Madness: Part 2 – Chapter 59

I’m not technically released from Haidyn’s house arrest after I was attacked in the bathroom, but I’m also no longer fighting to stay at my house either. I feel stupid about my outburst. We both know I can’t walk away from him. The Lords can send me whatever they want. I can’t call quits on this assignment.

I needed a break and was surprised today when I told him I had a few errands to run and all he did was kiss me bye and went back to his office. Today is my IV appointment. I almost canceled, considering I haven’t been out lately, but who knew that sex was just as exhausting as getting hammered?

Last night after dinner, he tied me down and started with my mouth. Then moved onto my pussy. Fuck, I was in tears due to how sore my body felt. I wanted to beg him to stop just so I could have a break, but of course I was gagged. So like his good girl I am, I had to take it. And he reminded me every second how good it felt. I came three times.

Getting out of his bed this morning was a challenge. That’s when I knew my me day couldn’t hurt.

I’m sitting in the room with the IV in my arm, and I go to turn my phone on silent so I don’t have any interruptions when it dings in my hand.

I open it up to see it’s a message from Haidyn.

Sushi or Italian?

I smile and respond.

Sushi.

The three little dots bounce around until it goes off again.

Whatever my girl wants.

I shut my phone off without responding. Hating and loving the way my pulse races. Why does he have to say shit like that? Why does any text from a monster make me smile?

I’m getting in too deep. This is why my father had me remain a virgin for so long. My mother told me no man would ever know my body as good as I’d know it myself, but she was wrong. Haidyn knows it better than I ever could.

It’s getting confusing. Who he is in my life and what I’m supposed to be doing. My emotions are getting the best of me. The fact that he saved me from the attacker in the bathroom makes me think he actually cares about me. But then I tell myself, he can’t play with me if his toy is ruined.

An hour later, the nurse returns and removes my IV. I thank her and make my way to my car. When I turn my cell back on, it chimes with an incoming message.

UNKNOWN: Bring Haidyn to this location 10:00 sharp. Tonight or else…

I toss the phone across the car like it’s on fire and hear it hit the passenger floorboard.

“Fuck!” I shout, hitting the steering wheel. “This can’t be happening.” I run my hand through my hair, gripping a hold of it.

This is it. This is what they wanted me to do all along. Turn him over to them. But why? What has he done to them that they want to punish him? And why me? Why give me this assignment?

And if I don’t…I fail. I told Haidyn if it was ever him or me…I’d choose me. Every time. But now? He saved me. That guy in the bathroom could have raped and killed me, but Haidyn didn’t let that happen.

Is this why they sent me the video of him and Ashtyn right after he saved me? Because they know I’m getting attached and want me to hate him?

My phone rings and it makes me jump. Taking in a deep breath, I lean over and pick it up off the floor to see it’s Haidyn. For a second, I think about not answering, but I can’t ignore him. That would throw up red flags. “He-llo?” I clear my throat and try again. “Hey.”

“Doll face.” His deep voice fills my ear, and my thighs clench closed, hating how much my body responds to him.

“What…what are you doing?” I stumble over my words and want to punch myself in the face. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm my racing heart.

“You okay, Charlotte?”

His question makes my chest tighten that I’m that readable, and he’s not even looking at me. He can tell by my voice alone that something is wrong. “Of course,” I answer, giving a soft laugh. “I just finished up my IV,” I add. “The sessions always make me jittery afterward.” Lie.

“Okay.” He buys it, and I let out a sigh of relief. “I just wanted to let you know reservations have been made for dinner. Eight o’clock.” My stomach knots at the fact I have to turn him over two hours after that. “I have to go into Carnage, but I’ll pick you up from your house, okay?”

I had told him that I wanted to grab a few more things from my house today. I need more clothes. At this point, I might as well just move in with him. The thought makes my stomach knot because after tonight, it won’t matter. I nod my head to myself and answer him softly, “Yeah. Sounds good.”

He hangs up, and I drop the phone on my lap. Going into this, I told myself I’d do whatever I had to do to make it in this world. But I never thought I’d have to give up the one thing that makes me feel like our world isn’t so bad.

HAIDYN

I enter the office at Carnage. Saint and Kashton both look up at me and then at each other.

“Hey, man.” Kash gets up and walks over to me, giving me a handshake hug as if I didn’t just see him two nights ago. “What’s up?”

“I came to look at something,” I answer and drop into my chair at my desk, avoiding Saint’s stare. We haven’t had the talk yet to explain what and why I did what I did. I’m not in the mood right now. I have something to figure out.

Placing the USB drive into the computer, I pull up the surveillance footage from the gas station that Sin grabbed for me. I didn’t have time to watch it because I spent the evening inside Charlotte. Then my guest arrived, throwing me off. I ended up fucking Charlotte in my gym.

They plan on taking her away from me, but it won’t be happening. I have a plan of my own, but I’ve also got something else to handle at the moment.

Sitting back in my chair, I cross my arms over my chest and watch the screen. It has five different angles. One shows the four pumps, the second shows the off-ramp and busy highway. The third shows the front door and the window that you can pay at right next to it. The fourth shows the back, an empty parking lot with one car—which I’m guessing belongs to the employee. The fifth one shows the bathrooms.

I set it to three minutes before I know we arrived and push play. My eyes scan the one that shows the off-ramp, and her SUV appears after a couple of minutes. As I pull up to the pump, something catches my attention, and I see a black motorcycle exit the highway.

I sit up straighter. It pulls into the gas station as I get out of the car to pump her gas. I don’t even see it. On the screen, my attention is on the pump while I know my mind was on Charlotte. I was pissed at her attitude and thrown off by LeAnne showing up at Ryat’s.

The guy gets off his black R6, removes his black helmet and hangs it on his mirror, then removes his black gloves and jacket. He tosses them over his seat, and I notice he already has his ski mask on. He was wearing it under his helmet.

The blood rushes in my ears as I watch the passenger side door open. I know Charlotte and I exchange words, and then, just like I remember, she enters the women’s restroom.

He rushes to enter behind her.

She had told me she checked the stalls. That she thought he had set her up to use the last one, but he entered after her. She was targeted. He was there for her and her only, which means he knows who she is.

It shows me cussing out the damn pump. It was taking forever. I eventually give up and storm over to the restroom. I had every intention to rush in there and fuck her ass. Maybe take my belt to it. Whatever I had to do to prove to her that the attitude wasn’t going to go unnoticed or unpunished. But seeing him on top of her changed everything.

The door opens on screen, and my eyes go to hers. She looks terrified. I can see how much she’s shaking while I order her to get in the car. I was on high alert. It wasn’t about trying to calm her down; it was about getting her the hell out of there as soon as possible.

I watch myself throw the guy in the back and get into her SUV, driving off. My eyes go back to the black bike that sits there in the parking lot, and my blood boils at the sight of it.

“Motherfucker!” I slam my hands on the desk and jump to my feet.

“Haidyn?”

I ignore Saint and rush out of the office, and I don’t even bother with the elevator. Instead, I take the stairs down to the basement. Hearing their footsteps shuffling behind me, I shove the door open and grab the set of keys out of my back pocket. I approach the cell we’ve got the naked guy in and unlock it.

He jumps to his feet and lifts his arms to defend his face, but I grab the back of his neck and shove him out into the hallway before I drag him into the open room. Walking past the pits, I bring him to the center and reach up, pulling on the chain that hangs from the ceiling and wrap it around his neck three times.

The guy yells profanities at me, but I ignore him as I yank on the excess chain, forcing him up to his tiptoes. “Don’t worry, it won’t choke you,” I inform him.

Then I go to the far corner, ignoring Saint’s and Kashton’s concerned looks. If they want to stay for the show, then they’re more than welcome. But it would be best if they shut the fuck up and let me work in peace.

I open the cabinet and pull out the things that I want, placing them all on a rolling cart while I hear him struggle behind me. Once I have enough, I roll the cart over to him and pick one up. I press it to his face, and he tilts his head back, trying to get away while his hands grip the chain wrapped around his neck.

“You lied to me.”

He tries to shake his head. “Nnnnoooo.” Spit flies from his mouth. “I didn’t…”

“Why have you been following Charlotte?” I use her fake name to see if he corrects me.

I have no clue what this guy knows, but she had called me and told me that I had been following her on my bike. It wasn’t me. She wouldn’t see the difference between mine, an R1, and his, an R6. His is blacked out like mine, so to her, it was close enough. The question is was that on purpose or coincidence? Funny thing is…I don’t believe in coincidences.

The moment I saw it on the security footage, I knew it had been him. She wasn’t random. He was hired to follow her. The question is was he supposed to just watch her or hurt her? And if so, why make a move when she was with me? Why not have done it when he knew she was alone? Did they want me to find her dead?

“I don’t…”

I shove a knife into his upper thigh.

He screams, his hands lowering to the handle, and he feels around it but doesn’t pull it out.

“These won’t kill you.” I hold one up and examine it. “The two-inch blade has inverted cuts, so once inserted, it locks into your skin. I mean, they can be removed, but…” I put my hand on the handle and give it a little tug, making him cry out. “Yeah, it hurts.” I let it go.

Picking up another one, I speak. “Why were you following Charlotte?”

“I was hired to watch her,” he rushes out.

I stab the second knife into the opposite thigh, and his body jerks as he sobs. “The more information you give willingly, the better your odds,” I inform him, not in the mood for this shit.

“A man,” he rushes out. “I don’t know his name. He came to me…” He pauses. “Told me to watch her. Keep an eye on her…”

“Rape her,” I add, slamming another one into his stomach.

“FUUUCCCKKK!” he screams. His shaking hands go to it, and he tries to pull it out on his own but stops himself with a sob.

“How long?” I growl, getting impatient.

“I…I don’t know…” he rushes out. “Maybe a few months.”

I step back from him as if I was just hit by a man twice my size. They’ve had someone on her for a few months? That’s how long she’s been seeing me? It’s the Lords. They want to make sure she gets the job done.

“Leave him,” I snap to Kash and Saint, who are still being nosy bitches and watching the show. I storm out of the room and take the stairs once again to the first level. Shoving the door open, I’m walking toward the front double doors when a hand grabs my arm and brings me to a stop. I whirl around to see it’s Saint. I rip my arm from his hold. “Don’t…”

“What the fuck is going on, Haidyn?” he demands.

“It doesn’t concern you,” I growl, giving him my back once again.

“Yeah, well, my wife didn’t concern you,” he shouts, and I come to a stop and turn back to face him and Kash. “But you didn’t care about that, did you?”

My teeth grind, and I want to put my fist through his face. We’ve still got unresolved issues regarding Ashtyn. But his words just remind me that this is about him right now and how I betrayed him. And I don’t have time for that. Charlotte is my main concern.

“Haidyn?”

My head snaps up to see Ashtyn standing at the top of the grand staircase. “Oh my God, Haidyn.” She rushes down the stairs, and my eyes remain on Saint’s as she jumps up and wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Hey, baby girl,” I say softly, hugging her back. Gently, I push her away, and she gets the hint, lowering herself to her feet.

Silence fills the large foyer, and I finally look away from Saint and down at Ashtyn. I give her a soft smile, and she licks her lips, her eyes filling with tears. She understands I’m not staying. She thought I was officially living back here at Carnage, but that’s just not the case.

With that, I turn and walk out of Carnage, knowing what I need to do.