Drayton
Quinton never listened. He never followed rules.
I should have known after he appeared in the signing room long enough to check my status that he’d be watching my back to make sure one of Bastian’s guards didn’t get to me.
And they wouldn’t, because after my team took out the guards, he’d raced down my intended path to make sure no one had come back, allowing my escape to go off flawlessly.
Just as we’d planned, my SUV was waiting.
My old friend, Elec, promised when we went over my revenge that I’d have a cabin secured.
We were about to find out. The small space would work until it was time to take Marian to my own underground hell.
But that would come later. There were too many factors still in the works.
Until I knew our plans would go down flawlessly, Marian and I couldn’t leave.
Not completely. But she would suffer while we waited. I’d make sure of it.
Glancing over, I saw Marian’s face brighten from the light breaking through the thick trees above. She was still out, breathing deeply in the reclined seat. To have her so close. I couldn’t believe the time had finally come. And it was all thanks to my friend, Elec. My old friend. My new friend.
Friend.
Yes, I suppose we were friends again. We weren’t for a very long time.
That was thanks to me. To my anger and my hatred for what Melissa LaRoe had done to me and my family.
But hadn’t Elec told me just yesterday about the case coming out against her?
She’d been his mentor, his boss. What she’d done to him. To others, higher up than him…
I swallowed hard. As a psychologist and an FBI profiler, Elec had gotten it worse than me, and he’d secretly killed the LaRoe family because of it.
Not that the shadow part of the government he was tied to didn’t know what he’d done…
they did, but they allowed it. Striking the deal to work with corrupt FBI agents to blackmail those in Hollywood was a small price to pay for my own revenge of Marian.
But with that revenge came Elec’s rules.
Also, our circle’s rules. The LaRoe name had to end.
It was either Marian die with the others, get sold into the system where anything could happen, or merge our lines.
Her fate rested in my hands. I couldn’t let her become a statistic.
Not when I’d waited so long to finally get her back.
It was too good to be true. I could have her, and I could make her pay.
But to make her mine, we had to marry. We had to produce an heir.
But what exactly did I want for her in the long run?
Revenge was simple. Sadism came easily enough.
Love, although evilly tainted, was already there.
Our future was certain, but my impatience to see what it held ruled me, and that could ruin my bargain with Elec in the end. He had rules, and I had to follow them.
Licking my lips, I held to the steering wheel tighter, using my free hand to make a path down her cheek.
My fingertips barely touched her soft skin.
It was almost as if she wasn’t even here.
But I needed to know she was. I’d go crazy if I didn’t somehow convince myself that she’d never escape me again.
More, I added pressure, cupping my palm to her cheek as I ran my thumb over her full lips.
They parted at my force, but there was no reaction on her part.
She was still unconscious from the shot.
More, I moved my digit into her mouth, past her bottom teeth to touch her tongue.
I pressed down, letting the edges and points of her teeth bite into the pad of my thumb.
It did nothing for the beast going crazy inside of me.
More. Yes. I needed so much more than this.
My jaw flexed repeatedly as I brought both hands back to the steering wheel.
How long had I been driving? Minutes? Hours?
I never wanted this to end, which left me greedy to swallow our situation whole.
I wanted to disappear in our moment. To cling to it for an eternity.
I didn’t have to fear losing her anymore.
Yet, I did, for reasons I couldn’t think about.
She was mine. Marian. Was. Mine. If I kept telling myself that, would I eventually believe it?
This didn’t seem real. It was too good to be true.
Maybe after being in hell so long, the smallest amount of justice tasted like heaven.
And this must be heaven because I had everything I’d ever wanted.
Her parents were dead. Marian would be my wife.
She’d be the mother of my children. And I was the heir again.
My pulse hit hard.
Yes…
I was the fucking Pennington heir, and soon everyone would know it.
They’d be reminded of their insults to me and my family.
I’d relish in shoving my fist down their fucking throats.
Every single family who turned their backs on us would choke on their words, and me…
I’d take their groveling and deals for all it was worth.
The Pennington name used to mean something in our circle.
It was time people remembered how we got our reputation in the first place.
Light once again flashed through the vehicle, and I let the random strobing of bright color put me in a trance as my thoughts consumed me.
More minutes. Torturous minutes. No music.
No talking. When I wasn’t focused on my plans, I was listening to the sweet breaths I now controlled.
The exhales were slow, but they didn’t stay that way.
Marian’s breath caught, and her body jerked as a small whimper escaped.
Still, she slept, but she wouldn’t for long.
I stayed focused, looking out for the turn through the thick foliage.
It came out of nowhere, just as Elec told me it would.
I took it, seeing the cabin in better condition than I imagined.
The color of the wood covering it was almost just as dark as the surroundings, but the two windows in the front were painted with a white trim, and the small porch almost looked new.
There was even a tall welcome sign next to the door and hanging potted flowers along the trim.
How they were even alive without much light was beyond me, but they appeared to be maintained which told me whomever lived here frequented the place often. Or… they wanted it to appear that way.
I pulled in, grabbing the mask Quinton had handed me before I’d taken off running.
I hated masks. It had been bad enough parading around as someone other than myself during the signing, but I couldn’t keep that costume on for long.
It was too confining. Too hot. And besides, this movie mask fit the narrative I was following concerning Penny.
I didn’t have a choice. I had one more shot to give Marian, and I didn’t want to use it unless I had to.
Timing was everything, and the rules were mine.
Putting the SUV in park, I put my gun at the back of my waistline, sliding on the mask.
My hands trembled as I turned off the ignition, but not for reasons I could even process.
I had so many emotions. They ranged from hate to excitement, and they drove me to shove open the back door.
I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder as I headed to the passenger side.
Marian was dead weight as I took her in my arms and headed for the room.
The knob was unlocked, and I smiled as I turned and pushed the barrier open.
I flipped on the light, deadbolting the door behind me.
The fact that it was an electric lock had my brow slightly furrowing.
Even bolted… it was never truly secure. Not if Elec or the FBI wanted in.
That gave me pause. What did they use this place for? I didn’t think I wanted to know.
I took a few steps in. No living room. All business, and it was set up perfectly just for me.
The windows were covered, and a queen-sized bed rested along the back wall with cuffs already attached.
I headed forward, lowering her and watching her pale blonde hair splay out across the pillow.
That wasn’t going to work for me. I needed her back natural.
I wanted the red. I needed her just as she’d been when she had said those words to my parents.
A soft slur sounded. I reached up, pulling her shirt free and removing her shoes and jeans.
I couldn’t help but bite my bottom lip as I turned her, unfastening her bra.
As I dropped it to the floor, my pulse thudded even harder.
Next came her panties. Peeling them past her hips…
lower… to her thighs, I ate up every inch with my eyes.
How many times had I fantasized about our past? Every night? Twice a day?
“P… ny.”
Her voice was barely audible as I dropped the panties to the floor.
I took the blindfold from my pocket and put it on her.
Reaching behind her neck with one hand and behind the inside of her knee with the other, I lifted, moving her more on the pillow.
And I left her spread open as I secured the cuffs.
I took off the mask and walked outside the door, leaving it cracked as I hit Elec’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“I’m here. I have her.”
“Perfect. Does she know it’s you yet?”
“No, she’s still out. I put on the mask until I could get on her blindfold. She won’t know it’s me for a while.”
“There’s food in the fridge. Until we get everything aligned with the next stage, I’ll make sure you’re brought anything you need. Just let me know.”
“Hair dye. Her natural color. I need that.”
“You’ll get it by tonight.”
“Thanks.” I paused. “How long before you have the answers on where Marian stood that night? You told me to be cautious in my revenge, that a lot of evidence is coming out about her mother. What does that mean?”