Torment (B.A.D. Inc Book 1)

by Angel Devlin

  “I- I don’t understand,” Mum stutters.

  “Let me make it clear then. All the time your husband has been on his golfing trips, there’s been no golf, although he has been scoring holes in one. His dick in my mother’s pussy. Giles is my father. Not only that but he also has at least one other family as I have a half-brother too.”

  “This gift’s for you… Dad.”

  Giles takes the lid from the other box and his eyes widen. The box and the contents fall to the floor. I reel back at what I see. My ripped pants, along with photographs of me, my mouth sucking Deacon’s cock. Another where I’m looking back at him, lust clear in my eyes.

  I scream.

  My mother pulls me in closer as my stepdad launches for Deacon. But he’s no match. Deacon punches him in the jaw and chin and knocks him clean out.

  “Get out of my house,” my mum yells while she stares at Deacon. She’s trembling and she keeps looking around as if someone’s going to shout ‘joke’. I know because I’m feeling the same way, but I look at the photos again and see it’s not a joke at all.

  “So I was collateral?” I ask sadly. My heart is breaking inside, but I will stay calm right now because my mother needs me.

  The devil looks at me, having taken my soul. His mouth is downturned. “I’m sorry, Mia. I truly am. But that man ruins lives.” He looks at my mother, his features smooth and expressionless. His eyes dead. “Mia’s tales of his pride of the daughter who isn’t his by blood made me sick to my stomach. He wasn’t golfing this week. He was with my mum. Trying to extort money from her. The reason he won’t marry you is that he’s still married to her. I couldn’t understand why he’d never truly let her go until this week. When he blackmailed me. He’ll give my mother a divorce if I give him money. The cunt bled her dry and now he’s using her to get to me. He can rot in hell.” He looks at his father still lying on the floor. “Meanwhile, while I suffer the shit storm he causes and mop up his spills, he lives here like some kind of fucking spoiled prince. So you needed to know the truth. You needed to know that this wonderful faux-husband and stepdad is a lying, cheating cunt. I don’t know why he needs more money, whether you have him on a leash, but I’m giving him a clear message that I can also fuck with his life, the way he’s fucked up mine.”

  “And you felt you needed to use my daughter? That makes you no better than him.”

  Deacon shrugs, his eyes meeting mine for a brief moment before returning to my mother’s. “I’m an asshole, it’s what we do. It’s how I’ve been made. You can get your lives back together. Mia will move on. I’ll always be stuck with him through biology. He will still exist in my life like a malignant cancer.”

  He walks out and as I hear the door bang close, darkness descends. I just remember hearing my mum shout my name before it all goes black.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Deacon

  Her eyes haunt me as I storm from her mother’s house. My chest heaves and my muscles pull tighter than I’ve ever known, having just done what I feel like I’ve been planning for my entire life. That cunt lives for ruining people’s lives, getting a taste of his own medicine was well overdue.

  The car that I’d ordered, knowing that I wasn’t going to be staying here long enough for dinner is idling for me at the now shut gates.

  I climb in and pull my phone from my pocket, hitting send on the email waiting in my drafts before I have second thoughts about it.

  I knew she’d be shocked, devastated in fact, but I didn’t quite anticipate the look on her face as she watched her world crumble.

  She should have expected it. I’d warned her enough times that I’m not a good person. She’s experienced first hand what it’s like to play my games, she’s been a willing participant for weeks.

  But then she let her heart get involved. Stupid, stupid girl.

  Almost immediately my phone alerts me to replies, exactly as I thought it would. After all, what I’ve just sent out is hot and no doubt is already being prepared to go up online and printed into tomorrow’s gossip mags.

  Something painful spears through my chest making me bend forward. Is that what regret and guilt feels like? If so, then it hurts like a motherfucker.

  I wonder if my dear dad’s ever experienced it after ruining the lives of those he’s left in his wake?

  I think of Scott, his feisty little girlfriend, and his baby girl. What would he think of what I just did? Would he be happy to see daddy get the comeuppance he deserves or would he think I’m a fucking arsehole for putting Mia in the middle of my feud?

  I sigh. It doesn't really matter what he thinks, or anyone else for that matter. The damage is done now, and as she crumples into her mother’s caring arms, she’s got no idea what’s about to land at her feet.

  That motherfucker is going to come to knowing that I’ve taken advantage of his precious stepdaughter, but he doesn’t know the half of it. I want her to break right in front of his eyes, knowing that although I was the one to pull the trigger, he was the one who caused it the day he decided to follow a life of deceit and betrayal. And as his current life of comfort explodes before his eyes, as he’s no longer able to hide away from the press and cameras that will come seeking stories about Mia and all of her past, he will know that I intend to destroy him completely.

  As we get closer to the city, I have a change of heart. Instead of heading home, I give the driver XCluSiv’s address instead. I need alcohol and I need a lot of it. Probably more than I have in my penthouse.

  Our usual booth is empty. Thankfully it’s not the one I spent time in with Mia.

  The waiter comes over, already with a bottle of my usual in his hand and a glass. I nod my thanks before pouring myself a generous amount and throwing it back.

  Memories hit of how innocent she looked sitting beside me, her eyes widening with anticipation for what the night might bring. The scent of her perfume fills my nose and it’s as if she’s actually here. Looking over my shoulder, I expect to find her in her little black dress, chewing on her bottom lip as she tries to decide if she really wants this. Then that transforms to a memory of her bound downstairs as I teased her body with that soft flogger before fucking her so hard I saw stars when I filled her pussy with my seed.

  By the time Tyler and Oliver join me sometime later, the bottle in front of me is empty and the two of them look a little blurred.

  “What the fuck happened to you, King?”

  I shrug. “Ruined my father’s life, destroyed mine simultaneously. You know. Normal day.” I don’t realise the words came out loud until I see the shock on their faces. “Fuck, I… uh…”

  “What have you done?” They both slide into the booth with me and wave the bottle at the waiter when he heads our way.

  They stare at me as I sit silently, trying to get my brain to fire properly and to decide what I should tell them about the whole situation. These guys are my brothers, we don’t keep shit from each other. It’s been that way since we found each other at university all those years ago. We formed a family; a dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless.

  “I… I think I fucked up,” I admit, snatching the bottle from the waiter before it even hits the table. I slosh a load into my glass and bring it to my mouth. I’m no longer tasting it; this could be the cheapest shit known to man and I’d have no clue, as long as it does the job of numbing everything around me.

  The next thing I know, I roll over in bed and my stomach turns over. Taking in a deep breath through my nose, I will the feeling to fade as the pounding in my head begins to make itself known. It’s not the first time I’ve woken in this state and I’m sure it won’t be the last, but the pain in my chest, that’s most definitely new.

  What the fuck hap—oh. Her disbelieving eyes come back to haunt me. Fuck.

  Somehow I manage to drag my body to the bathroom to take a piss, but after a pathetic attempt at brushing my teeth, I crawl—quite literally—back to bed and fall almost instantly asleep.

  This continues f
or some days. The only thing I add into my routine is to work my way through my whiskey collection. When I run out and find myself staring at a bottle of vodka, I know I need to get my shit together, or at least order some more whiskey.

  My phone’s remained sitting on my bedside table, probably long dead by now. I’ve no idea what day it is and quite frankly I don’t really care. The guys can cope without me at work, I’m sure. It’s not the first time one of us has gone off on a bender for some reason or another. When you’re as fucked up as the five of us, this kind of thing becomes pretty normal.

  I’ve heard my buzzer going off a few times so I can only assume one or all of them have tried to get to me at some point. They can’t be all that concerned yet because each of them has a key if necessary. Everything I’ve done will have hit the headlines by now. Depending on how many days have passed, it might all be old news. I obviously didn’t put my name to any of it, but that doesn’t mean that Mia hasn’t come back at me. She has every right to after what I’ve done to her. It also wouldn’t take all that much brainpower for the guys to figure out it was me once they realise who her stepdad is.

  Finding my charger, I push it into the bottom of my phone and wait for it to have enough juice to turn on. I ignore the messages and emails that immediately start flashing up and go straight for my online shopping app. If I were Mia right now, I could ring my concierge service and have it hand delivered. I’m not that fucking rich though; not yet anyway. That’s something to add to my bucket list. Someone to wait on me hand and foot.

  Feeling more in control of my body, I get myself out of bed and turn the shower on as hot as it’ll go. I drop my boxers and stand under the scalding water. It barely touches the kind of pain I deserve after what I’ve done but it’s all I’ve got right now.

  As I stand there with the water cascading down over my body, all I can think about is her. I wonder how she’s coping after everything. Is she in her flat or has she been forced into hiding at her mother’s? What did they do about my dad? I thought I’d feel relief that I managed to destroy him after all this time, but all I really feel is regret for hurting the one person who I’m starting to realise meant something to me. I might have thought I was lying through my teeth every time I told her I was falling for her and we talked about our possible future together, but at some point I think I started to mean the words.

  I’ve just got out of my shower and wrapped a towel around my waist when there’s a knock at my door.

  Making my way over, I wonder who it is. Security wouldn’t have let a delivery man up without clearing it with me first. The second I look through the peephole, I realise my time is up.

  Tyler is standing on the other side of the door waving two bottles of whiskey at me.

  “I know you’re in there, motherfucker. Open the door.”

  Lifting my hand, I do as I’m told. The second I crack it open, he’s pushing his way inside.

  “Jesus, I wasn’t going to snatch it and slam the door in your face.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past you. It seems you’re an even bigger cunt than we thought.” Taking one of the bottles from him, I twist the top and set to work. He drops something else onto my coffee table, but I pay it no attention.

  “It seems that way. If you’ve come to give me an ear bashing for what I did, I should warn you that it’ll fall on deaf ears. I. Don’t. Need. To. Hear. It.” Falling down on my sofa, I stare at him between swigs of whiskey.

  “That’s a fucking shame because I’m going to give it to you anyway. You fucked up this time, King. Fucking big time. You can just—” He continues but some movement over his shoulder drags my attention away and his words fade as I take in the beautiful woman standing in the doorway looking unsure of herself.

  “Aw, Ty. Did you bring something to take my mind off it all aside from the whiskey?”

  He shakes his head as he tries to figure out what the fuck I’m talking about. He was deep into his ‘Deacon’s a fuck up’ speech and not ready for me to change lanes on him.

  “Her,” I say, lifting my chin in her direction.

  Unfortunately for him, even in my inebriated state, I’m faster. I’m up on the sofa and standing in front of her in seconds.

  “Hey, sweetheart. You come to make it all better?” I lift my hand and run the back of my knuckles across her jaw. She takes a step back, her eyes darkening with anger, but sadly she just bumps into the wall. Taking a lock of her dark hair between my fingers, I stare at it. It’s the wrong colour. “You know I prefer blondes, Ty. But I guess she’ll do.”

  I press my body against hers, pinning her between me and the wall. I don’t register Tyler growl behind me until his body slams into mine. I stumble back but not enough for him to miss when he swings for me. His sucker punch hurts like a motherfucker’s and successfully knocks me off balance, sending me crashing to the floor. The towel comes undone, ensuring I flash both of them, but her eyes don’t drop. Who the fuck is this woman? I rub my jaw as I try to place her.

  “Get your fucking hands off her.” He stands in front of her protectively. “This is Anna. My assistant; your fucking employee, you arsehole.”

  “Ooooh.” I look between the two of them. So this is the woman who has Tyler tied up in knots. “You fucking her yet?”

  “Shut the fuck up or I’m walking out of here right now with this whiskey and leaving you to drink yourself to death. You need to pull your head out of your arse, knobhead. You’ve got a company that needs you, and friends that for some fucked up reason, miss you. Now get yourself fucking sober and sort your fucking life out. You did this. You fucked her about, so stand up like a fucking man and take the fallout. You regret it? You hurting because despite your cold heart you’ve fallen for her? I. Don’t. Give. A. Shit. Sort it out.”

  With one final hard stare in my direction, he turns his back on me and walks out, quickly followed by his little puppy.

  “Fuck you,” I shout long after the door’s been shut. “Fuck you!”

  It’s long minutes before I drag myself from the floor. I take another glug from the bottle he thankfully left behind before going over to see what he left on the table.

  My eyes almost pop out at the image staring back at me.

  “Motherfucker,” I roar, the bottle in my hand shattering the second it collides with the wall.

  Chapter Thirty

  Mia

  I open my eyes to find I’m laid on the carpet with my knees up. “Oh thank goodness. Mia. Are you okay?” My mum’s in my line of sight, her face creased in concern. It all comes flooding back. The complete betrayal. How every Deacon featuring part of the past few weeks has all been a lie.

  My breath is short. I feel like I’m going to die.

  The box. The panties were enough of a clue. He hadn’t needed to show the photos of me, naked and vulnerable. Not really. But he had. Along with the printed album of photos. Just done online, not the originals. My mother attacked in his pursuit of his father.

  This can’t be real. Can it? Any minute now I will wake up in his arms and this will all have just been a bad dream.

  But the pain in my heart and the tears coursing down my cheeks tell me it’s not a dream at all. More a nightmare.

  Deacon screwed me. First screwed my body and then screwed me over.

  But then my stepdad is his father and his biological father has been more of a father to me than he’s ever been to Deacon. I understand it in his crazy, fucked up way. I also understand that his need for revenge was larger than his need or his feelings for me. Because if he truly loved me, he’d have told me the truth and we’d have worked through things together. How, I don’t know, but I do know I wouldn’t have let my mother continue living with a serial liar and cheat. So we’d have found a way, I’m sure. A way that wouldn’t have my mother on her knees, worrying about me, while she considers how her world just blew apart on the day she thought her daughter was bringing her potential happy ever after home to visit.

  Happy ever after. Huh.


  As I slowly sit up, I find the serial liar has our security detail sitting with him while he also comes to.

  “Anna-Maria…” His desperate eyes seek out my mother’s.

  Her eyes narrow. “You’ll be escorted to your room and watched while you pack an overnight bag. Text a forwarding address when you can and I’ll have anything else sent there. You can have everything you were ever gifted though you don’t deserve it, as long as you never return, never try to contact us.”

  The cruellest thing of all is that Giles Sullivan, the man who’d been my father for all those years. Who I’d thought truly cared, nods, and walks out of the room. The security try to hold his arm. He shrugs them off. “We’re good here. I’ll get my stuff and leave.”

  No apology.

  No he loves us.

  No on his knees begging for forgiveness.

  Just leaving without a backward glance.

  Most of my life has been a lie. My poor mother. She’d loved a conman. Thank fuck she’d never married him.

  “Mum. I am so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  She cradles me in her arms. I think as much for me as for her. “If I can survive the death of your father, I’ll survive this. We’ll be okay, baby. Just not anytime soon.”

  And then we both cry for everything we’ve lost while we cling to each other as if we’re the other’s life raft.

  A while later, my mother sends for tea and a solicitor. It’s the British way. A stiff upper lip and a hot drink.

  “I need to keep this off the radar,” Mum says, her eyes puffy but her head all business.

  My phone has been pinging for a while. I’ve ignored it, too busy falling apart. But it’s nothing to what happens when I see the messages on my phone.