Chapter 11 Everett
ELEVEN
EVERETT
“Lullaby” by Niykee Heaton blares from the speaker that I have sitting on the floor by the stairs that lead up to the balcony.
The song carries through the large cathedral as I stand next to the Lords’ altar, taking my time on the guy who lies on it. His arms are tied above his head, and his legs are spread wide.
He’s sobbing behind his gag while I thread the needle through his ashen skin. He’s lost a lot of blood from the razor blades. The Lords did a number on him tonight.
I find it ironic that they torture themselves. Maybe they’ll eventually kill all the Lords off.
A few times, I’ve thought about setting the place on fire while they have a confessional.
If I locked all the exits, I could probably kill over a hundred at once.
Including myself. But every time I think about it, I tell myself to wait.
Another time, another day. Why settle for a hundred when you can kill a hundred and one? I just need the right opportunity.
The sound of the double doors creaking lets me know someone is here. I don’t bother looking up, but the naked Lord starts screaming into his gag as if they’ve returned to cut on him again. Demanding more blood in payment.
I tie off the thread and cut it before setting aside the needle and scissors.
Looking up, I see a Lord sitting in the front pew. He’s leaning back, arms spread wide and a smirk on his handsome face. I remove the bloody gloves from my hands and pause the song before I speak. “Two visits in the same week. Why am I all of a sudden so unlucky?”
Kashton’s smile grows. “Angel.” He winks at me, and I want to shove my needle and thread through his lips and sew his mouth shut so he can’t call me that ever again.
“Come back for more drugs?” I tease.
“Careful, Eve. Fool me once… Next time, you’ll be the one drugged.” His eyes lazily look over my body. “But I won’t leave you all alone. When you wake up, you’ll be naked and hog-tied.”
I almost trip off the side of my heels but manage to stay upright. That’s what he wants. To see me kneel for him. “What do you want, Kash?” I walk around the altar, ignoring the sobbing Lord, and come to stand in front of Kashton. I pop a hip out and place my hands on them.
His blue eyes drop to my heeled lace-up ankle boots and slowly run up over my fishnet tights and miniskirt before lingering on the black halter that has my breasts shoved up to my neck.
He tilts his head to the side, looking over my high pony before meeting my gaze.
I try to look unfazed, but my body is tingling.
“Look at me, Eve. Eyes on mine…fuck, you’re goddamn perfect.”
It was like he knew what I needed to hear. I hadn’t felt like that with a man…not willingly, anyway. And it was just his fingers. I’d had a few drinks that night, but I wasn’t on any drugs. There was no reason for me to be that worked up for him.
His face grows serious and his eyes dart to the naked Lord behind me. “May we speak in private?”
I give a rough laugh. “You’ll have to try harder than that to get me alone.”
He stands, and I have to look up at him through my lashes. Even with my boots on, he’s still quite a bit taller than me.
“It’s important, Everett.” He places his hands inside his hoodie.
As far as I know, he’s only ever known me as Eve. How does he know my name is Everett? I get a sickening feeling in my gut. “Sure,” I say and walk toward the side door.
He beats me to it and holds it open. “Ladies first.”
I want to roll my eyes but instead mumble a thank you and enter the hallway.
He follows me to the office where he again opens the door for me.
Once we enter, I whirl around on him. “What’s so important that you’re here at three in the morning, Kashton?
” Not like the Lord tied and gagged on the altar is going to tell anyone his secret.
Kashton unzips his backpack and tosses something onto the desk.
I pick it up and stiffen when I see what it is. “Where did you get this?” It’s a picture of the dead woman I found.
“Do you know Tyson Crawford?”
Of course I know of him. “He owns Blackout.” We’re not friends or anything, and he has no idea who I am.
Kashton nods, sitting on the couch. “He has a deal with a detective. We had a meeting earlier this evening, and everyone there was given these reports.” My eyes meet his. “And your name was mentioned.”
Well that explains Everett. I frown. “What do you mean my name was mentioned?”
“He announced to the room that Everett Sinclair found the body that was dumped in the cemetery behind the cathedral.”
Fuck! Since when do the cops work with the Lords? I try to calm my breathing so he doesn’t see I’m now on alert. Does this have to do with the phone call I made after I received that text? Surely those aren’t connected to the body I found.
He leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Tell me everything you know about her.”
I give a rough laugh and toss the papers next to him on the couch. “I know nothing.”
“Bullshit.” He stands and I take a step back.
“Whoever did this to her carved You’re next into her back, then dumped her in the middle of an abandoned cemetery that you seem to visit.
A lot. I mean, sure, you can call that a coincidence, but…
I don’t believe in those.” His eyes hold mine when he adds.
“And she just so happened to be left on the very same grave I see you sit at.”
I knew it was a sign, but this confirms it. “What are you implying?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“That warning is for you,” he says matter-of-factly.
I swallow nervously. “It’s not—”
“What do you know about Dollhouse?” he interrupts me.
“Nothing.”
His hand reaches out and wraps around my neck so quickly I don’t have time to react before he’s yanking me toward him.
“Kash—”
He cuts off my air, and my hands grip his tatted arms to try and rip free with no success because of the sleeves of his hoodie.
His blue eyes darken as they search mine.
“I can’t help you if you lie to me, angel.
So I’m going to ask you one…last…time…” He lets go, shoving me backward, and my ass hits the desk, making it rattle. “What do you know about Dollhouse?”
I rub my sore neck, taking a deep breath. “I know it hasn’t been in operation for several years.”
He frowns. “Not true.”
I snort. “You calling me a liar?”
He nods. “I am.”
I huff, looking away from him, unable to meet his stare as I lie. “No one has been there in a long time.”
“How much do you know about Isabella?” he questions.
“I don’t—”
“I did meet you at her party.” He’s referring to the night on her and her husband’s mega yacht. When I let this monster touch me. “The man I killed was paying you—”
“He was going to rape me,” I correct him through gritted teeth.
He tilts his head to the side. “Someone was getting paid for it. So he was either your job or you were his whore. Which was it?”
My pulse races. “My life is none of your business, Kash.” I will not let him know about my past. That will open too many doors for him.
“Were you one of her dolls?”
My knees threaten to buckle at his question, and it makes me want to vomit. “You’re going to be such a pretty dolly.”
He goes on, stepping closer to me. “Maybe you were a prisoner of Dollhouse, and she was pimping you out that night?” He reaches out and runs his hand through my ponytail. “A beautiful whore, wrapped in silk. Who wouldn’t want to fuck you, Eve?”
“You don’t know anything about me,” I say through gritted teeth. Breathe, Eve. Get your shit together.
“I know that the moment I saved you, you threw yourself at me like a drunk woman on a Saturday night.” He smirks. “You wanted to repay me…and like a good whore, you spread your legs for me—”
I slap him across the face so hard my hand instantly stings. “How dare you.”
He grips my throat again and tosses me onto the couch. Straddling my hips, he pins me down, giving him the advantage. I slap at his face, but he stretches his arm out, and I’m unable to make contact with his reach. I yank on his hoodie, but it doesn’t do any good.
“Let me tell you something, angel.” His eyes are soft, but his words are as hard as the muscular body he’s holding me down with. “A room full of Lords think you’re part of the problem. And if I don’t bring them answers, they’ll come after you for them. Do you understand that?”
My lungs burn, and I squirm in his grip, trying to get a breath. Where are my drugs when I need them? I try and buck my hips, but it does no good. All of his weight is pinning me to the leather cushions.
Panic grips my chest, and my face throbs from the lack of oxygen. I kick my legs, the heels of my boots digging into the couch, and try to twist and turn to get a breath, but it does no good.
His hand tightens more on my throat while he lifts his hips off my waist, and his free hand shoves my miniskirt up before gripping my fishnets and ripping them.
His eyes scan my exposed thigh before he does the same to the other.
Once he’s done looking at them, he places his weight back on them and his eyes find mine.
My vision is fading in and out as my eyes grow heavy.
“These Lords have wives, babies on the way. And I promise, they won’t think twice about dangling you as bait to make sure that their families go untouched.” Letting go of my neck, he gets off me, and I roll off the edge of the couch, landing on my side, coughing and sputtering.
As I get to my hands and knees, he crouches in front of me and cups my chin, forcing my watery eyes up to his. His free hand gently pushes away the loose strands of hair that fell from my ponytail during our fight. “I’m the only ally you have right now, Eve. I can protect you.”
I give a rough laugh, still trying to breathe. “I…don’t need your protection.”