Thirty-Seven
SCARLETT
T hree Weeks Later
Unknown: Tonight is your one last chance to redeem yourself. You are to come to Servite Manor dressed to impress. You fail this time, and I won’t be responsible for what’s coming.
Tonight is the night. The night I’ve been dreading for weeks. The night that will determine my fate here at Servite Academy.
Will I succeed, or will I fail? Will I live or die? Will he have mercy on my soul, or will I be condemned to the deepest, darkest depths of hell only to be consumed by its eternal fire?
Only the devil can decide now. May God have mercy on my soul.
Three weeks ago, I found out what really goes on behind this city’s steeled gates. What happens behind the closed doors of Hillcrest Hills and the academy, and I almost wish I didn’t know.
Servite Academy, hell, all of Hillcrest Hills, is a front to cover the corruption that is flooding the streets of Pleasant Hills and all the surrounding towns. The Servites are running an underground drug operation that is polluting the streets of Pleasant Hills and assuring its demise.
Their synthetic, highly addictive drug, or as they call it, The Devil’s Kiss, has been corrupting all the teens back at Pleasant Hills High, and I’m sure here at the academy as well.
Three weeks ago, I followed Ace to an old storage building on the outskirts of town that doubles as a sort of club, whose entertainment comes underage, dressed in tiny lingerie.
The Gallows, I’m assuming, is some sort of prostitution ring that must recruit these young girls with the pretense of making an easy buck. Or maybe they have them hooked on drugs? Drugs, prostitution, and I think that’s just the beginning. Who knows what else they’re hiding?
And tonight, I’m hoping to find out how I fit into all of this. Agent Servite is using me once again to lure out my mother, since his two previous attempts have failed miserably, and I am hoping to find out how she fits into all of this. Maybe she is involved in his drug business. Maybe she owes him money or is a supplier of his. I’m sure Chaz was a dealer at one point.
Unexplained wealth came to us once. Not like it lasted. Mom spent it all on booze and who knows what else. Although I don’t see how she could be capable of such. Not because she’s a good person, but she’s not the brightest of women. I don’t see her being a mastermind in all of this.
Jade and Stella are heading to the cabin Ace rented for the week of Thanksgiving break, and Ace and I are planning to meet up with them tomorrow. Ruby and I are still not on great terms, but we convinced her and the guys to join us at the cabin for a few days. I know Drake is still pissed about me being with Ace, but things have been slightly better between us.
And by that, I mean he’s at least spoken to me once since we ended things. It’s going to be an interesting weekend with all of us there. Us poor kids from the wrong side of town and the Horsemen all at the same campground.
All the students have mostly headed home for the holiday, leaving the campus eerily vacant. So tonight should happen with no problems.
I was instructed to arrive at Servite Manor dressed to impress, whatever the hell that means.
As far as Jade and Stella know, I told them Ace’s parents invited me for a small pre-Thanksgiving dinner, but that’s a blatant lie. I seem to spew those back and forth.
I reach for the box that was dropped off earlier today, and pull out a deep red, backless gown made of the most luxurious fabric. It’s beautiful, sexy, and provocative, something I can’t imagine I would choose myself, but Agent Servite sent it over with Ace this morning, and that simple detail makes me nearly vomit as I hold the delicate silk fabric in my hand.
A piece of parchment falls from underneath the dress landing at my feet. I bend to pick up the paper and carefully read the handwriting on it.
A beautiful dress for an equally beautiful girl. Wear this, my dear, and tonight will go exactly as planned. Your life depends on it.
It’s not signed but I know exactly who it’s from.
I slip into the dress and the fabric feels amazing against my body, the cool satin flush against my heated skin. Of course it fits me like a second ski, but the thigh high slit on one side makes me slightly uncomfortable yet feel sexy at the same time. My makeup is as simple as possible with just a hint of mascara and black liner framing my eyes with a bright red lip to complete the look. I did little to my hair, leaving it down with just a few curls framing my face..
Looking in the mirror I almost gag at my reflection. I look so much like her it sickens me. How am I supposed to live with the fact that I look so much like the woman who brought me into this life only to leave me behind?
A burden is all I was to her and I’m sick to my stomach at the fact I’ll probably be seeing her tonight. I grab the same pair of gold heels I wore for the masquerade ball and slip my phone into a small clutch before heading out the door and into the dark, chilly night that awaits me.
Once I’m at the front steps of the girls’ house, an eerie silence surrounds me now that everyone is off campus for the holidays. I expect a car to pick me up to take me to the Servite’s, but I find Ace hiding in the shadows beneath the trees directly in front of the house.
He looks breathtakingly handsome in an all-black suit that fits him perfectly, his hair combed in soft dark blond waves atop his head, sharp jaw clean shaven, and his ink hidden away.
Ace watches me as I walk toward him, a raw and carnal heat radiating off of him as his eyes roam over me taking me in. I blush at the intensity of his gaze and a small smirk appears across his lips when he notices. The anticipation is killing me as I step right in front of him and inhale a deep breath, holding it in as he continues to stare, not saying a damn word.
His eyes are a dark blue that mirrors the night sky above us and when his brows crease slightly, I let out the breath I was holding and move to walk around him, heading to the car I see parked on the street behind him.
I barely make my way around when he reaches out to grip my waist, turning me flush against his body. My mouth at level with his chin, my chest flat against his, our erratic breathing mimicking one another. We are like that for a few moments before I gain the courage to tilt my head up and look him in the eye. I stand straighter, bringing my face level to his as his tongue reaches out to lick the space between our lips.
“You’re exquisite, Red. Every inch of you is flawless.” My breath hitches at his candid assertion. “This dress, how it effortlessly hugs every curve of your body.” He runs his hands down my back and reaches around to grip my ass. “The way your dark hair contrasts against porcelain skin.” Moving his hands back up he tugs on a strand of my black hair pulling my head back slightly to look at him. “Your plump red lips I can’t wait to taste once again.” He runs his tongue across my lips, biting down slightly as he crowds me, his forehead coming down to lean against mine and his eyes looking deep into mine. “And those hypnotizing blue eyes, I want to lose myself in, drown in. Everything about you is perfection.”
He closes his eyes slightly. “Ace,” I moan into him as I crush my lips to his, our mouths fighting to take control of one another. It’s as if the earth is trembling beneath me when I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him in closer to me until our chests are pushed so tight against each other I need to pull away from his lips to breathe. He reaches for me, gripping my ass tightly and I jump to wrap my legs around his waist as he walks us backward until my back slams against the cold metal of the car behind us.
I groan in pain. “Fuck,” he growls as he reaches a hand around to lift me once again and carries me over, setting me down on the hood of the car. With a sharp push, he uses his legs to spread mine apart, the fabric of my dress stretching out until it nearly tears.
“Ace, please,” I plead, but I’m not sure what I’m asking for.
A slight look of anguish appears on his face as he pushes the material up my thighs until it’s scrunched up around my waist. Reaching a hand around my waist holding me in place, his other comes to land against my thigh and he moves it further until it lands against my soaked thong.
The moment he feels the heat radiating from my center, a wicked smirk takes over and fuck me if it isn’t the sexiest thing. He lets go of my waist bringing his other hand under my dress to rip the thong from my body.
“Ahh,” I groan, the elastic burning against my skin as it’s ripped off me.
He tosses it on the ground beneath us with a chuckle. “You won’t be needing that.” He pushes my legs apart further, leaving me exposed to the cold air that surrounds us. I moan as a cool breeze grazes my heated flesh causing me to nearly cum without his hand on me. Just with the lustful look in his eyes and the harsh breeze floating through me.
“Ace, please.”
“Tell me what you need, baby.” His hot breath ignites something deep within me as he whispers in my ear.
“I want your hands on me, I want your fingers in me spreading me wider. I want your mouth on me as you lick me over and over with your tongue, tasting me, savoring me.”
His eyes are nearly eating me alive as he watches me without so much as a blink.
“Fuck, Scarlett.”
Ace moans as he drops to his knees, placing his mouth on my heated center while his fingers grip my thighs, leaving deep indentations in their wake. My head falls back as he devours me like a starved wild animal who’s just had their first taste of meat in years, licking me over and over, bringing me to the edge time and time again, but stopping just before I climax only to bring me there once more. His fingers join his mouth stretching me, filling me as I ride his tongue to an earth-shattering orgasm.
“Fuuckk,” I scream into the darkness of the night, my body convulsing while my back arches off the hood of his car.
He brings his mouth back to mine and I can taste my arousal on his tongue. It’s dirty, crass, but oh so invigorating.
“What are you doing to me?” he whispers against my lips as he kisses me softly .
Ace has never been so gentle with me. Our kisses have always been exhilarating, passionate, and explosive, but this, this is a gentle caress of his lips against mine.
This moment feels different. Our attraction, our chemistry has always been obvious. But this feels intimate. Like our souls are intertwined together, the need to have each other close is clear in the way his lips dance with mine. It’s like he’s confessing his deepest, darkest sins, asking for forgiveness.
For penance.
“I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve you. I’m not a good man, Scarlett, I’ve never claimed to be. But when I’m with you, when I’m near you,” he pauses cupping my chin in his palm. “The only thing I want to do is to be enough for you.”
I kiss him hard, unable to stop myself as he confesses his feelings. “You are enough, more than enough. Ace, I’ve never felt this with anyone, this electrifying sensation when we’re together, this desperate need when you are close by. You’re all I can think about, all I want to think about.”
“There’s so much you still don’t know. I shouldn’t, we shouldn’t.” He runs a hand through his hair clearly exasperated. “You are an angel, and I am a sinner. We’re night and day, good versus evil, right versus wrong. Our relationship is destined to fail, destined for tragedy.”
“All the best ones are,” I say, reaching up to take his face in my hands. I close my eyes, leaning forward and place a soft kiss upon his lips. I can feel his heartbeat quicken, as my chest rests closely on his. Pulling back I open my eyes and notice his are still closed, a look of torment, pain and despair etched onto his face.
Without opening his eyes he pulls me back to him, sealing my lips with his in a tantalizing kiss but his phone buzzes suddenly in his pocket, causing him to pull back from me. He pulls it out, turning away to answer it.
“Servite,” he answers, in a monotone voice. “Yes. We’re on our way.” He hangs up just as quickly as he answered, taking a little longer to turn to me. “My uncle is expecting us,” he says, and just like that our moment is lost.
I jump off the hood pulling my dress down and smoothing it out over my body. I look to the ground where my thong lays torn in half. Shaking my head, I open the door and settle into the passenger seat as I fix my makeup. Luckily, I packed my lipstick and a compact foundation in my purse. A moment later he climbs into the driver's seat and without a word, drives us toward Servite Manor.
The ride is long and silent through dark winding hills that lead to the property. I’ve kept my gaze focused out the window but can feel his eyes on me, constantly watching me, trying to figure out what I’m thinking.
As we pull up to the property, two guards quickly walk over to open the steel gates leading us inside. Instantly, the mansion comes into view in all its glory, decorated in bright red and yellow lights twinkling in the darkness. Christmas is less than a month away and I’m told the Servites also host a raging New Year’s Eve Party. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
Ace drives up to the winding driveway, and as he parks the car and turns off the ignition, I’m flooded with memories of the last time I was here. My body instantly heats remembering how Ace and I slept together for the first time here the night of the masquerade ball, while I was still with Drake.
It doesn’t last long, as the memory of why I am here comes back to me when I see a dark figure standing in an upstairs window. I stay in the car as Ace climbs out, rounding the hood and opening the door for me, reaching his hand out for me to grasp as he helps me out. I reluctantly take it but let go as soon as I’m out and standing on my own. He chuckles slightly but straightens up when two guards appear at the front of the steps leading us to the front door. He reaches his arm out for me to take but I stare at him without so much as breathing.
“Take it, Red, we’re already late. ”
I scoff at his order but place my hand in his. I need to survive tonight and I’m afraid that means that for once I need to do exactly as I’m told.
He leads me up the steps and into the mansion as the two guards follow closely behind. The inside is also decorated brightly in red and white drapes, covered in twinkling lights and glittering chandeliers.
“Please follow me,” one guard says, leading us down the hall into a living area located to the right of the foyer. Two plush black couches are perfectly placed in the middle of the room, a large bar on the far left, and a large Christmas tree in the middle of the floor length window facing the back of the property. It’s simple, decorated only in fluttering white string lights, but it’s well over seven feet tall. “The Master will be with you shortly,” he adds as they disappear through another door on the right.
“Would you like a drink?” Ace asks me, letting go of my arm and walking over to the bar.
I shake my head without a response, but he smiles softly. “Trust me, you’re going to need it,” he says as he pours a golden liquid into two glasses, walking back over and handing me one.
I take it from him bringing it to my lips but don’t take a sip just yet. Instead, I hold it in my hand swirling the liquid gently as I bring my gaze back to him.
“Why am I here, Ace?” I ask, and for the first time tonight, I’m terrified at his response.
“Because he asked you to come. Ordered you to come, and you and I both know we can’t deny him what he wants.” He moves toward me until he stands a mere inch from me. “You’re a smart girl, Red. You’ve had to have figured out by now he’s a dangerous man, and a dangerous man is lethal when disobeyed.” He reaches out to me, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
This man who stands in front of me is nothing like the one who just earlier tonight, hell moments ago, was caressing me and whispering sweet nothings in my ear .
How easily he trades his sweet disguise for this merciless mask of indifference.
“Play by the rules, follow his game, and you’ll make it out of here alive. Defy him, betray him, and well, I don’t need to tell you what will happen.” His eyes are cold and calculating as they look in mine.
An icy blue glazing over the ocean eyes that usually make me falter. Nothing like the way he was looking at me just moments ago, and I instinctively know why. It’s as if someone’s sucked all the air in the room out, a cold frost covering the windows as I feel him hovering behind me.
Wesley Servite has entered the room.
I stay glued to my position in the room staring into Ace’s eyes as a glimmer of fear flows through him. I can feel Agent Servite’s hot breath on my neck as he reaches a hand toward me, gently caressing my shoulder and moving my hair to one side exposing my neck and back to him. A chill runs through me as goosebumps cover my skin from head to toe. His finger continues to trace over my collarbone, around my neck, and down my spine slowly.
I close my eyes and swallow hard as I try to maintain my composure.
“I knew when I picked out this dress it would look exquisite on you, but, my dear, you continue to amaze me every time.”
Servite grabs my waist with a firm hand and turns me to him. I open my eyes slowly, meeting his dark blue eyes, glazed over in desire. Bile rises in my throat threatening to come out when I realize how much he and Ace look alike. It's unnerving.
I swallow hard once more as I bring the glass to my lips and take a sip of the amber liquid. It burns as I swallow it, igniting my esophagus in flames as it travels down, but somehow doesn’t burn as much as the feel of his hands on me. The realization of Ace’s words dawns on me.
Maybe it wasn’t a threat but a warning. I need to play his game. Servite thrives off the belief he is in charge. I need to play along .
“Thank you for the generous gift,” I say, licking the liquor off my lips, watching how his eyes follow the movement. “I would never have dreamed I’d wear such a luxurious dress,” I add in my sultriest voice.
He reaches for my hand and brings it to his lips placing a chaste kiss upon it. “The pleasure is mine, sweetheart,” he says as we’re interrupted by a door slamming shut.
I turn behind me to where Ace was standing, Agent Servite’s hand still wrapped around my waist, and am not surprised to see who’s now standing with him.
Bass, Alek, and Beck stand beside him all dressed in similar black suits, their hair perfectly combed looking the finest I’ve ever seen them. The Four Horsemen in all their glory. Agent Servite, obviously the devil in charge, but one question remains.
What role do I play in all this?
“Boys, I’m so glad you could join us,” Servite says, releasing me and walking over to the bar to pour himself a drink. “Let’s get this night started.”
I turn to Ace who glares at his uncle’s closeness to me but doesn’t say a word. I can see behind his callous facade.
With me Ace is different. He’s captivating, affectionate, and loving. But here and now, as he stands before his leader, a king kneeling to his superior, he’s distant and cruel. It’s just as I said before, when Wesley Servite calls, Ace will follow.
And as I look into Agent Servite’s eyes I can see why. I just hope for my sake I can keep up this charade before it comes crumbling down at my feet.
When vultures are searching for prey to feast on, they circle around and wait for larger animals to go for the kill. They circle around and wait for those predators to tear their prey’s flesh apart. Then, and no sooner, do the vultures swoop in and feast on whatever remains.
As I sit here in this room with the most antagonizing and feared men I’ve ever come across, I am an animal waiting to be feasted on. The Horsemen stand around the room like the vultures they are, circling their prey, and Wesley Servite, he’s the beast that just might go for the kill.
Ace walks over to me with another glass of bourbon, and I take it from him, handing him the now empty one I grip tightly in my hand. I quickly drink the amber liquid which once again burns as it travels down my throat and he chuckles lightly as he comes to sit beside me on the plush leather couch, placing the empty glass I gave him and another one he’s drinking, down on the table in front of us. We’ve been here for at least twenty minutes, not one of us saying a word.
I think they’re expecting me to be the first to crack under this agonizing silence, but I’m not about to give them what they want. I have a theory. I know men like them thrive off instilling fear in others and they want to terrify me. But I’m here, and I haven’t yet been harmed, so I’m not sure anymore that harming me is in their plans. I think I may just serve a bigger purpose and for that reason and that reason alone, I’m still standing.
One guard from earlier appears at the doorway of the room and stands waiting to be allowed in. Agent Servite nods his head, and the guard moves to the side allowing a man and a woman to enter.
I quickly realize the man is Bass’s father Stephan Silver, and the woman is Beck's mother Eliza. After them, another couple appears, one I haven’t seen before but equally regal as the Silvers.
“Welcome, my friends. Please enter, we are just waiting on a few updates to our guest list to be made and we’ll be on our way to commence tonight’s feast,” he says as they approach the couches where I’m seated. Stephan Silver is the first to spot me, a wide grin appearing on his face .
“Scarlett Steele,” he says, extending a hand to me. He looks stunning in a dark blue almost black suit, his dark hair perfectly manicured and his intense gray eyes regarding me shrewdly.
“Mr. Silver,” I say as I reach out and take it. He brings my hand to his mouth and places a soft kiss upon it not once glancing away from me.
“You look stunning, my dear,” he says, and I quickly retract my hand causing him to chuckle.
I hear a groan come from behind me where Ace is standing but I don’t dare turn around.
“Thank you,” I say in a hushed whisper.
“I must say, I didn’t expect to see you tonight,” he adds, turning to Agent Servite who has just joined us.
“Well, what can I say, the night is full of surprises. Scarlett here is accompanying Ace as his date. The two are smitten,” he says looking at us.
At his words, Ace moves in closer to me wrapping an arm around my waist.
“To be young and in love, you remember what that was like, don’t you, Wesley?” Ace asks but there’s a slight insult in his question.
Agent Servite laughs off the comment, but I can sense he is upset.
“Malcolm, Ariana, please come and meet my guest of honor this evening,” he says, motioning for the other couple that walked in to join us. The man, Malcolm as he called him, has light brown hair and glowing blue eyes while the woman beside him has dark blonde hair and deep brown eyes. He is dressed in a dark gray suit while she wears an emerald satin dress. Eliza Masters also joins us taking her spot next to Stephan Silver, wearing a matching blue silk gown.
“Scarlett, I’d like you to meet Mayor Malcolm Smoak and his wife Ariana. Malcolm is the eldest son of the late Mayor Silas Smoak. ”
I cringe at the name as I remember hearing it once before. Silas Smoak. Mayor Silas Smoak. He is the man who, three years ago, Agent Servite came to accuse my mother and Chaz of murdering. The same reason she is now a fugitive. I can’t believe I hadn’t made the connection earlier. Smoak as in Aleksander and Alexandrea Smoak.
“Malcolm, this is Scarlett Steele. She’s one of the students from Pleasant Hills that has come to Servite as part of the scholarship program my brother instilled at the academy this year. She is also my nephew’s girlfriend.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you two,” I say, hating the way Malcolm's smile grows stiff at the mention of my name.
“Likewise, dear. You’re one lucky man, Wallace,” Malcolm says to Ace.
“That I am,” he answers as he places a soft kiss upon my cheek. It’s gentle and innocent, of course it’s all for show.
“Master Servite,” says the guard who stands at the doorway. “Dinner is ready.”