Vendetta (Ivybrook Elite #1)

CHAPTER 15

LANDRY

“Wakey, wakey, little mouse!”

A loud noise jolted me awake, finding Levi and Connor directly outside of my crate. One quick glance and I knew that they were hammered, their sloppy movements and slurred words indication enough.

“Time to come out and play!” Levi chanted, the two of them bursting into laughter. Fear raced through me, my spine stiffening as my mind raced to figure out how I could get out of this situation. I desperately looked around, hoping to find anybody else in the apartment that I might be able to rely on to keep them in check. But to my horror, the place seemed devoid of any other souls. My mind raced to Cashton. Where was he? Did he seriously leave me here alone with them?

Another loud bang rang out as Connor slapped the top of the crate. My heart raced, panic and despair setting in as the realization hit me of just how bad this situation was .

“Poor thing, you’ve been crammed in there all night. Why don’t we let you out for a bit, you can come have some fun with us.” Levi continued, slurring every word.

I tried to find comfort in the fact that they didn’t have the key to the locks, having seen Connor pass it to Cashton once he had arrived earlier. This would be fine. As long as they didn’t have bulk cutters up their sleeve or something, they wouldn’t be able to get to me.

Almost as if reading my mind, Connor reached into his jeans and pulled out a small silver key, holding it up and flashing me a devilish smile. My heart stopped dead in its tracks, my stomach sinking.

This couldn’t be happening. It had to be a nightmare. And I would pinch myself, and wake up, and everything would be okay. There was no way that Cashton would have given them the key. I knew that he clearly wasn’t my biggest fan, but he wasn’t callous enough to let this happen. There had to be some semblance of empathy inside of him, no matter how deep down it may be hidden.

“Where did you get that?” I asked, trying to keep a brave face as my entire body began to tremble.

“Cashton gave it to us.” Connor smiled, his deep voice sounding slightly less slurred than the other male’s.

I hadn’t realized that a part of me had been holding on to a sliver of hope that Cashton might be just down the hall, and that he would hear what was going on and come in to stop it. That little sliver evaporated almost as quickly as it had appeared .

He had given them the key. He had not only left me alone with two creeps that clearly had less than stellar intentions, but he had actually given them access to me as well.

The first tear slid down my face as I faced the fact that this was real. It was actually happening, and nobody was coming to save me.

Connor slowly lowered himself down, unlocking one of the locks and then the other. My breathing grew faster as my mind began racing, trying to figure out a way that I could get out of this. I would fight, I knew that much, but it was me against two grown men. Another tear followed the first as the odds became clear.

The door to the crate was thrown open, Connor reaching in to grab me as Levi’s laughter only grew louder. He grabbed one of my ankles, his broad frame making it impossible for his shoulders to clear the entrance, and I threw my free foot right into his face. He let out a pained grunt, letting me go as he grabbed his nose, blood instantly streaming down his face.

“Fuck!” he bellowed, and I could visibly see the anger bloom in his eyes.

“You little bitch.” He ground out, reaching in the crate again and wrapping a firm hand around my ankle, managing to catch my other one as I kicked at him again. It all happened so fast after that.

Pulling me by the ankles, he violently dragged me out of the cage, the wiring of the entrance’s bottom border tearing my skin. I screamed, warm liquid instantly blooming across my back as pain erupted through me.

As soon as I was out of the cage, I tried rolling over to get up and run, but a hard body came down on mine before I could get the chance. Tears spilled down my face and a cry left my mouth as my torn back rubbed against the ground, the rough carpet making the sting unbearable as blinding pain shot through me.

The stench of beer hit me in the face, the smell nauseating as I struggled to get free. I felt his cock through his jeans as he rubbed it against me, one of his hands coming up around my throat as the other reached down to unbutton his pants.

For a brief moment, I almost let the defeat win. My body threatened to go slack, a part of my brain begging me to just shut down my mind. I knew that what was coming was inevitable and that I should just retreat into myself. That way, I wouldn’t have to face what was happening to me. I squeezed my eyes shut, a sob wracking through me as his fingers tightened around my neck.

I had never fought when I needed to. When it came to fight or flight, my instincts had always led me to freeze. But I was different now. Older. Better. Stronger. And I was tired of letting people bulldoze over me. In one swift motion, I threw my knee up as hard as I could, landing it exactly as I had intended directly into Conner’s crotch.

He grunted, his weight falling off of me as his fingers slipped from my throat. I rolled to my knees, jumping to my feet and launching myself forward only to be caught by a set of arms wrapping around my waist, my body slamming back into Levi’s chest. One arm wrapped around my throat, putting me in a chokehold as my hands immediately lifted to latch onto his forearm, trying to pry it away as my windpipe was crushed .

“So fucking pretty.” He breathed into my ear, “And all ours for the night. We have such fun things planned for you, babydoll.” His slurred words twisted my insides, and I might have actually puked if I had been able to breathe.

His other hand reached up to grab the collar of my tank top, sloppily yanking it down and tearing the material in the process, the audible rip loud in the empty apartment. I felt the cool air graze my exposed breast, Levi’s hand wasting no time grabbing a handful and crudely squeezing it.

I closed my eyes, the temptation to let my mind pull me under reaching its peak, and I almost gave in. I almost retreated into myself, the promise of peace seeming like such a sweet escape as my body was violated and the lack of air getting to my lungs became painful.

I thought of Olivia and Bexley, the two people who had fought for me, had my back, and been there for me time and time again. Another sob wracked through me as I thought of their faces, remembering how Olivia had forced me to fight when I had tried to give up on everything. I remembered the heart to heart with Bexley where she had confessed that she looked up to me and the confidence I held. And then I thought of my mom, and how she had always told me that I was her little fighter, and that I would become a force to be reckoned with.

And then I thought about how I would be letting all of them down if I gave up and stopped fighting.

Levi didn’t see the back of my head coming as it slammed into his face. The impact made my head spin for a brief moment, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me going as I used his disorientation to slip through his grasp. Connor was slowly standing up, one hand still cupping his junk as he tried to reach for me, blocking my path to the elevator. I managed to dodge him and race to the kitchen.

A fire now lit under me, I raced around the counter, scanning my surroundings and dashing for the knife block in the far corner. I didn’t slow as I pushed myself, slamming into the counters and reaching for a butcher knife before spinning on my heels and swiping it through the air. My eyes widened at how close Connor had been to catching me, a sliver of blood now running down his cheek from the gash that I had inflicted. He jumped backwards, Levi slowly approaching from the other side of the island and slowing as he spotted what I was holding.

Cornering myself might not have been the brightest idea, but I had been acting on instinct, and at least I now had a weapon.

My breathing was so heavy that it was the only thing I could hear as Conner and Levi’s eyes darted to each other, something unspoken passing between them before moving their predatory gazes back to me. We stood at a standstill, the knife shaking in my hands as I looked back and forth between the two, desperately trying to figure out my next move.

A ding cut through the silence, signaling the arrival of the elevator.

We all turned to look towards the entryway.

Cashton assessed the scene, his eyes darting from Levi to Connor and the harsh slash now marring the latter’s face. His gaze landed on me next, zero-ing in on the knife in my hand before making its way up my body, taking in my torn shirt and still exposed breast. My chest rose and fell from my ragged breathing as his eyes finally met mine, no doubt seeing the panic and terror that I could feel thrumming through me .

I had seen Cashton angry. But what I saw in his eyes at that moment wasn’t anger, it was rage. It was white hot fury, and his calm demeanor only made him more intimidating.

Nobody moved a muscle as he took a step out of the elevator, slowly advancing towards us with eyes still locked onto mine. I had been in danger with Connor and Levi, but it didn’t take much to see that the true predator had just entered the room.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath, unsure of what would happen next. Would he watch? Would he help them? I mean, he had given them the key, after all. He might be a dick, but I had been around him enough to see that he was also annoyingly intelligent, so there was no way that it was lost on him what they had been planning to do. I tightened my grip on the knife, bracing myself for whatever was coming next.

He continued his eerie approach, hands in his pockets as he entered the kitchen and passed Connor, reaching the corner and planting himself directly in front of me, eyes boring down into mine. There were so many emotions swirling through the various shades of green, the depths of them hypnotizing.

“Which one.” He growled.

My mind raced, trying to figure out what he was asking.

My voice came out hoarse, my throat raw from either the screaming or strangling as I eventually forced out the word “What?”

The knife still shook in my hand as I lifted it higher between us.

“Which one of them touched you?”

It wasn’t as much of a question as it was a demand .

Our eyes stayed locked, the calmness in his causing goosebumps to raise across my skin. I swallowed a breath, forcing a gulp down my throat as the silence in the room became deafening. His gaze hardened as he seemed to read something in my eyes.

“Or did they both?” He asked, his voice low and menacing.

I was unable to speak, the breaths coming through my nostrils growing hard once again as I clenched my jaw and cursed the tear that slowly escaped, wishing that I could brush it away before he could see it. But his eyes finally broke away from mine, tracing the droplet as it followed the path down my cheek.

Hands not leaving his pockets, he turned his body, blocking me in the corner as he gave me his back and faced the two other men, shielding me from their sight.

“Look man, we didn’t do shit. She said she needed to use the restroom so we were going to take her, being good hosts and all, and she attacked us and tried to get away. We were only trying to keep her from escaping.” I heard Connor say, and my entire body went cold. Of course they would turn this around. It was two against one, and I was the one holding the knife.

More tears came down as I realized how this was going to go. They were going to shove me back into that crate, and I had no fight in me left to stop them.

“Thank you.” Cashton finally spoke, taking a step away from me. I threw a hand over my face to muffle the sound of my sobs as he made his way to Connor.

Cashton turned to trifle through one of the kitchen drawers before grabbing something and turning back to Connor, grabbing his wrist and slamming it down on the counter with excessive force before muttering “For giving me a reason to do this.”

He slammed the hammer down on Conner’s hand in the next breath.

I had never had the stomach for gore, but it all happened so fast that I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away from the disfigured hand that now hung limply from Connor’s wrist, his screams ringing through the apartment before Cashton grabbed him by the nape and slammed his already bleeding face down into the marble island.

I spotted movement to my right, turning to see Levi slowly backing away, his hands up in surrender as he watched his friend now lying motionless on the ground.

Cashton’s eyes snapped up, immediately locking in to his next target as he made his advance, the hammer in his hand and the considerable difference in size making it clear who would be walking away from this fight.

My knees shook as my legs threatened to give out, forcing me to lean my weight into the counters behind me to keep myself standing. I watched a wet patch grow between Levi’s legs before he turned to run, Cashton grabbing his shirt and yanking him back onto the living room floor hard enough that buttons ripped.

I continued watching as Cashton proceeded to shove a knee into Levi’s back, keeping him planted firmly in place as he yanked his wrist forward and slammed it onto the ground by his face, swinging the hammer down and obliterating his hand.

Levi screamed, thrashing underneath him in an attempt to get away and scrambling across the floor to the far end of the room as soon as Cashton removed his weight .

He let him go, standing up straight as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed a single button, bringing it to his ear. What was happening? I didn’t know what to do, my mind racing in every direction as I kept the knife up in front of me, making sure I was prepared for anything.

“What apartments do you have available in the building at the moment?” Cashton demanded, foregoing any sort of greeting as someone picked up the other end of the line. A few beats passed as he listened to the person on the other end of the call. “I’ll take it. I’ll be needing it until Friday morning.” he eventually said, Levi’s crying growing louder in the background. A few more beats passed before he spoke again.

“Great.”

His back stayed turned to me as he listened to whoever was on the other line, my hand clenching and unclenching against the knife. My arm would probably go numb at any point now, but my body remained in fight mode and I wasn’t letting my guard down until I was out of this damn apartment.

“I have a few belongings that I will need moved there tonight.” Cashton said, letting the person speak before following up with “Yes. I’ll send them down right now. Please go ahead and lock them in the spare bedroom for me, you can leave the keys on the counter. I have a few things to take care of here and then I will head down to take care of any paperwork.”

Cashton still hadn’t spared me a single glance as he grabbed Levi by the collar, dragging him to the elevator and throwing him inside, leaving him there as he came back for Connor and did the same. Hitting a few buttons on the panel by the elevator, he brought the phone up to his ear one last time, telling whoever was on the line “They’re on their way down as we speak. Thank you.” before hanging up and shoving the phone back into his pocket.

Neither of us moved, him still facing the elevator until a text pinged and he typed out a quick response, then placed it back in his pocket.

The tears had stopped falling at this point, the shock from what I had just watched having replaced the desperation from earlier. The seconds that passed seemed like hours before he finally turned around to face me, his eyes to the ground before making their way up my body so slowly that I could barely bear it.

His muscles still held tight, our gazes locked back on each other, and I could have sworn I saw worry laced with the anger in his eyes. My muscles hurt, and everything in my body ached as he stalked towards me, stopping right in front of me once again. But now, he seemed almost exhausted, his gaze peeling away from mine as his shoulders slumped and he looked away from me.

I didn’t have it in me to try to figure him out at the moment. I was completely drained, not to mention traumatized, the last few hours catching up to me and hitting me like a freight train.

He took a step closer, still not meeting my eyes, and the blade in my hand rose up to his throat. My height barely reached his collar bone, and I had seen enough of this man between tonight and the boxing sessions that I sometimes slowed my runs to observe to know that he could be lethal if given the opportunity. And I was not about to give him that opportunity. He may have saved my ass, but he was also the reason that I had been in that situation in the first place. I wasn’t naive enough to believe that I was safe in his presence.

He continued to look down, avoiding my eyes as he finally whispered “Are you okay?”

He seemed almost vulnerable. The question took me by surprise, the apartment met with silence before I finally whispered “They said you gave them the key.”

“They lied.” he replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I wasn’t sure if I believed him. He had come to my aid after all.

If he had given them the key, knowing what they would attempt, why would he then barge in here and stop them? Unless this was all some elaborate setup to fuck with my brain and get me to lower my guards around him. The idea was pretty far-fetched, and although I wouldn’t put anything past him, I also didn’t think that seemed very plausible.

I felt a lone tear gather at the corner of my eye, one not of fear, but of relief. I should have known that Cashton wouldn’t have intentionally let them go as far as they almost had. He was a colossal asshole, sure, but he wasn’t some monster either. I had seen the fear that had flashed behind his anger earlier as he had taken in the scene in front of him.

He reached out, my handle on the knife growing firmer in order to keep him back, but he didn’t seem to notice the threat to his life as he rubbed his thumb under my eye, wiping away my tear.

I wasn’t sure what it was about the movement that had a pleasant shiver racing through my body. My heart rate had finally calmed a bit, and though I wasn’t ready to let my guard fully down just yet, I felt monumentally better now that both of those men had been removed from the apartment. I wasn’t naive enough to believe that I was safe with Cashton, but something in my gut told me that he would never cross that line.

I hadn’t technically given him permission to touch me that day after the lake, but I also hadn’t stopped him. I had wanted him to touch me. I hadn’t realized just how badly I had needed his hands on me until that moment. I had touched myself countless times to the thought of him, but nothing had prepared me for how mind-blowing the real thing would be. At the end of the day, a sick part of me had loved the loss of control.

Why did the asshole have to be so attractive? It wasn’t just his god-like looks, either. There was a dominant air about him, something that demanded attention and commanded a room. Those hypnotizing green eyes always threatened to bring me to my knees. I hated myself for how deeply I felt the attraction pull at me.

“You fought off two grown men. Consider me impressed.” He spoke, his voice low and deep.

“I wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t left me with them.” I challenged, my glare hardening as all of the fear and desperation from earlier turned into anger towards him.

“I told you, I didn’t give them the key.”

“Even if that’s true, you still left me here with them. They could have done any number of things to me, even while I was inside that stupid crate.” I spat, fire lacing my tone.

Something flashed through his eyes, and he didn’t seem to know how to respond next. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting out of him, but it definitely hadn’t been the two words he spoke next .

“I’m sorry.”

I was taken aback for a brief moment, desperately searching his eyes for any hint of deception, but was only met with genuine regret. He looked away, seemingly uncomfortable with the sentiment. We stayed in that same position, my back pressed against the counter and knife still at his throat, not that he had even seemed to notice that last part.

Minutes seemed to pass before his gaze finally moved back up, slowly tracing up my body until they reached a stop at my still exposed breast. His hand followed, softly grazing my ribs and tenderly sweeping his thumb underneath it. Every nerve ending in my body lit up at the featherlight touch, arousal blooming between my legs. Something was seriously wrong with me. Why was I craving his touch after everything that had just happened? Maybe it was the way he had ruthlessly gone after them, or the concern in his eyes that made my chest ache.

“Did they touch you here?” He whispered, fingers exploring as he awaited my answer. He took my lack of reply as answer enough, jaw clenching before he bent down laid a soft kiss to the corner of my breast, slowly trailing a few more over the surface. The knife remained at his throat, though my grip began releasing some of the pressure as goosebumps came to life over my skin where he lay his gentle kisses. My head fell back, my eyes slamming closed as he laid one last kiss directly onto the already hardened peak before sucking it into his mouth, a blissful feeling overtaking me.

My toes curled as he teased, playing with the small metal bar and swirling it around with his tongue, nipping and biting as the suction continued. I could feel myself soaking my shorts, the adrenaline causing the sensation to drive me closer and closer to the edge.

Right as I thought I was about to explode, he released it with a pop, a whimper of disappointment escaping from my lips as he stopped.

He trailed his way back up to my neck, leaving little kisses along the way.

“And here?” He asked, brushing my hair aside to gain better access as he continued the gentle caresses. It dawned on me what he was doing. He was replacing their touches with his. Erasing the marks they had left on me in the only way he knew how, and my heart fluttered at the sentiment.

“Cashton…” I moaned almost too low to hear, but the rest of my words were cut off as his mouth slammed on to mine. His hand was hard and unyielding on the back of my head, fingers running up through the hair at my nape as he grabbed a handful and yanked my head back further, gaining better access to my mouth as he devoured me.

The knife dropped from my hand, clattering as it hit the ground. I let him take control of my body, his kiss fierce and demanding.

Cedarwood and mint enveloped my senses. I felt myself melting into him, our bodies flush as he pressed me further back against the counter. My hands moved of their own accord, running up his chest before grabbing a handful of the dark material. I gave in fully, pulling him in closer, needing to feel every inch of him pressed against me. I had absolutely no explanation as to why a sense of safety flooded me as I melted into his hold .

He must have understood what I was asking for, his kiss growing even more intense and commanding as he ran a hand down to the tank top hanging halfway off of my body and ripping what remained of the material, letting it fall to the floor at our feet.

I ran one of my hands up to his neck, grabbing the back of it to pull him further into me, feeling the warmth of the blood where I must have accidentally cut him. I needed more. His kiss was like a drug, driving me crazier and crazier as I slipped my other hand underneath his hoodie and up his stomach, feeling the hard lines of his muscles under my touch.

That night at the lake, I hadn’t touched him. I had been so taken aback by his advance that by the time I had processed what was happening, he had already been gone. But now, all I could think about was how badly I needed my hands on him, needed to explore every inch of his body.

His hands moved further down, nothing gentle in the way he grabbed my cotton shorts and ripped them clean off of my body, the material easily tearing. Had he reached a hand between my legs, he would have felt just how wet I already was. I needed him, and I needed him now.

He tore himself away from me, my mind protesting the sudden absence of his body against mine. We both panted heavily, our eyes meeting as if in question. I felt exposed, my body on full display for him as he stood fully clothed.

His eyes turned conflicted, and it seemed almost as if he was currently at war with himself, trying to decide where to go from here. I noticed anger swirling in those beautiful green eyes of his, mixed with lust and confusion, and I wished more than anything that I could know what was going through his mind in that moment.

He still hadn’t moved, stiff as a statue with the exception of the fists that clenched and unclenched at his sides. Working up the courage to approach him, I took a step forward, bridging the gap between us and sliding my hand back underneath his jacket and slowly lifting the material, my eyes never leaving his. I was able to bring it up to his chest, needing his help to get it the remainder of the way thanks to his towering height. Standing less than a foot away from him, he continued looking down at me, his stone face unreadable. Slowly, I managed to get the jacket all the way off before moving down to his pants, working to undo his belt followed by the button on his jeans.

You could have heard a pin drop with how loud the silence was. His body looked tense, as if he could snap at any moment. A predator ready to strike. I cautiously slid the tips of my fingers past his waistline, his breathing turning heavier as I made my way down further until I grazed his hard length. My eyes widened as I explored further, swallowing down a gulp as I wrapped my hand around his cock, the sheer size drastically larger than I could have imagined.

Something in him snapped, and in the next breath, he was grabbing my head with both hands, mouth devouring mine as he slammed me back into the counter. He consumed me, lighting every inch of me on fire as my pussy throbbed, needing him inside of me.

He bent down and grabbed me by the backs of my thighs, easily lifting me and throwing me back onto the counter. I reached for his pants, all hesitation gone as I shoved them down as far as I could, our kiss never breaking. He gripped the back of my hair so hard that tears stung in the backs of my eyes, his other hand reaching down between us to grab his length, wasting no time as he placed it at my entrance. A beat passed, a silent question before he finally inserted himself in one thrust.

My breath caught in my throat and I cried out at the intrusion. His dick impaled me as he drove it to the hilt, my eyes rolling to the back of my skull. My body desperately tried to adjust to his size as he began pounding into me, not bothering to slow down as his grip around my waist turned bruising, pinning me in place.

The pain quickly shifted to pleasure, the curve of his cock repeatedly hitting that sweet spot inside of me and rapidly driving me to the edge. The adrenaline from earlier had my body on edge, every touch causing my nerve endings to go haywire. I felt myself combust, my toes curling and stars exploding behind my vision as I came, a loud moan spilling from my lips and filling the kitchen around us.

He continued to pound into me as I clung on to him for dear life, my nails digging into his bare back as the sensations became overwhelming. I had never felt so full. His length continued to assault that spot inside of me over and over, and I felt like I might die. The arm around my waist tightened further, trapping me against him as I tried to squirm away, the one in my hair yanking hard enough to make my scalp burn.

I leaned into him, resting my forehead against his chest as he continued to fuck me, his movements hard and punishing. I bit down into his shoulder to keep my moans from being heard, clamping down until I tasted the metallic tang of his blood hitting my tongue.

“Fuuuck.” He growled, thrusting into me even harder .

I was quickly reaching the edge, my second orgasm racing at me like a freight train. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it any longer, the hand around my waist moved between us, thumb pressing down on my clit.

My body convulsed as I completely shattered, letting out a scream as a tidal wave consumed me, my soul leaving my body. My core clenched around Cashton’s cock, squeezing him like a vise and driving him to the edge with me as I felt him stiffen inside of me, letting out a deep groan.

He captured my mouth with his, swallowing my moans as I came apart. The kissing turned gentler as the high washed over us, my body going slack.

He remained inside of me, both of us panting heavily as we tried to catch our breaths. A few moments passed before he slowly pulled himself out, the warm wetness seeping down my thighs in the process.

Taking in the sight of him, I noticed the few drops of blood dripping down his shoulder and across the tiger tattoo on his chest, the two crescent-shaped marks I had left with my teeth now red and angry. The small cut on the side of his throat had stopped bleeding, but a faint trail of dried blood still marked his skin.

My entire body felt weak, all of my energy fully drained from the fight earlier, followed by the two most intense orgasms that I had ever felt in my life.

Neither of us dared move, the only sounds being our breathing. All of the emotions from today hit me at once. I had been abducted, locked in a cage, assaulted, and then thoroughly fucked, all in the span of a few hours. And to top it all off, I still hadn’t eaten since this morning .

Fatigue hit me like a brick. My eyes felt heavy and my body felt numb, and I doubted I would even be able to stand on my own if my feet hit the ground.

Cashton hadn’t moved from between my legs, hands braced on the counter on either side of me and head hanging down.

I looked over his shoulder to the dog crate still sitting in the corner, tears pricking the backs of my eyes at the thought of spending the night in there. Not to mention the fact that I was completely naked, my torn sleep set now lying at our feet.

I remembered how trapped I had felt, completely vulnerable as Conner and Levi had toyed with me. How scared I had been. A tear slipped free, my body and mind far too weak to try to stop it from happening.

“Please don’t put me back in there.” I whispered.

Cashton tensed, still not looking at me, and I felt so lost not knowing what was going through his mind. Would he really put me back in there? After everything I had gone through tonight?

Seconds passed before he abruptly shoved himself away from me, slapping the counter in the process and causing me to jolt. He didn’t look at me or offer a single word as he bent down to grab his hoodie off of the ground, proceeding to storm out of the penthouse.