I nodded my head.
“Get out.”
“Excuse me?” I said.
“Get out of here, out of my life, out of this town!” he roared. “We never involve the police, what you have done is . . .” he looked at me, “unforgiveable.” And with that word coming off my brother’s lips, I couldn’t believe he was siding with a criminal who beheaded our enforcer, the one other man I had somewhat loved before this life had pulled me in.
“He beheaded Mason,” I said firmly. “He beheaded one of our men!”
“And he could have been an informer!”
“Could have been but might not have been!” I exclaimed. I couldn’t believe Harley was siding with Lucian. And it was in this moment that I realise I would life this life no more.
19
Chapter 19
Haylee
I sat frozen on Lucian’s couch after watching the video. What I could do? The reaction that would follow had run through my head. I would have called the police on him. I would have returned to my brother. And the result? My brother would disown me.
I pushed play on the video again, watching Mason standing there and then his head coming off.
I knew why Lucian had done it. It was because Mason had an outside claim on me, but he could have ignored that fact. I had slept with Mason and sure, I was engaged to him for a short time. But the man wasn’t up to my standard of fucked-up. I scoffed at myself. After all, I always go after the dark ones, don’t I? I always follow the twisted ones.
I took the USB from the television and looked at Dash. “What do you want?”
He lit a cigarette. “Want to know more about last night?”
“No,” I replied firmly and handed him the USB. “Leave.”
“Excuse me?” he said, taken back. “You just watched a madman behead ya fiancé.”
“Ex-fiancé and he had it coming.” I had to keep a stern expression on my face. “After all, I was going to kill him. But then I came here.”
That was somewhat true.
“We had a deal,” he hissed.
“No. You had an offer, and I turn down the deal.” I had already been smart when it came to deals and offers—what to get into and what not to. This was a clear example of something I wanted nothing to do with. I had run through my options, even got inside Lucian’s head—and imagined my brother’s reaction.
This offer wasn’t worth my time.
“Leave,” I said firmly. Just as I went to say it again, the door opened and Lucian walked in.
Arching an eyebrow, he looked at Dash, then me. “Dash was just leaving,” I spoke for him. “And he came with an offer that I’ve declined.”
“What is this offer?” Lucian’s words twisted, and I picked up the USB, handing it to him.
“The offer of him telling me what happened during the black wedding.” I locked eyes with Lucian. “Like the fact that you killed my fiancé.”
“Ex-fiancé,” Lucian corrected my small slip up. However, the look on his face told me I had majorly fucked up. “Leave, Dash.” Dash did as he was told. The door closing didn’t even snap Lucian’s eyes off me. “Did you see yourself as his? Were ya going to go back to him when you escaped me?”
He wasn’t making sense. He was angry. Furious. I shook my head. “No, I didn’t.”
“If you wanted to know what happened last night, you could have come to me. Asked me.” He threw the USB at the wall. His rage boiled over, and I only knew one why to calm him down.
I unzipped the dress I had on from the front. My breasts spilled out, but his eyes were still glaring at me with rage.
I stepped out of the dress and walked towards him. My finger traced his cheek. “Take your rage out on me, Lucian.”
He inhaled sharply and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ya fucking gunna break me, Haylee.”
His hands were then on my hips and he backed me back towards the bed. My hand with his property mark cupped his cheek. “Fuck the madness out of you, Lucian. Take it out on me.” I was giving him permission to lose complete control with me.
And he did just that.
20
Chapter 20
Haylee
There was an arm across my chest when I woke up the next morning. I moved it, stirring awake. Just as I did, I felt a kiss on the back of my head. I smiled softly. After what we did last night, it was sinful to a degree that I really enjoyed.
“Haylee?’
I rolled over on my side to face Lucian and locked eyes with him.
“I’m going out of town.”
For some reason my heart sunk. Why did I care? All we did was have sex.
“I want you to come,” he hesitated, then he looked me in the eyes. “How long can you sit on the back of a bike for?”
I arched my eyebrow. “Don’t trust me to drive myself?”
“You don’t have a car.” He smirked. “You barely have clothes.”
“That’s not true. I have heaps of clothes, thanks to you.” This was our first playful conversation.
“We are going to go through them if I keep ripping them.” He smirked and ran a hand through my hair. Pulling himself up the bed, he lit a cigarette, and kept his arm draped around me. He pulled me into his side.
I wanted to ask where we were going, but I knew I didn’t have a right. Instead, I kept my mouth shut.
“The bay.”
I frowned. Wait, what did he say?
“You got connections at the bay?” he asked, his chest going up and down as he breathed in. He actually asked me a serious question.
Was he asking to see if I had connections because that was where we were heading and I could reach out to someone to rescue me? He had to know by now I didn’t see myself as needing to be rescued. I was here willingly. God, hadn’t I proved that I could escape if I wanted to?
“Yes,” I answered. My one word being clipped and short. Did I have the guts to follow it with a why?
“I need to get to Albert Vincent. Do you know him?”
I frowned and snuck a glace up at him. “Yes, I do.”
“I need to get him excluded.” His eyes darted down to me. “Willing to help? In return, you’ll earn a mark.”
My heart paused for a moment. Holy fucking hell, this just got serious. For me to earn a mark meant a level of respect in his eyes, but also in the codes and laws. Women earned marks while men earned ranks.
I realised now that he was opening the doors up to his world. The only bad part—I wasn’t ready for those doors to open because it meant that the doors to my old life were sealed shut for good.
21
Chapter 21
Haylee
“Haylee?”
I slipped away from his chest and went to get up. I couldn’t give him an answer right now. I just couldn’t give up my old life completely. Was that pathetic? I sighed and then threw my legs out of the bed, leaning my head down on my hands. This was a nightmare. I was in a living nightmare. What was worse? I was attracted to Lucian, I wanted Lucian. But at the same time, I didn’t want to accept that the life I had was completely over.
I always saw myself ending this debt, but when Lucian claimed me, I knew to a degree that it was a life sentence. How could I accept that? I would never be the woman to handle real business again. Rage started to run through me. Was I to spend my life cleaning beer mugs?
“Haylee, what’s wrong?”
I got up off the bed and turned to look at him. “What’s wrong is that I’m skilled with a gun, can use my hands to end a life. I’ve never been afraid to spill blood. But you want me to be a cleaner.” I was hormonal, I knew that, yet I couldn’t get a grip on my emotions.
“I want you to be a cleaner ay?” He arched an eyebrow, watching me have my first hormonal fit in front of him.
“Yes! Do you know how many beer mugs I’ve cleaned? Mopped the floors, dishes,” I scoffed. “I’m more than a cleaner.” I pointed a finger at him. “I’ll be your slave in the bedroom, or whereever you need
me. But a sex slave is all I’ll be. I won’t be an actual slave.”
He smirked. “Come here.”
“No.”
“Come here.”
“No!”
“Now,” he growled.
I stubbornly walked to his side of the bed. “What?”
He threw the blankets back and got up, pulling me between his legs, trapping me in.
“I don’t want you to be a slave. You’ve always had more power than the common girls around here. No one expects you to be their slave. Bark at one of the girls to do it instead.” He tucked my hair behind my ear and it was incredibly sweet. “I take you at your worst, Haylee, and at your best.”
He linked his hand with mine and ran his thumb over my wedding ring. “I have something I need to show you.”
I stubbornly didn’t move so he couldn’t move.
“Haylee,” he growled. I moved, and he got up. I crossed my arms, being super mature. What the hell has gotten into me? I was hormonal as fuck.
“You wrote this to yourself.” He handed me an envelope. “I don’t know what it says, you sealed it shut with blood so you’d know only your eyes had seen this letter. You wrote it on our wedding night.”
I took the letter.
“You knew you wouldn’t remember it. But I said one day I’d give it to you. Today seems to be the day.” He picked up his shirt. “I’m heading out for a bit.” He then scribbled a number on a notebook and pulled his pants on. “Need me, call me,” he said before he left.
I was so dazzled by the envelope that I didn’t remember till he left—I didn’t have a phone.
22
Chapter 22
Haylee
I opened the letter.
Dear Haylee,
You have no idea how weird it is to write a letter to myself. I’m doing it because he said I could. But you know us . . .. We only believe what we see. I’ve hidden a phone under his bottom drawer. I secretly filmed the black wedding. Watch it for yourself, then maybe you’ll be ready when he asks . . ..
From,
Yourself.
I went to Lucian’s bottom drawer and pulled it out. Sure enough, underneath the drawer was a phone. Switching it on, I saw a playlist of videos and I pushed play at the beginning.
23
The Black Wedding
Lucian
I wasn’t a saint, I was far from it. I knew that, yet here I was about to make a life-defining moment with a woman who was as tainted as me. What she didn’t know was that I was a monster. For a long time, I used to fight the need to be ruthless, I used to be ashamed of the monster that was within me and the fact I had no heart or soul.
I killed. I fucked. I moved on. That was the pattern. The only good thing about me was Massie. Hell, she was the only good thing that had come from me. But as I watched Haylee move towards me, knowing she knew what she was about to do sent a rush through my body. Perhaps there would be two good things that came from me.
I could save her from the life she was living. I could save her from the wrath of this criminal world. The never dying need to always look over her shoulder . . .. I could take that feeling from her. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing. To be honest with myself, I was claiming her because I knew she could deal with this world.
She had proved to me that she would protect my child. She had proved that she would always put me first.
But as I took her hand and the crowd formed around us, I knew she wouldn’t remember this coming morning. I fought the urge to put my finger down her throat because I wanted her to remember this moment—the moment we became one.
The property mark on hand proved again to me that she was the right woman for this. Angeline was never it, but Haylee . . . she had unbreakable strength.
Holding her hand, I commited my soul and body to protect her and slipped the ring onto her finger.
I was expecting to see regret on her face, but there wasn’t any. Instead, she said the vows back to me and slipped the ring onto my finger.
“Forever or never, till the last breath escapes my lungs. I am yours,” she swore, and I was proud she had remembered the lines so well. But I didn’t expect the overwhelming need to kiss her after hearing them come from her lips.
I had heard women pledge to men before. Hell, I normally ministered the ceremonies. But I never expected those words to affect me—not like they did as they left her lips.
Normally, we were expected to stay for the party but in this case, I was the overseer. I wanted her, needed to her, and as soon as we signed the piece of paper, I flung her and the black dress she was wearing over my shoulder, taking her back to my room.
There was cheers and laughter, but the glare from Dash for breaking the rules was also noted. I didn’t care. My interest was in my woman, and for the first time, I was going to give back to Haylee instead of taking from her.
“Aren’t we meant to celebrate?” She giggled when I placed her back on her feet.
“Oh, we are celebrating.” I grinned and leant in closer to her ear. “My style.”
I heard her sharp inhale.
“What do you suggest?” Her hand ran down my chest and those beautiful eyes locked with mine. “How do you want me?”
I smirked always so ready to please. “I’ve actually got another idea.” And I pulled out a phone from my back pocket. “I want to give back to you, so let’s play twenty questions.”
She frowned but took the phone. “Twenty questions on our wedding night?”
“We can have sex any night, but I am giving you one night to get answers out of me.” I kissed her cheek. “You can ask anything, and I’ll answer. Just don’t expect to ever get raw honest answers from me again.”
Her frown deepened, even fell slightly. “I wish I would be able to remember them come morning.”
“That’s what the phone is for,” I replied. “I’m letting you record it—consider that your gift from me.”
She looked at me with disbelief. “You’re giving me my memories back? You and I both know that’s against the rules.”
“I won’t tell if you don’t.” I went and sat on my couch in room while she set the phone up. We were no longer in the hotel room.
“Ready, husband?” She grinned after setting up the phone. I wasn’t ready for that—I really wasn’t ready for that line. I nodded my head, feeling fucking nervous.
I had really thrown myself under the bus. She could ask anything, and I had agreed to answer. What if she asked me about my childhood or asked how I got into this way of life?
Okay, this was a fucking bad idea!
“Favourite colour.” She grinned after hitting the record button.
My expression showed my utter surprise by her light-hearted question. She could ask anything, and she asked what my favourite colour was?
“Black.”
“Not a colour, but okay.”
And so began the twenty questions . . ..
24
The Black Wedding
Haylee
I chewed my bottom lip, unsure what I could ask and not ask. I didn’t want to cross the line, and I knew there was a line because this was Lucian—there was always lines and rules. Hell, he had rules for everything.
“Guards are down, Haylee.” His velvet, raspy, deep voice hit me hard, and I looked up. Could he see how nervous I am about asking him honest questions and expecting real answers? I was debating on just seducing him and fucking him, wrapping this night up.
That I could do, that was easy. That was sex. This . . . I couldn’t handle this. I inhaled sharply.
“Just ask whatever you want, baby girl.” He reached out, brushing my hair to the side. “Just ask, I can’t answer if you don’t ask.”
“Do you have regrets?” I bit the word out and put my hand up. “Let me finish.” I took a steady breath. “When I say regrets, do you regret giving into the need, giving into the monster?”
He frowned.
“The monst
er that backs you when you put the gun to a man’s temple. Do you regret giving into the monster?”
His expression dropped. God, he had to know I had my own monster that drove my every motion. He had to know that I fought with myself—that the demon, that monster, lived in me.
He titled his head. “You know more about this life than you should.” He leant back on the couch, running his hand down his face. “Can I ask you a question?”
I nodded my head.
“Do you regret fulfilling the debt?”
I swallowed sharply and couldn’t honestly answer that question. “No and yes.” I gave the weakest answer possible. “We all pay for our sins some way, and it seems I am paying for my crimes with my freedom.”
And that snapped his wondering stare, his expression hardening. “You think marrying me is payback for killing people?”
God, he took that the wrong way.
He moved to the edge of the couch. “When I ask you to come on a trip with me, I want you to honestly answer me with a yes or no to this question. Do you think that marrying me is repaying for your sins?” He rose a hand. “Not now. When I ask for you to go on that trip.”
25
Chapter 25
Haylee
He had known I had had a phone. He had known all about it. That was why he gave me his number early when I hadn’t had a phone.
God, was there anything this man didn’t know?
Property of Lucian Page 6
