King (Endgame Book 1)

by Riley Ashby

“She looks familiar. Have we met?”

  “Not exactly.” Ellery answered for me as Chase reached out and snagged a piece of my hair. Ellery had done the same a few days ago, and it had sent shivers down my spine. I had a similar reaction this time, but for different reasons. This time, Ellery let me back away.

  Chase laughed, ushering us inside. “Oh, my dear, I think I will enjoy getting to know you.”

  I bit my tongue as hard as I could.

  The air in the house was thick with cigar smoke and expensive scotch. I had to suppress a cough. We walked into a room with a large poker table as its centerpiece. Seated at the table were several men, talking and laughing among themselves. Women dressed similarly to me milled around the edges of the room, delivering drinks when requested.

  I jumped when Ellery's lips grazed my ear. “Pour me a scotch and one for yourself, then try to stay out of the way.”

  I nodded mutely, unable to talk through the lump in my throat. I felt like a competition dog on display. Every eye in the room had turned to us when we came in, but eventually turned their gazes away as Ellery undid his jacket button and sat at the table.

  It seemed we had been the last to arrive. The game started immediately after I delivered Ellery his glass. I sipped mine slowly, grimacing at the taste, as everything from money to horses to properties were placed as bets.

  I observed everyone carefully in turn, trying to see if I could pick out the winner. All of them were skilled players; I couldn't find tells for many of them. Ellery flexed one of his thumbs slightly if he had a good hand.

  He never looked at me once.

  A girl who looked about my age slid to my side as I finally finished my drink. I almost didn't hear her when she spoke.

  “Where are you from?”

  When I turned my head to look at her, she was focused on the table. Her brown hair was cropped short, barely skirting her jawline. I could count the bones in her shoulder. I copied her and replied quietly.

  “Nearby.”

  “You are payment?” Her voice had a slight lilt I didn’t recognize. I idly wondered where she came from, where she was raised, how she had come to be in this house.

  I rolled the glass in my hands. My tongue lay dry in my mouth. “How did you know?”

  “There was a man here last week. Not like them.”

  What did she mean? Not rich? Not young?

  “He was very drunk. Master asked why he would bet money he didn't have.” I didn’t like the intensity in her eyes. It pinned me in place on the floor. I felt like she knew something about me that I wasn’t sure I knew about myself. “He said he had someone to give that would be worth the debt.”

  I almost dropped the glass, snatching it at the last second and clutching it so hard I worried it would crack. Me. Dad had knowingly bet more money than he could cover. My father had intended to deliver me as payment long before I volunteered.

  And if this strange girl knew it, that meant Ellery knew it too. He had let me come to his house under this impression that I was making a sacrifice, standing up for something I believed in. He’d thrown treats at me like a dog because that’s all I was to him. Not a daughter standing up for her father, but another poker chip tossed in the kitty.

  I tried to push down the anger building inside me, but I was vulnerable again after the car ride. He had done this to me, pulled me into this situation against my will, and then broke down all the defenses I had so carefully constructed to keep from feeling like this.

  Well, I had learned my lesson.

  Next chance I had, I would douse myself in hot water until I couldn’t breathe.

  I didn’t look at her, but she never left the corner of my eye. She watched me, watched the others at the table, rarely sipped her drink. She never smiled.

  My already tense muscles turned to concrete when the brunette begin to speak to her. We knew who she was, where she had come from, how much she’d been bought for. The woman had only been with Chase for a few weeks, but her emaciated frame showed how much she’d been abused in that short time. Bruises were visible through the sheer parts of her dress. My teeth were grinding together so violently that I had a headache, but I didn't dare drink anything further. Chase's eyes continued to flit over to the two girls, distracting him to the point of losing a handsome racehorse in one particularly bad hand. The interminable game continued, but I was able to speak quietly with a man who had some resources I needed in New York.

  When not speaking, I observed Sophie closer. Her body was tense, but she held herself well. She hung at the edge of the room, eyes on me, but her uneasiness was rather well concealed before Josie went to speak with her. It made me nervous that Josie was even standing near her, as if some of the dirt of this place would be passed on to Sophie like a disease. I should never have brought her, no matter what it might do for my reputation. I should have locked her in and kept her as pristine as the white room she slept in last night.

  But as she spoke to the woman, Chase’s latest acquisition, that guard dropped a little. She smiled. There was genuine warmth flowing from her to the other girl, despite their troubled backgrounds and the situations that had led both of them here tonight. Perhaps that was why they seemed to have connected so quickly.

  It made me strangely jealous to see her smile like that. Smiles for someone else and not for me, not for anything I had done. A coal burned in the center of my chest.

  And then it was gone. Her eyes locked on to me once more, but her cautious curiosity was replaced by fury. I finally turned to look at her head-on, confused. What had happened? What had been said? What had been revealed? I pushed my chair back, intending to go to her. Something was wrong, and I needed to be the one to fix it.

  “Is that McDermott's daughter, King?”

  Chase’s voice broke the tether between us. I was drawn back in, my guard up. I let myself forget where I was for a moment, and it was a moment too long.

  “Not your business,” I growled, picking up my glass and drinking deeply. But of course, he had every reason to be curious. It was the reason I was here. The reason we both were. Chase collected the castoff cards from the middle of the table, shuffling with one hand. He looked at Sophie closer. A slow smile curled around his cheek.

  “I think it is, actually.”

  He was on his feet, walking in her direction, and her gaze had shifted from him to me. Before, she had looked angry, and now that expression was slowly draining away. But she didn’t look afraid. She was just … blank. A monster walked toward her, and she stood like a statue. Not unafraid, just reckless.

  I made a move to stand up and go over to her but was tugged back down by my neighbor who wanted to continue our conversation. He was oblivious to my anxiety, thinking only of himself. And because I was a businessman before all else, I obliged him.

  When I looked up again, both Chase and Sophie were gone.

  I didn’t know if it made me weak or if it was a result of being brought up by an alcoholic father after being abandoned by my mother, but when the man named Chase Reilly stood up from the table and gestured for me to follow, I didn’t hesitate. I set down my glass and walked as quickly and quietly as I could out of the room after him.

  The room he ushered me into was clearly meant to be a study, and I couldn’t help but compare it to the one at Ellery’s house. Where his was stately and organized, this one was gauche and messy, clearly not used for business as much as drinking and gaming.

  It was no use comparing anything about this man to the one I had nearly let undress me in the car. They were as different as oil and water. The sooner I got used to it, the better.

  “I am ecstatic to meet you, you know.”

  I wished I could say the same. The man who turned to face me had the eyes of a snake, beady and predatory. He wanted to hurt me, and he would enjoy it.

  He poured me a new drink from a rolling bar and put it in my hand, but I made no move to drink the substance. He didn’t seem to notice.

  “I admit I was r
ather intrigued when your father offered you up last week as a gambling chip. Did he tell you about that or did you just find that out?”

  He studied me from across the room. Though I tried to school my face into impassiveness, he must have seen something he liked. A wicked grin grew across his face, and he advanced on me. I took a step back subconsciously.

  “Just found out, then. Tell me, did King break you in first? Or has that pompous ass learned to finally respect other people’s property?”

  “I don’t think he’s the pompous one,” I whispered before I could seal my lips.

  I expected anger but the face I got was merely curious. “Why do you say that?”

  Say nothing. I pressed my lips together, refusing to speak.

  He frowned and grabbed my chin. It felt wrong when he did it. His fingers didn’t feel right on my skin; he held me a little too tight.

  “I won’t stand for silence, girl. Answer me.”

  “He seems to have a soul.”

  I’d pay for that.

  His face was in turmoil, the frown morphing into that wicked smile and then back again. His hand moved from my face to my arm, pressing hard into my skin. I tried to lean into the pain, let it take me away, but it didn’t feel right. Not coming from him.

  “You’re hurting me,” I said, taking another step back. I didn’t want those hands on me, not his. I wanted to be back in the car, or the floor of the drawing room, or pressed against the window in my white room. Anywhere but here.

  He followed without missing a beat, squeezing harder. “This is just the beginning, my dear.”

  He brought his mouth to mine, and as much as I wanted to push him off me, I wasn’t strong enough. He grabbed my other wrist as my hand flew up, trying to push him off, but his hold was as strong as iron. He pushed me until my back smacked against a wall, hitting my head on sheetrock. I groaned, and he laughed.

  “I like that noise. I think I’ll need to coax more of that out of you.”

  Cooperate. It’ll be easier.

  The part of me that always shut off when things got too real was trying to lead me, but my panic mode had been fully engaged. My whole body was on high alert, aware of the hard areas of his body pressed against mine, all too conscious that I was completely immobile while he pushed at my lips with his tongue. My eyes screwed shut as tight as they could while I warred with myself, one side trying to collapse inward while the other strained and fought against this invasion.

  “If you’re going to fight me, I’ll make it worse for you,” he said, but I couldn’t make myself cooperate. I was wholly unable to let go. I reminded myself that Ellery was gone. He’d let me go. And he had been right; I had chosen this for myself. It was my own fault I was here, and I had to accept that. And still, I pushed back, sealed my lips, and tried to turn away.

  Before I knew what was happening, there was a fist heading toward my face. I jerked to the side enough to avoid the full force of the blow. Regardless, I felt blood dripping down my cheek. The asshole hadn't removed his rings. I turned away, hands covering my face and leaving my core completely unprotected. He responded with a blow to my ribs, and I slid down the wall, trying to make myself as small as possible.

  “Not like that,” he muttered, more to himself than to me, and grabbed me around the ankle, dragging me into the middle of the room and pushing me onto my back. A moment later he was straddling me, and another punch hit my face. I tasted blood in the back of my throat. I was going to drown in it.

  But he wasn't holding me down well enough. I don't think he registered how small I was. I drew a knee to my chest and put my foot against him then kicked him off me. He fell back on his ass looking surprised … then angry. I scrambled to get to my feet, but he was on me again, this time putting his hands around my throat. Thick fingers squeezed, and his hands were nothing like Ellery’s. My breath was trapped in my throat.

  And then, suddenly, he was gone. I sucked in a life-giving breath as my eyes flew open, looking around wildly.

  Ellery King held my attacker aloft with one hand, their faces inches away.

  “Keep your hands off my things,” he growled and let go.

  Chase hit the ground with a bit of a stumble, falling back and rubbing his neck where Ellery’s fingers had been. Ellery was more furious than he had looked while I was talking to him. Despite the way he hurt me, he only wanted my submission, not my blood. The same could not be said for Chase.

  Ellery took two steps closer to me, never taking his eyes off Chase. I scrambled to my feet, pushing myself against Ellery, trying to hide behind him.

  “I suggest you let this one go.” I could see his teeth grinding as he buttoned his jacket. He reached behind him for my arm. “We're leaving. She’s mine now.”

  There was a crash as Chase grabbed his cup and threw it against the floor. I jumped, weaving my fingers tighter into Ellery’s jacket. Shards of glass shattered across the hardwood like fallen stars.

  “I want to be paid, King. I don't care if it's her or her father, but that family owes me.”

  “You owe me too, remember?”

  He scowled. “What are you talking about?”

  “That deal with the government,” Ellery reminded him. “I shelled out a lot of goodwill in order to get you that meeting. And it cost me on my own contract.”

  “I don’t see how that translates into…” he gestured at me “…this.”

  “One show of good faith for another. You made up the money her father owes you ten thousand-fold in that deal. I think turning her over to me is fair enough compensation.”

  Chase considered this as Josie walked into the room, looking nervously between the three of us: Ellery and me with our backs to the wall and Chase commanding the room with his wide stance—but not for long.

  The way Ellery stepped forward into the room to meet Chase head-on sent a chill down my spine. I’d had my hand on his back as he stood in front of me, the fabric of his jacket trembling beneath my palm as he challenged this man without any kind of plan. I watched his mind race as he came up with that excuse on the spot, the reason why he should be allowed to keep me. He truly had intended to hand me over up until this moment.

  Of course he did. You just heard him call you a thing.

  So what had changed?

  He stepped away from me, leaving me exposed, but the air of the room seemed to swell around him. In a moment, the dynamic shifted; Chase put one foot behind him as he moved away from Ellery. He’d beat me, tried to rape me with twenty people in the next room, but he was no longer in control. In fact, he never had been.

  Ellery continued. “Should I bring up the litany of other favors you owe me, Chase? One way or another, I’m leaving here with her. I can transition from negotiations to threats, if that suits you. Or are we good?”

  Chase’s lips lifted in a sneer as he looked over Ellery’s shoulder at me. Where before I had been prepared to accept my fate, I now felt the feet of hundreds of tiny spiders crawl over my skin as his eyes raked over my body once more. I was ashamed of the blood running down my face, the obvious indicator of my weakness. I’d been completely helpless.

  Ellery stepped forward so they were chest to chest, foreheads nearly touching.

  “You think you can go up against me?”

  There was a horrible pause as Chase considered his opponent before shoving Ellery away and making a grab for Josie. Ellery's fingers closed around my arm as he returned to my side and pushed me behind him. This caveman show of grabbing and shoving women was getting on my nerves, but I had to admit I felt safer with Ellery's solid body between me and the man who had assaulted me in the middle of his study. Then I remembered what I had learned about the one currently holding me only minutes before, and I wanted to scratch his eyes out.

  “We're leaving and this is settled. Got it? No more debate.” He glared fire at Chase, who had the gall to look amused.

  “Whatever you say, mate.” Then he mashed his mouth against Josie, eager to reassert some domi
nance. I looked away. That could have been me, and now it was her. But even my overworked empathy couldn’t bring me to sacrifice myself again.

  Ellery pulled me behind him as we stumbled back to the foyer. He scooped me up when I wasn't moving quickly enough. As we approached the car, Castel leaped to attention.

  “What the hell is this?” he asked, glaring at me with something that looked a lot like hate, but he dug a first-aid kit out of the trunk nonetheless. He cracked open a single use ice pack for my face and pressed it in to my hand.

  “Forget it,” Ellery snapped, guiding me inside the car. “Get us out of here.”

  I slid into the car, pressing myself against the far door, but Ellery moved to the middle of the bench and pulled me closer to him. He grabbed my chin and studied me under the dome light. He ran his fingers over my face, assessing the damage.

  “Why the hell did you go with him?” he demanded, but I had no desire to reply. I couldn’t believe that only a few hours ago I had been sitting in this man’s lap while he unzipped my dress, and now I was bleeding and bruised because of his negligence. I turned and stared out the window into the black night, but he grabbed my face and made me look at him.

  “Never disobey me like that again. Your safety is my responsibility, but I can’t protect you if you disregard my authority. “

  I snapped my teeth at his fingers, and he frowned at me like I was a disobedient child. “Have something to say?”

  “You were the one who told me it was a done deal. That I should accept my fate and give him what he wanted,” I growled, and he recoiled as if I hit him before anger flooded his expression. I continued before he could interrupt, turning toward the window again. This time, he let me. “At least I knew where I stood with him.”

  We were both quiet. I heard him open and close his mouth, as if preparing to speak but deciding against it. Finally, he turned me toward him again, more gently this time.

  “I made a mistake. Don’t expect me to admit to that ever again. Bringing you here was a bad idea, and I’m sorry.”