Pride (The Elite Seven Book 2)

by J. D. Hollyfield

  “Okay. But I need you to stay away from Lillian.”

  “Well, I would agree, but that’s impossible. She demands I see her twice a week. For counseling sessions.”

  “Why?”

  “Heck if I know. To torture me. Mentally fuck with me. She made it clear, I miss one and I’ll regret it. She told me no one likes getting their toys taken away. I’d learn soon enough to play nice.”

  That fucking cunt.

  We’re all just toys to her.

  My phone buzzes, and I reach for it, knowing who it’s going to be.

  Cunt Griffin: Hope you’re enjoying playtime. But time’s up. Check your email.

  “Who is that?” Evelyn asks, not missing the low rumble in my chest at the message.

  “No one.” I shove my phone back in my pocket. “Listen, I know I just got here, but I gotta go do something. I’ll come back as soon as I’m done, okay?” Fear radiates across her face. “No, Mason, don’t leave me. Just please stay. I’m sorry. I’ll tell you what you want to know, but please!”

  She’s back in my arms, and I hold her tight. “I don’t want to leave, but I have to. Believe me when I say I need to leave to be able to see you.”

  “Is it her? What does she have on you?” she cries.

  I look at her, and there’s no way I can deny her the truth. “You.” The word is simple and true. “She’s kept you from me. And now that I have you back, I’m not gonna do anything to jeopardize that. I can’t explain more, but know, in the end, we will be free of her, okay?”

  “Mason, please. Don’t do anything that’ll land you back in jail. I can’t do this without you anymore, please.”

  We stay embraced for some time until her dorm room opens and a girl walks in. I kiss the top of her head and we both pull away. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Take my number. Call if you need anything.” She nods, and I type my number into her phone. We say no more as I exit her room.

  My mind runs rampant with disturbing scenarios. I should just kill Lillian now. Not waste another second. These years haven’t been good for my sister. She doesn’t have to confess her nightmarish past for me to know her suffering. I can see it in her eyes. And for this, Lillian needs to die.

  I pop out of Evelyn’s dorm building, knocking shoulders with some frat asshole on my way out. He turns, giving me a threatening stare but backs down the minute he captures the murderous glare in mine. As I hustle to Lillian’s office, I check the email she sent me. The subject line says: The Elite Seven. Tonight, I’m to meet at an abandoned nunnery, toward the edge of town. As instructed, I’m to unite and bond with six other members. Six lives I will single handedly help destroy. My conscience doesn’t exist here. I will, take part in stripping them of their virtue to earn their rightful place in The Elite.

  I despise the person she’s about to turn me into. But part of me agrees. Pride won’t stop me from doing the tasks doted on me. No one is above my sister. No one. I slow my pace, needing a new plan. I can’t risk anything happening to Evelyn. What if it’s not just her? What if by deleting Lillian, I’m only deleting a piece of the game? And I doubt she’s the only player in this. I need to bide my time wisely until I can figure out a better plan.

  One that gives us a life out from under The Elite and Lillian Griffin.

  I’m the first one to arrive as I pull my junk Impala up the driveaway of the abandoned nunnery. The wind is fierce tonight, and I fight through the gust of leaves and spitting rain to get inside. It’s dark, and the smell of musk and death thick in the air cause me to cough. Walking in farther, I flip a few switches. No power. I spot a bunch of candles displayed along the fire mantel in clusters throughout the main room and take my lighter to them, sparking a dim glow to the beat down room. When I get to the ones on the mantle, I see the scroll, just as her email stated.

  There will be a scroll. Read from it. Let them know who they are about to become. Watch as they all stare at you in envy. But no need to fear. Your pride will rise above them all. Enjoy your new brotherhood. And don’t be so grouchy. There’s a surprise for you all. Not every sin is bad.

  LG

  Pulling the parchment off the shelf, I hear someone arrive. I stand silent, as two dudes walk in, one of them staring me down, testing me. Little does he know, whatever superiority he thinks he has over me means shit to me. In this game, I’m the alpha.

  “So, do we wait here or…?” Out of nowhere, another guy pops out from the shadows. I didn’t hear him enter, and when I make eye contact, it unsettles me.

  I hold up the scroll. “I found this on the mantel.”

  “What does it say?” the entitled douchebag asks, flashing the flashlight on his phone to search around the room.

  “We have to wait for all seven of us to be here.” It’s quiet except the flickering of the candles and wheezing of the heavy wind outside. A few unspoken moments pass before all seven finally arrive. Standing in a circle, I begin. “If you stand in this room, you are witness to the seven chosen candidates. The Elite Seven. Pride, Wrath, Lust, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Envy.”

  “Do we get to choose? Because I can see me being prideful.” The douchebag turns to his friend and winks.

  My fingers clench around the scroll to keep my calm. I take a labored breath and continue. “The Elite is made up of the best our school has to offer, and you have the honor of proving yourself worthy. Your oath to the society will be given in action. You will perform assignments to show your obedience and dedication to The Elite. In return, you will be welcomed into a society rich, not just in wealth, but in status, influence, opportunity. You’ve been chosen as the crème de le crème of St. Augustine, and you will be joining the ranks of the most powerful and influential members of society.” I take a breather and flex my jaw. “Above all things, we pride ourselves on candidates who will prosper long after school ends. The Elite is for life. It will become a part of you. Keeping the societies’ secret is of utmost importance. Any indiscretion will be punishable by the full force of the society.

  “Your initiation begins with the bonding of seven. The men in this room are your brothers. The brotherhood of the seven is unbendable. You are no longer one person, you are seven.” I lift my eyes away from the words to my audience. Their faces are mostly hidden within the darkness, only a small glare from the candles giving their appearance away. Everyone seems attuned to what I’m telling them. No one looks confused or ready to bail. I inhale a deep breath and continue. “To be chosen for The Elite is of the highest honor, and for this reason, Pride is always chosen as the conduit between the initiating members and The Elite.”

  “Me,” the rich asshole whispers, sticking his chin up, looking high and mighty.

  I ignore the urge to take him by the lapels of his expensive shirt and put my fist through his face. I just need to get through this and get the fuck out of here. “Pride leads the seven. Prove yourselves worthy of full initiation and you’ll be welcomed into the best society the world has to offer. Your given sin reflects your abilities and personality in life, so shall it be in sin.”

  “Mason Blackwell, Pride.” I peer up at the group and pat my chest. “That’s me. Samuel Gunner, Wrath. Rhett Masters, Lust. Rush Demsey, Sloth. Micah—”

  I pause on the name, and my eyes raise. I find him in the darkness of the circle. Micah Dixon, my old best friend. What the fuck? How…? I shake it off. Get through this and worry about that later. “Micah Dixon, Greed. Sebastian Westbrook, Envy. Baxter Goddard, Gluttony. Good luck, and may your sins be worthy.”

  There’s a rush of excitement from a few of the guys, Gluttony looks pissed, and a few others have a no care grin on their face. Everyone begins to turn to exit when I speak. “Wait, there’s a card.” I hold it up. Gluttony walks up, snatches it from my grip, and opens it.

  “To bond your brotherhood, you will indulge in the sins of the body, in lust.” He wiggles his eyebrows at the group. Annoyed at his cockiness, I rip the card out of his hand, and flip it over to see an address. “The
re’s an address. Let’s go.”

  Everyone takes that as their cue to leave, but Micah and I don’t move a muscle. I hear the door creak shut before he makes a move.

  “Holy fuck, is it really you?” Micah approaches me, pulling me in for a hug. His arms, also covered in ink, wrap around me, a hand slapping at my back. “Dude! I thought…” He pulls back, the familiar laid-back smile he used to carry still on his face. “I didn’t know what happened to you. Shit, I even thought your ass was dead.”

  More unwanted memories surge to the forefront of my mind. The night I drove Micah and I home, only to watch Evelyn be accused of horrible things and ripped away from the only family she had. The only call I was given in jail.

  “I could ask you the same thing.” I step back, allowing the anger to filter back in at the betrayal.

  “What’s that shit supposed to mean?” His expression hardens. “You fucking disappeared, man.”

  I go at him and he meets me nose to nose. “I did? How about hours after I got beaten and dragged away, I called you and your phone was disconnected.”

  His eyes shine with confusion, but they quickly register into understanding. “Fuck. My dad,” he begins, shaking his head. “I came home right after all that shit went down. I wanted to ask my dad to look into what happened. But he took my phone. Said I had been hacked or some shit and handed me a new one. I didn’t even…”

  “Your dad already knew.”

  “But how?”

  Fucking Lillian. The Griffins attended the same church as the Dixons, and on many occasions, those families ended up in the papers together at galas and charity events.

  “You think my dad had something to do with—?”

  “Lillian Griffin is a cunt liar. My sister never did anything wrong. Her accusations were due to her jealousy that her husband would rather abuse young girls than touch her.”

  Micah’s face turns stone cold. “He fucking do something to Evie?”

  “Not sure yet. We’ve just been reunited as of late and she’s not doing much talkin’.”

  His expression once again morphs into confusion. “Wait. You haven’t been with her? Where you been, man? Where’s she been? She okay?”

  I don’t want to admit I’ve been in hell, separated from my sister with no power or ability to help her. If he even knew what sort of life she was succumbed to live because I couldn’t help her, he’d hate me. I hate myself. “I’ve been in State Pen. Got myself into some shit.”

  “Damn. Don’t mind me askin’, how the hell you end up here, runnin’ this crazy ass shit?”

  Because I sold my life for another’s. “Long fuckin’ story.” A large gust of wind causes the doors of the church to burst open, startling us both and instantly breaking the moment. “Let’s get out of here. Everyone’s waiting.” I say to distract him from further questions.

  He hesitates, but nods. “Yeah, but once we get some drinks in us, you’re telling me everything. I feel you have more you’re not telling me.”

  He has no idea.

  We all follow The Elite’s directions and head to the address. Once everyone arrives, we all jump out of our cars and head up the steps of the lavish two-story mansion, pillars surrounding the property, a grand balcony wrapping around the entire upper floor. “Ready to sell your soul for The Elite?” I ask and slam my fist against the large wooden door. As soon as it opens, the ambiance hits us, sin and pleasure, greeting us at the door. A slow tune fills the room, while women, covered in only seductive masks, and thongs crowd the entire first floor.

  Together, we enter the house and once everyone makes it past the threshold of the doorway, a woman, her eyes covered by a peacock mask, walks up to us with a tray full of drinks.

  “Welcome gentleman. One for each,” she says, offering us a drink and we each grab a goblet from the tray. “Morality doesn’t exist past those doors. Tonight, is about embracing your true sin. Tonight’s transgression is to create your very own divine law. Enjoy.”

  This is The Elite’s version of bonding?

  The woman walks away without another word, and we all clink our glasses together and take down the sugary liquid. I sneer at the taste. What the fuck was in that?

  “You heard her, leave your morals at the door, guys.” Sebastian, or Envy licks his lips and disappears into the sea of flesh. Everyone else follows suit. Gluttony walks passed and knocks his shoulder into mine. I reach forward to grab him by the fucking neck when Lust stops me.

  “Not worth it, man. There’s a reason he’s Gluttony. Excessiveness in always wanting to be on top.” I turn to Lust. Fuck if I care why he earned his sin. Brother or not, he won’t make it too far if he thinks he’s above me. “Rhett, by the way.” He sticks his hand out, and I shake it.

  “Mason.”

  “Pretty badass, this whole Elite thing, right? What’d you have to do to get in?”

  Give up everything.

  “Whatever got in my way,” I reply. Seems like a fitting enough answer, being Pride and all. We both stare off into the crowd, catching Envy who’s already locked himself in between two women, getting ready to spring his dick free.

  “Well, looks like I need to get myself into some trouble. Good luck tonight, bro.” He pats me on the back, then he’s off, wrapping his arm around a girl holding a tray of white powder. I’m trying to take the whole scene in, but my vision is starting to blur.

  “Fuck,” I grunt wiping my hand down my face, realizing those drinks were laced with something. The farther I walk into the house, the louder the sounds of sex and pleasure get. Rooms filled with women on their knees, and men fucking ’em while they sniff coke off their backs, tits, pussies. I locate everyone in a room sitting in a circle of chairs, women, bobbing, sucking.

  “Mason, get the fuck over here. Got her twin sister ready for you.” I see Micah, who’s getting a lap dance from a blonde. The room spins, and I swear the ground underneath me sways. I grab onto a girl walking past me.

  “Hello there, handsome. Can I bring you pleasure?” My eyes land on her, then the mound of coke piled on her tray. The echo of Micah’s laugh has my attention back on him. He’s laughing at me while pushing a chick’s head into his lap.

  Fuck.

  I don’t know what comes over me as I dip low, shoving my nose into the mountain of blow.

  I stumble into a shithole bar located far from campus and even farther from the place I just left my new brothers. I’m drunk and coked out of my mind, not to mention whatever was in that drink. Apparently, being part of The Elite allows easy access to any and everything. A mind-numbing release for starters. A text from Lillian ordered me to stay ‘til the party ended, but I needed to get the fuck away. All the sex, the drugs. My new brotherhood. It all took a quick toll and sent me racing to be free of all the chaos happening around me.

  I should have gone back to Evelyn, but I can’t have her see me in the shape I’m in.

  I’ve been clean for years. Minus the few joints Micah and I used to smoke back in high school. Since I’ve been out, I’ve kept it that way. I needed to be on alert and have my mind clear when it came to Lillian and whatever she had in store for me. But tonight, I gave in and flooded my body with booze and drugs to drown out the reality she’s brought down on me.

  I throw myself on an open stool at the bar and scan the place around me. The joint is packed with people like me. Trash. Thugs. A group of bikers in the corner, who continue to harass a woman, uncaring of her pleas for them to stop.

  “What’ll it be?” the rugged bartender asks, throwing his bar towel over his shoulder.

  “Five shots of tequila,” I say, and slam a hundred-dollar bill on the bar. The last of the tainted money Lillian gave me. The scholarship, the housing, the status—it’s all a ruse. Phony image of what she wants me to portray. To the blind, they see prestige, power, an alpha. And in my part of the game, I let them. Because my sinful pride won’t allow them to see the real person behind the mask Lillian forces me to wear.

  The Eli
te Seven.

  A secret society run by a fucking psychopath. But was Lillian the real mastermind? Or was she just another pawn in The Elite? And what do my new band of brothers really know? They all seem pumped to be a part of it. Which confirms they don’t know shit behind the masquerade. Being the alpha, I can’t let them be fooled. They all need to know and I’m going to be the one to uncover the truth.

  I swear to that.

  But right now, I need to play nice and do what I need to do to guarantee my sister’s safety.

  Which is ruin fucking lives.

  My head begins to spin and my elbows land on the surface of the bar as I run my fingers through my hair. And what about Micah? Why the fuck is he wrapped up in this shit? I should tell him to get the fuck out now. He has no idea what’s in store for him.

  Five shots appear in front of me, and I waste no time going down the line, downing each one with urgency, welcoming the burn as the liquid slides down my throat.

  “You good, man?” the bartender asks. I nod and tap my finger on the bar, requesting another round. Seeing Micah again brought up too many unwanted memories. The shit past I wanted to forget. Dahlia. My fingers tighten around the shot glass at the memory of the video. Nights when I just wanted to give in to the weakness, I would think of that video. Let the rage consume any urge to surrender. I’d work my muscles ‘til they burned. Work my mind with revenge until it almost blinded me. And I would plot. One day, when I was out, if that day ever came, I would get my revenge on Lillian, Dahlia, and anyone who ever dared lay a hand on my sister.

  “Hulk smash.”

  A soft feminine voice to my right tickles at my eardrum. The sweet scent of cherries and vanilla surrounds me, and I turn to sneak a quick glimpse of the chick who’s taken the seat next to me. My eyes start at her breasts, full and perked in a skin-tight black halter-top dress. They rise to her bare shoulders, thin neck, and plump red lips. When I make it to her eyes, my cock stirs.