Bryan was instantly uncomfortable, even more so now that the gun was there. “You can’t be serious,” he muttered, glancing between me and Carter, the latter of which still stood near him, ready to restrain him, if necessary.
I wasn’t worried. The gun might sit in the middle of us, but my reflexes were faster. This was what I did, and I could not lie… I rather enjoyed the dance leading up to the finale.
“You don’t know me, so let me tell you,” I paused, lowering my voice to a bare whisper, “I don’t joke.”
“He’s right,” Carter muttered, “he doesn’t.”
I bet the heart in Bryan’s chest pounded wildly, uncontrollably. I’d bet he never thought this would happen, and that would be his downfall.
“The police would—” Still, he tried to talk about the boys in blue.
“The police here don’t give a shit about you, and they’ll write up whatever report I tell them to,” I said. “Your parents will get a call from them, asking them to come identify your body. Tell me, Bryan, do your parents know you’re a fuckup or will they only realize it when they’re staring at your stiff, motionless corpse?”
That did it. Bryan went for the gun, and though I doubted he’d ever shot any gun in his life, my reflexes were indeed faster than his. My fingers curled around the Glock before he got to it, and I lifted it with a steady arm, right at his head.
“You didn’t think I left that there for you, did you?” I asked, frowning.
Bryan exhaled the shakiest breath I thought I’d ever heard, finally realizing what pile of shit he’d stepped into. “You’re not really going to kill me, are you? All because I came for my girlfriend?”
Pure, unadulterated hatred rose in my heart as I growled out, “She’s not your fucking girlfriend. She’s mine.”
Since he had no other options here, Bryan tried to bolt. He got up, sought to run away like some frightened animal, but Carter had him in a chokehold within a moment, dragging him back to me, forcing him to his knees before me. I got to my feet, taking the safety off the Glock.
Zoey pushed away from the stage, slow to walk around toward me. All of our eyes were on her; Carter’s, mine, Bryan’s. Bryan probably hoped she would step in and save him, be his white knight and let him run away from this night with his life, but even if she asked me to… I didn’t think I could let this insect crawl away.
If I did, he’d be back. He’d come back for her. He’d always try something to reel her back in, and that wasn’t something I could allow.
When Zoey made it out like she wanted to talk to me, I told Carter, “Hold him.” I walked with Zoey into the backroom, where we usually spent our time doing much more private things.
The door closed, and Zoey looked at me, something unreadable in her eyes, the same vacancy I saw that first night we met. Bryan made her feel awful things, and I would do anything to make her feel better.
“Are you…” She paused, glancing up at me as she folded her hands across her chest. “Are you really going to shoot him?”
Shoot him was a bit of an understatement, since I did plan on killing him, but I said, “Yes.”
“And how will this not come back on me? How will this not bite me in the ass?”
I took a step toward her, my gun-free hand reaching out to caress her cheek. “Because I won’t let it. This won’t be on you, Zoey.”
She turned her face into my hand, breathing me in for a moment. Whether or not she believed me, she didn’t say, but I knew she would in time. I would prove to her this night would not ever come to bite her in the ass. “I… I don’t think I want to watch.”
That was a wish I could respect. “Then stay back here. I’ll have Carter come get you when it’s safe.” In other words, when she could walk out of the Dollhouse without getting blood on her pink shoes or seeing his body.
Might be a few hours, but everything came with a price, ignorance especially.
I pulled away from her, my hand falling away from her face as I watched her step back and sit on the couch that had seen a lot of use in my time at the Dollhouse. This time, for once, sex was not on my mind; vengeance was.
Carter stood near Bryan, his head turning to look at me when I exited the backroom, sans Zoey. “What?” he asked. “She doesn’t want to see?” He rolled his eyes. “Women.”
“What—” Bryan tried to speak, but Carter hit him on the back of his head, stopping him.
“How did you find her?” I spoke, acting like my Glock was the most interesting thing in the world, pacing in front of him.
“I hired a private investigator,” he spat out, probably hoping the information would save his life. It wouldn’t; I just needed to tie up every loose end. I didn’t doubt the investigator’s number was in his phone somewhere, or in his emails.
“Give him your phone,” I instructed, and Bryan was slow to reach into his pocket and hand Carter his sleek, crack-free phone. Looked like the newest model, too. It must’ve needed a face to unlock it, for Carter held it in front of Bryan the next moment before scrolling through it.
I knelt before Bryan, meeting his amber eyes. He was sweating, obviously scared now of what he’d walked into. The fool thought he’d storm in here, take Zoey, and leave, just like that. What an idiot. What a fucking idiot.
“Any last words, Bryan Oakes?” I questioned, not really caring either way. A part of me wanted to prolong this moment, to make it last; this was the part of the hunt I so enjoyed. Some people might not like what they did, some people might hate their jobs and loathe their bosses, but I was one of the lucky few who was able to do what I liked—and fortunately for me, it was something I was very good at.
Carter took a step to the side, no longer directly behind him, in the blast’s way, still flipping through his phone in search of that private investigator.
“Last words?” Bryan echoed, head tilting up as he watched me stand. “Yeah, fuck—”
He was probably going to say more, but I didn’t let him. In a split-second, I straightened my arm, pointing the Glock right at his face. I pulled the trigger. The bullet soared from the chamber, splintering through Bryan’s forehead the next moment, the force so great at such a close range his skull cracked in more places than one.
Bryan fell backward, his body twitching for a few seconds before becoming still, the bullet hole in his head bleeding out a bit. Luckily, head wounds were not as messy as, say, neck wounds, but there would still be some cleanup work to do.
While Carter was on Bryan’s phone, I whipped out mine, dialing. When the rough voice answered on the other line, I said, “I need you to come to the Dollhouse, now.” A rumble escaped my chest when he tried to say he was busy. “I don’t care what the fuck you’re doing, Mario. You’ll get your ass here now with all your shit, otherwise I’ll go to your father and tell him—”
That was all I needed to say, for in the next moment, Mario was muttering that he’d be right here. He wasn’t our only cleaner, but I liked bugging him the most, since he tried his best not to involve himself with family business.
I hung up, stepping over Bryan’s corpse to move to Carter. “Anything on that PI?”
“Yeah,” Carter said, gruff. “Some bastard named Stanley. I have his cell, his office number, and even a fax number.” His green eyes flicked to me, waiting for me to say the word.
“We’ll take care of him,” I said, a promise to him, a promise to the dead boy near us.
I was not fibbing when I said there was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect Zoey, and if that meant destroying every single bit of her old life that threatened to creep into this one, then so be it. I would make that sacrifice, all the while refusing to give that girl up.
She was mine, and she would remain mine until the day she died.
Chapter Twenty – Zoey
Epilogue
It blew my mind how things still didn’t feel real, even after all this time. It’d been months since Roman had… let’s just call it taken care of my ex, and even now, when I tr
ied to think about it, when I tried to feel some kind of guilt over the fact that Bryan would never go home again, I didn’t.
Did that make me as much of a psychopath as Roman? I didn’t know, and frankly I didn’t care. He was a cheat, and call me crazy, but in the end, he got what he deserved.
I’d decided that night I didn’t want to know the details of anything Roman did. It wasn’t that I lost sleep over it, I just… it made me worry about him and Carter, you know? It made me fret over whether or not there would come a day when one or neither of them would come home.
Roman still wanted me to move in with him, but I kept pushing him off. It was nice to be out on my own—relatively—and even nicer to be next door to one of my boyfriends.
Yeah, I called all of them that now, as much as Carter hated it.
I was in the bathroom in my apartment, getting ready for what was certainly going to be a long night. I had a date with Lake, you see, but it wasn’t just a normal date. It wasn’t him driving me to dinner and a movie; oh no, this was something that had been in the works for a while now, something I wasn’t sure whether or not Lake could even handle, but he’d agreed to it, so we were going to try.
Was it weird I was nervous? Probably. I didn’t get nervous when it came to being with any of my guys, but this… it was going to be something new.
My hair was freshly dyed, the pink bright and almost blinding. It was now winter out there, and even though the area didn’t get much snow, it was still too cold out for shorts, so I wore jeans with my usual pink shoes. Though my poor shoes were looking a little worse for wear, they still had some life left in them yet. I stuck with a plain t-shirt, knowing the clothes I wore didn’t much matter. They wouldn’t stay on long anyway, once we got to where we were going.
Once I was satisfied with my makeup, I left the bathroom, finding Lake in the kitchen, leaning on the counter. His blonde hair was freshly cut, so he had that awkward look all guys did right after a haircut. He was still ridiculously cute, though.
I walked to his side, poking him in the rib cage before leaning on him. “I’m ready,” I said, listening to him sigh.
“I was kind of hoping you’d take all night to get ready,” Lake muttered, giving me a tiny smile, even smaller dimples gracing those adorable cheeks.
Lifting my head off his shoulder, I stared into his blue eyes, saying, “We don’t have to do this, you know. I could always call him and tell him that—” Yes, I know what you’re thinking: it’s about damn time I got Roman’s number. I mean, how many times did I see his dick before punching his name in my phone? Lots.
Of course, Roman didn’t let me keep my throwaway phone, either. He had to get me a new one.
“No,” Lake said, standing straight as he reached for my hand. “I agreed to try this, so… let’s just get it over with, right?” Even though his words said he would do it, I could tell he was still hesitant, and I couldn’t blame him. I mean, Roman did have him kidnapped.
Twice.
That wasn’t something you could just forget about.
Needless to say, I did not tell Lake about my ex finding me, or how Roman handled him. That was yet another reason I wanted to keep everything separate; I didn’t want to be involved in Roman’s work, and I didn’t want Lake to be involved, either. One of the reasons I was so reluctant to move into his big, fancy house. Lake would not be able to handle it, and frankly, I saw enough blood, being a girl and all.
I grabbed my keys and a jacket before we left, and soon enough we were in his car and on our way. My nerves were a little antsy, so I could only imagine how nervous Lake was. I glanced over to him, seeing that he was practically white-knuckling it as he drove, and I grinned to myself.
“Everything’s going to be fine,” I said, hoping it was true. This was all new to me, so it wasn’t like I had any past experiences to go on here, other than with Carter. And that… I didn’t think that mattered, because Carter was a package deal with Roman. Lake? Lake wasn’t. Lake was only here because of me, because I’d fought for him.
“I hope so,” Lake muttered. He shot me a look.
“Roman only watches,” I reminded him. “He doesn’t join in… usually.”
“Can you believe that doesn’t make me feel much better? No, scratch that. It doesn’t make me feel any better,” Lake rambled on.
For those of you still wondering what we were doing: Lake and I were heading to Roman’s house, where we would have sex while Roman watched. Yeah, okay, now that I actually thought it, it was a little weird, but everyone had their kinks.
This would definitely be an experience for all of us. I hoped we would all come out of tonight alive and still in a relationship; I wouldn’t put it past Roman to get jealous and try to tear us apart, or for Lake to decide this was too freaky for him and dump me right there.
So, I guess, that being said, I was a bit nervous myself.
We pulled up to the fancy house Roman owned fifteen minutes later, and Lake parked in front of the garage. A beautiful three-story house that was almost like a mansion, it was one of the nicest homes in the area, complete with security cameras and a stone fence built all the way around the property to keep others out. No neighbors to be seen.
At one point in time, his house reminded me of home, of Hillcrest and the life I was still trying to forget, but now… now when I was here, I thought of nothing but Roman and Carter, the pleasure they brought me, the craziness they brought into my life.
Getting out of his car, we walked to the front door, hand in hand. Lake paused before ringing the doorbell, and I squeezed his hand, hoping I was being supportive enough. I didn’t want to make Lake feel like we had to do this; I’d be fine telling Roman we could try again at a later date.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked being bent over and fucked while Roman watched, but there was always time with Carter. Lake was different; he’d always been different, and I’d known this from the beginning. It’s why I fought so hard for him, after I realized I needed someone normal in my life, someone so sweet he’d give me cavities.
Since Lake was too anxious to do it, I rang the doorbell after asking him one more time if he was sure about this, and he told me yes.
Okay. Come whatever may, then.
Carter was the one who answered the door, looking slick and handsome, his brown hair styled to the side, his black shirt buttoned only to his collarbone, his bare chest peeking out underneath. Knowing what he was packing under his clothes, my mind immediately pictured him naked. All those muscles… the things he could do to me made me blush, even after all this time.
“Well, well,” Carter spoke, his voice low as he studied us—me, especially. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you’d come.” He stepped aside, letting us both in. Lake practically scurried past him, but I took my time, brushing my shoulder against him as we walked by.
We locked gazes, and I looked away, fighting the heat growing inside of me. Tonight wasn’t about Carter; it was about Lake.
I clung to Lake’s arm as Carter led us through the house. Up the stairs we went, down a hall I was not too familiar with. All the times I’d been to Roman’s house, there were only a few select rooms we got busy in. The one Carter led us to was a new one.
“He’s waiting for you,” Carter spoke, stopping just outside the door, which hung closed beside us. “Apparently I’m not allowed in.” He sounded a bit bitter that time, and I couldn’t blame him. He knew stuff was about to get down in that room and he wouldn’t be a part of it. If anyone here was a sex-crazed animal, it was Carter; his hunger was never satisfied, never sated.
I let go of Lake’s hand to step toward Carter, giving him a playful smack on the cheek as I said, “Don’t pout, Carter. It doesn’t look good on you.” Before he could grab me and say something in return, I took Lake’s hand and pulled him into the room, leaving Carter alone in the hall.
The room was… well, I didn’t know what exactly I was expecting, but this wasn’t it.
Dim, no windows at al
l, the walls covered in velvet draperies of black and dark red. What little light there was came from light fixtures hanging between the draperies, though their light was low. A round bed sat in the middle of the room, red and black pillows on top, along with sheets that matched the draperies.
If ever there was a sexier room, I couldn’t imagine it. The ambiance here was off the frigging charts, and I could not fight the feeling I had: I wanted to run onto that round bed, drag Lake with me, and put on a show.
“Uh…” Lake was speechless.
I turned my head, spotting Roman sitting in a lounge chair in the corner of the room. He nearly blended in with the chair, its fabric made of a similar black as his suit. Roman glided to his feet, strolling over to us, his dark, penetrating gaze eating me up.
Slowly, I released Lake’s hand, shrugging off my jacket. I met Lake’s eyes, wordlessly urging him to do the same, and Roman offered to take our coats, draping them over his arm as he studied us—mostly me.
“You do look ravishing tonight,” he whispered.
“Thanks,” Lake spoke rather awkwardly, earning himself a glance from Roman.
I coughed. “I don’t think he meant you.”
“Oh…”
Roman smirked, leaving our side to head to the door. He opened it, and Carter must’ve still been right outside, for he handed our coats over. By the time he returned to us, I could tell Lake wanted to bolt. Whether or not he would decide against this was still up in the air; I knew he was doing this for me, but still. I made him promise that if he really didn’t want to do it, he would tell me—we were under no obligation to do anything in front of Roman.
Even if this entire room looked like it was set up just for us, just for tonight.
I wouldn’t put something like that past Roman.
“Well,” Roman spoke, running a hand down the front of his suit. “I’ll let you get to it. If it helps, you can pretend I’m not here.” That last part he spoke to Lake, who, even in the dim light, looked like he was turning cherry red.
Voyeur Page 24
