Chapter 9 Everett #2
I lick my lips, a silent invitation, as I reach into the pocket of my hoodie. I’ve been prepared for this very moment since he walked into the cathedral with Haidyn to collect their prisoner. I knew he’d make his move, and I vowed to be ready.
Closing my eyes, I let him kiss me. I expect him to be rough and needy, but instead, it’s slow and savory. My hips push into his, and I moan into his mouth as my pussy throbs.
It’s a natural reaction.
He must drop his cigarette onto the ground, because his other hand cups my face as well, and he deepens the kiss, taking my breath away. His tongue dances with mine, and I follow his lead, letting him have control.
I push back the urge to wrap my arms around his neck and instead grip the object in my hoodie before I remove it. My free hand scrapes his scalp, and he moans into my mouth. It’s a shock straight to my pussy, making it tingle.
No. No. No. No, my head screams. Not this again. I will not go back to the old me. I will not let him drag me back to the hell I crawled my way out of.
Opening my eyes, I see his are closed. Ignoring my racing heart, I silently count to three before I yank his head back by his hair, separating our lips, and stab the tip of the syringe into his neck, emptying the contents before yanking it out.
I step back, and one of his hands falls to his side while the other slaps his neck, as if killing a bug that just bit him. “Wh-what?”
“You look unwell.” I step closer to him.
“Eve…” He blinks rapidly.
“I’ve known you’ve been following me, Kash. And like an idiotic man, you took the bait.” I smile, the feeling of control he had over me fading away fast.
He falls to his knees, his body rocking back and forth.
“As much as I love watching a man crumble, I must be going.”
He gives a rough laugh as he leans over with his hands now on the ground. “I’ll…be seeing you soon, angel,” he whispers.
I crouch down, pick his cigarette up off the dirty ground, and take a hit myself before I blow smoke in his face. “No, you won’t,” I say, and he gives another rough laugh. “Stop following me, Kashton. This will be your only warning.”
He blinks rapidly, fighting the sedative, but it’s inevitable. When his eyelids finally fall, so does his body—face down onto the ground. I walk over to my bag, unzip it, and get what I want. Then I grab the hem of his hoodie, pushing the thick material to his neck, exposing his inked back.
KASHTON
I blink, groaning at the harsh sun beating down on me while the side of my face is buried in dirt. My mouth feels like sandpaper. “Fuucckkk.” I roll over onto my back and something sharp pinches between my shoulder blades.
Sitting up slowly, I reach over my head and slide my hand into my hoodie, feeling around for the pesky sting. There’s something there… I wrap my fingers around it and yank. Bringing it before my face, I blink a few times to clear the haze in my vision, leaning back against the tree.
It’s a ripped piece of paper that I wrinkled. I try to flatten it out the best I can, running my fingers over it to see there are seven words written in red ink.
I chuckle. My future wife has a sense of humor. It’s adorable.
Getting to my feet, I stumble, making my way down the hill and toward my car that’s parked in front of the cathedral, spitting out the foul taste that lingers in my mouth a few times.
I get to Carnage and park in the circle drive before dragging my ass into the building and up to the office.
Saint and Haidyn both look up at me. Saint opens his mouth as if he’s going to continue our argument from the basement, but then he closes his lips, frowning. “What the fuck happened to you?” he asks instead.
Haidyn sits back in his seat. “Looks like you slept outside.” His eyes sweep over the dirt, leaves, and stains on my jeans. “This have to do with you and Sin?”
I ignore that. One thing at a time, and right now it’s Eve.
“Where have you been?” Saint goes on at my silence. “We’ve been calling you.”
I had my cell off. My girl deserved my undivided attention. “The cemetery.” If they were so worried about me, they could have checked my tracker.
“Did you fuck in a grave?” They both laugh at Saint’s joke.
I grunt and reach over my head, yanking my hoodie off. Then do the same with my T-shirt. “Is there a tick on my back?” I ask, my voice still thick from the sedative. Fuck, I’m dying of thirst. “Something is biting me.” I face away from them so they can take a look.
“What the fuck?” Saint wonders.
“What is it?” I look at them over my shoulder. “Spider bite?” Who knows what the fuck crawled all over me while I lay there on the ground, passed out.
They both ignore me while Haidyn reaches into his pocket and removes his pocketknife. He slaps it open. “Lean over your desk,” he orders.
“What?”
Saint presses on the back of my neck, shoving me over the side of my desk.
I’m too weak from whatever that shit was Eve gave me to fight him.
I know it was a sedative. I’m just wondering how she got a hold of it and why the fuck she had it on her.
I highly doubt she sedates her victims before she kills them.
A woman like that enjoys the rush. She wants her victims to be awake and look her in the eye when she takes their lives.
Haidyn starts counting. “Three…”
“What the fuck, man?”
“Two…” He yanks something out of my back. Saint lets go of me, and I jump up, spinning around to rub the sensitive spot.
“It’s…a staple? Looks like one we use in the basement when we need to put someone back together after we’re done playing.” Haidyn holds the bloody metal in front of my face. “Why the fuck was this in your back?”
I chuckle. “I’m guessing it was what kept this in place.” I pull the wrinkled note out of my jeans pocket and hold it out to them.
Haidyn takes it and frowns, reading it. “Don’t fuck with me. I fuck back.”
I fall into my chair, lean back, and toss my muddy boots onto my desk. Chunks fall onto the surface.
“Is this some new kink you’re trying out?” Saint asks.
“Maybe.” I shrug. “If that’s what she’s into.”
“Who?” Haidyn says.
Saint rolls his eyes. “Of course you were out all night with a woman. What does she look like?” He glances over my disheveled hair, dirty jeans, and smiling face. “She’s not buried alive in a casket right now, is she? Do we need to dig her out before she dies due to lack of oxygen?”
“Most likely chained in the basement.” Haidyn chuckles.
“Not yet.” I smile. The chase is half the fun, and something tells me my girl is going to put up one hell of a fight. But I’ll win. She will belong to me forever.
I spent most of the day lying in bed, sleeping off the drugs, which pretty much made me useless. I was exhausted, but the IV Devin gave me has helped immensely. Always nice to have a doctor around.
Tonight, I want to go out. Get away from Saint and Haidyn. I’m still not in the mood to talk to them. I ride around town for a couple of hours until I find myself at Blackout.
I walk into Tyson’s office and see Sin sitting on the couch. I knew he was here because I saw his bike in the parking lot.
His blue eyes meet mine, and his still bruised face tightens. “I have to run, Ty,” he says, getting to his feet.
Ryat silently watches the exchange, noticing Sin’s change of mood.
Tyson frowns. “You just got here.”
“Yeah, well, something came up,” he lies, pulling Tyson in for a handshake hug.
“Okay. I’ll see you later,” Tyson tells him as he exits.
I go to follow when Ty speaks to me. “Don’t make a scene in my club,” he warns, knowing something is going on between us.
Ignoring him, I exit his office. The elevator is already closing, so I rush down the stairs and out the back door. “Sin?” I call out, seeing him headed to his R1. “Easton Bradley Sinnett,” I yell, like I’m hollering at my unruly son. It does the trick.
“What the fuck do you want, Kashton?” he barks, turning to face me.
“I want to talk to you.” I place my hands in the pockets of my jeans, showing him I’m not a threat. I’m not in the mood to fight him.
“I heard all I needed to hear, and I said all I needed to say.”
“We would never rat you out,” I assure him.
“We?” he growls.
Fuck.
“Who all fucking knows?” he demands.
I rub the back of my neck but won’t lie to him. “Me, Haidyn, and Saint.” He already knows Bill is aware because he made the deal with Adam.
“Goddammit. Just fucking great.” He gives a humorless laugh.
“Nothing will happen—”
“You can’t fucking make that promise,” he interrupts me. “And you can’t protect Elli if someone talks.”
“Move into Carnage.”
He snorts.
“I’m serious,” I say. “We can protect both of you there.”
He shakes his head. “Yesterday I took my wife shopping. We picked out paint for the babies’ rooms. Afterward, I took her out to lunch.
She finally has the life she deserves. She’s a different person…
happy. And I can’t—I won’t—take that from her.
I will not force her to hide…to live a life like he had in hopes of survival.
Plus, he could be on the run for another fifty years. ”
“You’re right.” I hate admitting that Adam may never be free again. “But I can protect Ellington if something happens to you.”
“No. You can’t,” he argues. “If I’m dead, she’s regifted—”
“Make me her guardian.” I’m Charlotte’s guardian, but there’s no limit to how many brothers can leave me in charge of their wives after they die.
“What the fuck, Kashton?” he barks. “No!”
“It’s not like that.” I sigh. Sin would die before he willingly let another man touch his wife—romantically or to harm her.
“I’m not a fucking Spade brother.” He gives me his back, heading to his bike once again, our conversation over.
I step forward, and my question makes him pause. “What if I can make you one?”
The number of seconds that pass has me thinking I’ve gotten through to him. And then, finally, he shakes his head. “No. I won’t take that chance with her. Even if I could, it would make her invisible. The world would assume she’s dead.”
“What’s better, Sin, huh? The world thinking she no longer exists, or the Lords regifting her to another Lord who passes her around to his friends? And what about the babies—”
His fist connects with my face before I even know he’s turned around. I wouldn’t fight him anyway. I owe him for what I did when I thought he helped take Adam from us.
“Fuck you, Kash,” he shouts, his fists slamming into my chest, knocking me back even farther. “Stay away from me and stay the fuck away from my wife.” With that, he gets on his bike, starts it up, revs his engine, and tears out of the parking lot, leaving a fresh black mark.
I make my way back up to Tyson’s office, and when I enter, their chatter comes to an abrupt stop.
My eyes go to the TV that hangs on the wall, and I see they’ve got the cameras showing the back parking lot without audio.
I look at Ryat, and he smirks as Tyson tosses him a hundred-dollar bill.
“I bet Ty that Sin would be the first to throw a punch. The fact that you didn’t hit back tells me you deserved it. ”