Chapter Eighteen
My hands shook as I gave the passes to Lydia and stepped back, watching as she went to the front of the shop and placed them on a small table next to the door.
“I can’t believe how viral you’ve gone,” Liona muttered, coming up behind me.
She’d just purchased one of my special editions, desperate to get one before they were all gone. I hadn’t expected to sell books tonight, so it had been a nice surprise.
“I’m so glad you’ve got lots of these out on the tables and shelves.” She looked around, eyeing the Haunting Adeline hardback. “I can’t believe you weren’t going to sell them tonight!”
Flicking her mahogany brown hair over her shoulder, she held up her book and took a selfie with it. I smiled and shook my head, too nervous to really enjoy the moment. Why had I decided to risk my club opening night on Brandon? It had been a stupid idea that meant I couldn’t relish my dream coming true. Still, it was too late now. I’d posted on TikTok and Instagram, giving a shout out to all masked men and saying that every man in a mask would be allowed free entry to the opening night. I just hoped Brandon would take the bait.
“We’ve altered things a bit,” I muttered when Liona waved a hand in front of my face. “People can browse down here until the music is due to start in an hour. Sales will be available but the food counter is closed. Drinks can be brought upstairs, where they can go after they’ve made their purchases.”
Liona chuckled. “Girl, you sound like an advertisement. Loosen up, it’ll go far better than expected, I promise.”
I forced a smile and tucked my hair behind my ear. I’d worn my short denim skirt with fish-net tights, black knee-high boots and a little top, covered by a small jacket. I wasn’t trying to entice Brandon to attack me with my outfit, I’d had it picked out for ages. Fuck, why did I choose to ruin the one night I’d been dreading, but also looking forward to, for him?
“Here they come.” She squeezed my arm. “Good luck!” Liona went over to one of the tables and picked up a book, flipping it open.
Bracing myself, I counted the amount of people who were queuing up outside the windows. I couldn’t see how many were down the road, but Lydia had assured me it was a lot. As scared as I was, I wanted tonight to go well. If I could pull it off, both parts of it, I would be able to start a new chapter.
Lydia unlocked the front door and stood back, allowing the first couple of people in. I strode down the little walkway and came to a stop next to the table.
“Welcome!” I greeted the first two women. “Can I have your QR code?”
Picking up the scan machine, I smiled as they handed me a phone and I scanned it. When it beeped happily, I handed them a pass each. One side had a free eBook QR code and the other side had a photo of the UV masked man on the wall upstairs. I hoped the small gift would encourage them to keep coming once the opening night was done.
“I can’t wait to see upstairs,” one of them said, giggling.
“Feel free to browse the books down here.” I scanned the next couple of people. “Just know that the sales till closes at 9pm, when the band comes on.”
Chattering amongst themselves, they wandered into the shop and started to look around, exclaiming in delight here and there. Lydia came to take over the scanning so I could go to the till, which had a queue almost straight away.
I kept an eye on the front door the whole time I served people, shocked by how many of them bought books before the main event had even begun.
“I love that you’ve brought the books downstairs for the event,” one customer said. “I’ve been here a few times and hoped you’d have a shelf of dark romance somewhere.”
Grinning, I bagged up her order and took her payment. “I debated how to sell the books, considering the negative attention they get. I do think this might be the way I do it going forward. Of course, any customer is welcome to ask me to order them in and they can then pick them up.”
They exclaimed in excitement and told me that they’d be doing that if they wanted something before the next event.
After a solid thirty minutes of ringing up orders, the line dispersed and I took a breath. There were still lots of people milling around the books, chatting and laughing together. Lydia waited by the door, her scanner ready for any new customers. We’d only released a certain amount of tickets to test the event. We wanted to make sure there was enough room in the club upstairs and that we weren’t overwhelmed. It had been a good call, considering what I had planned.
I glanced at the CCTV on my phone, trying to count the amount of people in the club. It was almost full to the brim, which meant everyone must have turned up. A naked torso caught my eye and I smiled, shaking my head when Ant served a woman her cock-tail. The barman had been ingenious when he’d put cock straws in the tall pale pink coloured drinks.
“What are you smiling at?” a deep voice interrupted me.
My gaze lifted and my throat went so dry, I couldn't swallow. The air was sucked out of my lungs as my fantasy came towards me, wearing nothing but leather trousers and a helmet. Fucking hell, Moth's muscles were lean and moulded so beautifully on his torso, he looked like he'd walked straight off the television. Except, the tattoos that decorated this body were grey shaded, adding that extra layer of bad boy.
I squeezed my legs together to stop the pulsing burn in my pussy. Fucking hell, he was hot with just the leathers and helmet, let alone without a top. If I even dared to think what he could do to me right now, I'd orgasm on the spot.
“You…” I couldn't even speak.
“You're smiling at me?” He leaned over the counter, clearly checking my phone. “I'm not on that screen.”
Shaking my head, I coughed “No, I mean, you look… just…”
“Like the perfect dark romance hero?” He leaned on the counter, his arm muscles flexing. “That's because I am. A bastard. Dangerous and fucking possessive. So… who were you gawping at on the screen?”
He tapped my phone aggressively and I snatched it up.
“I was just pleased with how many people were here.” As much as I wanted to advocate for myself and stop his possessiveness, I needed to be on good terms with him tonight.
Too much could go wrong if we didn't all stay calm.
Moth twisted his head, looking over his shoulder when a couple of women giggled loudly behind him. I tried not to feel jealous when he turned and greeted them, his deep voice vibrating out of his helmet.
“Ladies,” he said, “welcome to the fantasy.”
Their eyes widened as he pointed towards the stairs. “That's the way to your worst, and best, nightmare.”
My stomach clenched and my pussy flooded. Jeez, he was just acting. The power he had over me, and over the other women apparently, was a bit too disturbing.
The women asked for a selfie before disappearing upstairs. Lydia locked the front door and waved at me, indicating that everyone had arrived. I smiled and gestured for her to go up. Yes, she was working, but it was time for her to enjoy the night too.
“I'll be up straight after you,” I said to her, glancing at Moth, who scratched his neck, right on his Moth tattoo.
Lydia went up the stairs and I went around the counter. “You better go up there,” I muttered, “just in case Brandon is already here. I saw a couple of men with masks on so you never know.”
Inclining his head, he grunted. “The others are scoping them out. Just…” He grabbed my elbow as I went to go past him. “…be extremely fucking careful.”
He reached for his visor, flipping it up.The intensity of his brown eyes spoke to me, melting my insides and whispering forbidden thoughts.
“If anything happens to me,” I said, taking his fingers and holding them, “please know that you've given me the best ride of my life. You brought me back to life, in a fucked up way.”
His eyes widened and he growled, the sound rumbling in his helmet. “Don't talk like that, Sunshine, I won't let anything happen to you. Let's just get this over with.”
Nodding, I followed him up the stairs, checking my phone for any notifications. I knew Brandon wouldn't message me direct but something made me check all the same.
My insides shook as my boots trod carefully. I had to make a speech in front of everyone, which petrified me as much as Brandon arriving. When I reached the top of the stairs, I stuck my head into the contemp room, just to make sure it was free. The lights were off and the door mostly closed. Hopefully, if Brandon did turn up, I’d be able to lure him inside.
A hand covered mine, and I almost wrenched away, my head still too full of my stalker ex. Moth's scent slipped up my nose as he drew me closer and pushed me into the clubroom.
The noise was loud, the chattering and clinking of glasses almost too much for my senses. High alert meant wired and heightened, a state I didn't dwell in well.
“You've got this.” Moth's voice gave me the courage I needed to straighten my spine and walk through the tables, over the dance floor and up onto the small stage, where the band were waiting.
Accepting the microphone from the male lead singer, I smiled a thanks and turned to the crowd. Moth was beside the stage, his visor down and his helmet facing me. No doubt he was wondering whether I'd sleep with the lead singer, who was also dressed like he'd walked out of a book. Shit, there'd be a lot of ladies with wet undies tonight.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” I started, startled by the loud boom of my voice.
Giggling nervously, I tucked my hair behind my ear and took a deep breath to try and settle my nerves. Public talking was not on the top of my bucket list, but it was my event. My dream.
“My name is Alia Brown and I'm a dark romance addict. Hands up if you are too.” Laughter rumbled around the room and almost everyone put up a hand.
“Good, I'm glad we're all here for the same reason and not just for a free eBook.”
Everyone was on my side, smiling, as far as I could see in the shadows and UV light.
“It's long been my dream to open a shop that isn't just a place to buy books,” I said, “I wanted somewhere that likeminded people could visit and stay awhile. To enjoy a coffee and cake and hopefully make friends.”
“You've achieved that!” Liona shouted, waving when people turned to look at her.
Smiling, I held the microphone in both hands to stop them from shaking. “The only issue I came up against was the freedom to share my true passion, dark romance. I mean, I'm not sure if I’ll become a target because of tonight and future events, but hopefully not. I knew that if I'd dared to have an obvious section amongst the normal books, there was a chance I'd get shut down or boycotted. So… this club was born to help us share our love of the darker side of romance.”
A cheer exploded around me and I cringed, laughing awkwardly again.
“I don't condone real life abuse of any kind,” I said and the crowd went quiet. “Too many of us have suffered at the hands of someone who didn't care enough about us. We don't read dark romance to glamorise the shit that happens in the books, but to relate to the characters who have gone through trauma. To see our stories, which are too dark for the real world, be played out in a book, can be healing for our soul.”
A slow clap started and my cheeks grew red hot. It was sad that so many people related, but everyone, to some extent, had endured trauma. Dark romance wasn’t just about the deeply scary stuff, it was the greyer stuff too.
“So,” I started to wrap it up, “with that in mind, enjoy the band, have a drink and chat all things dark romance!”
I handed the microphone to the band and stepped down, hugging Lydia when she grabbed me. Moth was by the bar, leaning on it and surveying the room. Or that’s what it looked like with his helmet moving slightly from left to right.
A couple of other masked men were in the room. Two with scream masks and two with balaclavas. Would Brandon dare to come in the same outfit he’d worn at the book convention? He was the type to not give a shit.
Going to the bar with Lydia, I accepted a drink from the bartender. He was wearing a Purge mask and no top, his muscles bunching as he shook the cocktail shaker. I turned and leaned against the bar, looking towards the men who had the black material over their faces. They were talking to others, not looking in my direction at all. Okay, Brandon was never someone who chatted to people, so I could safely rule them out.
Moth edged closer, nodding a greeting when he stood beside me. “I can’t see him.”
“You can’t?” I glanced up at him, even though I couldn’t see his face. “Would you know if he was here, though? Hiding in a mask, I mean?”
A chuckle rumbled out from his helmet as the music started up. The heavy beats and sexy rock vibe instantly charged the atmosphere. There were people laughing, studying their books or showing off their new ones to friends. Others admired the men, their gaze roaming their muscular frames until they giggled and looked away.
Ant and Spider were doing a fantastic job serving drinks in their leathers and jeans. Spider’s shaggy hair was brushing his shoulders and I heard one girl compare him to Jason Momoa. Now that she had said it, I could see it.
A gloved hand waved in front of my face and I looked back to Moth. “Sorry, I can’t hear over the music.”
He took my hand and started to pull me towards the exit. I glanced over my shoulder and gave Lydia a thumbs up before showing her two fingers, indicating that I’d be two minutes. She winked at me and gave me a thumbs up back. She’d hold the fort for me while Moth had his say.
As soon as we were in the hallway, Moth gripped my upper arm tight. “You need to concentrate instead of admiring my friends.”
The deep throb of his voice did things to me and I almost melted. Almost.
“This is not the time to be jealous,” I said, “I was merely watching the room. We need to get back in, now.”
“Have you checked your phone?” He gestured to my pocket.
Er, no I hadn’t. Which was silly because I’d promised I would do that, just in case Brandon took our hint and gave us one back. I had been convinced that he would’ve come in with the first wave of people, ready to exact revenge. The picture I’d put up of me and the men at the convention, including him, may have been a deliberate dig to antagonise him, but I knew him well enough to know he would’ve been furious.
“I’m sure there’s noth…” My sentence trailed off as a PM on Instagram popped up.
It was a picture of a masked man outside the bookshop door saying ‘Am I too late?’
“He’s outside.”
Moth took my phone, checked the message and proceeded to start down the stairs.
“Wait!” I stopped him with hand. “This isn’t part of the plan. What do we do now?”
Threading his fingers through mine, he tugged me to follow him. “We act like we’re together and that we’ve had a few drinks. We lure him in, I disappear into the men’s and you take him upstairs.”
Swallowing, I clenched his hand tightly, my boots heavy on the stairs as we descended them. Okay, so it wasn’t quite to plan, but it wouldn’t be far off. Brandon just had to take the bait and believe that we were ignorant.
“I’ve got you,” Moth muttered, suddenly bursting out in laughter as we entered the shop.
Rushing to the front door, we pretended to almost fall over. I reached for the lock, flicking it and opening it quickly. I expected the masked man – Brandon – to be there, waiting. Except, there wasn’t anyone.
“Oh,” I exclaimed, stepping outside. “He’s gone. That’s sad, I feel bad.”
I was acting and Moth picked up the game quickly. “He shouldn’t have arrived so late.”
A shuffling sound came from the alley beside the shop and I started towards it. Moth stretched out a hand, his fingers just missing me as I went to look around the corner.
Arms shot out from behind the wall, grabbing me and yanking, so quickly, I barely stayed on my feet.
Moth careened around the corner after us, his arms up and ready for a fight. Brandon’s arms were around me, holding my back to his chest as he pressed something cold against my throat.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” he muttered through the balaclava. “I’ll slit her throat wide open.”
Lifting his arms slowly, Moth pulled off his helmet. His brown gaze connected with mine and his jaw tightened.
“You made a rooky mistake,” Brandon said, nodding towards Moth. “You let the girl go first.”
My inhale was shaky as I bunched my fingers into my palms and swung back, trying to hit Brandon in the balls. He held himself away from me, dodging my feeble attempt to hurt him.
“Don’t antagonise him,” Moth snapped at me.
Pushing his face into the side of my head, Brandon laughed. Wet spittle hit my ear and I cringed, closing my eyes to try and block the fear out.
“You better listen to your boyfriend.” Brandon’s breath was heavy in my ear. “Or I might just slice your skin, just to torment him.”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Moth barked, “or I swear I will cut off each of your limbs, one by one, until only your head is left on your torso.”
A shudder rushed through me and my eyes flew open. Jeez, I knew Moth was dark, but the conviction in his threat was scary.
“Carry on.” Brandon tilted his head at Moth before whispering in my ear, “He’s actually turning me on.”
My stomach churned and I opened my mouth to tell Moth to stop. Brandon pressed the knife closer to my skin, nicking it slightly. I ignored the sting but kept quiet.
“Then I’ll let Alia put your castrated cock in your mouth, so you can give yourself a blow job.” Moth smirked. “Although, it’s probably too small to fit in your big fucking mouth.”
Brandon ground his hips into my butt and I let out a surprised gasp, trying to stretch the bottom part of my body away from him.
“Stop, Moth,” I exclaimed, “he likes it, the sick fuck.”
Moth bared his teeth and surged forward, his fingers stretched open and ready to grab me. Brandon lifted his hand into a stop motion, his sneer loud in my ear.
“Don’t be a silly boy.” Brandon released me momentarily, holding up the knife and showing the small smear of blood that was already on it.
As he replaced the blade on my neck, his other hand fiddled behind me before he pulled out a gun, pointing it towards Moth, who immediately backed up.
“You need to let him take me,” I ordered Moth.
His nostrils flared and his eyes were wide. “I swore to protect you,” he bit through his teeth. “Don’t make it hard for me to do that by playing the martyr.”
“Martyr? Alia?” Brandon snorted. “You’ve got to be joking. Her pussy is fucking hot, I get the addiction, however… she only thinks of herself.”
Moth rolled his eyes. “I’ve had that experience with her in the past.”
What the actual fuck? Were Brandon and Moth bonding over their perceived hatred of me? Surely I hadn’t just heard the words that had left their mouths? I was drunk or drugged or dreaming… wasn’t I?
“Right!” Brandon probably would’ve patted Moth’s back if he was near enough. “She entices you in, then kicks you in the balls as soon as she’s got what she wants from you. I’ll be furious if she’s given you everything she gave to me. Those games were our little secret.”
“Fuck off!” I spat, twisting my head to try and look at my captor. “You turned those games into fucking torture. There’s a big difference.”
Pressing the blade into my neck, Brandon shook me. “Don’t talk to me like that, bitch!”
A chuckle came from Moth, shocking us both into going still. I stared at the man who had rescued me, watching as he cracked his knuckles with his thumb.
“The thing is,” Moth muttered, “she is a bitch. She’s done things that made me want to kill her. Literally.”
Brandon took a breath to reply – no doubt to agree – but Moth put up a hand.
“However,” Moth went on, “you were the one who gave her karma, weren’t you?”
Nodding, Brandon hissed and replied. “Exactly. She needed to know that she couldn’t be that sexy, that fucking perfect. She had to be shown how to behave.”
Moth’s shoulders went tight, the muscles in his torso rippling when he lifted an arm to point at me. “You have pushed me to the edge, Sunshine,” he spat, “so much so, I’m debating changing my plans for you.”
The fire in his eyes spoke to me, begging me to hear him. My skin went ice cold as I froze, no longer struggling in Brandon’s hold. Moth was being devious. Was he changing our agreement? Was he going to abandon me to the cruel twisted man who would no doubt take everything from me before leaving me to die?
“It’s fine,” I called to him, my throat tight as tears threatened, “You should go. You’ve wanted to since the day I found you again.”
Rubbing a hand over his head, Moth cursed under his breath and ground his teeth together. “That’s the problem, Sunshine.”
“Stop calling her that!” Brandon sneered.
Moth smiled suddenly, the smirky grin calming his intense expression. I frowned myself, unable to understand what was going on or why Moth was acting so strange.
“I can’t leave you…” Moth pushed his balled fists into his eyes. “…and it’s fucking me up. So…” He put his arms down and looked straight into my eyes. “…I have to fucking save you, so I can keep you.”
He charged forward and I screamed as the gun next to my head discharged, except the sound wasn’t as loud as I would’ve expected. I tried to squirm out of Brandon’s grip as something slammed into Moth’s chest and he came to a stop, looking down at the feather that stuck out from his pec.
He frowned and dropped to his knees, yanking out the offending dart before collapsing.
“What the fuck have you done?” I whispered, tears escaping my eyes, “You’ve killed him!”
Thrashing around, I ignored the sting of the blade as it cut my skin. I didn’t care if he sliced my throat, it would mean that I’d be free of him and his fucked up threats.
His arms loosened and I pushed out of his grip, going to Moth and falling to my knees beside him. “Moth,” I cried, shaking him, “please, wake up.”
Brandon’s boots came into view and I looked up at him, my chest squeezing and the tears blurring my vision. “You could’ve just let him go. He would’ve eventually gone, I know he would. He lied when he said he can’t leave me. As soon as we had dealt with you, he was going to leave me alone.”
I cringed when Brandon crouched in front of me, a sick grin twisting his face. “Oh, this revelation is juicy. I can use it to my advantage.”
“What?” I swiped at my soaked cheeks and stroked Moth’s hair out of his eyes.
Before Brandon could reply, I shot to my feet and turned, ready to run and get help. Maybe I could get an ambulance to Moth, just in case he was still alive.
“Oh no you don’t!” Brandon caught me around the waist, hauling me back and spinning me around to face him.
He cupped my cheek, the freaky smile still stretching his lips. “You’re never going to get away from me. I’ve got a surprise for you, and at first, you’ll think it’s good, but you’ll soon realise that you’re living your own version of hell. You need to pay for what you’ve done to me.”
“So, you’ll get your revenge on me while I was trying to seek mine.” I hiccupped, my limbs going soft as I resigned myself to my fate.
He tilted his head to the side and looked over his shoulder at Moth, who was completely still on the ground. “Oh, I’ve only just begun. We’ll get properly started when you wake up.”
His hand jerked near my neck and I gasped when a sharp sting radiated in my shoulder. Black stars danced in front of my eyes and the last thing I saw, before the darkness overtook, was Moth’s tattooed body, bereft of life, face down in the cold.