CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Kayla
I walk into the kitchen at seven, just as I’ve been instructed, wearing the new dress Vero got me for my birthday.
All four of my men yell, “Surprise!” and Vero beams at me.
I see the cake he has clearly decorated himself, covered with an alarming amount of black buttercream icing and what I presume is a black skull made from fondant wearing a party hat.
It is objectively the ugliest cake I have ever seen in my life, and I love it so much.
“You made this yourself?” I ask Vero.
“I did,” he says with the biggest smile I have ever seen. “Gerald helped with the decorating. Well, he stood there and told me what I was doing wrong.”
“It’s perfect,” I say, and he launches himself at me, pulling me into his body.
Ares lights the candles, and they all sing happy birthday. Then they make me blow out all the twenty-seven candles Vero managed to fit onto the cake, which is on a lean, and was definitely a fire hazard for a few minutes.
Clay cuts the cake, mainly because no one trusts Vero with a knife. We all sit around and eat, and thankfully it tastes amazing.
Tonight they promised me a chase, no holding back. Ever since I was attacked by Aaron, they have all been walking on eggshells around me, not wanting to trigger memories.
But I don’t want to live like that any longer.
The case with Aaron is now closed. There was no evidence tying him to me or the island, and the cops believe he skipped town.
“Are you sure about tonight?” Clay asks.
“Yes,” I reassure him for the millionth time.
“She has her safe word,” Vero adds.
“I just want to know how long my head start is,” I tell them with a grin.
Vero claps and Clay says, “Five minutes from when we get to the front gate.”
Then he hands me my wristband. We’re using it for the tracker, and it’s the only way they would let me out of their sight. But they promised not to use it unless it was an emergency.
We walk together to the front gate, and excitement radiates through me. Tonight the island is closed, and when I asked how they pulled it off, Vero zipped his lips.
“Your time starts now,” Brawley says the second we reach the gate.
I don’t try to argue that we just got there, or that I wasn’t ready—I just run.
It’s my birthday. I want to be chased and hunted. And if someone doesn’t pull my hair or slap my ass soon, I might have to do it to myself. I want more, but I will settle for that. Baby steps, I tell myself. These big, bad, tough guys have gone soft on me, and I want my crazy, rough men back.
Tonight is mine, and I know what I want.
The paths are lit an amber color, and the island is still, which feels weird. I’m not used to there being no activity at all.
When I reach the end of the alleyway, I run toward the arena, jumping over the rope that has it sectioned off.
As I move down past the haunted mazes, I see they are closed for the night, and that makes them even spookier.
They are pitch black inside as I push through the door, and I use the cover to catch my breath.
After a few minutes of navigating my way through the building, I hear Brawley’s voice.
“Let’s check in the maze,” he says.
I stop and remain completely still. Though I hear footsteps, I can’t tell the direction, whether they have come from the entrance or the exit. I tiptoe forward and see the glowing exit sign, with the door propped open.
I spin back the way I just came and run.
“She is coming back your way,” Clay calls out, and I laugh.
My eyes have finally adjusted to the darkness, and I grin as I see an emergency exit illuminated ahead.
Running straight for it, I shove my body through the door and hit the ground running.
Their boots thump behind me, but I don’t turn around to see who is following me or how close they are—I just focus on the path ahead.
I make it to the strip of grass between the maze and Sideshow Alley before I am ripped sideways by a large hand gripping my arm.
Spinning using the momentum Vesper has been teaching me in the ring, I drive my elbow backward, and it connects with Brawley.
He exhales hard, but my hit wasn’t enough to wind him like I had hoped.
I rip my arm free and race away, leaving him behind me as he laughs.
“That’s a good girl, make it worth it.”
I cut through the center of the island, trying my luck near the circus tent, making it inside unhindered. As I creep toward the center, the spotlight turns on, and when I spin, I see Ares at the lighting panel.
He doesn’t run toward me; that isn’t his style. “I assumed you would have gone to the sideshow first.”
I smirk at him. “You assumed wrong.”
“Well, I won’t make the same mistake twice,” he says, cutting the lights. “I think I know exactly where you are going next. See you there.”
I don’t wait to play more of his mind games; I run to the Asylum to see if Vero is waiting for me.
Plus, there are some good hiding spots where I can rest for a few minutes, since running in a dress and boots wasn’t something I thought through well.
I slip in through the hidden entrance Vero showed me and pass into the hall and listen.
If Vero is here, I’ll hear him.
I make it to the end of the upper corridor and freeze, momentarily thinking someone else is here. Then I realize it’s the wax figure of myself, standing at the end of the hall.
A sound comes from behind me, and I spin, startled. But there is nothing there, yet once I turn back, the wax figure has moved. Or at least I swear it has, even though it’s not possible.
It’s freaky watching myself stare back at me.
I slip past the figure, squealing quietly when I swear it moves, then I take the stairwell up to the landing and step through the door.
“You made a noise—that was your first mistake.” I hear Vero’s voice coming from behind another door. Then the handle rattles.
“Just a little noise, like a—”
“If you finish that sentence, I will push you off the landing,” I snap.
The door swings open and Vero stands there in his orange jumpsuit, his Hannibal mask clasped in his hand. He spreads his arms across the doorframe, blocking my exit.
“Hello pretty girl, happy birthday.”
“You need to move,” I say.
“Counterargument,” he says, tilting his head. “No.”
“Vero.”
He slides his mask into place and steps toward me, but I run straight at him, which surprises him enough that I get through the door by ducking under his arm. His manic laughter follows me. Instead of going down, I race up the stairs that I presume lead to the roof.
As I open the last door, Vero tackles me and we hit the ground, his arms locked around my waist.
“I caught you first. Best night of my life. Best birthday present ever.”
I laugh. “It’s my birthday, not yours.”
“And I got myself a present as well. I get you.”
I try to get free, but he just laughs every time I half get up and pulls me back down. Then he pins me and hovers over me.
“Hi,” he says.
“Hi,” I reply, and pull his mask off his face.
He leans down and kisses me.
I see movement out of the corner of my eye, and Vero must sense him as well. Brawley is walking toward us until he crouches down beside me and takes my chin, making me look up at him.
“You ran from me,” he says.
“I sure did,” I crow proudly.
“You’re going to pay for that.”
“Oh, I hope so,” I bait him. After all, isn’t that what tonight is for?
Vero laughs and Brawley moves his head to look at him, and I spot Clay and Ares both standing near the doorway. I fist the front of Vero’s shirt. “I think it’s time to give them a show.”
Vero helps me to my feet, then he and Brawley cage me between them. He reaches into his jumpsuit pocket and throws a bottle of lube at Brawley. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asks.
Brawley steps in closer behind me, and Vero distracts me by leaning in and kissing my jaw. The larger man then kisses my neck, and my body heats like a furnace at being trapped between them. “Do you think you can handle doing this here?” Brawley whispers against my skin.
I moan something that is supposed to sound like a yes, and Vero steps back and undoes his jumpsuit.
He is completely naked beneath it, and the reveal makes me laugh.
Brawley lifts the back of my dress, and the cold air freezes my bare ass. This isn’t dress weather, but with all the running, I could barely feel the cold.
He palms my ass while Vero lifts me by the waist, and I wrap my legs around him. Then Brawley rips my thong at the back, and I squeak as he reaches around to pull the material from between us and runs his fingers through my pussy, pushing two fingers inside me.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he whispers against my shoulder before pulling his fingers back out, wrapping them around Vero’s cock, and stroking.
Vero mumbles curses as Brawley guides him toward me, and I slide down his cock. His hands shift to grip my ass and spread my cheeks, ready for Brawley’s attention.
This is not the first—or even the second—time we have done this together. But we are normally in their room when they sandwich me between them.
“Let’s show them how good you are at taking both our cocks.”
I hear the distinct sound of a condom wrapper and the squirt of lube before cold liquid is pressed against my hole, making me clench.
“Relax, we’ve got you,” Brawley whispers.
I relax into Vero, leaning my head against his shoulder as Brawley’s cock presses into me. The burn is instant, stretching me wider when I’m already full of Vero’s cock. I welcome the discomfort. It feels like it’s been so long since any of them have inflicted any type of pain on me.
“Fuck, you’re tight. I love feeling his cock inside you.”
“Fuck, please move. I need you to fuck me,” I tell them.
Brawley does as I ask, thrusting deeper as I scream through the pleasure and the pain, and Vero captures my lips to swallow the noise.