Madness: Part 2 – Chapter 16

I wake up, my head foggy and my eyes heavy. Last I remember I was tied to a cold table, and Devin was injecting adrenaline into my chest. Then he was cutting the bullet out of my chest. I blink, and the room comes into focus. I try to move and can’t. “Ashtyn?” I ask, my voice cracking. I clear my throat. “Ashtyn?”

A hand slaps over my mouth, and I can’t even fight them. At this point, I hope they just stab me to death. My body has given up.

“Shh.” A set of green eyes look down into mine, and I sigh at the familiar face.

It’s Adam.

He removes his hand, and I look around to see I’m in a hospital room back at Carnage. How long have I been out? Where did the guys go who kidnapped me and Ashtyn? “I⁠—”

“Shut the fuck up, Haidyn,” Adam whispers harshly while he’s over at the counter.

My eyes do a quick scan to see he’s dressed in all black with a bulletproof vest on. A black mask sits on the counter as well.

“Where is Ashtyn?” I ask, needing to know.

“She’s…back here at Carnage,” he says, and I don’t like the way he says it.

“What do you mean back?”

He turns to face me with a syringe in his hand. “Listen, I don’t have a lot of time. Do you want to help her or not?”

I nod. “Of course.”

Walking over to the door, he opens it, and I see Gavin enter. They exchange a look that makes my pulse pick up. What the fuck have I missed? How long have I been out?

Gavin comes over to the bed and starts putting cold sticky pieces of tape on my chest and connecting wires to them. “You’re going to have to appear dead, Haidyn. But I’m going to bring you back.”

I blink, my eyes heavy, but I manage to nod. “O-kay.” Licking my busted lips, I add, “Do what you have to do.”

Adam looks at Gavin and nods. “See you on the other side, brother.” He places the needle into the lead in my IV, and my body instantly feels cold. My heart slows, and I feel like I’ve been paralyzed before everything goes black.

I sit straight up, gasping for air. One hand goes to my chest, the other to cover my face. “Fuck,” I groan at the lingering pain from the bullet I took after the wreck.

“Can I get you anything, Sir?”

I drop my hands and look up at the flight attendant. She’s staring down at me with a soft smile on her face.

“No, thanks,” I answer, and she looks like she wants to ask again, but instead nods and makes her way to the back of the private jet.

I left Adam behind in Vegas. He said he had something to take care of, and I left it at that. It was a fucking waste of time. I have nothing but a picture of a man that we don’t know, and I’ve barely slept in the past twenty-four hours when I could have been passed out and high on pain meds.

Kashton and Ashtyn are still blowing up my cell, and I continue to ignore them both. Still nothing from Saint. I’m not even sure what to do now. I had a plan, but of course nothing is going as I wanted it to. Like my fucking life.

Sighing, I lean back and close my eyes again, trying to get a nap in before I land back in Pennsylvania. Who knows what shit show I’ll return to.

ANNABELLE

“O.M.W.” by Mellina Tey blasts from my earbuds as I round the corner toward my house. It’s a muggy morning, and the road is still wet from last night’s storm. I’m drenched in sweat. My goal for this morning was two and a half miles, but I went well over three.

Slowing down, I suck in breath after breath coming up to my house. I see the bright red Ferrari backed into my driveway. Wesley stayed the night last night. Again. The guy is becoming more clingy than I like.

I remove the earbuds and hustle up the steps, opening both double glass doors. I try to catch my breath as the smell of bacon hits me.

Making my way down the hallway and through the archway to the kitchen, I see Wesley standing at my stove cooking. “Smells great, babe.” I give him a smile as if I’m thankful.

He turns to me with a smile, holding a spatula in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other. He’s wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. “I thought you’d be hungry after your run.”

I tell myself it’s not his fault we’re in this situation. He’s so thoughtful and a really nice guy. I feel bad for using him the way I do. But the Lords ordered it, so I couldn’t not do it.

I lean up on my tiptoes and give him a soft kiss on his lips. “I have to get ready.” Then I walk toward the primary bedroom.

He follows. “Babe…you have to eat.”

“I’ll grab something on my way out,” I state, entering my en suite bathroom. I remove my cell holder around my right arm and stop my playlist. Then I peel the nasty sports bra off my sweaty chest and back before shoving my leggings down my thighs along with my thong.

I turn to start the shower and see him standing in the doorway. With both arms above his head, he’s gripping the top of the doorframe. His eyes drop to my legs and slowly make their way up to my chest. We haven’t had sex. I hate to say I tried one night when I was wasted, but he turned me down.

I wouldn’t say he’s religious, but he believes in values that people in my world don’t even know exist. He’s been engaged before, and she cheated on him. She was still going to walk down the aisle. He called it off three weeks before the big day, and he said he couldn’t go through that again. I haven’t cheated on him, but I’m no better than her. I’m only in this relationship for myself. I told myself the Lords wouldn’t know if I slept with one guy. Who knows when I’ll become a Lady. It could be years from now.

We made a pact on our third date that we both wanted to wait until we got married. A month into our fake relationship, I threw myself at him, and he told me no. He reasoned that if we couldn’t honor something so small, how could we ever honor each other in a marriage? He sees me as the endgame while I’m just playing him.

A part of me says fuck the Lords. How will they know if I’m no longer a virgin? But another part of me knows they see everything, and he isn’t part of that world. I refuse to get him hurt because I stepped over the line drawn for me by the Lords. They love making the innocent pay, and the guy I’m pretending to be with is definitely innocent. So I haven’t tried since.

“I was thinking about trying out that new restaurant tonight?” He looks away, breaking the silence. “That sushi place that you sent me the link to?”

“Sounds good.”

He nods to himself before walking toward me. He kisses my cheek and then turns to leave. “Have a good day today, babe. Call me when you get a chance.”

I don’t have time to savor the shower, so I hurry to wash my hair and body, already trying to mentally prepare myself for what’s to come. That’s why I went for a run. I needed to clear my mind.

Once finished, I turn off the water just as I hear a crashing sound. “What the fuck?” I grab the towel on the counter and rush into the kitchen to find the eggs and bacon on the floor. My cat is eating them up. I sigh. “Muffin.”

She looks up at me and meows. “Well, one of us should enjoy it.”

Making my way back to the bathroom, I proceed to get ready. Drying my hair, I twist it into a tight bun at the nape of my neck. Then I put on very little makeup, just powder and mascara. Entering the closet, I pick my most unflattering tan bra. No push-up, no designs. And then a black button-up shirt. I tuck it into a white pencil skirt that hits my knees and comes high up on my waist, then top it off with a white blazer and a pair of three-inch heels. Not my first choice, but I’m not trying to look too fuckable, just professional.

Then I make a quick coffee, head to the garage, and get into my SUV. I set out to take the twenty-minute drive to the middle of nowhere. Carnage is a prison of sorts, if you can call it that. Prisoners are treated like kings compared to how the Spade brothers treat the men and women they lock up.

Pulling up to the gates, I roll down my window and punch in the access code. They open, allowing me to enter. I take the winding two-lane road until the trees clear, and the building comes into view. It’s an old castle. From just the time I’ve spent here, I’d say the place is haunted. But if I were locked inside and tortured until they decided to let me die, I’d haunt the fuck out of the place too.

Getting out of my SUV, I take the steps on shaky legs. I’m thankful I decided to wear my subtle three-inch heels and not my hooker ones.

When I push open the doors, Jessie greets me like the last time, dressed in his usual all-black tux. He frowns when he sees me. “Good morning, Miss Hewett. Did no one call you?”

“Call me for what?” I inquire. Dear Lord, not this again. I’m still having nightmares of my last session with Haidyn.

I don’t talk to any of the Spade brothers other than Haidyn, and that’s only because I’m forced to be in his presence. If I saw him out, I’d drool over him, of course, but I sure as fuck wouldn’t have the balls to confront him. Well, maybe if I had enough tequila. But I’d have to be so drunk that I’d probably puke on his combat boots.

“Haidyn isn’t here.”

My eyes shoot to the staircase as Saint Beckham Carter walks down them. He never speaks directly to me, and I prefer it that way.

“Where is he?” I demand. He cares about no one’s time but his own—typical self-absorbed Lord. But I’m a new me. Well, newer than I was when I was here last time. I’m staying no matter what he tries to throw at me today.

“Don’t know.” He shrugs, coming to stand next to Jessie.

“Saint,” a woman calls out, and I look up at the staircase once more to see a brunette coming down after him. She holds a cell in one hand. “He’s not answering,” she growls. “You said Haidyn⁠—”

“Can the two of you give us a second?” Saint interrupts her.

She stops and frowns at him before her eyes meet mine, noticing they’re not alone. It’s the girl from the photo with Haidyn and the other Spade brothers. She’s supposed to be dead. Or so that’s what I’ve found from the research I’ve done on the Spade brothers. Obviously, that’s not the case. My eyes drop to her left hand to see she’s wearing a wedding ring, and I glance at Saint’s left hand. He also wears one. Interesting.

“Saint…”

“I’ll be right up,” he says sternly, and she straightens her shoulders before turning and rushing back up the stairs.

Without a word, Jessie turns and walks out of the grand foyer, disappearing down a side hallway.

“May I speak to you privately?” Saint asks, and the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

“Sure,” I answer because you don’t tell a Spade brother no. I’m honestly surprised he even asked. The Spade brothers I’ve done research on force you to do what they want. Usually, it involves gags and chains. Just like Haidyn showcased the last time I saw him.

He turns and begins to walk away, and I silently follow him. He enters a room to the left of the foyer and shuts the door behind me. I turn to face him and run my hands down my skirt. It’s a nervous habit that I’m aware of but can’t seem to stop. “What’s going on, Saint?”

“Haidyn has been gone for a week.”

“When is he coming back?” I can’t not report to them. Although Haidyn doesn’t give me shit at our meetings, at least it’s something.

“We don’t know.”

“Well, what do you know?” I bark, getting pissy. My ass is on the line. I wouldn’t volunteer to be here if I didn’t have to.

“That’s all I can tell you,” he answers vaguely.

I hold my arms out to my sides. “Then why are we hiding out in here?”

“Things have been…complicated.” He avoids my question once again.

“This is ridiculous.” I pull my cell out of my purse and call Haidyn’s number. It’s the first time I’ve ever needed to call it. Placing it to my ear, I listen as it rings once and goes to voicemail. I hang up and look at Saint. He has a told you so look on his face. I call it again. It goes to voicemail after the second ring. “Dammit.”

“I’ll let you know when he returns.” He reaches for the door and opens it for me. “Oh, and Charlotte…”

“Yeah?” I turn and look at him.

“You’ll let me know if he contacts you first.” It’s not a question, but it confuses me even more. Why would Haidyn reach out to me before his brothers? What the fuck has happened that they aren’t speaking to one another?

“Of course,” I say even though I know it’s impossible.

I storm out of Carnage and drop into the seat of my SUV and call him again. Voicemail.

“FUCK!” I hate being ignored. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves. I pull up the app downloaded on this cell when the Lords gave it to me. It’s untraceable and only contacts one number that’s not saved to my contacts. The one person who I think can help me in this situation.

UNKNOWN answers immediately. “Why are you calling?” the altered voice demands. Did they expect me not to use it? They’ve contacted me before via this phone.

“Haidyn is MIA,” I answer. “How do you want me to proceed?” I’m not going to pretend that I know what I’m doing. But I can’t do shit if I don’t make some kind of contact. So far, just showing up has been enough for the Lords. I report each visit. If I send nothing, then it shows no effort on my end. I’m not getting in trouble because he’s shacked up with some prostitute in the middle of nowhere while I’m being forced to go without.

“What do you mean by MIA?” they ask, the altered voice sounding much more concerned.

“I’m sitting in my car at Carnage, where Saint just informed me that Haidyn has been gone for a week. No contact and no information as to where he’s gone or when he’ll return.”

The Lord is silent on the other end for a few seconds before he speaks. “You have two days to find him.”

“What—?”

“If you don’t have anything to give us in two days, we will have no choice but to believe you’ve failed your assignment.” Click.

“Goddammit,” I shout, tossing my phone onto the passenger seat. Now what the fuck do I do?