Chapter 34 Kashton
THIRTY-FOUR
KASHTON
Iallowed Eve to leave me this afternoon. I professed my love for her, and she gave me her back. Walked out of my house and over to hers.
She’ll return. It will just take time. I know it’s a lot for her to process. To open up to me. But she will.
I find myself at Carnage tonight. It’s weird. I haven’t been here much lately. Now I understand why Haidyn chose to stay away with Charlotte.
I make my way down to the basement and see a petite brunette standing in the middle of the room. She looks over her shoulder at me when she hears me approaching. Charlotte gives me a smile that I don’t return, causing hers to fall.
It’s not her. I’m just in a shit mood that I can’t seem to shake.
I’m not sure what the fuck to do about Eve.
Do I force her hand, kidnap her, and put her in my basement?
Or do I let her come willingly? The second may never happen.
How much time do I give her? When do I decide for her?
Adam said I had a timeline before the cops show up and arrest her.
I’ll have to make my move before then if she doesn’t come around.
Plus, now I’m waiting for the Lords to give her an assignment. That may come before the cops do.
“What do you want to do?” Haidyn asks Saint when I come to stand next to Charlotte. His blue eyes meet mine and he nods in greeting.
Again, I don’t acknowledge him. I’m trying to decide why I even crawled out of bed this morning.
Saint runs a hand down his face and sighs, keeping his attention on the man lying on the metal table.
“You killed him,” I say, noticing the body.
Saint turns to look at me. “He killed himself.”
“Suicide?” I clarify.
“Seems so,” Haidyn answers, walking from the table to come stand next to his wife.
“With what?”
“Knife. Stabbed himself.”
I snort. “No way did he get a hold of a knife down here. I call bullshit.”
I only know about one suicide that has ever happened down here, and it was my mother who used a broken piece of a light bulb. We don’t leave things lying around for the prisoners to use as weapons. Carnage is all about torture, and letting prisoners kill themselves defeats the purpose.
“He was in his cell last night, and I found him with it in his neck this morning. How else do you explain it?” Saint snaps at me.
“Why would he stab himself in the neck?” Charlotte wonders. “I feel like there are ways to do it other than…that.”
Again, how my mother killed herself. Is it a sign? Is someone fucking with me inside of Carnage? Isabella maybe? I can’t speak to her in front of the guys, because I don’t want them to find out about Eve. If I start questioning her, then she could question me.
I nod, agreeing with her, and Haidyn looks to Saint, as if to also agree with his wife.
“When you’re desperate, you use what you have on hand. He obviously had a knife, so that’s what he chose to use,” Saint argues.
Just then, the sound of the elevator dinging has us all looking over as the plastic strip curtains split and a familiar Lord enters the basement. “What are you doing here, man?” I ask, reaching out my right hand.
“Thought I’d stop by for a little visit.” He pulls me in for a handshake hug and slaps my back, then pulls away to do the same to Haidyn before walking over to Saint.
He glances at Charlotte and then to Haidyn. “Can we talk in the office?”
“Sure,” he answers, and then turns to his wife.
She’s glaring up at him. I don’t think Haidyn understands that the Lord doesn’t want to talk business around his Lady.
“I’ll only be a minute. I’ll meet you upstairs.
” He kisses her forehead and then turns to follow the Lord out of the basement.
“Saint…Kash? You guys coming?” Haidyn calls out, and Saint follows after them.
Leaving the dead man unattended on the metal table.
“I’ll be right there,” I say and turn to Charlotte. “What was that about?” I ask, being nosy once the guys leave.
She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. “He came by Haidyn’s house.”
I frown. “Who?”
“The guy…that Lord. He was at Haidyn’s house while we were staying there.”
She means when he was hiding her from Saint and me. “You sure it was him?”
“Yes,” she snaps when her blue eyes meet mine. “I answered the door for him.”
“Come on.” I grab her hand and drag her toward the elevator.
“I know where I’m going,” Charlotte growls, putting her back against the wall when I push the floor for the office.
I ignore her. I’m not going to leave her down here in the basement. If something happens to her, it would be my fault. The elevator stops on the floor for our office. I press the button for the birdcage and order, “Wait for Haidyn in his room.”
She lets out a huff, and I’m not sure if it’s because I told her what to do or if it’s because I called their room his.
Making my way down the hallway, I shove the office door open so hard it hits the interior wall, and they all three look up at me. “Kash—”
“He knew where you were the entire time?” I bark at Haidyn.
His eyes go from mine to the Lord standing next to him. Then back to me. The Lord steps forward. “Kashton—”
“Save it, Hooke.” He’s not the one I want to hear from. “Charlotte, Saint, Adam, and Hooke all knew where you were when you left here. Everyone except me?” I demand, but Haidyn doesn’t answer.
Instead, he straightens his back and crosses his tatted arms over his chest. I know I’m not getting shit from him.
No surprise there. For some reason, he’s locked me out.
What the fuck did I do that he chose to keep everything from me?
I’ve never betrayed him. Not that I know of anyway.
And if for some reason he felt I had, I would do everything I could to make it up to him.
Turning, I make my way up to my room and grab a baseball hat. Just as I pick one up off the dresser, my door opens.
“We need to talk.”
“Too late,” I say, turning to face Haidyn.
“Why are you being a little bitch?” he barks at me. Then he sighs. “Look, when I left here, I went to Las Vegas.”
I nod, already knowing that. When he finally decided to come around, he told Saint and me that.
“I ran into Hooke at the Airport, and he asked me to help him.”
I give a rough laugh. “Let me guess, you can’t tell me what it was about.” He looks away, and I roll my eyes. “Thought so.”
“Kash—”
“It’s fine, Haidyn.” I know where I stand with him.
At the fucking bottom. There was a time that we both thought Saint was dead and Adam was gone.
It was just the two of us left, caged here in this hell with that crazy bitch.
We only had one another. There were nights I thought that he was dead too, thinking that I was the only Spade brother left, and it was fucking terrifying.
Not because of what that meant regarding the Lords but because it meant I was left in this world alone.
Now I realize that’s exactly what I am. Alone.
I shoulder past him out of my room and pull the hat on, heading back to the elevator to the garage. I need to go for a ride.
EVERETT
Twenty years old
I roll over and open my eyes to a set of dark ones staring at me. “Fuck,” I hiss, jumping out of bed. “What the fuck, Evan?” I push my wild hair from my face. “What are you doing here?”
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he lies back in my bed, placing his hands under his head to prop it up. “Leave,” I order, yanking a T-shirt off a chair and sliding it on. I shouldn’t be sleeping naked. “Get the fuck out of my house.”
He laughs. “Your house?”
“Yes. It’s my fucking house. Get the fuck out.” I rush to the bedroom door, but he jumps out of bed and moves to stand in front of it to block my exit.
I step back.
“Bill bought this house. I’m sure he used Mom’s money for it.” He places his hands on the doorframe. “So technically…it’s our house.”
I swallow nervously. No. No. “I didn’t know…”
“That I’m your brother?” He tilts his head to the side.
“Come on, sis. It just makes this better, don’t you think?
” He laughs at my silence. “I knew Bill would tell you. Dear ole dad. Can’t help but be a savior.
” He looks me up and down, and I wish the shirt was longer.
“It was pathetic how much he loved her.” Evan steps forward, and I take a step back.
“He couldn’t save Mom, but he was going to do everything he could for you. ”
“Leave. Right fucking now,” I demand through gritted teeth. “I won’t tell you again.”
He gives me a smile, showing off his teeth like a monster in the night that’s going to rip my throat out. “You’ve always been a feisty bitch. You definitely didn’t get that from Mother.”
“Stop talking about her,” I growl. I hate that I didn’t get to know her.
Probably for the best. She’d be so disappointed in me.
Who I am. I’m going to make sure I become a woman she’d be proud of.
Someone who stands up for women who are forced into silence.
Bill gave me a chance, and I’m not going to waste it.
“Get out.” I point to the door. “Get the fuck out.” I shove his chest, screaming at the top of my lungs, making my throat burn.
He grabs my neck and picks me up, slamming me onto the bed.
He straddles my hips and pins me down, choking me while I kick and buck under him.
“He might have saved you from Dollhouse, but don’t forget who fucking trained you,” he spits at me, and I close my eyes, trying to turn my face from his, but there’s nowhere for me to go.
Pain explodes in my head, and my eyes pop open when I’m yanked from the bed and shoved into the nearest wall. I fall to the floor, unable to keep myself upright. My shaking hands go to my face, and I cry into them when I see blood.
“Same ole pathetic little dolly,” he taunts, kicking my side, and I begin to crawl away from him as fast as I can.
“You can pretend to play house, to not need me, but you’ll come back around, Eve.
It’s the only life you’ve ever had. You need to be used and abused.
It’s how you feel love.” He kicks me again, the blow so hard it flips me onto my back, and I cry out, covering my face. “See you soon, sis.”
That was my first night in this house. Evan wanted to make sure I understood that no matter what, I wouldn’t escape him. It didn’t matter where I went, he’d find me.
I left shortly after for Las Vegas. If he followed me there, he didn’t make it known. He knew I’d be back. That this is where I’d call home.
He doesn’t stop by often. Maybe once every six months. For the most part, he stays away. I think deep down he’s afraid of Bill. He’s got way more pull than Evan will ever have. And Bill mentioned some kind of deal. I still need to find out what that is.
Evan might slum it with evil, but Bill is on the Lords’ good side. Evan can’t compete with that. Plus, now that Isabella is a prisoner at Carnage, he has no one on his side. Isabella let him run the show, but now it’s over.
I thought that night on the Isabella was going to change my life, but nothing could have prepared me for how much.
“Angel, I’ve been in love with you since the moment I saw you that night on the yacht. And if you think I’m going to just let you walk away from me, well…I’ll prove to you that’s not an option.”
I lie awake staring at the ceiling. “The Red” by Chevelle plays louder than normal, and I tell myself that it’s the reason I’m unable to sleep, but I know it’s Kashton.
Now that I know he’s staying across the street, I find myself looking out my living room windows to see if he’s there.
Why do I care so much?
“Quit fucking watching me, Kash. Get a life.”
“You are my life.”
Shoving the covers off, I get up and pack a bag quickly, then I’m out the door. I walk over to his house and ring the doorbell. Bouncing on my heels, I wait for him to answer. “Kashton?” I shout, banging my fist on the glass doors.
I feel stupid standing out here in the middle of the night. He’s probably not home and this is just me looking like an idiot.
After another minute, I turn and walk back to my house and throw my bag into my car. There can only be one other place he’s at. I turn my cell to Do Not Disturb to make sure Adam doesn’t call me in for a job, and within thirty minutes, I pull up to Carnage, ignoring the way my pulse races.
It’ll be okay, Eve.
I press the Call button, and a male voice comes from the other end. “Hello?”
“Hi. Uh, it’s Everett Sinclair. I’m here for Kashton.” I sound like an idiot. But what else am I supposed to say? Hey, I’m here to get fucked so I can get some rest? If I’m lucky, he’ll choke me out.
The wrought-iron gates open, and I pull into the circle drive. Grabbing my bag, I walk up the steps, and the door opens before I can even get to it.
“Hello, Miss Sinclair,” Jessie greets me.
“Hello.”
“I apologize, Miss Sinclair, but Kashton isn’t here.”
I frown and have a thought to leave, but what will that do? His butler will tell him I was here. Not like I can hide it. Plus, I need some sleep. Being here is better than being alone at my place. “May I wait for him to return?” I ask.
“Of course.” He smiles. “May I show you to his room?”
“Yes, please.”
“Follow me.” He leads me to an elevator, and my breathing becomes erratic and my legs shake as it ascends. “Everything okay, miss?”
I nod, pulling on the collar of my shirt. “Fine. Thank you.”
“Here we are,” he says when we reach Kashton’s door. He puts in a code, unlocking it, and gestures for me to enter before closing it behind me.
“Thank you,” I mumble to myself, glancing around his room.
Double doors lead out to a balcony. His walls are matte black with a gloss black design.
His TV is on, and a four-poster bed is covered in dark-purple linens.
The man doesn’t even know how to do laundry.
I can only imagine what the housekeepers see when they come into the guys’ rooms in the mornings.
I set my bag down and crawl into his bed still dressed. I wrap my arms around his pillow and inhale his scent. I don’t feel a ghost here. No one watching. I hate how safe I feel here when it was once a nightmare.
Kashton did that—changed my life. I wish I could do the same for him.