Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
acelynn
Dosing myself with hemlock was getting easier and easier as the days went by. I was still having side effects, but they were beginning to become manageable, giving me the ability to go about my daily life without having to worry about a sudden hallucination.
But as I got better at swiping the hemlock from the basement, I was beginning to get sloppy, taking too many vials too quickly. I had counted all ten vials I had taken last night. Most of them were still completely full, but it brought me a sense of comfort just to have them.
As soon as my feet crossed the threshold of the bar, I knew something was wrong. Nolan, Vince, and Kaius were standing huddled in the hall between the bar and the back rooms. Vince was clearly upset, face red with anger as he harshly whispered toward Kaius.
I strolled over to Josie, who was restocking the straws and napkins slowly, clearly trying to catch any word from the three men.
“What’s up with them?” I asked, taking a seat in front of her.
She shrugged once. “Vince seems to think someone is stealing from us, but I checked the books. Everything is accounted for, so I don’t know what he is going on about.”
My heart sank, sickness rolling through me. Vince wasn’t talking about money from the bar being pocketed. He was discussing the hemlock, and soon enough, they would notice the missing file. I needed to return it as soon as possible.
I gulped once. “That’s odd. Everything has been adding up for me as well.”
“He gets like this sometimes.” Josie rolled her eyes. “Vince is a little neurotic when it comes to the club’s things. Money, drugs, hell, probably even sex—Vince has a tab on it.”
“Acelynn.” Kaius’s sharp voice had Josie and me both snapping our heads in his direction. He lifted one finger, beckoning me toward the group.
I stood on shaky legs, slowly walking over to where he stood. When I finally got to the group, Kaius slung an arm over my shoulder, dipping down to whisper in my ear.
“I need you to do something for me, kitten,” he purred, voice soft as silk and sending my rational thoughts right out the window.
I didn’t dare speak, afraid my voice would give me away.
Kaius smirked down at me. “I need you to go pick up a few supplies from the Excalibur tonight. I already spoke to Pierce, and he will have them pulled for you.”
“What is it?” I asked quietly. My eyes wandered over to the two other men in the circle.
Nolan had a passive look on his face, his eyes stuck, glaring at the spot above Kaius’s head.
Vince looked as if he could burn down the entire city of Lovelen with no remorse.
Eyes burning with a fire that made me want to move closer to Kaius.
If he suspected it was me who swiped his precious vials, his self-control was unmatched.
Kaius chuckled once, laying a searing kiss to the crown of my head. “Just a few bottles of alcohol Josie noticed we were out of and some paperwork I left in my office there.”
“Okay,” I breathed out.
It should be simple enough. Just drive to the nightclub the Knights owned, pick up the package, and bring it back here. There shouldn’t be any issues.
The Excalibur vibrated with music, a bass pounding through the floor like a second heartbeat.
The air was thick with the scent of sweat, spilled alcohol, and a hint of something floral.
Red and gold neon lights shone across the mass of bodies and polished wood.
I kept my head down, weaving between the bodies pressed close on the dance floor behind a security guard.
I could feel eyes watching me, some curious, others wary, but no one stopped me.
This was still the Knights’ territory—Kaius’s domain—which gave me protection, but not enough to let my guard down.
The security guard rapped his fist against the plain black door in the back, the metal “MANAGER’S OFFICE” sign rattling as he went.
A voice inside beckoned us in. The man in front of me pushed the door open, one hand gesturing for me to go in first. I stepped inside the small office, freezing at the sight before me.
A woman was bent over the dark desk, cheek pressed into the wood.
A large red ball gag protruded from her mouth, and drool pooled out the side onto the surface below her.
A man stood behind her, dick slamming in and out of her.
The movement looked painful as he rammed her hips into the desk.
One hand was tangled in her dark hair, red streaks woven between his fingertips.
She moaned. It was loud, even through the gag.
He ripped her head back, causing her to arch into him.
Her eyes met mine, but I knew she wasn’t truly seeing me, mind too high on pleasure to notice me.
The man, whom I assumed was Pierce, picked up his pace, thrusts becoming sloppy as he neared his release.
I couldn’t look away, my eyes staring at how they met each other roughly.
My mind wandered to how I would look in the same position with Kaius, how he would make me scream for him under the gag, the pleasure that would rock through me.
With one final shove, the man groaned as he came, but it was cut off by the shrill wail of the girl.
Pulling himself out of her, he laid one slap against her ass, grinning at how the skin bloomed red. The gagged girl whimpered as he spoke to her. “You’re such a good whore for me. Now don’t move while I talk to Kaius’s new pet.”
The praise had my cheeks flaming red. Would Kaius do the same for me?
I don’t even know why the thought crossed my mind.
I wasn’t going to let Kaius fuck me, not like that.
But the thrill of the idea did make heat pool in my core.
The sound of Pierce zipping up his pants had my attention back to him.
“Acelynn,” Pierce greeted me, a sadistic smile pulling at his lips.
He was the kind of man who commanded attention without even a second thought.
Dark hair slicked back just enough to reveal his sharply defined features.
His high cheekbones and strong jaw were dusted with perfectly maintained scruff.
Even with a smile, his lips appeared like they held a secret or two.
I was almost taken aback by the piercing shade of pale blue eyes that almost appeared gray in some lights.
Pierce was wearing a simple dark T-shirt that clung to his broad shoulders and toned chest. Creeping out the top and sleeves was dark ink that covered most of his tanned skin.
I had to stop myself from admiring how perfectly his jeans hugged his hips.
Pierce cleared his throat, and my eyes snapped back to his. “You here for the delivery?”
I squared my shoulders, letting my face show the annoyance I was suddenly feeling for this man. He got off on humiliating women, it appeared, and I wasn’t going to act like I was okay with that. “No, I thought I would take my turn next.”
He barked out a laugh, waving a finger at me. “Not a chance. Kaius would have my balls pinned and framed on the bar wall if I even thought about touching you.”
“Kaius doesn’t own me,” I sneered at him.
“Maybe not yet.” Pierce winked at me, his knuckles grazing the spine of the dark-haired girl.
Now that I was getting a good look at her, she reminded me of Josie, without the tattoos. If this girl dyed her red streaks blue, she would almost be the spitting image of her.
Pierce continued, “But you will soon be begging him to tame you. They always do.”
“Just give me the package.” I thrust my hand out to him. Pierce moved smoothly, dipping below the girl’s legs and reappearing with a small brown box. It didn’t look big enough to hold the items Kaius had requested of him. “That’s not what he wanted.”
“I can assure you, it is.” His voice was low and cautious. He slid the item across the desk. I stepped forward, ignoring the girl as I picked up the box. It was slightly heavier than expected, wrapped tight, the edges sharp and unforgiving beneath my finger.
“Best not to linger with that in your possession.” Pierce’s eyes flicked toward the door. “Take the employee exit just down the hall. It lets you out the back, quieter, and less chance of being seen.”
I didn’t argue. The music faded as I quickly exited and made my way out the door and down the narrow service corridor. The muffled sounds of the crowd and laughter shrank to a dull thrum, replaced by the echo of my own footsteps on cold concrete.
Pushing open the employee exit, I was hit by the hot, dry night air.
There were a few random people milling about, passing around a cigarette, and chatting about the current crowd filling the club.
I turned, moving quickly toward where the alley led out onto the main road.
Then came the familiar voice, but it was low, sharp, and too tense to be the one I spoke to daily.
I froze in the shadows near a stack of empty wooden liquor crates. My eyes squinted in the dim streetlights’ glow, one of them flickering overhead. But even in the darkness, I would recognize her.
Astoria.
She stood with her back partly turned, speaking to a man whose face was swallowed by the darkness, and a hood pulled over her head.
Their bodies were rigid, their movements tight and clipped, like a dance neither of them wanted to perform but were being forced into.
I stepped closer, careful to keep my breathing quiet.
From where I stood, I could only hear fragments of their conversation.
“Not here. You can’t just—” Astoria’s voice was harsh, but the man interrupted her with a firm shake of his head.
Then, as if she could sense my presence, Astoria glanced sharply over her shoulder.
Our eyes locked, and in that instant, something cold and dangerous sparked between us.
Like for the first time, she saw who I really was.
Her expression hardened into steel. The man shifted, as if ready to step around her, but she blocked his path effortlessly, her stance unyielding.
“Go inside,” Astoria commanded. “Now.”
I was frozen, unable to run. My hands clenched around the cardboard box, pulling it closer to my chest. She took a step toward me, her heels clicking sharply against the pavement. The scent of her heavy perfume washed over me, suffocating and intoxicating all at once.
“Acelynn…” Astoria shot me a sickening smile. Voice smooth, but there was a thread of a threat mixed within. “You didn’t see anything. You didn’t hear anything. And you are not going to mention this to my brother or Nolan.”
I raised an eyebrow, daring her. “Or what?”
A slow, cruel smile curved at her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Her breath was warm against my cheek as she leaned in closer to speak. “Or I will tell Kaius about the Polaroid I found under your driver’s seat.”
My stomach tightened, a cold twist coiling inside me. But I forced my face to stay calm, refusing to give anything away. Astoria watched me like a predator sizing up her prey. Then she stepped back, brushing past me toward the door.
She tossed a dark look over her shoulder. “Such a good girl for her Knight. Wouldn’t want to ruin that with our little secret.”
Then she disappeared through the back door. I clutched the package tighter, its weight suddenly unbearable, as if it contained something nefarious. And honestly, it might.
The night had shifted, darker and heavier now. And I was caught in the middle of something far bigger than was brewing in the shadows of the night.