Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Ashton
Cassadee Pope - Stupid Boy
D efeat seeped into my veins, my gaze snagging on the glass of whiskey cradled between my hands. This was it. It was finally over with. So why didn’t I feel satisfied? Why did the thought of never seeing her again, of treating her like she meant absolutely nothing, only cause my insides to recoil? Being in this bedroom again after all this time certainly wasn’t helping. I’d already rummaged through my dresser and stared down at the ring I’d gotten her years ago. I should throw it out and cut my losses, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
A current of memories slithered through my mind, her soft voice echoing in my skull. Her laugh, her moans, her sweet promises. Promises that meant nothing now. It was done—over with. But I didn’t feel any better. Raising the glass to my lips, I took a long swallow. The smooth whiskey burned my throat, settling deep in my chest where it lit a fire in its wake. A small hiss fluttered past my lips, my eyes focusing on nothing in particular. My childhood bed felt foreign beneath my weight, nausea churning my stomach from all the reminders this room graced me with. A stuttering breath slipped past my lips as a stronger memory took hold.
Everleigh bucked her hips up, trying to suck me deeper into that sweet pussy of hers. A groan rumbled from my chest, and I smashed my pelvis against hers, giving her exactly what she wanted. I could feel her throbbing core, every tense of her nerves down there, every current of fluid that expelled from her body.
“Fuck,” she cried out, tipping her head back. Her nails raked down my spine, sending pulses of electricity zipping through me.
Her eyes were blown wide with desire, her legs trembling on either side of me. Sweat coated her beautiful porcelain skin, the light only amplifying it. She leaned up, capturing my mouth in a searing kiss that left me breathless. My biceps bulged, my body ready to give out and collapse. I lost count on how many times we’ve been in this position today. Four? Five? Fuck, my balls were sore. But I’d never deny her. Her dark hair was plastered to her skin with sweat, her breathing coming out fast and erratic.
I didn’t know how she wasn’t sore. She’s been hornier than usual lately. A spike in hormones, maybe? Ovulation? I wasn’t sure how any of that worked, but it was new. Turned me the fuck on all the same, even if I was struggling to keep up. Which was saying something.
“You feel so good, Ash,” she moaned, raising her hips up to meet mine again, her words broke off into a cry of pleasure.
“You too, Eve. So fucking tight.” I panted, jerking my hips to thrust into her again. Her back arched off the mattress, her nails digging into my back with even more force. Her body was muddled with bruises, bites, and hickeys. She’d have a hard time explaining that away to her parents. Before now, I was careful to keep them below her clothing so no one would see, but I might have lost control a few times. “I love you so much.” I smashed my lips against hers, relishing how swollen and raw they were. She was mine. Only mine. And I never wanted to let her go. She cried out again, pleasure zapping through her in waves. Her pussy clamped down on me followed by liquid heat that gushed from between her legs. I groaned in response, the feel of her release doing me in. In a couple more thrusts, I was driving into her as deep as possible and spilling inside of her. My balls tightened, a sharp ache settling over them.
Fuck. I really hoped she was sated now, because I wasn’t sure I could handle anymore. I tore out of her, both of our releases coating her swollen pussy and thighs. My chest was heaving rapidly and I rolled off her, my back hitting the mattress at her side.
After a few beats of lying there, working to catch out breath, movement from my doorway caught my attention. The door was cracked open when I was sure I’d closed it. I made my way out of the bed, confusion twisting my features. I reached down and grabbed a pair of boxers, tugging them up over my hips.
“Wh—” Everleigh started to ask me something, but I shook my head, silently telling her to be quiet. My parents weren’t home, but Dakota was.
I started toward my door and jerked it open. Sure enough, my older brother was standing in the hall, his eyes widening comically when he saw me. The button on his pants was undone and his cheeks were flushed. He was getting off on this shit. Sick fuck. Rage barreled through me. He saw her naked, heard her moans. Moans that were only meant for me and whoever I decided to share them with.
A crease formed between my brows at that specific memory. That had happened only a few months before I caught Eve in bed with him. I took another pull of my drink, Dakota’s infamous words flickering through my mind.
Pics or it didn’t happen .
He was the type to photograph anything he could. Even the twisted shit. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had videos of his drunken conquests. Plus, there were cameras all throughout the house and have been for as long as I could remember. So, unless someone wiped them…
I blew out a breath. Why would I even want to see that again? It was torture enough the first time. Did I really want to open up old wounds? The short answer was no. I didn’t. But there was something niggling at the back of my mind, telling me there was more to the story. But that could just be Jameson getting under my skin. Still, the burning curiosity was consuming me entirely. With shaky hands, I set my drink on my side table and pulled myself to my feet. The floorboards protested with a loud creek beneath my shoes.
Jameson and Kash would be here soon. They’d already texted me about fifteen minutes ago, telling me it was done. Worst case scenario, Everleigh fell back into her ex-boyfriend’s arms. Best case scenario, she left his ass as soon as possible.
I slipped out of my bedroom, my gaze skimming over my brother’s old door. He’d be stupid to take anything incriminating to his new home where his wife and baby lived, but he also wasn’t the smartest crayon in the box, either. He lacked common sense on the best of days. If there was evidence, it would more than likely be behind that door. Or in a secret folder within his phone. Maybe both.
I crossed the hallway and stepped inside his room. It still looked the same, just cleaner from the maid coming in and doing her job. His bed was made up, which was a rare occurrence when he lived here. His old laptop was on his desk, small specks of dust beginning to form on the top of it. I had no idea what I was even looking for. The wall behind his bed had the most color to it—a backdrop meant for entertainment purposes. Before he got with Astrid, he’d bring all kinds of random bitches home and I assume he made video content with them.
I gently closed the bedroom door behind me, not wanting my parents to catch me snooping. They still had that bastard on a pedestal. Regardless of how many times he proved he was nothing but an impulsive fuckwit.
My fingers twitched at my sides with the urge to turn this room upside down. Sucking in a calming breath, I reeled myself in and started for his dresser on the other side of the room. Jerking open the top drawer first, I peered inside. There were a few photos in there, nothing that stood out. Just pictures of him with former girlfriends. His arm draped over their shoulders in each one. There was a pair of brass knuckles he got from our grandfather years ago, a lighter, and a couple pairs of socks he forgot to pack.
The second drawer had some clothes in it, and the last two drawers were more of the same. Some clothes he’d forgotten. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to store shit here anyways. It was the most obvious hiding spot. Sighing, I moved onto his closet, flicking on the light within it. There were a few clothes hanging, some on the floor where he hadn’t bothered to pick them up, and some shoe boxes on the top shelf. I reached for one of the shoe boxes, popping the lid off. As expected, it was completely empty. The next box had some tissue paper in it, but that was it. And the final box contained some jewelry, probably souvenirs from his past girlfriends. They did like throwing jewelry in his face when he inevitably broke their heart.
Frustration tore through me as I returned the boxes to their former place and tugged the closet door closed. If I was a sleazy scumbag, where would I hide something I didn’t want anyone to see? It would have to be somewhere he knew Mom and Dad wouldn’t look. Somewhere he knew I wouldn’t look if the sudden urge developed. My gaze flicked to the bed. It was a California King bed on a sturdy box spring. There wasn’t a huge lift to it, but there was some space to put things underneath, if desired.
Deciding that was my best bet, I drifted to the massive bed. My heart was hammering in my chest from the mere anticipation of it. I knelt beside the bed, lowering my body so that I had better access and then I allowed my arm to sweep beneath the frame. Nausea twisted my stomach, images of when he used to live here crashing into me. I swear to God…if there was a dirty condom under here, I was going to fucking lose it.
My fingertips skimmed over something hard and cold, and I latched onto it, pulling it into the light. It took me a moment to process what I was seeing and then cold dread coursed through my veins when I realized what it was.
A miniature safe.
My fingers brushed over the hard ridges as I assessed it, fear thrumming through me like a violent volcano on the brink of erupting. On the downside, this thing was most definitely locked. On the bright side, the idiot got one that required a key, and it wouldn’t be hard to pick it. I lifted the metal box, the items within it sliding from the movement. Turning it in my hands, a yellow sticky note was taped to the back, making acid burn the back of my throat.
Spank Bank.
That was a good enough reason for no one to even want to look inside. Even I was having second thoughts. If this was porn…
My nose scrunched up in disgust. Why buy porn when you could watch it for free? I blew out a breath and drifted back over to his dresser where I’d seen a few miscellaneous items strewn about in the top drawer earlier. My fingers closed around what appeared to be a sewing needle and I was in the process of closing the drawer again when one of the bundles of socks rolled, revealing something much more shocking.
A key. How fucking convenient.
With my heart in my throat, I returned the needle and picked up the key instead. Nervous energy pulsed through me in violent waves as I made my way back to the bed. I always knew he was a damn idiot, but to literally leave the key to…whatever was in that box that he apparently wanted no one to see, was just dumb. I inserted the key into the lock and twisted. To my relief, it clicked open. The small sound was like a beacon to my blackened soul.
I wasn’t sure what I’d find in here, but something told me that if the lazy bastard who couldn’t even bother to clean his room or take dishes back to the kitchen, and went to all these lengths to hide something, then whatever was in this box was probably pretty bad.
I pried the lid open, confusion pulsing through my system. DVDs? CDs? What the hell was I looking at? There were rows upon rows of what appeared to be movies stacked on top of one another. Placing the key down on the mattress at my side, I lifted the first one.
In red, sloppy handwriting, he had scribbled the name Mauve across the top of one of them. The name vaguely rang a bell, but I couldn’t remember shit about her, or how I’d even heard that name to begin with. Skipping over it, the next name was equally vague. It wasn’t until the name Astrid caught my attention that I paused, my muscles locking up tight with tension. Maybe these were consensual, homemade videos. I couldn’t exactly see Astrid being into that kind of thing, but people could be much different in the bedroom than anyone on the outside realized. I set Astrid’s tape to the side and continued flicking through them. And that’s when I saw it. The video before the last one.
Everleigh.
My heart leapt into my throat, tension coiling tight within my stomach. I knew for a fact that Everleigh wouldn’t consent to being filmed. Not back then at least. Who knows what she was into now. I grabbed the video and made my way over to Dakota’s computer. I lifted the top of it, not bothering to sit down yet. This was the one he used for school, so it was unlikely to be secured with a password. I powered it on and waited.
It took a few moments, but the screen lit up, casting a faint hue around its surroundings and the top of his wooden desk. Relief swirled through me when it didn’t demand a password, and I sank into the chair adjacent to it. My phone pressed against my thigh from how tightly my jeans decided to hug my legs from the sitting position. Whipping it out, I place it face down on the desk beside the laptop. I hit the button on the side, waiting for the small tray to open. Anticipation clawed through me, sending chills skittering down my spine from the mere tension of it all.
I peeled the disc out of the clear packaging and inserted it in the side, and then I clicked a few buttons to bring it to life.
The video came into focus immediately on the screen, the camera tipping back and forth while my brother walked through the kitchen. He propped the phone up on the counter, using the wall for support. And then he was rummaging through cabinets, grabbing two glasses. He filled them both with alcohol and I watched intently as he pulled a bottle from his pocket, pills clattering together from the movement. He plopped one into the glass on the left and lifted it, swirling it around so it would dissolve more quickly.
My throat constricted, terror forcing its way through my lungs. Was that a roofie? Dakota’s smirk told me all I needed to know, but I wasn’t done watching just yet. He grabbed the phone, the screen going black for a moment. But the shuffling through the speaker told me that I was still connected. His footsteps were loud against the wood as he moved through the house, the stairs creaking beneath his shoes moments later.
“I got you your drink,” he told her, followed by more shuffling.
He pulled the phone from his pocket, tapping a few buttons on it before he placed it in a secure location within my room. I had no idea where he’d put it that she wouldn’t immediately see, but from the look on her face, she seemed too distraught to notice much of anything. Her eyes were rimmed red, and the glaze over them told me she’d been crying.
“Thank you.” She shot him a small smile—one that didn’t reach her eyes. She was much thinner than she was now, but I loved her new curves. She didn’t seem drunk, not that I expected her to be like she claimed. I watched with horror as she raised the glass to her lips and took a long pull of her beverage. The same beverage he’d slipped something into.
I wanted to yell at her, to tell her not to accept a drink from that piece of shit, but this wasn’t the present; this had happened three years ago, and the damage had already been done. They passed a few words back and forth, neither of them flirting. It seemed like a casual conversation, one that wouldn’t lead to sex.
Everleigh finished her glass and set it off to the side. They continued talking back and forth. Mostly about school, soccer, and me .
Her hand moved to her head almost abruptly, her gaze flickering in and out of focus as she swayed a bit. I could see the confusion on her face, the way her shoulders started to relax of their own accord, like she didn’t have the energy to hold them up any longer.
“You okay?” Dakota asked her with mock concern.
She furrowed her eyebrows. “I-I don’t feel so good,” she slurred. Her breathing had grown deeper, the result of the drug that had been forced in her system.
“Why don’t you lay down?” he offered. “I’ll give Ash a call and tell him to hurry his ass up.”
She hesitated for a moment, her eyelids growing heavy. Finally, she nodded. Dakota stood and slipped out of the room, not bothering to take the phone with him. Everleigh laid on my bed, repositioning herself in the center. Her chest rose and fell in a slower motion than could be considered normal. After a few moments, she was out.
Dakota returned, wasting no fucking time. He jerked her shoes from her body, dropping them on the floor. She mumbled something incoherently, but didn’t wake. My heart felt like it was shattering into a million fucking pieces. This had never been consensual. Jameson was right. Something had been off. He listened to her when I refused. Guilt wormed its way inside of me, eating me whole. I never deserved her.
When my brother had her completely naked, he stripped down and settled himself between her legs, not even bothering to use a condom. He thrusted inside of her, heat searing through my eyes at the sight. Her head lolled to the side with the sudden jerk of her body and his low groan filled the speaker, bleeding out and skittering through my ears. He wasn’t gentle about it, either. He slammed into her again, and this time, her eyes fluttered open.
“Ashton?” She whimpered, squinting through the haze that must have been cast upon her.
He didn’t reply, just drove into her again and again. A moan fluttered past her lips, and I saw it the moment she realized it wasn’t me. “Dakota?” she breathed out, a hint of panic to her tone. “No. No…” she trailed off, shoving against his chest. “Stop.” But he didn’t. He just kept fucking her, and she inevitably passed out again.
It wasn’t long before I stormed in and yanked him off of her. Fists went flying and I beat him as much as I could without actually killing the bastard. The fight must have woken Everleigh again, because she was staring at me, completely disoriented.
“You’re nothing but a whore, Everleigh,” I’d said, among other things. But my head was too fucked right now to comprehend anything else in the video.
She never cheated on me. She was taken advantage of by my own flesh and blood. I turned the video off and grabbed my phone, my fingers flying across the screen until I found Jameson’s contact. I pressed the call icon and listened, waiting for him to pick up. But of course, it went straight to voicemail. I tried Kash next. Nothing.
Pure agony tore through me, twisting my stomach until I was dying on the inside. If I had my car, I’d drive right over to Dakota’s and finish what I started all those years ago. Except this time, he wouldn’t walk away from it.
The front door opening and closing sounded from downstairs, sending my spine ramrod straight. I snatched up my phone, hurrying down the steps. Adrenaline was pulsing through me like white-hot rage.
Jameson and Kash looked at me in surprise, and I couldn’t even imagine what they saw when looking at me.
My heart was beating a mile a minute, tears burning the back of my eyes as I fought against them. I was just thankful my parents were already in bed for the night, because there was no time to hash all this out with them. I had to go back for her.
“You okay, man?” Jameson asked, looking me over with concern. I knew he was pissed at me, knew he didn’t want to leave Everleigh in the first place. I should have listened.
I shook my head. “Everleigh,” I began, my body vibrating with turmoil. “Dakota roofied her. She never fucked him willingly.” My voice cracked, raw emotion slicing through my chest.
He reeled back, panic contorting his features. Even Kash looked at me like he was seconds away from ripping me to shreds. But there was no time for a fight. I needed her. To tell her I was sorry. To make her understand. To tell her I never meant it when I said she was worthless earlier. Which I hadn’t.
“How do you know?” Kash demanded.
I swallowed, the images from that video attacking the forefront of my mind. “He had a collection of material in this safe under his bed.” I shook my head, wincing. “There was a disc with Eve’s name on it. So, I watched it.”
Jameson stumbled, his back hitting the front door. His hands tore through his brown hair, a look of pain skittering into his facial features. I opened my mouth, ready to tell him that we had to go get her, but my phone dinged with an incoming message. Sighing, I whipped it out of my pocket. An unknown number flashed across my screen and I unlocked it, glancing down at the caption attached to some video.
Thanks, we had fun.
“What the hell?” I muttered.
“What is it?” Kash asked, moving to join me. Jameson hesitated, still reeling from the information I’d just given him, but he was joining me on my other side moments later.
I shrugged. “Not sure.”
I clicked play on the video and expanded the screen, turning my phone sideways to make the picture larger. A fire roared in the background and for the most part, all I could see were shadows. But it didn’t take long for me to see her. Everleigh. I couldn’t hear what was being said this far away, but some dude was invading her personal space, making her uncomfortable. After a few moments, he started tearing her clothes from her body, horror punching through my chest. Her sobs rang out distantly, reaching my ears.
“Oh fuck,” Jameson said, his tone growing higher in pitch. It was one thing after another with this girl. And both things that happened to her were my fault. Dakota never would have done that to her had I not brought her around, and this wouldn’t be happening to her had I not made my friends take her there.
When the dude had her in just her underwear, she kneed him in the face, his head whipping to the side. A surge of satisfaction zipped through me, but that was short lived when Lucas fisted her by the hair and growled something in her face before shoving her to the ground. The dude I didn’t know, unfastened his pants and got between her legs, saying some more bullshit that I couldn’t hear before trying to line himself up with her, but she was struggling too much, making it difficult. Finally, he punched her, sending her head lolling to the side. The fight instantly drained from her muscles.
My hand shook around the phone, regret tearing through me. Her cries were like a knife to my chest, every sound of pain twisting it until I was gasping for breath.
When he was done, they forced Colt to fuck her. She seemed more comfortable with him, and that sent a current of jealousy rippling through me. He was much softer about it at first, but that didn’t last long. Soon, he was fucking her just as hard. A moan ripped from her lungs, her body convulsing as she came and then she was sobbing in humiliation.
One after another, they took their turns. And when it was the camera guys’ turn, he ended the video.
“Come on,” I growled. I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and stormed out of the house, not bothering to wait for them. They’d follow.
I didn’t trust myself to drive right now, so I slid into the passenger side instead. Repulsion settled into the depths of my stomach, so much fear and regret punching through me like an iron fist. She must have been terrified. I sent her to that. I fucking did that. Had I known…
Fuck!
My fist connected with the dashboard, pain exploding through my knuckles. I’d been so blinded by my own self-loathing that I didn’t even pay attention to the dangers lurking just around the corner. Lucas had seemed harmless enough when it came to her.
He fucking hit her.
My jaw tightened, my inner turmoil unravelling inside of me, seeping from my body until it was swiping its cold tongue along my flesh.
Jameson climbed in beside me, his body trembling with pent up rage. He didn’t bother speaking. I could feel the anger radiating from him. He was angry at me, angry at those assholes, and pissed off at the whole fucking world.
As soon as Kash was in the backseat, Jameson was tearing out of the driveway. He sped down the road at a dangerous speed, but I couldn’t even find it in myself to care about my own safety. The only thing on my mind was getting to her.
“If she survives this,” Jameson began in a low, raspy voice—one that promised violence. “She’s never going to speak to any of us again.”
My fingers curled into my palms. He was right. She was going to hate us. More than we ever loathed her. And I didn’t even blame her. We were the reason all of this happened in the first place. She’d be smart to run away and never look back. The problem was…I’d hunt her to every region of this earth and drag her back to me. Over and over again until she couldn’t run any longer. A fire ignited within my chest at the thought. I’d fooled myself into thinking she meant nothing to me, when in reality, she meant everything .
Lucas was going to fucking pay for this. That was for damn sure. But right now, I needed to find my girl.
It didn’t take too long before we were pulling onto some sketchy ass backroad. Goosebumps prickled along my flesh as I looked around. There were no houses nearby, no one to hear her scream. This had all been premeditated, and had I caught a glimpse of this place before allowing her to walk right into her doom, I never would have let her. Regardless of how much I thought I’d despised her. There was something off about the air here. A cold chill that ate away at my bones. A chill that had absolutely nothing to do with the fall weather.
Jameson stepped out first, and the rest of us were quick to follow. Our shoes scuffed along the road, pebbles flying up with our heavy steps and thumping against my ankles. Our movements were quick. I had no idea where she’d be, or if she was even still here. They could have taken her with them. Hell, they could have murdered her. That thought had a tremor slamming through my body.
Jameson led the way through the trees, seeming to know exactly what spot to enter. Twigs and leaves crunched beneath my shoes, and I was on immediate alert.
Kash pulled out his phone, turning on his flashlight and casting it on our walkway. Nothing but trees, leaves, and branches from what I could tell.
“There.” Jameson pointed up ahead.
I squinted, my heart pounding furiously. Up ahead, smoke was billowing from an extinguished fire. I remembered seeing the fire in the video that had been sent to me. I broke out into a jog, my lungs burning from the biting cold of the air. My gaze immediately snagged on her clothes still strewn all over the ground, fear slicing through me.
“There’s blood over here,” Kash called out, causing me to whip my head in his direction. Sure enough, there was a puddle of blood on the ground, coating the grass, dirt and leaves from her assault.
“God-fucking-damnit,” Jameson said, raw agony in his voice. He crumpled to his knees, his hands moving to tear through his hair.
My breathing was erratic, and as much as I wanted to join him in my own self-loathing, I had to find her—to get her to a hospital. “Everleigh,” I called out.
Rustling sounded close by, capturing my attention. My first thought was that it was an animal. Simply because that was my luck. Jameson glanced up at the noise, his back snapping straight. More rustling followed, and she stepped out into the open, wobbling on her feet. Blood dripped down her chin, dribbling against her chest and breasts. Fresh bruises that were so vibrant in color coated her torso and stomach. Even her face. Blood was smeared between her thighs, and she looked like she just emerged from a horror film. What the fuck did they do to her after that video ended?
I was running toward her and I didn’t miss the way she visibly tensed, but I couldn’t help myself.
“I don’t feel so good,” she slurred. Her lips were just as battered as the rest of her.
I took her in my arms right as her knees buckled beneath her weight and I sat down, pulling her into my lap. Her skin felt like ice against me.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” I whispered, my voice cracking on a choked sob of my own. My hands drifted through her hair, but I paused when I felt a series of knots that had formed there. “Fuck,” I muttered, glancing over at my two friends, who were still in shock from seeing her in this state. “Give me one of your jackets. She’s freezing. And call a fucking ambulance.” I didn’t want to risk moving her too much, concerned that her wounds could be internal.
I’d never be able to forgive myself. Not after this . She never for a second deserved this. Not even when I thought she’d cheated. I was going to tear those motherfuckers to shreds. Piece by piece until there was nothing left. They hurt the wrong girl.
My Girl.