Madness: Part 2 – Chapter 65

I’m lying in Haidyn’s bed, staring up at the ceiling. I feel like I could get sick at any moment worrying about what the Lords will say to him. I just keep reminding myself that I trust him. He wouldn’t have married me knowing he had to turn me over to them…he said it was our only option.

Getting out of bed, I begin to pace the room, needing movement and trying to clear my mind and keep the bile down that burns my throat. My stomach is in knots. Adam’s playlist still blasts in the living room, filtering into the bedroom and echoing through the large house. His song choices are a total contradiction of who I expect him to be. Right now, it’s “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga. I go to leave the bedroom to turn it off, but the sound of my phone beeping gets my attention.

I rush over to it, wondering if it’s Haidyn to tell me how it went, and see it’s an incoming email from the Lords. The clock reads 12:10. Why would they send me this afterward? Haidyn is supposed to be there. Hell, I hope he’s already done and on his way home.

Taking a deep breath, I open it up and push play.

A concrete room comes into view and there’s a rectangular metal-like table in the center. Chains hang on the back wall in various lengths and sizes along with rope. It’s Carnage.

The sound of a door opening fills the large space, followed by an altered voice, making my pulse race. “Put him on the table.”

Two guys come into view next, and they’re dragging Haidyn. Each one under an arm. His head hangs forward, and blood drips onto the floor as his combat boots smear it while they haul him to the center of the room. They’ve beaten him unconscious.

My hands begin to shake at the sight of him, and my skin grows hot. Why is he at Carnage?

The thought has crossed my mind that this was a setup, and they wanted him at the cathedral alone tonight. It takes four Lords dressed in cloaks and masks to get his body onto the table.

A groan comes from his busted lips as they begin to strap him down with black leather belts, buckling him in place. The first one goes over his ankles securing his legs together at one end of the table. The second below his knees and the third over his jean-clad thighs.

My throat tightens, making it hard to breathe at the thought of them hurting him in any way. He was trying to save me.

A Lord steps into view and places a towel under a faucet, getting it wet, and Haidyn coughs up blood.

“Wake up.” One slaps the side of his face. His eyes don’t open, but he groans again as if in pain. “Wake up, Spade. Come on. It’s time for your punishment.”

Punishment? What did he do? They’re punishing him for making his whore his wife. It’s all my fault. I jump to my feet. My hands go to my mouth when I feel the bile burning my throat. Rushing to the bathroom, I manage to make it to the toilet on time as I throw up. My stomach tight and shoulders shake.

Falling down onto my ass by the toilet, my eyes drop to my phone on the floor and see that I didn’t pause it. I go to stop it, unable to watch anymore when they rip his shirt off and move his arms down by his sides. And begin to do another belt over his hips, waist, chest and last his neck. His large muscular body takes up most of the narrow table.

I let out a shaky breath when my eyes scan his chest and see his Lords crest, but he doesn’t have the 666 branding or any other tattoos that I can see from here, but he’s covered in bruises. Some look older than others. I place my hand over my mouth to hold in a sob when I realize this video is old. Much older, considering his lack of tattoos as well. But I have a sickening feeling this isn’t his first time with these Lords.

My chest pounds, my heart in my throat as I watch one of the Lords roll a cart to the side of the table. They put sticky pads on his chest and turn the machine on. A beeping sound fills the room, and lines begin to pop up on the screen—they’re monitoring his heart rate. It’s slow and steady at the moment, but I’m guessing that’s because he’s unconscious.

Tears sting my eyes, and I blink rapidly to clear my blurry vision.

“We shouldn’t have beaten him,” one altered voice speaks.

Another laughs. “No way he would have willingly gotten up on this table.”

“He’ll come around. And when he does, we’ll be ready.”

The screen goes black, and I grind my teeth. My watery eyes continue to scan the screen, but nothing is there.

I bring my knees to my chest and try to calm my breathing, wondering why they are sending me this. I lift my shaking hands and wipe the tears from my face. That acid taste is still in my mouth, thinking I’m going to get sick again.

My phone beeps once more, and I pick it up, immediately opening up the new email they sent me, unable to stop myself. I need to know what they do to him and why.

This video is identical to the previous one. Haidyn still lies on the table, but his swollen eyes are open, and he’s looking around aimlessly as if he’s just waking up. He seems unfazed by the sound of his heart rate. How much time passed between the two? Was it hours…minutes? I wish it’d tell me.

“About time, Spade.” One of the Lords comes into view, laughing.

Haidyn doesn’t say anything.

The guy comes to the head of the table and taps the side of Haidyn’s bloody face. “You took away our chance to play with our toy outside so she said we can play with you.” Laughter fills the room and my stomach drops.

Toy? What toy? It’s a woman. Has to be what he’s talking about.

“Fuck…you,” Haidyn says, and my skin breaks out in a sweat at the sound.

“Boys, let’s begin.” He pushes a button that he has in his hand and the table begins to move, lowering Haidyn’s head while his feet rise. Not much, just enough that his head sits lower.

The towel I saw them wet in the previous video is thrown over Haidyn’s face and the sound of his heart rate accelerates in the concrete room.

“Let’s see how long you can hold your breath.” One says before he walks over to a hose that’s hangs on the wall. He uncoils it and turns on the faucet. Water flows from the end. “Hold the towel tight.” He commands to no one in particular.

One steps to the right of the table and grips each end of the white towel, pulling it tight across Haidyn’s face.

“Someone start the timer,” he orders, and a third guy goes over to the counter and flips an hourglass as the one with the hose holds the end over the towel, and water begins to cover Haidyn’s face.

They’re waterboarding him.

My heart lodges in my throat at the sight. Haidyn fights the restraints, his fight or flight kicking in, but he’s strapped down too tight. There’s nowhere for him to go. Water splashes onto his body and the concrete floor as they wait for the hourglass to run out of time.

I blink, tears stinging my eyes before they fall down my cheeks as I hold one hand over my mouth while I watch.

Pulling away the towel, he’s sputtering and gasping for breath. His heart rate has picked up and is now echoing throughout the room at a fast pace.

“That’s one.” The man standing at Haidyn’s head laughs and places the towel back over his face, doing it again while one resets the timer. “Do you know why they use a towel?” He makes it sound like he’s talking to Haidyn, but since he can’t speak, another one bites.

“Why?”

“Because it allows the water to enter the airways, but at the same time, it prevents them from expelling it.”

Fresh tears fall from my eyes as I sit and watch them torture my husband.

By the third time, Haidyn’s heart rate is less consistent. The sound is much slower and less often than it was as he lies strapped to the table. And one of the Lords speaks. “Take it easy, man. She said to punish him. She’ll do the same thing to you if you kill him.”

“I’m not worried.” The Lord taps the side of Haidyn’s wet and bloody face. His body is shaking uncontrollably while he tries to breathe. You can hear the water gurgling in his lungs while he chokes on it. “Don’t worry, Spade. I’ll bring you back.” He tosses the towel over Haidyn’s face once more. “I’ve never been waterboarded before, but I hear it’s painful.” He goes on. “You put them at an incline, so the water fills the sinuses. It also keeps the water from filling the lungs. But your breathing becomes labored, and you panic because your body thinks it’s drowning, and you can try to hold your breath as long as you want, but it’s impossible not to inhale it.”

Another. Then another.

I’m sobbing, and my entire body shakes as I slowly watch them kill him. Just when I think they’ll stop and let up, they do it again.

During the seventh time, the sound of the beeping finally stops, and Haidyn’s body goes limp as the guys remove the wet towel.

I blink rapidly and choke out a sob into my hand when one of them speaks. “Fuck, man, I told you…”

“I got it under control,” the one who’s been torturing him says.

He walks over to a counter and picks up a syringe. Removing the cap with his teeth, he bites it off and returns to the table and stabs Haidyn in the chest, shoving the plunger.

Haidyn gasps, the beeping returns, and it’s faster than it previously was. They gave him adrenaline.

“Look at that.” The Lords all laugh. “Welcome back, Spade.” He leans over the edge of the table, his face hovering over Haidyn’s while he continues to choke. “You should have just let us rape her, man. That’s all bitches are good for. They’re meant to be used. Especially chosens. You robbed us of that opportunity when you killed her. Now we get to play with you instead.”

He stands to his full height, and I watch Haidyn’s chest rise and fall, trying to catch his breath. His body is tight, veins popping out of his arms and neck. His restrained hands fist tight at his sides. It’s the adrenaline. On top of trying to drown him, they’ve shot him up with speed. His heart monitor is beeping so fast I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a heart attack.

“Now, where were we…”

The screen goes black, and I stare at it waiting for another to pop up, but nothing happens. Blood rushes in my ears, and I drop the phone next to me, cupping my face and trying to catch my breath.

“Charlotte?” I hear Haidyn’s voice in the bedroom.

I open my mouth to tell him that I’m in the bathroom, but nothing comes out. That burning sensation returns, and I crawl over to the toilet once more, where I begin to dry heave.

“Charlotte.” His voice is closer this time, and he grabs my hair as tears spill down my cheeks while he kneels behind me. One hand rubs small circles on my back, and when I have nothing left to get out, I flush the toilet and fall onto my ass.

“Hey, doll face.” His soft voice makes me cry harder, and he pulls me into his lap as we sit on the marble floor. “It’s okay, Charlotte,” he assures me. “I took care of it. You’re safe.”

Of course, he thinks I’m worried about myself and his meeting with the Lords tonight. That’s how this night started out, but that’s not it now. Not at all. It’s what I just watched this man go through. Who was torturing him? And why? One had said that he took away their toy. What did they mean? And who was the she that said they couldn’t kill him? Who did Haidyn kill to keep from being raped? The Lord had mentioned a chosen. Was it Sierra? My friends had asked what happened to her? And that they didn’t know.

There are worse things than dying.

I have so many questions that I can’t ask him.

“You’re safe here, doll face. I’ll protect you.”

I throw my arms around his neck, and he wraps his arms around me tightly, holding me to him while I try to hold back a sob. I let him think he’s reassuring me. I’m okay, but I hold him, knowing he’s home safe. Something actually worked how we wanted it to.

“Shh.” He rubs my back. “You’re okay.”

I need him. There’s an ache between my legs and a pain in my chest. I need him right now. As his wife, as his whore. What I saw on those two videos was only ten minutes of his life. What else has he gone through? How many other times did they punish him? Was it because of Ashtyn or someone else? Pulling away, I gasp, needing to breathe, and he cups my face with both of his hands.

“I’m…sorry.” I manage to say through the lump in my throat.

He gives me a soft smile, running his hand through my hair. “Don’t be sorry, doll face.”

My husband thinks I’m apologizing because I almost turned him in. And I don’t correct him.

HAIDYN

“Come on.” I help her up and walk over to the bathtub. I turn on the faucet, and she goes over to her sink and brushes her teeth, followed by mouthwash. She’s still silently crying, but she’s not sobbing anymore.

She’s got herself so worked up that she’s made herself sick again. Poor thing.

I grab a towel and place it on the counter and then help her into the tub. She pulls her knees to her chest and stares down at the water as the tears fall down her cheeks.

“I’ll be right back,” I say and then make my way to the kitchen. Grabbing her a bottle of water, I return and set it on the edge of the Jacuzzi tub. “You need to drink something.”

She stays silent while I bathe her. Her tear-filled eyes remain on the water while I wash her hair and then her body. She doesn’t even ask me how it went at the cathedral. Which I’m glad. I don’t want to have to lie to my wife, but I will if she asks. I don’t want to upset her more than she already is.

Rinsing the conditioner out of her hair, I grab her hands and help her stand on her shaking legs. Then I dry her off and cup her face, forcing her eyes to meet mine. “It’s all going to be okay,” I assure her.

She nods as if she believes me, but we both know she doesn’t. And why should she? I’ve blackmailed her for my own selfish reasons. More than she knows. I’m almost sorry for what I’ve done to her. But like I once told Charlotte, I have no regrets. That’s still very true.

“I have something for you,” I tell her.

Her large, tear-filled eyes meet mine. I hate to see her so upset, but her eyes are gorgeous when she cries. She swallows nervously before licking her lips but says nothing. I drop mine to her left hand and remove the small ring the fake boy toy gave her earlier tonight. I feel sorry for the fucking bastard. That he’ll never get to have her…not like I’ll get to. I’m a proud enough man to know what I have, but I’m too selfish to let anyone else experience it. I set the ring on the black marble counter with the reminder to throw it away later.

Reaching into the pocket of my jeans, I remove the box and open it up. Her eyes drop to it, and she gasps when I remove the ring and slide it on her finger. “You deserved more,” I tell her.

“What…how…?” Her eyes go from mine to the wedding ring and back to mine again. “Haidyn it’s…gorgeous.”

“Just like you,” I say, pushing wet strands of dark hair behind her ear as my eyes search hers. “I want you to see what I see every time I look into your eyes.”

Her breathing picks up once again and I take her face in my hands. “Hey, it’s okay.” She’s starting to panic…regretting her decision to be my wife. It’s too late. She can have second thoughts all she wants. She belongs to me now and I’m not going to let her go.

“Can I have a minute, please?” she asks softly.

I lean in and kiss her forehead. “Of course,” I say and then exit the bathroom, closing the doors behind me and letting her do whatever she needs to do alone. Tell herself what she needs to hear to assure herself she did the right thing.

I need a drink. For some reason, my chest is bothering me more than usual tonight.