44. Forty-Four
44
FORTY-FOUR
ARCHER
M y fingers drummed impatiently on the doorframe as we waited for Haven to return from work. Kai was just as anxious as I was, pacing back and forth in the hallway. We both knew it was a risk being here together at her apartment, but every minute that passed meant Mila was still alone with that bastard, and who knows what he was doing to her.
We were on high alert, our hands hovering over the guns concealed in our waistbands as we heard the elevator ding. As the doors slid open, Haven emerged, and her eyes widened at the sight of us. She hastened her pace to reach us quickly.
“What are you guys doing here?”
“I called you,” Kai told her.
“You can’t be here right now,” she said, her voice panicked as she quickly pulled out her keys and unlocked her door.
“We need to talk,” I told her.
“Alex is on his way up right now,” she told us as she ushered us inside her apartment, slamming the door shut and throwing her things on the ground. Pushing us towards her bedroom, she opened her closet door and shoved us inside. “Stay in here and keep quiet. Whatever thoughts you have in your head, forget about it. If you try anything, Mila is as good as dead. Don’t come out, no matter what you see or hear. Got it?”
“Got it,” I agreed, my fists clenched.
Her green eyes darkened with worry as she looked at Kai.
“Fine. I got it,” Kai finally said.
She closed the door, and we both moved to it to peer through the slats. Muffled voices sounded in the next room, and I strained to listen as the voices came closer.
“I’m tired, Alex. Just take the money and go.”
There was a loud crash and some grunting outside the room, and then Alexander appeared, dragging Haven by the throat into her bedroom. He threw her onto the bed and held her down, choking her.
“When I tell you to do something, you do it,” he screamed in her face.
Kai moved toward the door, and I grabbed his arm. He looked back at me, his expression murderous. I shook my head at him and put a finger to my lips to remind him to stay quiet. Kai gritted his teeth, the muscles in his jaw clenching as he nodded but moved back to the door to stand watch.
“Alex, pl-please stop. I can’t breathe,” Haven cried out, trying to rip his hands from her throat.
He released his grip, and she gasped for air, coughing as she lay on her side, taking big gulps of air and rubbing her throat.
“I don’t know why you always test me, baby. You know I have a temper, and you always push me,” Alexander said, sitting next to her and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You know I love you so much, and sometimes it just makes me so crazy.”
She looked at him, her chest rising rapidly and tears filling her eyes.
“Do you have anything to say to me?”
“I’m sorry,” she forced out, her eyes full of rage.
“That’s my good girl,” he gripped her cheek tight between his fingers and pulled her face to his, forcing her to kiss him. He pushed off of the bed and stood at the edge, unbuttoning his pants and pulling out his cock. “Now, get on your knees and apologize like you mean it.”
Haven remained frozen for a few moments before slowly sliding off the bed and kneeling down. I averted my eyes as she began to perform oral sex on him. Kai reached for the door, but she gave him a stern look and shook her head. In a panic, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the closet, closing the door quietly. I had never seen this side of him—anger radiating from him in waves. If it were Mila on her knees, I would destroy Alexander, and to have to watch him take advantage of his own sister was difficult.
We were silent as we listened to the sounds Alexander made as he moaned and cooed to her. Kai’s face was contorted with anger and anguish, but he kept his composure. I put my hand on his shoulder, and he held my gaze for a moment, silently communicating his thoughts. I knew the look in his eyes. I felt the pain he felt as he watched the girl he cared for being forced to pleasure Alexander, and he was powerless to help her, all because helping Haven meant putting Mila, the love of my life, in danger. The forced intimacy, the humiliation, the violence—in our world, power dynamics were important, but there was a line that must never be crossed. Alexander followed no code but his own. He took advantage of everyone, no matter their relation to him. Our anger rose with each moan and whimper we heard, staying silent in the closet. Haven was being punished for daring to challenge his authority. But she still took it, all because she wanted out. And the only way she felt she could get out was by helping her brother’s enemies.
Alexander Benson was a dead man walking.
“That’s it, you filthy whore. Wrap those lips around my dick and make me come.” Alexander growled, gripping the back of her head and forcing himself deeper into her throat. She gagged and choked as he came inside of her mouth. “Swallow my cum, Haven.”
She did as she was told, forcing herself to swallow, wiping away the tears streaming down her face as he pulled out and zipped up his pants. Staying on her knees, she kept her eyes downcast.
“I’ll see you in a couple of days, baby sister. Thank you for being my favorite fuck toy,” he sneered, kissing the top of her head before leaving the room with a satisfied smirk.
We stood in tense silence, listening to his footsteps fade away, and the door clicked shut before we finally risked opening the door. Giving Kai a silent nod, I motioned for him to check on Haven while I made sure he was truly gone. Every movement I made was deliberate and quiet as I cautiously moved through her apartment, checking every room before arriving at the front door. With a quick twist of the lock, I sealed us safely inside.
Returning to her bedroom, Kai was sitting on her bed, his expression unreadable. The sound of the shower behind her closed bathroom door caught my attention.
“Why don’t we wait for her in the living room?” I suggested.
Kai's eyes met mine, and I could see the guilt in them. He stood up and took a deep breath before pushing past me. I followed closely behind him, settling on the leather recliner in her living room. Kai sat on the couch across from me, staring into nothingness. We sat silently for what felt like an eternity before Haven emerged from her bedroom. She was dressed in a black t-shirt and matching shorts, her green eyes swollen and red, her cheeks raw and devoid of makeup as if she had scrubbed away every trace of Alexander from her skin.
She sat on the opposite end of the couch from Kai and wrapped herself in the dark gray couch blanket, picking at some loose strings before speaking.
“I changed my mind,” she said, her voice raw and weak.
We both looked at her in confusion. I might never see Mila again if she backed out of helping us.
“I don’t want to watch you burn him alive,” she paused and looked up at me. “I want to hold the goddamn match.”