reed and Drake enter the car, they waste no time; the vehicle speeds away before we even reach the exit. An unsettling feeling that something is amiss gnaws at me throughout the entire ride home. I must have zoned out while driving because, when we finally arrived, I had no recollection of how we made it in one piece.

I exit the car and make my way into the place I once called home, but it no longer feels that way now that she is not here.Everything else blurs as I dissociate and retreat into myself for the rest of the night. I make my way to Soren’s room to sleep, finding Miles already lying in her bed with her pillow against his chest, his soft snores echoing around us. I sidestep the clothes and shoes that are haphazardly sprawled at the end of her bed on the floor. Once my head hits the pillow, everything fades as I'm pulled into sleep with her scent suffocating me.