TWENTY
KARLEY
When I left Vaughn last night I headed straight for the showers. After I washed the blood away, I dropped to my knees and bawled my fucking eyes out. I’m not the type of girl who sits there and cries over boys, but last night I couldn’t stop the tears and sobs from coming.
When I finally dragged my sorry ass back to my room, Draven was nowhere to be seen. I was grateful for that small mercy because I couldn’t deal with facing him. Draven may appear hard and emotionless to everyone else, but not to me. He is sweet and kind and always takes note of my sudden mood changes. Carter is attentive and loves to spoil me with affection, but Vaughn, he is the one that has held me at arms’ length and never allowed me close.
Waking this morning, I expect to find Draven in his bed but the room is empty.
My chest is tight, this is what I was worried about. I knew the three of them were close. I had worried if Vaughn told them to stay away from me that they would. I fooled myself into thinking I meant more to them than that, but I guess I was wrong. I wasn’t just the monster in Vaughn’s story, it appears I was the monster inallof their stories.
When my door opens, I sit up and stare at the three masked bastards standing in my doorway. Unlike all of the other times, I don’t get butterflies. My stomach sinks. Something is wrong and I can feel it with every fiber of my being that my heart is about to be shattered. I was a fucking fool to allow feelings into whatever the hell this is between me and them, but you can’t keep fucking the same people over and over and fucking over again without feeling something!
“It’s time.” They may change their masks but I know the sound of their voices. Carter is wearing Draven’s mask, the matte black is peeling and the red lines only add to the gory look.
“Time for what, Carter?” My tone holds a harsh edge but I can’t find it within myself to care.
“For the reckoning,” Draven adds. I don’t move an inch, if these bastards think I am going to blindly follow them like I have been for weeks, then they have another thing coming. Draven is wearing Vaughn’s mask with the snapped horns, leaving Vaughn in Carter’s with the large, curved horns.
Vaughn doesn’t wait for a response, he marches inside my room and throws me over his shoulder. I kick, punch and scream, but he doesn’t falter in his strides as he carries me out into the hallway and takes off toward the staff exit. I’ve never been past this point and the fact the doors open for them without needing to flash an ID card tells me they have way more power over this place than I originally thought.
“Shut the fuck up!” Vaughn roars. I punch him harder in the back, wanting him to feel as much pain as possible.
“Kiss my ass, you mask wearing fucking freak!” I scream. I cry out when my head is yanked up by my hair and I lock eyes with Carter.
“I pray for forgiveness every day and it is never granted, but I pray that you will forgive us for what is about to happen.” I snap my mouth closed, unsure of what the fuck to say to that,but I stop screaming. After being jostled around on Vaughn’s shoulder for a few more minutes, he comes to a stop and glides me down the front of his body.
I loathe to admit I savor the feeling of how he feels pressed against me. When I sway on my feet, he grabs my waist to steady me and meets my angry stare. His eyes are blank of all emotion and I hate that I can’t get a read on him.
“Your freedom is yours to do with as you please,” he says in an even tone, then brushes past me to push the door open. I whirl around and freeze at the sight of my father standing in the room with three other men that I recognize as his lawyers. Dad doesn’t even spare me a single glance, he just looks between the three guys and stares at them.
My own father doesn’t even care to look at me and see if I’m injured, all he is worried about is ending this so none of my sex tapes are leaked and I ruin the Le Roux name.
“Thatcher,” Dad hisses. The man on his right dumps two duffle bags on the flimsy metal table, then draws the zippers back to expose all the cash inside them. My stomach sinks. This was never about feelings for them, this was about using me to get money and to get the hell out of this place.
“I’m a fool,” I whisper.
“Speak up, Karley, you know I can’t stand it when you mumble.” I flinch at the harsh tone of my father’s voice, he has never physically hurt me but emotionally? My father is the champion at emotional manipulation. With his words alone, he can shred you into tiny pieces and make you feel like you are worth less than the dog shit beneath your boot. That is how I have felt my whole life.
“Where’s the paperwork?” Vaughn snarls.
Dad’s eyes narrow, I know it is driving him crazy not knowing who the three of them are. “Give it to him,” Dad orders. Another man steps forward and drops a mahogany coloredfolder on the table next to the bags. “Now, I want those tapes.” I cringe and scrunch my eyes closed.
“We’ll be keeping those,” Carter says.
I open my eyes to see my father turning a bright shade of red. Robert Le Roux isn’t used to not having control, his wealth always makes him the strongest person in the room but not this time.
“We had a deal!” my father yells. I shrink back a step and slam into Draven, who wraps his arm around my waist protectively. In a situation like this I should feel safer with my own kin but I don’t. Dad finally meets my stare and the unfiltered hatred I see in his eyes has me defaulting. It never mattered what I did in life, I was always a disappointment to him because I wasn’t born with a cock.
“The deal changed the moment you offered to sell your daughter to us.” I gasp, my jaw drops and my eyes widen at Vaughn’s admission.
“You tried to sell me?” I breathe out.
“Speak up, girl!” he reprimands me.
I flinch. Draven tightens his hold on me, telling me without words that he has my back and that small act of mercy gives me the strength I need. “You tried to fucking sell me to them?” I scream.
Robert rolls his eyes like I am a petulant child having a tantrum. “You disgraced yourself and our name by whoring your body like some common slut.” All three of the guys growl behind me. “I saw those tapes, you begged them to… you know what you did. You will be punished for that once we are home.”
