by A. A. Dark
I shouldn’t have expected Bram’s slave to move. She hadn’t for hours. She just sat there, staring down at the screen, checking the texts that came through. But she never returned a message of her own. Whatever the Main Master was saying kept feeding the madness inside her, just like those fucking rings were feeding mine.
“Mrs. Harper! Everleigh! Mistress!”
The last drew out as I thrashed in the cuffs. She had mentioned we were going to New Orleans in the car, but we hadn’t. We were at a small, rundown shack somewhere outside Athens. Hours away maybe. I didn’t know. At one point, I had passed out and only came to as I was being carried by the two men inside. It had been growing dark by then. However long I was out, I didn’t know. I should have been rescued by now. Bram was supposed to be here.
“The phone! Just answer the fucking thing already.”
Blue eyes lifted to take me in. I was so damn weak. My legs weren’t even really supporting me anymore. All my strength went into projecting my voice.
“Please,” I ground out. “See what he wants.”
“I know what he wants. Would you like to see?”
She stood, holding the shrilling device. Why she had the ringer on to begin with baffled me. Wasn’t it grating her ears too? Wasn’t she losing it under the constant call of attention?
Everleigh headed over, moving inches from my face as she brought up the texts. Her fingers drew them up to start at the beginning, and slowly, she worked her digit down to show what looked to be...fifty, a hundred messages? More?
MM: What did you want? For me to tell you I loved you?
MM: Everleigh, you know I do.
MM: I love you.
MM: Everleigh, answer the phone.
MM: EVERLEIGH!
MM: Goddammit. Fine. There are laws, and I used that as an excuse, but I won’t lose you. I need you!
MM: NEED.
MM: Come home!
MM: Slave! Answer the fucking phone.
MM: If you don’t answer that phone…
MM: I love you. I’ll say it a million times if that’s what it takes for you to see and come back to me.
MM: I love you.
MM: I love you.
MM: I love you.
MM: I love you.
MM: I FUCKING LOVE YOU.
MM: I.
MM: Love.
MM: You.
On and on, they went, over and over, the same thing. I love you. I love you. Like a broken record, for hours, he texted the same thing. And the calls. Even as she showed me, the phone kept interrupting.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
My lip curled as I looked over at her. “Beautiful? Sure. Now answer the damn thing or turn off the ringer. I can’t take it anymore. At least change the sound. Anything but the repeat of that high-pitched tone. I—”
Again, it started. A yell tore from me as I threw my weight into the chains, pulling at my limbs until they threatened to tear free.
“Turn it off!”
A soft giggle left her. “Who would have known such a small thing like sound could torture someone so much? It makes sense, though. People overlook simple things like color. I mean, look what the White does. Have you ever been to the White, Travis?”
Groans left me. “I’ve walked down the halls a few times.”
“The halls? No, I’m not talking about the white cells where they do the red lights, but the real White Room. The one Bram kept my husband in. You should have seen what it did to him. I would have never have thought a mind could so beautifully break as his did. The hallucinations were extreme. When I helped him escape, he swore we were a family. He spoke so tenderly of our infant child. As we both know, I can’t have children. But it was nice to hear his dream, even if it wasn’t real. He loved me then. Really loved me. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for me at that point. To see him so changed, I almost regretted killing him. But you see, dark deeds can’t go unpunished. He hurt me. He tried to kill the man I love. He killed Eleven. He deserved to die the way he did.”
“Eleven?”
She threw me a look. “That’s right. He was my friend. He saved me from the red lights more times than I can count. And then, West killed him.”
“I see. Fuck. That’s why you want these twins so bad. Eleven. That’s what they called Ol’ Man Whitlock’s slave boy. He was sent to the White Room after Bram took over. It all makes sense now.”
“Does it? You know nothing. Perhaps it’s more than saving twins from a fate that ruined my friend. You have no idea my plans for either of them.”
“So, you have plans? Would you like to tell me about them?”
Blue eyes disappeared behind narrowed lids. The ringing kicked on again, and I cringed as she reached around the side and increased the volume.
One ring.
Two.
Four.
Again.
“Okay, I’m sorry. Turn it back down. Mistress.”
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
“Answer the phone!”
“I don’t think I will. You seem like you’re in the mood to talk. Let’s talk. I want to ask you a few questions.”
“Turn off the phone.”
“No.”
“Fine then. You can ask. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”
“Really? I disagree. Before it’s over, you’ll tell me everything I want to know. I have nothing but time. Luke?”
Movement had my eyes going to the entrance. The man who’d been to our left in the car came forward, removing his suit jacket. There was a look in his eyes—the same one almost every scout held. This man would kill me, and he’d probably do it happily. There was no bar too high, no limit too low.
The jacket fell to the floor and he removed the cuffs, rolling his sleeves to the middle of his thick forearms. Hazel eyes scanned my face, lifting to my hands bound in the leather restraints. When he was before me, he met my stare, slamming his fist into my lips without hesitation.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Whack!
Ring.
Ring.
Whack!
Blood poured from my mouth and the inside of my bottom lip split open from the tooth that had broken under the hit. My tongue ran over the serrated flesh and the metallic taste fueled my fury. I couldn’t fight back. I should have fought to begin with.
“I believe the Mistress has some questions to ask you. You have only one chance to respond. If you refuse or she feels you’re lying, you get more of my fist.”
“Thank you, Luke.”
He stepped back and Everleigh took her place in front of me as the phone continued to ding and ring like a demented music box.
“It came to my attention not long ago that our Main Master has added scouts to the list of people trying to track me down. I know how many he has at Whitlock, but what I want to know is how many he put on my search.”
Blood splattered across her face at my spit. She smiled, stepping to the side, not even wiping it away. The hits didn’t just come one after another, they were combined with jabs and uppercuts. My head snapped back and lights speckled my vision as I growled and thrashed through the pain. Crunching echoed in my ears from my nose and an explosion to my cheek felt as though it was going to take my head clean off.
Luke stepped back, poised but glaring, as his damaged hands clasped at his waist. Everleigh stepped forward again. I was panting, trying to stay conscious as she took her place.
“My, my, wasn’t that impressive. I do love Luke’s style. Now, I’ll ask you again. How many scouts are looking for me?”
“Bram is making a huge mistake, loving you.”
“And you’re making an even bigger one by not answering.”
“You know I can’t.”
I could barely finish before Luke pounded into the damage he’d already caused. He didn’t hit a new spot, but more beat into my bruising muscle like a meat tenderizer. The pain went beyond w
hat I had experienced before. My legs were of no use through the shock. I hung there in the chains, completely at his mercy as my bottom lip completely split down the middle.
“Oooh, that looks painful,” Everleigh said, returning before me.
“I agree, Mistress. Good thing you cut around the mouth for your presents to Master Whitlock. I would have hated to ruin your gift.”
My eyes rolled as I tried to look between them. Up and down, my head bobbed, catching blurry glimpses of the man and woman before me. Both their arms were crossed over their chests, and their heads were cocked to the side while they stared.
“We’ll let him come to a little more before we continue. I feel like some coffee, what about you, Luke?”
“Coffee would be great. I’ll go put some on.”
“Oh, Luke, can you bring me the little chocolates too? The ones we picked up in Belgium?”
A smile grew on his face and he gave a curt nod. “I would love to. I’ve been meaning to try them. Are they really that good?”
“Delicious,” she stressed.
A whimper left me as I added weight to my legs to take the pressure from my arms. Immediately, they gave out, causing me to cry out at the pop and pain in my shoulder.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
“God...d-dammit.”
“I hope this goes on forever. I happen to like the sound.”
I couldn’t respond. If Bram was still calling, he hadn’t found me yet. He wasn’t going to. Somewhere in my gut, I knew this was it. We’d failed, and in so, Everleigh Harper was going to win yet again. Hell, she had everything she needed in this abandoned house. Coffee. Chocolate. Chains. A white fucking box sitting on the dresser to the far side of the room. At least three men were here to protect her. Probably more by now. She’d planned this for quite some time, and she’d played us all for fools, even up until the ride here where she made me believe we were leaving to New Orleans. Why? I didn’t know. Enjoyment in twisting my mind? An inability to tell the truth? Delusions? Even now, I was baffled by her.
“I...can I…?” I tried to push myself back to my feet, managing by sheer strength of will to support my weight.
“Can you what?”
“Answer the fucking...phone. If you won’t...I gladly will.”
“You really think I’d let you speak to your Main Master? I don’t think so. Besides, I told you I liked him calling. Speaks volumes, doesn’t it? Look, twenty new texts. Is there a limit to how many a person can get? I’m guessing not on this phone.”
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
“Everleigh!”
A big smile came to her face as I put everything into yelling her name. In slow strides, she made it to me, lifting the phone and turning the screen to face me. All new text messages. The same three words from Bram, down the length:
I.
Love.
You.
I.
Love.
You.
I.
Love.
You.
“Do you see this? What’s happening between you and I is but static in the overall situation. You’re the smallest speck of the bigger picture. Collateral damage in a lover’s war. How does it feel to face death and know your pathetic waste of life means absolutely nothing to anyone?” Her hand rose up to my cheek, collecting blood to smear trails of crimson over her own. “You’re not going to answer? Wise of you, because you’re right. It must feel as hollow as the abyss inside you. Your silence is your definition. You are no one. Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Chapter 16
Layla
“She lives another day.”
Trembling took me over at the sarcastic voice that broke through my deep thoughts. The mix of fear and anger that stirred inside reached levels I’d never felt before. The two battled, causing my body to shake as I stayed leaning against the back of the cage like the injured puppy I probably appeared to be. My eyes didn’t lift, and I didn’t speak as I stared into the distance, just like I had been doing when he approached.
“I’ve come to say hello. What are you supposed to say, slave?”
“Leave her alone.”
Aamir’s deep tone had me blinking, but I didn’t avert my gaze from the grates.
“Now, why would I do that? We all had such a great time together, didn’t we?”
“Enough. Get the hell away from my sister.”
“Or what? Are you going to try to hurt me again, tough boy? Did you not get a good enough taste of me when I knocked you on your ass the other night?”
“If I remember correctly, you had help.”
“You remember wrong. Shall I tell her what I remember?”
The giant laughed as I turned to take in Aamir’s rigid frame. His head was bowed, and I wasn’t sure why he wouldn’t look at me.
“That’s what I thought. Lay there and pout. As for you, how about a quickie before you go?”
“You won’t touch her. I will kill you. I swear I will!”
“You’ll do nothing. You’re both lucky I’ve been busy or this day would have turned out so much differently. As it is, it’s time to go. The Dragon awaits.”
“W-We’re here?”
The giant laughed at my stuttering. “That’s right, but you have no reason to worry. I did you a favor scarring your face. Now you can bypass the Masters altogether and work laundry or something. You’ll live.”
Scar? My hand went to the gauze. Pulling it off, I winced at the tenderness, following the laceration down. Between the butterfly bandages, the line where the skin had been separated was evident. It was thick and made a path from behind my hairline all the way into my eyebrow. A gasp left me and deep breaths followed as Aamir reached through, grasping my shoulder.
“It’s nothing. It’s fine. It will heal and no one will even notice.”
“Don’t lie to her. It’s horrendous for what she’s meant for. Now she can service me when I make my stops every few weeks. No Master is going to want her looking like that.”
“The island is not my new home,” I choked out. “I’m headed to Whitlock.”
“Whitlock?”
His own scar distorted. “I was told the island. Didn’t no one say anything about Whitlock.”
“Ram! Get those slaves and let’s go! Master Draper is getting impatient.”
Fear. I saw it the moment his eyes snapped back to me. The giant was terrified, and for whatever reason, I knew it had to do with my destination. Or was it the Dragon? I wasn’t sure as he fumbled with the lock, only to pause. Thick chains dangled from a boy’s arms as he rushed forward, and Jessa grabbed my bicep full of caution as she rose from sleep.
“They’re not taking you again. I won’t let them.”
“Hurry up, Ram!”
“We’re here,” I whispered. “At the island.”
The captain’s voice carried down, jerking the giant into action. The door swung open at his pull and he grabbed one of the chains from the boy. Everything in me wanted to turn and cling to the bars behind me, but I knew better. This place had to be better than the ship. Better than the giant. Besides...this was just a stop along the way, wasn’t it? Maybe we’d be leaving right away.
“That’s a good girl.”
A big hand grasped around my arm, more jerking me out than helping. I stumbled through the lightheadedness, my knees weak as my head spun in circles. Even now, as a heavy collar locked to my throat, every moment had the throb increasing.
Jessa didn’t have to be told anything as she climbed free of the small cage and became restrained as well. When the giant stood before Aamir’s cage, my brother looked on the edge of some sort of murderous episode. He held to the bars, his gaze cutting up as he breathed deeply.
“Don’t try anything stupid, slave. One wrong move and I’ll break your neck and tell the Dragon you brought it on yourself.”
“Aamir,” I pleaded. “Let’s just go.”
&nb
sp; “Unlock. The. Cage.”
Shrugging as if it wasn’t a big deal, the giant bent down, freeing Aamir. For seconds, neither moved. They waited, almost challenging one another. When my brother finally crawled out, he kept his focus on every move the man made. The metal snapped to his neck and the giant snatched all three dangling chains as he led us to the stairs. Relief was there on behalf of my brother, but what lay ahead on the next part of our journey didn’t sit well. What if this hadn’t been the worst part? What if it was only going to get worse?
One by one, we entered the bright light of the sun. The captain took Jessa and Aamir’s chains as the giant held fast to mine. My lips parted, and ever since I’d heard of the island, I imagined something small. A tiny speck of earth in the massive spanning sea. This place was not small. What look liked resort bungalows were along a pier that outstretched a good ways. It led to palm trees and a beach plucked straight from a destination magazine. But still, it was incomparable to the luxurious castle upon the hill. The building almost mirrored an old stronghold ready for war. It was huge...scary. And not too far from it stood a single tower. A lookout, I assumed.
My eyes darted over to a blur, and I squinted. Churning in my gut nearly brought me to my knees. People were skittering around the tiny huts in the distance. They weren’t meant for the elite, that was clear. Slaves. Sea slaves. The boys and men were like ants, so far away, but from their tattered clothes, it was unmistakable who they were. They served this Master’s need, and from the looks, there was nowhere for them to go. No boats were present, except our own. There was no other land.
A tug on my chain had me stepping toward the ladder. The giant quickly made it down. We were anchored at the end, not far from the bungalows. I turned, climbing halfway down before hands wrapped around my waist and I was lifted and placed next to him.
“You’ll keep your mouths shut and not attempt escape.” The captain’s hand lifted, pointing to the distance. “You see those men by the tree-line. They’re not just there to keep the slaves in line. You act up, they’ll shoot you too.”
From the glare he threw Aamir, I knew it was a threat to my brother. Something was different with him. Off in ways I didn’t understand.
“He mentions the guards. Look up on that hill. That’s who you should be afraid of. The Dragon. Are you scared, slave?”
